Dale offers the challenge “shades of gray” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge. Above are gray clouds coming in during sunset. Below is a leaf on a gray sidewalk.
The first blog I read this morning was Dianne Marshall’s The Marshall Report. It contained links to two videos, both of which I enjoyed.
David Pawson claimed (Book of Revelation, Part 1, about 8:30) that there are two books of the Bible that Satan particularly doesn’t like: Genesis and Revelation. In Genesis Satan’s deceptive practices are exposed. In Revelation his downfall is prophesied – Jesus wins; Satan loses. In particular the first few chapters of Genesis and the last ones of Revelation cause Satan the most grief.
Pawson also suggested that we read Scripture aloud. I have noticed that when I hear myself reading something aloud, it becomes clearer. At the very least reading something aloud makes it difficult for me to skim over the words. I don’t want to skim over those parts of Genesis and Revelation that annoy Satan the most.
Bill said that he’d be “back with the zip file”, but that was last Saturday. Timothy searched online, but Bill disappeared from there as well. All Bill’s posts vanished. Even records of the events they attended together vanished.
By the time Timothy figured out what was going on it must have been too late.
The only thing that remained was the word “sorry” gouged with large, rough letters into the plaster of his apartment wall that the maintenance staff seemed anxious to cover up as we entered the room pretending to look for a place to rent.
Denise offers the word “zip” for this week’s Six Sentence Story.
If the story doesn’t make sense, think dystopian future (or present). If that doesn’t help, be grateful that it was short.
Repentance cringes at the past
since God detests the rot of it
that reeks of death. The blot of it
warns us beware of each contrast.
We’re thankful though that didn’t last.
We saw in time our wretched ways.
Where would we be if all our days
continued on mechanically
when seeing meant we didn’t see?
Such gratitude’s the source of praise.
Ronovan Hester offers the challenge of using the rhyme word “contrast” in the A line of a décima where the rhyme pattern is ABBAACCDDC.
Turn the light out in a cave
and feel the dark come crashing in.
Gratitude. Beyond the grave
such darkness does not get to win.
This is a “dribble” which is a poem of 100 letters (excluding punctuation such as periods, apostrophes, spaces or dashes). The title is not part of the count. See Abigail Gronway’s Happier New New for another example. She challenges us to write one and post a link in the comments of her post.
Dale offers the theme of “a cold start” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge. I picked some winter scenes from former years.
Last week following David Pawson’s Practicing the Principles of Prayer when I felt an emotional alarm go off I prayed for guidance. The emotion seemed rationally justified, but was it really?
Then I opened a post by Michael Wilson. Preoccupied by the emotion I wasn’t paying attention to his words until I saw the following quote which I couldn’t ignore:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 King James Version
My prayer was answered. The emotion vanished as a false alarm.
There are some who would be eager to explain prayer away or, barring that, smother it in New Age sentimentality. I’ve been deceived by both in the past. I wonder how much power they still have over me.
Its spines stood out in shiny red
with body black against white wall.
Its web seemed barely there at all
but formed a sticky prison bed.
The traps effectively were spread
to catch deception in midair.
The truth exposed each lie out there
and everywhere we heard the crash.
The busted celebration bash
had cursed repentance, scorned good prayer.
Ronovan Hester challenges us to write a décima with the rhyme word “bash” in the D position of a rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC.
Pete loved giving advice, such as, “After you’ve gone the distance you’ll be surprised at what you’ll find.”
Greg asked him, “Is there something I should worry about once I get there?”
Pete smiled making Greg wonder whether Pete thought he knew something or whether he wanted to tick Greg off like Greg wanted to do to him.
“There’s nothing to worry about should you get there,” Pete clarified.
Greg snorted a forced laugh.
“However, you won’t get there without help and you won’t want that to happen once you’ve realized what you’ve missed.”
Denise offers the prompt word “distance” this this week’s Six Sentence Story.
Dale asks us to “show us your Christmas” for the Cosmic Photo Challenge. On my walk on Christmas day I spotted these flowers among others.
My smile this week for Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile is much the same as it has been. In particular I was wondering if I would find anything to photograph on December 25th worth posting to meet Dale’s challenge. Sometimes I’m too distracted. There are times I am so preoccupied I forget to take photos. I smiled with relief when I spotted these flowers. I don’t know why I saw them. I must have missed them on previous walks. Perhaps they weren’t blooming then.
