Tuesday, July 31, 2012

ROMANS (8:35-39)




Romans 8:35-39

JESUS IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE SAID
TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
AND FOLLOW ME

IT ALWAYS SEEMED
LIKE AN ANACHRONISM TO ME

JEWISH METHOD OF KILLING
WAS STONING
THE CROSS TO THE JEW
WAS A ROMAN METHOD OF EXECUTION

I THOUGHT MAYBE SOME SCRIBE
ADDED IT
TO HELP JESUS MAKE HIS POINT

AND WHAT WOULD THAT POINT BE
TO JESUS
OR THE MAYBE SCRIBE

DEATH BY ROMANS
NOT FOR SACRILEGE
ABOUT WHICH
THE ROMANS COULD CARE LESS

BUT INSURRECTION
WHICH WAS A ROMAN CONCERN

SO JESUS WAS SAYING
IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DIE FOR ME
YOU CAN HAVE NO PART OF ME

I DON’T MEAN PHYSICAL DEATH ENTIRELY
ARE YOU WILLING TO BE MY DISCIPLE
24/7

OR ONE DAY A WEEK FOR MAYBE AN HOUR

24/7
FOLLOWING JESUS

FAILURE YES
BUT STRIVING TO MEET THE MARK

KNOWING THAT
I REMEMBER PAUL SAYING




Who will separate us
from the love of Christ?
Will tribulation,
or distress,
or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril,
or sword?

Just as it is written,

“ FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”

 But in all these things
we overwhelmingly conquer
 through Him
who loved us.

For I am convinced
that neither death,
nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor things present
, nor things to come,
 nor powers, 39
nor height, nor depth,
nor any other created thing,
will be able to separate us
from the love of God,
 which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord.

FRANK A VOLLMER

Thursday, July 26, 2012

MYTHS





MYTHS


I’VE BEEN READING A LOT
OF THE CREATION/DELUGE STORIES
COMMON TO THE MESOPOTAMIAN AREA

GEOLOGISTS ARE SAYING
THAT WITHIN HISTORY’S MEMORY
THE MEDITERRANEAN
BLACK
CASPIAN SEAS
WERE FORMED
OR DEFORMED

THE FOLK MEMORY
OF THESE EVENTS WAS SO STRONG
THEY CREATED A GENRE OF DELUGE STORIES
OF WHICH GENESIS IS ONE

IN PRIMITIVE THINKING
THE FLOOD WAS THE GODS ANGER
AT MAN’S SIN
OR BY THE NOISE HE MADE
DISTURBING THEM
EITHER WAY GOD RUED HIS CREATION

LIKE DISGRUNTLED TRADESMEN
THEY WANTED TO DESTROY WHAT THEY HAD MADE
AND START ANEW

AFTER THE FLOOD
WHAT THEY ENDED UP WITH
PEOPLE LIKE NOAH AND HIS SONS

NO BETTER THAN THE ONES WHO WENT BEFORE
US
A SINFUL PEOPLE

THE GODS DECIDED
FURTHER INTERFERENCE
WOULD NOT PRODUCE BETTER RESULTS




UNLIKE THE JEWISH BIBLE
THERE WAS NO SENSE OF SIN
AND REDEMPTION


BUT ANNOYED GODS
HAVING A HISSY FIT

WHILE THE ROOTS OF GENESIS
MAY BE BORROWED
THE UNIQUENESS OF GENESIS
SHOWS A GOD
WHO MADE MAN
BECAUSE HE WANTED TOO

KNOWING FULL WELL
HIS CREATION WOULD GO ASTRAY
HE MADE US ANYWAY


FRANK A VOLLMER



Monday, July 23, 2012

.(Jeremiah 31:33) INTROSPECTION .....




INTROSPECTION


MY SAINTED GRANDMOM
A STAUNCH PROTESTANT
USED TO FEED HER CATHOLIC GRANDCHILDREN
MEAT ON FRIDAY
FELT SHE WAS DOING A GOOD THING
THAT GOD WAS PLEASED

MULTIPLY THAT MICROCOSM BY
ALL THE SENTIENT PEOPLE LIVING
AND WE WONDER
WHY ARE WE SHOCKED AT MASSACRE

WHEN THOSE INSTITUTIONS
WHICH WE HAVE TO TEACH AND PROTECT US
FAIL
NOT ONCE BUT A PATTERN
HOW CAN WE BE SHOCKED

A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR
NEWLY RELEASED
HAPPENED UPON A FUNERAL PROCESSION
WITH WAILING
HE WAS SHOCKED

SIX MILLION WENT UP IN SMOKE
WITH NO WAILING

THOSE WHO PERPETUATED THE ACTION
FELT THEY DID A GOOD THING

I DO NOT KNOW THE ANSWER
OR CURE
EXCEPT TO SAY
IT STARTS WITH THE INDIVIDUAL
TO LISTEN TO THE VOICE
GOD PUT IN HIM AT CONCEPTION

OR ELSE OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE
IS NO MORE SUBSTANTIAL
THAN SMOKE UP A CHIMNEY

FRANK A VOLLMER