Mary's Song

Blue homespun and the bend of my breast

keep warm this small hot naked star

fallen to my arms.  (Rest...

you who have had so far to come.)

Now nearness satisfies

the body of God sweetly.  Quiet he lies

whose vigor hurled a universe.  He sleeps

whose eyelids have not closed before.

His breath (so slight it seems

no breath at all) once ruffled the dark deeps

to sprout a world.  Charmed by doves' voices,

the whisper of straw, he dreams,

hearing no music from his other spheres.

Breath, mouth, ears, eyes,

he is curtailed who overflowed all skies,

all years.  Older than eternity, now he

is new.  Now native to earth as I am, nailed

to my poor planet, caught

that I might be free, blind in my womb

to know my darkness ended,

brought to this birth for me to be new-born,

and for him to see me mended,

I must see him torn.

                     Luci Shaw

Descent

Down he came from up,

and in from out,

and here from there.

A long leap,

an incandescent fall

from magnificent

to naked, frail, small,

through space,

between stars,

into our chill night air,

shrunk, in infant grace,

to our damp, cramped

earthy place

among all

the shivering sheep.

And now, after all,

there he lies,

fast asleep.  


           Luci Shaw

Progress

We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.
 

                                                                                                                    C.S. Lewis

Made Flesh

After the bright beam of hot annunciation

fused heaven with dark earth

his searing sharply-focused light

went out for a while

eclipsed in amniotic gloom:

his cool immensity of spendor

his universal grace

small-folded in a warm dim

female space-- 

the Word stern-sentenced

to be nine months dumb-- 

infinity walled in a womb

until the next enormity--the Mighty,

after submission to a woman's pains

helpless on a barn-bare floor

first-tasting bitter earth.

Now, I in him surrender

to the crush and cry of birth.

Because eternity 

was closeted in time

he is my open door

to forever.

From his imprisonment my freedoms grow,

find wings.

Part of his body, I transcend this flesh.

From his sweet silence my mouth sings.

Out of his dark I glow.

My life, as his,

slips through death's mesh,

time's bars,

joins hands with heaven,

speaks with stars.

                                    Luci Shaw

The Risk of Birth

This is no time for a child to be born,

With the earth betrayed by war & hate

And a nova lighting the sky to warn

That time runs out & the sun burns late.

That was no time for a child to be born,

In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;

Honour & truth were trampled by scorn--

Yet here did the Saviour make his home.

When is the time for love to be born?

The inn is full on the planet earth,

And by greed & pride the sky is torn--

Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.

                            Madeleine L'Engle

Thought for Thanksgiving

"Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart."

                                                              Seneca

God's Mercy

There's a wideness in God's mercy

I cannot find in my own

And He keeps His fire burning

To melt this heart of stone

Keeps me aching with a yearning

Keeps me glad to have been caught

In the wreckless raging fury

That they call the love of God.

                                   Rich Mullins

The Quality of Mercy

The quality of mercy is not strained.

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven,

Upon the place beneath.

It is twice blessed.

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

It is mightiest in the mightiest,

It becomes the throned monarch better than his crown.

His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,

An attribute to awe and majesty.

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.

But mercy is above this sceptred sway,

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,

It is an attribute to God himself.

And earthly power dost become likest God's,

Where mercy seasons justice.

Therefore...

Though justice be thy plea, consider this,

That in the course of justice we all must see salvation,

We all do pray for mercy

And that same prayer doth teach us all to render the deeds of mercy.

                                                               Excerpt from The Merchant of Venice,

                                                               William Shakespeare

The Love of Freedom

"None can love freedom heartily but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license."

                                                                                                 John Milton

                                                                                                               

                                                                                                         

A Glorious Paradox

As bond-servants of Christ, Christians are free from...

...eternal death.

...a life dominated by sin.

...the standards of secular culture.

...the expectations of others.

...the need to earn our position before God.

...the need to prove ourselves.

...the need to succeed.

...the tyranny of ourselves.

...the need to please others.

...the need to compete with others.

My Top Ten Principles of Forgiveness

1.   Forgiveness is a God-thing.

2.   Forgiveness is a free gift.  It can't be earned.

3.   Forgiveness is an exercise of faith.

4.   Forgiveness is a privilege, allowing us to partake in the nature of God.

5.   Forgiveness is the gracious release of an offense.

6.   Forgiveness opens the door for debt-free relationship.

7.   Forgiveness is a choice, independent of feelings.

8.   Forgiveness is completely separate and distinct from justice.

9.   Forgiveness is a process, a path.

10. Forgiveness is a powerful antidote for bitterness.

Dr. Gupta on the Pursuit of Happiness

 “Most of us have thought, 'If only I could win the lottery, then I'd be happy forever.' But according to one of the first studies to look at long-term happiness, major life events, like a sudden cash windfall, are not what make us happy, rather, it's the priorities we set in life....”

 

 “How do you change so-called life goals? According to Heady, one way may involve concentrating on helping others, or making family, rather than material possessions, a priority. People who prioritized having a good marriage, a good relationship with their children, and being involved in social and political activities reported higher levels of life satisfaction over time. On the other hand, researchers found those who focused primarily on being able to buy what they wanted or being successful in their careers reported less happiness.”

                                          pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/05

My Ten Top Mythys About Forgiveness

1.    Forgiveness minimizes the offense, says that it's "OK."

2.    Forgiveness eliminates pain and anger.

3.    Forgiveness must be earned.

4.    Forgiveness means forgetting.

5.    Forgiveness means reconciliation.

6.    Forgiveness requires confrontation.

7.    Forgiveness eliminates justice, lets the offender "off the hook."

8.    Forgiveness is evaluated and measured by emotions.

9.    Forgiveness is always a one-time event.

10.  Forgiveness is a sign of weakness.

Thought for the Day

Men do not differ much about what things they will call evils; they differ enormously about what evils they will call excusable.

                                                                                    G.K. Chesterton

Christian Virtue

"We might think that God wanted simply obedience to a set of rules: whereas He really wants people of a particular sort."

                                                                                                C.S. Lewis

Lesson From My Childhood

The person who chooses to be his own master ends up serving a tyrant.

The Meaning of Life

This life therefore, is not righteousness

but growth in righteousness,

not health but healing,

not being but becoming,

not rest but exercise.

We are not yet what we shall be,

but we are growing toward it,

the process is not yet finished,

but it is going on,

this is not the end,

but it is the road.

All does not yet gleam in glory,

but all is being purified.

Martin Luther

Thought Life

"If I stand, let me stand on the promise, that you will see me through,

And if I can't, let me fall on the grace that first brought me to you."

                                                                              Rich Mullins

Perisseia, Fall 2010

Forgiveness: the concept draws different responses from different people.  Is forgiveness a must?  An option?  A blessing?  A curse?  A stick with which to beat hurting people?  What is the Biblical message of forgiveness, and how does that message apply to our lives today?  Perisseia, Windsor Chapel's growth group for women, will begin an 8-week series on the principles of forgiveness in September.  The series will be based on a Biblically-based and practical workbook by Drs. Les Carter and Frank Minirth, The Choosing to Forgive Workbook. 

Perisseia women's group is a safe place for women to heal, learn, and grow together.  Meetings are held Thursday evenings, 7:00-8:30, at Windsor Chapel, in the Chapel House.  No commitment or preparation is required.  The purchase of a workbook ($11.00) is optional.