Archive for September, 2010
First written in Oct 2009 for a friend, whose son left this life in tragic circumstances. To one so treasured…this humble tribute.
Yo Gordy. Never to be forgotten
Remembering your
Effusive personality
Success in work
Tender-heartedness
Infectious laughter
Notable story telling
Passion for fashion
Enormous hunger
Astounding talent
Courage in suffering
Engaging charm
Keeps you larger than life
In our thoughts forever
Though snatched away
By death’s cold hand –
Fingertips caress your pictures,
Hearts embrace your memory,
and heaven is enriched
While protecting ourselves from the billion voices daily clamouring for our attention, do we inadvertently tune out the Voice that really matters?
Surround sound
voices clamouring
cacophonous.
Pressing, persuading
pushing, pummelling
deafening, numbing
senses reeling
spirit paralysing…
~~~~~
De-sensitized we block
building our immunity,
weary of mixed messages
bewildered by dissonance
evolving shallow thinking.
Indifferently, turning off –
as re-cycle bin of soul
reaches overflowing…
~~~~~~
Into the morass
enters “still, small Voice”
breaking through
calmly re-assuring
authoritatively speaking
majestically unfolding
“Pay attention
to what you hear”
It’s not enough to listen
We must ‘hear’ deep inside.
September’s musing – a lighter look at the virtue of “the memory foam matress”
Was it my imagination, or was my mattress getting harder ? Sleep seemed reduced to 4-5 hours maximum per night, with no apparent benefit accruing. Perhaps it was time to change. Consultations with my ‘better half’ led to the conclusion that our orthopaedic mattress (now more than 8 years old) did not represent a great blessing & needed replacing. My wife has been attending physiotherapy sessions for a recurring back problem in recent months, and has experienced considerable discomfort, especially on mornings…
We reminisced how, at the start of our marriage (on September 13th 1975) we acquired a three-quarter sized bed, which sufficed until the first pregnancy, but Sue’s sudden growth spurt meant considerably less room in already cramped & uncomfortable conditions. On visiting my mother about this time we used her lovely double bed & afterwards commented what a good night’s sleep we’d had… “You should buy yourselves a new bed”, she insisted, in a tone of voice that was much more a command than a suggestion. “There’s no way we could afford that just now” I protested, “it would be at least £100″ – (now remember it’s back in 1976!)
Arriving home later, after our few days away, we were keen to open the mail, and on this occasion found a letter from a friend, enclosing a cheque for £100, to be used, he said, for any need we might have – yes, you’re right, it went immediately on a brand new double bed…
Back into the present…our discussions culminated in a visit to the local Bed Shop, where we looked at & laid on several of the mattresses on display. They ranged in price from £200-500 (mattress only).
We were suitably impressed by those termed ‘memory foam mattresses’ (pictured above) and decided they appeared the better option. One in particular seemed most comfortable & affordable, and we were informed there was one in stock which could be delivered within a couple of hours.
We signed & paid. Two hours later, hey presto – delivery van, old mattress out, new mattress in – 10 minutes all installed…
That was a few weeks ago & I cannot tell you what a change it has made, to both of us – in such a short time.
My whole body is now smiling.
And of course, it is entirely biblical for God’s children to enjoy sleep, like Jeremiah, who exclaimed, “what a pleasant & satisfying sleep” (Message) experiencing the benefit of ‘promises’ such as Proverbs 3:24 “when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet” (NIV) or Psalm 127:2b “…for he grants sleep to those he loves” (NIV)
A perspective on prevailing 21st Century ‘sacred cows’
Clever sounding words
intended to impress:
Existentialism
Post-modernism
Relativism
human inventiveness
~~~
Believing one’s own truth
though living for a lie
Rationalism
Pluralism
Subjectivism
Free thinking philosophy
~~~
Spirit of confusion
relishing delusion
untold profusion
of blatant contradiction
~~~
How can this all be right,
as truth lays in the street
unnoticed, disregarded.
And those who plead its cause
are contemptuously held
as intellectually retarded
~~~
Let Oracle be loosed
Sword of truth be lifted high
Fleshed out in believing lives
that will not compromise
Radiant with salvation’s glow
Love burning in their eyes
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