Just a Regular Habit

 

 

 

Solve this puzzle

Figure this riddle

One is uncomfortable

It’s a real hassle

 

What is it?

A regular habit

Here’s a bit

And there’s a bit

 

In the muscles

And in the joints

Then in the bones

To make a point

 

It’s never tangible

So I cannot touch

I cannot see it

But I feel it so much

 

It’s all the time

Particularly with age

Respects no person

At any stage

 

A puzzle sometimes

As to source

But make no mistake

It’s a compelling force

 

It troubles the mind

And robs of sleep

You may doze

But nothing deep

 

Sometimes it’s masked

Sometimes deferred

Nothing one likes

Nothing to be desired

 

Medication helps

Only for a time

Soon it’s back

To mess with the mind

 

Babies have it

To the aged it’s habit

The youth a bit

To all it gives a fit

 

It’s a mechanism

In the system

But medication

Masks the problem

 

When it’s around

Something’s wrong

Affects the weak

As well as the strong

 

Robs of energy

Affects one’s health

Shows no respect

For those with wealth

 

 

Affects the living

Never the dead

Troubles the foot

Annoys the head

 

Solve this puzzle

Figure this riddle

One is uncomfortable

It’s a real hassle

 

Spoils your features

Lines you face

Makes you squirm

With every pace

 

Can be excruciating

Sometimes dull

Recessive sometimes

But often full

 

Can be long lasting

Or for a season

Or apparently sometimes

For no reason

 

Some will argue

That cannot be

Something is wrong

If it finds you or me

 

What is it?

A regular habit

Here’s a bit

And there’s a bit

 

In the muscles

And in the joints

Then in the bones

To make a point

 

Something’s wrong

Have it checked

If you don’t

You may regret

 

 

It’s just like sin

It will nag and nag

Get to the source

Do not lag

 

Fix the symptom

Won’t fix the problem

There is a source

From which it stemmed

 

Fix the source

Will fix the symptom

Jesus is the answer

To the sin problem

 

Back to the start

What is it?

I am sure by now

You have a bit

 

For the answer

Search yourself

You will find it

No matter your health

 

Be patient

And you’ll get it

And you will see

It’s a regular habit

 

Solve this puzzle

Figure this riddle

One is uncomfortable

It’s a real hassle

 

If not now

Just wait a while

It’s never out of fashion

Or out of style

 

Stewart Russell © 2017

 

Momentarily Distracted

 

 

When he learnt it was the master

His confidence began to grow

So out of the boat he stepped

And to the Master started to go.

 

He dared to prove the Master

When instructed to do just that

And so, putting fear aside

His assumption became the fact.

 

For he had rightly assumed

That if it were the Lord

He could go on the water to him

By just stepping out on his word.

 

What absurdity implied!

Stepping out on a word,

Who had ever seen such before?

This was really absurd.

 

That is the expressed opinion

The anticipation of the skeptic

Who after all that he has seen

Is still the doubting critic.

 

So let us put him aside

And deal with the matter at hand

As Peter makes his way to the Master

Guided by the Master’s plan.

 

 

He walks on the water to Jesus

Upon the raging sea,

It is no different from when he started

But he is distracted momentarily.

 

It is like the learner rider

Thinking that daddy is still there

But glancing back loses her balance

And wobbles because of fear.

 

O, she was doing quite well

Unaware she was actually riding,

Though he no longer held the saddle

In him she was still confiding.

 

However, she did not fall

Since daddy was still nearby

And his reassuring hand stuck out

And her falling he denied.

 

Such too was Peter’s case

When he became distracted

And momentarily looking at the wind

Peter fearfully reacted.

 

 

But Jesus was on the spot

And stretched out a reassuring hand,

Peter was rescued from the deep

And soon they were on the land.

 

Such too, is our daily walk

And often times we are distracted

But our faithful guide is ever present

And through him we are protected.

 

Like his Father, he is faithful

And the Holy Spirit is faithful too,

And when we are momentarily distracted

They are there for me and you.

 

Stewart Russell © September 2019

 

Read the Word!

 

I am beginning to appreciate

The Word can speak for itself

Far better than the commentaries

That line across our shelf.

 

We rely on commentators

To expound on the Holy Word

And depending on our preference

We may or may not concur.

 

Some we hold in high esteem

And we say their names in awe

Often forgetting they are human

And therefore, not without flaw.

 

Some are particularly brilliant

And that I must admit

But they are not nearly as bright

As the blessed Holy Spirit.

 

 

I mean the Spirit in the Word

That came to teach all truth:

The promised alike Jesus Comforter

And Pentecost bears the proof.

