shadow
being mean
keeping quiet so not to say mean things.
being not included
so keeping to myself, being different,
developing my own code.
talking when supposed to be quiet.
saying the wrong thing - so feelings of
disjointedness, out of place,
being punished because talking.
watching what i say.
when a child - cunning - lied. gave me
a present when it was for my sister.
tried to be better - tried to always tell the truth.
didn't like to study in grammar school
liked to play -
tried to be perfect in my love for god.
in my writing not good enough, not creative enough -
so didn't attempt to write or be creative.
because it wouldn't be good enough.
when i was a kid - i invited myself to a birthday party
when i wasn't invited.
didn't go placed where i wasn't invited.
i used to like to run
i wasn't the fastest runner
so i didn't run anymore or if i did
i resented not being the fastest.
danced on the stage, but said i was fooling around
so i didn't get a good part.
i seemed to get into trouble for fooling around.
did i fool around less - i don't know.
i never won, or was first in anything so i didn't
really try scholastically to excel.
except in 7th grade i studied and got in the 90's average.
now with writing i may not be first
so do i give it up. i don't know.
court reporting machine i just practiced until
i got speeds high enough so i could pass the
test and get the job.
i don't know if i don't try to achieve because i won't be first
or get the top prize.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
The Tree
I stood in the forest and knew
the strength of my limbs.
I stood in the forest and felt
the heat of the sun.
I stood in the forest and saw the
flight of the eagle overhead.
I stood in the forest and heard the
cicadas sing.
I stood in the forest when morning melted
into evening.
I stood in the forest grounded in moments of reverence and
awe.
I stood in the forest as a family of three, man, woman and son
rested under me..
I stood in the forest and heard them whispering -- The Tree.
Soft voices, laughter, murmurings
and conversations I did hear.
A family of three took refreshment from me. .
The boy played a game of hide and seek
and at times rested his head on me.
The mother - her being I felt at one with me.
The father smiled approvingly.
Time passed.
Days and evenings became many.
Months became years.
I stood in the forest growing strong.
Until that terrible day I was cut down
and a cross I was made.
Lifted high up on the hill for all to see.
The mother knew at once it was me.
Ah familiar tree, she murmured.
And I felt her being was one with me.
And the father again his approval was with me.
And then - rough men positioned him on to me.
I draped her son tightly to me.
A tighter embrace there could not be.
The woman's child closed his eyes as if to play hide and seek.
Old memories stirred of the peace and strength of - The Tree..
Welcome, old friend, He murmured to me.
the strength of my limbs.
I stood in the forest and felt
the heat of the sun.
I stood in the forest and saw the
flight of the eagle overhead.
I stood in the forest and heard the
cicadas sing.
I stood in the forest when morning melted
into evening.
I stood in the forest grounded in moments of reverence and
awe.
I stood in the forest as a family of three, man, woman and son
rested under me..
I stood in the forest and heard them whispering -- The Tree.
Soft voices, laughter, murmurings
and conversations I did hear.
A family of three took refreshment from me. .
The boy played a game of hide and seek
and at times rested his head on me.
The mother - her being I felt at one with me.
The father smiled approvingly.
Time passed.
Days and evenings became many.
Months became years.
I stood in the forest growing strong.
Until that terrible day I was cut down
and a cross I was made.
Lifted high up on the hill for all to see.
The mother knew at once it was me.
Ah familiar tree, she murmured.
And I felt her being was one with me.
And the father again his approval was with me.
And then - rough men positioned him on to me.
I draped her son tightly to me.
A tighter embrace there could not be.
The woman's child closed his eyes as if to play hide and seek.
Old memories stirred of the peace and strength of - The Tree..
Welcome, old friend, He murmured to me.
Psalm 7 - Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from Enemies
The Psalmist Prays:
O Lord my God, in You I put my trust,
Save me from all those who persecute
me;
And deliver me,
Lest they tear me like a lion,
Rending me in pieces, while there is none
to deliver.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
O Lord my God, in Your hand I place mine,
Save me from thoughts of pride and grandeur;
And protect me,
Lest my thoughts overtake me like the running cougar,
And pounce on my bones, while there is none
to protect me.
The Psalmist Prays:
O Lord my God, if I have done this,
If there is iniquity in my hands,
If I have repaid evil to him who was at
peace with me,
Or have plundered my enemy without
cause,
Let the enemy pursue me and overtake
me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the
earth,
And lay my honor in the dust.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
O Lord my God, if I have allowed this,
If there is evil in my heart,
If I have struck him who bore no
harm towards me,
Or have plundered the families of the
innocent;
Let those who I have struck the first blow
find me;
Yes, let him see me in the distance,
And trample my honor in the earth.
The Psalmist Prays:
Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my
enemies;
Rise up for me to the judgment You have
commanded!
So the congregation of the peoples shall
surround You;
For their sakes, therefore, return on high.
The Lord shall judge the peoples;
Judge me O Lord, according to my
righteousness,
And according to my integrity within me.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Arise, O Lord in Your anger;
Show yourself, because of the hostility of my
enemies;
Assert yourself for me according to the ordinances
You have laid down!
So the multitudes of the citizens shall mull around
You:
For their welfares, therefore, bestow kindness.
The Lord will be eye to eye.
See me O Lord, according to my
righteousness,
And according to my honor within me.
The Psalmist Prays:
Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked
come to an end.
But establish the just,
For the righteous God tests the hearts and
minds.
My defense is of God.
Who saves the upright in heart.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Oh, let useless thought perish.
But let the Lord come through,
For the ever faithful God stirs the hearts and
minds.
My shield is of God.
Who protects the vigilant.
The Psalmist Prays:
God is a just judge.
And God is angry with the wicked every
day.
If he does not turn back,
He will sharpen His sword;
He bends His bow and makes it ready.
He also prepares for Himself instruments
of death;
He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
God Lord is my judge.
And God's anger is on the wicked every
moment.
If he does not halt,
He will prepare His armor;
He sharpens His sword and practices.
He also stores up instruments of death;
He makes his blade to shine in the light.
The Psalmist Prays:
Behold , the wicked brings forth
iniquity;
Yet he conceives trouble and brings forth
falsehood.
He made a pit and dug it out,
And has fallen into the ditch which he
made.
His trouble shall return upon his own
head.
And his violent dealing shall come down
on this own crown.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Behold, the evil one brings forth
plans;
Yet he plots gossips and brings forward
untruths.
He made a hole and carved it out,
And falls into the pit which he made.
His plans shall come knocking on his
own door.
And his viciousness shall come down
on his own household.
The Psalmist Prays:
I will praise the Lord according to His
righteousness.
And will sing praise to the name of the
Lord Most HIgh.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
I will utter praises and shower the Lord
with adulations.
And this lowly creature will bow before you
always.
You are the food of my soul, the love of my life.
Thine will be done for ever and ever.
A M E N.
O Lord my God, in You I put my trust,
Save me from all those who persecute
me;
And deliver me,
Lest they tear me like a lion,
Rending me in pieces, while there is none
to deliver.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
O Lord my God, in Your hand I place mine,
Save me from thoughts of pride and grandeur;
And protect me,
Lest my thoughts overtake me like the running cougar,
And pounce on my bones, while there is none
to protect me.
The Psalmist Prays:
O Lord my God, if I have done this,
If there is iniquity in my hands,
If I have repaid evil to him who was at
peace with me,
Or have plundered my enemy without
cause,
Let the enemy pursue me and overtake
me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the
earth,
And lay my honor in the dust.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
O Lord my God, if I have allowed this,
If there is evil in my heart,
If I have struck him who bore no
harm towards me,
Or have plundered the families of the
innocent;
Let those who I have struck the first blow
find me;
Yes, let him see me in the distance,
And trample my honor in the earth.
The Psalmist Prays:
Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my
enemies;
Rise up for me to the judgment You have
commanded!
So the congregation of the peoples shall
surround You;
For their sakes, therefore, return on high.
The Lord shall judge the peoples;
Judge me O Lord, according to my
righteousness,
And according to my integrity within me.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Arise, O Lord in Your anger;
Show yourself, because of the hostility of my
enemies;
Assert yourself for me according to the ordinances
You have laid down!
So the multitudes of the citizens shall mull around
You:
For their welfares, therefore, bestow kindness.
The Lord will be eye to eye.
See me O Lord, according to my
righteousness,
And according to my honor within me.
The Psalmist Prays:
Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked
come to an end.
But establish the just,
For the righteous God tests the hearts and
minds.
My defense is of God.
Who saves the upright in heart.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Oh, let useless thought perish.
But let the Lord come through,
For the ever faithful God stirs the hearts and
minds.
My shield is of God.
Who protects the vigilant.
The Psalmist Prays:
God is a just judge.
And God is angry with the wicked every
day.
If he does not turn back,
He will sharpen His sword;
He bends His bow and makes it ready.
He also prepares for Himself instruments
of death;
He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
God Lord is my judge.
And God's anger is on the wicked every
moment.
If he does not halt,
He will prepare His armor;
He sharpens His sword and practices.
He also stores up instruments of death;
He makes his blade to shine in the light.
The Psalmist Prays:
Behold , the wicked brings forth
iniquity;
Yet he conceives trouble and brings forth
falsehood.
He made a pit and dug it out,
And has fallen into the ditch which he
made.
His trouble shall return upon his own
head.
And his violent dealing shall come down
on this own crown.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Behold, the evil one brings forth
plans;
Yet he plots gossips and brings forward
untruths.
He made a hole and carved it out,
And falls into the pit which he made.
His plans shall come knocking on his
own door.
And his viciousness shall come down
on his own household.
The Psalmist Prays:
I will praise the Lord according to His
righteousness.
And will sing praise to the name of the
Lord Most HIgh.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
I will utter praises and shower the Lord
with adulations.
And this lowly creature will bow before you
always.
You are the food of my soul, the love of my life.
Thine will be done for ever and ever.
A M E N.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Psalm 6
A Prayer of Faith in Time of Distress
The Psalmist Prays:
O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am
weak;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are
troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled;
But You, O Lord--how long?
Psalmist Doris Prays:
O Lord, do not turn away from me in Your displeasure,
Nor smite me in Your anger.
Have compassion on me, O Lord, for I am just a
pebble in the rock pile;
O Lord, pour your saving grace upon me, for I am
in inner turmoil.
My spirit is laden with grief;
But You--O Lord, how many days without you?
The Psalmist Prays:
Return, O Lord, deliver me!
Oh, save me for Your mercies' sake!
For in death there is no remembrance of
You;
In the grave who will give You thanks?
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Come back, O Lord, save me!
Oh, comfort me for Your heartfelt way!
For in dying there is no presence of
You;
And in the burial ground who will give You praise?
The Psalmist Prays:
I am weary with my groaning;
All night I make my bed swim;
I drench my couch with my tears.
My eyes wastes away because of grief;
It grows old because of all my enemies.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
I am tired with my thoughts;
All night I twist in my bed:
I wrench my nightclothes from my body;
My spirit lacks nourishment.
It grows distant because of all my murmurings.
The Psalmist Prays:
Depart from me, all you workers of
iniquity;
For the Lord has heard the voice of my
weeping.
The Lord has heard my supplication;
The Lord will receive my prayer.
