No True Gauge

 

 

 

Four quarters in a year

And three are pretty much gone,

The past has been fairly daunting

And many are afraid to go on.

 

Gauging the future by the past

Is something most of us do

Especially if trended towards the bad

We expect the future to be too.

 

Hence, September remember:

Remember that 1955 storm!

And so, whenever September comes,

The sign goes up, “Be Warned!”

 

Thus October, it’s all over!

Gauging the future by the Past

But the past reminded us again

Such projections do not last.

 

So now our hurricane season

Lasts from June to November,

It’s not all over in October

And this we must remember.

 

And now wisely reflecting

On the months that have flown

We still can’t know the future

For the future is unknown.

 

Our experts can project

Based on calculated probability

But never mind how astute the math,

The past is never destiny.

 

 

“There will be” is no guarantee:

Of the future none is sure,

There is definitely no tomorrow

And the past is no more.

 

No true gauge of the future

The past can ever be,

The most that we can be sure of

Is the present we now see.

 

And even this is limited

For our sight is severely flawed,

All the more reason, my friend,

Why we need to trust in God.

 

Stewart Russell © September 30, 2022

 

Trust no future, howe’er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act, act in the living Present!

Heart within, and God o’erhead!

 

From A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Just Trust! Don’t Yield

 

 

 

It would be remiss of me

If I didn’t state in whom to trust,

Let me say from the outset

Trust in God is the must.

 

Buckling under is easy

And collapsing is prevalent,

That we live in tough times

Is clearly evident.

 

Evil workers wax worse

As the apostle Paul prophesied,

It was so in young Timothy’s time

And now it can’t be denied.

 

There is a tendency to yield,

And to simply say I quit

But I encourage you, trust God

Don’t fall for Satan’s tricks. 

 

Just trust, don’t yield

When all seem to be caving in,

Just trust and don’t yield

Our only repose is in Him.

 

He who has promised

To never leave us or forsake us

Is the only God that delivers,

My brother, my sister,

Just trust in Him!

 

Stewart Russell © April 18, 2022

Messing with My Head

 

 

I thought I had heard

That food prices were coming down

But my supermarket experience

Makes me feel like a clown.

 

There was to be cap on this

And a cap on that

But somewhere along the line

The cap fell off and that’s a fact.

 

I knew that I couldn’t buy legs

Or even chicken breast

But I could get chicken steppers

And an assortment of the rest.

 

But even so I had to admit

That food prices gone up higher

And that they never came down,

Don’t you dare call me a liar.

 

 

To be fair they requested

We be patient for it to take effect

But much time has passed

And that hasn’t happened yet.

 

Were that the case

The prices should not have moved

But the prices actually gone up;

Like they taking me for a fool.”

 

“The cost of living come down

But you can’t see it with the naked eye.”

Stated a politician some time back

And he was dead serious, no lie.

 

If that is the case today

They are messing with my head

Cause things are not only brown

But I also seeing red.

 

The thing about politicians-

I mean the ones that get in:

Their experience is not my experience,

For them things are not grim.

 

What things we are forced to buy

Parliamentarians sometimes get free,

It’s just one of the perks;

Become one and you will see.

 

 

 

They don’t feel the cost of living pinch

In the same way that we do,

We made them high up and better off

It’s time we admit this is true.

 

It is not only at election time

That politicians mess with our head

But more so after the elections

When to the slaughter we are led.

 

I am neither a “B” nor a “D”

 In fact, not even an “A” or a “C”

So, do not expect too much from me

For I am just a discontented “E”.

 

I am just bright enough to know

They are messing with my head

But I am not smart enough to know

What I can do instead.

 

When I vote “B” I lose,

If I vote “D” I cannot win,

All I can do is take what comes

With a wince and a grin.

 

So, don’t let anyone fool you

That food prices have come down,

You are much brighter than I am

And you are nobody’s clown.

 

Stewart Russell © September 26, 2022

 

A Church Conference with A Difference

 

 

The angels were given their charge

To the churches the messages were sent,

Commendation and admonition

And urgent entreaties to repent.

 

It was a conference with a difference

International in its scope,

No Roberts’ Rules of procedure

Only the messenger spoke.

 

The reports were perfectly accurate

The recommendations to the point,

There was no possible way

That any could dispute the accounts.

 

There was no mixing of matters

All was straight up and forthright,

For some there was shocking reality

Some were commended for their light.

 

The classifications were astounding

Fraught with misdeeds and disbelief

But not all were of this type,

There were some that brought great relief.

 

Of the period I am not certain

But the application speaks to anytime,

It is time to get our act together

Lest we find ourselves in a bind.