 

The Spirit illumines the Word

And fits it to our understanding

In a way that no commentary can

Regardless of name or branding.

 

Interpretation is important

But it must not be the primary goal,

Reading is the principal thing

And quite a lot will unfold.

 

It is what the Bible actually says

And not what someone says it says:

It’s best we begin with the explicit

And let the Spirit guide our way.

 

I am having a severe struggle

With positions I once held dear

Ever since I began reading the Word

And putting study in second gear.

 

 

Often, we are inclined to believe

The Word doesn’t mean what it says

And so, we put our spin on it

And hence, our interpretive ways.

 

If the literal literally makes sense

Then that’s good enough for me,

No need for someone’s interpretation

To tell me what I did not see.

 

Now commentaries have their place

Please don’t get me wrong,

But they are not the be all and end all:

No human is that strong.

 

So, read before interpreting:

The explicit before the implicit,

The who, the what, the when, the where

Meets good investigative habit.

 

Be careful with denominations,

Subject them to the litmus test

Which of course is what the Word says:

This approach is always best.

 

Let Scripture interpret Scripture:

The difficult in light of the simple

And read and read and read again!

Until you solve the puzzle.

 

 

A good concordance is key

It’s more instructive than a commentary,

Trace a word right through the Word

And see what its meaning be.

 

Context always before pretext

Exegesis and never eisegesis,

Don’t let denomination get in the way

And from the Bible never drift.

 

Keep the nature of God in mind

And remember, Jesus is the Word,

The Holy Spirit is the Comforter

So, to these three defer.

 

Stewart Russell © August 18, 2021

Today’s View of Yesterday

 

 

Yesterday when I did it

It seemed the smart thing to do

But today on reflection

Forces me to change my view.

 

Today is a bird’s eye view

Of what transpired yesterday,

Hind sight is twenty-twenty vision

I’ve heard wise people say.

 

The ability to step outside oneself

And look in at one’s situation

Is far easier said than done

For any generation.

 

For the young as well as the old

All have fallen short of this

And in spite of the hard lessons

There’s still a mighty long list.

 

 

For we are prone to repeat

Our disappointing yesterdays

Just like history repeats itself

In so many diverse ways.

 

And the lament is often the same

“If only I had known…”

The anguished cry of many a heart,

In this I am not alone.

 

Today’s bird’s eye view of yesterday

Still falls agonizingly short

Such that I am unable to go back

And my ill behavior forever abort.

 

That is why yesterday when I did it

It had seemed a smart thing to do

But today I am feeling stupid

And you’d feel stupid too.

 

Stewart Russell © April 6, 2021

 

Revelation and Reason

 

 

Revelation and reason

Which of the two came first?

Here I believe it is right

And not in the reverse.

 

Men change it around

So that reason comes first

But based on the Scriptures

Reason first is in reverse.

 

Humans reason about God

Without His Word,

Straight up as you can see

This is absurd.

 

Reason comes into play

Only because God has revealed

Some things about Himself

He chose not to conceal.

 

That which He has revealed

Is for our own understanding

And this is by no means

A result of our demanding.

 

Some believers will argue

They can command God

And they demand and declare

As though they were God.

 

 

 

However, it’s time we know

God cannot be wagged,

Neither does a tail wag a dog

As some will brag.

 

Revelation and reason-

Revelation came first,

God revealed himself to humans

Then came the curse.

 

Eve reasoned with the serpent

And she was deceived,

Satan was smarter than she

And got her to disbelieve.

 

It is not ours first to reason

But to believe what God reveals,

Anything less or anything more

And we will be deceived.

 

 

God’s revelation is truth

And His truth is Jesus Christ,

Satan’s truth is truly not truth at all

And is sugar coated to entice.

 

Jesus is the Living Word

And of him was the Word written,

Thus, all who believe in Jesus

Have their sins forgiven.

 

It is not ours first to reason

But ours first to believe,

Revelation precedes reasoning-

Reasoning does not reveal.

 

It matters not how brilliant

We cannot reason out God,

That Eve would become like God

Was created by King Fraud.

 

Her reasoning led to the Fall

And disinherited all mankind

But God in His mercy restored all-

A lamb was the first sign.

 

 

A ram was caught in a thicket

And the young Isaac was spared,

To the Lamb on that rugged cross

Of whom the Gospel is shared.

 

 

The Gospel of eternal salvation

Revealed to every man,

To the world and the whosoever

Sums up redemption’s plan.

 

For God so loved the world!

What a revelation!

