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Joseph or Jesus?
Arrested in the garden
Working for the King
My brother has sold me
The rest are sleeping
Abandoned in this cell
God’s will be done
He can take evil
And turn it to good
While dreams
Keep me awake
I was meant to rule
Is this the way?
Dreams
to be restored
to the glory I laid aside
Favorable dream
In Three days restored
The wine, like Christ’s blood,
lives on for the world
But death once sufficient
as last supper bread,
Will no more be broken
But gloried instead.
While dreams
Keep me awake
I was meant to rule
This is the way
Dreams
to be restored
to the glory at my Father’s side
I’ll take the cup given to me
I’ll bring my family thru to safety
I’ll endure this for the joy
To serve as God’s own boy
While dreams
Are coming true
I was meant to rule
This is God’s way
Dreams
Now I’m restored
to the glory at my Father’s side
Eve
I’m an outcast
By the choices I’ve made
I thought it’d be cool
I thought I’d be great
Yeah, I’m an outcast
Guarded away
From the garden where I spent my best days
Now I’m living in pain
Giving birth in the rain
To Cain
And Able
Cursed is the ground
Changing all that’s around
Thorns and sharp teeth on animals
I thought it’d be great
But there’s such pain –oh
I once knew good
But now I know evil
At the Creation Museum in Kentucky, we walked through the story of history. The beauty of the Garden of Eden. The now dangerous animals you could play with like dogs. It’s cool that all the verses they used to describe how it was were actually prophecies of what Jesus is going to restore it to.
Then the Fall, mankind chose to disobey God and evil entered the world. Thorns. Killer dinosaurs. Pain. Murder. War. Destruction.
Yet by Jesus living a sinless life and dying in our place, we can be restored. The God that had to drive Adam and Eve out of paradise and set a guard is the same God who sent His Son to bring us back to Him, cleansed by Jesus’ blood through faith.
One day Jesus will return and will lead the believers back to His new eternal Kingdom.
Kylie, I LOVE it!! 🤗
Awh, thanks @ava-blue! The Lord is my inspiration. He gives so much and then still gives that I can praise Him!
I wrote the following poem for selling to a publisher and had to give over the copyright and agree to not post it on anything of mine. Since they declined my submission, y’all get to enjoy the poem now for free! It’s based off of a fall Bible Study in Romans, John 3:16, and Philippians 2 that I memorized in middle school.
Paid In Full
Our sins have earned the wage of death—
A debt ‘tween us and God.
No deed of ours, our debt can pay
Owed to our God we’ve fought.
Praise be! God did not stay,
But laid His honor by.
Christ came emptied as a man,
And humble, Christ did die.
The Creator killed by creatures’ hand.
The sun grew dark and grim.
But true to keep His third day word,
Christ came alive again.
For God so loved this world so much
To save our lives, He died.
Faith alone receives His gift.
He rose to give us life.
Here we go!! Chapter TWO
sorry if the formatting turned outgoofyIt was a good day. Little One cheerily stepped along the path out to her garden. She hadn’t been in several weeks, not since getting Undiscerned’s letter. But a thrill beat in her heart to be back.
She had been to the Sanctuary everyday. The most wonderful place.
“…Psalmic sanctuaries I find rest, Psalmic sanctuaries I am restored…” She made up a melody as she skipped along. She spun around in a happy jig and planted her feet at the gate of her garden. Fumbling with the latch, she stepped in with the familiar squeak of the hinge. She looked around and took in the taller thicker green weeds, her imagination morphing them into the pure lush emeralds of the Sanctuary.
With a giggle she unshouldered her pack and set about her mission.
“Oh, hello, robin,” Little One greeted the songbird that had flitted down to watch her take out her spade from the pack. “If I can make the soil here ready, I can bring over some plants from the Sanctuary to grow here. Oh, robin, have you flown there? Have you seen the Sanctuary?” Little One threw her head back in joyous song, “In Psalmic Sanctu– Oh!”
