As I stepped from slumber, the place is musky dark,

The sky was stuffed with clouds which greeted the dawn;

Still in cold toes I started my day

Uttered praises and thanksgiving to pass on the wind.

Settling dawn, I marveled at above -

Clouds ashen the blue expanse of the sky;

Stripped by the radiance of light, it shed a crimson paint doubling the horizon;

Never have I moved an inch for it might last in a second.

What say I? No word tantamount to its glory

Dried leaves have fallen down from their twigs, scattering across the grassland;

Dust of light sprinkled on the golden field

Like outstretching hands and dripping drops, it rippled outwardly blessing every grain,

A swift cried out to join the rustling wind.

What say I? No word is enough

With an overwhelmed heart I ended in prayer.

Reflections (October 19, 2011)

Edited by Angelina Carpen

Oh Lord bless my soul

The very essence of me comes from you

Your greatness saved me

With your love and compassion,

Your mercy reached me-

For you know how fragile I am to you 

Praises be told, you are my redeemer, my healer

May the breath of time pour down continuously

That every second of my life

Be for no one but you alone

My very sun, I humbly bow down

In you, I cannot hide

The very details of me, you know

My sins have tainted me, yet

Hitherto, I kneel with fear

For you never let me go

Praise the Lord, my shepherd, your clothespin I can’t let go

Indeed, you have let me walk offshore

Only to carry me back on your arms

Blessed, you are- my navigator and friend

In so many places I went, and behold

You are with me-

Keeping your promise to not leave me

For you are undone of your plans for me

To you, I surrender

Who have stayed by me throughout every season of my life, oh Lord

Bless my soul

My salvation is in you alone.

Reflections from Psalm 103, QT (21 October 2011)

Edited by Angelina Carpen

Mark 6:30-31                                     

30 – The apostles returned and met with Jesus, and told Him all they had done and taught.

31 – There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and His disciples didn’t even have

time to eat. So He has said to them, “let us go off by ourselves to some place where we

will be alone and you can rest a while.”

I’ve always asked You to stop the time

Yet even before my mind speak of it, You already opened a way,

Not for You to make things stationary, as I thought You will

But by letting things flow in Your own way and pace..

You know how I fear of going near You

Shame and guilt engulfs my being, for I have sinned

Still, from time to time You pulled me closer

Making my knees buckle and kneel to pray..

As always You have been patient of me

Listening to my lamentations

You alone make my soul tremble

And in Your time, You give it a rest.

Blessings

The wind, indeed, is shrilling

That it is even sensitive to ones hearing

Even for closed chamber desolation

It can be felt – the change in air.

A classical symphony

To a throbbing heart is the breeze

That by far has made its homecoming

Hence, bids goodbye by the next second.

Gathering the sands on the feet

A man bottled it up inside him -

Let the sands flow, drowning unto the depths;

Every single speck of time is collected below.

How much longer will it take?

The sun has its mood swings, too,

Picking on the leaves of trees;

Coming to its misty disposition

It rained with the crimson sky.

Succumbing, the tree bled in yellow drops of snow,

Swaying down with gravity as it falls

It leaves musky dicotyledonous coins above,

Outpouring the ground to bring back a life.

A petrified trunk a once seed became

The very last leafed twig cut

Kept to be the man’s bookmark

To what book it was – there is none.

When was it again?

An astrolabe to the sky

Let the man be roofed with skylight;

Fireflies is seen eclipsing at night,

 Constellating the sky, like stars, they synchronize.

Even mosses fogged the darkness,

Extending their minute hands to the moon;

Stargazers were reached that they bloom,

Fragile-looking petals are gently bleached white.

Silhouettes of citronella dances against the full moon

With the dragonflies tiptoeing by the pond;

Coral-coloured wings create ripples on water

And flutters away the scent of grass.

It is this very moment, isn’t it?

By the windowsill, the man smelled it,

Mixed odours it brought along its journey -

Salty shores, lane of narra trees, dew of the forest;

The same monsoon but of altered temperature.

Can the scent be seen?

Try detecting it through the human lenses,

Be captured with the sound of the present

Sealing it by holding onto the hourglass of time.

With fervour prayer, let the sky hear:

Cast a spell that time be rewound;

It ain’t for an alternate future – rather

It is to bring back the dreams from yesterday.

Can I now play it forward?

►

Most of the times we know not where we are going or what choice do we need to pick. Depression may engulf us – weakening our foundation like termites.

We would cry our hearts and pray, with trembling knees we break down in tears, turning to God for answers and strength. Yet, it is not at all times that answers are readily given. Still, be strong for God always do answer – we only need to wait.

By waiting comes pain. We can all feel it. More usual than ever, we tend to run away from it. But it is during those times that we need to keep running. For answers will be given for those who live his life for God while patiently waiting.

I’m waiting

I’m waiting on You, Lord

And I am hopeful

I’m waiting on You, Lord

Though it is painful

But patiently, I will wait

 

I will move ahead, bold and confident

Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting

I will serve You

While I’m waiting

I will worship

While I’m waiting

I will not faint

I’ll be running the race

Even while I wait

 

I’m waiting

I’m waiting on You, Lord

And I am peaceful

I’m waiting on You, Lord

Though it’s not easy

But faithfully, I will wait

Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I’m waiting

I will worship while I’m waiting

I will serve You while I’m waiting

I will worship while I’m waiting

I will serve you while I’m waiting

I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

While I’m Waiting

by: John Waller

It has never been oblivion

That makes me see nothing,

Nor a change of heart that melted

This sensitivity to your presence;

So why can’t I see with these eyes?

