NATURE NURTURES

"I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues"

-Dr. Suess

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in

where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul."

-John Muir

"The prairie sings to me in the forenoon

and I know in the night I rest easy in the prairie arms, on the prairie heart."

-Carl Sandburg

Poetry Is...

So what is poetry?

Perhaps the characteristic most central to the definition of poetry is its unwillingness to be defined, labeled, or nailed down. But let's not let that stop us, shall we? It's about time someone wrestled poetry to the ground and slapped a sign on it's back reading, "I'm poetry. Kick me here."

Poetry is the chiseled marble of language; it's a paint-spattered canvas - but the poet uses words instead of paint, and the canvas is you. Poetic definitions of poetry kind of spiral in on themselves, however, like a dog eating itself from the tail up. Let's get nitty. Let's, in fact, get gritty. I believe we can render an accessible definition of poetry by simply looking at its form and its purpose:

One of the most definable characteristics of the poetic form is economy of language. Poets are miserly and unrelentingly critical in the way they dole out words to a page. Carefully selecting words for conciseness and clarity is standard, even for writers of prose, but poets go well beyond this, considering a word's emotive qualities, its musical value, its spacing, and yes, even its spacial relationship to the page. The poet, through innovation in both word choice and form, seemingly rends significance from thin air.

...Evidence of life

POETRY IS JUST the EVIDENCE of LIFE.

IF YOUR LIFE IS BURNING WELL,

POETRY IS JUST THE ASH!

Leonard Cohen


and Ephesians 2:10

Songbirds Singing Effect on Plants

Last week learned that the songs of birds in the predawn hours have the effect of opening the stomata of plants--this then allows the flow of water up through the stems. What a picture of how praise and worship open our souls to the flow of God's Spirit--life giving water!

Also recently heard that the most frequent positive command of scripture is to sing to the Lord! 2 Chronicles 20 now makes even more sense!

Psalm 77

Psalm 77 (New Living Translation)

Psalm 77
For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of Asaph.
1 I cry out to God; yes, I shout.
Oh, that God would listen to me!
2 When I was in deep trouble,
I searched for the Lord.
All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven,
but my soul was not comforted.
3 I think of God, and I moan,
overwhelmed with longing for his help.
Interlude

4 You don’t let me sleep.
I am too distressed even to pray!
5 I think of the good old days,
long since ended,
6 when my nights were filled with joyful songs.
I search my soul and ponder the difference now.
7 Has the Lord rejected me forever?
Will he never again be kind to me?
8 Is his unfailing love gone forever?
Have his promises permanently failed?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he slammed the door on his compassion?
Interlude


10 And I said, “This is my fate;
the Most High has turned his hand against me.”
11 But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;
I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
12 They are constantly in my thoughts.
I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.

13 O God, your ways are holy.
Is there any god as mighty as you?
14 You are the God of great wonders!
You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.
15 By your strong arm, you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Interlude

Psalm 144 [selected verses]

Praise the Lord, my Protector! He trains me for battle and prepares me for war.
He is my protector and defender, my shelter and Savior, in whom I trust for safety...what is man that You notice him; mere man that You pay attention to him?

I will sing to You a new song, O God; You give vistory to kings and rescue your servant...Save me from my cruel enemies; rescue me ...May our sons in their youth be like plants that grow up strong. May our daughters be like stately columns which adorn the corners of a palace.

...may there be no cries of distress in our streets. Happy is the nation of whom this is true; happy is the people whose God is the Lord!

Recommendation

Just listened to some teachings of Ray Hughes who has been studying praise and worship for decades and has a lot of interesting things to share and is also humorous.

Feelings=the Scourge of Prayer

To pray by feelings is to be at the mercy of glands and weather and digestion.And there is no mercy in any of them. Feelings lie. Feelings deceive. Feelings seduce. Because they are so emphatically there, and so incontrovertibly interior, it is almost inevitable that we take our feelings seriously as reputable guides to the reality that is deep within us--our hearts before God.

