3WW Resolutions

A new year's resolution; demolition of the old me so that I may transform into the new and true me.

Praise God! My own Psalmist Praise

Praise God! Exalt him to the ends of the earth,




His works are never ending,

his wonders never cease,

his works displayed for all to see,

the captured are released,



mysteries revealing,

his infinite majesty,

seeking first his kingdom,

bowing at the knee.



Behold the Lamb of God,

born in squalor, born in pain,

living, breathing, dying,

for our greatest gain,



Praise him all you people,

praise him ever more,

look for him each day,

the Temple Curtain tore,



God is ever with us,

disciplined to see,

God is greater than my all,

than both you and me.



Praise God all you people,

praise God ever more.



Praise God! Exalt him to the ends of the earth!

3WW Sentence

Belief in a festive time of year causes a rumple on the face of the politically correct.

3WW: Impetus of Solace

Recently, my Dad has been praising the BBC production called The Big Silence. I have not seen it, but my Dad is amazed at the experience silence and solitude can provide. Based on this and my own quiet times I have written a poem about the impetus of solace.

The Impetus of Solace

 The impetus of solace,
in a hardened place,

Kneeling alone,
all chances blown,

Begging for mercy,
that you'd find me,

vindicated
abdicated

of all my wrong
the list's so long

So long, old life
to belong, new life

As the impetus of solace
finds me in a place
of  renewed grace.

3WW A start again

Absence for a while,
As I muster the old courage and style,

Wanting to begin to write,
setting out for a tumble dry,

Knocked, tied in a half hitch
Jeered, crying, booed off of the pitch,

Cos I drank and I drank, and I drank some more,
Til I was so dunrk,

I cuold nto ese srithgat,
or slepl, or be on tmie,
or rymhe straight with late,

until I forgot
that I was not
as drunk as I professed,

The problem is,
simply this,
Uni has knocked it from under me,
my roots of writing,
buckled at the knee.

So the rhythm's not perfect,
the rhyming's all out,
but it's a start,
which is what this poem was about.

Lives and Saves

Love
In
Vibrant
Ecstasy

Sure
Amazing

Neverending
Delight

Saturated
Alive

Verified
Exuberant
Saviour

A man

I met this guy called Jesus


A man in the real sense

He understood the pain of life

He carried it, bared it, admitted it



He tried to tell his friends of it

They were having none of it

He begged his Father to let him off the hook

Father wanted all of him



So he drank bitter wine

Nailed the problem

There and then

Embraced the pain of life



Weeping for his beloved friend’s death

Having compassion on the foreigner

Welcoming the outcast

Light in the darkness

Angels cry ever softly

Angels cry ever softly


Hearing footsteps fall

Coming ever nearer

Learner driver stalls



Open out the back

The wheel spins round again

The clock ticks good bye

See her there and then



Rom com on the tele

Reminds me of my fate

Friends fall all around me

Ashes in the grate



Open book words shout

Lost in the fog of doubt

Hope is slipping away

Soon to run out



The stars still shine tomorrow

Today is still the same

If only I were celebrity

But then who’d see the shame?



Out of here, Out of there

Treacle walk on still

Remind me of my strength

Let me have my fill



Walk beside me there

Light the way to here

Hold me to your side

Help me lose my fear



Angels cry ever softly

Hearing footsteps fall

Coming ever nearer

Learner driver stalls

Discarded Fairy Tale

I have lost lots of things

belief is probably one of them

and that is all I once had

 

where next?

 

drained

empty

forgotten

 

hope seems long gone

shattered with no dreams

love a discarded fairy tale

 

who knows?

 

broken

chained

undone

 

 

 

 

What is Church for?

What is Church for?

Someone once said.

To teach you to be good!

Someone replied.

Why?

Another voice chipped in.

Cos being good gets you to Heaven.

Disdainfully obvious.

Does it?

Of course.

You fool.

What did you call me?

Nothing. You should know Church is to get people to Heaven.

So I just go to Church and I get to Heaven?

Yes.

