Respect for a weather vane.

For eighty years, give or take, that hip roof barn with weathered wood
had seen its share, for heaven’s sake, of wind and rain and yet it stood
on solid rock, both deep and sure; bedrock fixed in earth’s tight vice,
and stained blood red, years to endure, its whole life painted all but thrice.

Its corn crib woke to each sunrise, stalls westward watched sun’s daily death,
large wooden doors, north south endwise, invite in nature’s gentle breath.
Stalwart shelter, hiding place, for mice and kittens, ox and horse
against dark foes, harsh storms and ice, and all of nature’s cruelest force.

On highest point, ‘top roof of tin, black rooster on black arrow perched,
warning withal, without, within, of looming storm his keen eye searched.
I mocked that rooster, "job so vain, tossed to-and-fro by every wind",
"Respect!" said farmer, "beloved vane does not deserve reproach. Rescind!"

"For while we hide and turn our backs from weather cruel in all her forms,
brave rooster stands, as lightning cracks; of love he turns to face the storm.
Warning all, without, within, of looming doom, he testifies
Fear God, not storm; look past the front. This temporal storm occludes fair skies."

Ephemeral English

Technology is a vocab thief;
a patois of purloined phrases
Aged terms since civilly borrowed
have not regained their places.

Once birds did tweet, cookies were sweet,
and troll ‘neath bridge did dwell,
Streams were for water, bytes for fodder,
and illnesses spread Viral.

With Clouds in the sky and spam in the can,
our catfish swam in rivers.
A friend was close, we booted for snow,
and restaurants had servers.

A bug with no legs, nor tree verdant leaves,
and the superhighway runs on busses? What?
Virtual is unreal, and intelligence artificial,
and while logging now, no buzzsaw buzzes.

We text with our thumbs and tag with a mouse,
and swipe a page here to elsewhere;
we pin without pricking, and browse while reclining,
and “my Word” is now just software.

Via on-ramps we’re on-line as we download the low-down,
so ‘cross continents Christian can mingle
our beloved OED grows more portly each day
as tech-savvyness makes us bilingual

The unforeseen benefit of crisis

Regarding this current pandemic, and our responses to it, I could, as so many have, share my personal view point, but I realize I would only be echoing small pieces of shared perspectives that have already been profusely, and more eloquently stated. Who needs that? 

Slowly digesting the comments of popular commentary does begin to shine light on what people really care about. Even my own shared comments inadvertently expose my psyche’s underwear as my personal bias emerges and is put on display. Not that anyone only cares about one thing, absolutely not, no one does, but two things that do begin to emerge from social commentary is to what degree each contributor cares enough about something to be willing to give up something else to have it, and to what lengths they will go to convince others of their point of view. 

Unfortunately, coming to any hard and fast conclusions concerning this present situation is like trying to thumb-tack Jell-O onto the side of a speeding train, in the dark, while it’s on fire, with one arm in a sling. The subject at hand has so many variables; it is fraught with many masked motives (no pun intended), bears many misunderstandings, promulgates many erroneous conclusions, hosts many pointing fingers, shares many misrepresentations, boasts many personal opinions, is driven by many hidden agendas, has so many fables posing as facts, and so many surgically butchered facts that they show little resemblance to the truth. We have all become accustomed to personally interpreting well-groomed charts that present carefully culled data to visually persuade viewers of some predetermined idea. We have developed the skill of interpreting the public charts and relying on preferred sources that confirm our personal bias. Try as we may, we can’t escape it. Some data may be presented as a single point on the chart but each point in actuality is an error bar of uncertainty, and each bar is subject to scrutiny. Points on the charts that show us “number of cases” can actually only shows known cases, reported cases, or presumed cases, but what it cannot show is actual cases. That is unknown. The charts that display the “number of deaths” may show deaths of patients who also tested positive at the time of death, or deaths of people who showed symptoms, or deaths of patients who were in a group of others who tested positive, but what it cannot show us is actual deaths caused solely by a single disease. That is unknown. Each point on that chart is actually a bar of uncertainty, and in most cases with this pandemic, the bars of uncertainty are pretty large. Each point is only a statistical number, not an actual number, there are surely deaths that are not included, and there as just as sure deaths that are included in that number of persons with comorbidities that did not actually die of this disease. Even so, this is the nature of statistics, and mankind has learned to use statistics to our advantage, and sometimes to our welfare. 

