Always Reforming

This poem was original written on 4/17/15. Witnessing the miracle of life Conjures memories of my own birth, Holding my little girl reminds me Of the woman who used to hold me. When I think of her, I think of the Scars that have come to define our lives, Two cuts that have shaped our family, And changed the course of our history. Down her chest, where they tore her open, Down her belly, where they cut us out, I wonder how different life would be If she never went under the knife. Would we be a happy family? Would I be anything like myself? All I know is, nothing has shaped me As extensively as her two scars.

Honey, I didn't forget our anniversary--I celebrate it every day! Preposterous, right?  Well, that's what you sound like when you suggest that celebrating the Resurrection on Easter somehow detracts from or contradicts a weekly or daily remembrance thereof. In the Anglican Communion every Sunday is technically a feast day, and rightfully so.  The Lord's Day is the day on which we celebrate our risen Lord by gathering with His body for Word and Sacrament.  Once a year, however, we, along with the majority of Christians for nearly two millennia, set aside a special day to commemorate the Resurrection in a special way.  We choose to focus on this one doctrine, this indispensable historical event, in a special way on that particular day. There is no conflict here.  There is no contradiction here.  There is absolutely no reason that celebrating something on a specific day should detract from our continued celebration of it throughout the year.  In fact, the...

Oh, most blessed of weeks, and holiest, And, yet, of all, most ignominious, Remember thorns, crowning His weary head, Remember scorn, marking the path He tread, Remember lies, bought by envy and pride,  Remember cries, Crucify!  Crucify! Remember fear, faithful friends scattering, Remember tears, Mary's heart shattering, Remember justice, meted upon sin, Remember darkness, without and within, Oh, most blessed of weeks, that freed our souls, That retrieved the lost and the sick made whole,  A body on a tree, a Lamb slaughtered, A veil rent; at peace, we pray, Our Father .

How's that for some clickbait! If you clicked on the link expecting a slide into Liberalism, I assure you, that is not the case.  My goal today is to demonstrate that following the Bible wherever it takes us , even into the murky waters of unorthodoxy, is not, in fact, the Reformed view.  In other words, the emphasis of the title falls on  wherever it takes us and not on  the Bible .  Having been raised in a Reformed community where Andrew Sandlin, Gary DeMar, and Ken Gentry were household names, it pains me to see controversy in their ranks, but controversy is often the cost of truth.   Gary DeMar , who has authored several books on the topic of Eschatology, has recently come under some heat for his refusal to affirm particular statements regarding the Second Coming and Final Judgment.  I will leave it to older and wiser men to discuss the veracity of the allegations leveled against DeMar (I personally don't see how his views are compatible wit...

Naked, I lie prostrate before you, sins Exposed; I offer no mitigations, Humbly I submit my prayer, no excuse Enclosed; affectations would serve no use, Surely, self-righteous boasters, their merit Supposed, now have all they will inherit, Stricken men have naught to do but kneel, Self Deposed, to regain their abandoned health, Behold, the miracle of love!  Accounts Transposed; corpses resurrect at the fount, Rags, filthy, stripped from my back; with crimson Enrobed; above my brow a crown glistens, A rebel, a friend of serpents, sins now Disclosed, has been made a son, and how! The Great Exchange, places traded, my guilt Disposed; my Lord, do with me as Thou wilt.

Dust--thinking, speaking, acting Dust; mortal, fallen, failing Dust; lost, lonely, repulsive Dust; weak, depraved, explosive Dust; listless, broken, heaving Dust; dying, decayed, reeking Dust; spent, aimless, wavering  Dust; rent, carnal, wandering Dust; image-bearing, holy  Dust; called and redeemed, sacred Dust; 'Manuel, God became Dust to save and glorify Dust; resurrected, renewed  Dust; purchased, and yet, still dust.

I visit the cemetery, To remember where I came from, To remember where I'm going. I visit the cemetery, Quaint, yet familiar, Nostalgic, now familial. I visit the cemetery, To say hello, To say goodbye again. I visit the cemetery, So I don't forget you, So I can stop thinking about you. I visit the cemetery, Antiquated, yet new, Dilapidated, yet fresh. I visit the cemetery, To remember where I came from, To remember where I'm going.