Rene and Poet 9

Rene: You are the brightest,  cheerful, warm-hearted boy I know. A sweet smell of the very earth, a rock and a solitude. I feel safe when I am with you for you will soon give your life for me before I give mine for you. I love you more than tongue can tell and you must love me in the same way. 

Poet: Oh my sweet sunshine, I love you more and should war come beyond those high walls and foreign men come with swords and stones, I shall defend you with every air I breathe and seek your safety before I fall. 

Rene: What of her? (He paused for a while) for you cannot protect the both of us.  What if you had to choose my sweet friend, what will you do? Oh let me not live to see you brought to such a wretched state, for I will choose for you. 

Poet: My Love, I will see to it that the both of you will be well. I will not choose but hold my tongue and offer my life. The gods forbid that I should be found in such a state but whatever theme it may be you both will live.

This is a heavy conversation my dear, it is heavy to my soul. Let us move to a more lighted talk. 

Rene: Oh Poet, your disposition is that of a butterfly, like a bird and filled with many colours. Let us speak of her, tell me your feelings for her once again.

(Poet spoke all afternoon about His beloved and then both went to the river for a swim).

K.Oni

Forgetting Tomorrow

At Night I watch the Sky
Drink a fifth of the bottle
As I reminisce on old times.
Me and you plotting Fantasy
Chasing our dreams
Escaping reality as we close eyes.
Tell me its true cuz we be a love story
Forgetting tomorrow 
Tonight we shine brighter than the stars
I'm in the deep, tommorow ain't long
Gotta be strong cuz when they come
You're the only one I'm dying for.
This is the truth please don't cry
Dry your eyes lets enjoy tonight.
You gotta live and keep him breathing
Tell him the story about the night I said I'm leaving
Lets close our eyes and escape reality
Chasing our dreams of one day becoming a happy family.


K.Oni

Miscellanies 8 - Fear the LORD

Have you no inclination of fear, no regard of God’s holiness? Oh this miserable generation, oh this uncaring people who have no regard for God and of His holiness, who disrespect Him from their youth and treat him as a little thing. Oh this hardened people who have not known the holiness of the LORD and yet they call themselves the people of the LORD. I am not here to indict you or to speak wrath upon you but I am here to hopefully instil in your soul a reverence for the LORD. That you should Love him and treasure Him, that you should see Him with eyes of splendour  and ascribe to him glory and strength.  


It is said of God that He is a consuming fire, Holy and pure and without sin.  He sits on his Holy throne in heaven full of Glory and splendour. He is enthroned forever, his name is majestic in all the earth. Who is it who may behold his face and dwell on his holy hill? Only those who are pure in heart, who walk blamelessly and does what is right and speak truth in his heart. For these are those who have gained wisdom for the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Happy is the soul that has been awed by a view of God’s majesty, that has been driven to tremble at His words and damned their own soul when confronted with such unpolluted Holiness. Happy is the soul who is sensitive of the great terror of the LORD because their years will be spent in persuading men to flee from the wrath to come. Happy is the soul who is aware of the great Jehovah for he shall live to please God and not fear the swords of men. 


Those who fear the LORD will obtain pity from him for it is written ‘As the Father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him’. But we do not speak of a servile fear but a godly fear; a fear laden with reverence and awe. A fear which sees a man bow before His God. A fear which is covered with adoration and praise, a fear which arises from beholding Yahweh’s supreme majesty over all creation. Have you no fear of God, if not that is because you have not known him or perhaps you have not come to behold him in his fullness and your knowledge of him is dull. 


Many times it is written that you shall fear the LORD your God but men are quick to follow after their own heart  and eyes which they are inclined to whore after. It is said of Pharaoh that he and his servants did not have the fear of the LORD in their hearts and therefore they disobeyed his commands. They disregarded the LORD and knew not that it was Him who once flooded the whole world because of the exceeding wickedness of the children of men. And because they had no fear of the LORD they could not turn to Him for mercy for they blushed at his threatening and warnings and in a single day He brought about their destruction. 


Work out your salvation with fear and trembling and here is spoken of a fear which does not disregard the kindness of God but understands that His kindness leads men to repentance.  And of the coming judgment if we Love God then we have no need to fear damnation for perfect love cast out all fear. And by beholding the supreme kindness that God has shown to us in the death of His Son, we stand in awe trembling at such a majestic love and grace. 


