I Want Only Those Books Which Are Worth Reading Twice

I want only those books
Which are worth reading twice

And why read it again
Lest it’s worth reading thrice?

And if I must read it thrice
It should be worthy of more -

The number of readings
It must exceed four

It must be worth reading again
It must always be new

It must tell me things hidden
It must tell me things true

It should grip me and draw me
It must make me lose sleep

It must teach me to laugh
It must cause me to weep

The story must flow
through my body and soul

It must make me feel wounded
It must make me feel whole

So when I hear ‘oh, I read that’
I think ‘oh, how sad’

A book you read once
Must be unbearably bad.

And just so may we be reading
The good book of 'The Other'

Good books much worth reading;
Book Sister and Book Brother

God’s Sheep are Confused

God’s sheep are confused;
Stubbornly, we have wandered astray;
We wander in the wilderness;
And know not where we go.

Where is our Lord?
Where is His staff, that keeps harm at bay?
Where is His hand, that comforts us?

We follow His footsteps, and we find food.
We listen for His voice, and it leads us to fresh water.

But the food here is strange and sparse.
And the times of plenty have gone.
At night we lie down where we may,
We are grateful to be able to sleep,
And are grateful to be able to rise to follow the Lord again.

Will the hard times end?
Will we see the land joyful again?
Will we drink the wine of plenty,
And be anointed with blessings once more?

Help us to repent our stubbornness;
Help us to find wisdom, and remember your lessons;
Help us to follow you more closely;
And live within the warmth of your bosom.

God’s sheep are confused;
Stubbornly, we have wandered astray;
We wander in the wilderness;
And know not where we go.

Pray For Your God

What do we do when we bless the Lord?
In times of need, when times are hard?
What do we do when we bless the Lord?

Why does the Lord need us to pray?
Where is the Lord when we suffer today?
Why does the Lord need us to pray?

Bless the Lord and for God Pray;
That God would share with us this day.
Pray in the dark when all seems Ill;
And life seems vile and warmth seems chill.

The Creator made you; With God be;
Through life and death your God will see;
Pray for your God, your life and soul;
Pray that you grow and become whole.

Have faith and wait and God will come;
And over time, God’s will be done.

Create

Our God is a Creator;
He generates and nurtures;
He loves and cares;
And you are God's child.

When you are without;
Remember that God is with you;
You are not alone;
You are beloved and betrothed.

God stands with you;
And God's armies surround you;
And God's angeles support you;
Your self, and your soul are safe;
You are not alone;

Listen for the voice of God;
Listen to the voice of God;
It is not a voice that says;
'Reject';
It is not a voice that says;
'Condemn';
It is not a voice that syas;
'Hate';

It is a voice that says;
'Help';
It is a voice that says;
'Share';
It is a voice that says;
'find a place where you can make a difference';

Create in your life;
Do what you can;
In the place you find yourself.

God is with you;
And God blesses your creations;
Leave your frustrations and anger behind, and

Create!

For I Am Your God

After Isaiah 43:1-7

The One who created you speaks,
The One who formed you opens his mouth with good tidings:

Do not fear your God,
Your sins do not crush you in my judgement;

For I have redeemed you,
I have called you by name, and you are mine;

You may feel overwhelmed,
Your problems may seem insurmountable;

But though the waters press down upon you, you shall not be drowned,
Though the fire burn all around you, you shall not be burned;

For I am your God,
The Holy One, your Savior;

I overturn kingdoms and empires for your sake,
I make the darkness light to comfort and deliver you;

Because you are precious in my sight,
I love you, and you stand in honor among my servants;

Do not fear, for I am with you,
I will rescue your children from distant lands,
And the prisons of men shall not hold them from you;

I will ransom every one who is called by my name,
Whom I created in glory,
Whom I formed and made.


May Love, Peace and Grace Reign About You

-LE

"Wait, Wait, Cancel That, I guess it says 'helf'"

There is a Gary Larson cartoon that I won't replicate here because of copyright, but it shows a helicopter pilot circling a small desert island. On that island a man is hopping up and down, and waving his arms next to the word HELP,

....except that the edge of the P has been trampled out, and now it looks like it says HELF.

The pilot in the cartoon says: "Wait, Wait, Cancel That, I guess it says 'helf.'"

On the right, you should see a 'donate' button from PayPal.

It is there because, in our challenging economy, I need HELP, not HELF.

Help to stay in my house.
Help to pay my bills.
Help to have time to blog on occasion.
Please give generously.

Yours,
LE

Struggling With Matthew 5

Why should we feed the wolves,
When our sheep go hungry?

How can we abandon our houses to criminals,
And live in the street, when the wintry winds blow?

Why should we forfeit our shoes to those already shod,
And walk the stony ground with bare feet?

Why do you ask us to do so, Lord?

Why should we labor and struggle to enrich the evil,
When we have not two coins to press together?

Why must we give our time and talent to Satan,
And keep nothing but our souls for the family of God?

Should we hold back nothing from the grifter,
The thief, the con artist?

Why do you ask us to do so, Lord?

(Strugging with Matthew 5)