Do you know?

Since we know

Written and posted by Jean-Louis.1995
http://lightnseed.blogspot.com

http://thelightseed.blogspot.com 

 

Since we know that the Lord is a consuming fire,

That His Word is like a hammer and a flame,
Let us be broken and go through the fire of affliction.
Let us not resist the purifying work of the Holy Spirit.
All He wants us to do is to remove the idols of our hearts,
To take His rightful place on His throne, our altar.

Since we know that He sent His prophet Ezekiel
To speak life into the dead, dry bones,
Will He not be able to bring together,
What He has purposefully scattered?

Since we know that He does not speak only
To individuals, but to His whole body,
Is He not the one that brings us together,
To worship Him in Spirit and Truth,
And to serve Him gladly?

Since we know that He sees and hears our sorrow and affliction,
And that He inhabits the praises of His people,
As we gather in His Name
And allow His Spirit and His word to purify us,
As with humble and grateful hearts we yield
In praise and worship to His majesty,
Will He not send His Word to refresh us,
To bind our wounds,
And restore to us the joy of His salvation?

Since we know that He came to set the prisoners free,
And that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,
Will He not break the bondage that prevents us
From experiencing the full benefit of His blessed presence?

Since we know that His grace and mercies abound,
Will He not restore in us our first love for Him,
And set our feet on a firm path?

Since we know that He bids us:
“Come, Now is the time of my salvation”,
Will we not respond in faith, trust and obedience,
Entering into the water flowing from His throne,
Not only ankle deep, nor knee deep;
But plunging wholeheartedly in the pure refreshing stream
And be made well and whole?    

Since we know that only those
who drink of the water of life,
Will be able to share His life with others,
Let us remember the woman at the well of Sichar.
Are we thirsty? Then let us come and drink freely,
The living water that costs nothing,
And He will satisfy our thirst to overflowing.

Note: Since this was written for christians believers, I am certain that most of you will recognize and be able to identify the corresponding scriptures verses throughout the poem.

Jean-Louis.

The Inescapable Curtain

Metamorphosis
Written and posted by Jean-Louis 

The dreams of youth germinate

Into cocoons of silky threads

Patiently woven over endless years

Butterfly wings overburdened

By teary clouds hoping

To find their final abode

Among fading flowers

Gathered in passing

 

Memories collected

In our music boxes

Loose their fleeting hold

To awaken yet again

The dear voices of the past

And the dance steps

Wind down and fade

Discreetly behind the curtain

When the box is shut

And the notes chime anew

On the shelf of our thoughts.

 Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16
 For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall"  I Peter 1:24 New International Version (©1984)

Jean-Louis

Bem te Vi - Portuguese for "I See You"

(Brazilian song bird whose call sounds like: I see you, I see you.
Written and posted by Jean-Louis. 9/2012) http://thelightseed.blogspot.com

Bem Te Vi, Bem Te Vi
You who sing of God´s glory

Your song is so pretty

It could seem monotone
But the call of your heart
In Springtime or Autumn
Is a confession or a delight
On a sad day or a bright night


Bem Te Vi, Bem Te Vi
Heavenly Messenger
With vigilant eye, a warning
To the wicked you call
And the righteous too
You faithfully fulfill your part
Secrets of our heart revealing
Without your own condemning 

Bem Te Vi, Bem Te Vi

Please be my friend
You see me, this I know
Because you keep telling me so
But when to the Father
My many faults you tell
Remember as you go
The good I do as well


Bem Te Vi, Bem Te Vi
Angel in disguise
The Word speaks of you
As a messenger divine
When It wisely declares: "Be careful
When the King you revile  
Even in your thoughts
Or the rich you curse
In your bedroom"
For Bem Te Vi on swift wings
Could report the whisperings . (Ecclesiates 10:20)

Jean-Louis

Credit: from Carlos Weick's Flicker album.

THE PROMISE. To my brother in Christ Alex Tinson

Written and posted by Jean-Louis. 3/2012

For us today, God´s promise still stands
He will act in power through our hands
Come rain, come snow or even hail
The gates of hell will not prevail
He said it to Abraham and to his church again

The call today is still the same
To go and catch fish in his name
Do not worry if you have the skill
The Master himself will teach you
Be obedient, faithful, and trust him
Your net with a good catch he will fill

Raise up today the standard of love
Rest in Jesus´finished work
Walk circumspect, watch and pray
Now is the time to stand up and fight
In the awesome power of his might

Hear today, Oh Christian under his blood
You will not perish in the flood
Our goal is close, I hear his voice
Calling his own: " My bride, ´tis time
Come up hither, my kingdom enter
Receive the fruit of your labor."