 

 

The conference starts with Ephesus:

Their works and labor were well known,

They were patient and eschewed evil

But from their first love they had roamed.

 

To such they were called to return

And to accept the message that was sent

Or have their candlestick removed,

If they did not sincerely repent.

 

To the angel of the church in Smyrna

These things said the First and Last,

Reference to their works and tribulation

And experiences in their past.

 

Though there were a people of poverty

They were regarded as being rich,

And some that said they were of the Jews

With Satan had long made the switch.

 

The saints were admonished not to fear

In the face of their fierce tribulation

But remain faithful unto death

And a crown of life would accompany salvation.

 

Pergamum was the next in line

They had held fast to Jesus’ name

But among them Satan was operating

And a faithful witness had slain.

 

A few things were in need of fixing

Some were of the doctrine of Balaam,

Some adhered to the Nicolaitans

And hence, the following demand.

 

These were commanded to repent

Or experience the wrath of the Lord,

He promised to fight them with the sword

This was in reference to His Word.

 

To the church in Thyatira

They were commended for their works:

 Charitable works of faith and patience

From these they did not shirk.

 

However, they were serious problems

That had sullied their report,

There was the thriving spirit of Jezebel:

A false prophetess with a prominent vote.

 

Severe punishment was pending

If the guilty refused to repent,

But on the rest who were of the faithful

No other burdens would be sent.

 

A strong message was delivered to Sardis

Especially to the living dead,

These had built up a huge reputation

One that had gone to their head.

  

They were counselled to be watchful,

To strengthen the things that remained,

Remember the things received and heard

And of the Lord’s coming back again.

 

There was also noteworthy commendation

For the few that still walked in the light

They were considered to be worthy

And will walk with the Lord in white.

 

The conference next focused on Philadelphia:

This entire report was favourable,

Though they had but little strength

What they achieved was commendable.

 

The pretenders to self-righteous greatness,

Those who say that they are Jews,

Those who are of the synagogue of Satan

Will be humbled before all they abused.

 

The faithful that kept the word of patience

Will be free of the tribulation to come,

And at the inevitable return of the Lord

No man would be able to take their crown.

 

 

Finally, the report of the church at Laodicea:

This church was the worst of them all,

Neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm,

The “Fit to be spat out” they were called.

 

They boasted of being rich and wealthy

And of the world’s goods they had no lack,

They were wretched, poor blind and naked

But ignorant of these obvious facts.

 

They were advised to buy gold tried in fire

And to clothe their nakedness in white,

To anoint their eyes with eye-salve

So they could clearly behold the light.

 

To the churches it was often repeated

And we too, should heed this admonition:

He that has an ear let him listen to the Spirit

For this is life saving instruction.

  

The promise is to overcoming believers:

The born again in Jesus Christ,

The names of these are written in heaven

And that is the record that will suffice.

 

We often boast of the churches we attend

And their leaders that fill our eyes,

Consider again these conference reports

                           And be discerning of Satan’s disguise.                          

 

Like an angel of light he frequently comes

With manifestations of wonders and signs,

So, be aware of his alluring enchantments

And dismiss him with the words “I decline”.

 

Stewart Russell © September 2019

 

 

Inflation and Shrinkflation

 

 

Can you believe it?

Shrinkflation is a word,

Not only a word but a practice,

By now you’ve probably heard.

 

Surely, you’ve heard of inflation

No doubt you feel its pinch,

As for me, I can tell you,

I feel like we’ve been lynched.

 

Prices are on the upward trend

And not by just a few cents,

Fleece them of all their money

Is the merchants’ bent.

 

When a tax relief is promised

It appears they up their prices

And the move is counter-productive

Thus, exacerbating our crisis.

 

I’m still waiting for the reduction

Promised some weeks ago

But I won’t dare hold my breath

For the outcome you’d know.

 

You would read of my obit

And no doubt you’d be sad

But when you hear the reason why,

I’m sure you won’t feel so bad.

 

Inflation is the norm

But shrinkflation? What is that?

I will take some time to explain

But for a while it’s been a fact.

 

You see, while the prices go up

The product quantity takes a pitch,

New designs on their containers

And the fluid ounces take a dip.

 

 

 

 

A narrower neck or waist

As in the coke-bottle shape,

It’s now easier to hold the container

But this reason is not great.

 

Or, the product yields a little less,

It takes more to do the job

And if one is not easily fooled,

He knows he has been robbed.

 

Quantity as well as quality deflates

Hence, shrinkflation is deflation

And it is in no way rocket science

To discern there is shrinkflation.

 

Bear this in mind, my friend

When you go to do your shopping,

Watch for “deception shrinkflation”

For patrons taking a knocking.

