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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

to what thou knowest thyself to be

"Men will flee... from dread of the Lord, and the splendor of his Majesty, when he rises to shake the earth." Isaiah 2:19.
God is not to be trifled with. I trifle with him all the time.
The difference between God as I imagine him, and God as he is revealed in the Bible, is often vast. And the token worship I offer the safe, comfortable "god" in my head, is every inch idolatry. Worshiping a tame god I've made up is as much idol worship as sacrificing to Baal was, as idolizing sex is. And much, much harder to eradicate, because it's sneakier.
Unless I am worshiping the real God, apart from my conceptions and misconceptions of him, it is idol worship.
All worship, all communion with God needs to begin with us praying "Not to what I think thou art, but to what thou knowest thyself to be." (C.S.Lewis)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

You have been warned.

"Everyone should write poetry. Not everyone should inflict their poetry on others" - Some really smart dude whose name I can't remember. If you know who it is, tell me so I can give him his rightful credit as a really smart dude.
I am now going to ignore his wise advice, and inflict away. But I thought I'd give you fair warning.


Taught from the first
that you were here to satisfy my every thirst
were you cramped by my narrow needs,
my little dreams?
A god shaped hole means
a hole shaped god
and so you were no bigger than my wants
no grander than my greatest whims.
My pretty little god, my nice little god.
I kept you in neat boxes
leftover corners I didn't need.
Better than a genie,
my god-in-a-bottle
to forgive when I felt guilty
clean when dirty
fix my mess.
You made man in your image,
but I made you in mine.
But oh! you are infinite
and so I never knew you.
A crucible, but I like my dross.
"For who can see the Lord and live?"
A consuming fire
you'd make ashes of me.