A time to die

There’s a time to live
There’s a time to die,
And a time to laugh
And a time to cry,
Seasons stop
Seasons go,
Sometimes blocked
Sometimes flow.

We’re disappointed
When things go wrong,
When a life event
Takes our song,
We’re unprepared
What comes by stealth,
And seem so shocked
At a loved one’s death.

But part of life
Is a time to die,
Accidents happen
That make us cry,
We must accept
That life’s not level,
So don’t be shocked
On the way to heaven.

Note: A person we know is about to die. It has made me realize that the church has not prepared our people well for death. Yet death is part of life…well physical death anyway. Life has no guarantee of everything going right. It is full of seasons of things going well, and then not going well. We need to be mentally prepared for what is in life, and death. But as the old song says, “through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to depend on His Word”.

The prisoner’s new identity

The prisoners eyes open
To the man he has become,
No longer from the past
But a grace-fathered son,
Identity restored
No longer alienated,
From life fully available
No longer feels rejected.

He starts to feel different
To the man God ex-changed,
Effortless transformation
He knows he’s not the same,
Truth replacing lies
Begins to set him free,
That started with revelation
Of his new identity.

The dog that tries to kill & maul

Discouragement is injected into the pure mind
His criticism in ignorance is an undetected crime,
Thoughts spiral downward and reach the doubt zone
That cause a certain numbness and emotions to explode.

Could it really be true that I cannot really help others ?
Was I self deluded in trying to help my brothers ?,
Have I got it wrong and don’t really preach the truth ?
The awfulness of lies feel like an aching tooth.

Then in my prayer to God, He shows me I am called
And truth overcomes the dog that tries to kill and maul,
That Grace changes lives and His Spirit does the work
That truth needs not defending and Christ will build His church.

The spirit starts to rise and courage comes again
And perspective heals the soul and condemns the old lies said,
A righteous man may lose his confidence grown in time
But no matter the times he falls, he always will lift and rise.

Written after a savage attack by a critic after I finished a sermon called “what’s right with you”. I hadn’t even packed up my iPad and glasses off the pulpit when he confronted me to my face.

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. (Micah 7:8 KJV)

Sea-sick punk

Why do people laugh at jokes
About getting rolling drunk,
Why does a smile come on a face
Thinking of a sea-sick punk ?

There’s something wrong with our values
That esteems the money spent,
On fermented rocket fuel
That blasts a soul to hell.

Think of accidents on the road
And innocent loss of life,
Let alone descending relationships
And the bruised and tearful wife.

Hospitals full of patients
With bodies that survive unwell,
Brains that are cooked forever
Locked in emotional cells.

There is no positive argument
That esteems a person drinking,
Lets value what gives life
It’s time for a different thinking.

What is true freedom ?

Freedom to choose, is the freedom to lose
Your path that leads to death,
Liberty given, escaping the prison
the cell that God calls “the flesh”.

To choose to be free, is not to agree
To the “I know what’s best for me” lie,
There’s a better way, for freedom’s displayed
When you’re free to live the Vine life.

Freedom is not the ability to do our thing, for that leads to our own death. True freedom is the ability to choose the Life of Christ (the Vine Life).

Fool for Christ

When you are misunderstood
And people treat you like slime,
Because you love His Kingdom
Then you are a fool for Christ.

With your head now above the trench
You abandon the rest of your life,
To the message that brings disdain
Then you are a fool for Christ.

When you know how to go without
And you know how to be abased,
Your presence meets disapproval
Then you are a fool for Christ.

Others are so highly esteemed
And honourable in the crowd’s sight,
And your not in their prestigious company
Then you are a fool for Christ.

But you love the God who loved you first
And proud you’re identified,
With a no-reputation Jesus
Then you are a fool for Christ.

1 Corinthians 4:10 As for us, we are fools on account of Christ. But as for you, you are members of the intelligentsia in your union with Christ. As for us, we are those who are frail and infirm. But as for all of you, you are those who are mighty. As for all of you, you are those who are illustious, honorable, held in esteem by others. But as for us, we are those whom no one respects. (Wuest version)

But that is life in Glasgow

The impressive buildings on the Glasgow sky
Compliment life on the River Clyde
With its many secrets it cannot hide
But that is life in Glasgow.

From the understated Squinty Bridge
And George Square to Buchanan Street
Makes it hard for a “Weegie” to leave
But that is life in Glasgow.

A “Weegie” takes the good and bad
Supporting a British with Scottish flag
And tension flows between the clans
But that is life in Glasgow.

It’s music and it’s celebrity stars
Do not hide its gangster past
No such thing as a “Weegie” facade.
But that is life in Glasgow.

Glasgow life gets under your skin
The richness of a life it brings
A melting pot of good and sin
But that is life in Glasgow.