She cut off quickly at the sight of a strange man outside the garden fence watching her. Little One’s face glowed deep pink as she cleared her throat, “Hello, uhm, can I help you?”
The man looked up from watching the robin. A cloak of the King’s colors hung off of his painfully thin frame and was clasped with an emerald crest. He had dark blonde hair and a thin beard and stooped his shoulders a bit. The most striking thing about the man was his expression. Shivers scurried down Little One’s spine as soon as she saw it. A look of panged hunger, void, desperate, longing, a stranger to all that is good, and without hope. Had it been days or weeks since he had eaten anything? It was a look Little One had never seen before. But as soon as she had that thought, another thought snuck in and prevaded: Hadn’t she seen it before? Was it not this same expression that had been on her face before the King had come to free her from her slavery?
“I was just passing by and I–.” The man trailed off. After an awkward pause, the man continued, “I wondered, you see, I haven’t eaten in a long while. May I see if you would have anything ripe today?” The stranger gestured to the garden. Little One nodded quickly, gulping, still staring at the stranger’s face, and the stranger opened the gate, rocking it back and forth on its hinges. “Ah, squeaky, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Little One sheepishly nodded, her eyes hurriedly darting over to her garden plants. She couldn’t see any fruit among the green foliage. She moved in closer and dug among the leaves. Nothing. Oh, Little One wanted to help. She knew she had to. The look on the man’s face had struck her deeply. Her heart beat fast.
“I don’t see anything here, but I’m from the village Little Faith. It has the Sanctuary. It’s the most wonderful place in the world! The King built it. We go there,” Little One breathed in, at once peaceful at the memory, as she thought back to the first day she’d gone there and now repeated her mother’s words, “ ‘for comfort, for encouragement, to pray our deepest sorrow, to give our highest praises. To cleanse.’ You can also be fed there. Here,” Little One dug in her Bag of Entertained Thoughts and pulled out a napkin wrapped hunk of bread. “This is from my parents. Oh, I wish I had something of my own to give. Take this.”
The stranger bashfully accepted the parcel, and caressed it gratefully before devouring a chunk and tucking the rest in his jacket while savoring his chewing. Presently, he spoke, “Sancuary, aye? We have sanctuaries too in my village. But they must be different; I’ve never been fed there. I’m from Other Faith. It’s outside of the Kingdom.”
“Do you have the same King?” Little One asked, remembering that the citizens outside the Kingdom were often of a different allegiance.
The man adjusted his cloak and snapped, “Well, I’m wearing the King’s colors, aren’t I?”
Little One was taken aback. She hadn’t meant to offend the man. “Yes, I uh–” She stammered.
The man shrugged it off and nodded, “Thank you, ma’am.” The stranger turned and walked slowly towards the gate. Before going all the way through, he turned back, with the same desperate expression returning, too deep for describing and Little One shivered again, “It’s a shame.”
“What is?” Little One leaned forward attentively, still hoping she could help and redeem herself for offending him.
“That the King can’t count on your garden. I know a lot of hungry people.”
With a squeak of the gate, he was gone.
Little One stayed where she was. Interactions out of the ordinary always stick with you in your mind, but this one, fully out of the ordinary, had suddenly seemed to suck everything out of her. She blinked. She sank to her knees in the weeds.
Something about the man’s face. Something familiar about… the lostness. It panged the same expression onto Little One’s face. And she hadn’t been able to help. She had nothing to give of herself. All that she had gained in the Sanctuary, gained in encouragement and life seemed to lose foothold and slide away. She felt even everything she had gained as a reunited daughter slip away.
Little One ran back down the path, not caring about the gate shutting behind her. She tore through the little treeline. Tears ran sideways across her temples and dripped onto her ears. She tore through the village streets to the dearly familiar wall. Panting, fumbling with the key from the Book in her bag, she opened the door and stepped in. She wanted to rush in, but the sudden calm of that place that welcomed her knocked her breath away. She reverently trotted to the fountain. Her hands were filthy from the soil she had been digging in. Yes, that’s how she felt. Filthy. The servant heart in her couldn’t help the man. The garden had failed its purpose.