K.Oni

Critical Yeast

“Sad to hear of Brian Haw’s death. While UK bombed Iraq a man shouting in Parliament Square was the nearest we came to sanity.”


This was one of the many tweets reflecting on the death of the peace campaigner last Sunday. For a decade his presence in Parliament Square was a constant provocation. A rebel with a cause.


On the same day, Aung San Suu Kyi celebrated her birthday in freedom for the first time in nearly a decade. At the time she received her Nobel Peace prize, the citations specified that she was a shining example of "the power of the powerless".


As I laid some flowers in Parliament Square , I thought of ‘weakness’. Living out our convictions often reminds us of our vulnerability, limitations and even powerlessness in the face of the enormity of the task. ‘Weakness’ is a dominant theme in Paul’s theology. Understandably, really. At the time, the Christian community was a minority in a powerful empire, so the connotations of the word are many. It refers to their numerical weakness; their social vulnerability and their hardships of many kinds. And, poignantly, it reflects on the limitations of our humanness.
And yet, Paul’s ‘weakness’ theme is as much promising as it is realistic. For, our human weakness is the place where divine power connects best. In fact, it is the showcase for God’s power.


Whereas we may use ‘weakness’ in terms of personal shortcomings – a weakness for chocolates, gadgets or fast cars – Paul uses the term in a global context. Abraham, who had such promises of fruitfulness and yet faced such barrenness, was strengthened rather than weakened in his faith. The Christian community in Rome , though aware of their vulnerability, experienced the Spirit’s help in their weakness.  Not always knowing what to pray for, they did however know that divine advocacy took place ‘behind the scenes’ - intercessions concerning God’s purposes for his world. Powerful stuff at work in their limitations, in powerlessness and hardships.


Significance is not related to numbers, status or dominance. It is not measured by ‘success’. Significance has everything to do with being faithful. Jesus reminds us of what his kingdom is like. It’s like a bit of yeast a woman placed in a large amount of flour, working its way all through the dough. ‘Power’ is not always related to having prayers answered. Paul’s ongoing hardship caused by the ‘thorn’ was the place where God’s power would be displayed. Not in spite of it, but because of it.


Our tenacity concerning God’s redemption plan for the world is fuelled by hope. Our vision and work in many different areas -banking, fairly-traded jewellery, youth, business, economy, education and more - may be the nearest we come to sanity. Something of the yeast of heaven permeating the context in which we live.


One of the characteristics of God’s faithfulness is His enduring presence, His ‘thereness’ amidst difficulty. To live in a peace camp for a decade, to be under house arrest even longer, to be faithfully present during a lifetime will work its way through our world. We may not always see the fullness of our work. We may even die one day with unfulfilled hopes. Our reward lies elsewhere and is related to our stickability to be rebels for a cause.                                              


Marijke Hoek, coordinator Forum for Change - Evangelical Alliance.

The Righteousness of Christ by John Bunyan (1628-1688)

For a long while I used to worry that I was not saved after all.

Certain Scriptures especially troubled me, for they seemed to argue that I could never be secure in my salvation. This fear would come upon me often, like a nightmare of fire comes to those who have been burned. Every sound I heard I thought was someone crying, “Fire, fire!” The slightest touch hurt my tender conscience.

But one day, as I was walking in the field, my conscience once again nervous that something was wrong, this sentence suddenly fell into my mind: “Your righteousness is in heaven.” I seemed to see with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God’s right hand, and I knew that Christ Himself was my righteousness. Wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God would not be watching for me to lose my righteousness, for all along it would be right there beside Him. My feelings, whether they were good or bad, had nothing to do with my righteousness, for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself,“the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Now my chains truly fell off my legs. I was set free from my worry, the captivity of fear; my temptations also fled away; so that ever since then, those frightening Scriptures (Numbers 15:30; Jeremiah 7:16; Hebrews 10:31, 12:17) no longer bother me. I went home rejoicing in the grace and love of God. When I got there, I looked to see if I could find the sentence that had come to me, “Your righteousness is in heaven.” When I could not find it, my heart began to sink again, but then I remembered, “He is the One who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and He gave Himself to purchase our freedom” (1 Cor. 1:30). Based on this verse, I saw that the other sentence is true.

