Upsetting the World

 

 

Is it a bad or a good thing

To upset the world?

Well, depending on who you are,

It could be normal or absurd.

 

Absurd if you are a Christian,

Normal if you are not

And I dare say that in many cases

Christianity is considered rot.

 

If the world is getting upset

At what you say and do,

Chances are my brother, my sister,

To the Bible you’ve been true.

 

For not only here of late

But for as long as I can remember

Christians have upset the world

And those of Satan’s chamber.

 

Any friend of the world

Is seen as “at enmity of God”

Basically because, my friend,

Righteousness is God’s call.

 

Believers are to imitate Christ

And conformed to his image

And not to be squeezed by others

Into this worldly heritage.

 

There is so little in common

Re the Christian and the world,

And that’s why the Christian believer

Is often viewed as absurd. 

 

 

God created one race,

The world has founded many:

The whites, the blacks and coloured,

The intelligent and the dummy.

 

God created two genders

But now there is a daily increase

And given the brilliance of today

This is not likely to cease.

 

To the ‘L’ there was added a ‘G’

To the ‘G’ was added a ‘B’

And since some needed a change

To the ‘B’ was added a ‘T’.

 

And on this trajectory, of course,

It would very soon appear

The coming of yet another gender:

The advent of the Queer.

 

And so, to the ‘T’ was added ‘Q’

And to the ‘Q’ was added ‘I’;

The arranging of a new alphabet

And one difficult to describe…

 

Other than truthfully to say,

It smacks of the very insane

But of course, as you and I know,

That would be upsetting again.

 

The world finds it very upsetting

When believers take a stand

On Biblically defined standards

And what this means for man.

 

 

The fact of the first two humans

And their catastrophic fall

And the process of man’s redemption

Beginning with Abraham’s call.

 

The ministry of Jesus Christ

And his rejection by the Jews

And his now being the only way

Seen as a most outlandish view.

 

It is upsetting, to say the least,

To a world that is steep in sin

And that has gone against the grade

Of who Christians believe in.

 

How can Christians not support

The vices of a deprived world?

Why, that is not only mind-boggling

But it is absolutely absurd.

 

How can Christians not equate

The struggles of these two:

The acceptance of blacks and coloured

And the approval of the LGBTQ?

 

Add to these the other minorities

Under the guise of equal rights

That militantly advance their cause

Every day and every night.

 

 

It’s the Christians against the world

From the advent of the Church

And the disciples of Jesus Christ

Whom the world went out to hurt.

 

Starting with the Jews themselves

That comingled with the Romans

To eradicate every single Christian

They perceived to be a problem.

 

For it was the then perception

They had turned the world upside down

And it was not to be a compliment

Even though it was profound.

 

Yes, those early Church pioneers

Had really upset the world,

Living a life of danger for Jesus Christ

Was what they all preferred.

 

Would you prefer, they asked,

That we obey men rather than God?

For them, that was unthinkable

When Christ had given his all.

 

 

How could they do such a thing

Having witnessed his ascension?

He had upset the world

And such would be their mission.

 

This too is our mandate

Meaning those who are “the called”,

We become public enemy No. 1

Just like Peter, James and Paul.

 

Stewart Russell © November 22, 2022

The Undesirables

 

 

This world is too crowded

The population’s too huge,

We must rid us of most of them

Which ones will we choose?

 

Let’s think about the races

That’s a good place to start,

Which colour predominately

Do we want out of our park?

 

We have yellow and red

And there are bronze and black,

Three of them at this time

We can give some slack.

 

Though it’s colour we want

We’ll settle for the blacks,

Let’s get rid of those first

At the top of the stack.

 

 

They are most undesirable

Though, not in the past,

Back then they served us well

But as our slave class.

 

Now they want equal rights

And think we are unfair,

It is time those undesirables

Just disappear.

 

We can starve them out

Or let them have a feast

Particularly on those things

That make them deceased.

 

Let us create a virus

To which they are susceptible

And deprive them of a vaccine

That makes it irreversible.

 

Let us build up stress

So that they will want to die

And the police can take them out

Once they defy.

 

Blacks are the undesirables,

The other colours are too

But for the time being

The blacks will do.

