The storm rages

After I Peter 1:3-5 

The storm rages around us,

a tempest, pounding

turbulence, threatening

destruction. It rages,

but we are safe, secure,

protected with a promise,

with an inheritance,

one that is permanent,

perfect, held in reserve,

a hope amid the storm,

a hope in spite of the storm,

a living hope, a refuge,

a rock, and we are

in its cleft, our safety

and salvation secure.

 

Photograph by Mac LaRochelle via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Sunday Readings

 

The Value of Work & Picking Blueberries – Russell Gehrlein at the Institute for Faith, Work, & Economics.

 

The News Media is Broken. What Now? – Mike Woodruff at The Gospel Coalition.

 

Narnia Remains – Samuel D. James at Digital Liturgies.

Christ the King - sonnet by Malcolm Guite.

The peace within

After Psalm 122 

The peace of Jerusalem

is a thing to be sought,

a thing to be prayed for,

a thing offering safety

to those who love

the city, this city set

apart. It is not the walls,

or the towers, or the houses,

or the streets that define

the city, this city; it is

the people, the people 

whose loves secures

the city, the people

whose peace creates

the city’s defense. And

this peace is corporate,

this peace is individual,

for what is held in common

is held within each heart,

cherished within each person.

To seek good for this city

is to seek good for each person

within it.

 

Photograph by Gerald Schoombs via Unsplash. Used with permission.

A hiding place

After Psalm 32

Panting, the in the darkness

of the cave, escaping

from the mouths tearing

at my heels, falling

to my knees, a body,

a soul exhausted

Here is the hiding place,

here is the deliverance,

here is the cleft in the rock,

the place of safety,

the knowledge of security,

where the mouths do not bite,

the waters do not rise,

the foe does not consume,

and arms surround me

Photograph by Dmitry Ratushny via Unsplash. User with permission.

Royal Security, Life, and Fiction

Scotland Yard has been making some changes in how it provides security for the British royal family and government ministers, and reportedly the Queen is not appreciative. The palace declines comment on the report, as it usually does on matters like this one. The change is likely driven by a cost reduction plan.

Early on in my third novel Dancing King, there’s a conflict over security at the palace, and Michael dismisses the security chief, who leaves with almost all of his people. A stopgap plan is put in place, using the Guardsmen, and then Michael opts for a private security firm. It doesn’t seem like that major a deal, just like the Real Scotland Yard changes noted in the news report, but in the novel, it becomes a small step that will eventually lead to bigger changes.

Photograph by Steve Bryant via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

Surrounded

Surrounded by achievement

we waver in uncertainty

surrounded by wealth

we pause in insecurity

our hands upon the lever

we hesitate in perplexity

we look to take refuge

from the storm but could find

no way forward

no way backward

pounded and rocked

and buffeted

we cannot stand

as we sink in the more

and mud we created

we remember the cleft

in the rock,

the burning sand

the fire. We are saved

by the fire.

Photograph by Linnaea Mallette via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.