By this Scripture I saw that the man Christ Jesus is our righteousness and sanctification before God. I lived with this thought comfortably, at peace with God through Christ. Oh, I was always thinking, Christ! Christ! Christ was the one thing always before my eyes. Now I looked at the whole of Christ, not just His death, burial, or resurrection, but all of Him, all His other qualities, the stories He told, the things He did, all the things that made Him who He was, met together in my mind, culminating in this realization that He now sat on the right hand of God in heaven.

Even better, the Lord also led me into a mysterious union with the Son of God – I was joined to Him, flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone (Eph. 5:30) – and this understanding comforted my heart. My faith in Christ became a firmer, more solid thing, and I no longer worried about my own righteousness, for if He and I were one, then His righteousness was mine, His worth belonged to me, and His power had already won my victory. As a result, I looked at life in a new way: I saw myself living both in heaven and on earth at the same time. My heavenly existence was based in Christ, my source of righteousness and life, while my physical existence continued on earth.

Whichever way divine infinite justice looks, it always finds the One who can match it. For if justice says, “I will require humanity to meet my standards,” the Man Christ satisfies its cry; and if it says, “But I am infinite, and I require infinite satisfaction,” here also is One who is infinite, a partner with God who shares His every essence and being, power and strength, wisdom, mercy, and grace, as well as all the other qualities of God. That is why, wherever justice turns, it confronts a complete Person who gives complete satisfaction.

“The law,” you say, “must be obeyed.” I answer, “Christ Jesus has already done that just by being Himself, and His life has justified me. So why should I exhaust myself trying to fulfill the law, trying to earn my justification, since that would only waste the worth of all that Christ Jesus has done for me? And yet I would try my best to follow ten thousand laws, if I could, if there were so many – but only because I love my sweet Lord Jesus. My love for Him impels me to change the way I live.”

Even though no one can be declared innocent simply by obeying the law, still the righteousness and holiness that opens this kingdom’s door must have its foundation in the law; it is a waste of time to think we can enter this narrow gate otherwise. The law cannot absolve our sins, but we can enter heaven’s gate through Christ’s righteousness; we draw on His account to pay our way.

Without Him, the law will only block our way though heaven’s door, forever denying us entrance.

No time for Jealousy

I ain’t got time to be feeling no jealousy
That envious trait that I find deep inside of me.
Birthed from love a runaway drum
Of playing beats I wish never learnt to hop.
I can’t stop; full of passion vested with heat
Burning uncontrolled, growing branches 
Withered leaves was all it Yield.
I can’t strain, she got me stressing 
Cursing the day these eyes
Caught the vision of a perfect beauty*. 
Now I can’t see cause I’m at odds
With the competition all making petition 
For an hour with constant repetition.
Will it go or will my feelings flow 
Like a torrent causing chaos or will I implode.
I don’t know but somebody must show
To soothe this pain that causes ache.
I gotta go a million miles away
Cuz I ain’t got time to be feeling no jealousy.


* or perfect view


K.Oni

Psalm 13 - An Exposition

There are only six verses in this Psalm each coming in pairs. The three pairs of verses shows a climbing up from the depths to total trust in God. The psalmist is in a depressed state because of his troubles; God seems very far away, his soul is very sorrowful and his thoughts yield him no peace. We may say, that the psalmist is in a state of depression, and for a while he sees no light until he remembers the unfailing love of God. 

In a man’s life, there are many seasons of sorrow and despair, there are days of crumbling and days of darkness. Each man may have his own method of coping with such dark days, but the man of God who knows his creator will commence his fight like the Psalmist. 

Vs. 1 How long, LORD? This question is repeated four times in the first two verses. It shows the intense desire for deliverance. It shows the psalmist desperation for help, and this question can only be asked if one has been in their darkness and misery for a time. It is like a woman who has gone into labour, and although she is able to endure for many days with the pain, yet there will come a time when all she desires is deliverance and freedom. It is so with the Psalmist; his whole body is burdened with this weight of sorrow. Having no other avenue except the Lord for a deliverance, he calls out to his maker, How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? 

Has God forgotten about me? Is this why I am left to rot in my misery, because if God remembered me, then surely, He would come and deliver me? Has he forgotten about me like a man left to rot in jail? Hannah, we are told prayed in like manner in her desperation to conceive a child. ‘In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son…” 1 Samuel 1:11. The Psalmist pleads along the same lines, that only if God would remember him and not forget him but deliver him. The question to ask now is, can God forget his saints forever? 

