Impressed With a Trust

Impressed With a Trust Copyright Doug Blair, Waterloo ON, 2020

Don’t Just Take My Word Posted on ​January 31, 2020

Check it all out After you hear me share it Paul at Berea Wanted no other way.

Zealous he was

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For the Gospel to birth life But he knew vulnerable All he might say.

They had God’s Word Final arbiter holy They knew that it Would keep every path straight.

Everyone blessed By this proof-reading perfect Everyone wiser to measure and wait.

The Child In My Lap Posted on ​November 22, 2019

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You calculate and argue You stir up many doubts But you had best be careful No little child left out You think your way the better But see this Lad so small In comfort near my heartbeat And trusting once for all.

The bottom line is my love The sense I’d never stop And see he listens carefully Such faith I never drop.

So just get small and humble And let me sort things out The simplest path to blessing And insights most devout.

(painting by James Tissot)

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Self Assured…and stinking

We have it here in bundles

The programs and the power

The favourite flow

Of song and show

That gobbles up the hour.

The frequent intimations

That Jesus is so pleased

The Gospels now a know-it-all

We’re climbing other trees…

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That point to self-improvement

That thrive on pot-luck fare

That look away from judgment

Repentance hardly there.

(And THERE the train stops rolling

The glorious Gospel train

That purges all the heartache

That leads to “born again”.

The early saints shook nations

‘Repenting unto life’

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And winning battles just through love

And coming through all strife.

They shook themselves in glorious prayer

And quietly took the Town

While we gaze in our mirrors

And let His Gospel down.)

Prayer Posture

Heavenly Father I rue The comments I have made

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Starting with something like

“We here at St. Something’s Church…

Have a handle on…

Must congratulate ourselves for…”

It all smacks of self assurance

Of schism

Of putting up walls of comparison

Of competition

Of putrid pride.

Didn’t Jesus pray for a worldwide assembly?

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T​hose who had heard the call like beggars

Who had trusted in courageous innocent blood

Who longed for openings of Grace?

Who were united?

Father correct my focus

Correct my faith

How else am I in all honesty

An ambassador of reconciliation?

A peacemaker?

As you would have it.

The Inevitable Follow-Up

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I see them Coming through the journey Grief and fear And the reproach: ‘Teller of hopeful tales Host with miracle bread Mender of broken hearts But somehow too soft For this place of push Leverage and convenient lies.’

But as promised My Love is now inside Father’s Love the same And winds of change Haunt them with Possibilities.

New creations I promised And they lean forward In expectation.

Not at all like Their cowering after the Cross.

They will travel far Speak to great and small Find themselves possessed Of words of Heavenly origin.

Radiating...yes radiating My care and compassion My calm and conviction My Father’s Kingdom at hand.

Quite over with customary Fear of death or dearth.

Waiting happily Upon Spirit’s whisperings.

As rescued Family develops Around their remarkable huddle.

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And the promised mansions In my care...are waiting All a-shimmer.

Ephesians 1: 15 ​Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 1​ 6 d ​ o not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: ​17 ​that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ​18 ​the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ​19 ​and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ​20 w ​ hich He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ​21 ​far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

Nasty Christians Need to Learn I shouldn’t need to change you I shouldn’t need to pound.

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Perhaps you’ve been mistreated And left with hurts profound Perhaps you met a Christian Who cut you to the core Or left you feeling dirty And second-rate for sure.

My job is not the doctrine To cram into your heart.

My job is dauntless loving That sets His Church apart.

The kind that walked the seaside And bid the hurting near The kind that healed the wounded And took away death’s fear.

He didn’t need agreement He didn’t need to win He simply showed a kindness That made men loathe their sin.

And He is all my pattern And He is all my pride.

And He is waiting near you To put His Love inside.

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