Sea Fever by John Masefield

 

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.

 

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

 

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

Don't fear the dark

 

The call.

A short while ago I received a desperate and urgent call from a friend who wanted to talk to me. When I arrived at his house, I found him shaken and upset. Taking me by the arm, he led me away from the house so that his wife could not hear what he had to say. Then, in a voice that trembled with worry and fear, he told me of his experiences the night before. At this point, I must add that my friend is a normal, hard-working, practical man who is not spiritual or involved with the supernatural. He attends church every Sunday and does his bit for the congregation when there is a function or event. At that stage in his life, he was having financial and other related problems. He insisted that he was wide awake and did not dream the events he described to me.

Lord, my enemies are not always Your enemies.

 

An interesting thing happened at Sunday morning service – an elderly lady requested prayer for a sore leg. There was nothing unusual about that and I asked a couple of the leaders to petition God for healing. After the prayer, she said she felt much better, but when she turned to go she winced painfully and it was apparent that her leg was still sore. I said nothing as I watched her clinging to the pews for balance. She was back for evening service and I asked how she felt. She smiled and said she felt fine, she knows that God had touched and healed her. The expression in her eyes, however, told a different story, one of defeat and pain. It’s time for Christians to be real.

Commitment...transforms a promise into a reality.

 

The title is an abbreviated version of a quote by Abraham Lincoln: Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. God promised a man a piece of property and he was determined to occupy it. It would be a long, difficult, and sometimes frustrating journey, but his commitment would transform that promise into reality.

A day came when the wandering Israelites were gathered before Joshua. It was the day that the land of Canaan would be divided among the twelve tribes. But a gray-haired, eighty-five-year-old man stole the show. He stepped forward and demanded, “Give me my mountain.”

The certainty of death, taxes and prayer.

 

Is prayer always a good thing? What about prayer without much thought to consequences? What about praying a curse over somebody? What if prayer was a problem and a scourge like death and taxes?

Writer's Block or Writer's Blindness

I sit staring at the computer screen not knowing what to write. This is my first experience of writer’s block and I do not like it. My mind is as blank as the screen and as dumb as the pointer. Nothing makes sense and the words I try to type don’t connect coherently. My thoughts are random and pointless. It feels as if someone has inflated a balloon inside my head and all my thoughts are stuck behind it, unable to penetrate or go around the rubber wall.

I have read enough articles about writer’s block to recognize the symptoms, and not so long ago I even scoffed, inwardly of course, that it would never happen to me. I would always have something to write about I boasted to myself. But now, after several wordless weeks have passed and my screen is still blank, I have to admit the worst has happened. I scratch my head and every other place that is scratchable but nothing helps and I tug my spectacles from my face in frustration. I might as well pack up and do something else I think to myself.

Stop Licking Your Lips.

 

Image by Cdd20 from Pixabay

Why the title ‘Stop Licking Your Lips’? Because you cannot speak while licking your lips. And the one thing a lot of Christians find difficult to do is to speak about their faith. Some are ashamed because their values are not the same as their secular friends, we do not want to place our secular friends in a difficult position and possibly lose them as friends as a result of our faith, others don’t want to deal with the derision and questions that follow a testimony of faith, and some are just shy.

I remember a television personality, some years ago, saying, “My faith is my business. Don’t ask me about it, it is a personal thing.” Faith is a personal thing but it is also a relationship thing. Recent years have seen preachers telling their congregations to live their faith because that is how the world will get to know Jesus. This is true to an extent, but sooner or later somebody is going to ask that one question we all dread, “Why do you believe in Jesus?” I have added some verses below for various reasons:

Applied Christianity

Image by popmelon from pixabay

 

Matthew.4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

For a long time, historians have been trying to make history relevant in the modern world. There was a time when the study of history was considered crucial for anyone thinking of a career as a diplomat, politician, or military officer. After World War Two, history lost its relevance for the younger generation, but in recent years, there has been a major effort by historians to make their subject relevant again.

Traitors

The characters in this drama:

Judas Iscariot, self important goes with the flow for his own profit

Peter's loud mouth hid a weak heart and uncertainty

Caiaphas the legalistic senior pastor who refuses to have his traditions challenged

Pontius Pilate the politician who avoids difficult decisions by trying to please everyone

The crowd like all crowds follow and do as others because they can't all be wrong, right?

I am an example of all the above.

Follow me, I'm right behind you.

 

Many people have the potential to be leaders but are afraid they will not make the grade. They’re afraid of failure and are content to follow and stay behind. Many fear they will not live up to expectations or are so scared they will make mistakes. They never reach the heights they were destined for and end their lives with the inevitable last words, “If only…” If only I had stood up. If only I had answered. If only I had not held back.

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Rev.1:5, 6)

The Bickering Church

 

Jesus’ disciples were a varied group about which we know not much. Among them was a tax collector, a zealot, fishermen, and a thief. They all had different backgrounds, upbringing, temperaments, and status in the community.

The majority of the disciples were quiet and unassuming but Peter was the opposite, belligerent and demanding. John was loved and demonstrated his love. Matthew was wealthy. Thomas was a skeptic looking for proof. Simon was the fundamentalist zealot. And Judas, not Iscariot, is unknown except for the one question he asked. I can imagine him asking it while sitting among his companions and listening to their arguments and questions.

I want to be Simon Peter

 

John.1:41- 42(KJV)  He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 

And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. 

The conversation at a church group meeting turned to characters of the Bible and the question was asked, “Which one is your favorite?” A surprising number immediately responded, “Peter!” I had expected to hear names such as John the Baptist, Paul, Esther, Joshua, Caleb, Elijah, Mary, or Joseph, but the name Peter rang the bell of popularity. He is obviously a favorite amongst believers and with reason; the most common reason given for choosing him was, “I can identify with him.”

Let's get outa here!

 Exo_8:27 We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us.

Exo 11:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, …

Exo 11:2  Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.

 Exo 12:35  And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses, and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:

The Israelites let the Egyptians know that they would only travel three days into the wilderness where they would worship their God. God told the Israelites to borrow gold, silver, and clothing from the Egyptians.

Why would He do that knowing they would never return? I can imagine the uproar when after six, eight, or ten days the Israelites never returned. The pressure the Egyptians must have placed on Pharaoh would have been enormous. Was this part of God’s plan?

Was to it force Pharaoh’s hand into chasing after the Israelites so that the Egyptian army could be destroyed in the sea?

If He hadn’t done it the Egyptians would always have been a thorn in the side of the budding nation of Israel.