Every Little Thought I Type

 

Every little thought I type

Comes out garbled on the screen.

The words go through my fingers

To the keys and then…

 

Gibberish glitters back at me.

I can’t print that.

What is wrong with the word processor?

Those words on that screen are meaningless.

 

My heart would tell you

So much more like the leaves

Falling golden from the trees

In a pulsing continuum…

 

But word processing can’t capture

The steady rhythm of my

Heartbeat as I type the words

Which disappear between keys and screen.

 

September 2021

 

Harry Orchard Assassinates Governor Steunenberg (Micro-Fiction)

 

KABAM! The bomb explosion rang in his ears as he walked back to the hotel. The blast sent Harry running back in the snowy darkness. When he got there, he paid no mind to the other guests but went right to his room. He heard someone say the window casings had shaken, but that was all the scuttle he heard.

           Inside his room he remembered all the buzz from past years up north. Bill, the union boss, made no qualms about telling Harry he didn’t think he had the nerve to do it. Bill had bought him dinner at the Tiger Hotel in Burke, nudging Harry just enough to get his ire going again about the miner’s union dispute. He knew dynamite. He could do this.

            Bill talked about, Steunenberg, a Democrat labor sweetheart now clearly bought off by big money. The union had helped elect him! Harry remembered how that colored regiment was brought in, how they mocked them, white miners in bullpens. “What you gonna do with those wooden rifles you be carving behind those fences?”

            He had nothing to do with the explosion at the Frisco mine yet he had been detained for weeks being mocked by those colored boys just for being union. Colored boys sent by the President at the governor’s bidding.

Here he was, ears still ringing, down in Caldwell. He may have lacked nerve before all this, but Bill was wrong. Steunenberg was blown all over his lawn because of Harry’s new-found nerve.

Rage

Rage

 

Morning brings all the joy of renewal,

Yet every morn is still a sense of loss.

Renewal can’t come without something lost.

Each sunrise gave way to night that began

With sunset. Each newborn cry is only

The remnant of yesterday’s funeral.

Yet we persist in oblivion to

What went before, never knowing there’s

Nothing new under the sun. Yet aphorisms flow

For ignorance is bliss, indeed, and

Without it we could never go into

That good night that beats like the hearts

Within our chests, repeating its cycle

Of joy and sorrow. Right now, I live in

This cycle of choosing rejoicing o’er

Depression. But perhaps I’ve gotten to

Where I’m not really sure the difference,

Yet I will rage, rage against the black night.

 

October 2019

 

Sermon For the New Year, Presented by me at Grace Community Church, Potlatch, ID, December 31, 2023

             I have to confess that I have never been one to make New Year’s Resolutions. I had a cousin when I was in high school who resolved to commit suicide for the new year and he did it. I think that might have soured me on New Year’s resolutions. But I have also always figured if I need to do something, change something, or resolve anything, I should do it when I make that decision. I don’t save resolutions for the New Year. I’m not knocking New Year’s resolutions, I’m just saying it’s not my style and I don’t need a therapist to explain why.

            That doesn’t mean that I don’t use the new year to take stock of the wonderful things in my life and the, perhaps, less than wonderful things in my life. I love to celebrate Auld Lang Syne—Old times and remember the great things that have occurred over the year or years, but there are always shortcomings in our lives because we’re human. So I want to look at the scriptures from today’s lectionary and take stock of them, what they say about us so that we can renew resolutions that we have already made.

            I’m going to start with the Psalm: 1 “Praise the Lord.^[a]How good it is to sing praises to our God,  how pleasant and fitting to praise him!” While it’s probably true that God enjoys it when we praise Him, He certainly doesn’t need it. We don’t praise Him because He needs it. It’s a bit simplistic to ever think He is as arrogant as all that. We need to praise Him to keep our thoughts positive. I know I’m not the only person in here who reads, sees, or hears the news headlines. They are almost exclusively negative. Note that I said almost. I read an article in Time Magazine this past week that focused on how 2023 was actually a good year in many ways. Violent crimes in the United States have dropped considerably, yet I would never have guessed that by any other article in Time. The article also stated that we are really making headway on slowing our output of greenhouse gases. These are all things to praise God for. And those are the ones that affect us all, but if you read the Psalm further, it lists myriads of reasons to praise God. He covers the sky with clouds;
    he supplies the earth with rain
    and makes grass grow on the hills.
⁹ He provides food for the cattle
    and for the young ravens when they call.

