Thursday, July 23, 2009

I was astonished…

…to find these two poems in a blog I just visited, one belonging to an Orthodox brother. Again and again, the Lord has been revealing so much beauty and truth in beauty to my world-weary eyes. Thank you, David, if you are the author of these lines, which I am about to share with my (hopefully also astonished) readers…

There Will Be No Rain

There will be no rain but by my word
O Man of God have you come to slay my child?
You filled the pitcher, you filled the cruse
Will you not fill my son?

Are you the one troubling Israel?
The land is cursed by dead men
Limping around two altars with two feet
Whom will you follow?

Is he sleeping?
Is he about?
Has he traveled?
Now give a shout?

Nothing but a quiet prayer and a troff
Nothing but faith and eyes aloft
Nothing left of the mountain side
Truly God is God.

From Tyre and Sidon

From Tyre and Sidon my feet have journeyed long
Come to touch the hem, come to be healed

His voice gives to all without ever diminishing
Come all you are weary and rest

The kingdom is for the persecuted
The kingdom is for the rejected in Him
The kingdom is for the crying
The kingdom is for the starving
The kingdom is for the poor

Through the trees the Spirit passes
Bringing all things of Itself
Nothing has ever been said against it
It causes men to lift each other up

The harvest comes with self-control
The harvest moves with gentleness
The harvest is known by its faithfulness
The harvest is seen in its goodness
The harvest is shared in kindness
The harvest has proven its longsuffering
The harvest brings peace
The harvest frees the heart for joy
The harvest is love

Wait! There are more…
Were I Lost
Sell All You Have
Don’t Be a Fool
Lord God of Israel, There is None Like You
…and they go on and on!
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5 comments:

  1. Jim Swindle23/7/09 05:20

    Thanks for the link to his site. The poems are worth reading carefully and pondering. They express Christian faith in a fresh way.

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  2. Anonymous23/7/09 08:00

    Thank you so much for the kind words. This project means a great deal to me.

    Compared to my opinionated rants that my blog started as, I see these as a great improvement.

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  3. Anonymous23/7/09 11:19

    Today I pray for you.

    http://nothinghypothetical.wordpress.com/2009/07/23/be-without-care/

    Frankly, I try not to judge my own work, but something about this one I like very much.

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  4. Hilarius23/7/09 11:34

    Brother Romanos:

    Thank you for your continued posts - ususally I have nothing worthy to comment about, so I read, and am edified. I ask your prayers.

    Sorry to post off-topic, but I commend to you the translation of Fr. Touma Bitar, a 'voice crying in the wilderness' from Lebanon that is worth hearing.

    Please read the translator's preface as it is important:

    Fr. Touma's Thoughts for Inner Ears

    In Xp,

    -Eric John

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  5. yudikris23/7/09 19:44

    Thanks for sharing with us and linking to this excellent blog! I have added this to my blogroll :)

    ReplyDelete