How Things Change!

 

I grew up hearing

About place and time

Today, however,

So much is out of line.

 

In my late teens

If I quarrelled with Dad

That would be a slap,

Quarrelling was bad.

 

I was working then

I had a job,

Thinking about it now

Makes my head throb.

 

Sunday school was a must

You dare not ask,

Once it was Sunday

That was your task.

Sunday morning

And in the evening too,

It was Sunday school

For the entire crew.

 

We had home chores

That had to be done,

No excuses accepted

From daughter or son.

 

Wares to be washed

House to be swept,

Yard fire bright

Or lashes you’d get.

 

Home by a certain time

School or church,

From such instructions

Don’t dare shirk.

 

My favourite spot

Was the front step,

Any further than that

And I could be wet.

 

With permission sought

The limit was the gap,

Any infraction

Could incur a slap.

 

No favouritism

Among the siblings,

All had a bit

In what was sharing.

 

 

If one was out

His share was kept,

Another demand

That had to be met.

 

Quarrels were short

Disputes brief,

They were not condoned

By either chief.

 

Mother or Father

It did not matter,

Cross this line

And there was bother.

Training was at home

Learning at school,

One was not allowed

To grow up a fool.

 

School was a must

Licks like peas,

Two biscuits and milk

Without any cheese.

 

We could not chime in

When adults fret,

Another bad decision

We would regret.

 

Respect your elders

Always be polite,

Stay away from trouble

Definitely no fights.

 

No bare back

Or whistling at home,

Not in this house

You’re not yet grown.

 

 

Four fast asleep

In one single bed,

In many cases

Just front house and shed.

 

Kitchen and toilet

Out in the yard

And if it’s raining

Things could be hard.

 

Plant something

And let it grow,

In this way

The less you owe.

 

Games fee a penny,

Hard to come by

But it was a must

One dare not defy.

 

With your teachers

Do not mess

Whether at school

Or holiday recess.

 

Manners maketh man

We were often told,

Slip up at anytime

And licks you’d hold.

 

 

In a child’s back

You’d find his ears,

Beat the back

And the child will hear.

 

An oft-made remark

From a teacher I knew

But most back then

Held that view.

 

But things changed

Nothing so now,

How it got to this stage

I’ll tell you how.

 

The right to do

As everyone pleases

No matter who

That one squeezes.

 

A crime is only if

You get caught,

A few in jail

But outside a lot.

 

Different stokes

For different folks,

Once known standards

Are now jokes.

 

Roles are reversed

It’s like a curse,

In very deep waters

We are immersed.

 

How to get out?

Only God knows,

The fact we ignore Him

Causes these woes.

 

 

It’ll only get worse

Yes, this curse,

There’ll be no reverse

Till we put God first.

 

Stewart Russell © February 2019

 

Ash Phenomenon

 

 

 

The ash is still falling

Though no longer from the sky,

It’s falling from treetops and roofs

And causing many a sigh.

 

“I just cleaned this place,

Swept down and swift down

And now I’m walking back through

I still feel the ash abound.

 

I’m feeling it in my nostrils

It’s irritating my palate,

I am coming to one conclusion-

This ash has to be fate.”

 

It gets in between your toes

And in between your fingers

And though the house is closed

Inside it still lingers.

 

It sneaks in the tiniest crevice

And fills the smallest hole

And where you least expect it

It begins to form like mold.

 

It is as light as air

And you actually breathe it in,

And by its persistence it says,

There’s no way you can win.

 

It does not discriminate

That is one sure consolation,

Black and white, rich and poor;

All experience frustration.

 

 

In the heights or terraces

The gardens or the farms,

On the blocks or in the villages

This is causing alarm.

 

Some things it coats in black

Other objects it covers in grey,

The roads are coated in white

As this ash holds full sway.

 

Not to mention the dust clouds

Whenever a vehicle passes by,

It’s as though the clouds are on earth

Having vacated the sky.

 

When will it go away?

This question is on every lip,

Whether COVID-19 or the ash

It’s sometimes hard to pick.

 

COVID has become COVASH,

What a relentless duo!

However, what we see is all we get

And a future we don’t know.