So what about grace?

What about it?

Well, isn't that important?

Well yes. Being gracious is part of being good.

The voice of reason states.

So God is gracious just because it's good?

Yes.

What about love?

Part of being good.

What about killing?

Not good.

Really?

No.

So why did God kill his Son in his grace and mercy?

What?

Isn't that what gets us to Heaven?

I'm not sure. Maybe.

Maybe?

Maybe. I don't really know.

So what is Church for?

I don't really know.

Good works in the light of grace and love?

Yes! That's it.

Anything else?

No, don't think so.

I think there might be something else.

What is it though?

Well, what do you think?

In memory of...

May the memories remain, starkly sweet, of one so loved, so cherished so dear. May we let go to hold on rightly, without bitterness or hopelessness that we may remain in faithfulness.

Wimbledon Likes

I am enjoying Wimbledon.

I like the determintation, the will to do well, the will to win.

I like the simplicity of one against one, or two against two.

I like the crowds, enchanted by the spectacle.

I like the Weather, able to delay every game, even ones on centre court, if only by forty minutes.

Most of all though, I like these things epitomised. Epitomised in Murray. I hope he wins.

Tweetie Time

I have a twitter account. Follow@jonnymasters89

Love Wins?

I discovered this clip on youtube today.

It is an attempt to explain the gospel. It engages, it teaches, it compels. But does it tell the whole story?

Rob Bell suggests otherwise. He hints that the good news is better than that.

So, did Jesus pay a price for us? Do we need to accept him into our lives? Is the good news just for us?

These are the kind of questions Bell deals with in Love Wins. I am not sure I agree with all he implies, but I do think his work is a challenging reminder of God's love for us.

Ethics

Recently I have been thinking about ethics. I came up with a Personal Ethical Code based on 1 Corinthians 13:

God comes first

Love

Be patient

Be kind

Do not be jealous

Do not be boastful

Do not be proud

Lift others above yourself

Be humble

Stay calm

Forgive others

Do not laugh at others' misfortune

Be honest

Look after others

Trust others

Be hopeful

Persevere

Hold my hand

A couple of weeks ago I took part in a reflection on the cross. Part of the reflection could revolve around Christ in the midst of our suffering. We were in a Church, but the day was beautiful so I took the opportunity to explore. As you walked out the side door of the Church you could see about four rows of twenty or thirty gravestones. Only one, in the furthest corner, was in the shape of a cross. I headed towards it, and as I walked I could see that there were more crosses in the graveyard, but this particular one drew me on.

Still thinking about the suffering of Christ, I read the inscription.

Name
Died 1983
1 hour old

I wept. As I wept I saw a butterfly land gently on the grave; a dog whined. I wrote a poem to try to describe that sacred moment.

Hold my hand

Hold my hand
O precious Christ

The butterfly kisses where the baby lies

Hold my hand
O precious Christ

The dog howls its lonesome cry

Hold my hand
O precious Christ

Ignorant traffic rumbles by

Hold my hand
O precious Christ

This baby died but an hour old

Hold my hand
O precious Christ

Alongside my pain

O precious Christ
Hold my hand.