Let all my enemies be ashamed and
greatly troubled;
Let them turn back and be ashamed
suddenly.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Go away, all you thoughts of
iniquity;
For the Lord has heard the voice of my
supplications;
The Lord has tuned in to my weeping;
The Lord hastens to hear my prayer.
Let all those who seek to wreak havoc in
my life not succeed;
Let them be annihilated and put to flight
suddenly.
The Psalmist Prays:
O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am
weak;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are
troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled;
But You, O Lord--how long?
Psalmist Doris Prays:
O Lord, do not turn away from me in Your displeasure,
Nor smite me in Your anger.
Have compassion on me, O Lord, for I am just a
pebble in the rock pile;
O Lord, pour your saving grace upon me, for I am
in inner turmoil.
My spirit is laden with grief;
But You--O Lord, how many days without you?
The Psalmist Prays:
Return, O Lord, deliver me!
Oh, save me for Your mercies' sake!
For in death there is no remembrance of
You;
In the grave who will give You thanks?
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Come back, O Lord, save me!
Oh, comfort me for Your heartfelt way!
For in dying there is no presence of
You;
And in the burial ground who will give You praise?
The Psalmist Prays:
I am weary with my groaning;
All night I make my bed swim;
I drench my couch with my tears.
My eyes wastes away because of grief;
It grows old because of all my enemies.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
I am tired with my thoughts;
All night I twist in my bed:
I wrench my nightclothes from my body;
My spirit lacks nourishment.
It grows distant because of all my murmurings.
The Psalmist Prays:
Depart from me, all you workers of
iniquity;
For the Lord has heard the voice of my
weeping.
The Lord has heard my supplication;
The Lord will receive my prayer.
Let all my enemies be ashamed and
greatly troubled;
Let them turn back and be ashamed
suddenly.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Go away, all you thoughts of
iniquity;
For the Lord has heard the voice of my
supplications;
The Lord has tuned in to my weeping;
The Lord hastens to hear my prayer.
Let all those who seek to wreak havoc in
my life not succeed;
Let them be annihilated and put to flight
suddenly.
Monday, November 4, 2013
a story
Writing a novel is in reality like birthing a baby.
There are the preparations.
Instead of diapers and baby clothes-
there are the endless pencils, paper, dictionary,
computer and of course eraser and printer.
Then there is the actual birth of the baby.
The labor involved.
The waiting.
The pain.
And then the final achievement -
a bouncing baby boy or girl.
With writing. You deal with the actual ideas.
The characters, the plot, the scene. The
discarding of one idea or maybe all of them.
The killing off of a character or characters.
Some sleepless nights -
just like when junior or missy wakes up for
their bottle or feeding.
As the saying goes
It was the best of times -
and
It was the worst of times.
Charlotte looked at the words on the computer screen.
Her freckled face complete with an upturned nose was expressionless.
Thick black lashes rounded out and framed her
blue oval eyes.
And a red pencil with a green point and pink eraser
tap tap tappped on the brown square computer table.
He right hand was under her chin and her left hand was firmly
holding on to the pen.
She reread the words on the computer screen.
And then with a soft exhalation murmured, "Where do I go from here?"
She had been stuck at this spot for the last five minutes waiting for a
breakthrough but none seemed to be coming.
She squinted her eyes shut one more time as though that motion
would squeeze her story into life.
She sat that way for a moment. And then exclaimed out loud and to
no one particular "That's it."
She shook her head and her curly red hair bounced in unison to the shake
of the bones in her body.
She stood up with such force that the brown knobbed chair whit wheels
that she was sitting on rolled back and hit the adjacent blue flowered
wallpaperd wall.
The chair hit so hard that Grandma Molly and Grandpa Ted's picture rattled.
"Sorry," she murmured, in the direction of the picture.
"Time for a walk." she said out loud.
By the time she got to the screen door her small Yorkie was at her feet.
"Want to go out, boy, then come on let's go."
She grabbed her green jacket from the hall closet and took Murphy's leash
off the painted green nail on the wall.
A full length mirror in the front hall showed a reflection of a young girl
nicely built in her twenties. She had on a yellow blouse with the hint
of daisies on the fringe of her white collar and faded daises followed
the buttons down to her belly button. She had on a pair of black linen
hiphuggers and her bellybutton had a piercing, although there was none
to be seen at the moment.
"Okay, Murphy, wait one minute while I find my slide-ins."
That's what she called her favorite pair of beach sandals. They were brown,
and had jeweled straps of different gem colors that held her feet in.
These slide-ins stayed in her country home when she went back to her job
in the city in September.
She looked around for them and finally found them sticking out from
under the bottom of the six foot country clock that had been keeping
perfect time for the last three years that she had been coming to Hollow Springs.
She swore somebody must have been winding the key to this
clock. But as of yet she had no inkling who it could be or
why they would be winding this brown chestnut clock.
It was a one of a kind clock. At least the only one she had ever
seen like it.
For numbers somebody had painted tiny dwarfs for each of the
numbers and each dwarf held something different in his hand.
Numbe 12 held a candle. And number 6 held a light bulb.
Sometimes she thought this was a strange house that Grandma
and Grandpa Kelly had left her - but she thought it would
be perfect for writing that novel that was going to burst on to
the writer scene some time soon.
She got one sandal on and Murphy was licking her other foot
to remind her to hurry up.
"Okay, Murphy," she laughed. We are going outside.
She hooked the gold chain of the red leash with painted dog bones
on to Murphy's matching red collar also with dog bones painted on to it.
and she opened the white screen door.
Before her eyes was the ocean.
Charlotte stood for a moment on the painted white veranda and took in a deep breath.
The inhaled the fresh air through her nose and her stomach slowly expanded and with
a deep whish she let the air out through her small pursed lips.
She had been taught how to breathe this way in a meditation yoga class and she
consistently breathed this way when taking her first walk of the day.
The view was breathtaking and the weather was grand and Charlotte said a small thank you to the powers
that be for granting her such a day.
She walked ten feet to the edge of the porch and surveyed the
scene.
To the right of her was a hammock that was attached to the side of the
house to the front porch rail by a gold hook that had been driven into the banister.
Always inviting. But today she had different plans.
A small frown formed between her eyebrows as she nooticed that today there was a large yellow straw hat with a blue ribbon tied around the rim and also a blue and white blanket with an inlay of abstract
shapes embroidered on one side laying to the side of the hammock.
Charlotte didn't recognize the blanket or the hat and thought that maybe
Molly her next door neighbor was being neighborly in making sure that
she had something warm to hold on to those cold nights in April and to
protect her from the harmful rays of the sun with the hat.
But the frown came before she thought of her neighbor.
She didn't like surprises and she could only think that Molly could have done
such a thing.
"That was a nice gesture," Charlotte thought out loud.
Molly lived with her uncle about a mile down the road.
To get to Molly's you would have to walk from Charlotte's porch about thirty feet
to the mailbox which mailbox was made in the form of a wooden sailboat, the door to the
cabin being where the mailman would put the mail. The ship was bolted to a wooden
barrel. And to get to Molly's you would have to make a left at the mailbox and walk
in the direction of the pier which was a mile down the road.
She hadn't heard Molly or her old red pickup that morning and wondered when she had come.
She said out loud, " I must have been sleeping." and dismissed
the thought.
"Come on Murphy, let's go."
Murphy answered with a couple of barks and the two of them started off on their morning walk.
Charlotte started talking as she walked which was something Murphy was accustomed to.
Sometimes her thoughts were just in her head. Other times they were out loud like at this moment.
Murphy twitched his ears in her direction and looked at Charlotte expectantly.
Charlotte knew Murphy was her confidant and wouldn't tell anyone what she said. She knew that
Murphy was almost human, but he was still only a dog and dogs couldn't talk.
Charlotte knew this. She laughed out loud. There was no one around. She could talk all she wanted.
There were two weather beaten wooden chairs down by the water's edge.
They were there when she arrived in early April and since they were on
her property she assumed they came with the bungalow.
They were wooden slat chairs and Charlotte had painted one
green and the other yellow.
They were the kind you could sink your behind into and put your
head back, close your eyes and just rest.
Charlotte loved the chairs.
At this time Charlotte and Murphy headed toward the beach. The sand
was packed hard so Charlotte could still walk in her sandals without too
much trouble.
It was 7 o'clock in the morning and from all instances it looked like it was going to be a warm
day. The sun was shining orange and the waves were breaking a little ways from
her. She reached the chairs and Charlotte let Murphy off the leash as it didn't
seem to matter much since there was no one else around.
"Go ahead, boy, run, have a good time."
Murphy ran around in circles a few times and then burrowed his nose in something
he found of interest.
Charlotte turned her attention to the ocean.
It was a turquoise green today. Crystal clear like melted ice water.
The waves broke over one another and in their calm they left a silver
sheen that gave off the illusion of diamonds dancing on the water.
Charlotte, breathed in the clear air, closed her eyes and gasped,
"these are my jewels."
The large orange sun reminded her of gold. And she knew it was an omen
of money in the bank.
"What did you say?" a male voice surprised her
Charlotte's eyes flew open and her body trembled.
She couldn't place the voice but yet it had a distinct familiarity to it. .
She was about to retort that whoever's voice it belonged to that this
stretch of beach was private so they were trespassing, but when she looked
to her left she could only see Murphy sniffing at the wind that had picked up, and
when she looked to her right there was nothing to be seen but
miles of beach .
Turning her attention to face the ocean she saw only the penciled black
line of the distant horizon in front of her.
There was no one around and all that Charlotte could hear now
was the crashing of the waves as they hit the beach.
She pulled her jacket tighter around her and debated as to
whether she should head back to the cottage.
.She took in a deep breath and looked once more straight ahead.
There was a sailboat coming into view and it seemed to be
heading in her direction. For a moment she forgot the
strange but familiar voice she had heard and stood looking at the
bow of the sailboat. There were words painted on it and in a few
moments she would be able to make it out. There it was
the name of the boat was Joy. And it was painted in big
bold letters on the bow of the boat.
It was a small sailboat
And she could make out a man in blue jeans and a denim
shirt controlling the mast.
He was wearing a blue baseball cap with the rim to the
back and he came as close to the beach as he could without coming
all the way in.
He waved and she didn't respond.
He made a sharp right and she watched the boat as
it sailed down hugging the shore line but not coming in.
When she could see it no longer she stood for a few moments
listening to the wind in her ears and wondering what that was
all about.
Whose boat was that?
Charlotte didn't like her quiet being interrupted like this.
First the strange voice and
now an unfamiliar sailboat with of all things the name Joy
painted on it.
Charlotte did not like this at all.
Her morning of quiet moments had been shattered with a
little mystery and it was a little unrattling to say the least.
Her mind went back five years.
She and her best friend Joy had graduated from college
Both had gotten their masters.
Charlotte had gotten a masters of fine art in literature
and
Joy had gotten her P.H.D. in antrhopology.
Charlotte was off to New York City to work for a publicist and
Joy was offered an opportunity she couldn't say no to.
She was to work on an archeological dig and search
the mines off the coral caves in Hermit's Bay in Lima Peru.
She was working with two of the most renowned scientists in that
field. She was both thrilled and excited for this opportunity.