She plunged her hands in the waters and rubbed away the dirt. It swirled brown for a second, but the churning forgiveness didn’t leave that stain.
Why did that affect her so much? Little One’s thoughts raced faster than her heart from the run.
Wiping her dripping hands on her tunic, Little One opened the Book. It had helped her before. Maybe this filthy feeling would go away like her sadness did last time, like the dirt did this time. She opened and read,
“ ‘Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, for they will eat the fruit of their actions.’ ” Little One shut the book. She had never had a harvest. And today she needed one. If she was supposed to eat the fruit of her actions, she would be very, very hungry. Just like the stranger from Other Faith. The stranger she hadn’t been able to help.
She had to make this right! But how? The answer evaded her, so she tried to brush it out of her mind.
That night, Little One tossed and turned, trying to be quiet for her sisters also in the room. She gently turned up the wick on the night lantern by her bed and slipped open the Book. Flipping through it, her eyes couldn’t concentrate on the dim flickering words.
Tap, tap, tap! Coming from the window made her jump. What was that? Little One rolled over, pushed her covers off, and strode to the window.
Tap, tap, tap! The noise came again and Little One hurried forward so she could stop it before it woke up her sisters. A small shadowed figure was outside on the windowsill.
Little One slid up the sash, the cool of night pouring into the room with clouds parting to permit the moon to identify the figure in its beams. Twas a little parrot.
“Hullo?” Little One was puzzled.
“Braaawk! Come with me!” It squawked, pecking at the sill.
“Shh!” Little One looked hurriedly at her sisters still in their beds.
“Come with me!” The nuscance squawked again.
“Alright, alright. Shoo! I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Braaawk! In a minute!”
Little One slid the sash back down to the sill and quietly tugged on some day clothes over her nightgown. Boots on hand and afghan over her shoulder, she stole quietly out of the room.
As she gently released the knob so that it didn’t click, the thought crossed her mind, what was she doing?! Sneaking out to meet a parrot in the dead of night? She brushed the thought aside, as with many thoughts of late. She wasn’t interested in thinking right now. Too many memories.
She tightened the afghan around her as she stepped toward where the little parrot was on the yard fence.
“What do you want?” She whispered with a temper, ready to turn around and go back in.
“Braawk! Hungry! Hungry! Come with me!” The parrot answered, dipping his head to motion her outside the front gate.
Her mind flashed to the man from that morning. Hoping the parrot was oblivious and talking about something else, she offered, “Who?”
“Braawk! Other Faith.” The parrot looked unblinkingly at Little One with it’s big black pupils and green eyes illuminated by the moon. Then it flapped its wings on its perch. “Hungry! Hungry! Come with me!”
Guiltiness ran shivers down Little One’s spine. She drew the afghan closer around her shoulders, but knew that wasn’t the reason she felt cold. The little bird repeated its prompting and fluttered to the gate.
Little One hesitated a moment, the filthy feeling she had numbed sneaking back. “Doubtless you’ll give me no rest.” She sighed, eying the bird. “Alright, give me a moment.”
“Bra-awk-awk-awk!” The parrot honked, and Little One hurried inside to prepare.
@esther-c @freedomwriter76 @acancello @kyronthearcanin @felicity @starshiness @whoever-else-is-welcome-to-chime-in-welcome-to-chime-in @do-you-even-remember-this-2-year-old-WIP? 🤭
Howdy! Little by little I’ve gotten the 2nd “chapter” done. Please let me know if it changes tone too much. I’m afraid that this second one doesn’t have the same tone as the first. It’s kinda still my rough draft and I’m not in love with all the words yet, so please tell me honestly what you think.
Thank you for reading!
ing!
The Eternal Wedding Feast
The Creator of our great world
Who made Paradise in 7,
Takes 9 months to knit His image
And takes centuries on heaven.