Even if some statistics are spurious, we can still all gain from this experience. One benefit of stress is self-exposure. If we are introspective we can look at our own personal reaction to the situation and begin to understand what we actually value. In this situation we can ask ourselves, what do I treasure, what am I willing to fight for, where is my true heart, on what am I truly depending, in what is my hope, where is my true home? The stress of this pandemic can be likened to a torrential storm that shakes the very foundations where we live. The storm causes me to ask myself on what is my house (life) built? Will the storm bring it crashing down, or am I safely founded on bedrock? 

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." Jesus, Matthew 7:24-27

If we are left with a damaged or deleted abiding place once the rains cease and the winds calm, it is only so we can rebuild, and hopefully on a better foundation. What will we need to rebuild? As the wise realtor says: "the three most important things are location, location, and location" It is almost a sure thing that this isn’t the last storm most of us will experience. Each storm offers us an opportunity to build better than before. Let’s not rebuild the same house, but a better house, on a better foundation. 

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. Isaiah 28:16

While we can, let’s treasure every acquaintance; seek the welfare of all people, even those with whom we presently disagree. And if we haven’t already, find that good and solid bedrock and start abiding there. 

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus, Matthew 6:19-21

 

The Confusing Heart

The heart is deceitful, desperately wicked;
it’s secrets sleep deep in the depths of unknowing.
The LORD tests it’s mettle, He searches its depths;
Holy light sin exposes, redemption bestowing.

He tells us it’s broken, hard, wicked, and evil;
sick, sinful, adulterous, cold unbelieving,
uncircumcised, impenitent, troubled, weighed down,
heavy, sorrowful, justly condemning;

Yet still fearless, rejoicing, cheerful, and glad;
soft, simple, wise, fragile, intrepid courageous,
It’s upright, sincere, pure, loyal, and joyful,
it playfully soars as His Spirit engages.

Churning out murders, evil thoughts, blasphemies,
thefts, false witness, adulterous fornications;
it is the keeper of secrets, speechwriter for the mouth,
a repository for Satan’s sly machinations.

Although source of quick waters, storehouse of good treasure,
good soil for God’s word in castabout seeds;
spring of forgiveness, compassionate love,
a temple from where God’s Holy Spirit leads.

It rejoices, desires, makes decisions and more,
is a tablet on which God oft writes.
Through it we know Him, we search, and we seek Him,
in service are drawn to His perfect delights.

In our heart we give thanks, believe, meditate;
we are pupils as God it instructs;
we ponder and prophecy, He opens or closes,
recreating He edifies, carefully constructs.

We are told it to guard, to rend, and to seal,
to strengthen; from it to banish anxiety.
With it we’re to Love Him; to trust in his work,
to wait patiently in hope, and render due piety.

God examines it, renews it, and pours out His love,
It He sentinels from evils dark scope.
Contrite and broken God will not despise it, 
He hides His word inside and fills it with hope.

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These multitudinous characteristics of the human heart have all been gleaned from God's word (below).

Bibliography / Attribution
Joshua 22:5
1 Samuel 13:14, 16:7
1Chron 28:9
Psalm 9:1, 13:5, 19:8, 19:14, 20:4, 27:3, 31:24, 37:4, 44:21, 51:10, 51:17, 86:11, 90:12, 91:14, 119:2-11, 119:36, 119:111, 147:3,
Prov 3:1-5, 4:3, 4:21, 10:9, 12:25, 13:12, 23:5,
Song of Solomon 8:6
Ecclesiastes 9:7
Jeremiah 17:9-10, 20:12, 29:13
Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26
Joel 2:12-13
Matthew 5:8, 5:28, 6:21, 11:29, 12:34,35, 13:19, 18:35, 22:37
Mark 11:23
Luke 2:19 & 51,
John 7:38
Acts 2:46, 5:3, 7:51, 27:22&25
Romans 10:6-10
2 Corinthians 9:7,
Hebrews 13:12
1 Peter 3:4

The Bane of Progress leading to accidental abrupt defenestration.

Composing once was nothing more than waltzing pen o’er paper dance floor
but when Royal’s Signet hit the store, one handed writing, nevermore.

Ten flying fingers troubadour quickly morphed into dinosaur
when the power of PC hit the store, the bane of whiteout I forswore.

Hardware-software esprit de corps, autocorrect, accept, ignore
Alas, habitual carriage-return settled the score, sent my PC to the floor.

Spiritual Fruit

Love, joy, peace, longsuffering;
grace and goodness too;
faithfulness and gentleness
and if that were too few,

add Self-control, The Spirit’s fruit
pristine without one flaw.
Against such bearing in our life
there simply is no law.

And those who are Christ's have crucified
the flesh with dire desire.
If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit,
to obedience aspire.

Galatians 5:22-25