God can never forget his saints forever because the scripture declares, ‘But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the LORD has forgotten me”. “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;” Isaiah 49:14-16. What a comfort to know that God never forgets his children, regardless of their situation and misery. God will never forget you because you are engraved on the palms of His hands; and the Son of God who died for you sits right next to Him with pierced hands to show that He died for you. Therefore God will never forget you, but God may hide his face from you.


The Psalmist in his desolation and desperation asks Yahweh His God, How long will you hide your face from me? This question is more appropriate than the first because we can answer in the positive that God does hide his face for a while from his children. He hides it not because he has forgotten them, but to teach them or perhaps to cause them to seek after him in desperation and earnestness. 

Sometimes it is our own sins which clouds the face of God from us, and only when we come to the altar to weep in repentance, that cloud is removed, and once again we behold the beaming face of our happy Father. In the old testament, God often hid his face from Israel because of their exceeding wickedness and they were left to perish in their sins. “I will hide my face from them,” he said, “and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful”, Deuteronomy 32:20. Hence, whenever a calamity arises, it is sometimes the attitudes of the saints of old to conclude that God has hid his face from them, and there is a seriousness of perishing which disrupts their souls. But we of the new covenant ought not to waver in the midst of calamities, because although God is hiding his face, yet his Love for us is steadfast and Christ Jesus has already paid for our sins; nothing can ever separate us from his love, not even his rod of affliction.


The Psalmist asks God another question, vs. 2, How long must I wrestle with my thoughts? In prayer it is good for the soul to be honest with its maker, and to ask how long. How long must I wait, how long must I wrestle with my thoughts. Here the psalmist is in a turmoil of thought as the original reads, 'till when do I set counsels in my soul?' The result of wrestling with his thoughts had provided no fruit, therefore day after day he has sorrow in his heart. Perhaps he had devised means of how he could escape his hopeless plight, but his enemy is always a step ahead. His enemy continue to gain advantage over him, and the counsels of his soul have proved useless therefore he asks again, How long will my enemy triumph over me? Oh God, please help is the psalmist internal cry. He is desperate for deliverance and tired of waiting. How Long, How Long, How Long perhaps may be your cry at this moment. Perhaps you find yourself in the pit of despair because of your never ending troubles, and your soul aches with sorrow. You see no light at the end of the tunnel, and your only cry is how long Lord? If this is you, then continue to read and see how the psalmist deals with his own questions in the last two verses. 


After asking questions, the psalmist with tears on his face barely looking up to the heavens calls out in a whisper, vs. 3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes or I will see death. The psalmist wants answers to the questions he has been asking because further delay will result in his death. Look on me, he asks, for he knows that if God should look at him that God would have pity on him. For God will behold his tears and shrivelled condition, and immediately God will set him free. His eyes can only see the darkness, therefore he asks God for light, for hope, for deliverance. Please God look upon me. This is true of those who are in spiritual darkness, who feels like they have been sentenced to death because of their sins; and unless God once again cause light to shine in their souls they shall see death in their darkness and misery. Those who are friends of sorrow and despair and easily disposed to depression are more heavy if they feel that God has forsaken them; therefore they need his light to constantly shine upon them and to frequently remind them of His steadfast love for them, lest they should walk in obscurity. The psalmist, being David was in constant danger of his life when Saul was his enemy. If God did not come and deliver him and give light to is eyes then surely he will see death and vs. 4 his enemy will say, “I have overcome him”, and my foes will rejoice when I fall. 

The enemies of our souls which are death, sin and the devil have all been brought to nothing through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though for a little while they may make a jest of us and rejoice over winning the battle, yet they have lost the war. Christ is the victor and each enemy will be forever locked in the pits of hell where they can never boast nor rejoice; for the saints and their God have won the day. In the final analyses, your enemies will never rejoice over you but you shall rejoice over them for all eternity.


