Category: Photography

Still – Holy Spirit

The only muse worth listening to,
The only One who even is,
Corrects us, guides us, leads us. His
Consuming fire will clean, renew
Transforming everything we do.
We sinners turn.  This living flame
Burns off the chaff.  The devil's blame
Becomes as nothing. We are still.
As falsehood breaks, each true word will
No longer be lukewarm, nor tame.

Linked to Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge where the challenge is to use the rhyme word “still” in the D part of the rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC. For another poem on the Holy Spirit see Mary Hood’s poem Holy Spirit and her observation that there’s a difference between the Greek muses and the Holy Spirit. I used to talk about “muses”, but given the Holy Spirit I see no need to hide Him behind some Greek myth.

Over the Lagoon
Ronovan's Decima Poetry Challenge Image
Ronovan’s Decima Poetry Challenge Image

Volume – Six Sentence Story

“The Good Spirit knows everything about you and he’s apt to forgive you but you have to submit to him and want it,” the ancient guru who lived only on air and was said to float about the temple high in the mountain explained.

I was still curious and so while seated at his feet, I asked him, “And what about the Bad Spirit?”

“Ah, the Bad Spirit knows a good deal about you as well but he’s only interested in what he can use as blackmail to keep your mouth shut.”

He didn’t seem to have anything more to reveal and I couldn’t think of anything more to ask him and so I lowered the volume of the sound of my breathing and I sat.

When the sun set he suddenly twisted his head unnaturally in my direction showing his burning eyes and steamy horns making me jump wishing I never risked the arduous climb up this mountain and wondering if I could find my way back down in the dark.

“So, in your current circumstances, boy, which one of those spirits do you think it’s now safer to serve?”

Linked to Six Sentence Stories where Denise offers the prompt word “volume” to use in the story. For another story about Satan, I highly recommend reading Zack and Zelda’s Church Nightmare (mostly fiction).

Garden of the Gods in the Morning
GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley's six-sentence-stories icon
GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley’s six-sentence-stories icon

Inversions

From summer green to autumn red
To winter white and rest.
Arise from winter's silent bed.
Spring has passed the test.

Linked to Cosmic Photo Challenge where Dale offers the theme of inversions. While walking in the forest preserve, I ran into a maple tree that had turned deep red earlier than the others. Unsure of what an inversion was, I thought of this change as an inversion, moving from summer green to autumn red.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. Outside of an email exchange with someone offering a proof of the 3x+1 conjecture, I did not update my program further. So no excuse for a smile from that quarter, but weather was beautiful, I explored new trails in the forest preserve and I enjoyed (online) The Return, the Washington Prayer March on Saturday. Many smiles there.

Another smile arriving this very morning came from listening to Crystal Grimes’ composition Gratitude DSE #9.

Red and Green Inversion
Cosmic Photo Challenge

Snacking on Jezebel – Carrot Ranch

“How would you distinguish Baal from Yahweh?”

“Yahweh gets things done.  After the prophet poured oil on Jehu, proclaiming him king, he ran off.  Jehu’s officers thought the prophet was an idiot until they heard the announcement: Yahweh anointed Jehu to drain the swamp.  Jehu killed Jehoram and Ahaziah. At Jehu’s command eunuchs threw Jezebel from her window.  While Jehu and his men got refreshments, dogs snacked on Jezebel.”  

“That’s a gruesome story.”

“Jehu killed Ahab’s entire family and anyone he could get his hands on associated with Baal.”

“I see. Beware when Yahweh has His fill of you.”

Linked to Carrot Ranch’s September 24 Flash Fiction Challenge where Charli Mills offers the theme of snacking. You can read more about Jehu in 2 Kings chapters 9 and 10 where it is told in more detail and better than I have.

This is Yom Kippur. Although unrelated to the story, after listening to Jonathan Cahn’s Yom Kippur Broadcast, I put the finishing touches on the story:

Jonathan Cahn Yom Kippur Broadcast
Prairie with Mist in the Field

Look

When rain returns the barren land
Is filled with blooms we all can see,
A resurrection mystery,
A pouring that we understand
As blessings from an open hand.
A year ago we doubted. Look!
There’s water flowing in the brook.
Those ways we’ve turned from have somehow
Been transformed into nothing now
Like drivel from an unread book.

Linked to Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge where the challenge is to use the word “look” as the C rhyme in a poem with rhyme scheme ABBAACCDDC.

Stacked Wood
Ronovan's Decima Poetry Challenge Image
Ronovan’s Decima Poetry Challenge Image

The Everyday Into the Unusual

An ordinary, tiny bug
Lived on a painted wall.
Before he died
He tried and tried
To understand it all.

Linked to Cosmic Photo Challenge where Dale offers the theme of turning “the everyday into the unusual”. The photos are of graffiti on top of graffiti but viewed up-close. Although the messages were somewhat confusing even at normal distance the paint made the bridge over the brook in the forest preserve colorful.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. I realized I made a mistake in my algorithm to verify the records in the 3x+1 problem and fixed it. My best time with the incorrect code was 352 seconds as I reported last week. My best time with the new code was 354 seconds. Although I haven’t repeated the runs to find the variance in these timings, I was relieved that the correction did not seem to significantly harm the performance. That was enough to make me smile even though I am still a long way from my 10-second goal.

More Graffiti Detail Under the Train Bridge
Cosmic Photo Challenge

Sunday Walk 7 – Rosh Hashanah

17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

Romans 11:17-24 King James Version

The Feast of Trumpets began last Friday. Below is Jonathan Cahn, a Messianic Jewish pastor, explaining the significance of the feast especially for today and blowing the trumpets.

Jonathan Cahn, The Feast of Trumpets