My Little Dream

 

I had a little dream…

Nothing much,

There’s not much to tell

It wasn’t as such.

 

I was walking up the driveway

Of my in-laws' home

When I saw my little girl

But not alone.

About three she was

At the time

And even at that age,

She was fine.

I asked her for a hug

And she reached up to me,

I didn’t lift her up

So, she hugged my knee.

I recall the laughter,

From that little queen

And that knee-high hug

In my little dream.

My dream was real

I dreamt it this morning,

For you daddies out there

Here’s the warning...

In a flash it was over

The dream was complete,

Now she is married

But she is still sweet!

She’s still my little dream

And always will be

Though much too tall

To hug my knee.

Stewart Russell © July 31, 2020

I Am Amazed

I am amazed

 At how we treat our children

Forcing them to like our stuff

And if they don’t

We get rough

And we get tough

I am amazed

At how we train our children

Forcing them to like our fashion

And if they don’t

We get in a passion

And treat them with aggression

I am amazed

At how we bamboozle our children

With our religion

That we know so little about

And how we shout

When our children opt out

I am amazed

At how we say no to our children

When it would be so much easier

To say yes

And give them our best

To relieve their stress

I am amazed

Why we make it hard for our children

In telling them to wait

Just for one minute

As a regular habit

And they see us like a cynic

I am amazed

When we criticize our children

Especially in their wrongdoing

Rather than smile

All the while

And encourage their style

     

I am amazed

When we try to guide our children

In the way of the Bible

Even in this modern day

Rather than let them have their say

In just how they want to stray

I am amazed

At how we regard our children

Not recognizing

They are far brighter than we were

Or ever will be

In spite of our jealousy

I am amazed

At how we try to control our children

Denying them their freedom

And their so-called rights

To do as they please

And sail through life with ease

I am amazed

At how we try to stop our children

From falling where we fell

And making our mistakes

So that in this life

They can get an easier break

I am amazed

At how we educate our children

By sending them to schools

With traditional standards and rules

To acquire the necessary tools

So they won’t be anybody’s fools

I am amazed

At how we treat to our children

As parents and not as buddies

When it would be far better

To be like their friends

And share the dividends

I am amazed

How we chastise our children

For our archaic and outmoded perception

Attributing to them rudeness and disrespect

Rather than introspect

And come to grips with what to expect

I am amazed

At how we reprimand our children

Spanking and punishing them

Instead of giving rewards

Despite their deviant behavior

That does not meet with our favour

I am amazed

At how we try to rob our children

Of their independence and uniqueness

Of the intrigues of this life 

Though seemingly weird

Classifying the same as strife

I am amazed

That we force church on our children

Making them angry and resentful

And then wonder

Why they are what they are

And with progressive minds not on par

I am amazed

That as we raise our children

That we cannot see eye to eye

With the proponents of the new ideologies

Their schisms and philosophies

Their tomfoolery and devilry

I am amazed

That in spite of having us for their parents

They are still blossoming and growing

They are radiant and glowing

They are reaping what they are sowing

Isn’t this mind blowing?

I am amazed

At the amazing strides

Our amazing communities are amazingly making

Because of our amazing children

And how amazingly

We have raised them

And if you are not amazed

Then I am amazed

That there are still

Some amazing old-fashioned parents

Numbered in an amazing minority

That still have respect for God’s amazing authority

Our children still need our guidance

As they traverse life’s deceptive maze

We cannot afford to abandon them

As they process each critical phase

As amazing as it may seem

God still holds parents accountable

Even in this postmodern age

For raising up a godly people

Stewart Russell © 2017

No Need to Wash My Feet

Try to understand me, Master,

I cannot let you wash my feet

Considering where I have walked

Out there on the dirty streets.

My feet are dusty and dirty

I can wash them by myself,

You don’t have to stoop to wash them

And risk your fragile health.