The Psalmist now sobers up after remembering the unchanging nature of God’s love. Oh what a change, what an effective remedy this is to despair and sorrow. Questions should always be asked in the confidence of faith in Yahweh. The psalmist asks God how long, but his questioning did not leave him to doubt Yahweh His Lord. But remembering who Yahweh is and of his unfailing love, he settles  the matter with his soul by saying, vs. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love. Despite how long I have waited or how many more days, weeks or years I may have to wait, yet I will hope in your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in your salvation. Once his heart was full of sorrow and confusion, there was a lack of peace in his thoughts, but look now at how He rejoices and dances in the expectation of his deliverance and salvation. The ground of this unwavering hope is his confidence in God and he is as sure of his salvation as the sun will rise in the morning. 

We also see that faith is rejoicing before the salvation actually comes. The psalmist does not wait until God delivers him before he begins to rejoice, but before. The thought of God’s unfailing love is enough to cause him to flee all of his anxieties and worries. He throws off those heavy burdens and sweetly rests upon the green pastures of Christ. It is hard for a heavy heart to praise, but a soften heart free of burden and full of the love of Christ cheerfully says, Vs. 6, I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me. This is the attitude to end all of your prayers, to end it with praise. You may begin with sorrow and anguish, bringing your petitions to the Lord, but when you finish remember that He is good to you, that everything works together for your good. 


K.Oni

The Joy of confession 13

Sinner: Oh Sir I have many confessions to make, my heart has lately or for the past year been a pool of idolatry. I have been held by the love of a woman, by the love of money and often taken over with jealousy and envy. My flesh has been weak and unwilling and I have quenched the Spirit. Oh Sir, what is to be done with my soul, I feel useless and unworthy and although I seek God yet I cannot find him. I feel I shall never find him again because of my rebellion and my many sins. Oh I am done, I am finished, crippled by my sins crippled by my sins and now heading to hell. Oh I should have heed the warnings of scripture about hardening my soul, I should have listened and suffered my flesh. Now I reap of what I sow, Oh help me sir!

Sir: My Child, it pleases my soul to see you in such a wretched state. It pleases me because there is hope for you. Because you weep, because you seek help the Spirit has not altogether forsaken you but it pleased Him to bring you to repentance. And I have seen many a sorry people and yours I know to be real, this is a real work of the Spirit. Oh cover your tears and come, yes come once again to Christ who died for you. You are one of his elect, a lost sheep and look how you have heard His voice. He calls you now to come, for you to come once again and will you not come?

Sinner: Yes Sir I will but how?

Sir: Close your eyes and believe in His atoning work for you. Say to yourself that Christ has forgiving all of your sins, say to yourself that He is your righteousness. And then open the door of your heart, open it to Him for he knocks. This is how you come to him, by talking to Him and trusting in Him.

Sinner: It works Sir, It works. My guilt and shame is gone, I feel him once again and stronger than I've ever felt it before.


K.Oni

Who Knows

Who knows, if tomorrow Peace awaits my soul
If rest and Joy I shall hold.
Who knows at all, no one knows my fault
No one knows Because I close my door.
This barren path only I have walked
Refusing all help refusing all care.
No one knows I know no more
If tomorrow, Peace awaits my Soul.


K.Oni

Theology, Therapy, Twitter, and the Scandal of the Gospel

There is no shortage of perplexing realities in our world today, but counted among them must be the fact that many rather well informed people seem to be shocked that Christians believe the doctrines of Christianity.

Over the weekend, Rep. Anthony Weiner announced that he will request a leave of absence from the House of Representatives in order to seek professional treatment in the aftermath of his sexting scandal on Twitter. In the words of his spokeswoman, Risa Heller, the congressman left last Saturday “to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person.”

She continued: “In light of that, he will request a short leave of absence from the House of Representatives so that he can get evaluated and map out a course of treatment to make himself well.”

That is a course now familiar to us all. As a matter of fact, it is now almost a reflex that people caught in moral trouble (especially related to sex) announce that they are seeking “treatment” for the problem.

On the one hand, this just points to the fact that the “Triumph of the Therapeutic” heralded by sociologist Philip Rieff in 1966 is now so ingrained in our culture that therapy appears to be the answer to every problem, including a moral crisis.

Sadly, many Christians have accepted this worldview as their own, believing that their own deepest problems are therapeutic rather than theological in nature. To our shame, many books written by and for evangelical Christians reflect the therapeutic impulse, rather than the appropriate biblical and spiritual concerns.

In response to Rep. Weiner’s statement, I posted the following message on Twitter:

“Dear Congressman Weiner: There is no effective ‘treatment’ for sin. Only atonement, found only in Jesus Christ.”