Charlotte had seen her friend off from Kennedy Airport and that was the last
time she had seen her.
They kept in contact for ten months and then Joy had disappeared.
According to witnesses she and another colleague had taken the motorized jet skis
out at 5 a.m.A.M.to check on some trappings and instruments in one of the caves and
they had not come back.
Authorities searched for her for two weeks but could not find Joy or her companion
Dan Lanhorn .
The jet skis were each found five miles off shore.
The police had a couple of theories as to what could have happened, but they admitted
they had no solid clues as to what could have happened to the two anthropologists.
They could have fallen overboard. Or they could have gotten lost in the caves.
Or somebody could have taken them. Or they could have ran away. Maybe they were
lovers and decided to leave. The police didn't know. And at this time they had no solid clues.
Charlotte went and spent a month at the site and couldn't come up with any other explanation.
Joy was no where to be found. And no one had seen her since the night before she disappeared.
Dan Lanhorn was also somewhat of a mystery. He was 35. Came from Madison Wisconsin.
Was an only child. And from what Charlotee could find out his parents were deceased and had
been for quite a while.
Regretfully Charlotte had to come back home with no real answers.
Charlotte blinked herself back to reality as Murphy munched on her big toe.
"Ok, big fella, enough time outside. Let's go back and get something to eat."
Charlotte hooked Murphy back on to the leash and started back to the cottage.
Halfway there she gave an uneasy glance over her left shoulder and then her
right shoulder to see if anything was there.
All that met her gaze was a clean sweep of the beach and the blue horizon.
She turned towards the cottage with an unknown feeling in the underlings of her belly.
CHAPTER 2
The young woman put her hand in the water font at St. Mary's Chapel in Arson Woods, Peru
and blessed herself.
She moved toward the front of the church bowed before the crucifix and found
a seat in the second pew.
It was 6 o'clock in the morning and soon Father Andre would arrive to say mass
before a group of twenty people scattered throughout the small chapel.
It had been more or less the same people each morning.
Father Andre was of the Franciscan Order and he had been a young priest when he
first arrived in Peru twenty years ago.
Now, he was 50 and as he reflected on it this morning it didn't seem that long ago.
He didn't know when it started to change but gradually it changed from twenty
people to fifty people.
Most of the people in the chapel were townspeople and had businesses in the surrounding
area. There was the owner of the local restaurant. There was Juan who had a bricklaying
business. Marguerita ran a cleaning store. Meghan was the local madame. Pedro shoed
horses. They all came to church to get the Lord's blessings and ask Our Lady for favors.
The woman in the second pew was somewhat of a mystery. She had started coming
to the chapel seven years ago. She wore the garb of the pesant woman but he knew
she wasn't from these parts. She kept to herself. She opened a business selling yarns
and teaching the local women how to knit, crochet or use a loom. She didn't make a lot
of money but all the people bartered.
Some of the young women had started going to her store. And as Father Andre noted
some of the older women too.
Slowly it had just started off with this one lone woman in the second pew. But as time went
on there were about ten of them now in two pews.
Father Andre had come to find out by local gossip that the young woman's name was Joy.
There are the preparations.
Instead of diapers and baby clothes-
there are the endless pencils, paper, dictionary,
computer and of course eraser and printer.
Then there is the actual birth of the baby.
The labor involved.
The waiting.
The pain.
And then the final achievement -
a bouncing baby boy or girl.
With writing. You deal with the actual ideas.
The characters, the plot, the scene. The
discarding of one idea or maybe all of them.
The killing off of a character or characters.
Some sleepless nights -
just like when junior or missy wakes up for
their bottle or feeding.
As the saying goes
It was the best of times -
and
It was the worst of times.
Charlotte looked at the words on the computer screen.
Her freckled face complete with an upturned nose was expressionless.
Thick black lashes rounded out and framed her
blue oval eyes.
And a red pencil with a green point and pink eraser
tap tap tappped on the brown square computer table.
He right hand was under her chin and her left hand was firmly
holding on to the pen.
She reread the words on the computer screen.
And then with a soft exhalation murmured, "Where do I go from here?"
She had been stuck at this spot for the last five minutes waiting for a
breakthrough but none seemed to be coming.
She squinted her eyes shut one more time as though that motion
would squeeze her story into life.
She sat that way for a moment. And then exclaimed out loud and to
no one particular "That's it."
She shook her head and her curly red hair bounced in unison to the shake
of the bones in her body.
She stood up with such force that the brown knobbed chair whit wheels
that she was sitting on rolled back and hit the adjacent blue flowered
wallpaperd wall.
The chair hit so hard that Grandma Molly and Grandpa Ted's picture rattled.
"Sorry," she murmured, in the direction of the picture.
"Time for a walk." she said out loud.
By the time she got to the screen door her small Yorkie was at her feet.
"Want to go out, boy, then come on let's go."
She grabbed her green jacket from the hall closet and took Murphy's leash
off the painted green nail on the wall.
A full length mirror in the front hall showed a reflection of a young girl
nicely built in her twenties. She had on a yellow blouse with the hint
of daisies on the fringe of her white collar and faded daises followed
the buttons down to her belly button. She had on a pair of black linen
hiphuggers and her bellybutton had a piercing, although there was none
to be seen at the moment.
"Okay, Murphy, wait one minute while I find my slide-ins."
That's what she called her favorite pair of beach sandals. They were brown,
and had jeweled straps of different gem colors that held her feet in.
These slide-ins stayed in her country home when she went back to her job
in the city in September.
She looked around for them and finally found them sticking out from
under the bottom of the six foot country clock that had been keeping
perfect time for the last three years that she had been coming to Hollow Springs.
She swore somebody must have been winding the key to this
clock. But as of yet she had no inkling who it could be or
why they would be winding this brown chestnut clock.
It was a one of a kind clock. At least the only one she had ever
seen like it.
For numbers somebody had painted tiny dwarfs for each of the
numbers and each dwarf held something different in his hand.
Numbe 12 held a candle. And number 6 held a light bulb.
Sometimes she thought this was a strange house that Grandma
and Grandpa Kelly had left her - but she thought it would
be perfect for writing that novel that was going to burst on to
the writer scene some time soon.
She got one sandal on and Murphy was licking her other foot
to remind her to hurry up.
"Okay, Murphy," she laughed. We are going outside.
She hooked the gold chain of the red leash with painted dog bones
on to Murphy's matching red collar also with dog bones painted on to it.
and she opened the white screen door.
Before her eyes was the ocean.
Charlotte stood for a moment on the painted white veranda and took in a deep breath.
The inhaled the fresh air through her nose and her stomach slowly expanded and with
a deep whish she let the air out through her small pursed lips.
She had been taught how to breathe this way in a meditation yoga class and she
consistently breathed this way when taking her first walk of the day.
The view was breathtaking and the weather was grand and Charlotte said a small thank you to the powers
that be for granting her such a day.
She walked ten feet to the edge of the porch and surveyed the
scene.
To the right of her was a hammock that was attached to the side of the
house to the front porch rail by a gold hook that had been driven into the banister.
Always inviting. But today she had different plans.
A small frown formed between her eyebrows as she nooticed that today there was a large yellow straw hat with a blue ribbon tied around the rim and also a blue and white blanket with an inlay of abstract
shapes embroidered on one side laying to the side of the hammock.
Charlotte didn't recognize the blanket or the hat and thought that maybe
Molly her next door neighbor was being neighborly in making sure that
she had something warm to hold on to those cold nights in April and to
protect her from the harmful rays of the sun with the hat.
But the frown came before she thought of her neighbor.
She didn't like surprises and she could only think that Molly could have done
such a thing.
"That was a nice gesture," Charlotte thought out loud.
Molly lived with her uncle about a mile down the road.
To get to Molly's you would have to walk from Charlotte's porch about thirty feet
to the mailbox which mailbox was made in the form of a wooden sailboat, the door to the
cabin being where the mailman would put the mail. The ship was bolted to a wooden
barrel. And to get to Molly's you would have to make a left at the mailbox and walk
in the direction of the pier which was a mile down the road.
She hadn't heard Molly or her old red pickup that morning and wondered when she had come.
She said out loud, " I must have been sleeping." and dismissed
the thought.
"Come on Murphy, let's go."
Murphy answered with a couple of barks and the two of them started off on their morning walk.
Charlotte started talking as she walked which was something Murphy was accustomed to.
Sometimes her thoughts were just in her head. Other times they were out loud like at this moment.
Murphy twitched his ears in her direction and looked at Charlotte expectantly.
Charlotte knew Murphy was her confidant and wouldn't tell anyone what she said. She knew that
Murphy was almost human, but he was still only a dog and dogs couldn't talk.
Charlotte knew this. She laughed out loud. There was no one around. She could talk all she wanted.
There were two weather beaten wooden chairs down by the water's edge.
They were there when she arrived in early April and since they were on
her property she assumed they came with the bungalow.
They were wooden slat chairs and Charlotte had painted one
green and the other yellow.
They were the kind you could sink your behind into and put your
head back, close your eyes and just rest.
Charlotte loved the chairs.
At this time Charlotte and Murphy headed toward the beach. The sand
was packed hard so Charlotte could still walk in her sandals without too
much trouble.
It was 7 o'clock in the morning and from all instances it looked like it was going to be a warm
day. The sun was shining orange and the waves were breaking a little ways from
her. She reached the chairs and Charlotte let Murphy off the leash as it didn't
seem to matter much since there was no one else around.
"Go ahead, boy, run, have a good time."
Murphy ran around in circles a few times and then burrowed his nose in something
he found of interest.
Charlotte turned her attention to the ocean.
It was a turquoise green today. Crystal clear like melted ice water.
The waves broke over one another and in their calm they left a silver
sheen that gave off the illusion of diamonds dancing on the water.
Charlotte, breathed in the clear air, closed her eyes and gasped,
"these are my jewels."
The large orange sun reminded her of gold. And she knew it was an omen
of money in the bank.
"What did you say?" a male voice surprised her
Charlotte's eyes flew open and her body trembled.
She couldn't place the voice but yet it had a distinct familiarity to it. .
She was about to retort that whoever's voice it belonged to that this
stretch of beach was private so they were trespassing, but when she looked
to her left she could only see Murphy sniffing at the wind that had picked up, and
when she looked to her right there was nothing to be seen but
miles of beach .
Turning her attention to face the ocean she saw only the penciled black
line of the distant horizon in front of her.
There was no one around and all that Charlotte could hear now
was the crashing of the waves as they hit the beach.
She pulled her jacket tighter around her and debated as to
whether she should head back to the cottage.
.She took in a deep breath and looked once more straight ahead.
There was a sailboat coming into view and it seemed to be
heading in her direction. For a moment she forgot the
strange but familiar voice she had heard and stood looking at the
bow of the sailboat. There were words painted on it and in a few
moments she would be able to make it out. There it was
the name of the boat was Joy. And it was painted in big
bold letters on the bow of the boat.
It was a small sailboat
And she could make out a man in blue jeans and a denim
shirt controlling the mast.
He was wearing a blue baseball cap with the rim to the
back and he came as close to the beach as he could without coming
all the way in.
He waved and she didn't respond.