He’s prepared a place before us
While we remain with all our foes.
He’s coming back to reign victoriously
Coming back to take us home.
Can you imagine all the grandeur?
It’s far beyond our human scope–
All that’s prepared for those that love Him
Who’ve made Him their saving hope.
We will kneel inside the presence
Of the Lamb that’s overcome;
Solely by His blood we’ve come there
To the splendor of the One.
A party without us parting.
An eternal wedding feast.
Lions play with lambs like dogs;
No fear ‘tween man and beast.
Angelic creatures unimaginable
Fill holy wonder in that place.
The wee sun is uselessly dark
In the Lord’s brilliant grace!
Selah.
Now we live on in this lowland,
Knowing tears and death and pain.
Our joys remind us often
That we groan for restored things.
We long for heavens’ clothing,
Hating our sin and mortal way.
Yet the Lord who perfects our missions
Decrees how long we stay;
‘Cause if the King tarry ere His conquest
It’s since His patience longs to save
Those still drinking from broken cisterns
In sure wrath and fear of grave.
He has sent us to the highways
With a great commission call;
Let us go give the invitation
Until breaks the final dawn.
Even if that is the only fruit the Lord ever brings from my poems, all my rhymes are worthwhile for the rest of my life. 🥰 You’re the reason I write and your comment made my day!🥲
Beloved by God
O the lonely hill
The slow hard trudge up
To the top of Calvary
Where Jesus bled,
His heart stopped,
Where my Lord died for me.He took on my death–
The punishment for my sin.
He gave me His life.
To earn it I couldn’t begin.
O the great grace of God.
O the wondrous lovingkindness.
I don’t deserve all of this.
Yet I am beloved by God.O the weary day,
Alone body stiff in sheets
Lying in the grave.
The cold stone,
The hard place,
All so the world’d be saved.O the lonely grave…
EMPTY BY ITSELF!
The opening letting the sun pour in
Revealing the truth
That God has raised
His Son
Up to life again!!He won over death!
The punishment for my sin.
He gave me His life!
To earn it I couldn’t begin.
O the great grace of God.
O the wondrous lovingkindness!
I don’t deserve all of this.
Yet I am redeemed by God!
O~
I am redeemed by God!
🤍
I am beloved by God.This isn’t a huge thing, and God has certainly done huge things for me, but this happened recently.
A while ago I asked God to see something powerful. David praises God for the mighty breakers that God is above, Miriam breaks forth in song as the horse and rider are no match for the control of the Lord, and Mary extols in the magnificat of being a virgin with the Christ conceived within her. All these and more see something powerful and vivid in their life and it brings out praise for the glorious Lord. I wanted something vivid and powerful to do that to me too.
Then I just realized. He has shown me something powerful.
He’s shown me His love.
That’s inspiring! Awh, God is so good. Good seems like such a little common word for His grandeur and kindness.
Stories coming soon!
@trailblazer Yes!! On Sunday my pastor was talking about Peter being of little faith and said one way how we grow to greater faith is hearing of God’s work in others’ lives. God faithfulness bolsters our faith. “God did that for you? Well, I figure He will work through this thing He’s calling me to.”
And if you make that topic, please tag me over there! I’d love to hear about God working in folks. 🤗
Hi! I’m am just now working on chapter 2, which has been a hard one for various reasons. But I’m liking my draft, so it should make its way shortly. In the coming chapter, I introduce a villain.
Meet ‘Yore: 🦜
Intrigued? Chapter 2 coming soon!
Alrighty, coming back into my writing community this year, more so than last year. I quickly caught up on all y’all’s blogs, subscribing to most and bookmarking them to stay up on them. How has blogging been going?
At CWW, one of the teachers, Jaquelle Farris just kept posting on her blog that very few people ever saw, but she kept at it, got better at writing, and started exploring other publication areas. Kept writing for the King!
Beautiful, @elanor!