Lord, take me home!
This world’s so full of woe
Sin and sadness all around —
Suffering abounds.
[…but where sin increased,
grace abounded all the more…]
Lord, how do I cope?
Please give me abundant hope.
Strengthen my song
And help me long …
For justice, peace,
Love and good will, until
All people love You,
And still ..
I’ll always long,
Until I can sing Your song.
As I write this, I’m 71. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard the Bible verse below, but today it finally sunk in, as if Jesus were speaking to me.
Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery: ‘“… Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.”’ (John 8:10-12)
If Jesus does not condemn the woman, then neither should I condemn myself for my sins or failings, but in gratitude, go on to live for Him and be holy with the help of His grace.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!” (Zechariah 9:9a)
It’s a mistake
To compare ourselves to others.
That sin do not dare —
For joy it surely smothers.
Don’t look askance
At gifts you have been given.
Grow gratitude —
Let yourself be shriven.
Joy everywhere —
Our happiness, so be it.
God is alive,
If we will but see it.
“If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.” (Psalm 130:3-4)
Wow! Indeed, who can stand before a holy, pure God? If He were like humans, He would have destroyed us long ago. Humans constantly find fault with one another. But the Lord is patient and kind. Yes, we will suffer consequences for our sins, but unlike many people, once we have repented, God forgets our sins. (see Psalm 103:11-13)
This life is one of tears and pain;
We once get up, and fall again.
Evil, sin, seep through the cracks;
The heart of man — God’s peace it lacks.
And yet, with patient, open arms,
Our Savior calls us from all harm.
A different path He offers us —
Of peace, of joy, of deep’ning trust.
When evil grows, when peace is shattered,
Cling to the cross; His Love’s what matters.
Have patience, and with growing faith,
Let God be guide to glorious fate.
The King is coming in mighty pow’r
We do not know the day nor hour
He’ll ride upon the thund’ring clouds
Midst lightning flashes and angel choirs
No longer will sin darken hearts
All sin away — its curse departs
In shining brilliance, true majesty,
The King is coming — all darkness flee!
Holy Spirit, carry me –
I cannot walk alone.
Son of God, deliver me
Unto my heav’nly home.
Father God, create in me
Love that for sin atones.
Saints in heaven, pray for me
For graces needed here.
Saints on earth, please do the same
Else I will fall, I fear.
Holy ones, in heav’n, on earth –
Help me love Jesus dear.
The road is long, the way so hard,
With sin and strife replete.
Yet, Jesus does a work in me,
A work He will complete.
***WARNING***: Morbid content.
[Note: I will be dismantling my broken compost bin. In general, they are a good thing, but should not have holes (like mine) where creatures can get in.]
———————————–
The rat appeared
In my compost bin.
So cute and furry;
It stared at me with fearful eyes.
Sadly, I knew it must go —
Rats multiply,
And sometimes spread disease.
I set the traps —
Keenly aware of my intent to kill.
Soon the trap was sprung,
But the poor creature was still alive.
I felt like a soldier.
I didn’t want to kill it,
But humans must be protected also.
The creature was just being itself,
Trying to survive.
I won’t tell how it finally died.
———————————————-
When Adam and Eve sinned,
Death entered the world.
Weighed down
By our sin and suffering,
You sweated blood.
How did you persevere?
Knowing the evil within us,
You still loved us.
Having mercy,
You forgave.
You healed.
Confronting evil,
You were crucified.
Freely laying down your life,
You took it up again.
Savior of the world,
Save us!
clarakatalin 
Siren Warning
Next to our church building is a building housing the school gym, meeting rooms, and other facilities. On top of the building sits a community [air raid] siren, which is tested every first Wednesday of the month at noon. I believe the main purpose of the siren system is to give warning if a tornado has been sighted in that particular county. Of course, it could be used for other warnings. You’re supposed to have a way (radio or otherwise) to find out what it’s about. I am grateful for those who set up and maintain a system to warn people of danger.
Today (first Wednesday of the month) we were worshiping at the 11:30 Mass in the church, and the siren blasted off at noon, before Mass was finished. The priest just keot going and the people acted like nothing was happening, except little kids who probably got scared by it. It IS quite loud, being perhaps 100 to 200 feet away. The first few times I heard sirens here, they were a bit scary, though I learned that the first Wednesday occurrence at noon is just a test. The real ones are scarier. My first one happened just after arriving home in the dark, under a heavy downpour of rain. I heard the siren and didn’t know what to do, being my first summer in the midwest. I called my son’s mother-in-law (we are quite good friends), and while on the call, I think the siren stopped. But it turns out, you are probably supposed to go to your basement to be safer.
The homily (talk by the priest) included a warning about being in a faction or “tribe” and losing sight of the overall transcendence of God because you’re bogged down in your own opinion, wanting to be right, or boasting about your own “tribe”. (This was inspired by the Scripture text: 1 Corinthians, chapter 3.) Many homilies or sermons, if the church is worth its salt, warn about attitudes and sins that are not pleasing to God, and/or not helpful to the unity of the church. So, be grateful when you are given a warning. It might save you and others a lot of grief.
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