 

It is true we cannot win

And money does not taste good

But there are more robbers around

Than those that wear a hood.

 

Inflation and Shrinkflation

Opposites that go together,

For the merchant, a dream come true,

For you and me, a colossal bother.

 

Stewart Russell © August 31, 2022

 

A Huge Challenge

 

 

Boy, he was huge

And just boasting all the time,

More than seven hundred pounds

Standing about nine feet nine.

 

Silhouetted against the sky

He presented an ominous sight

And even the best of our men

Cowered before him in fright.

 

In terms of his strength alone

No other man could compare

And for my people and their leader

He was their greatest nightmare.

 

 

If his stature were not enough

His armour was impregnable

And there he was standing tall

Challenging our best to a battle.

 

He was a champion of champions

The best that they had

And we had no one to match him

To me that was sad.

 

For forty days he challenged us

To send someone to fight him

But none of our men were bold enough

And victory appeared dim.

 

I was aware of all this

As I took some lunch to my brethren,

I was taken off my shepherd’s duties

To go and check on them.

 

Me? I was just a shepherd boy

And the youngest of the children

But I too had my challenges

And God took care of them.

 

Nothing messed with my sheep

You could ask that lion and bear

And for these ungodly people

I didn’t have the slightest fear.

 

I spoke to a couple of my brothers

But their report was none too good,

They said I should get back to the sheep

But right then I didn’t think I should.

 

There were two things about the giant

And both I’ll share with you,

He was a Philistine and uncircumcised

And that is all I knew.

 

“I’ll fight Him,” I told King Saul

And for them that was a laugh,

The king did put his armour on me

But for me that was not my path.

 

  

“I’ll be back in just a while,”

And I wended my way to the brook,

I chose five stones out of the water

And put them in the bag I took.

 

When that giant saw me

He looked at me in disdain,

I was just a youth and ruddy

And he began his taunts again.

 

“Am I a dog?” he barked,

“That you come to me with staves?”

Then he said what he would do to me

And he continued to rave.

 

I did not say an awful lot

This was not the time for that

But I trusted in the name of the Lord

That was the extent of our chat.

 

I reached into my bag

And from there I took one stone

And with my sling I took my aim

And next was stone on bone.

 

The giant fell to the ground

And there he lay quite dead

But to make sure he won’t get up

I just removed his head.

 

Next the Philistines were put to flight

As the armies of Israel pursued,

God had wrought a great victory

I made sure that everyone knew. 

 

A staff, a slingshot and God

Faith and an undying trust,

A tiny hole in the enemy’s armour

And he fell headlong in the dust.

 

Not by might or power says the Lord

But by the Holy Spirit,

David knew of this quite well

For it was his daily habit.

 

A lion, a bear and a great giant

Each challenge God brought him through,

Trust in Him is good advice

And He will do the same for you.

 

Stewart Russell © March 2018

 

Two Comings

 

 

He hung on the cross

Knowing for this he came,

For you and for me

Glory to his name!

 

“Father forgive them

They know not what they do.”

All part of salvation’s plan

For me and for you.

 

“Truly this was God’s Son,”

The centurion did say

Words that are remembered

Even up to this day.

 

They buried him in a grave

That was not even his own

And there he lay

Having left his throne.

 

He rose triumphantly

The gave couldn’t hold him down,

Death he defeated

He again wears his crown.

 

None saw him rise

But many saw him alive,

Which proves it was nothing

That somebody contrived.

 

 

On the Emmaus road

Two disciples with him walked

And they too were convinced

As they with him talked.

 

Thomas touched his wounds

He required such proof,

And when he did

He confessed the truth.

 

These saw him ascend

And the angels they heard,

“He is coming in like manner.”

Accept their word.

 

He is coming again

For those who are prepared,

We are not sure when

It could be far or near.

 

 

What we do know is

That he came before

And today he is standing

Knocking at someone’s door.

 

Open your heart

And let Jesus come in,

That is the only way

You can be saved from your sin.

 

Believe him in your heart

And confess with your mouth

And like Zacchaeus

 He will come to your house.

 

He will make it his temple

And dwell in you there

And you’ll go to be with him

When he shall appear.

 

Prepare to meet thy God

Amos had declared,

That same calls goes out today

To people everywhere.

 

 

Two comings there must be

One has gone,

The second is on the way

We need to be warned.

 

It may be while we are living

Or sometime after instead

But we cannot make a decision

After we are dead.

 

Whether Jesus comes or calls

You must be prepared,

Let neither of these two

Take you unawares.

 

For this cause he came

To redeem the elect

And he is coming again

Whether or not you expect.

 

He will take to himself

Those that are his own

And there they will worship

Before his throne.

 

Stewart Russell © November 2019