On Word, Law and Life: Stanzas 13 – 15

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Tom Bolton

I wrote these new stanzas of my interpretation of Psalm 119 last week, but I am a bit behind on posting to my blog. Wow! This morning I heard Day 34 of 40 Days in the Word from Saddleback Church. The guest preacher this morning was Tommy Kyllonen (Urban D), who is the Lead Pastor at Crossover Community Church in Florida. He reaches a hip-hop culture, and preached about Psalm 119 this morning, closing with some of his poetry–a much more lively style of poetry than mine.

I have liked 40 Days in The Word this year. For the past 3 years, I have listened to Drive Time Devotions from Saddleback regularly, and currently, Saddleback is using that podcast modality as a delivery method for 40 Days in the Word. It is amazing how often Psalm 119 has provided text for these daily devotions. I started my exploration of Psalm 119 in December, but I have enjoyed how often that Psalm has come into my life in January and February this year. Urban D provided a lively poetic interpretation of verse 24 today. I thought his style was really fun, and still faithful to the Psalm.

Here are verses 21 to 24 of Psalm 119 from the NIV translation:

You rebuke the arrogant, who are accursed,
those who stray from your commands.
Remove from me their scorn and contempt,
for I keep your statutes.
Though rulers sit together and slander me,
your servant will meditate on your decrees.
Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.

I wrote these words when I was contemplating those verses:

Condemned, firm in the center, encircled in me, we, greedy ones,
circle around, condemned, away from Your Word.
Aware, and back, and in Your Command,
Contempt burns me, and faltering I come back.
Contempt around me, I seize the Word,
alive and aware, alive in Your Word.
Clearly these Words guide me, alive, with joy,
At peace, mes amis, alive in Your Word. Amen.
Condemned, away from the Word, was Esau hated,
or away–simply away–away from the Word?

Urban D wrote a powerful poetic rap on these verses.

So, I feel a bit bland presenting my new stanzas today. I hope you will enjoy and be enriched by these new poetic verses anyway.

N. Never to Forget


Never-ending words have been written in
heaven and deep in the foundation of earth;
Nothing less than eternal is this word,
written deep in my heart, etched on my soul.
Neatly in place is this word, your grace and faithfulness abound.
Nothing has toppled, even when we toppled it,
because all that matters is to be in service to our Lord.
Nevermore unhappy, but alive in the word,
I live in joy, and do not die this day in my
old, miserable way.
Never forget! Let me not forget what I once ran from–
precepts, guidance, directions to stay free–
Now free, I wrap my arms (and mind) around my new life.
Noted: toys and tools I thought I’d have
forever are ruined and long-gone,
But your word lives. My life is electric.
Not the wicked!
Not here to stop my walk down the lighted path.
Know that God doesn’t forget who he is:
His faith is everyday–he doesn’t skip any day.
Now let me count your faithful gifts to me today–
Joyful in the Word! Blessed!

O. Oh How Sweet This Word To Me

Oh, yes, I love what you teach me,
outwardly and inwardly in my thoughts and soul all day,
when my mind is open daily (sometimes not).
Outwardly you make me seem wiser than I was,
than I am, because your commandments are
on my face, on my tongue.
Obvious at times, I may be wiser than I should be,
Obtaining new wisdom when your words fill my thoughts;
Obedient to the words you drive into me, I
obtain wisdom beyond my years–and in spite of my years.
Oh how bright is your path, not the gloomy evil path, but
Ordered and bright, your path is the one I obey.
Obedient to your word, joyful in the word. Blessed!
You have taught me well these days.
Oh how sweet your word to me–
oh how sweet this treat!
On to understanding, I plod after your word–
Oh how bright this path that drives away from lies.