I am strong and robust

And accustomed to the dust,

I could wash yours if you like

But as for mine, there’s no fuss.

Deep down you must understand

I won’t be washing another’s,

Mine I will wash of course

But with theirs, I won’t be bothered.

How dare they expect of me

To ever stoop that low!

No way! I am telling you, Master,

But I have no doubt you know.

I will wash yours, Master,

And I will do so in a flash

But if I am forced to wash theirs,

There will surely be a clash.

What I don’t want for me

I certainly don’t want for them

And once we all understand this,

I do not expect a problem.

This must have been the issue

That ran through Peter’s mind

When Jesus attempted to wash his feet

On that very first time.

The issue was not the feet

It was really about the heart

But quite a lot was wrong therein

So, the feet provided a start.

The heart is loaded with pride

The feet represent humility,

The bending or stooping is critical

To correct a heart that is haughty.

And the lower the degree of person

To whose feet we must attend,

The better the character building

As the lower we must bend.

Peter would gladly attend to Jesus

But not to the lowly sheep,

It was much too far to be bending

To wash another’s feet.

It took him a while to understand

The lesson Jesus was teaching,

It was never really about feet;

It was definitely more far reaching.

He tried to apply it to his body

He had not gotten it yet,

He felt it had to do with being clean

But the humility he didn’t get.

It would take a while longer

When Jesus gave that command:

Yes! It was about feeding the sheep

And ministering to the lambs.

On the day of Pentecost

It finally settled down on Peter

The servant-leader he was called to be

That day he was the preacher.

Stewart Russell © June 2020

Denomination Domination

The domination of the denomination

Has been since time began,

God was clear in His directive

But Eve preferred the devil’s brand.

The devil added his interpretation

And Eve fell for the trap,

“Hath God said,” imposed the doubt

And for Eve, there was no turning back.

When she saw it was good for food

And that it would make her wise,

She joined the devil’s religion

Deceived by its deceptive disguise.

Thus, we had the first denomination

And its domination had begun,

Eve urged her husband to get on board

And follow “The Downhill Run”.

The very first denomination

I entitled “The Down Hill Run”,

God’s word was effectively eliminated

And they danced to the devil’s drum.

Founded on just three words:

“Hath God said” was the premise

And with this came the fallout

That God himself had promised.

“The day that you eat of this tree

You will surely die,”

But the lure of the first denomination

Enticed its initiates to deny.

Now there is denomination dominance

It’s the denomination first,

With its rituals and forms and creeds,

We have the denomination curse.

  

And they dare to produce books

In which they insert their laws

And should you contravene any one of them,

You’d better have a good cause.

A regulation may be counter-Bible

But it must be faithfully kept

Especially if there’s some basis in the Word

Though taken out of context.

The Bible plays a pivotal role

But the Discipline carries a higher rank,

It’s the Discipline’s position on the Bible-

The Discipline is sacrosanct.

Where there is seeming contradiction

The Discipline calls the shots,

The Discipline is the final arbiter

The Bible most certainly is not.

The Bible is bent and twisted

To fit the Denomination’s agenda

And to this the members sign on

To peddle its divisive propaganda.

The dominance of the denomination,

The grip it holds on its members,

The denomination’s domination

Established by past and present leaders.

It may have gotten your interest

But it is not your salvation,

That alone is in Christ Jesus;

Avoid the denomination’s domination.

Their founders and leaders are men

However great they may appear,

The Spirit will strengthen your faith

Denominations will cause you fear.

They will bind you with their laws

Traditional and otherwise,

Be careful how you follow them!

They can be very well disguised.

Some carry the names of great men

Some follow the word of the same,

Some were founded on a man or woman

Some sane and some insane.

The Church’s one foundation

Is Jesus Christ the Lord,

Thus, says the ancient hymn of the faith

And this is grounded in the Word.

 

The Church of God is universal

Its members are all over the world,

It’s not bound to a single denomination;

That kind of thinking is absurd.

