Atrophy

Atrophy.

It spoke softly to me,

“Do you know who I am?

I hold the strength on which you stand.

I am your friend, to warn you of a coming end.”

My strength will last another day. I bid you later come again.

There was space between the clouds today.

“Come play! Come play!”

I stretched my legs and made my way.

But they demanded more.

They asked for strength I knew I’d had before.

I tried to take a breath that wasn’t there.

It’s nothing. I only need to rest.

“It’s something. A very crucial test.”

Atrophy? Is that you? Have you come to be demanding too?

Please will you wait until my rest is through?

“But there’s more you need to know.”

Enough for now. I have to go.

There were clouds today.

“Come play! Come play!

The rain will wash your cares away!”

I noticed that the sky was turning red.

Another said, “I seek the living, not the dead.”

Atrophy? Is that you? Please wait here while I go ahead.

I took one step and fell.

“You need to know not everything is well.”

Atrophy? Is that you? Will you never let me sleep.

“There are secrets that the clouds above you keep.”

But they say all I wish to know.

Enough for now. I have to go.

The moon broke through the clouds tonight.

“Come dance with me beneath my silver light.

Forget your pain. Forget your plight.”

But the bed they helped me into held me fast.

Atrophy? Is that you? Should we talk at last?

“I was your friend, but now the lot is cast.”

c. James Cornelius

The Raven

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I was on a run the other day and a raven flew overhead nearby. He had what I thought looked like a chicken egg in his mouth. It was a little hard to believe until I ran past a neighbors backyard a short distance away and noticed a chicken coop (and some freshly agitated chickens). I assume he took it back to a tailgate party and cooked it on the camping stove he stole the day before. I think it's also a safe assumption he at least had some hash-browns and hot sauce to go with it. I couldn't keep up though, so it's just an assumption.

Taste The Rainbow

While reminiscing about when I used to work nights, I remembered hearing this funny commercial run very early one morning. The end of a Skittles commercial and the beginning of a Listerine commercial combined seamlessly to broadcast, "Skittles. Taste the rainbow! - (lips and tongue smacking with morning mouth) - YUCK!". The next time it played, they where in the reverse order. Timing is everything.

Only Time

I've heard the song 'Only Time' by Enya several times lately. She gives an inspirational list of questions not to worry about because only time can give the answer. 

Most of the answers are destined to be vague at best.

This one is a little more decisive.

Angels on a Bad Day

What's an angel's point of view when we're having a bad day? They are serving us ALL the time. Dare you to give some thought to what that means (let's just say privacy is not a barrier). By God's direction, they are powerful hands working "all things together for the better" for us on a daily basis (mind that context, Romans 8:28), but they do not see the future any better than we do. They do not share his omniscience, and this requires to them to have faith...a lot (especially for certain ones of us. You know who you are).

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So without letting my imagination run too wild, I catch myself in a funk sometimes and I think, If there's an angel with me today, he must be thinking, "I really wonder what this assignment is about. I hope this pays off," in the most selfless and faithful way possible of course. It's like a superhero babysitter with an I.Q. of 1000 assigned to keeping a stubborn child out of the street. And for the demons they have to fight in the process, I'm sure they still recognize us as the biggest hazard to ourselves. I truly look forward to rejoicing with them some day at how we turned out in the end. But for now I see them in the position of working very hard for very delayed gratification. They see God face to face, so they have no uncertainty about how worthwhile their labor is, but they're still getting paid on back side of the job.

The least I can say is I'm very thankful for them. When scripture says we will judge angels, I imagine it to be the same sort of judgement that believers will face with God, mainly a rewarding of our works above and beyond the salvation we have by faith alone. When God gives me my spiritual pay day by His infinite grace (and I mean infinite), I'm going to turn to the angel(s) that saved my life (and my children's, and my wife's, and...) at least a dozen times and give him the most meaningful reward I can from what I've just received. Then we'll spend eternity laughing together about how crazy my first life was, and praising God that he got us both through it.

It's just me thinking, so take it with a grain of salt. To the Kingdom.

Worth It's weight in Gold

We never make idols out of cheap stuff. If they don't soak our money, they soak our time. Mine soaked my floor after it soaked my money and my time. They hold our hopes and dreams. Mine held 240 gallons of water (for four days). We pour ourselves into them. I just climbed into mine, and smiled like we always do when it still has that new idol smell. It had a much different smell when I was trying to clean up the mess it made. I just got rid of the last piece of it today. Time to be obedient and redirect the time and resources I spent on this to the things God has already given me to do instead. Apparently He's not in the mood to compete with a fish tank for my attention right now.

Our Way

The result of our way. If we spend enough time and effort trying to alter the course of (His) nature, we are destined to be overwhelmed by it. We are better off to surrender what belongs to the flames when they naturally come.

Do I Really

Do I believe what I say of where I’m going?

Do I rejoice in the pain of getting old?

Do I long to meet the One who’s gone before me?

Do I cherish what I suffer on His road?

Do I really hope to from this flesh be parted?

Do I fear of missing out on earthly things?

Do I trust the everlasting work he's started,

Enough to live like death has lost its sting?

As time accelerates me towards my Maker,

As my youthful dreams outlast the time they’re given,

As creation will return to its Creator,

Lord, lead my heart to love my earthly end.