P. Pathways So Bright

Pathways so bright, your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light for my
Path–so well-lit and safer than others.
Promising freely, I took an oath, and I will keep it!
Righteous regulations show me your way–
even when I fall from righteousness.
Oh grace in your word!
Pathways from suffering,
I seize your new life, Holy One, as you
promised me this life of grace.
Pleased to present all praise to you, God-of-grace,
proud to learn your words, I am joyful in your word.
Perilously, I live life here,
but I am safe in your word for the long-haul, the long journey.
Peril and evil seem to be everywhere, but
principled life keeps me free to find joy.
Penned words, and listening to the word, fill my heart,
and I am blessed to recall: Joy in the word!
Pleased to obey and to be free in obedience,
planning my eternal life, I find joy. I am blessed.

c Thomas Bolton February 2012

Posted in Poetry, Reflecting on Scripture | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

My Letter to Myself

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Tom Bolton

When I was young, did I even listen to me?
Sometimes I heard and sometimes I listened to some, and sometimes to me.
I heard and tucked far back, because it hurt to listen, to hear.
And now in the stillness of the nights, I listen and observe.
The words are soft, and the silent movements fill the words in greater ways.
They shuffle in some days, and I see so many words in their eyes.
The words fall from my pens, and the letters seem to be to me,
or written to someone who once was me.
Who is there left to read these words today? 
Do they care?
Do I care today?
I do care, and I write these words for me and for my sons.
And for sons and daughters I know, but miss most days.
Where are they today?
The words press on me in these letters–letters among friends–
and I listen to me and am surprised at what I hear today.

He said, “listen to me.  I give you the field and the cave that is in it.”
In the presence of my people, I bury my dead.

What if they do not listen to me and do not believe me?
Until now you have not listened, but you listen now.
Joshua did say, “Come here and listen to the Words of the Lord.”
And I listen.
I lie awake and I listen to the words that I had not written and now will write.
“You warned them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, of which you said,
‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’ Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen.
I love to listen to Nehemiah in these years where I am now.
When I listen, am I best when I am silent?
Listen to me, for what I say is trustworthy.
Dare I believe it?

I listen to myself and I listen for the Words that I seek.
I am no more alone.
I read my words and I listen.

Posted in About Tom, Poetry, Reflecting on Scripture | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Knowing Integrity and Refreshing My Soul

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Tom Bolton

My interpretation of two more stanzas of Psalm 119:

K. Knowing Integrity

Your hands created me and you know me.
Knowing me, Lord, you help me to know me.
Knowing you, Holy One, my friends rejoice–
They know my hope; they know I am with your word.

Know that His commandments are fair when
We know what they say to us–when we listen.

Today I know:
Know your mercy surrounds and comforts me,
Know your sweet compassion cradles my soul,
and knowing your way, I am happy today;
Know that sinners are not forever,
not aware, and not knowing your word,
Know that those who find, come around me,
knowing we are together in your word,
Know my own heart, that place so hard to see when we don’t
Know integrity.

L. Let Me Pray

Loudly I speak of you, God-of-Grace; let me
Live in your word, learning your commands.
Leavened by your word and your commandments,
Let my hope shine and show your word in me.

Listening to these words, we see that they are true;
Listening, may we learn!
Lord, I pray, let your grace and mercy surround me.
Let me be comforted and be a comfort too.

Let your joy be strong and cradle my soul, and
let me be happy too.
Let me see sinners in failure when they miss the mark, and
Let not the righteous die a hundred deaths.
Lead us, as we join together to study your word,
to your comfortable place, God-of-Grace.
Let me examine my own heart,
Let me be honest and straight; fill me with real
integrity today.

M.  My Soul Aches to be Refreshed

My soul seemed weak for so long as I waited
for you–or did you wait for me?
My eyes were straining, bulging and blood-shot from looking
far and deep; I ask you again: How do I obey?
May I not be hung out to dry, not
bursting as I am hung out in the heat of the day.
Move me from this brittle reality, these
tough times I built up in my life.
Make me joyful in your word, blessed!
Joyfully blessed!
Joyful in God’s word!
Much persecuted, I complain anew, but help me!
May I still not abandon your guiding wisdom.
Make my life new, God-of-Mercy,
Make me fresh and new,
May I obey.
May I still obey your commandments,
even when I complicate them beyond the simple.
Merciful God, make my life new today.

