Come

look and see

the destruction of the earth

there the scars

the rent

            and

broken bones of creation

push forth in cataclysm

while the howling heavens

crash like crystal spheres

shattering all around

a symphony of finality

till faint within the chaos

small strains of harmony sing

a reordering emerges

a re-creation is built

to the words

to the Word

that echoes to time’s end

 

"BEHOLD I AM MAKING ALL THINGS NEW"

 

all things new

and all new things

are best built upon the bones of the dead

for the garden grows strongest

that is graveyard planted

while the tree blooms first

that is rooted in what once was

and will be again

 

God is raging right now. He is all fire and flame and pouring wrath out to Ezekial…telling him to pass the word(s) on to Israel and Judah (as well as some neighbouring nogoodniks the Ammorites). God is angry. God is wrathful. God is going to judge and bring the sword. There’s no good way around these verses and they hit us like cold water on a hot day.

 

When I approach the Bible I do so with certain foundational perspectives:

 

1. I read it as a believer indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God and somehow this makes a difference. Sorry to my non-belieiving friends because this will make no sense to you and may seem patronizing. It may seem quaint in a pre-modern kind of way. I understand.

 

2. I read it affirming the great cry of the Old Testament – "Here oh Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one" and by extention then I never entertain the idea that somehow the God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New Testament…they are one in the same God. God is Christ, God is Holy Spirit, God is Father, God is all these and God is one.

 

3. I read the entirety of scripture Christologically…that is – every word is inspired of God to reveal Christ.

 

4. I read the Bible with the certain knowledge that every word meant something signifgicant to the original audience. That every word contains a truth that God wanted the original audience to understand within their context and I strive to bring that truth to today and to my context. Conversly I NEVER succumb to the temptation to believe that there is anything in scripture that was meant for a future audience first and foremost; to do so is the height of egotism.

 

5. I read the Bible always keeping before me that God is many things but first and before all other descriptors God is love. When I encounter actions of God that seem unloving I return to this foundation and must believe that however they seem to me in my limited finite perspective – every action of God is an expression of His love and I must content myself with not knowing much of why God does what God does.

 

6. With respect to #5 I never assume that because God does something in scripture I can too. War, death, judgement, wrath and vengeance – these I leave to Him.

 

So as I read Ezekial I do so with these principles in play. What I read in Ezekial 21 makes me want to skip to chapter 22. If I am to be completely honest I would have to say that I do not like these acts of God. I do not like what happens when He pours out His wrath. I do not like His judgement and I do not like His anger. In these moments somewhere deep inside I hear subtle tempting thoughts that say "if I were God things would be different" and then I am immediately thankful that I am not God (and you should be thankful for this too). This is the original temptation – to be like God. To be God. It is primal and works itself out in us in far more ways then I think we realize.

 

The other temptation I encounter when I read Ezekial 21 and the like is to gloss over God’s wrath and it’s consequences in people’s lives. I sterilize it and distance myself from it. The great war historian and analyst John Keegan writes in his book A History of Warfare of a similar attitude amogst ethnographers and anthropologists. Keegan says that many anthropologists go happily about their field work collecting, cataloguing and ultimately displaying the instruments of ancient warfare with so much as a basic understanding of what those instruments were meant for and how they impacted real people. There was a long-standing myth that the ancient and noble peoples were not as warlike as these instruments suggested.

 

It was not until certain anthropologists went to war and then went back into the field did a new, more realistic perspective arise – that the stone flint arrow head of an ancient human was designed to pierce flesh, rip through organs and bring maximum pain and death.

 

When we read Ezekial we must read it with this sense of realism…that God’s wrath is going to mean serious damage to Israel. Real people. Husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters, moms and dads etc. They all die. They are hacked and beaten and torn asunder by the swords of enemies used by God as instruments of His wrath. As unpleasant as that seems it should be a part of our reading and then it is our task to reconcile these actions with the reality that God is love.

 

When we cannot reconcile it we must then resist the temptation to say "a loving God would not __________" (fill in the blank) because it is folly for limited, finite human beings to begin to try and define an unlimited, infinite God. In these moments we must live in the mystery and "be still and know that (He is) God".

 

Anyhow – I do not like Ezekial 21 but – I love the God who revealed it. Yes even the God who was the wrathful one in this chapter…the very same God.

 

Well – I think I’ve found another group that I shall become a fan of. Shiny Toy Guns is reminiscent of 80’s techno/dance but has some strong modern sounds as well. They seem to have many sounds from song to song almost as if they are three bands in one – a good skill to have if they can maintain it. Anyhow – I will post a video of their’s on my blog ( http://poet.spaces.live.com ). They have two songs that have made it big via commercials – Le Disko was featured on the Krazor cellphone commercial (hello little boys little toys…) and Major Tom is featured in the new Lincoln MKS commercial (4…3…2…1…earth below us, floating, drifting). The video I have posted is of Rocketship – a very cool sound and one which you should all listen to.

 

Why should you listen to it? Well – so that when they are here at the MTS Centre in June we can all go and see them together of course!