Jean-Louis. March 7 2012

ESCAPE INTO FREEDOM

Written and posted by Jean-Louis 12/2011
http://thelightseed.blogspot.com
 
The cage door opens and closes slowly
Hesitating as in an off-beat ballet
The bird contemplates her fate
To languish a prisoner inside
Or risk everything and escape
The stalking black cat plays dead
Waiting patiently to hear a movement
A flutter of wings indicating
The delicious horror of stumbling


Freedom is so close, prudence calls
To go unnoticed, blend with the walls
The feline dreams salivating with malice
Fright overwhelms the fettered prey
She trembles hoping for a rescue
Wishing for a miracle of deliverance

Suddenly the bird takes fresh heart

Remembering that she is blessed of her Creator

By more than the beauty of her plumage

She starts singing a song of praise

To her Protector rendering homage

And in a flight of notes reclaims her liberty

The enemy scampers off startled

By the powerful war shout

Shouted with invincible joy and faith

In the One who helps us conquer fear.

Jean-Louis.

Peace, Be Still

Written and posted by Jean-Louis. 1/2011

http://thelightseed.blogspot.com

To read a study on Paul´s shipwreck on Malta, 
" A ship named Relations" click, Here

 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.   
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.  
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.  
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed. 
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.  
Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders. Psalm 107: 25-32.

Land, land, a chorus of sea-gulls heralded

Childlike, dolphins merrily pirouetted

Celebrating with the rhythm of whimsical waves

This propitious journey with delighted voyagers.
*********

Suddenly, a venomous storm

Escaping from an Aeolian windbag,

Stinking and green with envy

Unfurled its fury on the peaceful seascape.
*********

The cloudy canvass thickens,

The undulating liquid walls

Rise, with threats of wrath.

Are we in this deadly dance moving

Toward an unavoidable shipwreck?

*********

The increasing tempest suspends

The harmony of the Mediterranean abyss

Feeding the human fear

At the thought that their last hour

Had chimed without any recourse. 

*********

The heart in this reflex instant

When the compass swings wildly

Remembers that God exists

And humbly kneels

Asking for pardon and mercy.
*********
The time for good deeds is gone

No more “Our Fathers”, “Hail Marys”

On beads to recite, nor “Om Shantis”

The re-winded video unfolds as lightning

On the screen  of the impotent memory.

*********

The refuge of conscience is no use.

No more hypocrisy, no more subterfuge

Everything is in the scales

No more karma, no more bribes

Here come the angel executioner
Executing the sentence 

Or eternal life and its recompense.
*********

As I was quietly contemplating my lot
A soft voice, above the furious wind

Asked me the following:

“Tell me, “can you with one word, calm the waves?

Perhaps, are you the captain of your own ship?

Can your eyes pierce the dark clouds

And predict your own future?”
*********

Recognizing the divine presence and the voice

That saved my life many times before,

From war, from human violence,

From unchained elements,

I left my appeased heart

In the hands of my Savior

Who invites all to come and rest

In the secure love of his merciful heart.
*********

At last, my struggle calmed by his word

The ship arrived safe at port

Where, from the beginning

It was following its intended course.

Jean-Louis

THE WOUNDS OF MY FRIEND JESUS

Written and posted by Jean-Louis http://theligthnseed.blogspot.com 

"Better is an open rebuke than hidden love.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend."

Proverbs 27: 5,6.

To my friend Terry

Oh, Jesus my very best friend

Your love for me has no end

You prove it to me when

You open up a festering wound

With the sharp edge of your sword

Then wash it clean to make me holy,
Without stain, wrinkle or blemish
Cleansing me with the pure water of your word.

When I gaze upon your face
 Eternity fills my soul’s empty space,

Earthly sorrow becomes a gain

When grace and truth meet up close
And righteousness and peace kiss each other
I better understand your grand purpose

In the light of the truth of your word.

Slowly, the needle point, holy piercing hurts

In your loving hand I trust;

Stitches and knots, compassion’s handiwork

The ugly tear mending

With the painful truth of your word.

The wounds you give me, gratefully I receive

My hopes fulfilled, your promises kept,

I rest in you, I need not fret.

The wings of your wind bring healing;

My fragmented life becomes whole and authentic

When I believe the eternal truth of your word.

Your wounds were left open

But mine gently closed without blame.

You poured on them the balm of Gilead

To cover up sin’s shame

With the healing truth of your word.

I, like Ephraim was deceived

Without any hope of being free.

In your mercy Father, you sent your word

With a command my chains you broke

Opening the door of freedom forever

With the powerful truth of your word.

My head you anoint with your sacred oil

Now sorrow turns into great joy,

Mourning into dancing, darkness into light

The spirit of heaviness alight.

All these hidden treasures are found

With the key given to all your children

Who love and keep the truth of your word.

