During the regular part of the Sunday service when Brian satirized critics of his ministry, he read, out-loud, a social media post which commanded that the eyes of everyone in his congregation start functioning with “20/20, cataract-less, floater-less, astigmatism-less, whatever-ails-you-less perfect vision”.
“Fat chance that’s going to happen,” Brian mocked just before his six-year old granddaughter sitting in the front row, nearly blind from birth, jumped up and down screaming, “Grandpops, Grandpops, I can SEE!!“
As others in the congregation admitted sudden vision improvement as well, Brian wondered if his own eyes had been healed (hoping not). Looking down at his Bible, a ministry-produced, three-ribboned, leather-bound, authorized version adulterated with his commentaries, he was surprised to clearly make out even the fine print of the footnotes without glasses.
For the next hour Brian read verse after verse. When he finally looked up, all that came out of his mouth was: “So that’s what it says.”
______
Denise offers the prompt word “perfect” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Jeffrey’s reactions were like those of a corpse in an open coffin. No matter how you insulted him, no matter how harshly the wind of cursing blew across his face, he didn’t respond.
And they did insult him accusing him of this and that while lying about that and this. They gave him as much hell as their trapped imaginations could come up with. However, the service Jeffrey and his team agreed to perform demanded that they focus exclusively on the assignment.
They only had a brief period of time to free those brainwashed hostages before the missiles arrived.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “wind” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Romans 12:1 KJV – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
George reached an age when his wickedness began to manifest in unrighteous ways on the shape of his body. For decades it had limited its manifestations to various wrinkles freezing funny frowns on his face, but now other parts of his body were wrecking havoc on his health.
It’s logically impossible – not that it hasn’t ever happened – for the wicked who have convinced themselves that they’re righteous to repent. The other guy has to go first. But that other guy, ranking as wickedly high on the righteousness scale as George has, isn’t about to do any such thing.
And that’s why this story about George isn’t going anywhere.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “rank” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Adam’s first mistake was letting Eve wander off alone with that snake.
His second was listening to her.
Hey, Adam, you’ve gotta try this stuff! It’s off the chain.
His third was taking a bite.
And that’s how Adam closed the deal turning over dominion to the lords of the snake.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “close” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Genesis 3:17 KJV – 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Brian built a following by blending doom and gloom prophecies with prayer that the prophecies would not come true.
If a prophecy occurred, he took credit for being a pretty good prophet. If it didn’t, he declared that his prayers had enough pull with the Lord for them to work.
When Brian’s critics pointed out that being right on one leg of a hedged bet implied he would have to be wrong on the other, he ridiculed them. He reminded them that the Lord Himself was telling him what to do.
The Lord could not recall telling Brian anything.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “blend” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Matthew 6:5 KJV – And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
With ancient soundtracks playing in the background that synched with the mantras running from his mouth, the wizard gazed for spiritual insight into a large, shallow pool of water reflecting his image.
A voice said, What are you looking at, George?
Not used to hearing voices interfere with his imagination George asked, “What?”
You won’t find your way back on your own.
“That garden never existed,” he countered.
By the way, I didn’t make you in My image from stardust, but from the dust of the earth.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “pool” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Matthew 7:13-14 KJV – 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Somewhat less than eight thousand years ago in Eden, before the flood plowed, sifted and buried the place below a mile or so of sediment, Eve, and then Adam, found out the difference between good and evil. Henceforward, the only Creator-creature distinction that would be worth remembering was that God was good and they weren’t.
Before the incident with the forbidden fruit they didn’t need to know that. After it, creation itself shook, because they had been given dominion over the Earth and their style of dominion messed things up.
Today the Jacks and Jills, fighting all the way, are still climbing hills which rose above the retreating flood waters searching for the Living Water that would give them the power to stop falling down again and again. Should they ever find that Water, creation itself would rejoice.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “style” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Story.
Rom 8:19 KJV – 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pale of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.
Some rambling prophet said, Either the Spirit or one of those other spirits will be blessing or cursing….
James heard enough. He closed the YouTube tab.
Downstairs his younger brother and sister were running about in the early morning light excited to see that Santa came.
And I will be joining James downstairs as soon as I figure out a way to use the prompt word, “admission”, in this six sentence story. Whether I figure that out or not, whatever words I do write may they be words of blessing to shatter every curse: Merry Christmas!
______
Denise offers the prompt word “admission” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
The promise moved from Eve down through the generations. At each dip along the way the Lord was faithful to break every faithless fall.
Finally, as sure as the rising of the sun but against every natural odd, the promise reached a young virgin whom we know today as Maria or Mary. As a servant of the Lord she spoke the simple, but universe transforming, words of obedience: Be it done unto me according to your word.
And so it was.
Mary gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem Who would fulfill the promise the Lord made to Eve long, long ago.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “dip” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Genesis 3:13-16 KJV – 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Gen 4:1 KJV – And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
Luke 1:38 KJV – And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:46-47 KJV – 46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Many generations ago Jared told his children how their very first father and mother lived in a garden. He said that there was a snake in that garden who told their ancient mother that, if she wanted to be a god, all she had to do was something the Lord said would cause her to die that very day. Convinced the snake knew more than the Lord did, she disobeyed the Lord and got her husband, witless or not, to do the same.
When the Lord realized that a deception had occurred, He went looking for them, but they were so ashamed, being now woke, that they wanted only to die before He could find them. He found them in time, extended their lives beyond that day and promised that the snake’s masters who usurped dominion over the Earth would be crushed by the woman’s seed.
And that was the first step the Lord took to break our fall, Jared said telling his children as much as he could remember of the parcel of information and explanation which held a sacred promise that his own father and mother had passed on to him years ago.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “parcel” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Genesis 2:16-17 KJV – 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 3:9-19 KJV – 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Poetry, Short Prose and Walking 