As far as I know, Rep. Weiner is not among my “followers” on Twitter. I did not assume that he was reading my posting. My message was mostly directed at my fellow Christians as a reminder of this very concern — that the American impulse is to seek treatment when our real need is for redemption.

This is a basic and central Christian belief. The Bible reveals that our need is not to find a way to make ourselves well — which we can never do — but to realize that we are sinners in need of a Savior. The Christian Gospel is the message of redemption accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that is found in him and in him alone.

The very essence of biblical Christianity is the knowledge that the real human problem is sin — not sickness — and that the only rescue is that which comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

In response to my tweet, Cathy Lynn Grossman of USA Today posted a series of tweets of her own, including this:

“Top @Baptist voice chides @Jewish @Weiner to choose Christ. Shades of Brit Hume telling @TigerWoods to quit @Buddhism.”

Later, in response to a complaint on Twitter that she had “slammed” me by twisting my words, she responded: “It’s Mohler slamming Jews here.”

In a separate article, she wrote this:

“This reads as an evangelism tactic, riding in on the Weiner headlines but aimed at people like Jews such as Weiner, Buddhists like Woods, and many others, such as Weiner’s Muslim wife, who hold different ideas about salvation, different approaches to atonement.”

Seriously? It is rather shocking to find the religion and spirituality writer for USA Today surprised that a Christian believes what orthodox Christianity has consistently taught — that every single human being is a sinner in need of the redemption that is found only in Christ.

I never mentioned Judaism. Rep. Weiner’s problem has to do with the fact that he is a sinner, like every other human being, regardless of religious faith or affiliation. Christians — at least those who hold to biblical and orthodox Christianity — believe that salvation is found through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in him alone.

Later, Cathy Lynn Grossman posted this in response to criticism:

“What @Mohler said was atonement ‘only’ through Christ. Non-Christians disagree, also have routes to restoring righteousness.”

The exchange on Twitter is another sign of how politically incorrect biblical Christianity is becoming in our times. Christians do understand that non-Christians disagree with the Gospel. We also understand that other religions claim “routes to restoring righteousness.” But biblical Christians cannot accept that these “routes” lead to redemption, and the only righteousness that saves — the righteousness of Christ imputed to the believer, who is justified by faith in Christ alone.

That is the Gospel as declared in the historic Christian creeds and held, at least by historic claim, by almost all Christian churches and denominations. It is a non-negotiable of the Christian faith, deeply rooted in the teaching of Christ that he is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and that no one comes to the Father, “but by Me.” [John 14:6]

Non-Christians who have an understanding of Christianity may well find this claim offensive, but they should not find it shocking — even on Twitter.

Article by Albert Mohler  http://www.albertmohler.com/2011/06/14/theology-therapy-twitter-and-the-scandal-of-the-gospel/

More short Poems

More than a passing thought

It is but for a shadow and a thought
I cannot give you what you seek.
Although your vision tonight is of true beauty
Such angelic perfections of which I am unworthy.
To hold me dear is your desired longing 
To have me yours will complete your treasure.
I say you fight a Loosing battle 
Perhaps there is hope in winning the war.

The source

I know the pain it will be to your soul
The tears which will flow
I know it all because Ive felt it once before
It kills me more to learn I'm the source.

A loving fool

I stagger like a drunken man in the isolation of my soul
To hear the rumour that I have been forsaken in my darkest hour.
Oh Bewitched Bewitched 
Yet I cannot curse nor stay my anger.
I have been a fool for loving her
But a loving fool I'd rather be!


K.Oni

Whitewashing History?

To borrow a phrase from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, it is the best of times, the worst of times. That is how one might describe the current movie-saturated era. Certainly, from an entertainment perspective, it is the best of times. While I myself still prefer the classic films of the 40s and 50s, from The Maltese Falcon to The Searchers, it is hard not to be impressed by everything from the special effects in something like Inception to the sheer brilliance of acting inThe King’s Speech. Yet therein lies the problem, that which makes it, in a sense, the worst of times. As our access to the past is increasingly shaped by, if not actually mediated through, such media as movies, the real past is too often sacrificed for the sake of a good story.