But feelings are no more spiritual than muscles. They are real, and they are important. But they are real and important in the same way that our fingernails are important--we would not want to live without them[although we could if we had to], but their length and shape tell us nothing about our life with God. To suppose that our emotions in any way give us reliable evidence of the nature of our life with God is to misinterpret them. They are wonderful...part of the rich and stunning complexity of the human being in the image of God. We must value and develop and share them. But they are not prayer.

But how do we both affirm our feelings and detach ourselves from them? Through liturgy...we lose nothing of our emotions except their tyranny. The gamut of emotions is given full expression in the Psalms.

Eugene Peterson, from "Answering God", The Psalms as Tools for Prayer

Harper collins, 1989

A Muse for May

Psalm 77:11-13

I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord;
yea I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will meditate on all your work,
and muse on Your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?

from a Psalm of Asaph

The Power of Poetry

Poetry heals the wounds inflicted by Reason

Novalis

Anger Management

Anger Management

We all get indigestion and get opened, receive suggestions of the negative, destructive kind

Which starts another battle in the mind,
But with practice and with training of the proper kind

We can make the battle brief and get back to being ruled by sweet, sweet Wine and NOT whine

The Good Wine is the Clementine kind !
It’s made by adding Christ to “lament wine”
And it works every time

Copywrite 2010 jba
[This recipe is in Exodus 15:25]

2009: March Musings

March 29, ’09 Musings

Titles from songs
Writings from wrongs
Blessings from Mongs
And King Kongs
Ding Dong you’re wrong Show
Twilight Zone Show
Whistlin’ as words flow
In and out of head

When awake or while Fishing in this lake
3:13 on the clocks
Wondered about Lakeside
Movie and Lakeside docks

I believe God’s into healing
In each rock of our boats
Left and then right
Up and then down
In the storm or in the still water
There’s always plenty of fodder

He’s also in the Physics
As in the meta-data
Or in Colin’s prophet-ata
Turning each page
Burning bridges of rage
There are lessons from each
Like as in fuzz on a peach

Now it’s back to the chair
To catch some more air
One clock says: 3:23
One says three two five
Synchronize our clocks Lord
Don’t let a tic get lost

Resurrection to resurrection
Risings from grace to grace
Look at the smiles on each face
No more a cloud of disgrace

Lessons in the graphics
And on each CD
Some in 2D, some in 3D
Each to each 1…2…3
Makin’ it up to Nine

Love that Sesame rhyme!
Spell, well?
Toe’s, bows
Hoppin’ + boppin’
To a catchy tune
Bouncin’ up toward heaven
And that date with our Holy Groom

Get some tunes for these lyrics
Drink more mighty fine wine

JBA

Jimmy John's Cafe

THE WORLD’S GREATEST SANDWICH
(There really is such a place--
compare to W.G. Grinders)
WITH THE WORLD’S GREATEST VIEW
OF MOUNTAIN AND SHORE
WANT NO MORE
AT THE PERFECT PRICE
FREE
FOR US
INFINITE COST FOR THE BAKER

LOVE MUST BE FREE
COME WITH ME
We must choose
He chose us
TO TASTE AND SEE
IT’S GOOD
ALWAYS GOOD

DON’T LOOK DOWN
LOOK UP
ON THE PERFECT TREE
IT’S REAL, NOT FAKE
ALL YOU CAN TAKE
HE’S THERE FOR YOU, FOR ME

IT’S ALWAYS ON TIME
PERFECT TIME
AND THE TEMPERATURE
JUST RIGHT
DON’T FIGHT

HE’S HAD YOUR BACK
THE FORERUNNER’S ON TRACK
SEE THE LAKE
THERE’S MORE, MUCH MORE
MAKE NO MISTAKE

LOOK, SEE,
HIS PERFECT SCAR
IT’S ON HIS HAND
IT’S ON HIS SIDE TOO
MADE FOR YOU

THE MENU IS AMAZING [Ps. 23:5]
IN PERFECT SCRIPT
WHAT’S IN A NAME
LET’S PLAY A WORD GAME

AND THE MUSIC THAT’S PLAYING
IT’S SO AMAZING
SOME OF IT WITH RHYME
AND JUST THE RIGHT BEAT
HE IS SINGING FOR YOU [Zeph. 3:17]