He made a sharp right and she watched the boat as
it sailed down hugging the shore line but not coming in.
When she could see it no longer she stood for a few moments
listening to the wind in her ears and wondering what that was
all about.
Whose boat was that?
Charlotte didn't like her quiet being interrupted like this.
First the strange voice and
now an unfamiliar sailboat with of all things the name Joy
painted on it.
Charlotte did not like this at all.
Her morning of quiet moments had been shattered with a
little mystery and it was a little unrattling to say the least.
Her mind went back five years.
She and her best friend Joy had graduated from college
Both had gotten their masters.
Charlotte had gotten a masters of fine art in literature
and
Joy had gotten her P.H.D. in antrhopology.
Charlotte was off to New York City to work for a publicist and
Joy was offered an opportunity she couldn't say no to.
She was to work on an archeological dig and search
the mines off the coral caves in Hermit's Bay in Lima Peru.
She was working with two of the most renowned scientists in that
field. She was both thrilled and excited for this opportunity.
Charlotte had seen her friend off from Kennedy Airport and that was the last
time she had seen her.
They kept in contact for ten months and then Joy had disappeared.
According to witnesses she and another colleague had taken the motorized jet skis
out at 5 a.m.A.M.to check on some trappings and instruments in one of the caves and
they had not come back.
Authorities searched for her for two weeks but could not find Joy or her companion
Dan Lanhorn .
The jet skis were each found five miles off shore.
The police had a couple of theories as to what could have happened, but they admitted
they had no solid clues as to what could have happened to the two anthropologists.
They could have fallen overboard. Or they could have gotten lost in the caves.
Or somebody could have taken them. Or they could have ran away. Maybe they were
lovers and decided to leave. The police didn't know. And at this time they had no solid clues.
Charlotte went and spent a month at the site and couldn't come up with any other explanation.
Joy was no where to be found. And no one had seen her since the night before she disappeared.
Dan Lanhorn was also somewhat of a mystery. He was 35. Came from Madison Wisconsin.
Was an only child. And from what Charlotee could find out his parents were deceased and had
been for quite a while.
Regretfully Charlotte had to come back home with no real answers.
Charlotte blinked herself back to reality as Murphy munched on her big toe.
"Ok, big fella, enough time outside. Let's go back and get something to eat."
Charlotte hooked Murphy back on to the leash and started back to the cottage.
Halfway there she gave an uneasy glance over her left shoulder and then her
right shoulder to see if anything was there.
All that met her gaze was a clean sweep of the beach and the blue horizon.
She turned towards the cottage with an unknown feeling in the underlings of her belly.
CHAPTER 2
The young woman put her hand in the water font at St. Mary's Chapel in Arson Woods, Peru
and blessed herself.
She moved toward the front of the church bowed before the crucifix and found
a seat in the second pew.
It was 6 o'clock in the morning and soon Father Andre would arrive to say mass
before a group of twenty people scattered throughout the small chapel.
It had been more or less the same people each morning.
Father Andre was of the Franciscan Order and he had been a young priest when he
first arrived in Peru twenty years ago.
Now, he was 50 and as he reflected on it this morning it didn't seem that long ago.
He didn't know when it started to change but gradually it changed from twenty
people to fifty people.
Most of the people in the chapel were townspeople and had businesses in the surrounding
area. There was the owner of the local restaurant. There was Juan who had a bricklaying
business. Marguerita ran a cleaning store. Meghan was the local madame. Pedro shoed
horses. They all came to church to get the Lord's blessings and ask Our Lady for favors.
The woman in the second pew was somewhat of a mystery. She had started coming
to the chapel seven years ago. She wore the garb of the pesant woman but he knew
she wasn't from these parts. She kept to herself. She opened a business selling yarns
and teaching the local women how to knit, crochet or use a loom. She didn't make a lot
of money but all the people bartered.
Some of the young women had started going to her store. And as Father Andre noted
some of the older women too.
Slowly it had just started off with this one lone woman in the second pew. But as time went
on there were about ten of them now in two pews.
Father Andre had come to find out by local gossip that the young woman's name was Joy.
Psalm 5 - A Prayer for Guidance:
The Psalmist Prays:
Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My king and my God.
For to You I will pray.
My voice you shall hear in the morning,
O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
******
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Give audience to my presence, O Lord,
I beseech thee with good thoughts.
I enter into contemplation.
Give heed to my cry,
My Lord, and My Master.
My prayers you have on my arising.
O Lord;
Upon waking my thoughts are with You,
And I go inward.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
For you are not a God who takes pleasure
in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
You shall destroy those who speak
falsehood;
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and
deceitful man.
*******
Psalmist Doris Prays:
For you are not a God of wishful thinking.
Nor shall useless thoughts abide with You.
The proud shall not be indulged.
You hate all forms of judgement.
You take issue with those who boast of
fame and power;
The Lord grants His favor to those who
ask.
The Psalmist Prays:
But as for me, I will come into Your
house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward Your
holy temple.
Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness
because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.
******
Psalmist Doris Prays:
But as for me, I will find the light
that shines in the darkness
be it just a sliver of hope;
I know that You love me, and will grant
me my fondest desire.
I wish to be a writer and write short
stories, maybe a successful novel
down the road.
I beseech thee to grant my request.
I know you love me -- and you know
I love you.
Show me the words to weave my story,
and lead me in putting pen to paper.
Thy will be done.
The Psalmist Prays:
For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue.
Pronounce them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own counsels;
Cast them out in the multitude of their
transgressions,
For they have rebelled against You.
******
Psalmist Doris Prays:
For there is no loyalty in their words;
Their inner life is turmoil;
Their throat is an open grave;
Their words are pointless --
and come to no fruition.
They are like dust in the wind.
The road they are on leads to a dead end.
But me O Lord look upon me with favor.
I beseech thee grant my request - only
if it is thine will.
The Psalmist Prays:
But let all those rejoice who put their
trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You
defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with,
a shield.
*****
Psalmist Doris Prays:
But let all those rejoice who follow your
input.
Let them ever yell for joy, because You
intuit them what to write;
Let those also who love Yahweh
Be happy in You.
For You, O Yahweh, will shower the right
words on the writer
And with favor You will surround him with
thoughts for short stories.
And so it is.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Love
Dorisssss. XO.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Psalm 4 - Psalm 3 mixed toeg. in error
Theme: Rejoicing in God's protection and
peace. We can place our confidence in
God because he will listen when we call on him.
Author: David. Of the Line of Mary.
The Psalmist Prays:
Hear me when I call, O God of my
righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Listen to me when I call out, O my
righteous God!
You have soothe me when I am anxious;
Show your kindness, and hear my whisper.
The Psalmist Prays:
But you, O Lord, are a shield for me.
My glory and the One who lifts up my
head.
I cried to the Lord with my voice.
And He heard me from His holy hill.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
But you, O Lord have prepared a protective
garment for me.
It fits like a second skin, and you raise up my
head.
I blew out a loud trumpet with my breath.
And from your holy hill your ear picked up my cry.
(This is 3. I did it in error.)
The Psalmist Prays:
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of
people.
Who have set themselves against me all
around.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
The morning came, and I beheld the Lord.
I will not be afraid - though there may be
crowds of people.
Who have set their will against me all
around.
(SECOND VERSE.)
The Psalmist Prays:
How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Psalmist Doris Prays:
How long, O you heirs of men,
will you turn my good deeds into evil thoughts?
How long will you love illusions and set up false gods?
The Psalmist Prays:
Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord will hear when I call to him.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Know that the Lord has separated the schaff from the wheat
and the better part he keeps for himself.
When I call him He will hear me.
The Psalmist Prays:
In your anger do not sin,
when you are on your beds,
search your heart and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices
and trust in the Lord.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
When you are in turmoil do not sin,
when you recline in bed
seek comfort in your heart and be quiet.
Offer true aspirations
put your trust in the Lord.
The Psalmist Prays:
Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let the light of your face shine upon us, "O Lord.
You have filled my heart with great joy."
that when their grain and new wine abound.
I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O Lord,
make me dwell in safety.
Psalmist Doris Prays.
Many are asking, "Who can show us wealth?"
Let your light shine on us, "O Lord
You have filled my day with a boundless step."
that when their grainsheds are filled and their wineskins
aplenty.
I will close my eyes and sleep in peace.
for it is you alone O Lord
who rest beside me and my breath is easy..
peace. We can place our confidence in
God because he will listen when we call on him.
Author: David. Of the Line of Mary.
The Psalmist Prays:
Hear me when I call, O God of my
righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Listen to me when I call out, O my
righteous God!
You have soothe me when I am anxious;
Show your kindness, and hear my whisper.
The Psalmist Prays:
But you, O Lord, are a shield for me.
My glory and the One who lifts up my
head.
I cried to the Lord with my voice.
And He heard me from His holy hill.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
But you, O Lord have prepared a protective
garment for me.
It fits like a second skin, and you raise up my
head.
I blew out a loud trumpet with my breath.
And from your holy hill your ear picked up my cry.
(This is 3. I did it in error.)
The Psalmist Prays:
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of
people.
Who have set themselves against me all
around.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
The morning came, and I beheld the Lord.
I will not be afraid - though there may be
crowds of people.
Who have set their will against me all
around.
(SECOND VERSE.)
The Psalmist Prays:
How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Psalmist Doris Prays:
How long, O you heirs of men,
will you turn my good deeds into evil thoughts?
How long will you love illusions and set up false gods?
The Psalmist Prays:
Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord will hear when I call to him.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Know that the Lord has separated the schaff from the wheat
and the better part he keeps for himself.
When I call him He will hear me.
The Psalmist Prays:
In your anger do not sin,
when you are on your beds,
search your heart and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices
and trust in the Lord.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
When you are in turmoil do not sin,
when you recline in bed
seek comfort in your heart and be quiet.
Offer true aspirations
put your trust in the Lord.
The Psalmist Prays:
Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let the light of your face shine upon us, "O Lord.
You have filled my heart with great joy."
that when their grain and new wine abound.
I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O Lord,
make me dwell in safety.
Psalmist Doris Prays.
Many are asking, "Who can show us wealth?"
Let your light shine on us, "O Lord
You have filled my day with a boundless step."
that when their grainsheds are filled and their wineskins
aplenty.
I will close my eyes and sleep in peace.
for it is you alone O Lord
who rest beside me and my breath is easy..
Friday, November 1, 2013
Into the Silent Land Page 31
To close my eyes and feel Christ's presence
surround me.
I wrap my arms around Him and His arms
encircle me.
The left side of my face comfortably rests on
His chest.
And my eyes are squeezed shut.
Christ's bearded chin rests on the top of my
head.
A slight smile matches my silent intake of
breath.
Christ buries his lips in my hair -
and for a moment we breathe in unison.
His quiet exhale matching my silent inhale.
All my years of yearnings, tremblings and
inner turmoils for myself and other dissolve -
and I am comforted by this man's divine presence.
A M E N
surround me.
I wrap my arms around Him and His arms
encircle me.
The left side of my face comfortably rests on
His chest.
And my eyes are squeezed shut.
Christ's bearded chin rests on the top of my
head.
A slight smile matches my silent intake of
breath.
