Wednesday, January 30

Freedom

This post brought to you courtesy of Creative Writing class and the inspiration provided by a poem written by Felicia. In class we looked at an old edition of the Legacy (yearly school publication of writings and art) and I found a poem written by my friend Felicia. We were supposed to imitate a poem-- the style, the concept, or some other element-- we found in the Legacy, so I chose hers. I imitated the style of her poem. I may change some things, but for now I'm satisfied with it.

Freedom

My life’s begun to change again,
The restlessness is gone.
The days of selfish pestilence
Erased with this new dawn.

I’m free from your command.

You grasp at my heart, but in vain—
This time I will not yield.
My heart is out of reach, for now
The sword of Christ I wield.

You must go now.

Farewell, adieu. Be on your way.
I pity your sad fate;
For you were once the shining star
That lighted heaven’s gate.

What now, you ask?

I’ll flood this vacant residence,
This heart that you once filled,
With holy, selfless love of God.
My future He will build.

Today begins my freedom, tomorrow holds only joy.

Sunday, January 20

Black

For Creative Writing class, I'm supposed to be writing lots and lots of things. Unfortunately I have only finished one poem. I think I mostly like it, so I thought I would share it. It was an assignment we started in class; we were told to write a poem about a color. We could choose whatever color we wanted, and we could write about it however we wanted. Here is my finished product...

Black is dark and black is quite sinister--
Not often thought of well by those who minister
To victims of evil, with broken hearts.

Black describes the days that we are apart,
When I draw away from Your presence the tears start
To fall, for that's what paints me black as night.

Black coats my heart and my soul when we fight,
With my will against Yours my self blocks out the light
Of the world, who is returning so soon.

Black's existence is not merely for doom,
It is black night's sky that accentuates the moon
That reflects the light of life-giving sun.

Black sin contrasts and magnifies the One
Whose light and love were made manifest by the Son
Of God-- our Redeemer who makes us white.

Sunday, January 13

Interruption

I interrupt this intermission to bring you a musing of mine/a question I have. Happy New Year by the way...

In one of my classes this past week, a belief I had previously assumed was brought into question somewhat indirectly. In this class we were asked the following question: If you had an indefinite amount of time in which to write a book and you did not have to worry about a job or paying for food or anything, what would you write? In essence, what is your dream book to write?
I pondered and came up with the following idea for a book. There are billions of people in the world and each one has a unique story to tell, and each one has an especially unique story to tell of how Jesus has worked in their lives-- how they came to know him, what he has done for them, and so on.
Here on earth, we are called to be God's witnesses, testifying to what he has done in and for us. I have always assumed and believed that this calling to be God's witnesses was one that would last throughout eternity, that we would be able to share our stories with other humans in heaven, as well as the angels and residents of other worlds.
This is the book that I decided would be my dream book; I wanted to write a compilation of people's stories of God, their testimonies. When I announced this in class (we each had to share what our dream book would be), the teacher said to me, "Well, I suppose you've got a thousand years to write that book." And I was puzzled for a moment until she continued, "We'll have the millenium in heaven for reviewing the records. At least that's my theological understanding."
When I heard her say that I began to wonder if she were right. Would we really only have a thousand years to review Earth and all that happened in it? And would we no longer share our stories from Earth after that? I have thought about this and have talked with a few people about it, and I have come to a few conclusions. But I have decided that I want to read and learn more about it and also hear other people's opinions and beliefs. So my question to you is, what do you believe, and why? And if you have any suggestions for reading selections, I would appreciate them.