C Thomas Bolton February 2012.

Posted in Poetry, Reflecting on Scripture | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Some Thoughts on Our Homeless Community

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Tom Bolton

I have been thinking this week about a few of the basic lessons I have learned about my community and about myself, as I have served the past few months at the Cold Weather Intervention in Milwaukee where I have helped out this past winter. Many lessons have been about me, some have been about how much I grew to love our guests in a short time, and other times I have been just delighted about the missionary servants in my home church.

First, I have consistently found that even though I sleep less than I plan to when I staff the mission at Divine Intervention, I get the best inspirations for meditating and writing during the wee hours of the night in that place.

I also find that I love to listen to, and come to understand, guests, who are much more like me than I expected I would find.

Along those lines, I have discovered that I have agonized over folks who had to leave the community for various reasons. I miss them as much as family. I pray for them like family. I have learned that I know much less about addictions, and particularly about alcoholism, than I thought I knew. I have confirmed though that addictions are as scary as I have thought for decades. I am right to fear my own addictive personality.

I am able to say NO better than I thought. It is still not my favored mode though.

I have more confidence in my ministry than I knew before.

I have learned too that there are named and un-named disciples in my home church who support my missions creatively and lovingly. My friend Val has made it a project to find the supplies we need, and has even thought of things that we needed, when I was too dense to realize it. She thought of air fresheners to add to our supplies; it never occurred to me even when I encountered a few stinky spots. Duh! I just thought that was part of our environment. An anonymous member of our prayer team, who sometimes confuses me with my son John (I think I really should be flattered!), prays for me when I am ill and can’t figure out what to make of it. She also prays and sends me cards to offer up her prayers with those (like some of the guests) whom I have lifted up in prayer. And she sends money to help support the missions! How cool is that.

When I am wondering if there are real disciples in the Church, some come and help me–just because they know what they are called to do. No pressures from me. They just come and help me. Wow–that inspires me!

Truly I heard the gentle brogue tonight,
a soft, genteel, lilt in his voice.
He could sell snow to Eskimo, would sell, and
yet I heard the uncertainty there, the
yearning for his mother’s word-caress.

So alone, he wanted to be loved.
Long ago, as I saw the homeless, there
were no Irish there, and I crossed the
street away.
Somehow I didn’t see Irish there,
but my eyes were welded, and I saw
What I would see.

How many Germans walk in here,
my eyes worn, patched now, but acute?
On the southside of Milwaukee, Germans
camp, and come in from the cold, heads high still,
these blond, grey gods, not wanting to be seen here.
Are there more homeless Germans than when
I was blind?

I saw so clearly when I was blind.
The weld on my eyes kept out the light pollution
and I saw what I would see.
So I came into the Light and
saw what I could see, when I came in,
and saw the sights not so sharp as what
I saw when I was blind.

C Thomas Bolton 12-31-11

Posted in About Tom, Poetry, Reflecting on Scripture | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Last Words

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Tom Bolton

Last Words

Hallelujiah! Glory Hallelujiah!
This is so great today–today I see it.
The righteous man, that old sinner who
started listening to God,
Now he is blessed!
He is blessed in beautiful ways.
It is God who blessed him,
and his kin are blessed too–
Blessed through him–by God!

He wrote his obituary, and its a good one.
God is in it. God wrote it. God loves it.
He isn’t afraid of being bad news.
He’s good news.
God is in him, and that is the news.

There are poor and sick folks who recall him,
Because he’s God’s man,
The righteous man lives on,
He’s God’s man,
and his work endures.
His Word endures–in the righteous man.

C 2012 Thomas Bolton

About 13 years ago, I started writing poetry in response to scripture.  My first poem in 1998, after a 30 year break from poetry, was my interpretation of Psalm 112.  I called it The Righteous Man.  It started me on a new path of writing.  Since then, I have often included a fifteen minute poetry exercise for my adult classes.  Last night, I had my group in Disciple Bible Study write on Psalm 112.  After some protests, they did a great job.

