A poem from God heard on 9-11-2001

This poem was written on that awful day 10 years ago. I knew nothing of who was guilty. I heard this question from God. I now know much more about the danger of Islam. We face an economic abyss that could make the “Great Depression” of the 30's look like a minor bump. So this question from God seems even more timely. “Will you trust Me...?” Will we “find joy in midst of suffering.”?

Being a disciple isn't easy. Never has been. Never will. This strange gift. God inviting us to join Him in the fellowship of His suffering. Can you “drink My cup”. Knowing we can trust Him. Knowing He loves us, yet He offers this most strange gift. Why do you offer someone you love the gift of suffering? Yet this is exactly what Jesus did for us. He not only died for us, but more amazingly, He suffered with us.

Today's question. What does it mean to be a disciple?
The rest is exactly as it was written on that dark day 10 years ago. A question from God. A poem from God. I just take dictation.

Suffering, God’s Gift

I offer gift to you
suffering, pain & woe.
All stronger than you
can stand or endure.
Will you trust Me
when I offer this gift?
Will you still follow
as you bear your cross.

Cross too heavy
to carry on your own.
Will you join martyrs
ready to die for Me?
In midst of senseless death.
Death of innocents
death unexplained
pain to no purpose.

Will you seek My purpose?
Will you follow Me?
Will you drink My cup
offered James & John?
Will you find joy
in midst of suffering?
Feel My love
in midst of tears?

© Presbypoet, 1: 15 PM, September 11, 2001, still in shock at unknown, awful, pain and loss.
Loss that served no good purpose, yet death planned by unknown killers. Lord, help us see you in this pain.
Help us see you in such awful death.
Help us say, forgive them, they know not what they do.

Do Cats go to heaven

This question will not be answered until we get to Heaven, to be greeted by all who love us, including our dogs and cats. I do draw the line at rats, although i am prepared to listen to anyone who can make a special pleading or show why they should not be excluded. Since none of us can even begin to comprehend what Heaven will be like, my ignorance is no excuse to tell God, who He can't include.

This applies to people too. We will be surprised both by who we see, and who we don't see. I suspect that the most surprising thing when we get to Heaven will be the sheer joy of the place, joy beyond our comprehending. Although football fans who have rooted for a losing team for 20 years, when they finally win the Conference championship may have a slight edge on the rest of us.

Another poem about why we don't know joy.

Why You Don’t Have Joy

I offer you joy.
You want stuff.
You covet what isn’t yours.
Your greed buries My joy.
Your lust and jealousy
keep you from My joy.
Let Me strip all your stuff
that keeps you from My joy.

© Presbypoet, December 15, 2002

Finding peace in the midst of suffering

An encounter with a pastor's daughter.

Sitting down to eat a hot dog, I didn't expect a divine appointment. I asked a 20 something woman, “Was this seat taken?” What ensued was a serious discussion about church, pastor's kids, divorce, unwed mothers, pain, pastors, forgiveness, being a real church family, and a very good hot dog.

As we talked, she reveled a horrifying story. Her married sister, is being threatened and stalked by her husband, who just served her with divorce papers. This sister has three close non-Christian friends. They say, “one thing they see in her is peace.” We saw how her sister's peace was an example of real peace available to Christians. Not peace in absence of pain, but peace in midst of pain. We pondered if pain is God's plan, or consequence of sin, and agreed it seemed a mixture of both. I told her how suffering I've gone through has refined. How God asked me. “What will you do when I allow it to rain.” Yet sin has consequences.

Then her story got even more interesting. It also included her. A reason her sister's looming divorce wasn't causing problems in their father's church, was the sister I spoke to, got pregnant when only 18. This horrified many in the church, who blamed her father for not keeping her from getting pregnant. As though being a pastor is a substitute for abstinence or contraception. She said, “I felt a need to rebel.” She estimated 250 people left the church over the issue. She thought the church was better for it. The church now was more of a family, where anything could be discussed, not a place people pretended to be nice. We agreed how dangerous it was, when people pretend they are nice.

I said, as a Calvinist, I was fully aware of the depravity of man, particularly men. How hard it was to forgive pastors. This story, an example how people look for perfect pastors. They will never find them.

