Ill Winds Lash Inishark

The storm lashed the coast with a strength

to be felt for miles inland, the rocky buttress of

cliffs guarding our island seemed to vibrate

with the exertion of fending off the salt of death.

The wind shrieked past our ears with stubborn anger,

restless from many days alone over grey cold water.

Yet one man dared. 

And with courage verging on foolishness

he challenges the tempest.

For he had seen what we had not:

On the palette of the horizon, riding the storm

like a coal-black stallion,

raced a fleet of floating wood,

which carried in its bosom the fiercest warriors

the coast had seen since the forefathers had first sailed.

Ice for blood

and steel for minds,

and Tara must be warned. 

Note: The Hill of Tara in Ireland is reputed to have been the seat of the High King of Ireland.

Praying with Paul

I just finished reading "Praying with Paul" by D.A. Carson. While a fairly "academic" book, it also has a lot of wisdom if you persevere in reading. Carson takes a look at some of the things the apostle Paul prays for and about in his New Testament letters, and then expands on them, applying them to our own prayer lives. The basic idea is that if we want to pray better, the Bible is the perfect place to look for guidance - God himself teaches us how to pray and what our priorities should be in his own Word. What better source of teaching can there be on this subject? Listening to God in this matter isn't burdensome either but ultimately a joy. Praying with greater knowledge and greater love is good for us, and brings glory to God. We can pray to God knowing that he hears us and loves us in his Son Jesus Christ and that alone gives us great motivation to pray. There is already a relationship. 

Here are just five quotes I appreciated from the last few chapters (though rest assured there were very many more):

1) “In the same way that we give thanks to God when we recognize his quiet and effective work in our lives, so also we thank God when we hear of his work in others. If we hear of substantial numbers of people in another city or country who have been genuinely transformed by the gospel, we would not think of going to them to thank them for becoming Christians. Instead, we thank God for so working in them that they have become Christians.” (149) (Chapter 10 looking at Ephesians 1:15-23)

2) “We all know senior Christians who, as their physical strength is reduced, nevertheless become more and more steadfast and radiant. Their memories may be fading; their arthritis may be nearly unbearable; their ventures beyond their small rooms or apartments may be severely curtailed. But somehow they live as if they already have one foot in heaven. As their outer being weakens, their inner being runs from strength to strength.” (162) (Chapter 11 looking at Ephesians 3:14-21)

3) “In a culture where so many people are desperate for good health but not demonstrably hungry for the transformation of the inner being, Christians are in urgent need of following Paul’s example and praying for displays of God’s power in the inner being. In short, Paul’s primary concern is to pray for a display of God’s mighty power in the domain of our being that controls our character and prepares us for heaven.” (163) (Chapter 11 looking at Ephesians 3:14-21)

4) “It is possible to ask for good things for bad reasons… Has God become so central to all our thought and pursuits, and thus to our praying, that we cannot easily imagine asking for anything without consciously longing that the answer bring glory to God?” (180)  (Chapter 11 looking at Ephesians 3:14-21)

5) "Suppose, for argument’s sake, that every time we asked God for anything and ended our prayers with some appropriate formula, such as “in Jesus’s name,” we immediately received what we asked for. How would we view prayer? How would we view God? Wouldn’t prayer become a kind of clever magic? Wouldn’t God himself become nothing more than an extraordinarily powerful genie, to be called up, not by rubbing Aladdin’s lamp, but by praying? What an easy and domesticated religion...
This is magic, not worship; it is another power trip, not hearty submission to the lordship of Christ. It is superstition, not a personal relation with the Father God who is wise, good, and patient.” (199) (Chapter 12 looking at Romans 15:14-33)

The Destroyer

Too often

I am he.

The destroyer.

That foggy minded

sluggish

self-centred

and cynical

destroyer.

Motivation

crumbles

under his

very gaze.

Good desires

float away

to dissipate

and die

when he

draws near.

He ruins people
with slow poison,

whole nations too.

He sings

 that gruesome lullaby

of endless ease

and lies of

blue sky days.

While the world

melts in fire

his victims watch

and care but little.

"Let someone else

fight."

"Who cares?"

"It's too late anyway."

"We're having too much fun."

And with each praise

for the destroyer

he only grows like Eglon,

freezing those who glance

upon him long

like Medusa of the ancient past.

What is his name?

What is his title?

I call him Apathy.

Chains

People suffer

and you

watch.

It's too much,

your heart

seems to

be always

broken,

for them

and myriads others.

You want to help

but

your hands are

tied.

Anxiety

of every sort

lies tight

around your wrists,

cold and calculating.

It whispers cruelly,

threatening,

threatening to cut you

if you even 

think about

escape.

May these chains

be broken,

may life return

to despairing limbs.

Our brothers

need our help.

We are at war.

Na h-Eileanan Siar

 The granite face

still stands

but every year

does crumble,

attacked by gales

and salt-haired billows,

nursed and cradled

by the cold black deep.

At the precipice stands,

no wait, now kneels,

a son of clan MacLeod.

Behind the cliff

the sheep run down

to shelters,

smelling heavy water

on the rivers of the air. 

The wind knocks

MacLeod back

into the grass below,

he recoils in Gaelic

with a shout

and takes the hill

again.

Clinging to

an outcrop,

the wind begins

to whisper rain,

until the torrents

overtake

 the herald

with resounding force.

The boy's eyes

battle the sky

and at last

they are rewarded.

Slamming 

with defiance through

a wave,

up comes a sail.

The ship.

Ship in Fog

Ship in fog.

A thick grey office-like fog

a monotone horizon

with the deep blue

blankets of water for a bed.

The ship don't move

it's paused from time

away from clocks

and schedules.

On the bow

a raven leaps,

obscurely viewed

and wondered at

by mariners ancient

on the ship in fog.

Below the serenity

miles of cold black water

down to the miry slopes

of slumbering mountains

forgotten by the air.

A shout

and further silence.

Jesus on Every Page

Sometimes when we read from the Old Testament or hear a sermon on it, it feels like something is missing. Or rather: someone. Where is Jesus? In this book by David Murray, he reminds us that in some way or form Jesus is actually on every page of the Bible! In fact, Luke 24:27 says that "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself."

This book has two parts. The first answers the question about what and who the Old Testament is really all about, showing the answers given by Jesus himself, as well as the apostles Peter, Paul, and John. The second part takes us into a more in-depth look at where Jesus can be found in particular parts of the Old Testament such as creation, the covenants, the proverbs, and the poems. In the poems section, Murray writes that we sing to Jesus with the Psalms, sing of Jesus in the Psalms, and sing with Jesus in the Psalms. Sometimes it's a combination of those within one single psalm. With this in mind, singing the psalms becomes even more meaningful and joyful. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to see more of Jesus in their Old Testament reading. Learning more about Jesus will help us better love him, praise him, and serve him.