Crack O' Dawn Report: Predestination & Gummy Bears

Another lesson from one of my favorite bible teachers... (are you a gummy bear or a chocolate covered raisin?)

Akiane: child prodigy, artist, poet, "Indigo child"

I was happily reminded of this girl, Akiane as I watched a program on the Science Channel. She is a reminder to me that "GOD IS".

Crack O' Dawn Report: Romans 14: Into The Frying Pan

Question posed to Universalist Christians

The link below is just a drop in the bucket of a really large Christian forum where many of the participants believe in and teach the doctrine of eternal torment(which, if you know me, I thoroughly reject).... I've not written any poems lately, so I might as well post something about my faith... perhaps it will be of help to someone who stumbles upon it. For some reason, I am not having any success at putting links in, so you'll have to copy/paste this link to go to it ----

Universalists: Please Explain Why You Believe Like You Do

http://www.city-data.com/forum/christianity/942868-universalists-please-explain-why-you-believe.html

Talking to myself – since I’m the only one listening

I have a friend who talks to herself on her blog. She’s quite bright and so she figured out long before I did that no one else in this world can really listen to us – at least not all the time or even most of the time. I’ve known that for a while, but I’ve tried to deny it. Not that that is anyone’s fault – we’re all sealed up in our soft shelled tombs of silence. Or to put it another way – our house has been left unto us desolate. Adam’s race has been dashed to bits against the stones – perhaps his body has lost more blood than it yet has left to lose. There is a death in realizing that no one wants to dance anymore. There is a grief that occurs when the song in one’s heart can no longer be found. Maybe tomorrow I won’t feel this empty space. Or maybe I will – who knows? Maybe tomorrow will never come and I will go to sleep tonight with all those souls who have slipped beneath the eternal quiet place and no longer contemplate joy nor fear sorrow.

Northern Mockingbird, Sounds, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Northern Mockingbird, Sounds, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

I've been listening to a mockingbird at night during the spring break. I love to hear them. I counted nearly 20 different sounds coming from that bird in a matter of a few minutes. I'm not sure exactly what type of mockingbird we've got. Above is a picture of a Northern Mockingbird that I found on-line.

Last Hour in Gethsemane

(Revised April 2, 2010)

"Could you keep watch with me this hour?",
it's written that our dear Christ said,
in that dark garden where his bower
wove mustard seeds with thorns. The bread

had made the Lord's disciples full –
so satisfied, they would not last.
They felt the weighted earthly pull,
sins’ gravity – the cross was cast.

Though Jesus knew all men are weak,
oh how it must have grieved his heart
to be abandoned by his sheep,
the ones he’d chosen from the start.

And it is so for each of us
in that steep valley of the skull
where our travail is ominous,
and cupped with trembling – till a lull

shall lift us from the anguished floor
of threshing where God’s angels swarm
to separate the chaff before
the wheat is gathered in the storm.


© Anne Bryant-Hamon

Good News for All People on Good Friday

Today being Good Friday, I want to turn my thoughts to the truly good news of God's love for all of humankind - yes, ALL, not just some. I've been really struggling lately with some hard issues, been pretty lonely, been feeling a touch of desperation, but I'm glad that God has a plan that includes every person. And I'm glad that I truly believe this with all my heart - it gives me great peace in the storms of life. Since I very much dislike organized religion, I don't talk about my faith too much on my blog. Because so many horrible things have been done in the name of Christ, it has caused many rational people to stop listening and there certainly are plenty of "crazy" (hateful) people naming the name of Christ in the world who go about proclaiming bad news in God's Holy name (which is a shame). I became a convinced Universalist Christian in 2001 - nearly ten years ago. For that deliverance of my soul, I am truly thankful. But honestly, even in UR circles, there is still much religious bondage. However, it was largely through the labor of love of Gary and Michelle Amirault's ministry at http://www.tentmaker.org that I was enabled to come into God's Spiritual River of Freedom. I hope and pray that many souls are released from the prisons of fear and hopelessness this weekend as we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.

Aubade
(Red Sky In Morning)

Maybe I am awake before dawn
so I can imagine the sound of water
that will soon rush over his hands,
then trickle effortlessly through his fingers.

I consider the mingling of H2O with his DNA
spilling into the white porcelain sink,
the microscopic blueprint of him
that will soon travel down the copper drain
trailing off to a secret place
somewhere below the ground we share.

Such scenes are circles of springtime
washing over my thoughts,
leaving me pale green with envy
in the faint light of this cool, March morning.

I will wait for a red sky at night – sailor’s delight.

© Anne Bryant-Hamon
March 25, 2010

In His Shoes

This was written last year, and even posted here last year, but since a friend of mine on a board where I fellowship reminded me of it, I decided to post it again and changed the title today. It was previously titled, "Sympathy for God".
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In His Shoes

Imagine that He is
but has no father or mother,
no one to whom He must answer,
yet no one to whom He may inquire.

Imagine that He is spirit
with power to create bodies,
both terrestrial and celestial,
yet cannot be reduced to a body
because He gives life to every body.

Imagine that He is Agape-Love
bound by the essence of ultimate purity,
yet He is opposed
by all sentient beings
who cannot comprehend Him
or understand His true intentions,
nor can His creatures help their lack of understanding
without His help, His love, His grace,
His granting of wisdom
to those who seek wisdom.

Imagine being God
and desiring fellowship with sentient beings
made in His likeness.

We were taught that God needs nothing and no one,
but perhaps He needed us
in order that His joy be made full.

God WAS, and IS
yet did not and does not want to BE alone!

Imagine creating such beings
without creating robots
who can only comprehend their own god-like-ness
by being made subject to sorrow and death.

Imagine that those He subjected to death,
(in order that He could convey the glory of life and righteousness and goodness),
were mostly confused by His dilemma,
or unresponsive, uninterested, unappreciative of the glory of His being
or even worse - thought him cruel or non-existent.

Imagine God wanting to be loved and understood
to the same degree that you and I want
to be loved and understood.

Imagine.

(c) Anne Bryant-Hamon