Vine and Fig: Poems and Comments for the Lord

Light

2009-12-16T19:36:00.000-06:00

Lord,
You shined light one night
On my cold soul,
Made my heart start
With higher fire--
A place of grace.

They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
--Luke 24:32 ESV

Animal Cracks

2009-12-14T19:53:00.000-06:00

From Blog09

The elephant packed his trunk.
The cow was MOO-dy.
The cat cooked from scratch.
The monkey was hanging around.
The flea was feeling jumpy.
The butterfly was flighty.
The duck quacked a joke,
But the lion was the mane attraction.

NOTE: I probably borrowed most of this post from others. Feel free to use it in any way.

A Simple Bible Study Method

2009-12-13T06:43:00.000-06:00

Here's a Bible study method that's so simple you can teach it to almost anyone in a few minutes. It works for individual and group study. It works for almost any part of the Bible. It's a distillation of inductive study.

Ask the Lord to guide you. Read a passage. Then...

LOOK: What does the passage say?
INTERPRET: What does it mean, in context?
APPLY: What does it mean to us/to me?
LIVE: Speak to the Lord--What shall we/I do about this?

Christmas Tree

2009-12-08T19:02:00.001-06:00

From Blog09

A tree--a simple pine--
Is full of glow and shine,
All wrapped in Christmas lights
That speak of other sights:
The star of Bethlehem
And angels--crowds of them--
With news of joy and peace,
Of hope and full release
Through babe in cattle stall
Who's come to save us all
Who trust in his great Name
(We'll never be the same).
The tree's a simple pine,
But whispers things divine.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
--Luke 2:9, ESV

Poem and photo ©2009 James L. Swindle. You may print up to 100 copies for non-commercial use so long as you include the copyright notice and don't alter the text.

He Feeds Us

2009-12-06T08:05:00.004-06:00

From Blog09

Lord, you provide for the bees and me,
Food for our living each day,
Strengthening us though we may not see
How you've sustained all our way.

And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
--Deuteronomy 26:9

Note: I'd taken this photo about a week ago. The poem was inspired by the post on Myra's blog about a similar photo.

The Promised One - A Christmas Hymn

2009-12-04T05:32:00.001-06:00

From Blog09

Come and see the promised One,
Both of God and Man the Son;
Christ, for whom great kings did wait,
Now appears in lowly state.
He whom heaven’s hosts adored
Now becomes our infant Lord.

Born a prophet, he will show
Just the way that we should go.
Born a priest_, he will give
His own life so we can live.
Born a king_, he will reign
O’er the earth as his domain.

Come and see him now a man
Living out God’s perfect plan.
Hear him calling, “Leave your sin.
Come to Me and enter in.”
Lord, with all our hearts we come.
May your work in us be done.

Then, like Jesus, we will say
Words of life and truth today.
Then, like him, we’ll intercede
When we see someone in need.
Victors over Satan’s strife,
We, like Christ, will reign in life.

NOTE: I wrote this a number of years ago. If you wish, it can be sung to the tune "Dix." That's the tune usually used with "For the Beauty of the Earth" and "As With Gladness Men of Old." This particular poem is public domain, so you can use it any way you wish.

Cities

2009-12-03T06:12:00.003-06:00

From Blog09

Our cities can be a beautiful thing and a wonderful thing. They represent cooperation and planning. The Bible begins with a garden and ends with a city.
Still, everything we see now will disappear. "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more." (Revelation 21:1)

Are our hopes and dreams all pinned to a city in this current world, or to the one that's to come?

The Watches of the Night: A poem by Kristyn Getty

2009-11-30T06:09:00.004-06:00

Here's a fine poem by Kristyn Getty, The Watches of the Night. CAUTION: The page has sound, Mrs. Getty reading the poem.

Brothers and Sisters

2009-11-28T08:44:00.000-06:00

From Blog09

Hair of black wool or golden flax,
Eating salsa or kimchi or kraut,
Kilt or business suit,
Palace or hut,
Farm or office or factory--
These are lesser things.

Child of God or of Satan,
Reborn or still dead,
Forgiven or guilty,
Pure or polluted,
Serving God or serving self--
These are greater things.

Thank you, Lord, for brothers and sisters
Of every nation and tribe and people.
Thank you for your creativity and for their diversity
And for opening my eyes to see all of this.

And they sang a new song with these words: "You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were killed, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation..."
--Revelation 5:9, NLT

From Blog09

A Thanksgiving Prayer

2009-11-25T03:04:00.001-06:00

From Blog09

We thank you for the food we eat
And for each loved one whom we meet.
We thank you for our families,
Both born and blended by degrees.
We thank you for the work we do,
And for your mercies, ever-new.
We thank you for your word, still true,
But thank you most of all for You.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
--James 1:17 ESV

Poem ©2005 James L. Swindle

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

2009-11-24T21:17:00.004-06:00

I saw this video on Craig's blog. It's well worth your time. (Incidentally, the speaker is pastor at a church in my town, but I don't think I'd never heard him speak until on this video.)