Christ buries his lips in my hair -
and for a moment we breathe in unison.
His quiet exhale matching my silent inhale.
All my years of yearnings, tremblings and
inner turmoils for myself and other dissolve -
and I am comforted by this man's divine presence.
A M E N
Psalm 3
The Lord Helps His Troubled People
A Psalm of David when he fled
from Absalom his son.
The Psalmist Prays:
Lord, how they have increased who
trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
Many are they who say of me,
"There is no help for him in God."
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Lord, the news is not good.
Many rise up against me.
Many are there who whisper against me,
"God will not show His favor to her."
but yet--
A trickling of news is good.
The good woman finds a way.
Those who look on her see Kindness
And know that her step is surefooted.
The Psalmist Prays:
But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my
head.
I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
But You, O Lord are my Beloved,
My light, and the One who looks out
from my own eyes.
I wept and the Beloved glanced my way.
He heard me from His holy hill.
The Psalmist Prays:
I awoke for the Lord sustained me,
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of
people
Who have set themselves against me all
around.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
My eyes opened for the Lord breathed on me.
I will not be afraid of multitudes of people.
Who have come to do me harm.
The Psalmist Prays:
Arise, O Lord,
Save me, O my God!
For you have struck all my enemies on
the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly,
Salvation belongs to the Lord,
Your blessing is upon Your people.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Awake, O Lord,
Protect me, O my God!
For you have struck a hurtful blow to
all my enemies
Their teeth have been loossened from their jaw..
They lay strewn on the field, like hay mowed
down at cutting time.
All honor and glory belongs to the Lord,
All his blessings is upon Your people.
A Psalm of David when he fled
from Absalom his son.
The Psalmist Prays:
Lord, how they have increased who
trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
Many are they who say of me,
"There is no help for him in God."
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Lord, the news is not good.
Many rise up against me.
Many are there who whisper against me,
"God will not show His favor to her."
but yet--
A trickling of news is good.
The good woman finds a way.
Those who look on her see Kindness
And know that her step is surefooted.
The Psalmist Prays:
But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my
head.
I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
But You, O Lord are my Beloved,
My light, and the One who looks out
from my own eyes.
I wept and the Beloved glanced my way.
He heard me from His holy hill.
The Psalmist Prays:
I awoke for the Lord sustained me,
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of
people
Who have set themselves against me all
around.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
My eyes opened for the Lord breathed on me.
I will not be afraid of multitudes of people.
Who have come to do me harm.
The Psalmist Prays:
Arise, O Lord,
Save me, O my God!
For you have struck all my enemies on
the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly,
Salvation belongs to the Lord,
Your blessing is upon Your people.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Awake, O Lord,
Protect me, O my God!
For you have struck a hurtful blow to
all my enemies
Their teeth have been loossened from their jaw..
They lay strewn on the field, like hay mowed
down at cutting time.
All honor and glory belongs to the Lord,
All his blessings is upon Your people.
Psalm 2
The Messiah's Triumph and Kingdom
The Psalmist Prays:
Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themsleves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His
Anointed, saying,
"Let us break their bonds in pieces
And cast away their cords from us."
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Why do the nations plot,
And the people form a hateful plan?
The kings of the earth unify
And the rulers consort amongst themselves,
Against the Lord and against His
faithful, saying,
"Let us breath their ropes," they say,
"and throw off their bindings.".
The Psalmist Prays:
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision,
Then He shall speak to them in His
wrath,
And distress them in His deep
displeasure;
"Yet I have set My King
On my holy hill of Zion."
Psalmist Doris Prays:
He who looks down from on high smiles;
The Lord smirks at them;
The Lord shall hold them in anger,
And bring distress to them in His wrath.
Yet I have enthroned My King,
on My holy hill of Zion.
The Psalmist Prays:
I will declare the decree;
The Lord has said to me,
You are My Son,
Tday I have begotten You,
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your
possession,
You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall dash them to pieces like a
potter's vessel;
Psalmist Doris Prays:
I will make it known;
With utter familiarity He claimed
me as His Son,
And breathed I am Your Father.
Ask of me anything.
He gave me the nations as my inheritance.
The stars and the moon, the earth and
all that is in it are your possessions.
You will rule them with a firm hand.
You will scatter them to the four winds
like a dust bowl in the desert.
The Psalmist Prays:
Now therefore, be wise, O Kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth,
Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little,
Blessed are all those who put their trust in
Him.
Psalmist Doris Prays
Now therefore, be wise, O Chosen Ones;
Be it known, you overseers of the earth,
Serve the Lord with fear.
And dance with trepidition,
Kiss the Son, lest he be jealous,
And you exist no longer.
When His wrath is stirred but a little,
Blessed are all those who hold steadfast in
His path.
The Psalmist Prays:
Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themsleves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His
Anointed, saying,
"Let us break their bonds in pieces
And cast away their cords from us."
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Why do the nations plot,
And the people form a hateful plan?
The kings of the earth unify
And the rulers consort amongst themselves,
Against the Lord and against His
faithful, saying,
"Let us breath their ropes," they say,
"and throw off their bindings.".
The Psalmist Prays:
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision,
Then He shall speak to them in His
wrath,
And distress them in His deep
displeasure;
"Yet I have set My King
On my holy hill of Zion."
Psalmist Doris Prays:
He who looks down from on high smiles;
The Lord smirks at them;
The Lord shall hold them in anger,
And bring distress to them in His wrath.
Yet I have enthroned My King,
on My holy hill of Zion.
The Psalmist Prays:
I will declare the decree;
The Lord has said to me,
You are My Son,
Tday I have begotten You,
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your
possession,
You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall dash them to pieces like a
potter's vessel;
Psalmist Doris Prays:
I will make it known;
With utter familiarity He claimed
me as His Son,
And breathed I am Your Father.
Ask of me anything.
He gave me the nations as my inheritance.
The stars and the moon, the earth and
all that is in it are your possessions.
You will rule them with a firm hand.
You will scatter them to the four winds
like a dust bowl in the desert.
The Psalmist Prays:
Now therefore, be wise, O Kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth,
Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little,
Blessed are all those who put their trust in
Him.
Psalmist Doris Prays
Now therefore, be wise, O Chosen Ones;
Be it known, you overseers of the earth,
Serve the Lord with fear.
And dance with trepidition,
Kiss the Son, lest he be jealous,
And you exist no longer.
When His wrath is stirred but a little,
Blessed are all those who hold steadfast in
His path.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
BOOK ONE: pSALMS 1--41
Psalm 1
The Way of the Righteous and
the End of the Ungodly
The Psalmist Prays:
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the
ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and
night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Blessed is the woman
Who does not have her ear tuned to the gossip of the
unholy
Nor casts her lot with the ways of the proud,,
Nor shares her heart with the haughty.
But her delight is in the lovingkindness of the Lord
And in His lovingkindness she ponders morning and
evening.
She shall be like a precious flower
Planted in the garden of Eden.
That brings forth its perfume in season,
Whose petals also shall not wither;
And whatever she does meets with abundance.
The Psalmist Prays:
The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind
drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in
the judgment
Nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
The unholy are not so,
But are like the seeds of a dandelion that a small breeze
steals away.
Therefore the unholy shall not
bear witness
Nor be found in the midst of
a god-fearing people.
The Psalmist Prays:
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
For the Lord stands with His people,
But the way of the unholy shall be lost.
The Way of the Righteous and
the End of the Ungodly
The Psalmist Prays:
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the
ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and
night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
Blessed is the woman
Who does not have her ear tuned to the gossip of the
unholy
Nor casts her lot with the ways of the proud,,
Nor shares her heart with the haughty.
But her delight is in the lovingkindness of the Lord
And in His lovingkindness she ponders morning and
evening.
She shall be like a precious flower
Planted in the garden of Eden.
That brings forth its perfume in season,
Whose petals also shall not wither;
And whatever she does meets with abundance.
The Psalmist Prays:
The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind
drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in
the judgment
Nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
The unholy are not so,
But are like the seeds of a dandelion that a small breeze
steals away.
Therefore the unholy shall not
bear witness
Nor be found in the midst of
a god-fearing people.
The Psalmist Prays:
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalmist Doris Prays:
For the Lord stands with His people,
But the way of the unholy shall be lost.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Psalm 41
The Blessing and Suffering
of the Godly
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Blessed is he who considers the poor;
The Lord will deliver him in time of
trouble.
The Lord will preserve him and keep
him alive,
And he will be blessed on the earth;
You will not deliver him to the will of his
enemies.
The Lord will strengthen him on his bed
of illness.
You will sustain him on his sickbed.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Blessed is the woman who casts her glance
on the downtrodden.
For the Lord calls her Compassionate..
The Lord will smile on her and call her his Beloved.
And she will be blessed in her comings and goings.
You will not put her forth in front of the evil one.
The Lord will lay beside her in her iniquity.
You will sustain her on her sickbed..
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
I said, "Lord, be merciful to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against
You."
My enemies speak evil of me.
"When will he die, and his name perish?"
And if he comes to see me, he speaks
lies,
His heart gathers iniquity to itself;
When he goes out, he tells it.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
I wept, "Lord, be loving to me;
Heal my spirit, for you know my sorrows..
My enemies would have me disappear.
"When will she depart, and be no more?"
And if she visits me, she looks at me with
contempt.
Her heart is full of wrongdoing.
And when she withdraws, she leaves a vapor
of disdain.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
All who hate me whisper together against
me;
Against me they devise my hurt.
"An evil disease, "they say, "clings to him.
And now that he lies down, he will rise up
no more."
Even my own familiar friend in whom I
trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted his heel against me.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
All who dislike me speak in low murmurs with one another
against me.
Against me they plot my demise.
"A cancer, they say, "spreads through her body.
And now that she is on her sickbed, she will
waste away."
Even the one I call faithful friend with whom I
broke bread,
Has slipped from my gaze and turned against
me.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and
raise me up.
That I may repay them.
By this I know that You are well pleased
with me.
Because my enemy does not triumph over
me.
As for me, You uphold me in my
integrity.
And set me before your face forever.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
But You, O Lord, in your lovingkindness
have seen fit to show me another day.
That in my being I may show your mercy and
put it before my enemy
By this I know your smile is ever on me.
Because my enemy has failed in its grasp of me..
As for me, You pour your strength into me.
And hold me in the palm of your hand forever.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Blessed be Yahweh, My God, My All.
From beginning to beginning!
The End and The End.
of the Godly
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Blessed is he who considers the poor;
The Lord will deliver him in time of
trouble.
The Lord will preserve him and keep
him alive,
And he will be blessed on the earth;
You will not deliver him to the will of his
enemies.
The Lord will strengthen him on his bed
of illness.
You will sustain him on his sickbed.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Blessed is the woman who casts her glance
on the downtrodden.
For the Lord calls her Compassionate..
The Lord will smile on her and call her his Beloved.
And she will be blessed in her comings and goings.
You will not put her forth in front of the evil one.
The Lord will lay beside her in her iniquity.
You will sustain her on her sickbed..
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
I said, "Lord, be merciful to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against
You."
My enemies speak evil of me.
"When will he die, and his name perish?"
