Jerusalem Lieth Waste

30 Jun

Nehemiah 1 – 2 – 3

Jerusalem lieth waste,
Her children are scattered,
Her children’s children wander aimlessly,
Searching for any sign of hope.

The fountains have lost their beauty,
The waters are bitter.

The walls of the city have no gates,
Where the gates once were, there are no doors,
All have fallen away,
None have taken the time to restore and repair.

Into the valley they travel,
Past the dunghill, the remnant of past life,
Past the pool where the animals find rest.

Between two mountains they are tossed about,
A mountain of good, secure but foreign;
A mountain of evil, exciting and lurid.

In the valley they wait,
Walking to and fro, from mountain to mountain,
Tasting of the ambiance of each,
Looking for one who will care enough,
To restore them.

At the walls stand a handful of Saints,
Each trying to decide whether to help,
Or to let others live as they will.

Should they reach out to another’s child,
Chance the rebuke and scorn,
Can they make a difference,
Or become a passing trend,
Soon forgotten.

Rebuilding the walls will take so much time,
Establishing the gates difficult,
Placing doors means people to watch them,
People that discern good and evil,
People of integrity that will not compromise.

Jerusalem lieth waste,
Her children’s children have not been taught,
Her children’s children’s wounds have not been tended,
Her children’s children wander aimlessly,
Searching for hope.

A handful of Saints make a decision,
This restoration will take many years,
This restoration will be painful,
This restoration will make a difference,
This restoration will set a standard.

I pick up the first stone and set it in place,
Then another and another,
I hear the laughter and the scorn,
It feeds my intensity.

As the walls strengthen and the doors are set,
The children wander back;
They find security, soundness, protection;
They find safety, boundaries, goals;
They find hope,
They find peace.

 

Written 2-7-2001

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CHILD OF MY DESIRE

23 Jun

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine
own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5 KJV

 

In my most tragic moments,

When all I see,

Is unforgivable failure;

When I feel least,

Among all men –

You are there.

 

When I’ve done all the right,

That I know to do,

With my best ability,

And still things fail –

I hear You call.

 

When man labels my ways,

Calling me wicked,

Even in righteousness,

When I want to lay down,

When I want to quit –

You smile and nod “go on.”

 

In my smallest failures,

And grandest dreams,

I feel the conviction of life,

Pulling me down,

Taunting me to give up –

But you pull me into Your lap,

To rest.

 

Why Lord,

With this ever failing vessel,

Would you lead me on,

In tender love,

As an untiring parent,

Choreographing hope.

 

You knew me before time was,

You saw me in my Mother’s womb,

You knew my success,

You shared the joy,

You saw my guilt,

Yet held me close,

Even though you knew,

What was to come.

 

My child,

Frail and humble,

I see the heart inside,

Chained and fenced,

Tender, vulnerable.

 

Look past the vessel,

Surrounding the soul,

Molded dust,

Easily blown,

Easily moved,

Tempted.

 

Inside lies My Word,

Ready to birth,

The promises made,

Right next to My Spirit,

My seed planted there.

 

You were created for Me,

The child of My love,

No mistake, not unwanted,

As some say to believe.

 

You’re the child of My chamber,

Fragrant oils,

Sweet savor,

Rising to Heaven.

 

I wait for you in the night,

I watch for you in the day,

I’m as close as you will hold Me,

Or as far as you should say.

 

Child of My desire,

Precious one at My feet,

Rest with Me,

All the days of our life.

 

Written 6/24/1998

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FORTRESS

23 Jun

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians. 4:13 KJV

People always tell me how strong I am,

Admiring the composure they see.

Yet, inside, Jesus holds the frail

Shaking bird, praying for safety.

Don’t confuse my lack of tears for strength,

they are dammed up behind stone walls,

protecting my vulnerable heart.

Don’t confuse my serene stance for strength,

for it is a mask which covers the myriad

of emotions that are so fragile.

You may never know the real me,

I hide the guilt and pain and fears so well.

I will never allow you close enough

for fear that you might hurt me.

I choose to stay in the safety of loneliness.

I have tried to surrender what I have become,

but, by my own will, I am not strong enough.

 

Neither are you capable of penetrating the fortress

the enemy and I have so carefully built.

Lord, Jesus, descending through the wings of a dove,

strip away the chains, tear down the walls,

that I may learn to love again.

