Poetry, Short Prose and Walking

Sunday Walk 42 – Greek Influence On Christianity

I used to find Plotinus, a 3rd century Platonist, interesting. His idea of the One suggested a kind of naturalistic or pantheistic spirituality. To the extent I understood any of this, the One was like a force field having the attributes philosophers might assign to a deity.

Little of this is attractive to me today, but that earlier exposure has kept me wary of Platonic or even Aristotelian influences. When I hear discussions of God that do not lead to repentance, salvation or a personal relationship with Jesus grounded in the special revelation of the Bible I wonder if there aren’t hidden presuppositions underlying the arguments that might be coming from ancient Greek, rather than Jewish or Christian, sources.

I’ve noticed these hidden ideas within various Christian traditions going back to Augustine or earlier. Some of them are fine, but it’s easy to forget that even the acceptable ones are cultural additions. So, I try to distinguish what is in the Bible from what is outside trying to get in. Then I put scripture over tradition should a conflict arise between the Word of God and that other stuff.

For those who wish more information on this especially as it pertains to questionable Greek cultural influence, see David Pawson’s lecture on “de-Greecing” the church:

David Pawson, De-Greecing the Church

Weekly Bible Readings: Genesis (Audio: King James Version read by Alexander Scourby)
Commentary: David Pawson, Genesis Part 1 of 7 and Part 2 of 7, Unlocking the Bible

Hand of God

Our partying about the hall
was stopped by writing on the wall.
That magic hand mysteriously
wrote words we didn’t care to see.
Daniel told our heads of state –
the kingdom’s numbered: It’s too late.

Eugenia offers “magic” as this week’s Thursday Prompt. I was thinking of Daniel 5. The hand wrote these words: מנא מנא תקל ופרסין

Shooting Star, Primrose Family, Chicago Botanic Garden

Rivalry – Six Sentence Story

Bernard’s confidence returned as he began drinking the last can of his six-pack. He was ready to point out every nit that needed picking from the members of a social networking community he frequented.

In righteous rivalry he led his own charge condemning the “freaks, flakes and morons” to fiery hells that he himself didn’t believe in. They knew he was drunk.

Eventually his demons, unforgiving accusers themselves, led tired Bernard to bed one last time. As a reward for his long service, they prepared terrifying dreams.

Denise offers the prompt “rivalry” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

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

Thursday Doors Writing Challenge

We built them close to form a wall.
Within them we shall make our stand.
The devil’s prowling on the land
devouring the weak who fall
from sin that undermined it all.
They’ve burnt their buildings, turned them black.
Their walls have tumbled. See that crack?
Today let’s have bright doors, fresh light,
and neighborhoods prepared to fight.
Let’s trust in God, resist attack.

Dan Antion offers the Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. I selected Sofia Alves’ photograph of the doors of Guimarães for the décima above.

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

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

Buildings of the Past

Dale offers the prompt “buildings of the past” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge. The photos are from an old home preserved in a park in northern Illinois.

Here is my poem for Linda Kruschke’s Paint Chip challenge.

A tiny trinket out of jade
deceptively was smoothly made.
I bought it. Why? I do not know.
My dreaming mind got caught, went slow.
I wonder now how much I paid.

Sunday Walk 41 – Abortion and Communion

תועבת יהוה דרך רשׁע ומרדף צדקה יאהב
Proverbs 15:9 Masoretic Text with various translations

I learned from Michael Wilson’s blog that the San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone had called on the Catholic Church to deny Communion to prominent pro-abortion Catholics.

I agree with Archbishop Cordileone, but would add a twist to his call making it relevant even for non-Catholics: All Christians should advise those who are pro-abortion to refrain from Communion until they have repented.

Does that sound harsh?

What would be harsh would be Satan’s accusations full of finger-pointing and despair with no hope of forgiveness on the other side. However, this call is different. It is a call to the discomfort of repentance and the liberation of change where pardon replaces that crash into the brick wall.

Selah, Before the Throne of God Above

Viewpoint

A viewpoint from a worldview
will hide unconsciously
what’s false and sometimes what is true.
It justifies what we would do
and even how we see.

Eugenia offers this week the prompt “viewpoint”.

Whim

May I from truth not wish to stray.
What’s unknown underlies each whim
on which I float, through which I swim,
until I find a better way,
repent, and pray this time I may
have turned from weakness to what’s right.
My day presumes a previous night
where darkness showed me odd-ball dreams
I thought were pure till morning’s beams
contrasted evil with good light.

Ronovan Hester offers the rhyme word “whim” to be used in a B line of a décima having rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC for this week’s challenge.

Improvise – Six Sentence Story

Although Rebekah told Isaac of the prophecy she received that Jacob, the second-born of her twins and her favorite, was to receive the blessing, as the boys matured Esau, the first-born and Isaac’s favorite, seemed to Isaac better able to carry any burdens his blessing might require.

In his old age with failing eyesight, Isaac decided to give the blessing to Esau rather than Jacob without telling Rebekah, but she overheard his plan and improvised one of her own. She prepared the meal Isaac requested from Esau, covered Jacob’s arms with fur to imitate Esau’s hairy skin and dressed him in Esau’s clothing to deceive her husband. Not even Jacob, willing though he was to go along with it, thought her plan would work, but it did.

After realizing he had been fooled, Isaac reluctantly remembered the prophecy and remained faithful to it reaffirming the blessing he unwittingly gave to Jacob. Esau, however, wanted revenge and so Rebekah convinced Isaac to send Jacob off on the pretext of finding a suitable wife, not one like Esau found among the locals, knowing that she would likely never see Jacob again.

Denise offers the prompt “improvise” for this week’s Six Sentence Story.

A more complete and accurate description of what happened to Isaac, Rebekah, Esau and Jacob begins at Genesis 25:19. The insight that Rebekah did not see Jacob again came from Pastor Colin Smith’s sermon last Sunday.

Gold – Décima

I don’t know what I’d do with gold
unless it’s for a wedding ring.
A garden would be more my thing
with plants whose leaves were green and bold.
Between us there’s much fruit to hold.
We offer praise and share our meals.
We watch and pray. The truth reveals
our next assignments. See the ways
this paradise fulfills our days
and how each day renews and heals.

Ronovan Hester offers the rhyme word “gold” to be used in an A line of a décima having rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC.

Also this week Eugenia offers the prompt “paradise”.