Gen 32: 31; Deut 32:39;  Psalm 38:1,2,5;  85:10,11; 119:67-71; Prov: 27:5,6; Jeremias 8:21,22;10:19,20; 14:19; 15:18,19; Hosea 6:1

June 2011

Jean-Louis

My Pencil in the Hand of God - Revisited

Written and posted by Jean-Louis
also at http://thelightseed.blogspot.com
  
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26 King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)

Photo from: http://www.ehow.com/how_6494569_post-stories-published.html 

Being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. IICorinthians 3:3

My pencil has two ends,
The sharp one writes,
The other mercifully erases.
In front of my eyes,
A silent white page,                                           
Without a word lies.
Sometimes, along life’s journey                                                               
One must ponder about the rest of the way.

Both ends of my pencil are well worn,
The hard one can spin many a tale,
The soft one prefers to forget.
They are opposite but friends.
The red one erases the debts of the past
Relying on the black one
for a future that will last.

The back end warns the one in front,
“Be careful my friend, from now on,
Because my life is shorter than yours.
What will you do with your errors past,
When my life is over? When I am gone,
You´ll have to live with them at last”.

My God, my eraser is temporal,
But yours, Heavenly Father is eternal.
Thank you, for in your mercy, you forgive me.
With your love and truth, you protect my life.
Teach me to number my days aright
That I may gain a heart of wisdom.
One that is tender and loving like yours.

With your divine hand guide what is left of my pencil,
Writing on this blank page,
What has been written from time immemorial,
According to your eternal plan
And your perfect will.
Then, I will not have to erase any more
So many painful moments off my memory.

From now on, I want to use
What’s left of my pencil to write
What you will accomplish on this white page,
Your real and marvelous wonders.
I will no longer follow my empty dreams,
Neither will I build castles in Spain.
I will live in your present reality, even with pain,
Passed in your presence and at your service,
With the hope the future brings.
Amen. 

Jean-Louis
August 29 2004

 

----------------------------------

My Pencil in the Hand of God

(The rest of the poem as somebody would say)

Actually there is a story behind this poem as with everything I write.
The summer of 2005, I was waiting for an answer from the college to which I had applied for a teaching position. After 3 months, the final list of potential candidates to be interviewed was down to 12. I was supposed to meet the program coordinator at 2:00 PM that day. She arrived late and appeared overloaded and overwhelmed. She looked around a bit for my file containing the resume, but couldn´t find it.

Then, she said something that caught my attention. She was anxious about finding a Christian teacher for the position. The continuing education director told her not to worry about it because the Lord was going to provide the teacher that they needed. She also mentioned that her pastor said in the Sunday sermon that we are to put “our pencil in the hand of God

Mind you, I had never heard that expression in all my life. It came to me as the title of the  poem I wrote in 2004. I knew something unusual was at work, my ears were perked up waiting for her to begin the interview. She asked me to briefly tell her about myself since she had forgotten the contents of my resume. It was at that moment that I discovered that I had left a copy of the poem in the back of my yellow pad. So instead of telling her about my teaching experience, I simply handed her the poem telling her that she might be interested in looking at it before I started.

When she saw the title, her jaw dropped! After she was through reading, she just said: " I don´t need to hear your life experience, you are hired" and handed me a contract to sign.

Two weeks later, while I was changing the locks at a customer´s house I had another confirmation from him, as he related a story about a court proceeding during which the judge used the same exact words. The not so odd thing is that he didn´t know anything about me writing a poem by that title.

The Lord providential hand was at work in my life as he has always been since the day I was born. He is good to us and always cares and guides his children. I praise and thank him for his grace and mercy on us.

When the Shepherd speaks to or through His sheep, He always gives 2 or 3 confirmations coming from sources that are not familiar with a prayer, a vision or a dream of the believer. ( No, Don´t worry. I am not a Charismatic, Pentecostal believer, or New Apostolic Reformation . I have repented from and renounced all the occult powers from my New Age, Occult involvement and these happened rarely at certain crucial moments of my life when human wisdom, counsel or help will not do)

 This is when I realized from the confirmations that this poem that I wrote in 2004 was from God to encourage, comfort and exhort my brothers and in addition acted as the key that unlocked the door through which I could walk in confidence knowing that the Author of the inspiration and the guide that gave me the opportunity and the blessing to exercise my vocation as a language teacher never sleeps nor slumber and looks to and fro throughout the earth to bless those who fear Him. This is the God we worship, love and serve.

It´s a good thing that I had this job in addition to my meager but sufficient retirement pension adequate for my needs. The Lord knew that I would have to sell my house and my business due to the shingles (disabilitating viral infection) that left me unable to work physically at my locksmith job in 2006.

I worked at the Community College until I moved to Brazil in 2009.

Posted by Jean-Louis at 3:16 PM 8/30/2021