 

Written 5/11/1995

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DREAMS

11 Nov

“And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.”    Numbers 12:6

I’m standing in my dining room window and I realize that my plants have all gone dry.  I have been so focused on keeping the fireplace burning and the house warm, that I hadn’t thought about the other life around me that needs attention, and water, to survive.

I wonder if I have forgotten about my own life and the desires I once held so dear.  I have found myself going through the motions of life to survive.  I am living in the memories of a lost yesterday, a wonderful time gone by, of clear direction and extravagant dreams.  I often find myself so absorbed in the memories of yesterday that I forget about the reality of today.  We were created to flourish, not simply survive.  Why do we stop dreaming about tomorrow?  Why have we allowed circumstances to dictate the end of a vision that God has placed deep in our hearts and souls?  Am I the only one?

Illness may steal our energy, but it should never steal our joy.  An unwanted job may bring tremendous stress and pressure, but it cannot steal our dream of the work God has put inside of us, it is merely a stepping stone soaked with valuable lessons and information that God is teaching us for the next part of our journey.

A loss is only a loss if we allow it to be, or it can become a beautiful valuable lesson to guide our steps forward on the path that God has placed us on.

Do we get so caught up in daily survival that we forget to reach out to the God who gave us life. Do we forget about the dreams, the people in our lives to receive from, and the people that He wants us to pour into.  Do we get so caught up in trying to figure out how we are going to fulfill a need that we forget to take it to the Father in prayer, which is all He is waiting for to send resolution?  Are we so consumed by the fear of what might happen that we don’t step into the dreams of the wonderful things that could happen?

Reach out to the Father for the next step of the path that He placed in you at birth.  Reach deep inside for the faith and trust you nurture every day through the Word.  Reach back to help another find their path, encouraging them daily.  Reach up in praise and worship for the gifts of life bestowed upon you and the dreams birthed inside.

A dream isn’t a wish your heart makes; it is a call towards a life ministry, one moment at a time.   Nurture it.  Flourish.

 

Written 11-11-2018

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The Fire Within

30 Oct

“Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.”   Exodus 19:18 NIV

My wood burning stove and I have a love-hate relationship.  When it is cooperating I love it; wonderful dry warmth.  However, when I don’t have the fire building components right, it becomes the subject of several hours of frustration. The Fire Triangle represents the 3 simple components that ensure continued combustion, or a nice warm fire.  The components consist of flame, oxygen and a continued source of fuel.  Ah, fuel!!  Therein lies the problem.

So, first goes in the paper, then bits of cardboard, next small branches or twigs, and then split log on top.  The perfect building blocks for a solid fire . . . except that the split logs wouldn’t burn.  At the onset of cold weather we’d had many dry months; the wood was dry and easy to start.  Then came several tropical storms, and although the wood wasn’t openly in the rain, the ends became damp and the wood absorbed the thick humidity hanging in the air.

I would start up a fire, watch it flare and roar, close the door, set the flue, and walk away.  Within a few minutes I would realize that the fire had gone completely out.  The fire had consumed all of the viable fuel, but the damp split logs were not viable.

I added more paper, cardboard and twigs, encourage the flames with the billows, would get it roaring, and then close the door.  Once again it went out.  This repeated over and over again, often for hours.  Each time the split log would get a little drier and start to smolder in spots.  After many, many starts the log would finally get dry enough to actually ignite and burn.

I started thinking about how much that sounded like the journeys of our faith?  We start out with hearts on fire and great expectations, but our components aren’t complete.  We need the daily building of the Word inside to keep the fire of the Holy Spirit burning brightly.  We need encouragers, teachers and mentors to build our foundation.  What we allow to come into our lives, our eyes, our ears, our mind, can absorb into that foundation and dampen our spirits, causing our fire to smolder or go completely out.

With my wood burning stove I have discovered that I have the best results in starting a new fire if I never to allow the embers of the previous fire to go completely cold.  Tossing a small branch in the stove and closing down the flue will allow the embers to smolder underneath the soft ashes for many hours.  When it is time for the new fire, I only need to remove the ash and set the new split log onto the embers.  The embers will dry the wood and ignite the log after a period of time.  The firefighters talk about this phenomena, it’s called a “flare up.”  Flare up is very dangerous in campfires and forest fires, but it is not dangerous in my fireplace – and it is absolutely not dangerous in my faith.

