Until We Meet Again

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Tom Bolton

John left yesterday, but as he left,
Still in Young Days found again,
He asked for God to help him.
And as I miss John,
I know today,
We’ll meet again, John and me,
in a better place, and
We look forward to that day.
Friends as brothers,
still we will share that bond.

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Thank You Today

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Tom Bolton

Repeating a poem that I have liked.

Abba, Thank You Today

Abba, Abba, how I missed you,
Even as you were by me all the time.
In your presence, you are so large, so great,
so much like when I was a very young one.
Your Name shines everywhere, every day.
You fill me up each day.
You pick me up each day.
You embrace me each day as I accept your presence.
How great is your presence here today each time we invite you in,
Each time we open our eyes to see,
Each time we listen and hear you.
Sometimes your words are so hard for me to hear,
So hard to understand,
The Greek so formal, the Aramaic so new yet intimate.
I listen today in new ways.
You bring me daily bread, protein and bulk to
feed me all day and night.
Untie, for sure, the knots of failure, knots I tie.
I fumble to untie the knots that I have tied
around me and around so many,
the strands so complex, so hard to see now.

English: psalms in Aramaic

English: psalms in Aramaic (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yet I see so much in your glow.
I am warmed and joyful.
From you, new blessings flow.
Blessings grow.
Blessings, I know.
Amen.
I grow.
Shine within me.
You wipe out the darkness.
Glow, too, for these neighbors today.
Your Word is the light.
Your Word is my joy.

(c) Tom Bolton, Milwaukee, 26 October 2012

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Praise the Lord

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Tom Bolton

Psalm 113

Praise the LORD !

You who serve the LORD —praise!

Praise the LORD ’s name!

Let the LORD ’s name be blessed

from now until forever from now!

From sunrise to sunset,

let the LORD ’s name be praised!

The LORD is high over all the nations;

God’s glory is higher than the skies!

Who could possibly

compare to the LORD our God?

God rules from on high;

he has to come down

to even see heaven and earth!

God lifts up the poor from the dirt

and raises up the needy

from the garbage pile

to seat them with leaders—

with the leaders of his own people!

God nests the once barren woman

at home—

now a joyful mother with children!

Praise the LORD !

Psalm 113

Common English Bible

God lifts up the poor from the dirt.  I have seen several examples of this in my missions work this past year.  That is a great encouragement!  And this Psalm is a great encouragement today.  I am liking the CEB version most days.

Read about Larry Under the Bridge here.

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Dale Tedder’s CS Lewis Reading Plan

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Tom Bolton

I like this idea of a CS Lewis reading plan for 2013. Reading Lewis has been eye-opening in my family this year. 

This was in Dale Tedder’s blog earlier this week
http://daletedder.wordpress.com/2012/11/13/a-year-with-c-s-lewis/

His “goals for this focus are, first of all, to help acquaint you with the person and works of and about C.S. Lewis. Secondly, I pray that your view of God and the Christian life will grow richer and larger and livelier. Thirdly, my deepest hope is that you will take what you learn and put it into practice as well as share it with others.”

Dale’s reading list is:

Reading List
■January – The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Alan Jacobs (Biography)
■February – Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C.S. Lewis
■March – A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
■March – Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
■April – The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
■May – The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
■June – Seeking the Secret Place: The Spiritual Formation of C.S. Lewis by Lyle Dorsett
■July – Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer by C.S. Lewis
■August – The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis
■September – Between Heaven & Hell: A Dialogue Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C.S. Lewis & Aldous Huxley by Peter Kreeft
■October – Not A Tame Lion by Bruce L. Edwards
■November – The Soul of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by Gene Veith
■December – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

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Homeless Vets

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Tom Bolton

Yesterday was Veterans Day, and Marketplace presented a good story on the topic of Homeless Vets on their ongoing Wealth and Poverty Desk. I’m happy that Marketplace is covering these topics. Here is a link to the story:

http://www.marketplace.org/topics/wealth-poverty/homeless-vets-face-challenges-filing-disability-claims

 

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Some Info on Hope House in Milwaukee

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Tom Bolton

Some Info on Hope House in Milwaukee

For my friends who may want to check out the Getting Involved tab.

I really like their direct Mission Statement.

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Zechariah!

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Tom Bolton

Some good material in Zechariah!

Mark Shields's avatarThis Day With God - A Spiritual Journey

Cities in the region like Tyre and Sidon were powerful and wealthy around 487 B.C. but history tells us these cities were devastated by a representative of God’s judgment; the monarch of Greece named Alexander the Great who swept around the edges of Israel and Judah with his powerful army south to Egypt and back to Greece.

Foretold of this ruin in Zechariah 9:1-10, Israel and Judah would be spared because of God’s favor. God’s protection relieves their fear, His power sets them free, and He shapes their future. Prophesy of the gospel message being shared with the world is made as God looks with favor on His people with Christ’s first coming (v. 9) and Christ’s second coming in (v. 10). The new King is described as righteous and victorious but humble and meek who would rule over the Spiritual world.

This day with God will be amazing…

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