A Beautiful Poem

What is Beauty?

What is beauty? Face that shines?
Or head that sweetly, still reclines?
Is beauty in a stately walk?
Or in the way we softly talk?

That's not all beauty, beauty still,
Is meekly bending to God's will.
To find in every trial we face
The depth, the wonder of His grace.

Why is beauty, beauty more?
Than glistening skin upon the shore,
Than winning smile and winking eye,
Than scarlet blush and loving sigh?

Well all that's good but still, in fact,
Beauty's in every selfless act.
In tenderness and loving heart
And souls whom God has set apart.

When is beauty, beauty found?
In gentle whispering? Wafting sound?
In waves of colour, random strewn?
In mountain peaks or sandy dune?

It's found in all those wondrous places
In gentle spirit, heaven's graces.
It's found in worship to the King
As joyful voices raised up sing.

Where is beauty, beauty seen?
In fantasy or golden beam?
In diadem upon the head?
Or jewelry? Or lips stained red?

Beauty, beauty is far more
For beauty loves forever more.
That light that shines from inward-side
That love that only God provides.

NB 4 JE

Temptation

There is a lot that falls under this topic and I've previously touched on one particularly critical element : the human heart. (Read here)

We can be tempted in many different ways because our human nature is sinful and the devil certainly doesn't want us doing the right thing. God commands us:

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." - 1 Peter 5:8-9

Resisting the temptation to sin is worth every effort. After all, sin hurts. (Read here)

Plus we were never expected to fight against temptation on our own:

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:15-16

Thank you Jesus for your grace.

Amen.

Like a Tree

Consider Psalm 1 for a moment or two...or tree... :).

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, 
nor stands in the way of sinners,
not sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD, 
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish."

When I stop to really look at the words in this Psalm I find many amazing truths and promises that I desire to have rooted deeply in my heart.

The very first word is "blessed." By dictionary definition this word means, "divinely or supremely favoured; fortunate." Now who doesn't want to be blessed? I know I do! If we read on though, we find that the blessing is conditional. This means that the blessing is obtained because of something that the man does, and what he does is crucial. Don't miss this: rather than taking the advice of the world around him (which would tell him to be selfish, greedy, and prideful), he goes to the LORD for wisdom and guidance, takes His Word seriously, and is blessed as a result!

You have to use your imagination for this next part because this man is likened to the perfect tree. It's hefty in girth, reaches high toward the sky, and anchored sturdy on the bank of a stream with its roots dipped into the water. The branches are covered in deep green leaves and not one has a dry spot. Shiny golden fruit is evenly dispersed among the leaves and you find that it drips with a rich sweet nectar as you bite into the crisp outer layer...

Then you notice the wind blowing a tumbleweed nearby. With each bounce on the ground little bits of it break off. This dead and useless piece of foliage is as a wicked man.

What a stark contrast between the two men and the plants described! Note that the first man is said to be successful in everything and that the wicked are the opposite.

In the last bit the comparison continues in favour of the blessed man who is referred to as "righteous," which means, essentially, that he does what is right and that the wicked man's actions will end in death.

There was a lot said here but I know that I want to be blessed and that I need the LORD for that :). Praise Him for giving us His Word so that we may read it and learn to be righteous and richly blessed ultimately for His glory!

Carbonation

Many a beverage in the world today has what some call "pop," "soda," "soda pop," "sparkling" or "carbonated" water as a part of it's make-up. This stuff creates a "fizzy" sensation in one's mouth and throat as it is sipped or, in some cases, guzzled down. About 97% of the people I know enjoy carbonation and say it is the reason that they love certain drinks so much.

I simply don't understand the excitement and addiction that is associated with carbonated beverages. Like I must have a really rare and sensitive mouth condition or something because I hate fizz.

And yes, I've tried it many times for those of you who may think I'm judging without experience. Every now and again I'll have a sip of pop and am quickly reminded of why I passionately dislike it.

