Reflections on Genesis 12-23: Abraham and Sarah

“Sarah”

From land to Land we chose to roam,
Following visions, voices, and hope.
We built many altars, spent our share of grace.
Still on our minds uncertainty weighs.
 
Sarah,
Through what we’ve come,
For all we’ve seen,
I could never lose belief.

I gave you away, two times a lie.
You went without question, provocation, or fight.
Riches you brought upon each return.
In scandal and fear, we both knew rebirth.

Sarah,
Through it all we’ve known
In the dark has grown,
A fair glimmer of light.

We’ll hold on. We’ll hold on!
Through barrenness in a barren Land.
First the womb, and then the sand,
Life will come! Life will come!

 

 

Soul, Speak!

“Soul, Speak!”
by Eric B. Dixon

Father, close my lips that I might show forth Your praise!
Deafening silence amplifies a fortissimos life,
As one conversant with the stain of an untimely utterance.

Father, close my lips that I might show forth Your praise!
Solicitous humility echoes resounding muteness,
As one who knows the miraculous in Annunciation.

Father, close my lips that I might show forth Your praise!
Universal ken refashions a turgid tongue,
As She whose soul sings and heart harbors Treasure.

“Mary” by Margaret Adams Parker

Through Change and Transition

“Let There be Light” by Eric B. Dixon

This is my iconic story,
A milagro of God’s muscles
Ringing forth and generating this spirited purge,
Illuminating the depth of my humanness.
Watch, be moved.
Allow, know sustenance
In a loving exchange between the dark and light,
Feeling not the weight of experience,
But embracing solely the Newness
There and then,
Here and now.

 

 

Prayer In Humility

A prayer by Thomas Aquinas:

“O creator past all telling, you have appointed from the treasures of your wisdom the hierarchies of angels, disposing them in wondrous order above the bright heavens, and have so beautifully set out all parts of the universe. You we call the true fount of wisdom and the noble origin of all things. Be pleased to shed on the darkness of mind in which I was born, The twofold beam of your light and warmth to dispel my ignorance and sin. You make eloquent the tongues of children. Then instruct my speech and touch my lips with graciousness. Make me keen to understand, quick to learn, able to remember; make me delicate to interpret and ready to speak. Guide my going in and going forward, lead home my going forth. You are true God and true man, and live for ever and ever. Amen.”

Blessings and Peace,

eric

Who Am I?

Who am I? This has been a constant question throughout my life. At times, I have found systemic answers through solidarity with friends of similar interest, but I find this new identity seems to cloud my true self within the context of mutual appreciation. As a bodily member of the community of believers that maintain Jesus Christ as Lord and Messiah, I do resonate the desparate cry of all creation in its awaiting for the children of God to be revealed in the transformation that is to take place for us all in the Parousia (Rom. 8:19-22). But, who am I? We who have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, that is the blessing and promise of God’s covenant with His people, await the fulness of God’s kingdom and His presence that will come in the Parousia. God’s presence will infuse all of creation, the souls of those who have died will return to renewed/transformed bodies, and those who are living will be transformed from perishabe to imperishable. Even here and now the Holy Spirit gives us the power to say ‘No’ to sin, and ‘Yes’ to ethical and moral responsibilities in the covenantal relationship with Him. In the Holy Spirit, we make ourselves slaves to God because we are being fused with Christ  just as the Kingdom of God is overlapping with this present age. But, who am I? I often find encouragement and solace in maintaining who I am in, and to whom I belong.  In the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “I do not know who I am, but I know I belong to you God.” Praise be to God who makes us His people by establishing His promises through His Holy Spirit given to us!

Blessings and Peace,

eric

The Power Of The Psalm

                 Dietrich Bonhoeffer described the Psalm as “pure grace that God tells us how we can speak and have fellowship with Him.” In the Psalm we find a connection to Christ in its fulfillment. It is only in Christ that every Psalmist discovers the answer to their petition or the illumination of their request. Praying the Psalms is not only powerful, it is also existential. In praying the Psalms we feel the Holy Spirit integrating the unspeakable with spoken word. This can be seen in Paul’s declaration to the Romans in chapter 8, verses 26-27. In our weakness the Holy Spirit speaks to God on our behalf with groans deeper than words. When we pray we come into the presence of God through Christ in humility; a humility that could extend from weakness and depression, guilt and confusion, or maybe even faith and love, or joy and reverence. The Psalm is our way to express that which cannot be felt or understood during our time of uncertainty and misdirection. We find certainty and direction in Christ being the fulfillment of the Psalm, and we pray the Psalm to find our way to understanding the hope and peace we can have in that knowledge.

Blessings and Peace,

eric

Laughing With Sarah by Gene Jennings- book blog

Gene Jennings provides a unique opportunity for small groups to engage in conversations that will stretch new followers and veterans alike. Jennings utilizes simplistic language with practical analogies to develop storylines and messages that are to promote application within everyday living. Laughing With Sarah would be a great asset to any small group that has intermingled levels of spiritual maturity. Jennings accomplishes a blending of discipleship and fellowship with Laughing With Sarah that will help integrate each individual into the conversation initiated by a small group study.

Blessings and Peace,

eric

The Tree

On embarking toward sincere ambitions 

To fulfill life’s various goals for the individual’s self,

One must remember to revert to the origin of their creation.

 

The tree was created to grow,

And by no merit of its own,

Lives out its life doing just that.

Blessings and Peace,

eric