The Fabric of War


​A man sits pleasantly 

In his overstuffed chair.  

Happily he stares out the window,

At the peaceful world out there.
I see it too.

Like all the rest of you.

But I also see something more.

I see the fabric of War.
The tapestry of nature;

Love, Hope, Faith, sure.

But I see through to the other side,

Those things to which those three are blind.
Engaged against a cunning foe,

Who employs the joyful and much more.

He sits and lurks among the leaves,

Watching, waiting, peace to deceive.
Be at peace old man and be there till,

Your Sun goes down and your body lay still.

You’ve escaped the blood you’ve escaped the Valor,

But what will you say when your skin is clay pallor?
White hot seduction screams contentiously by;

Tracers cutting air, in a bloodthirsty line.

Till one of them strikes through my vulnerable thigh.

Then angry, YES, am I!
Who is to blame?

It’s not you, it’s not me.

It’s the fabric of War!

Why, old man,

Can’t you see?
The time of repose is not in this life.

This is the place of blood, death and strife.

I’d rather be wounded, approved and endure;

Living strong in “The Faith of HE who is Sure
But do rest and enjoy the picture you see,

Whether stillness of beauty, or the warring disease.

Do not let your soul be caught shaken my friends.

But fight, oh do fight, to the promised strong End!

Snooze Equals Lose


Think Eternity:

War is nothing more than legalized murder.  That is irrefutable.  But define murder.

Murder by starvation takes a long time.  But with the intent to see it through, it is murder from the beginning.  In its essence, murder is the removal of true freedom.  And isn’t that the nature of this entire world?

This may seem a little bit of a leap in linear thought, but the withholding of the Gospel from those who desperately need it; isn’t that murder on a degree unprecedented?  The Gospel offers eternal life and true freedom.  Again, define murder.

Perhaps that’s a little harsh.  Kind of like the rude alarm clock on Monday morning.  Get in the habit of hitting snooze and you may well lose your job.

Gate Guard


“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”  (Hebrews 12: 14)

How easily we accept peace among the people, but disregard the holiness.

We pray that God will help us in our lives.  Are we then a blessing to God?  Or do we love Man and despise the Living Gods Holy command?

Is it possible we think we will be well received for these things? 

Fine, we love those we choose to love.  But how quick we are to hate.  With that in mind, how can I say more and expect these words to be received. 

Doesn’t pride stand guard over the gate of every man’s house?

Love -VS- Fear


Love has a name.  So does fear.  The first is referred to as Light.  The second is utter Darkness.  Where there is no light, the darkness muses like a toxic fume.  But even a lantern can dispel enough for a man to work.

Food for thought.

The Man, the Predator


I’m not sure how to begin this post.  But I do know what I want to say.  I’m saying this from one man to all other men.  And I firmly believe I have the backing of my Lord Jesus.

See the beautiful woman, the one you found yourself lusting after.  You remember all the delicate wickedness you let roam around free in your mind.  You know what I’m talking about.

Put that aside and pull up a chair.  Let me show you what the Lord showed me.

In the beginning he made them male and female.  But this was the limit imposed on their bodies.  Their soul has no gender.

Death comes and the body is laid in the ground.  But the genderless soul goes to wait for the glorification of our God in Jesus. 

What are we doing?  We are persecuting another soul.  We do damage to ourselves, this is beyond debate.  But let your heart consider the following:
They did not ask to be female.  They did not ask to be an object of lust.  They want love and acceptance and freedom to live as God intended them to be.  What right then do you have to destroy their desire?

I speak of these things from their perspective.  Every beautiful woman has a man close behind her.  She doesn’t have to guess.  She doesn’t have to turn around.  Can you imagine the feeling of being watched by a predator everyday of your life?  Who are you to inflict such fear on another?

I do not need to speak to you about the judgment to come.  That place where every man will give account for what he has done in the body.  I speak to you as a fellow man.  Curb your lust!  Stop being full of murder.

The Sprout of Salvation


It is not frustrating.  And it is not in vain.

It is frustrating when we perceive the things of God from our own mind and heart.  For then, our work for the Living God seems fruitless.

We speak to our brother about Christ, but he casts us away as if we are insane.  He goes about his business of death with a smile on his face, as if he has just vanquished a foolish enemy.  Calling us names in his mind, heart, and words, he considers us vile and useless.

He happily goes back to his useless gods:  “To these I am familiar.  I understand when they speak about my dreams and ambitions.  They are set concretely by the evidence of History.  This nation or that has relied heavily on the traditions I love so much.  The after life is mysterious.  But these gods give me consolation in my sorrow.  They speak well of my potential.”

With the sleight-of-hand that belongs to death, he throws away our testimony for Christ.  Our words are full of fault in his eyes.  For they give no praise or quarter to man.  The testimony of Christ is foolishness to such people.

I consider this with sober mind.  I want his salvation.  I want to hear the praise of Christ on his lips.  I want to see a changed heart that is willing to learn and love.

But I am caught up in frustration.  The very thing I do not have a right to own.  For salvation does not belong to me.  It is not within my grasp to grant or to take away.  I cannot open the eyes of his heart.  I cannot open his ears that he should hear.  And I cannot manipulate his heart that he should learn to love and to be humble.

Salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb.  For he dispenses his wisdom from heaven.  What he gives, when he gives, and how he gives, is dictated by eternity.  And he does not speak the Gospel to us in words that can be spoken or perceived by Man. 

God speaks his Gospel to us in the faithfulness that surrounds us.  He speaks in a language that never ceases.  He speaks vast volumes of books in a short and poignant sentence. 

All the while Man looks for the key.  But his hands are not big enough to handle the object of release which God offers from heaven.

What is the summation of this?  I confess I do not know. 

I have spoken to my brother.  I have acted toward him in a godly fashion, full of love and desire to understand.  I have prayed for him consistently.  And I strive, with all I have, to be patient.  Still the sun has not risen in his heart.  And now he has ordered me to stop speaking to him about such things.  In fact, he has vowed to stop speaking to me altogether. The door to him is now slammed shut.

Here I sit, just outside his door, wondering and perplexed.

Let the wisdom of God be the wisdom of God.  What more can I say?  It is not mine to wield the mystery of salvation.  It is simply mine to cast the seeds about, letting the wind of God direct their fall.

I cannot give the Living God counsel.  It is mine simply to be faithful.  In war we can watch as others are killed.  And there is nothing we can do to stop it.  In life, some will live and some will die.  Who are we to say no to the One who has made all things perfectly well?

But I wonder.  What are we learning through all this?  What are we gaining through the loss that is so prevalent about us?  Who are we, as we stand in the midst of a Slaughter?  Hip deep in spiritual blood, what is the value is our life in Christ to those who die?

The answer lies in a language I have never heard.  This puzzle piece fits perfectly in the vast array of God’s glorious eternity.  God is not anxious about such a question.  For he has had the answer long before the world was ever made.

Does this give me peace?  The peace this gives me lives in the place I cannot translate.  For still I am anxious to see Christ appear in my brother.  And doesn’t every Christian feel the same?

Holy Father, we leave these things in your hand for that is where your wisdom has dictated it shall be.  Salvation is yours.  Still we pray in earnest that your love should appear. 

“By Your Grace”, you have taught me.  And I am convinced there is no other answer.  Your strength is Christ Jesus.  Still we beg you to move, yet according to your wisdom.