 

 

This ash is a phenomenon

Just like that of COVID

And all we can do, my friend,

Is to count our blessings and live.

 

Stewart Russell © April 28, 2021

 

From 1G to 5G

 

Have a good day

Is the oft offered expression

But of what value is a good day

If godly is not also mentioned?

 

From 1G to 2G:

Have a good and godly day

Is more appropriate

To brighten up the pilgrim’s way.

 

It is the basis for 3G

As we receive the grace of God

Hence, good, godly and gracious

His unmerited favour applaud.

Have a good and godly day

And a gracious one as well,

What a powerful connection

That we can others tell!

 

The internet is currently 4G

And this is truly great,

The speed is definitely faster

And better time we make.

 

So, have a good and godly day

That’s also gracious and great

With such a 4G connection

Love will vanquish hate.

From very basic beginnings

To the more complex,

1G, 2G, 3G and 4G

But no 5G connection as yet.

 

It’s time to introduce 5G

Which is supremely satisfying,

Such a wonderful G to input now

And one that’s super gratifying.

 

Gratifying is 5G

Combined with the other four,

Any day characterized by these

Will bring satisfaction galore.

These will generate a connection

Not inferior to any other

And the reception that you’ll experience

Will not give you cause to bother.

 

Have a good and godly day!

One that’s also gracious and great,

Make it also gratifying

As with others you integrate.

 

From such a 5G connection

There is no chance of fall-out

Good, godly, gracious, great and gratifying

5 G is the best without doubt.

 

Have a good, godly, gracious, great and gratifying day!

What a salutation to give!

As we share and receive as much

We’ll have all the more reason to live.

 

Stewart Russell © October 26, 2020

 

Patterns of A Cult

 

 

Adding to the Word of God

 

God gave a direct command

A simple straightforward word,

Do not eat of a specified tree

But Eve thought that absurd.

 

She set out to clean it up

And to make it more user friendly

So she added to the word of God

And thus began human misery.

 

God stated a particular tree

Eve emphasized “a position”,

This gave the serpent an opening

To introduce some indecision.

 

God stated clearly, “Do not eat,”

But Eve gave an added command:

“Neither shall ye touch it,”

Was never in the original plan.

 

“Ye shall surely die,” said the Lord

But Eve introduced a caveat:

“Lest ye die” is what she offered

And then possibility replaced fact.

 

Three additions to the word of God

Three additions added Eve,

Addition has become the compromise

Such that it is now Adam and Steve.

 

Add thou not unto his words

States Proverbs 30 and verse 6,

It was through Eve’s addition

That the whole world was unfixed.

 

 

Subtracting from the Person of Christ

 

“In the beginning was the Word”

And the Word was with God.”

Some were not comfortable with this

And set out to make Jesus a fraud.

 

“And the Word was God” the Bible said

But this assertion did not suffice,

The indefinite article was introduced

To subtract from the person of Christ.

 

A lower case “g” was used instead

The Word was relegated to “a god”,

If Jesus were seen otherwise

Then he surely would be a fraud.

 

“All things were made by him”

Again that’s what the Bible states

But this would make him the Creator

Which his detractors could not take.

 

So “all other things” was introduced

To subtract from the person of Christ,

This would make him a created being

And this would adequately suffice.

 

Neither shall ye diminish from the word

We read in Deuteronomy 4 verse 2,

Subtracting from the person of Christ 

Is another operation that cults do.

 

 

Multiplying Salvation Requirements

 

The Bible is clearly explicit

Concerning the salvation of a person

But some have multiplied the requirements

To create a gigantic problem.

 

Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus

And believe God raised him from the dead,

This is the basis for salvation;

In the Bible this is what is said.

 

For with the heart

Man believes unto righteousness

And with the mouth

Confession is made unto salvation.

 

This is rather simple and straightforward

But some believe it’s not enough

So as to make it more exclusive

The requirements must be tough.

 

So, they multiply the requirements

They repeatedly added to the terms

Hence offering a pseudo salvation

And the true salvation spurn.

 

They introduce laws and rituals

They emphasize days and diets,

Their study books replace the Bible

And any contravention creates a riot.

 

Saving faith is replaced by works

And God’s grace is minimized

And the recipient is always in doubt

Concerning whether he’s been reconciled.