And if he comes to see me, he speaks
lies,
His heart gathers iniquity to itself;
When he goes out, he tells it.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
I wept, "Lord, be loving to me;
Heal my spirit, for you know my sorrows..
My enemies would have me disappear.
"When will she depart, and be no more?"
And if she visits me, she looks at me with
contempt.
Her heart is full of wrongdoing.
And when she withdraws, she leaves a vapor
of disdain.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
All who hate me whisper together against
me;
Against me they devise my hurt.
"An evil disease, "they say, "clings to him.
And now that he lies down, he will rise up
no more."
Even my own familiar friend in whom I
trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted his heel against me.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
All who dislike me speak in low murmurs with one another
against me.
Against me they plot my demise.
"A cancer, they say, "spreads through her body.
And now that she is on her sickbed, she will
waste away."
Even the one I call faithful friend with whom I
broke bread,
Has slipped from my gaze and turned against
me.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and
raise me up.
That I may repay them.
By this I know that You are well pleased
with me.
Because my enemy does not triumph over
me.
As for me, You uphold me in my
integrity.
And set me before your face forever.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
But You, O Lord, in your lovingkindness
have seen fit to show me another day.
That in my being I may show your mercy and
put it before my enemy
By this I know your smile is ever on me.
Because my enemy has failed in its grasp of me..
As for me, You pour your strength into me.
And hold me in the palm of your hand forever.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Blessed be Yahweh, My God, My All.
From beginning to beginning!
The End and The End.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
longest journey from the head to the heart.
The longest journey for me from the head to the
heart has been understanding what that means and
still exploring it.
Every time I hear that sentence my mind goes blank.
There is nothing that makes sense of it.
It's like I have a shadow or double exposure next
to myself. That it sometimes trembles and shakes
and then merges into my body form.
Another way of thinking, another way of seeing.
It takes me a long time to comprehend words.
Like the word compassion -- to feel sorry for
someone-- yes, but there is more of a depth to
that word compassion than at first hearing.
I step into that other person's body. I walk with
them. I don't fix anything. And that enables me to
survive.
heart has been understanding what that means and
still exploring it.
Every time I hear that sentence my mind goes blank.
There is nothing that makes sense of it.
It's like I have a shadow or double exposure next
to myself. That it sometimes trembles and shakes
and then merges into my body form.
Another way of thinking, another way of seeing.
It takes me a long time to comprehend words.
Like the word compassion -- to feel sorry for
someone-- yes, but there is more of a depth to
that word compassion than at first hearing.
I step into that other person's body. I walk with
them. I don't fix anything. And that enables me to
survive.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Psalm 40 Faith Perserving in Trial
THE PSALMIST PRAYS
I waited patiently for the Lord;
And he inclined to me,
And heard my cry,
He also brought me up out of a horrible
pit.
Out of the miry clary,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth--
Praise to our God,
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
I stood for hours in the church
And he beckoned me,
And heard my weeping,
He took me up from the depths of
despair.
Out of a dark place.
And set me on a steady path,
And firmly planted me feet.
He put a steady walk in my step--
My arms upraised in adoration,
Many eyes saw
And put their trust in God.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Blessed is that man who makes the Lord
his trust.
And does not respect the proud, not such
as turn aside to lies.
Many O Lord my God, are Your
wonderful works,
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order,
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be remembered.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
God's favor is on the woman who shows
her loyalty
And casts aside the haughty, those who
act out of pride
How many are your glorious projects,
O Lord,
Which you have prepared for us
And your tender acts are always about us
So many that they cannot be counted.
If I were to state and mouth them
They are innumerable and cannot be retained
in my memory.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did
not require.
Then I said, "Behold I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of
me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart."
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The life of the lamb and tithing You did not seek;
My eyes have been opened.
Blood and coins were not your rerquirement.
Then I uttered, " I am here;
In the Good Book it is said of me.
I humbly bow in utter awe of you, O my God.
To do Your will is my only desire.
And so it is written on my heart.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
I have proclaimed the good news of
righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O Lord, Your Yourself know,
I have not hidden your righteousness
within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and
Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness
and Your truth
From the great assembly
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
I have put forth the glad tidings of
the holy one to the community
I do not hold back my words,
O Lord you know me
better than myself
I have not attempted to hide your
words within my heart.
I have seen your lovingkindness
worked among my fellow companions
And am held in awe of your compassion
I am speechless and struck dumb by your actions.
And will work to put forth your good works to
the community.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Do not withhold Your tender mercies
from me, O Lord;
Let your lovingkindness and Your truth
continually preserve me,
For innumerable evils have surrounded
me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I
am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Let not your compassion and sympathy be
withheld from me O Lord;
But let your tender gaze and heartfelt kindness
encircle me.
For many evils have befallen me;
My sins hold me down, my head is bowed.
They are many, and I struggle under them
My heart hurts
I know you can calm the ache.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me;
Let them be ashamed and brought to
mutual confusion
Who seek to destroy my life,
Let them be driven backward and
brought to dishonor
Who wish me evil
Let them be confounded because of their
shame;
Who say to me, "Aha, aha!"
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Be happy, O Lord, to save me;
O Lord, make haste to help me;
Let them be put down and brought to
some perplexity
Who seek to do me evil,
Let them be driven to the brink of
destruction
Who raise their voices against me.
Let there be muddled confusion and perplexity in their own
life because of their shameful thoughts and words
Who have said of me, words that sprung into
gossip and have done me harm.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Let all those who seek You rejoice and be
glad in You,
Let such as love Your salvation say
continually,
"The Lord be magnified!"
But I am poor and needy;
Yet the Lord thinks upon me
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Let all creatures who search for you be found;
All those who are in your mercy
Praise you in a continuous shout
All glory to you and your mother O Lord.
But I am but a poor humble creature
I bow before you always in awe
Dare to take my eye from the ground.
To see the hem of your garment
Your precious foot in a sandal.
There my glance stalls
It is your mother who says
Lift your gaze my beloved creature
See your God
Praise Him, Love Him, Adore Him.
This is my Son
The one who came to show us the way.
Follow Him
Do as He says
His truth is the way.
Hold it in your heart.
The tender murmurings of his words
and the stirrings of your spirit.
I waited patiently for the Lord;
And he inclined to me,
And heard my cry,
He also brought me up out of a horrible
pit.
Out of the miry clary,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth--
Praise to our God,
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
I stood for hours in the church
And he beckoned me,
And heard my weeping,
He took me up from the depths of
despair.
Out of a dark place.
And set me on a steady path,
And firmly planted me feet.
He put a steady walk in my step--
My arms upraised in adoration,
Many eyes saw
And put their trust in God.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Blessed is that man who makes the Lord
his trust.
And does not respect the proud, not such
as turn aside to lies.
Many O Lord my God, are Your
wonderful works,
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order,
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be remembered.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
God's favor is on the woman who shows
her loyalty
And casts aside the haughty, those who
act out of pride
How many are your glorious projects,
O Lord,
Which you have prepared for us
And your tender acts are always about us
So many that they cannot be counted.
If I were to state and mouth them
They are innumerable and cannot be retained
in my memory.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did
not require.
Then I said, "Behold I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of
me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart."
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The life of the lamb and tithing You did not seek;
My eyes have been opened.
Blood and coins were not your rerquirement.
Then I uttered, " I am here;
In the Good Book it is said of me.
I humbly bow in utter awe of you, O my God.
To do Your will is my only desire.
And so it is written on my heart.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
I have proclaimed the good news of
righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O Lord, Your Yourself know,
I have not hidden your righteousness
within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and
Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness
and Your truth
From the great assembly
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
I have put forth the glad tidings of
the holy one to the community
I do not hold back my words,
O Lord you know me
better than myself
I have not attempted to hide your
words within my heart.
I have seen your lovingkindness
worked among my fellow companions
And am held in awe of your compassion
I am speechless and struck dumb by your actions.
And will work to put forth your good works to
the community.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Do not withhold Your tender mercies
from me, O Lord;
Let your lovingkindness and Your truth
continually preserve me,
For innumerable evils have surrounded
me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I
am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Let not your compassion and sympathy be
withheld from me O Lord;
But let your tender gaze and heartfelt kindness
encircle me.
For many evils have befallen me;
My sins hold me down, my head is bowed.
They are many, and I struggle under them
My heart hurts
I know you can calm the ache.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me;
Let them be ashamed and brought to
mutual confusion
Who seek to destroy my life,
Let them be driven backward and
brought to dishonor
Who wish me evil
Let them be confounded because of their
shame;
Who say to me, "Aha, aha!"
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Be happy, O Lord, to save me;
O Lord, make haste to help me;
Let them be put down and brought to
some perplexity
Who seek to do me evil,
Let them be driven to the brink of
destruction
Who raise their voices against me.
Let there be muddled confusion and perplexity in their own
life because of their shameful thoughts and words
Who have said of me, words that sprung into
gossip and have done me harm.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Let all those who seek You rejoice and be
glad in You,
Let such as love Your salvation say
continually,
"The Lord be magnified!"
But I am poor and needy;
Yet the Lord thinks upon me
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Let all creatures who search for you be found;
All those who are in your mercy
Praise you in a continuous shout
All glory to you and your mother O Lord.
But I am but a poor humble creature
I bow before you always in awe
Dare to take my eye from the ground.
To see the hem of your garment
Your precious foot in a sandal.
There my glance stalls
It is your mother who says
Lift your gaze my beloved creature
See your God
Praise Him, Love Him, Adore Him.
This is my Son
The one who came to show us the way.
Follow Him
Do as He says
His truth is the way.
Hold it in your heart.
The tender murmurings of his words
and the stirrings of your spirit.
thoughts after reflecting on Psalm 40
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
I delight to do your will O My
God and your law is
within my heart.
And your thoughts
toward us
Yet the Lord thinks
upon me.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The nudgings of the Lord
sustain me.
He whispers to me in the
secret of my heart
He thinks upon me always;
forever ongoing are his thoughts of me.
I hold all this stirring within my heart;
and ponder throughout the day
the treasure of my heart.
I delight to do your will O My
God and your law is
within my heart.
And your thoughts
toward us
Yet the Lord thinks
upon me.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The nudgings of the Lord
sustain me.
He whispers to me in the
secret of my heart
He thinks upon me always;
forever ongoing are his thoughts of me.
I hold all this stirring within my heart;
and ponder throughout the day
the treasure of my heart.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Psalm 39 - Prayer for Wisdom and Forgiveness
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
I said, "I will guard my ways,
Lest I sin with my tongue;
I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
While the wicked are before me."
I was mute with silence,
I held my peace even from good.
And my sorrow was stirred up;
My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue;
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
I uttered, "I will watch over my actions,
So, not to be mean spirited with my words;
I will put a gag over my mouth,
While my enemy surrounds me."
I was deaf and dumb,
I did no good action before all;
My sorrow was great;
I hurt from within;
While I was pondering, there was a heat in my belly.
Then I spoke my words.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
"Lord, make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days;
That I may know how frail I am.
Indeed, You have made my days as
handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but
vapor,
Surely every man walks about like a
shadow;
Surely they busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
"Oh, Lord, you know me,
And the length of my days;
That I may know the scarcity of my breaths,
Indeed, you have laid out the hours and minutes
before me and I see them as if etched on this day's horizon.