The poem above is my effort at that exercise on Psalm 112 last night.

Posted in Poetry, Reflecting on Scripture | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Still Deep in the Word

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Tom Bolton

These are my next three stanzas of On Word, Law and Life, as I work through Psalm 119, exploring how to live a righteous life.

On Word, Law and life

G. Grabbing His Name, Not Going to Fear

God-of-great-love, You give me hope, and I
grab your name and your word each night,
Glomming onto fear some nights, I recall God’s word, and in heaven there will be no suffering. God is good.
God-of-grace, here we suffer, or we suffer with those-who-suffer, and
God, yes, I grab onto your word.
Greedy for your comfort–I confess I am greedy–I
grasp your law, and at the threshold, I find
Goodness and comfort in the words.
Growing haughty and hot in anger at night,
holding onto fear in spite of myself, I
Grasp your name and hold it on my lips.
Going to a joyful place, in the Word, as in Psalms,
Joyfully Blessed!
Joyful in God’s word.
Grabbing hold of your name, God, this night,
Going away from fear,
Not going to deep sorrow, I turn to joy.
Guiding principles gild my heart now, and
God, you give me hope. Hope. Hope. Hope.

H. Hope Rises, Hope is High

Hope. I have hope. Hope is my inheritance.
I hold tightly to your words and look into them; it is my promise.
Heart-deep, heart-filled, I hear your blessing–my hope. Hope. 
Hearing my life over again–deep inside, and
Holding onto your word–I hasten to your calm, your guide.
Hesitating once, now with no halt, I
hasten to obey this day.
Hemp-ropes are tied about me, binds of my people, and I ignore
these binds today, positive in the word.
Heightened in this night, time perverted, I rise up,
hearing the word clearly in my head too,
Hopeful, friendly to brothers and sisters here in your word,
I have hope–Joy in the Word!
Hopeful, your mercy and justice find us;
hopeful, we heed these words of mercy–
Blessed! Joy in your word!

I.  In Judgement, Knowing

Jubilation!  I know how you treat me!
As you promised, you treat me just so.
Judgement and knowledge are in your word,
and you teach me each day, because I see
your commandments as jewels.
Just then, again I thought I might wander
away from you again, but I know that in suffering, I yearned again
to hold onto your word.
Joy in the Word, Blessed!
Joy in your word! Teach me.
Judged by haughty and self-righteous hedonists,
I am defamed some days, but I do best when I set these things far away and
obey what you put before me.
Jaundiced and cold, calloused really,
they don’t see me, and miss you, Lord,
but I am happy again, enriched by your word.
Joyful in the word, blessed!
Once I suffered and I learned from you:
Joy and Hope!
Judged by the measures of this fanciful society,
your words fill me more than any
Jeopardy winnings. You are my prize.

–C 2012 Thomas M. Bolton

Posted in Poetry, Reflecting on Scripture | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ruth Ann Knows this Night

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Tom Bolton

Miguel is full of malarkey tonight,
and I have been told to send him away,
and I know to do it, I need to do it,
but the covenant is hard tonight.

The food is seasoned to perfection today,
and everyone relishes it and loves each other especially tonight.
And I invite Miguel and his lady to eat with us before
they trek to a place they don’t yet know.

We speak of dementia and broken livers,
and she knows he is broken hard,
but she protects him and mothers him and keeps him close, hurrying him briefly,
protecting him, holding him, and denying the truth.

And they leave, and we inside are
Comfortable, warm and quiet, but
we miss Miguel tonight, miss his charm, miss his bologna, and
contemplate broken livers and dementia and
charming man-childs and missing cohorts, and
those who have fled the covenant.

It is quiet and calm tonight,
dark and misty,
and we fear for those outside.
Outside.
Outside of this home, men and
women remember homes and
dream.

Posted in Poetry, Reflecting on Scripture | Tagged , , | Leave a comment