 

There’s my cross

leaning on the wall

in the corner of my room

 

there’s my crown of thorns

hidden under the bed

covered in old dust

 

there’s my nails

shiny new and unused

in the drawer of my dresser

 

there’s my clothes

not a drop of blood anywhere

clean and fresh and newly ironed

 

there’s my mirror

and the image of my unscarred face

looking back – haunted mockery

 

there’s my voice

lifting high to hope-filled heaven

crying in unfelt pain –

 

"my God, my God!

why have I forsaken you?"

 

I have a new word in my head

sitting there

wanting to be born

pushing and pushing

but not

before

         its

             time

this word needs

growing

its a good word

and I know you’ll like it

when its here

say it with me

sing it with me

love it with me

love it with

love it

love me

and my word

my beautiful word

 

Henri Nouwen wrote the following provocative words in his book The Wounded Healer and I believe they are worth dwelling upon:

One who has read Nouwen knows this is not the statement of a universalist but an Orthodox Christian thinker trying to better understand what it means to be an imitator of Christ. Jesus knew when He told His disciples to imitate Him as He imitated the Father that He was asking for something deeper then – "walk like I walk", "lift your cup as I lift my cup".

 

This is a sentiment that focuses on the way the heart is changed and not what a person wears for example…inner transformation can bring many kinds of outer changes.

 

If I never read another book again as long as I live I will be content.

 

I just finished reading Brennan Manning’s latest book entitled The Furious Longing of God and I can say without risk of exageration, that it is the best book I have ever read. I should also say it is a very personal book and so it won’t be everyone’s "best book ever read" but it is mine.

 

There is only one other book that got my on my knees to pray by the end of it (besides this one) and that was John Stott’s Basic Christianity – and back then that prayer ushered me into the kingdom of God and saved my life.

 

Manning’s book is a short collection of spiritual reflections on the nature of God’s furious love for us and our desperate need to reflect that and believe that above all other things. It is a book written by a man in the twilight of his life at 74; a man who is almost the definition of broken healer. Manning is to the point with his insights. He does not beat around the bush but drives his points straight home with the confidence not of an arrogant man but of one who knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is loved by his creator.

 

Each of the eleven chapters in the book ends with a couple of questions for thoughtful reflection. This makes the book ideal for personal devotions as well as small group settings. It is provocative and ultimately very, very truthful and moving. There are too many quotes worth pulling out to put them all here. One quote which I liked especially sums up one of the main themes – that Christianity must move beyond theoretical head knowledge and legalistic living to something driven by and from the heart. Manning writes: "In times of persecution, theoretical Christianity will collapse."

 

Brenan Manning’s book The Furious Longing of God is a must read. It is an instant classic destined to be read and reread by many until worn out. To read it once is to simply scratch the surface. If you are not Christian and you want a true sense for the heart of this Christ that Christians worship – read this book. If you are Christian and you want to know what it feels like to be soaked in the unbreakable, unbearable, furious longing love of God – read this book. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

 

 

 

The shadowless man walked out of the desert

like a dance of mist and air

a shimmer of heat on the breath of summer

 

the walking one

 

each silent step cold lightning

1…2…3…4…5…6…7

empty witness of thunder to come

 

quiet presses the black clouds behind

dark crown upon dark head

smiling into the town

with words of calm assurance

 

"nothing to see here,

                              nothing to see here"

 

what shivers course lit homes

this deepened mid-year’s eve?

 

who’s shoes tap ‘long the lane

in time to cicada song?

 

the empty one,

transparent one

no breath, no sight, no inner beat

just a shadowless man

in a shadowed land

 

There are many words of God and one Word of God. We use them all to our advantage and both for and against others. We remember some words and forget others. Of all the words of God I will strive to remember the words of Ezekial 18:32  –

 

I enjoyed today. Numerous reasons. The weather worked out. I went to Winnipeg and bought stuff (which is always fun). Needed some pool supplies for the new season and got a nice storage box/seat as well as a Lifetime brand picnic table. The table was certainly required and when we got back I took the axe to the old rotting table and burned most of it in a decent fire.

I picked up some shorts which seem cool enough (we’ll see). Also stopped at Tommy Hilfiger (thanks to PP for the suggestion) because I need a new spring jacket to replace my sad and torn up excuse for a covering. Found a really nice one that was pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Also managed to get a very decent sturdy rugby shirt for $9 (!!!!!!!!!!!) on sale. Crazy (although maybe I am the only one who likes it?!?!? Hmmmm).

I decided to have lunch at Joeys (having never been there before) which turned out to be pretty awesome. Joeys also happens to be one of the few places that pours Guinness from the tap so a pint of that helped the souvlaki go down nice. Overall Joeys is a pretty amazing place. The executive chef there is Chris Miller who has competed on Iron Chef Japan. I think I’d like to go back sometime and try dinner there.

Oh yeah – I also got maybe the best Indian cookbook I’ve ever seen (I have a couple). The recipes are incredible and very thorough with some nice photos and articles to boot. I’ll be making boatloads of Indian in the next little while I think.