Don’t tolerate that tiny lie.
Deception rules until a cry
demands to know the reason why
we took God’s joy away.
If truth be known, the lies we spread
are moldy, wormy, wretched bread.
They’re traps that no one would be fed
were they not so deceived.
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Ronovan Hester offers “trap” as the inspiration word for this week’s Ovi Poetry Challenge. Also posted on Poet’s Corner.
Except for possibly Jehu, for whom she dolled herself up in a desperate seduction play, no one annoyed Jezebel as much as Elijah. In spite of the Lord confirming him over her prophets by sending fire from heaven only on his sacrifices, when Jezebel sent Elijah a death threat he fled so far away that only the Lord’s still, small voice could bring him back.
At that point his usefulness was compromised. To his credit, Elijah did accept his replacement, Elisha, even though Elisha wanted a double portion of what he had. Elisha inherited Elijah’s assigned tasks of acknowledging Hazael as king over Syria whom Elisha saw would become a butcher and anointing by proxy the headstrong Jehu as king over Israel who would pump out judgement upon the whole clan of Jezebel.
If only Jezebel had the wits to realize that manipulation through lies could last only as long as the true Lord (not her Baal) constrained the pressure cooker filled with hatred from exploding, things might have turned out differently and the dogs would not have had a bloody mess for dinner at the gates of Jezreel.
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Denise offers the prompt word “pump” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories. To read what really happened and to make sure I didn’t misread it, see 1 Kings 16:29 – 2 Kings 10:36.
1 Kings 19:9-13 (Young’s Literal Translation, 1898)
9 And he cometh in there, unto the cave, and lodgeth there, and lo, the word of Jehovah [is] unto him, and saith to him, `What — to thee, here, Elijah?’
10 And he saith, `I have been very zealous for Jehovah, God of Hosts, for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant — Thine altars they have thrown down, and Thy prophets they have slain by the sword, and I am left, I, by myself, and they seek my life — to take it.’
11 And He saith, `Go out, and thou hast stood in the mount before Jehovah.’ And lo, Jehovah is passing by, and a wind — great and strong — is rending mountains, and shivering rocks before Jehovah: — not in the wind [is] Jehovah; and after the wind a shaking: — not in the shaking [is] Jehovah;
12 and after the shaking a fire: — not in the fire [is] Jehovah; and after the fire a voice still small;
13 and it cometh to pass, at Elijah’s hearing [it], that he wrappeth his face in his robe, and goeth out, and standeth at the opening of the cave, and lo, unto him [is] a voice, and it saith, `What — to thee, here, Elijah?’
Dale offers the prompt “up, down and sideways” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.
I first thought of taking a picture of a tree, but I have already done something like that.
I ended up going up and down the stairway.
Past reds and greens on pond or stream,
dangling from a drifting dream:
Why does that small voice ever seem
a lecture from the Lord?
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Ronovan Hester offers the word “destination” as the inspiration for this week’s Ovi Poetry Challenge. Also posted on Poet’s Corner.
1 Kings 19:11-13
11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
The angel proclaimed that she would bear the Child.
She wondered how this could be since she was a virgin. The angel explained how, but the most convincing explanation was that God could do anything and this is what He wanted to do. If she resisted it would affirm that nothing mattered except what was of no importance, but she had no desire to resist.
Suddenly pregnant anticipating she would soon be nursing Him with milk and protecting Him with her own life, if need be, she went to see her aging cousin Elisabeth to whom the impossible had also occurred.
All generations would call her blessed.
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Denise offers the word “milk” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Luke 1:28
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luke 1:46-55
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
Dale offers the prompt “life in black and white” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.
I took some pictures along the Shady Hollow Trail while at the McDowell Nature Preserve which is about a fifteen minute drive from where we live.
After converting them to black and white I added a lot of contrast and lowered the brightness to help the black stand out from the white.
If it be good it’s done with love.
Give evil an eternal shove.
Think only what God’s thinking of.
Receive a faithful rest.
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Ronovan Hester offers the word “love” to be used as inspiration for this week’s Ovi Poetry Challenge. Also posted on Poet’s Corner.
Poetry, Short Prose and Walking 