She dismissed getting married. She didn't want to make another mistake, to hide the first one. It is interesting how her obvious “sin”, led to a more open church, no longer pretending perfection.

We seem to focus on visible sin. A guy gets away with it, (except for paternity suits). He can sit in church looking “innocent”, while she sits, exposed to all. Baby bulge impossible to ignore. We focus on visible sin, forgetting sins of omission are twice as bad. Easy to gossip about sin, indifferent to courage to keep a child, and not take the easy road of killing it to hide her sin. We all sin, it's just some are more visible.

Driving home, I thought how her getting pregnant, could be a consequence of her innocence. Not aware how passion's power hobbles women, she is tempted, then overwhelmed by feelings, her control center shut down. How can you know what it is like until you do it? It only takes one time to get pregnant. A lesson on sin's danger. So easy to be trapped by temptation.

Truth found with a hot dog. Another divine appointment,
and:
A question from Jesus
Why do you pretend to be perfect?
Refuse to admit that you sin.
Who do you seek to fool?

Don't you know I forgive sinners?
Don't you know I died to free you?
Confess your need. Let me heal you.
© Presbypoet August 23, 2011

On Loss of a loved pet

During the time I have been cut off from Poems From God, life has continued. That includes loss of two of our close companions. The following poem was written to a friend of mine who's pet had died.


In Time of Loss

I never knew your friend
companion for too few years.
Tis familiar pain you travel through
empty absence, hole in heart.

My friends had different names
but shared a common bond.
Gifts of love & blessing
in daily companionship.

There is strange joy hid
deep in time of loss.
The pain so real yet from
it's heart flows eternal love.

The greater blessing,
The greater loss for us
when they leave
for heaven's joy.

Presbypoet, June 30, 2010

I am convinced with total certainty, we will see those we love when we get to heaven. This includes our beloved pets.

When we had to end the pain for one of our companions, I wrote this poem, and read it to him as he fell asleep for the last time. The separation of life and death so thin, as I held him one last time.

Farewell Calvin

Carol's lap cat.
You are her's.
Her empty lap
will remind us
of your absence.

Calvin sized hole
missing from life.
No more nightly
thumps & crashes
to wake us.

Goodby Calvin.
End of 18 year journey.
Your gentle soul
will be missed
by those who love you.

Say hello to Ninja
when you meet
where pain is ended
& joy complete
to wait for us.

We will meet again
to share eternity.
Mysterious journey
of infinite love.
God's divine surprise.

© Presbypoet July 24, 2011

I'm back?

Google seems to have allowed me access to the account after months of being cut off. Not sure what happened, i prefer to think divine intervention. Thanks God.

A short poem, one of many not published, my fault.

Meek Not Weak

Power under control.
800 Horsepower
ready to be
turned into action.

Meekness is power
under control.
Ready to be
used by Me.

Special Forces
highly trained
knowing when
not to shoot.

Meekness isn't weakness.
Not wimpy door mat.
Divine Power to be
sent into the world.
(c) Presbypoet August 14, 2011, inspired by Dennis W.

I'm Back

Or rather I finally went through the 5 hour headache of getting access back to the blog. There has been nothing wrong with either me, or the poems, just sloth, (or fear of Google).

To celebrate God's return, here is a poem from God, or in this case to God. For several years, I have been learning more about one of the most important stories in the Bible, Elijah at the brook of Kerith. As the brook dried up for Elijah, my work has dried up in the past year. So this poem comes from a perspective like his. I know I can trust you Lord, but what do I do? The brook has dried up. Has your brook dried up?

Journey to Zarephath

Lord I thirst
like Israelites at meribah.
Kerith has dried up.
The ravens no longer come.

You tell me go.
As you told Abram.
Go to a place
I've never been.

I hold to hope &
certainty of grace.
I know you love me
and you will provide.

I praise & thank You
as I journey to
Zarephath to eat
the widow's cake.

It is pure joy
to know Your love.
To know with absolute
certainty of Your hope.

In poverty with nothing
to rely on I feel
Your loving presence.
Thank you Lord.
(1st Kings 17:1-24)
© Presbypoet, February 24, 2008