A Surprise Visitor

2009-11-21T15:15:00.005-06:00

Our son, who was upstairs, called down to me. He told me to bring my camera and come up to the bathroom. He pointed to the shower curtain rod. On the rod was this tree frog.

From Blog09

I took photos of it and soon moved it to a bush outdoors. I'm not sure of any great spiritual lesson here, other than the lesson that Proverbs gives about things that are small but wise. Proverbs doesn't mention the frog there, but it mentions the lizard. "The lizard you may grasp with the hands, Yet it is in kings' palaces." (Proverbs 30:28) I'm still not sure how the frog found its way into the house and onto the shower curtain rod.

I'm glad the Lord has such delightful surprises for us, but I wouldn't like to experience a plague of frogs such as the Lord sent on the Egyptians (See Exodus 8.)

The Years

2009-11-18T17:14:00.001-06:00

From Blog09

The years
dry leaves
blow by and disappear
into the compost
of faded glory
but fertilize
next spring's dreams--
dreams now still acorns
of the mighty oaks
in the forest of God's providence

So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
--Psalm 90:12, NKJV

Finding Home

2009-11-14T18:13:00.001-06:00

From Blog09

I sometimes feel so all alone
With tasks that never end--
Forever running, never home,
No rest. I can't unbend.

But Jesus is my rest, my home,
My place of all the best
Where I am loved and known.
In him, then, I will rest.

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."
--Matthew 11:28 NLT

Don't Lose the Wonder

2009-11-12T06:25:00.001-06:00

From Blog09

Jesus said we must come to him like little children. Let's not forget how to marvel at his creation, at his salvation, and at Jesus himself.

Bearing God's Image

2009-11-07T19:46:00.003-06:00

In a recent online sermon, Darrin Trammell spoke of various ways in which we bear God's image (Genesis 1:27). Here's an excerpt that struck me.

We bear the image of God in that we were created to rule. God told Adam and Eve to have dominion over the world. He gave them the power and the ability to rule over it. Think about it, before the fall all of nature was under Adam’s rule. The animals obeyed his voice. He was the king of the earth. But when he rebelled against God, nature rebelled against him and has been in rebellion ever since.

My Pleasure

2009-11-06T19:44:00.001-06:00

From Blog09

Be my pleasure, Lord,
My joy, my great reward.
Deliver me from lesser things.
Reshape me so that my heart sings
(Happy, holy, new)
Only, Lord, of you.

Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
--Psalm 37:4

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
--Philippians 4:4

Thunderstorm

2009-11-02T17:00:00.000-06:00

From Blog09

Black as day
Flash of light
Thunder crash
Scattered drops
Wind goes wild
Deluge drench
Trees bow thanks
Wave and dance
All is well
Sun returns

The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; your arrows flashed on every side.
--Psalm 77:17 NRSV

Saved

2009-10-30T21:45:00.000-06:00

From Blog09

Fresh mesh
Of God and flesh--
Ancient plan
To save a man
From force
Of sin's foul course.
New you
(The old won't do).

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come!
--2 Corinthians 5:17 NET

Poem and photo ©2009 James L. Swindle.
You may print up to 100 copies so long as you
--Don't change the text
--Include the copyright notice
--Don't sell them

Lord of the Flies

2009-10-27T04:05:00.000-06:00

From Blog09

The Lord of the flies
And of all man's lies
Despises the truth
And the fresh of youth.
He comes just to kill,
So to eat his fill
'Til Christ in a flash
Will throw him in trash
Where flames will burn on
'Til forever's gone.

But when the Pharisees heard {this,} they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."
--Matthew 12:24

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have {it} abundantly.
--Jesus, in John 10:10

And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
--Revelation 20:10

Poem and photo ©2009 James L. Swindle; may be used on my usual generous terms (see earlier posts).

A Prayer of Repentance

2009-10-22T03:15:00.003-06:00

From Blog09

Father,

Do I love my sin more than I hate it?
Do I love my sin more than I love you?
Have mercy!
Grant me deeper, truer repentance.
Grant me higher, more faithful love for you.
I confess that my willpower is not enough.
Change my heart.
Enable me to fix my eyes and my whole heart
On heavenly things.
May I obey you in the very small things,
So that I'll obey you in the big things.
By your grace and your promises and your Spirit,
I know it's possible.
Don't let me settle for less,
Because that would dishonor you.
Glorify yourself by transforming me
More completely,
Whatever the cost to me--
For you've already paid the ultimate price
In Jesus.
Amen.