HEAR THE SOUND
IT’S ALL AROUND
THE WORLD’S A STAGE
WE EACH PLAY A PART [Eph. 2:10]

READ THE LINES
READ BETWEEN THE LINES
DRINK OF THE SMOOTHIE
INCREDIBLY GROOVY [Heb. 12:2]

THE DAM IS FULL
BUT DON’T BE A FOOL [I Cor. 10:13]
IT WON’T BREAK
IT’S VERY WELL CRAFTED
LET TEARS COME SLOWLY
AND POWER’S TO TAKE
SO INCREDIBLY GREAT

AND THE ECHO, SUCH AN ECHO
DID YOU HEAR IT ? [Jn.10:4,27]
LET’S BOUNCE
DOWN TO THE CANYON [Ps. 23:4]

LOOK AT THE WALLS
IN PERFECT SCRIPT
JUST THE RIGHT TYPE
SOME WRITTEN BY FIRE
SOME BY GOD’S ROUTER [Jn. 12:18]
DID THE CHIPS GET LOST, AT WHAT COST
WELL WORTH THE WAIT
NOT A WORD OUT OF PLACE
SEE THE GLORY
PERFECT STORY! [Jn. 3:16]

LET’S WALK THROUGH THE CLOUDS [Mt. 17:1]
IN THE NEW WINE COUNTRY [Jn. 2:9]
SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST! [Jn.2:10]
NOT JUST A COUPLE [Is.55:1]
DRINK TILL WEE’RE DRUNK [Acts 2:13]
WHAT A SPELL
CAN’T EVEN SPELL RIGHT NOW

THE PORTIONS ARE FILLING
NO WASTE
TAKE YOUR TIME, GO SLOW
YOU WILL BE SATISFIED
THAT’S A MEAL TO DIE FOR!
[Ps. 34:8; I Pet. 2:3; Jn. 12:24]

IT’S YOUR CHOICE [v.2]
USE YOUR VOICE [Eph. 5:19]
PREACH TO YOURSELF! [Ezek.36-37]
YOUR EARS ARE OPENING—UNPLUGGING [--?]
DOWN FROM THE HEIGHTS
NO MORE LUGGIN’ THAT PACK[Gal.6:2,14]
OFF YOUR BACK—ON HIS
YOU’LL SEE!
PERFECT VIEW, BIRD’S EYE, IN FACT
WAS THAT CROSS
JUST FOR YOU—YES, AND FOR ME TOO
AND YOU, AND YOU, AND YOU…

HEAR THE BIRDS SINGING
PERFECTLY IN TUNE
JUST FOR THAT ADDED TOUCH

THE TABLE’S ALL SET [Jn. 12:2]
LOOK FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
WHAT A SIGHT
COMPLETELY BALANCED
SOME BITTER, SOME SWEET
PERFECT PAIN
PERFECT DELIGHT

NOW IT’S GOIN’ ROUND AND ROUND
KEEP OUR EYES ON THE CENTER [Nu. 21:9]
IT’S BETTER THAT WAY
WE CAN STILL WALK STRAIGHT LATER

REMEMBER, HE’S GOT YOUR NUMBER [Mt. 10:30]
A PERFECT NUMBER
YOU HEARD THE CALL [Jn.1:12]
THE ANSWER WAS YES
KEEP COMING BACK
LIKE A BUFFET
I’LL REPEAT………………………………
TO BE CONTINUED………………………
STEWART & COMPANY
BAND OF “OH BROTHER” [Buena Vista Pictures, 2000]
IN CD OR TAPE
EIGHT TRACKS ALLLLL GONE (LONG AGO)—DAM! DINER

