VIRUS IN YOUR IRIS |

The problem with suffering…
is that it hides the future
Puts it on ice
In some instances eradicates it altogether
We focus on immediate relief
in the imminent frame
The short view
Job told it
We’re telling it
It’s a human thing
We can’t see very far
when we’ve got a boil
A pimple
A virus
Let’s step out of the human thing
Just for a minute

The future is suddenly a blank canvas
What do we do now?
We paint the future back onto the canvas of course
What kind of future do we paint?
Our very own caliphate?
Or do we recalibrate?
Can we put God back?
Trust Him enough to rebuild our civilization?
Why?
Because…
He is the only constant
The cesium clock
The cornerstone
The rock
Our vault
And investment
Everything else
and everyone else
are tossed around at sea
Remarrying
again
and again
I’ve lost count

I just remembered something
‘Ahava’ is the Hebrew word for Love
The root is ‘hav’
It means ‘give’
To love is to give
We know this already
but
‘Ahav’ is also an acronym for
Father
Spirit
And Son
Cool
God is love
He’s got you
If you’ll let Him

Rise up if you’re tired of the replay
Toby Mac

C.S. Lewis once said
He said many things by the way
In books
He said
If you wanted to make some big changes in your life
you’d be less successful
trying to fork or divert the road you’re on
than going back to the beginning
Being under house arrest is a good time
for reading
Thinking
Going back to the beginning
And
Thank you Tim Keller
Reordering your loves

I ask my father in-law why he keeps calling it the coronation virus?
Because beer is sacred
Someone at work asked me what I thought about the virus
We briefly exchange some of facts
what we could remember from last night’s news
Again came the question from an anxious mouth
“What do you think about this virus?”
Like his lips were asking the question
without his mind’s consent
Fear his foxy proxy
I wanted to say other things
Secular
Culturally fitting things
but something else fell out of my mouth
Accidental like
I’m not fearful
I’m ready to meet my maker
Are you?
Nervously he laughs
He looks away
Down at his emails
Lost him
Maybe

I wanted to say
Fear is like buying cigarettes
It’s expensive
Addictive
Causes bad breath
Whatever breath is left
And it will kill you
There’s too much bad news
The virus is in our iris
It’s invisible
but not invincible
Don’t buy fear
There are better ways to spend your hard earned money
Don’t suddenly mistrust your neighbour
But be sensible

Yes

Be sensible

My dad used to say
“Flatulence makes the fart go yonder”
It was funny
When I was a kid
But now that I’m older
I prefer and refer to the original
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder”
Or was that abscess?
Being apart from God sometimes feels like an abscess

Isolation is like fasting
Like the days of unleavened bread
For spring cleaning
A good opportunity
To start over
Uncover the mystery
Because mystery augments love
To seek the mystery
that cloaks our Master
Like the sentient that I know you are
While the world swaps their gold and silver
for toilet paper
spend this time
looking for Him
Until you look at Him
Renew your marriage vows
To Him
Rise up if you’re tired of the replay
Blow the Spirit’s warm hot breath
back through your cool black coals
And like fireflies
Watch the embers rise
falling upward…
towards…