 

 

Too small is our global village

For these undesirables,

The poor class is next;

Their demise is inevitable.

 

They are eating up the food

That is in store for us,

They are demanding more

And creating a big fuss.

 

They too must go

'And the sooner the better'

That brings us to creed

But that’s a different matter.

 

 

Colour, class and creed:

That’s how we will proceed

Then we will deal with our own

If they do not heed.

 

The rich will rule the weak

Or we’ll get rid of them,

Soon we’ll have the right numbers

To solve our problem.

 

Did you notice who is left?

It is the white rich class:

Their obsessive right to rule

Goes way back in the past.

 

They will take out their own

When there’s no more to take out,

That’s what the undesirables

Is all about.

 

 

This world is too crowded

The population’s too huge,

We must rid us of most of them

Which ones will we choose?

 

Stewart Russell © July 2020

 

 

God Sits on High

 

 

God sits on high

And He looks down low,

Some words from a song

That I know.

 

And He walks with me

Via His Holy Spirit

And also His Son

So, He just doesn't sit.

 

My constant companion

All along life’s way

And they never leave me

Even when I stray.

 

I used the word they

But don’t be transfixed,

God is the Father, Son

And Holy Spirit.

 

Omnipresent in the Spirit

Revealed by the Son

And he bids the penitent

Unto Him to come.

 

Who, in no wise

Would He ever cast out

And from my experience,

I haven’t a doubt.

 

“God sits on high

And he looks down low”

Can be more than a song

When to Him we go.

 

He is a real experience

Not an imaginary illusion

For, very unlike the world,

He is not a magician.

 

His miracle is for time

And eternity too,

Not for just a split second

Like magicians do.

 

A momentary thrill!

The offer of this world

But God’s gift is eternal

Like He says in His Word.

 

Served up on a cross

Two millennia ago,

His only begotten Son

Whom I now know.

 

Crucified and buried:

A testament that Jesus died,

No trick or scheme

Like magicians hide.

 

He rose from the dead

And he ascended on high

And he is coming again

Just like he prophesied.

 

He has prepared a place

Where? I don’t exactly know

But wherever he is,

There I will go.

 

To be with him forever

Never to leave,

This is the assurance he gives

To all who believe.

 

Now God sits on high

And God looks down low

And the Holy Spirit leads me

In the way I should go.

 

Stewart Russell © February 15, 2022

 

To Fix A Broken World

 

 

 

None can fix the world

Not one of us can,

But we are doing our best to destroy it

As though that’s our plan.

 

Every era has left it

Worse than the era before

As though in a competition

To get the worst score.

 

But the loser wins nothing

And the aftermath is grimmer

Yet there is this weird feeling

That he is a winner.

 

 

Our world is a broken puzzle

With pieces out of place

And given our so-called intelligence

This is a universal disgrace.

 

A Nobel winner for this

And A Nobel winner for that

Yet few can derive the benefits

And this is a sobering fact.

 

The masses are unchanged

In the barrel at the bottom,

And while a few enjoy the good life

For most it’s mostly rotten.

 

Those that try, pretend

That they are fixing the puzzle

But the sureties they put in place

Are not for ordinary people.

 

 

The world is a broken puzzle

For certain, a puzzle to me

And when I try to understand it

I experience futility.

 

None can fix the world,

None in this world I see

And they that reap the benefits

Are saying to leave it be.

 

It is fixed for the wealthy

And suited to the strong,

Only the vulnerable would say

Something has to be wrong.

 

For some it needs no fixing,

For others it is out of shape

But none of us knows how to fix it

Especially here of late.

 

 

Some pieces are hidden

For the benefit of a few

Thus, the majority can do little

Even if they knew.

 

There is one who will fix it

Though not fix it like we would,

And the change he has facilitated

Was purchased by his blood.

 

His is really not a fix

But a complete makeover anew:

Transformation from within

And also, a change of view.

 

 

Make the man right

And all will be rearranged,

This is not a fix, I must add,

But a genuine change.

 

Stewart Russell © September 7, 2021

 

The World’s Truth

 

 

The world’s truth

Can be quite confusing

And I must add

Often quite amusing.

 

Of course, the world’s truth

As we know it

Is alternative facts:

A generous daily diet.