LIKE SARAH SAYS—“I HAVE A MOVIE”
SHE’S PERFECTLY RIGHT!
WE EACH HAVE A PART
HE’S COMPOSED FROM THE START! [Eph. 2:10, Ps. 139]

FIRST VERSION WAS LOST
SO WE GET NEW STARTS [2Cor. 5:17]
YOU NOW KNOW THE SCORE
KEEP COMING FOR MORE

BUT FOR NOW AM TIRED
LATER, LATTER
WHAT—DOES IT MATTER?????
WE’VE ETERNITY TO TO SEE IT AGAIN [Jn. 11:26]
I STUTTER I KNOW [Isa. 28:11]
BUT HIS SPEECH IS PERFECT
YOU’LL SEE IT’S SO

THIS PART OF THE FRUIT OF THE OASIS WE FOUND [?]
REMEMBER THE TRAIN RIDE?
DID IT GO ROUND IN CIRCLES
OR WILL IT EVER END?

ARE WE THERE YET?
NOT QUITE
BUT LOOK AHEAD
At the end of this tunnel—might have to squint
I THINK—I’M SURE, I SEE A WHITE LIGHT [2 Pet.1: ]
THEN WE’RE DONE
BUT ONLY BEGUN
WOW THIS COASTER WAS FUN—AFTER ALL’S
SAID AND DONE?

SLEEP ON IT
DREAM
WOW! “WHAT SIGHTS” YOU’LL EXCLAIM!
NEVER THE SAME
GAME—IS IT ALL A GAME
NO, SOME OF IT IS
SOME IS A FIGHT
STILL SEE THAT LIGHT ?

POEMS —WHY NOT ?
SOME WITH RHYMES
SOME WITH COUPLETS
OCCASIONALLY SEXTUPLETS

(THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER ALWAYS KNOWS JUST WHAT TO DELIVER—I THINK THIS MAY BE COMPLETED—ALMOST)—GOTTA GO EAT AGAIN
LIFE IS SO DAM DAILY!
AND CAN’T THINK OF LINE 4

JUST GOT BACK FROM A TRIP
NOT WITHOUT TROUBLE
WAS THE TRIP DOUBLE
MAYBE I’M TRIPPIN’?

BEEN FOR A LONG TIME…….
JACOB AND ME
WRESTLING SPELLS TROUBLE
JUST BORROWED THE SORROW

BUT IT WAS MORE THAN WORTH IT ALL

NOT SURE WHERE THIS VERSE GOES
FEELING CONFLICTED
SCRATCHING OUR HEADS
IS LIFE FOR REAL? WHAT ABOUT THE GREATFUL DEAD?

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT
GO ASK ALFIE
OR MAYBE RALPHIE
OR JANE-- STILL THE SAME, NO DOUBT

SAME OLD--SAME OLD ?
NO!
I FEEL A FISH BITE
BACK AT THE LAKE
ALL WE CAN TAKE

PLENTY—USE THE BIG DIPPER
IT’S ON THE NORTH STAR
DID I SEE A CROSS?
WAS IT FOR REAL?
WHY WAS THAT HAND THERE?
SOMETIMES LIFE STINKS

IT WAS HIS
BUT WE SHARE THE PAIN
AND GAIN
LOOK UP AGAIN

ARE THOSE THE ROCKIES?
LOOKING DOWN FROM THE PLANE
THINK I SEE SNOW
MAYBE JOHN DENVER WAS RIGHT
WHAT A SIGHT, SO HIGH

WHAT A QUESTION
LOTS OF QUESTIONS
SOME ANSWERS NOW
SOME NOT TILL LATER

SOME VERSES FREE
SOME VERSES BOUND
SEE THE PICTURE
IT’S IN THE PARK

IT’S GETTING DARK
DO I HEAR A DOG BARK
DO I FEEL HIM BITING
NOT SURE OF THE SIGHTING
(TO BE CONTINUED…)

Life is always beautiful
When you wake up on the “right side of the grass”

But the joy and delight waiting for us on the other side
Nothing on this earth can surpass

JBA, July, 2007