Certainly every woman at her best state is like
smoke and mirrors,
Surely every woman is a reflection of her true self;
Surely they go hither and thither without rest
She heaps up treasures,
And is unaware of who will reap them.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
"And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.
Deliver me from all my transgerssions,
Do not make me the reproach of the
foolish,
I was mute I did not open my mouth,
Because it was you who did it.
Remove your plague from me.
I am consumed by the blow of Your
hand.
When with rebukes You correct man for
iniquity,
You make his beauty melt away like a
moth;
Surely every man is vapor.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
"And now Lord, what do I listen for?
My ears hear only your whisperings
Deliver me from my foolishness,
Do not put me in disdain before my enemy
I was deaf and dumb
I uttered not a phrase
Because it was you who silenced me
Remove your sickness from me.
I am taken over by the gaze of your eyes
When with one swift glance you correct
woman for her faults.
You make her beauty fade away like the
morning vapor
Surely every woman is illusion.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
"Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You.
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.
Remove Your gaze from me, that I may
regain strength.
Before I go away and am no more.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Look at me O Lord.
And soften your glance,
Do not turn a deaf ear to my stirrings;
For I am like no one to you.
A pilgrim, as all my mothers were.
Take away your hardness of heart,
that I may breathe freely once again.
Before I die and am no more.
I said, "I will guard my ways,
Lest I sin with my tongue;
I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
While the wicked are before me."
I was mute with silence,
I held my peace even from good.
And my sorrow was stirred up;
My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue;
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
I uttered, "I will watch over my actions,
So, not to be mean spirited with my words;
I will put a gag over my mouth,
While my enemy surrounds me."
I was deaf and dumb,
I did no good action before all;
My sorrow was great;
I hurt from within;
While I was pondering, there was a heat in my belly.
Then I spoke my words.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
"Lord, make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days;
That I may know how frail I am.
Indeed, You have made my days as
handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but
vapor,
Surely every man walks about like a
shadow;
Surely they busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
"Oh, Lord, you know me,
And the length of my days;
That I may know the scarcity of my breaths,
Indeed, you have laid out the hours and minutes
before me and I see them as if etched on this day's horizon.
Certainly every woman at her best state is like
smoke and mirrors,
Surely every woman is a reflection of her true self;
Surely they go hither and thither without rest
She heaps up treasures,
And is unaware of who will reap them.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
"And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.
Deliver me from all my transgerssions,
Do not make me the reproach of the
foolish,
I was mute I did not open my mouth,
Because it was you who did it.
Remove your plague from me.
I am consumed by the blow of Your
hand.
When with rebukes You correct man for
iniquity,
You make his beauty melt away like a
moth;
Surely every man is vapor.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
"And now Lord, what do I listen for?
My ears hear only your whisperings
Deliver me from my foolishness,
Do not put me in disdain before my enemy
I was deaf and dumb
I uttered not a phrase
Because it was you who silenced me
Remove your sickness from me.
I am taken over by the gaze of your eyes
When with one swift glance you correct
woman for her faults.
You make her beauty fade away like the
morning vapor
Surely every woman is illusion.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
"Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You.
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.
Remove Your gaze from me, that I may
regain strength.
Before I go away and am no more.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Look at me O Lord.
And soften your glance,
Do not turn a deaf ear to my stirrings;
For I am like no one to you.
A pilgrim, as all my mothers were.
Take away your hardness of heart,
that I may breathe freely once again.
Before I die and am no more.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Psalm 38 - Prayer in time of Chastening.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
A PSALM OF DAVID:
TO BRING TO REMEMBRANCE:
O lord , do not rebuke me in Your wrath.
Or chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
For your arrows pierce me deeply,
And your hand presses me down.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
My love, do not push me aside in your anger,
Or spew hateful words at me in your disdain!
For your burning gaze brings a tremble to my being.
And your hot breath lays on me like a smoldering blanket.
A PSALM OF DAVID:
TO BRING TO REMEMBRANCE:
O lord , do not rebuke me in Your wrath.
Or chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
For your arrows pierce me deeply,
And your hand presses me down.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
My love, do not push me aside in your anger,
Or spew hateful words at me in your disdain!
For your burning gaze brings a tremble to my being.
And your hot breath lays on me like a smoldering blanket.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Psalm 37 (Cont'd.)
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous
forsaken.
Nor his descendants begging bread.
He is ever merciful, and lends.
And his descendants are blessed.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
I held my youth, and now am aged.
I have not seen the good man cast
aside.
Nor his loved ones hungry.
He is full of kindness, and never deserts
His loved ones are Christed..
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Depart from evil and do good;
And dwell forevermore
For the Lord loves justice
And does not forsake His saints.
They are preserved forever.
But the descendants of the wicked shall
be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land.
And dwell in it forever.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Leave the naysayers and do service
And live
For the Holy One gazes with fondness
on those who help the downtrodden.
They are enshrined forever
But the offspring of the naysayers shall
be no more
The good man or woman shall inherit the earth
And live in it abundantly.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
The mouth of the righteous speaks
wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
The law of his God is in his heart.
None of his steps shall slide.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The words of the just man are
honored.
And his lips form the perfect thought
The love of his God is ever in his mind
His path is forever clear.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
The Lord will not leave him in his hand.
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The naysayer watches the just man.
And plots against him.
The Lord watches over him
- and will not cast him away.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way.
And He sahll exalt you to inherit the
land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall
see it.
I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green
tree.
Yet he passed away, and behold he was
no more.
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be
found.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Keep vigil with the Lord
and obey his rules.
You shall be put on high, and riches will
be yours.
When the naysayers are cast down, you
shall clap your hands.
The unjust have had their way
And his power was vast
Yet he too is gone, and nowhere to be found
In fact I looked for him, he was nowhere around.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Mark the blameless man, and observe the
upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
But the transgressors shall be destroyed
together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The just man exudes peace
And his future is guaranteed.
But the evil one is tormented.
And his future is blighted.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
But the salvation of the righteous is from
the Lord;
He is their strength in the time of trouble;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them.
Because they trust in him.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
But the happiness of the honest man
is guaranteed by the Lord.
He is their anchor in the storm.
He shall keep them safe from the naysayer.
And protect them.
For they have sat at the same dinner
table with the Lord and shared the breaking
of the bread.
Their loyalty is unique.
I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous
forsaken.
Nor his descendants begging bread.
He is ever merciful, and lends.
And his descendants are blessed.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
I held my youth, and now am aged.
I have not seen the good man cast
aside.
Nor his loved ones hungry.
He is full of kindness, and never deserts
His loved ones are Christed..
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Depart from evil and do good;
And dwell forevermore
For the Lord loves justice
And does not forsake His saints.
They are preserved forever.
But the descendants of the wicked shall
be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land.
And dwell in it forever.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Leave the naysayers and do service
And live
For the Holy One gazes with fondness
on those who help the downtrodden.
They are enshrined forever
But the offspring of the naysayers shall
be no more
The good man or woman shall inherit the earth
And live in it abundantly.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
The mouth of the righteous speaks
wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
The law of his God is in his heart.
None of his steps shall slide.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The words of the just man are
honored.
And his lips form the perfect thought
The love of his God is ever in his mind
His path is forever clear.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
The Lord will not leave him in his hand.
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The naysayer watches the just man.
And plots against him.
The Lord watches over him
- and will not cast him away.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way.
And He sahll exalt you to inherit the
land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall
see it.
I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green
tree.
Yet he passed away, and behold he was
no more.
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be
found.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Keep vigil with the Lord
and obey his rules.
You shall be put on high, and riches will
be yours.
When the naysayers are cast down, you
shall clap your hands.
The unjust have had their way
And his power was vast
Yet he too is gone, and nowhere to be found
In fact I looked for him, he was nowhere around.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Mark the blameless man, and observe the
upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
But the transgressors shall be destroyed
together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The just man exudes peace
And his future is guaranteed.
But the evil one is tormented.
And his future is blighted.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
But the salvation of the righteous is from
the Lord;
He is their strength in the time of trouble;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them.
Because they trust in him.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
But the happiness of the honest man
is guaranteed by the Lord.
He is their anchor in the storm.
He shall keep them safe from the naysayer.
And protect them.
For they have sat at the same dinner
table with the Lord and shared the breaking
of the bread.
Their loyalty is unique.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Patience
Letting Go
I don't understand this letting go.
I let go of me.
I let go of ego.
If I let go of everything.
I let go of Luke
I let go of John
I let go of Mike
I let go of my mom
my dad
my sisters.
Who is my son?
husband?
daughter?
rmother?
brother?
sister?
Seems I've heard this before.
I take my last breath
- and I let go.
My question is -
when do you take this last breath?
I don't understand this letting go.
I let go of me.
I let go of ego.
If I let go of everything.
I let go of Luke
I let go of John
I let go of Mike
I let go of my mom
my dad
my sisters.
Who is my son?
husband?
daughter?
rmother?
brother?
sister?
Seems I've heard this before.
I take my last breath
- and I let go.
My question is -
when do you take this last breath?
Psalm 37 (Cont'd.)
THE PSALMIST PRAYS
A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be
broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS
A virtuous man counts his blessings
in the house of the Lord
The evil man counts his treasure
in the storehouses he has made on earth
The plans of the evil man will come to naught
But the future of the virtuous man is set.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS
The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever
They shall not be ashamed in the evil
time,
And in the days of famile they shall be
satisfied
But the wicked shall perish,
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall
vanish
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The Lord knows the days and nights of the just
shall last forever.
And their lineage will be ever told.
They shall not be put to shame in bad times.
And in the days of pestilence they will be saved.
But the wicked one shall find no reprise
And the enemies of the Christed One
Like the colors of the rainbow, shall
fade
Into the atmosphere they shall disappear.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
The wicked borrows and does not repay.
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
For those blessed by Him shall inherit the
earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The ill-will murmur against me
But the virtuous shows compassion
For those chosen by Him shall inherit the
land,
But those cursed by him shall forever wander.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
The steps of the good man are ordered by
the Lord,
And he delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly
cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His
hand.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The path of the honest man is
etched in the palm of the Lord.
And he takes joy in his steps.
Sometimes he trips and stumbles,
but does not lose his way
The Lord holds him in the palm of
his hand.
.
t
A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be
broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS
A virtuous man counts his blessings
in the house of the Lord
The evil man counts his treasure
in the storehouses he has made on earth
The plans of the evil man will come to naught
But the future of the virtuous man is set.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS
The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever
They shall not be ashamed in the evil
time,
And in the days of famile they shall be
satisfied
But the wicked shall perish,
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall
vanish
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The Lord knows the days and nights of the just
shall last forever.
And their lineage will be ever told.
They shall not be put to shame in bad times.
And in the days of pestilence they will be saved.
But the wicked one shall find no reprise
And the enemies of the Christed One
Like the colors of the rainbow, shall
fade
Into the atmosphere they shall disappear.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
The wicked borrows and does not repay.