Let the Spirit have dominion

Once you have said yes to Christ,

Bearing in mind that your salvation

Was as a result of his sacrifice.

In the fullness of time

God sent forth His Son,

Therein is the premise for the Church

Not a particular denomination.

Stewart Russell © July 2020

Black Lives Matter Too

 

At first, Black Lives Matter

At least, for me it was,

But afterwards, in my mind,

All Lives Matter was the buzz.

At the time I thought

That’s the baby with the bath water

And so, there and then,

I felt this slogan should be altered.

Many had advanced

It should remain as first thought

But something in this slogan

Left me somewhat distraught.

 

Particularly the fact

There is so much white support;

And this is vastly different

From the 1960’s report.

The civil rights movement

Back in the 1960’s

Showed little white support

In fact, if any.

Even way back then

Under Martin Luther King

There was not an awful lot

About which Blacks could sing.

But civil they still were

As they fought for equal rights

And King’s vision of the mountain top

Was a harmonious delight.

“I have a dream,”

He stressed in that speech

Of a black and white harmony

He thought within reach.

  

So, now for the slogan:

Black Lives Matter Too

Appreciating the white support

In whatever we do.

All Lives Matter

Is without doubt inclusive

But the roll out of the same

Was negatively conclusive.

Black Lives Matter

Comes over as separatist

Particularly now so many whites

Are on board to assist. 

 

Black Lives Matter Too

Really nails it for me,

Black and White moving together

And eye-to-eye they see.

What is good for one

Is also good for the other

And this process demonstrates

That all lives matter.

White Lives Matter

But this is the current reality,

Black Lives Matter Too

And this settles it for me.

Stewart Russell © July 2020

COVID Consolations

All is not bleak in COVID

There are a few consolations,

While sacred cows are being attacked

It’s a chance to refocus our vision.

“That no man is an island”

Is coming into strong focus again,

And the fact we are our brother’s keeper

Is easing back to the social frame.

In recent times, but pre-COVID,

We were living for ourselves

And at the beginning of the viral onslaught

The obsession became our shelves.

Protocols were seriously infringed,

Greed and selfishness were rife

Forcing the authorities to put in place

 A plan to avert the pending strife.

Shopping was by the alphabet

A twenty-four-hour curfew was imposed,

And regarding non-essential businesses

These doors were indefinitely closed.

The resilience of the people emerged

As necessity became their focus

And with the exception of a rowdy few,

The protocols became a must.

Churches were closed yet opened

In a way unlike before,

They were able to reach the world

And not only those coming in the door.

Their view became unlimited,

Not corralled by the four walls

And if you are privileged like I am

On many churches you could call.

  

COVID facilitated family time

During the twenty-four-hour curfew,

So much time to spend at home

With the people you thought you knew.

Suddenly they were family discussions,

The chores at home were shared,

The young and old got into the act

To grapple with the COVID fear.

In a life of relative relaxation and ease

We can become a complaining lot

But as we confront the COVID challenge,

Most of that complaining stops.

We turn to counting our blessings

And appreciating every single one

Especially when we think of our loved ones

That since COVID started, are gone.

We have seen a selflessness

Displayed by the many front-line workers

Who, in spite of great risk to their well-being,

They determinedly are serving others.

This has rubbed off on many people

Who, themselves, refused to be spectators,

But, rolling up their proverbial sleeves,

They offer themselves to be helpers.

The vulnerable is being looked after,

Ordinarily there is not much time for them,

Life had become so fast pace

That they were seen as a problem.

To carry them was not easy

It was thought, better to leave them behind,

But during this prolonged COVID challenge

Many have changed their mind.

Consolations aplenty I see

But this is not to make light of the scourge,

Challenges build character, I have been told

And no doubt more positives will emerge.

In times like these we draw closer to God

And there is no greater consolation,

For whether we live or whether we die

He is still our salvation.

Stewart Russell © May 2020