He [Jesus] is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
--Acts 5:31 NASB

Searching for a Pastor

2009-10-18T06:35:00.000-06:00

From Blog09

I'm blessed to be in a church which has had the same godly pastor for over a decade, but know of another church where the people suddenly find themselves without a pastor. What should they do? I've spent over fifty years in churches where the congregation or some sub-part of it chooses the pastor. Here's a distillation of what I've learned from seeing that process succeed and from seeing it fail. If you find it helpful, feel free to link to it or to reprint it.
_____________________________________________________________
Searching for a Pastor

For a church, having the right pastor is one of the Lord's most precious blessings. Having the wrong pastor can almost be worse than closing up. In a congregational form of church government, how should a church find a pastor?

By Depending on the Lord.

All of the best methods and search tools and consultants won't do as much good as simply trusting the Lord to send the right man. He's able to make the church willing to have the man and the man willing to have the church. He's able to bring them together. Depend on him. See Proverbs 16:3

By Repentance.

When we turn from our own sins and from our own stubbornness and our own selfness and pride and immorality, we become people whom the Lord can guide more easily. We also become the kind of people whom a faithful pastor would love to shepherd. See Hebrews 13:17

By Prayer.

The Lord is pleased to answer his people's prayers that he send workers into the harvest fields. He can move hearts. Prayer is more urgent than starting the search process. See Luke 10:2

By Knowing What a Real Pastor Looks Like.

A real pastor may or may not be young and handsome and charming with excellent manners and a compelling way of speaking. He may or may not have completed seminary training. He may or may not have a "successful" track record at other churches. Jonathan Edwards lived in the 1700's in Massachusetts. He is remembered as one of the most outstanding and faithful pastors that America ever produced, but the church where he was pastor the longest voted overwhelmingly to fire him. He continued faithful work at another church. To find out what a real pastor is like, read Paul's letters in the New Testament, especially those to Timothy and to Titus. See also Acts 6:2

By Welcoming the Man the Lord Sends.

He may not look very pastoral at all, and he may or may not arrive by expected means. He may just show up as a visitor at church some Sunday. Don't accept just anyone who arrives by such unexpected means, but don't reject God's man just because he arrived in an odd way. I was in a church one Sunday when the interim pastor asked a visiting Bible college student to give a testimony. That visitor spoke. He ended up being the pastor there for several years. In another church there was an urgent need for a music pastor. One of the members took on the task temporarily in addition to his regular full-time job. The church then hired a very polished fellow for the job. That man lasted about 6 weeks and left under a moral cloud. A few weeks later, the pastor announced that the man who'd done the job on a temporary basis was resigning his other job so he could be the full-time pastor of music and worship. The grateful congregation stood and applauded. The new music pastor is now in a different church but is still a faithful music pastor, nearly two decades later. See Hebrews 13:17; 1 Corinthians 16:10

By Seeking Godly, Wise Counsel.

Notice that the counsel should be both wise and godly. Some people (even some denominational leaders) have practical wisdom but lack godliness. Others are godly, but may not yet be very wise. That wise, godly counsel may come from inside or outside your own church; it may come from inside or outside your own denomination. See Proverbs 15:22; Psalm 1:1-3

By Listening to the Spirit.

If you're not at peace with the possibility of a certain person becoming the pastor, say so plainly before the decision is made. I once voted for a pastoral candidate even though I had mixed feelings and my wife thought he was the wrong man. He came. Eventually that pastor said, "If I'd known how much pain my coming here would cause, I never would have come." He was, indeed, the wrong man for that particular church. Once the decision is made, however, be careful not to cause divisions. See Jeremiah 7:23; Ephesians 4:15; Colossians 3:15

By Being Patient.

It's far better to wait for a year or two than to rush into accepting just anyone who comes along. See 1 Samuel 13:8-14

By Wanting the Lord's Glory, Not Yours.

The church will never again be "like it used to be" when pastor so-and-so was here. Each pastor's gifts are unique. A new man's style will sometimes grate on you. Still, you want a man whose passion is for the Lord's glory, not to build a huge congregation by being trendy. See Psalm 115:1

By Being Confident.

You can have full confidence that if you, as a church, sincerely seek God's man in God's way with faith, the Lord won't let you down. Decades from now, you or your children or people you don't yet know will be looking back, thankful for your faithfulness in seeking to find God's man for your church. See Isaiah 49:23

Transcendence and Immanence

2009-10-13T04:15:00.000-06:00

From Blog09

Fully holy, fully pure,
Greater far than we can see,
Owning all eternity,
He is Lord, forever Lord,
Matchless in his majesty.