That He gave His Son, Jesus!

What wonderful salvation!

 

Stewart Russell © August 16, 2023

We the People 2

 

“We the people”

Do you understand this

Or is there something

You and I missed?

 

“We the people”

What does it mean?

From the use of this slogan

What can we glean?

 

“We the people”

How many I must ask

And do they all come

From a particular class?

 

“We the people”

Help me out here

For to be very honest

It is not clear.

 

“We the people”

Is this a democracy

Or is it another opportunity

For wannabes?

 

“We the people”

Echoes across the land

As a clarion call of commitment

To a national plan.

 

To the governed

From its Government

“We the people” is a declaration

Of national intent.

 

A pulling together

With a common focus

Re matters of common interest

Over which we fuss.

 

“We the people”

Has become an expression

To get gullible people to buy into

A mere impression.

 

It is often deceptive

And contrary to the truth

In that it is not truly the people

As there is no proof.

 

“We the people”?

No, “they the Government”

Using the “we the people” slogan

With divisive intent.

 

“We the people” says

We are in this together,

It’s an expression of camaraderie

That everyone matters.

 

A simple preamble

To a country’s Constitution

As an indication to the people

Concerning its resolution.

 

Without memoranda

Though not in every case

And regarding public consultation

Not a trace.

 

It is still “we the people”

Though not necessarily so

And some will vigorously contend

It is what the polls show.

 

Memorandum no need

The electorate have spoken,

“We the people” is now enshrined

And stamped by the governed.

 

No need to consult

Let the Government rule,

“We the people” have chosen them

And this is cool.

 

 

 

A ten second action

To decide a five-year term,

Accept “we the people” have spoken

And live, look and learn.

 

Stewart Russell © September 17, 2023

 

Still the Best Choice

 

 

Of the thirty in the House

She is the best,

She is most definitely a leader

Unlike all of the rest.

 

If she were to go

Tell me what would we do?

Do you know who would lead?

Tell me, do you?

 

With her in charge

There is semblance of hope

But when her two terms are up

Can the others cope?

 

Let’s start with the AG:

Attorney but not General

Unless we mean generally out of focus

As in the case of most people.

 

I like the Deputy PM

Though I can’t tell you why

But to lead this young republic

This I must decry.

 

She seems a little timid

To take on the job of the PM,

And the rest chomping at the bit

Creates a big problem.

 

There is another attorney

That deals in home affairs,

He had hit the ground running

But is now running clear.

 

He cleaned up the South Coast

And the smell and filth gone,

Yet this Minister was suddenly removed

And replaced by another one.

 

Another attorney

Was in charge of our nest egg

But when the liners had to line up

He was removed as the head.

 

 

 

It was given to a female

Who is no longer at the helm,

She did not do any better

Than any of the men.

 

She took over at a time

When there was no tourism,

COVID had everything locked down

Like we were imprisoned.

 

“Cart before the horse”,

Mia has sometimes slipped

But “trick or treat” often becomes

Just simply tricked.

 

A plethora of lawyers

But Constitution reform is struggling,

Most of it is finished, as I speak,

Please excuse the bungling.

 

Opposing stalwarts combine

To represent a charged MP

In spite of a high-level command

That this should never be.

 

Two cream of the crop,

Legal luminaries, I mean,

Are fighting on the same side

In spite of Miss Supreme.

 

A most recent MP

Is talking a great fight

And though shootings are isolated

Ours is a woeful plight.

 

 

Meanwhile Mia is rising

On the International scene,

Rubbing shoulders with big ones

Regal and supreme.

 

Viewed rather favourably

Across the Caribbean,

She is perhaps the greatest leader

Barbados has ever seen.

 

Rhetorically speaking

There are few her equal

And I am speaking both regional

And International.

 

If for some reason

A general election had to be called,

With her at the controls

She would take them all.

 

The DLP, as we can see,

Have not pulled up their pants

And even after two 30-0 drubbings,

Are yet to advance.

 

Caught with pants down

In an out of season election,

The DLP have virtually suffered

Total rejection.

 

 

And while many rejoiced

And also jumped and waved,

We are now facing a dire situation

That is particularly grave.

 

So, if not Mia,

Who will manage this country?

If not the BLP

Who else would it be?

 

Some are desperately hoping

She will change her mind

Regarding only two terms in office

To which she was inclined.

 

 

She may have lost ground

But so too have the DLP,

I pray they get their act together

And that they do so quickly.

 

Mia is still the best choice

As far as I can see

But presently I don’t see far

So, you tell me.

 

Stewart Russell © September 16, 2023