Category: Spirituality

God of my Father

The stomach rumblings spoke
In eloquent tones
Elemental needs to be fulfilled
Fresh on the mind the wonders
Of the God of Creation
A cavern of beauty, hid by darkness
Absolute
A trek, a look, an appreciation
Forgotten
In a single moment
That stopped the heart
My hip, empty
My waist, devoid
The valuable there was gone
Lost
Unknown, unfelt, incomprehensible
“Why?” started to thunder
But repressed those thunderings were
What business had I to question?
A momentary rage, a flash of desperation
Nowhere
I searched, but it was not found
A test
Would I trust God? or descend to unfaithful despair?
My heart said, “Scream! There is no justice!”
“You have been wronged, He does not care!”
But I silenced the unbeliever, forced him to silence
Engraved, I remember the words
Certain I would read them no more,
“For the Lord God Helps Me”
Then went my way rejoicing.
Would I accept the good from God
And not the
Evil?
A week and more I went
Unknowing
When a package unlooked for came
I hoped against hope, reasoning
In unbelief
All logic was against me, but
God, it seems, is for me
“Therefore I will not be disgraced!”
StormRider
I rode this Storm, and God showed faithful
Returned what He took
No more no less
But what I have learned, far exceeds
That which I thought I had
And now possess.

Is there anything too difficult for God?

Storm At Sea

The deck rolled beneath my feet like I was trying to walk on a barrel. The constant howl of the ice-cold wind and the slap and pummel of the frigid salt water didn’t help either. I ran from port to starbord trying to secure the ropes. It seemed for each one I tied firm, another ripped free, the frayed ends singing as the ripped back and forth.

Lightning crashed, thunder boomed, and I began to hear an ominous cracking sound coming from the mast. I had long since given up trying to control the rudder, it began to spin out of control. I wouldn’t let anyone else near it either.

The ship pitched violently, and I went down, sliding towards deck’s edge, about to plunge into the seething abysmal sea.

Suddenly, a strong arm grabbed me and I stopped sliding. I looked up into my Captain’s face. Pulling on His strength I stood up, still grasping firmly to His forearm.

“The ship is lost, Sir! What are we going to do?”

He gazed at me impassively, saying nothing. I began to get angry.

“Sir, I don’t understand why we are here! The signs of storm were clear! Your orders to sail in this direction must have been mistaken.”

I started to pull my hand away from His, but the bucking ship made me reconsider. My face was inches from His, yet I yelled to be heard.

“Captain, we must turn back. I see no way ahead! Sir, we must!”

A twinkle showed in His grim eyes, and grin pulled at His serious visage.

“Must we?” His words were quiet, but I could somehow hear them. “What’s your name, sailor?”

It was then I ceased to hear the storm, to feel the rocking beneath me, to heed the waves. I felt ashamed.

My Captain had named me StormRider. This is what I did. Why then should I be afraid? Why should I lose my faith in Him?

I heard Him again, He was asking me a question, gesturing towards the wheel of the ship.

“May I? Do you trust me?”

And I let Him, for I would trust Him to lead me anywhere.

allegorical story for recent happenstance

This Light of Mine

Jedi Master Yoda 

You  may not be able to read it, but there is a question written by Yoda’s head. It reads as follows: “Can one ray of light save the universe?” Below his head, the answer is written: “It depends on who is holding the light!”

Ponder this: The situation in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, the last story in the Star Wars saga is this: Luke Skywalker is the by the bedside of aged Master Yoda, the most powerful Jedi to ever live. The whole universe is plotting the last war, and Skywalker is the newly trained Jedi Knight, prepared to take down the evil Emporer and the great Sith Lord Darth Vader, who in happier times was Luke’s father Anakin. Yoda, unable to hang on any longer, dies and becomes one with the Force. Luke then is the last of the Jedi, a lone candle in a universe smothered in darkness. Luke is the lone light, and the question asked is this: “Can one ray of light save the universe?”

Turns out the only Jedi alive was able to conqueror evil and shed rays of light into the darkness, but I ask the same question today. This question goes out into an increasingly dark world. An earth of wickedness, sin, and depravity. One by one the lights are winking out and the shadow of death grows. It seems that the dark tide of pluralism, post-modernism and secularism is choking out the light of Christianity, and true Jehovah worship. You, Christian, may find yourself the last ray of light, surrounded by darkness. So I ask you: “Can one ray of light save the universe?”

My answer and challenge is this: “It depends on who is holding the light!”

Jesus Christ, the Light from heaven called us the Light of the World. If you are sold out and dedicated to Him, your light will be able to shine unabated and He will help you repel the shadows of darkness.

“For you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness.” (I Thessalonians 5:5)

“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans  13:12)

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)

So there you have it. As a friend of mine says, “Go shake salt and shine light.” Your light can be enough to shatter the darkness completely. Sell out to God and go hardcore after the things of God. Believe me, you won’t regret it.

I haven’t yet.

Joel: Judgement at the House of God

Israel’s harvest stands ready. Each stalk of wheat, barley, and oat is silhouetted against the setting sun. Breezes come off the mountains, blowing towards the shining Mediterranean Sea. Large ripples move back and forth across the fields. This harvest promises to be a plentiful one. Many an Israelite farmer stands, a look of satisfaction on his face, as he watches the wind play across the farmland. One farmer, near to the foothills of Zion, listens. He hears something unusual. He cocks his head and his smile fades. The quiet whisper is rapidly becoming a loud roar. The sky turns black swiftly, completely blotted out. Racing down the mountains, as far in either direction as he can see, is a massive, darkly swarming cloud. Millions of tiny specks move faster than the eye can watch. Within seconds the mass has encompassed his fields and come close enough for identification. Locusts!

This is the opening paragraph of a literary interpretation of the book of Joel. Joel was a minor prophet, set before the captivity of God’s chosen people. This relatively unknown prophet warns Israel of an impending plague of locusts, calls them to repentance afterward, then gives them hope from God in the wake of the devastation. This interpretation was written for my Bible Survey class here at Word of Life. Read the rest of the article at the link at the top of the page, Joel: Literary Interpretation (Joel).

-the StormRider

Christian Freedom

Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea. StormRider reporting

The citizens of my quiet little community have been engaged in heated discussions about tattoos and body piercings, particularly for those of the male gender, for the past month and a bit, on our intranet message boards. Since I am an individual to whom this applies, I thought it time to comment, and provide a Biblical basis for my reasoning.

Continue reading “Christian Freedom”