The Conversation

 

 

I was privy to a conversation

Between the Saviour and Satan,

I am not writing about Job

So you need to really listen.

 

It is not recorded in the Bible

Actually, it is in my head,

That is why you need to listen

I will tell you what was said.

 

I am a struggler, as you know,

And I don’t often get it right

But there is one thing I can tell you

I don’t give up without a fight.

 

There is a chance I might give in

But don’t you dare relax

For once there is an opening

Be assured, I’ll be right back.

 

 

The conversation went like this

With Satan the first to speak,

He went to Jesus boasting

That I was still his sheep.

 

I was still doing wrong things

In fact, some serious sins, he accused

And I was really a waste of time

And God’s way I had refused.

 

He presented a very long list

Of commissions and omissions

And suggested to my Saviour, Jesus,

There was no fellowship or union.

 

He was long and very detailed

Not a sin he had omitted

Re my thoughts and re my actions

Quite a few I had committed.

 

 

To be very honest with you

Much that he said was very true

And if it were me that had to judge

Long ago I would have been through.

 

“Quite true,” Jesus said to Satan,

“You have itemized his deeds

But why haven’t you examined his heart

Ever since he first believed?

 

That is out of your league,

You judge by what appears,

But I know the hearts of all my sheep

And for them all I care.

 

I chasten them whenever they fall

But I restore them also

And remind them I’ll never forsake them

And daily this I show.

 

They know that they are mine

Even though they sometimes doubt,

They carry my brand of ownership

And you cannot rub it out.

 

This one that you accuse

Has come a mighty long way

And though he struggles more than most

He is not a permanent stray.

 

You judge him on his performance

But I appraise his heart,

In his heart he deeply loves me

And no one can tear us apart.”

 

With that Satan slunk away

His plan had definitely not worked,

However, I knew he would come again

Because that is how Satan works.

 

Isn’t it wonderful to know

That we are covered by Jesus’ blood,

Shed on that cross at Calvary

Beneath which his slayers stood?

 

Forgiven, pardoned and set free

And saved forever more,

Abundant life in the here and now

And so much more in store.

 

Stewart Russell © February 12, 2021

 

Where’s the Alternative?

 

 

Is there an alternative

To the present Government?

Please pardon my ignorance

For if so, I repent.

 

I am hearing the call

For an imminent change

As though elections were tomorrow

Or could be so arranged.

 

I’m definitely not happy

With the BLP’s stewardship

But the DLP is surely not ready,

Not the slightest bit.

 

The best we can hope for

Is that they win some seats

For only the insane would want

Another 30-nil defeat.

 

Such unanimous mandates

Is whole sale madness

And I want all Barbadians to hear:

No more and no less.

 

 

 

First time we were angry

With the D's performance

But the B's did nothing spectacular

In their own defense.

 

The blunders were many

Followed up by arrogance

And there was absolutely no trace

Of genuine repentance.

 

Only a God-given right

To do as they all like

And considered any repercussions

To be ignorant and trite.

 

But where’s the alternative

I must reiterate

Though ever since the last election

We are in a worse state.

 

The PM saw it necessary

To call a knee-jerk election

In the midst of the COVID pandemic

Amidst all objection.

 

Three and a half years in

To correct a ten-year mess!

In essence their words, not mine,

But we let it rest.

 

 

 

And rewarded her again

With another 30-nil mandate

Demonstrating, lessons not learned,

Do not alter one’s state.

 

And so, we remain stuck

Like the proverbial top-in-mud

Repeatedly ineffectively regurgitating

Like a cow chewing its cud.

 

The only difference being,

This benefits the cow

But unless we’re of that bovine species

It benefits us nohow.

 

I heard a former PM

Regarding the DLP’s plight

And I must assuredly confess

That he was right.

 

 

They must assert themselves

And return to their roots,

Eight “P” principles he gave them

Concerning the DLP’s truth.