The Princess and the Gentleman

'One day a young princess was on a walk. She was walking through a field when she bumped into an old, old gentleman, who had a very kind face. She looked at him and immediately loved him. She would of given her life for him then, if it had been asked of her, but instead he smiled, he spread his arms out wide and he hugged her. He said, "Hello Esther", he knew her name, she didn't have to tell him, he just knew. She felt like she knew him too, she stayed talking with the old man a very long time. He asked her, "Are you sure it is alright for you to stay as I would never wantto get you into trouble?" But she soon replied, "I do not mind", because every time she looked into his eyes she loved him. It was not a love that was forced onto her, but a love that she felt of her own choice, and she felt it strongly. She stayed talking to him, he told her many wise, wise things, things that if you and I were told we would not forget them for the rest of our lives. Soon the sun began to sink into the earth, and the moon shone brightly. Esther began to feel tired and as she sat there listening to the old man's voice she grew more and more sleepy, her head began to drop and in the end she fell asleep in the old man's arms. The old man sat and looked at the beautiful princess for a while. He knew she could not get cold, for he was always warm, as if there were a burning flame inside of him. He sat and he smiled at the little girl, he loved her with a love that could not be broken, the sort of love that a father shows for his children, but even better. Better than what is possible to imagine... When the little girl woke up, she slowly opened her eyes. She saw her bed, her duvet and the picture of her mum on the wall. She began to think, and as she did, she remembered how she had fallen asleep. She remembered the love that she saw in the old man's eyes, and she felt that love again. She longs to see the old man again and as long as she remembers that old gentleman's love for her, and as long as she shares that love with all the people she meets, she WILL meet him again... Ok so perhaps you do not like the story, it is not complicated but should not be taken literally. Perhaps you will not agree but for me this story is a metaphoric image of God and me. It is one of many images I have of him. For me it is also an image of the relationship that God can have with any person. I imagine a little girl because this shows the vulnerability that I have and the vulnerability that we all have. Maybe the little girl, for you, is a little boy but either way God loves me and God loves you, his love is unconditional and nothing can ever break his love for us.' by my sister

A Prayer

A prayer written because of this story:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-12383464

God,

hear the despair of these people,
their cries of pain,

notice this injustice, it is not right!

You are God!

No one can change our hearts but you, you alone make us clean.

Heal these wounds, give the child hope,

for hope is in you alone.

Be with them now,

Amen.

A milky way rainbow

I was feeling a bit low the other day. I had a lot to do in preparation for a deadline, and I ended up not having planned a youth work session half an hour before it was to begin. I spoke to a friend on facebook who suggested icing biscuits as gifts for someone to encourage them.

Great idea!

I needed to get to the shop, buy some biscuits and icing and get back very quickly. So I left, in a rush and still not in the best of moods, but feeling a little hopeful that the session wouldn't go too badly.

Then pathetic fallacy took place; it started to rain. Blue skies turned to grey, and water poured from above to shower the thirsty grass.

And to get me wet and to literally dampen my spirits even more!

I parked my car, walked quickly to the shop, grabbed a basket and whizzed round in a matter of minutes. I wasn't overly rushing, but I was aware of my time limit. Hence I chose my queue carefully. I surveyed the conveyors, eyed up the number of products and plumped on going to the cigarette till.

There I was pleased to wait patiently for the woman being served to discover she could not find her store membership card, I was pleased to wait for the man in front of me as he asked for cigarettes. Then a voice from behind,

"Excuse me," says the woman quietly, "do you mind if I just go in front? I have to pick up my grandson from school." I eye the Milky Way in her hand, unimpressed.

"NO!" I yell, "There are others of us in a hurry to, you know!"

"Thank you," she says, as I realise I actually let her past in a mad moment of remembering I'm a follower of Jesus.

Another, even older woman with a bag on wheels, taps me on the shoulder,

"There are still some kind people left in the world."

I smile guiltily, knowing my initial reaction.

I pay for my goods. I step outside. It is raining even harder.

"Look!" cries a daughter in the car park. I obey with the mother and see a rainbow, curving majestically, owning the sky.

Now I smile knowingly, God is in a rainbow. His promises reside there.

With Feeling

Hopelessness pervades whenever hope begins to grow,

Doubts swell, rising as a tide, breaking the defences

Friends gone. So it seems. Their distant cries a helpless call,

For what?

Me?

A shell of a man, frozen in this bitter wind, stagnant in these still waters

Life, effervescence, champagne joy

Popped.

Desolately I fall to my knees,
Angrily I cry my tears of despair,
For who is with me now?
If my God is for me?

They stand against me, at all sides
Shoving me back
Into a cocoon

Maybe I'll blossom, flower

Fly away from these binding ropes

Soar once more to those dizzy heights of wondering how I ever learnt to glide
Know myself capable in the maker's hands

Hands that hold the world
Holding me.