¹⁰ His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
¹¹ the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love

 In spite of our negative news feeds, our David and Debbie downer outlooks, God is in control and He really does know what He is doing, even when we don’t. How pleasant and fitting to Praise Him! We need to resolve to continue praising God, to give thanks in everything. The boat floats, not because of our ingenuity, but because of God. I’m reminded of Peter in Matthew 14: “²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” “

We need to hold to our resolution of knowing why the boat floats and praise Him for that so that we will stop looking down and look up. That’s how you stay afloat.

            Now don’t get me wrong, I’m well aware that that saying “Be Happy” in, and of, itself, does not work. I’m not even saying “Fake it ‘til you make it” because that doesn’t work very often either. The reasons to praise God are infinite, and by doing it, we stop looking at ourselves and work to make things better for everyone. Sometimes we just have to consciously make an effort. Get outside. Call a friend. Go for a walk. Tell someone thank you for something they did that you noticed, even if they didn’t know they did it. Gratitude for all we have and those around us are vital ways to praise Him. All praise must go to Him.

Look at Isaiah 61 ¹⁰ I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹ For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
    and praise spring up before all nations.

            That praise that we give really originates with God, not us at all. We have done absolutely nothing of our own beyond simple belief, so we don’t need to be cry babies saying “Woe is me, I’m so worthless.” Of course, we are. It is by God’s grace that we are here and everything we have, everything we do, everything is by His grace. He gives our praise, our possessions, our eye color, our aching bones by grace because we don’t deserve any of it (except, maybe, the aching bones). He adorns us like a bride: the bride of Christ. Any righteousness we have comes from Him. He has that covered, not us. So let’s renew our resolve to not judge. Not our place. Leave it to God. God’s grace has everyone covered. All praise must go to Him.

            To continue with today’s readings, look at the gospel of John: “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (including aching bones) ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it.” That’s why we don’t need to worry. The darkness can’t comprehend the light, let alone overcome it. That should bring us the peace that goes beyond understanding.

And he continues: ^“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, (to us) he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” That’s us. All we did was believe. We recognized him. We need to resolve to be little moons reflecting the brightness of Him, the son. By grace we are saved from the gloom and doom that really could overpower us, drown us. But we are flooded with the light that that doom and gloom doesn’t even understand. We need to continue our resolve to not be ruled by darkness. All praise must go to Him.

            The next scripture is Galatians. I think this is the first time I have ever read this passage from the point of view of being underage or mature—a parental, or teacherly, view. It’s like all those conversations I used to have with students about drinking ages and voting ages. The Mosaic law was for the underaged. Interesting thought. Here’s Galatians: “²³ Before the coming of this faith,^[a] we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. ²⁴ So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. (The guardian being the law, and to a large extent, a do as your told mentality that didn’t make sense until our belief in Jesus.) ²⁶ So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Isaiah’s For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness.) ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. 4 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. ² The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. ³ So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces^[b] of the world. ⁴ But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.^[c] 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,^[d] Father.” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” Not only are we now fully grown up, we are joint owners without having done a lick of work. It’s like having the keys and title to a brand new Cadillac (or a Tesla?) without even playing the lottery or anything. When you see it in that light, How pleasant and fitting to praise Him!

            And, of course, as adults, Christians, it is our responsibility to act like adults and share the grace that has been given to us. We have to forgive others and ourselves for the sins we regularly, often unwittingly, commit. We have to help others along the way without condition. We are all human, so we need to not dehumanize through politics, nationality, religion, or anything. Because we are adults we know we are part of the all that has sinned in Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And when I tell you this, I have to remind myself over and over. God’s grace has clothed us, and given us enough clothing to share with everyone and we’re not talking Good Will used clothing, but clothing no earthly money can buy. The kind that none of us deserve. And we all know that we get kind of picky about who we want to share anything with. Jesus said in John 10:10 (KJV) ^“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” We are not the thieves, but those who have abundant life. Again, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him.

            There is no doubt that terrible things have happened this year. We have had wars abroad, divided politics at home, wildfires, death, continued disease. We can all look at that stuff, and we should, not to wallow in it, but to give thanks for what we have. We are grown ups with an inheritance that gives us pause, or should, to remember Him and praise Him for everything.

            I told you that I don’t typically make New Year’s resolutions because I associate it with negative things that happened in my life. But I do believe in making resolutions right away. And we, all of us here and many more of us around the world, already resolved to be grown-ups, to believe in the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us, to accept His grace. John 1:14: We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. So, the only resolution I want to make this year, right now and forever more is to believe and accept that grace and truth and live like it by remembering how pleasant and fitting it is to Praise Him. He is what keeps us afloat, so we need to be helping others stay afloat as well. Amen!