Do you feel as if you have spiritually grown cold?  Do you feel that the faith you once had has left you in the aftermath of testing and trials?  God tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6), and that His Spirit will consume us, fill us and guide us as we allow it (Hebrews 12:29).  He’s right there under the ash of burned away days, traveled roads and deep disappointments; a burning ember waiting to rekindle the faith we so desire.  Rebuild your foundation.  Reignite through prayer and study.  Your flame will draw many.

 

Written 10-28-18

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ECHOES

27 Oct

 

Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever;    Psalm 136:23

It is very humbling to live alone in your golden years.  Echoes of laughter and the scuffling of tiny feet play through your mind, as long ago fragrances of Sunday feasts and Holiday turkeys are still so fresh that you can taste the goodness.  Memories of wonderful blessings hang on the wall, shrouded with a coat of summer dust.  If you close your eyes you are transported sweetly back to the moments so carefully etched in your heart.

You thank God for those wonderful times of your life, and you thank Him, too, for erasing the “not so good” to a fading shadow.

With your prayer list you re-etch each name and need with your finger and heart, earnestly petitioning God for resolve.  Then with your closing Bible you dream and pray and wonder when those once small lives will come again, bringing new friends and loved ones to birth a new memory and added echoes.

I Praise you Lord for the echoes of yesterday – and for tomorrow!

 

Written 10-27-2018

You Held Me

15 Feb

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”   Psalm 23:4

 

You held me Lord, when life took my strength away.

You whispered words of encouragement when I sat alone.

You taught me the way to peace, rising above my circumstances.

You gave me hope when things were dark and distant.

You sat with me and called my name as I slept and slept and slept.

In my weakness You are strong, and Your very presence strengthens me.

It has been a very long journey, but with You at my side, I fear no evil.

There are no words to sufficiently express my gratitude.

 

This poem was written during an Art Challenge when we were asked to write a poem about our last 12 month spiritual journey.  I had spent the last 12 months home bound with illness.  I hope you can relate to, and claim the words, the poem above.  God Bless You.

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A Walk To Gethsemane

2 Feb

Here is the link to my second book, A Walk to Gethsemane – Touching the Master.  It is currently available through all major bookstores as a paperback book and as an ebook.

I pray that you will find quiet time to enjoy the journey in the pages of this book.

Front Cover 3-29-12 - JPEG

God Bless you and those you love,
Linda

Moments With The Master

2 Feb

Here is the information about my first book, Moments with the Master – A Reflective Time.  It is currently available as a paperback and an eBook through all major bookstores.

Moments with the Master Cover 1-17-2012

God Bless you and those you love,
Linda

Pruning Roses

12 Oct

 

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.        John 15:1-2 (KJV)

Yesterday I was cutting back the rose hips on my beautiful rose bushes.  The remaining roses filled the air with the most magnificent scent.  I knew that if I wanted more roses to fill the bush that I needed to cut away the rose hips so that the bush could concentrate on producing new buds.  Failing to prune away the rose hips would stunt the bush.  The bush works hard to keep the roses full and fragrant.  When the petals fall away, it still is working hard to keep the dying rose hips healthy and doesn’t focus on bringing out new buds.

How often do we continue to focus on the dying parts of our lives?  We have dying relationships or old hurts and wounds that we allow to stay in our life, not purging them away or working past them.  As they continue to fill our mind and take up our time, they keep us from pursuing new relationships and dreaming new dreams.

We allow things to rise and fall in our memories that pull us into depression or anger and detract us from finding the true joy that God has planned for us.  Forgiveness is only the beginning of the process, once we forgive we must let the memories and emotions go, we must prune them away.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.    Colossians 3:12-14 (KJV)

God never intended for us to be caught up in the “old us” and not renew ourselves to walk in His perfect love and joy.  God knew that we would face trials and tribulations and even made note that those would help build us and make us even stronger, but we had to let them go.  Not easy, but the rewards are wonderful.

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.    James 1:2-4 (KJV)

Lord, let me stand before You, open to Your full pruning.  Cut away the old me, the pain, the hurts, the cutting words and the broken promises that has left me unable to receive all that You have for me.  Help me to flower forth with a sweet fragrance for others to enjoy.  Let that fragrance encourage others to want to be pruned and molded by Your mighty hands.  Amen.

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