My hope for you

Poetry speaks to our minds and hearts and is meant to communicate more than the sum of its words. It is an apt expression of our walk with the Lord. I encourage you to forward this link to those you love. I pray this poetry leads you into reflection and prayer but I also want to start a conversation. You, too, have something to share with others-not only in person, but also here. Your experience is yours to give away to build up and learn from others in the Body of Christ. Share the word that you hear, the experiences you have lived. We are all part of the New Evangelization.If you also want to contact me by email, feel free: genefirn@yahoo.com

Table of contents: October 7, 2012

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The Question

unbelief fosters a
vague uneasiness about life
an anxiousness that
lingers beyond all
logical explanations
coating emotions with the
ground fog of insecurity
that even accompany
protestations of confidence
that all is well like...
attempting to navigate
life's  journey with no
GPS to guide the way to
constantly changing destinations
while unforeseen detours
even dead-ends harass our
dream trip into a nightmare
life's goals sometimes are
at odds with competitors
perhaps even partners
falling way short of ideals-
desires that motivated
years of effort and sacrifice
producing unpromising results
leaving disappointment in its wake...
then there's that, you know,
never enough
always more ?
another mountain to climb
one more gold medal to win
another championship trophy to kiss
all transitory satisfactions that will
pass into faded memories when the
present drains into a distant past
fame and beauty are
terrified of time which
attacks them without conscience
leaving only wrinkled photographs
and dusty scrapbooks to boast about
what used to be but will
never be anything more than
transitory fulfillment in the
race of life never quite
living up to their billing as the
sine qua non of happiness
because there are always those
terrible tremors of loss that
foster feelings of despair
when answers fail to satisfy
questions about life's trials
suffering and heartache
whether from circumstances of
pride's downfall
sickness
weakness of character
broken promises
fractured relationships
plain ol' sin
troubles of too many kinds
too few that are
acceptable with any
measure of peace and...
last but not least there's that
end...over...done...gone...passed away
ie  death thing that we really
don't like to talk about
as in the certitude of finality
so...all this and more
leads me to
ask the question
is this all there is?

Reflection/Discussion:
-Does unbelief foster the stated description? Why/not?
-What if this is actually all there is?
-What if there is an afterlife? How does that affect the way you live now?
-Why are you here? What is your purpose for living?
-Why don't we talk about death? Explain.
-How do you talk about eternal truths to someone in today's culture?
-Prepare a 5-10 minute explanation of your relationship with God.



Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Golden Throne

THE GOLDEN THRONE

at the center of your being 
resides the core of who you are -
your heart of hearts - there stands
the Golden Throne- the Royal
Seat of Authority over the 
entire kingdom of your life...
it is a position due great homage /
fealty for the allegiance of your 
life is to the one who sits upon 
that Throne regarding all personal
interests - private and public - 
nothing escapes the purview of 
the Lord and Master - all matters       
of purpose / agendas: priorities..
commitments...responsibilities....
time... money... careers... morality...
sins...virtues...speech...affiliations...
recreation....relationships...family....
faith...who or what you worship...
decisions of what or what not to do... 
each territory of your kingdom is 
under the control of the one who 
reigns with Authority upon the 
Golden Throne...that reality is 
reflected in the fruit of your daily 
life which leads Me to ask you to
examine yourself carefully...answer 
truthfully...for your response may 
eventually lead even to Eternal Life 
or Death...is it you or is it the Lord 
of Lords and the King of Kings that 
you obey and - in the end - Worship? 
if it is you... know that in Reality 
there are only two Kingdoms - the 
Kingdom of God and the kingdom 
of this world whose master is the 
Evil One and therefore the kingdom 
of your life is in reality ruled by the 
Enemy - even though you may not 
even believe in his existence since 
his kingdom is cloaked with deception     
and whose dominion can only lead               
to the Eternal Fires so... if that is the 
case now is a very opportune time to 
relinquish your control while you still 
have time because you do not know 
the day or the hour of My Return when
you will face Final Judgement...so to 
you I say 'Repent and Believe the 
Gospel' it is as simple as saying 'Forgive
me, Lord Jesus... Be my Lord and Savior...
I will Follow you'....then...seek Me daily...
learn to listen for My Spirit will lead you...
immerse your heart in My Word...become 
an intentional disciple with others who 
Follow Me and know that I will never 
leave you nor forsake you... and now I Speak 
to you who have already pledged your loyalty 
to Me...examine the kingdom of your life - 
have you handed over each territory to Me 
or are you hesitant...reluctant...still holding 
on to some precious domains which you 
most covet - perhaps personal habits...only
going 'so far' in 'letting go' before 'holding 
on'?....the Enemy knows your weaknesses...
the tendencies of your fallen nature / 
attractions to pleasure / pride's ruthless 
dominion which must be broken in order 
to be fully Redeemed...again...by their 
fruits you will know who Rules each territory 
then...proceed accordingly...Life is a Process 
of Recapturing what the Enemy has plundered 
through Original Sin's inborn consequences 
as well as each person's complicity by their
own sinful decisions...Holiness is the Goal...
Grace is the Means...Surrender is the Process...
Love is the Summation...so...Examine yourself 
thoroughly...Ask My Spirit to Lead you...Guide 
you...Strengthen you...Change you... for there 
is no more crucial question than this...
Who sits upon the Golden Throne?

Reflection/Discussion:
-Have you invited Jesus to sit on the Golden Throne of your life?
-If you are not sure, is there anything keeping you from inviting Him now?
-If yes, what is it and why is it keeping you back?
-What does "Repent and Believe the Gospel" practically mean?
-How does the "fruit" of our lives reflect who sits on the throne?
-Which of the areas mentioned are / not fully under the Lordship of Jesus?
-In what ways? 
-Pick the most important and work on that.
-What does 'intentional disciple' mean?
-Find them and get involved with them.
-What steps can you take to grow in your relationship with the Lord?