When the News Hits Close to Home

From Blog09

This morning there was a terrorist blast in Indonesia. One of the people seriously injured is a fellow I know slightly. Pray for him.

A few weeks ago, a Brazilian airliner went down. One of the people who died was a fellow that I think I'd spoken with on the phone a time or two.

A few weeks ago, a famous abortionist was killed. One of my relatives knew him.

What's all of this say to me? At least two things.

Our world is more and more interconnected. What happens in one place affects people in many distant places. What you do today, or what I do, may have an impact on people thousands of miles away.

We're also not guaranteed that we'll have this life tomorrow. Tomorrow, we may be injured or dead or severely ill. We don't have that guarantee, but if we have Jesus, we have the guarantee of eternal life with him and the guarantee that the Lord has plans for our lives.

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
--1 Peter 1:8-9, ESV

Waiting for the Lord

From Blog09

Lord, it's hard to wait for you,
To turn away from work and plans,
Turning from the things I do
To put the whole in your good hands.

When my words won't organize,
My plans go bad, my hopes run dry,
Reputation's cut to size--
I must wait. You're still on high.

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him.
--Lamentations 3:25, NKJV

Poem and photo ©2009 James L. Swindle.
You may print up to 100 copies with this notice, so long as you don't sell them.

Two Wisdoms

From Blog09

Worldly wisdom grows and shows
Brashest pride in what it knows.
It thinks everyone should note
All the scholars it can quote.
It can reason day and night
Without coming to the Light.
It can promise fame and wealth,
At the cost of the soul's health.

Godly wisdom will submit
To the One who fashioned it.
It is humble from the start,
Knowing that it knows in part.
It is waiting for the day
When the partial's swept away
In the light of God's own throne
When we'll know as we are known.

Jews ask for miraculous signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, but our message is that Christ was crucified. This offends Jewish people and makes no sense to people who are not Jewish. But to those Jews and Greeks who are called, he is Christ, God's power and God's wisdom. God's nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.
--1 Corinthians 1:22-25, GOD'S WORD translation

Poem and photo ©2009 James L. Swindle
You may print up to 100 copies with this notice, so long as you don't sell them.

Just a Weed

From Blog09

It's just a weed:
Wily, wild, determined,
Growing unwanted--
Except by bees
Brought by its beauty.
Lord, creator of bees, of weeds, of me,
All your works are wonderful.
If the world devalues me,
Help me see
It's fine to be
Just a weed
For passing bees.

All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
    and all your saints shall bless you!
--Psalm 145:10, ESV

In the Bible, weeds are used as a picture of those who follow the devil. Yet sometimes one man's weed is another man's precious flower. Those of us who follow Jesus are weeds in the world's eyes, but precious in the Lord's sight.

Poem and photo ©2009 James L. Swindle
You may print up to 100 copies if you include the copyright notice, don't sell them and don't change the text.

He Is Good

From Blog09

Humility

From Blog09

A man I'll call Ted (not his real name) and his wife joined our church a few months back. They and their children are consistently present--Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night--and consistently cheerful. Ted introduced himself simply as Ted. This week I asked Ted what is daily work is. He said he worked at a certain medical facility. I asked what he does there. The answer? "I'm an emergency room doctor." I'm impressed with the fact that Ted is an MD, but I'm more impressed with the fact that he didn't mention it until he was pressed to do so. Through all of his years of schooling and residency he's earned society's respect, but he doesn't go around telling everyone about it.

His humility shows me my pride. How about you--are you quick to list your qualifications, or are you content to let the Lord take care of your reputation?

Father, erase me,
Wipe out, efface me.
Put me on the shelf
And show forth yourself.


God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
--James 4:6, ESV

Grace in the Battles

From Blog09

Only by grace we enter,
But the wars must be fought and won.
Only by grace we enter,
And fight 'til the battle's done.

God gives the plan,
And God gives the land,
But ours is the victory,
And we must stand!

Stand firm, then, brothers,
Stand firm in the Lord.
March forth, then, brothers,
And take up your sword.

God gives you victory,
Joy and delight,
But gives almost nothing
Without a good fight.


And he said to the people, "Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the LORD."
--Joshua 6:7, ESV

Poem written March 24, 1993, while considering Joshua.
Public domain.