 

Starting with power

He ended with projection

And he wrapped them neatly up

In the party’s self-assertion.

 

The party has done well,

It can rise from the dust

But must soar above egotistical strife

And its attendant lust.

 

Let me however end this

Exactly as I started out

And I dare say that I am doing this

For those still in doubt.

 

 

Is there an alternative

To the present Government?

Please pardon my ignorance

For if so, I repent.

 

Stewart Russell © August 24, 2024

 

Performance or Preference?

 

 

Performance or preference

Which should come first?

Some say it doesn’t matter

I disagree of course.

 

Track record is vital

It’s important to take note,

What you see is what you get

Is a Flip Wilson joke.

 

Has he done what he said?

And how much of it?

This should inform preference

Whenever we sit.

 

Looking good and doing good

Are two different things,

Besides her good looks

Tell me what else she brings.

 

 

Performance before preference

Is being on the right track,

If he has nothing to show

Then that’s a real set back.

 

“But I like how he moves

It doesn’t matter what he does”

Here of late in decision making

This seems to be the buzz.

 

And “she talks really well

We should give her a chance.”

Sweet talk is for lovers

She should be in France.

 

 

Performance is premiere

Is he a man of his word?

Or, are you simply satisfied

With the rhetoric you have heard?

  

What is her claim to fame?

What has she built?

Is there gold in her stream

Or is there only silt?

 

“But she promises a lot

And she is incredibly smart,

She even puts a time-frame on it

And that’s great for a start.”

 

“I know he is new

But he comes highly qualified.”

However, papers in hand

Is not performance applied.

 

 

What has he done?

For me it comes right down to this,

Preference without performance

Is a colossal miss.

 

Performance is a track record

Preference is a like,

Unless they work hand in hand

We’ll never get it right.

 

Stewart Russell © November 14, 2020

 

Passing Grade

 

What is the passing grade?

I would sure like to know,

If performance does count for something

Somebody please to me show.

 

How can I get to heaven?

Am I on the right road?

How many demerits am I allowed?

I need to set a goal.

 

Does my faith in Jesus suffice?

Or, is there something more?

E.g.: performance and track record

To bring to the fore.

 

What does “not by works” mean?

What must I do that does not count?

And, how much is required?

Please tell me the amount.

 

What sins must I avoid?

Where can I find this list?

Which sins are permissible

And with which ones am I at risk?

 

Must I wait till after the exam

To know if I have passed

And how will I get that information

When I am no longer in class?

 

Is this salvation you talk about

Somewhat like the lotto

Such that when my good deeds are added up

Only then would I know?

 

And what about these serious sins

That can disqualify me?

I have done a few in my lifetime

Though the church did not see.

 

 

I have often struggled

Being a particularly frisky lamb,

I guess there is no hope for me

For by now I must be damned.

 

I do not mean to be light about this

Neither appear to be trite

But if Jesus has paid the price for me

What still is my plight?

 

Something must have changed

From what was before,

I thought that having accepted Jesus

There was nothing more.

 

But apparently, I must pay back

In some measure what he paid for me

Through my self-righteous acts

And by not sinning seriously.

 

Now, please do not get me wrong,

I am not condoning sin

For I do believe there is outward evidence

For the transformation done within.

 

 

There must be a change in behavior

When one becomes saved,

The indwelling Holy Spirit appropriately

Moves that one thus to behave.

 

No sinning with gay abandon

As though one is still going astray

But a progressive and gradual growth

As one learns to walk God’s way.

 

Of course, they are the professors

Whom we often mistake

And confuse them with the born-again

Particularly so here of late.

 

No passing grade is required

For the born-again child of God,

He is a bona fide child of the Father

Who will never revoke his call.

 

 

 

Such a child is adopted by the Father

Through the blood of the Son

And the Holy Spirit seats him in heavenly places,

A.k.a. God’s Kingdom.

 

Stewart Russell © February 6, 2021