Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Squinting at the Son

Black words on a white field.
Punctuation rain.
Speeding past the dew drops.
Hastening down the lane.

A patch of beauty grows there.
In mud fresh for your toes there.
Join me for a minute
in it.

Look at a field of flowers
for hours

Will you lose time in that glance?

by counting rock and bud
by listening to the creek in flood?

If you've lost a day
   you've lost your soul.

but if after you have come

you lay aside both time and pride
and find that once begun
you could spend a lifetime there
squinting at the Son.


Do you read your Bible? if so, how often do you study it?  I know that I am embarrassed by my own response to the question.  One of my Bible professors wrote something that really challenged me to rethink my fruitless faith and faithless study habits.  Starting today I am planning on reading whole books instead of disconnected chunks.  Here are a list of books with 10 or less chapters to start off with:

O.T.                                      
Ruth
Ezra
Esther
Song of Songs
Lamentations
Joel
Amos
Obediah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephania
Haggai
Malachi

For the N.T.: Start in Galatians and every book (except Hebrews and Revelations) has 10 or less chapters.

Why not alternate O.T. one month, N.T. the next? Read an entire book each day for a month.  Write down your thoughts and interesting questions.  Be amazed.  Be excited.  Answer your own questions. Be challenged.  If you can't manage to do this, ask yourself: Why not?  (p.s. I'm starting with Jude)

2 comments:

Joanie said...

I've heard there are two types of people - those who pray and those who study the Word. Those who have faith and those who have action, I think is how it goes, but I personally see a melding of the two in most folks. Point is, I enjoy praying; my brother enjoys Bible Study. But he once told me about the treasures he finds in the Bible every time he picks it up - a kernel of beauty - a gift. Every.single.time. He's right. I'm so glad he pointed out that joy!

Your poem really made me stop and think. I love that! I'm also glad you interpreted it. I honestly had pictured you and the kids in a nearby flower field until I re-read it in the light of what you said. Beautiful.

Heather Pelczar said...

Wonderful encouragement. What a good idea. Thank you for sharing it and for sharing your encouragement to seek Him diligently through transforming our minds in His living word. I love that.

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