 

 

Dividing the Loyalty of the Follower

 

Some held allegiance to Apollos

And some were loyal to Paul,

Some were devoted to Cephas

But that is not even all.

 

Some lay claims on Christ

And no doubt felt better than the rest

But Paul being under the anointing

Said they all had failed the test.

 

He noted that Christ was not divided

And Paul was not crucified,

None was baptized in the name of Paul

Such loyalty was not his to decide.

 

His was to preach the Gospel

And that not with the wisdom of words

Lest the cross of Jesus Christ

Be viewed as being absurd.

 

These days it is particularly rife

To divide the loyalty of the follower

To the extent that it is sometimes difficult

To determine the object of the worshipper.

 

Two ways come to mind readily:

Those of the institution and the leader

Both of which usurp the authority of Jesus

In the eyes of many a follower

 

The focus and loyalty of the believer

Must always be placed upon Christ

And any attempt to sway him otherwise

Should be crushed as though in a vice.

 

 

Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing

The fault is not in Mathematics,

It’s just another of the enemy’s strategies

In the way he packages his tricks.

 

These are the patterns of a cult

The intent most often is to deceive,

They are regularly wrapped in sincerity

And made particularly easy to believe.

 

Do not be misled by their subtlety

Be led by the Holy Spirit,

Depend on him to reveal the Word

Let this be your daily habit.

 

There is no need to add to the Word

Or subtract from the person of Christ

In this one thing we can be confident

That Jesus is the only required sacrifice.

 

No need to multiply salvation’s requirements

Or divide the follower’s loyalty

Christ is all and in all to us

And is one with the blessed Trinity.

 

He is the object of our faith

And the expression of God’s grace

And if we deem his sacrifice as not enough

This is nothing short of a disgrace.

 

He deserves our total worship

He desires our absolute trust,

He demands our unswerving obedience

And that we walk in the faith of the just.

 

Stewart Russell © August 2018

 

Ups and Downs

 

 

Is your life up and down?

I know you will say it is not

But mine is like a roller coaster;

This seems to be my lot.

 

Especially as a Christian,

And I am not fooling you

But you are not likely to understand

Unless yours is like mine too.

 

I would like to live a life

Without these ups and downs

In which the ups are smiles

And the downs are frowns…

 

But I know that is not likely

At least, not in this life

In which we struggle for peace

In the midst of strife.

 

 

Life is about ups and downs

Invariably, more downs than ups,

Ever since Adam and Eve

All have drunk of this cup.

 

We get up in the morning

And we lie down in the night,

Sometimes our sleep is peaceful

At times we fight.

 

Yes! It is an up and down life

With which we contend

Wishing and hoping

For more ups in our blend.

 

Like the dust which was a down

Suddenly became an up

When one day out of our blue sky

We found ash in our cup.

 

 

The compliments of La Soufriere

Which decided to erupt

And now the dust isn’t so bad,

In fact, it’s an up.

 

We’d rather the dust bowl

Than this ash bowl anytime

For this La Soufriere ash

Can really get on your mind.

 

The dust you can dust off

But the ash quickly settles back,

Imagine the down for the people

Where water is in lack.

 

 

Wearing a mask was a down

But since the ashfall it’s an up,

Mask wearing was a stiff protocol

Until La Soufriere erupt.

 

COVID-19 in Twenty-Twenty!

We longed for ‘Twenty-one…

But along came the Soufriere ash

And COVID has not gone.

 

A double-whammy they say,

All of a sudden it is two downs,

How we yearn for some rain

Like a smile after a frown!

 

In the meanwhile, I struggle,

And perhaps, unlike you,

For a while you may have plateaued

Having the same old view.

 

The key to the ups and downs

Is in life’s consolations,

It’s when prior downs become ups

Relative to new situations.

 

Like the dust and the ash

Which would you rather?

For me, I could handle the dust

But this ash is a real bother.

 

 

Yes, the consolation is in the ups

That helps to fight the downs

Just like the sun that’s peeking out,

The smile replaces the frown.

 

Like the water vapour going up

That the rain might come down,

All these are the cycles of life

Like on a merry-go-round.

 

Stewart Russell © April 23, 2021