 

It is one misnomer

That is a reality,

It is the world’s reality

And its present futility.

 

 

Alternative facts are:

Another truth

Or a different truth

Depending on the proof.

 

It is relative to persons

As well as to time,

Yours is still truth

Even if different from mine.

 

It happened at three

No, at five-past,

Just different truths

On the same path.

 

The only absolute truth

Is there is no absolute truth

So, on the premise of this

Everyone has a booth.

 

 

Enquire within

If truth is your quest,

We do it better than any

Our truth is the best.

 

A mockery you say

But still you are hooked,

Not easy to differentiate

Confidante from crook.

 

It is reasonably acceptable

To mix up the facts

But when it relates to truth

That’s the wrong track.

 

The world’s truth is a lie!

One colossal lie

That started when it said,

“Creator God, we defy.”

 

That which was a lie

Is now today’s truth,

The Bible is no benchmark-

Bring another proof.

 

Stewart Russell © September 15, 2020

 

Things that Run

 

 

 

Some things run

That we don’t run after,

And sometimes even occur

With bouts of laughter.

 

Take the pipe:

And this is a regular habit,

It does be running

But we don’t run after it.

 

For the number of times

The pipe has been running,

It should have travelled the world

And be now returning.

 

The Sahara dust

Have lots of eyes running

But the eyes can’t run fast enough

To stop the burning.

 

 

The nose is another;

It runs when there’s a cold

Yet no one runs after it;

None is so bold.

 

A running commentary

Is what this has been

Of what runs that we don’t chase;

Let’s not forget icecream.

 

They have no feet

But yet still they run,

Except for the case of laughter

The others are no fun.

 

In the poem is a riddle

That hopefully you will find,

But for now, I am of here

And out of time.

 

 

 

Which case is fun

When the others are not?

Let me know the answer

If you find out what.

 

You’d noticed I lied

About out of time

But I am telling the truth now,

This is the last line.

 

Stewart Russell © August 8, 2024

 

Polysyndeton

 

 

What a strange word

But what does it mean?

I will show you in this poem

What I have gleaned.

 

Verse 3 and verse 5

Of Genesis chapter 22:

Here is a little assignment

I want you to do.

 

Focus on those verses

And you’ll get an idea

Of an interesting polysyndeton

Standing in the way.

 

Find the word repeated

More than any other,

Checking just these two verses

Shouldn’t be a bother.

 

You can pause here

Before you continue

And concentrate on the task

I have given you.

 

 

You must be saying,

What a really weird name

And before I had understood,

I thought the same.

 

I was studying this text

In a way unlike before

When an Internet presentation

Shone light in my door.

 

It was a study showing

How we have strayed

Regarding Bible based worship

In a significant way.

 

Mentioned in the Bible

First at Genesis 22 verse 5

Where God a timely sacrifice

Did provide.

 

In the place of Isaac

A ram temporarily sufficed:

A foreshadowing in actual fact

Of God’s sacrifice.

 

The sacrifice of Jesus

His promised Son

On whom He did established

His heavenly kingdom.

 

You’ve had much time

To find that word:

The first known conjunction

Most have heard.

 

 

Genesis 22:3

 

 And Abraham rose up early in the morning,

And saddled his ass,

And took two of his young men with him,

And Isaac his son,

And clave the wood for the burnt offering,

And rose up,

And went unto the place

Of which God had told him.

 

Genesis 22:5

 

And Abraham said unto his young men,

Abide ye here with the ass;

And I

And the lad will go yonder

And worship,

And come again to you.

 

Seven “ands” in verse 3

And five “ands” in verse 5

And at the purpose of this poem

We have now arrived.

 

 

Polysyndeton is the name

For this use of a conjunction,

No doubt English teachers today

Would have an objection.

 

But it’s a description

Rather detailed, I believe,

That Abraham specifically followed

As from God he received.

 

Worship is our response

To God for Jesus Christ,

The Lamb from God, the Father,

His enduring sacrifice.

 

Typified in these verses

By a rather strange word

Showing the length God went to

To redeem His world.

 

Matthew 2:21

 

And she

Shall bring forth a child

And shall call his name Jesus

And he shall save his people

From their sin.

 

Stewart Russell © October 22, 2024