Take The King’s Speech, for example. As every British schoolboy of a certain generation would know, Winston Churchill, great war leader though he was, was also an ardent supporter of the pro-Nazi Edward VIII in the abdication crisis. The great British hero was not quite so heroic, or astute, when it came to the slimy Edward. The movie, however, puts Mr. C on the other side. Which version, I wonder, will become the received narrative for future generations? More egregiously, a few years ago a movie was made about the American cracking of Adolf Hitler’s Enigma Code. Great story, I guess, if you are an American. The fact is, however, that it was the British who cracked the code.

Of course, movies are not history. They are artistic constructions built (some more, some less) loosely on actual events. As I try never to compare a movie to the novel upon which it is based, since they are two separate works of art, so I should perhaps not demand too much accuracy of what are, in essence, pieces designed for entertainment — except, of course, when they claim to be “based on a true story.” The danger is that the audience might confuse a bit of fun for a factual representation of history.

What is perhaps more interesting, however, is what such revision tells us about human nature. After all, both filmmakers and audience members are somewhat complicit in the activity: they give us what we want. It would appear that we like our stories simple, our heroes relatively flawless (an unflawed hero is boring, but one with too many flaws is just too complicated), and we like ourselves, or the people who represent us, to be center stage and the ultimate measure of the good and the true.

This is a striking contrast to the kind of history we have in the Bible, and nowhere is this more graphically demonstrated than in Hebrews 11. I have been preaching through Judges for the last few years, and, frankly, the task would be much, much simpler if Hebrews 11 had never been written. The narrative of Judges is very clear on cha racters such as Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson: the first was a man who brief ly emerged from idolatry and rapidly descended back into it after his military task was done; the second murdered his own daughter, a crime he could have avoided had he known the Word of God; and the third was a womanizer whose contempt for his Nazirite status apparently knew no bounds. Yet Hebrews 11 parades them before our eyes as heroes of the faith.

The temptation is to use Hebrews 11 as the grid to smooth out the rough edges of the Judges narratives — to make it the means of cleaning up the heroes , a s i f Samson’s l ibido, Jephthah’s stupidity, and Gideon’s ephod are simply incidental to the story. But they are not; these things are central to the narratives of these men in the book of Judges. Take them out and there is almost nothing left.

So how do we handle these things in an age when we like to rewrite history to suit our tastes, especially given the apparent sanction for so doing in these cases by Hebrews 11? Well, we must first avoid the fault of too many Christian historians and biographers, who treat their chosen subjects as if they were somehow exempt from the impact of fallen human nature. Such hagiographies might be fun to read, but they can leave us verging on the worship of the characters being considered or with unrealistic — and ultimately depressing — expectations of what the Christian life should be like.

Second, we must understand what the writer of Hebrews is doing. If you know your judges, you know the faults of the men listed; and you therefore know that, whatever else the writer is doing, he is not commending these men as heroic examples of moral action. Instead, he commends them because, despite the fact that they were at best deeply flawed pieces of morally shattered humanity, they were blessed because it was not ultimately about them. Rather, it was about the kingdom and the Messiah to whom they looked. The writer of Hebrews is not rewriting history to suit his audience; he is pointing to the fact that, reprehensible though these people were, in Christ they were conquerors. And that should be far more encouraging to us than anything our own instinct to whitewash our heroes might produce.

By Carl trueman -  http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/whitewashing-history/

Amazing Free will

 This song or poem presents opposite views to amazing grace and if you know anything of the centuries long debate between monergism and synergism then this will be quiet amusing and if not then it is a good introduction to synergism I believe. Comment below if you would like to know more.


Amazing Free Will how sweet the sound, 
That saved a neutral soul like me.
I once was sickly not even drowned,
Was seeking then given opportunity.

T'was a soft voice that taught my Will to decide.
My seeker-self ultimate prime.
How precious did that Free Will coincide
Looking down the corridors of time.

Through foreknowledge and capacity
'Tis also Free Will that determined my possible lot
Whosoever Will!, can come through synergy
"How often I wanted to gather you but you would not"

Adam preserved ability for me.
My cooperation my hope secure.
Faith then rebirth hence eternity,
His salvific potential always near

Yea, this Free Will shall never fail,
but irresistible grace may cease,
Sinner's prayer way back as I can tell
God must honor when I decease

When I've been there a thousand years
Bright shining standing in my glory.
I've no less days to reflect in mirrors 
Than when I've first chosen Him, wholly.


By Alan Kurschner http://aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=4680