In the best way I can describe the way fizz feels when it hits my mouth... it burns like watching drops of water evaporate on contact in a heated fry pan. That may not make much sense but it burns, ok? Also it gets even worse if my stomach decides to send it back up because it re-burns my mouth and throat and gets my nasal passages involved too! Who wants to suffer through all that?

I realize that my experience is, as I mentioned before, extremely rare because 97% of the people I know really enjoy soda and often forget that I literally just can't even.

But I discovered recently that certain situations can influence me to attempt to enjoy carbonated drink. For example, if I've paid more than $5 for a drink at a restaurant and find out that it has some fizz in it, I will choke it down so that my money is not wasted. Another situation is when I've just met someone whom I am trying to impress and they are really excited to share their favourite soda pop with me, I will try my best to smile and, again, choke it down for the sake of being polite, but I will also commit to telling them my honest opinion of all things fizzy in hopes that I do not have to repeatedly face the awkwardness of being kindly offered something I hate.

"Clearly Canadian" is a type of sparkling water that has amazing flavour despite its stronger-than-your-average carbonation. I drank a whole bottle of the stuff the other day (wild cherry flavour) as an act of politeness because the person who offered it to me was extremely excited that they got to witness my first taste of this spectacular nostalgic beverage. Unfortunately it was painful as ever but I can almost say that the flavour was worth it though I will probably not be drinking another one unless my mouth and throat are numbed first. More for my friend I suppose :) because I still hate fizz.

Loud Cars

Many people drive loud vehicles whether by accident or on purpose. I'm exclusively referring to the sound of a roaring engine though pumping tunes can also be loud.

Engine-wise, my car has mostly been like a purring kitten. Even revving it doesn't make it much louder.

Though there was one time when the kitten spontaneously morphed into a roaring lion while I was driving one morning. I drove around the city in my lion for only two hours as I had figured out that the pipe connected to my muffler was severed and I had it fixed ASAP. It doesn't take much to turn a kitten into a lion.

I don't mind if other people drive loud cars, I just don't want to be one of them. It draws too much attention.

One of my friends drives a loud car, a mustang to be exact. It's engine roars everywhere it goes and the windows are tinted so that nobody can see the driver. I see and hear this car often because my friend lives near where I live. Last night it entered into my dreams...

In a house carved into a canyon lived a mom with her three kids and a golden retriever. Two of the kids were under the age of five, the youngest was still an infant. I was spending time with this young family, playing with the children while we waited for the oldest boy to come home. Mom was not worried, she carried on with life as if it happened all the time. They were used to the young-man being out and about. He was a busy boy after all. Soon the sun was setting and the mother offered me a place to sleep for the night. I graciously accepted and took my place in the front room on an air mattress, the dog curled up next to me. A loud ROAR awakened the house as a white mustang pulled up behind the house. The rock face was lowered and the car drove up into the hollow cave. I got up to greet the young man, who was wearing a backwards ball cap, his long hair resting on his shoulders clad in a dusty grey t-shirt and jeans. He seemed surprised to see me but he looked too tired to care. "Oh hi Jessica" is all he said. The next night he would be gone again, that was for sure. Mom just shook her head and said, "That's just the way things are. Now who wants some breakfast?" The little kids cheered excitedly as pancakes were plopped onto their plates. I quickly finished my plate and watched as the teen ate slowly. "Do you want to go for a drive?" he looked at me and I paused for a moment. "You're driving right?" I asked because I knew the mustang was a standard and I did not know how to drive one of those yet. "Of course! Now let's go!" I could hardly believe he had the energy when he jumped up, grabbed my arm, and raced toward the door...

It wasn't a very long dream, but I definitely could hear engines roaring outside as I slept which probably placed the car in my dream.

I don't fully understand what the thrill is in driving a loud car in the middle of the night, but there must be something to it because lots of people enjoy that sort of thing.