If God gave

If God gave you one billion dollars, would you give 10% away?
You could build a theme park of joy
Or invent some meat out of soy
And still have enough to eat ice cream all day.

If God gave you one million dollars, would you give 10% away?
Build a house in a country town
Write a book and be all renown
And still have enough to fly Cathay

If God gave you one thousand dollars, would you give 10% away?
Buy a camera to remember your life
A nice present for your future wife
And still have enough to buy a cheese tray.

God gives you everything you have, do you give 10% away?
Encouraging someone with the words he gave,
Telling someone about how he came to save.
And still have enough to sit down and pray.

Conversation

When you speak to me, I never know what me I should be.

Should I be the listener, stay silent to let you extend your thoughts to cover the both of us. 

Use proper body language to show I'm listening, eye contact, but not too piercing. 

Or should I take the confident role, at a party, to protect us both from the awkward silences.

Talk about anything, but keep it interesting, otherwise you'll think I'm boring. 

What about the evangelist, taking your words and pointing them to Jesus. 

I'll only listen to find connections, I'm not really interested in life's complexions. 

Then there's the friend, who doesn't care what my next sentence is going to be. 

It doesn't matter where this conversation is heading, because we are spending it together. 

Relative Sadness

University, even with 4 weeks of holidays, feels too soon.
I didn't get to finish any Christian books, and now have to spend all my time reading Shakespeare.
I didn't get to catch up with school friends, even though we "talked" about it (on FB, at least).
I ate too much, slept too much, watched too much.
I didn't do any creative things (including updating on here).
I didn't research interesting places or interesting things or interesting facts.
I ignored too much, settled too much, faked too much.

So when people ask "How were your holidays?" I want to say, "bad, bad, bad." Instead, I be polite and say "Tiring but ok".

What I should say:

"Praise God for the sustenance he provides, the words he speaks, the rest he grants, the blessings he bestows, the life he resurrects, the prayers he answers, the joy he instills."

Because, my sadness is selfish. It's not sad at all. Amazing things have happened:

1. I led on three camps. All focused on the bible. All with God doing amazing things.

2. I attended my Christian group's Annual Conference, on "God Speaks". His words are full of grace and truth, warning and judgement, life and power, comfort and hope in OT, Jesus, & NT.

3. I planned my life (at least this semester!) and committed to continue following Jesus and devoting my morning as I wake up to be immersed in his word and depend on him in prayer.

So my life is good, thank God, thank God, thank God.

Ten Minute Poem

Ten minutes to write this so I type.

Trying to find out about the hype.

These letters seem to be too trite.

To explain the one who is the light.

Ten minutes is too short, too long.

I've started thinking and don't belong

In the realm of short tweets or FB posts.

I'm talking about the Lord of Hosts!

Ten minutes, my average quiet time.

Wake up, read bible, feel sublime.

Pray for a second, but don't want seconds

My ten minutes with God has ended.

Ten minutes, compared with eternity,

It's nothing. I'm too stuck in Modernity.

Where what is seen is more important.

Machines and technology are what's exhorted.

Ten minutes, help me God for the next few.

To give you praise and serve only you.

Flee from temptation, do evangelism.

Set me afire to your fanaticism!

Whether the weather

Let's skip over the "Oh, I haven't posted in a while", because I can't wait to get back into writing again, so let's begin.

First, a tongue twister.

The farmer wondered whether the wether would weather the weather or whether the weather would weather the wether. 

Because it has seriously been weathering the last few days. Pouring rain, massive thunderstorms, huge winds, umbrellas have been discarded as casualties of war everywhere you look. 

Universities have cancelled their classes, politicians have urges workers to go home early and be safe, houses have been washed away as bystanders watch in despair. 

Everyone is just watching, waiting, weathering the weather. Hoping that it doesn't destroy what they hold dear.

Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and was completely calm.

Jesus doesn't watch. He doesn't wait. He speaks. He speaks with power and authority. The power and authority humans did have before the fall, to be able to subdue the earth, but which was taken away at the fall.

And so as Christians, we can hope. We can hope so confidently, that actually, we can know. We can know that what we hold most dearly will never be destroyed.

So we don't have to wonder anymore.

p.s. Just as I finished this post, the rain stopped. Thank you God!

I would remove all the ticking in the world

I would remove all the ticking in the world.
All the clocks that wait for hearts to stop.
No difference between the boss or Mr Mop.
Better if suddenly, in an activity, we drop.

I would remove all the ticking in the world.
All the marks that state your worth in numbers.
Life's achievements counted in right and wrong answers.
Better if, graciously, we humanity share together stanzas.

I would remove all the ticking in the world.
All the sickness that is caused by those darned little insects.
Preventable, cheap, but nothing in it for FOREX.
Better if, theologically, Jesus returns and he brings the fix.

An update & A poem

368 days ago, I wrote a post called "The little blog that could" which had a little poem and then an update. It turned out to become more like "The little blog that didn't", which I am a bit sad about, but also happy, as it shows how many new things I have thrown myself into that has taken up my time.

Anyway, the updates are almost exactly the same. I am going on NTE again, (hopefully this time I will write a post about it!), going on a road trip with friends, uni was some study + lots of fun, and yatter yatter yatter.

I wrote this poem because I had time on the train. I realised I do best when I don't try and be abstract but just tell it how it is. So this is my introduction to you.


An Introduction

I'm a tree by the river
Sustained by the giver
Of all things, and who brings
Life to the withered.

I'm a missionary liver
The gospel I deliver
To all things and who sings
Of Christ the redeemer.

I'm an alien and a foreigner
Don't belong in Australia
In all things and who clings
To the sure heaven future

I'm a son and a brother,
With a loving heavenly father
Through all things, He's the king

There is no other