Frank Hubeny

Midsummer

Dale offers the theme “midsummer” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge. These photos were taken at the Skokie Lagoons where I often walk.

Sunday Walk 47

Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
Mark 16:9 King James Bible 1769

I found the following oratorio by Kathie Lee Gifford and Nicole C. Mullen on the The Marshall Report. It is about Hagar, Ruth, and David and then wondrously about Mary Magdalene (John 20:1-18). They all experienced crises. God saw them and answered them. He sees us as well.

Kathie Lee Gifford & Nicole C. Mullen, The God Who Sees

Weekly Bible Reading: Leviticus (Audio: King James Version read by Alexander Scourby) Numbers (Audio: King James Version read by Alexander Scourby)
Commentary: David Pawson, Leviticus, Part 2 of 2, Numbers, Part 1 of 2, Unlocking the Bible

Happiness

Holy? Happy? Take your pick.
“Give me both!” That was quick.

Eugenia offers the word “happiness” for this week’s Thursday Prompt.

I was listening to David Pawson’s second lecture on Leviticus this morning where he made the comment at about 8:20 in the video, “The only way to be really happy is to be really holy.” So that’s what I was thinking of when writing this poem.

Zip – Décima

To give in once may seem OK.
It’s not like we’re addicted so
around the carousel we go.
“Hey, you could leave, but why today?”
Around again we go. We stay
to win the prize, a precious rag.
Our anxious minds want more. They nag
us with new offers: “Want a sip?”
“OK.” “OK?” They now can zip
us tightly in the body bag.

Ronovan Hester offers the rhyme word “zip” to be used in a D line of a décima having rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC for this week’s Décima Poetry Challenge.

I was thinking of C.S. Lewis’s Pilgrim’s Regress where the pilgrim almost at the end of his journey sees a witch offer a deformed creature a brief sip of pleasure which the creature knows would only increase its deformation. After it agrees to drink she turns to the pilgrim and offers him a sip as well.

Ronovan's Decima Poetry Challenge Image — Ronovan’s Decima Poetry Challenge Image

Inversion

Dale offers “inversions” as the prompt for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge. I’m not sure what inversions are so I merely rotated two photos 180 degrees. This is what I’d see if I stood on my head.

Sunday Walk 46 – Salt and Light

I am grateful to Cassa Bassa for a reference to a lecture by David Pawson on salt and light as mentioned in Matthew 5:13-16. I found a version of it which I am linking below.

As Pawson says, we live in “a world of dirt and disease and darkness” without salt and without light (about 21:20).

We are the salt that fertilizes the dirt. We are the salt that prevents disease from spreading. We are the light showing the way through the darkness. We are the light pointing out the ways of the world to avoid.

If the salt becomes contaminated with the ways of the world, of what use is it? If the lamp refuses to shine for those who have lost their way, why light it?

Weekly Bible Reading: Exodus (Audio: King James Version read by Alexander Scourby) Leviticus (Audio: King James Version read by Alexander Scourby)
Commentary: David Pawson, Exodus, Part 2 of 2, Leviticus, Part 1 of 2, Unlocking the Bible

Celebration

In faded denim, rosy blush,
he offers her a polished stone
from water where the rivers rush.
She knows that she is not alone.
In greens and yellow, alpine light,
Today the festive way is bright.

Eugenia offers the word “celebration” for this week’s Thursday Prompt. Linda Kruschke offers these paint chip phrases, “mystical, faded denim, lipstick, halo, blush, polished stone, and alpine“. At least four should be used in a sixain stanza.

Remnant – Six Sentence Story

The door of the boat was shut from the outside.

The fountains of the deep opened and the rains began. The earth quaked sending tsunamis over the land in wave after devastating wave burying living creatures successively in higher and higher mucky graves. In a few months there was no place to hide as the entire surface of the earth became a sea. When the waters retreated dry land emerged, eroded and tortured, above the waters.

The remnant left the boat.

Denise offers the word “remnant” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

For details related to my story see Genesis 6-9. Dr. Georgia Purdom provides even more details.

GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley's six-sentence-stories icon — GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley’s six-sentence-stories icon

Blow – Décima

Lot didn’t want to leave that day,
but angels dragged them by the hand.
His daughters didn’t understand.
His wife looked back. She’d have to stay.

“I drifted slowly from the way
through sweet deception. What a blow:
I thought I knew; I didn’t know.
That’s why we’re rushing out of there.
We heard the screaming in the air,
but it has stopped. We have to go.”

Ronovan Hester offers the rhyme word “blow” to be used in a C line of a décima having rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC in this week’s challenge. I was thinking about Lot and Sodom from Genesis 19.