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
For those blessed by Him shall inherit the
earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The ill-will murmur against me
But the virtuous shows compassion
For those chosen by Him shall inherit the
land,
But those cursed by him shall forever wander.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
The steps of the good man are ordered by
the Lord,
And he delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly
cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His
hand.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The path of the honest man is
etched in the palm of the Lord.
And he takes joy in his steps.
Sometimes he trips and stumbles,
but does not lose his way
The Lord holds him in the palm of
his hand.
.
t
Sunday, August 11, 2013
The Heritage of the Righteous and the Calamity of the Wicked - Psalm 37
A Psalm of David
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of
iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the
grass.
And wither as the green herb.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Do not become anxious because of naysayers,
Nor cast a furtive eye toward the builder of
lies
For the Lord shall strew their path
with traps.
And they will fall like the woodman's tree
in the forest.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on his
faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord.
And he shall give you the desires of your
heart.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Love the Lord, and do the right thing;
Go to church and feed on his bread.
Clap your hands in joy.
And he will look with fondness upon your
face.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
He shall bring forth your righteousness as
the light.
And your justice as the noonday.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Follow the Lord's path
Be loyal to him always
And he will do the right thing.
He will honor your steadfastness as
a member of his household
And great things will be bestowed on you.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for
Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers
in his way.
Because of the man who brings wicked
schemes to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret--it only causes harm.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Doze in the arms of the Lord.
He cuddles and embraces the wearyworn
Do not become anxious because of him who
seems to prosper on the wrong path.
Cease your stirrings of jealousy --
because of the harm--they will bring.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS::
For evildoers shall be cut off;
For those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.
For yet a little while and the wicked shall
be no more;
Indeed you will look carefully for his
place,
But it shall be no more.
But the meek shall inherit the earth.
And shall delight themselves in the
abundance of peace.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
For the liar's tongue shall be cut off,
For those who serve the Lord,
They shall inherit the land.
For yet a short passage of time and the
evil one shall disappear
He will be no more.
The kind will inherit the land
And shall be merry in the ways of the
Lord.
And there will be peace in abundance.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
The wicked plots against the just.
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
The Lord laughs at him.
For he sees that his day is coming.
The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow.
To cast down the poor and the needy.
To slay those who are of upright
conduct.
Their sword shall enter their own heart.
And their bows shall be broken.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The mean ones say nasty things about me O'Lord
They stick their tongue out
and gnash their teeth.
The Lord holds me to his gaze
For he sees their day is near end.
The malicious have called forth their army
and make ready to attack
Their lies shall be their demise
And their corpses will lie in the street.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of
iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the
grass.
And wither as the green herb.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Do not become anxious because of naysayers,
Nor cast a furtive eye toward the builder of
lies
For the Lord shall strew their path
with traps.
And they will fall like the woodman's tree
in the forest.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on his
faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord.
And he shall give you the desires of your
heart.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Love the Lord, and do the right thing;
Go to church and feed on his bread.
Clap your hands in joy.
And he will look with fondness upon your
face.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
He shall bring forth your righteousness as
the light.
And your justice as the noonday.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Follow the Lord's path
Be loyal to him always
And he will do the right thing.
He will honor your steadfastness as
a member of his household
And great things will be bestowed on you.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for
Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers
in his way.
Because of the man who brings wicked
schemes to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret--it only causes harm.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Doze in the arms of the Lord.
He cuddles and embraces the wearyworn
Do not become anxious because of him who
seems to prosper on the wrong path.
Cease your stirrings of jealousy --
because of the harm--they will bring.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS::
For evildoers shall be cut off;
For those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.
For yet a little while and the wicked shall
be no more;
Indeed you will look carefully for his
place,
But it shall be no more.
But the meek shall inherit the earth.
And shall delight themselves in the
abundance of peace.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
For the liar's tongue shall be cut off,
For those who serve the Lord,
They shall inherit the land.
For yet a short passage of time and the
evil one shall disappear
He will be no more.
The kind will inherit the land
And shall be merry in the ways of the
Lord.
And there will be peace in abundance.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
The wicked plots against the just.
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
The Lord laughs at him.
For he sees that his day is coming.
The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow.
To cast down the poor and the needy.
To slay those who are of upright
conduct.
Their sword shall enter their own heart.
And their bows shall be broken.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
The mean ones say nasty things about me O'Lord
They stick their tongue out
and gnash their teeth.
The Lord holds me to his gaze
For he sees their day is near end.
The malicious have called forth their army
and make ready to attack
Their lies shall be their demise
And their corpses will lie in the street.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Gratitude
I am forever grateful for your gifts
O Lord.
Wherever I turn there is your stirring.
I see you in the blue of the sky.
I hear your spirit in the whisper of
the wind.
I look with wonder at the green of the trees.
The birds rush to their nests.
And the aliveness of the mountains sing
your psalms.
The rushing waters of the creeks overflow
from the torrential rains of the night
and show your might.
O Lord, I see your majesty all around me.
The earth, your queen, wears her crown of jewels in
true majesty.
O Lord.
Wherever I turn there is your stirring.
I see you in the blue of the sky.
I hear your spirit in the whisper of
the wind.
I look with wonder at the green of the trees.
The birds rush to their nests.
And the aliveness of the mountains sing
your psalms.
The rushing waters of the creeks overflow
from the torrential rains of the night
and show your might.
O Lord, I see your majesty all around me.
The earth, your queen, wears her crown of jewels in
true majesty.
Psalm 36 (Cont'd.)
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Oh, continue your lovingkindness to
those who know you.
And your righteousness to the upright in
heart.
Let not the foot of pride come against
me.
And let not the hand of the wicked drive
me away.
There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been cast down and are not
able to rise.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Oh, continue your blessings to those
who do right by you.
And your steadfastness be ever present to
the loyal ones.
Let not a spectacle of dust cover my eyes.
And let not the arm of the evil ones be
raised against me.
There the jealous of heart lay in wait.
but they are trodden under by the weight of
your spirit.
Oh, continue your lovingkindness to
those who know you.
And your righteousness to the upright in
heart.
Let not the foot of pride come against
me.
And let not the hand of the wicked drive
me away.
There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been cast down and are not
able to rise.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Oh, continue your blessings to those
who do right by you.
And your steadfastness be ever present to
the loyal ones.
Let not a spectacle of dust cover my eyes.
And let not the arm of the evil ones be
raised against me.
There the jealous of heart lay in wait.
but they are trodden under by the weight of
your spirit.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Gratitude
O Lord I thank you for today.
You searched me out
and found me
a willing servant
forever in your gratitude.
I love you
You love me
My heart is full.
Ever a desire within an arm's reach.
Your breath is felt on the nape of my neck
and in a turn I am enfolded in your embrace.
my breath is no more.
I am held in the gaze of the beloved.
You searched me out
and found me
a willing servant
forever in your gratitude.
I love you
You love me
My heart is full.
Ever a desire within an arm's reach.
Your breath is felt on the nape of my neck
and in a turn I am enfolded in your embrace.
my breath is no more.
I am held in the gaze of the beloved.
Psalm 36 (cont'd.)
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
How precious is your lovingkindness,
O God!
Therefore the children of men put their
trust under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied with the
fullness of your house.
And you give them drink from the river
of your pleasures.
For with you is the fountain of life;
In your light we see light.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
How tender is your compassion
O God!
Now do all men put their trust
in your loving presence.
They are forever satisfied with the
furnishings of your house.
You give them drink from the ever
flowing waters of your abode.
They are satisfied with the warmth of your
gaze.
The feeling of fullness accompanies them
in their thoughts.
All praise to you O'Lord.
Forever holy is your name.
I am forever warmed by your stirrings.
How precious is your lovingkindness,
O God!
Therefore the children of men put their
trust under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied with the
fullness of your house.
And you give them drink from the river
of your pleasures.
For with you is the fountain of life;
In your light we see light.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
How tender is your compassion
O God!
Now do all men put their trust
in your loving presence.
They are forever satisfied with the
furnishings of your house.
You give them drink from the ever
flowing waters of your abode.
They are satisfied with the warmth of your
gaze.
The feeling of fullness accompanies them
in their thoughts.
All praise to you O'Lord.
Forever holy is your name.
I am forever warmed by your stirrings.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
O Lord
You know that I love you.
You love Logan
and Kyle
and Gabby
You love me
You love us.
We love you too.
You make us happy.
We each one wake in the morning
Hop out of bed
and begin the day anew
again in your glory
and humble creatures that we are
we search you out
in the day's adventure
each one of us
seeking your shadow
feeling your breath
hearing your whispers
in the deep of our heart.
O Lord
you love us
and we love you
GOODNITE
till the sun wakes us on the morrow. .
You know that I love you.
You love Logan
and Kyle
and Gabby
You love me
You love us.
We love you too.
You make us happy.
We each one wake in the morning
Hop out of bed
and begin the day anew
again in your glory
and humble creatures that we are
we search you out
in the day's adventure
each one of us
seeking your shadow
feeling your breath
hearing your whispers
in the deep of our heart.
O Lord
you love us
and we love you
GOODNITE
till the sun wakes us on the morrow. .
Psalm 36
Man's Wickedness and
God's Perfection
To the Chief Musician: A Psalm of David
The Servant of the Lord
THE PSALMIST PRAYS
An oracle within my heart concerning the
transgressions of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
For he flatters himself in his own eyes.
When he finds out his iniquity and when
he hates.
The words of his mouth are wickedness and
deceit.
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
He devises wickedness on his bed:
He sets himself in a way that is not good:
He does not abhor evil.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS
A Psalm within my heart concerning the
evil doings of the wicked:
There is no sense of wrongness in his heart.
He turns away from the Lord.
He see only the illusion of beauty in his own eyes.
His eyes behold only his own reflection.
He has no compassion.
He plots evil ways in his dreams.
His mouth has no guard.
His demeanor has an ill effect.
He does not hate the evildoer
but his jealousy stirs his spirit.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Your mercy O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the great
mountains.
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Your greatness O Lord, rings through the earth;
Your steadfastness reaches to the galaxies;
Your truthfulness is liken to the wide rivers.
Your thoughts are ever flowing;
O Lord, You strengthen the ox
and give heart to the man.
God's Perfection
To the Chief Musician: A Psalm of David
The Servant of the Lord
THE PSALMIST PRAYS
An oracle within my heart concerning the
transgressions of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
For he flatters himself in his own eyes.
When he finds out his iniquity and when
he hates.
The words of his mouth are wickedness and
deceit.
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
He devises wickedness on his bed:
He sets himself in a way that is not good:
He does not abhor evil.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS
A Psalm within my heart concerning the
evil doings of the wicked:
There is no sense of wrongness in his heart.
He turns away from the Lord.
He see only the illusion of beauty in his own eyes.
His eyes behold only his own reflection.
He has no compassion.
He plots evil ways in his dreams.
His mouth has no guard.
His demeanor has an ill effect.
He does not hate the evildoer
but his jealousy stirs his spirit.
THE PSALMIST PRAYS:
Your mercy O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the great
mountains.
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
PSALMIST DORIS PRAYS:
Your greatness O Lord, rings through the earth;
Your steadfastness reaches to the galaxies;
Your truthfulness is liken to the wide rivers.
Your thoughts are ever flowing;
O Lord, You strengthen the ox
and give heart to the man.
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