The rivers have flown to a different channel,

With the warming atmosphere

That evaporated the dew I see at dawn;

The leaves have changed color by now,

Waiting for a turn of day and season.

I may have journeyed so long,

That the footprints I have left there

Was no longer visible to see;

Yet with guarantee I have made sure

I brought with me the sand on my feet.

I have buoyed myself for long -

Nearly enough to be soaked with oil;

It is not secret to you that I can’t swim -

Floating as much as I could

Despite the inexperience and fear.

Is this a test of courage?

I know not the answer, you see;

In here, I am blind in fear of losing

The only thing I surely believe in;

Courage, truly is for the deserving.

Had been years, I have contemplated;

I set off with the wind as my companion,

The single chance to be invisible I grab on,

The nameless query waiting every return -

Bringing nightmares even in the day.

To be high-spirited as I can be, I tried

Yet, as I enter the closet of knowledge

I end up blinded just by comprehending;

The irony itself is speaking backwards,

So give me reason why it appears a must.

Handkerchiefs I collected to make use of,

But a single tear it wasn’t wiped for;

It all now shed itself with tainted stripes

Of multi-colored fibers of uncertainty,

Doubting its use in the hands of the bearer.

Books are piling in bed of thorns –

A single page not read for its purpose;

Serving as blocks of termite nests

Hidden in a salt solution-filled trunk -

A Pandora’s box it resembled on.

A lamp post I claimed to be -

For years I confidently stayed stationary;

Is there even a light?

The question itself seemed twisted

That even my ears anxiously succumb.

A single step is needed – far too easy

Hitherto, a muscle is never moved;

This is something far-fetched as of the moment

For the same mind is picking-up sticks

In a heap of hay for a shipshape makeover.

Acquired language, there really is

But as of the moment, no sound can be uttered;

In my brain-attic it is all bottled-up,

Yet even my other self know nothing -

Either I skipped a step or forgot I learned.

Cats purr contentedly; dolphins ride the waves;

Eagles soar ambitiously; tigers roar with no doubt;

Yet I cannot fathom even the present thought -

When will fireflies know the danger of flames?

How do hornets pull themselves up to fly?

Dawn is near – a new sunrise for my eyes to see;

As it starts, I want to skip to see the crimson sky,

Confining the warmth of the next sunset;

There is too much to lose yet I feel no pain

Neither regret nor uncertainty for I got numb.

A story I always remind myself of –

About how a bamboo realized it differs from a fern,

Yet always reflecting to face the same dilemma;

The rustling winds come and go to whisper,

Asking which of the two I am relating with.

Weeping may endure for a night,

But joy cometh in the morning;

May this come true as I go out today,

That my troubled heart may know

And be reminded that you are waiting.

“You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” (James 1:3, The Message)

“What do you get when you squeeze a lemon?” Of course the standard answer is, “Lemon juice.”

But what nobody knew was that If someone had filled the lemon with something different, like ketchup for example, they may all be taken back as you squeeze it for the ketchup and not the juice will ooze out of it.

The actual answer is that, “you get whatever is inside it.”

So, what’s inside you? What are we going to see when pressure puts the squeeze on you? The answer is the same to the lemon question; we will see whatever is in you.

The great C. S. Lewis said, “A sudden provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man. It shows what an ill-tempered man I am.” James tells us in his letter that “under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” Maybe this is why the Lord provides so many wonderful opportunities for us to be squeezed.

The origin of the phrase “true colors” comes from naval parlance back in the days when pirates sailed the high seas. Vessels would always fly on their topmast the flag of their country of origin. But pirates were notorious for hoisting the flags of different nations so as to gain an advantage against unsuspecting vessels. However, under no circumstance would any honorable Captain ever fly false colors. Thus, the phrase “true colors” indicates authenticity in both motive and manner.

The Lord wants to make us truly authentic men and women, but to get us there He has to squeeze out the other stuff – and He will do so with unrelenting pressure until there is nothing left to ooze.

So, have you been feeling squeezed lately?

open your heart and search for a happy exit

don’t be afraid of being alone  ‘coz we’re behind you

even if we go our separate ways in the future

we have to always remember your first dream.

i’m doing well. i’m a fine person.

trust yourself. look into the mirror.

with the light glimmering around you as you smile..

there could be sad memories that make you cry.

don’t forget that you have a shoulder to lean on in this world.

i’ve the whole world in my heart.

let’s keep running, for tomorrow, for our future,

to become a shining light under the sun.

he always has a secret but it’s easy to find answers.

dance with me. just move your body to the music.

don’t be afraid. you don’t have to fear anything except fear itself..

there could be sad memories that make you cry.

i’m the one who’ll start and end it.

let there be light and become a shining star.

the sun is welcoming me with rays of light.

i just need one umbrella and that’ll be fine.

don’t hide your tears from me.

you can lean on my shoulder and cry out loud.

looking at the crimson red sky setting in the sky..

it’s a spectacle that the heaven has given me.

there is no end. a bright future lies ahead of you.

the sun bathes me with its warm light under the blue sky.

i just need one umbrella and that’ll be fine,

to become a shining light under the sun.

the sun is welcoming me.. rays of light..

A hug’s the way to share the joy
And sad times we go through,
Or just a way for friends to say
they like you ’cause you’re YOU.

Hugs are meant for anyone
for whom we really care-
From your grandma to your neighbor,
Or a cuddly teddy bear.

A hug is an amazing thing—
It’s just the perfect way
to show d love we’re feeling
But can’t find words to say.

It’s funny how a little hug
Makes everyone feel good;
In every place and language,
It’s always understood.

And hugs don’t need equipment,
Special batteries, or parts–
Just open up your arms
And open up your hearts.

________JIM WOLF________