Yet he deigns to come to us
Showing us our depth of sin
Matched by grace in human skin:
Jesus--Lord, our saving Lord,
Sacrificed--we're pure within!

From Isaiah 6--
In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.

Isaiah saw his own uncleanness and was terrified. Then a seraph came with a coal from the altar.

He touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven."

In Fads We Trust?

2009-10-09T04:09:00.001-06:00

I'm old enough to remember when people thought the most important thing about a Bible was reading God's word inside it. Today, the people who publish Bibles seem to have a different idea.

LifeWay advertises a Bible bound in brown and pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Zondervan puts out a Bible that's carbon-neutral. (Do we really think that we'll save the planet by buying greener Bibles?) Thomas Nelson has announced that it will no longer make Bibles with petroleum-based covers. Here are more Bible ideas that seem to say that the power is in the packaging and the marketing, not in the Lord:

The NIV True Images Bible for Teen Girls.
Publisher's Synopsis:
Page edges of Bibles: they can be plain, gilded, or stained. But printed? Yes, this edition of the bestselling True Images Bible has page edges that are actually printed with a youthful, contemporary paisley design in colors that coordinate with its trendy Italian Duo-Tone™ binding. It’s a look that’s sure to appeal to the young teen who wants a Bible that speaks to her in a unique design that fits her lifestyle.

The Bug Collection Bible - Dragonfly
Publisher's Synopsis:
Perfect for people on the go, these Bibles contain the full text of the bestselling New International Version in a compact size, complete with a cute bug design on the cover.

NIV Bible Across America
Publisher's Synopsis:
A one-of-a-kind handwritten NIV Bible displaying an enduring commitment to make God’s Word more accessible and more relevant to more people everywhere. The NIV Bible Across America is a complete Bible handwritten by over 31,000 people from all walks of life and from all over the USA.

Armor of God Bible
Publisher's Synopsis:
Based on the famous “Armor of God” passage from Ephesians 6:10-21, this NIV themed backpack Bible includes 12 full-color, illustrated tip-in pages that will help boys ages 6-9 understand what each piece of armor stands for when it comes to faith...

Wild About Horses Bible
Publisher's Synopsis:
What girl doesn’t love horses? Filled with beautiful features and photographs, horse lovers will be inspired by this NIV Bible.

Soul Surfer Bible
With Bethany Hamilton
Publisher's Synopsis:
Glitter Wave. Bethany Hamilton, a rising star in the surfing world, is an inspiring teenager with a heart for Jesus Christ. This Bible contains 12 full-color tip-ins that will help teens apply Bethany's mission to their own lives.

You can also get The Way for Cowboys or the
NIV Peacemakers New Testament (for law enforcement officers) or The American Patriot's Bible. You can get the Archeology Study Bible, a Devotional Bible for Couples. If none of those suit your fancy, try a Bible for fire-fighters, a New Testament for women with crisis pregnancies, a New Testament for baseball players....

You get the idea.

I'm wondering whether someone will put out a left-handed knitter's study Bible for my wife. (If so, she'd have the sense to be horrified.)

Where's the line between making a Bible that's appropriate for a culture, and trusting in the packaging instead of in the Lord and his word? I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure that some of these publishers have crossed that line to the wrong side.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
--Hebrews 4:12 NASB

Lies and Truth

2009-10-07T03:05:00.003-06:00

From Blog09

Today, many people are making a god of ecology. They're more certain about global warming than about the Creator. They serve a god that demands the destruction of people in the name of nature. Their righteousness is the externals of what they wear instead of the internal matter of the heart.

Others make a god of right-wing values; of tight borders and low taxes and guns and militarism. They want to save the world by walling off anything that doesn't fit their breed of Americanism. Their righteousness is language and culture and money, not a heart devoted to the everlasting gospel of Jesus who saves people from every tribe and tongue and nation.

Do you serve your own god? Or do you serve Jesus who is the truth?

How sweet, how deadly are the lies
We fashion and believe.
We substitute them for the truth
We proudly won't receive.

And yet our lies will pass away
Like mist before the sun,
But God's great truth will yet stand firm
While endless ages run.
____________________________________

God’s anger is revealed from heaven against every ungodly and immoral thing people do as they try to suppress the truth by their immoral living. What can be known about God is clear to them because he has made it clear to them. From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse. They knew God but did not praise and thank him for being God. Instead, their thoughts were pointless, and their misguided minds were plunged into darkness. While claiming to be wise, they became fools. They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for statues that looked like mortal humans, birds, animals, and snakes.
--Romans 1:18-23, GOD'S WORD translation (emphasis added)