Being Something Beautiful

DarylMadden

Being something beautiful
Beginning with a prayer
To feel His love surrounding
And know that truth so clear

Being something beautiful
An easy thing to do
Surrendering to God
And let him transform you

Being something beautiful
Let us each proclaim
For we are in God’s eyes
All one in the same

Being something beautiful
Can be found right here
Through blessing of his presence
Grace is everywhere

Being something beautiful
Our message, let it be
The Word to every soul
In them is what we see

Being something beautiful
Our joy this day to share
With our unique own giftings
With a heart to care

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Is ‘discipleship’ killing the Church?

‘Two sides of the same coin’ is a common enough saying. So, it came to mind as I was reading the temptation of Jesus in the desert followed by his preaching in the synagogue.   In the wilderness, he was sustained by reading scripture. He developed faith in the sustaining goodness of God. He re-affirmed [...]

Just being there

With the New Year disappearing in the rear mirror, it is time to pack the decorations away. We will soon wrap the nativity story up in a box for another year. And as the attic hatch closes, we can easily forget that story’s characters. Since none were historical figures of great power, wealth, or talent. [...]

Christmas is a deep pool

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com Writing as I do on Christmas Day of 2021, it is difficult to feel the full joy of this the holiest of days. The world seems full of infection, charlatan politicians, and human messiness.  So, I started to think through the ghosts of Christmases past. The midnight carol services [...]

The two faces of Christmas

The local shopping mall has court jesters on top of its marble pillars. From ground level, they look very jolly in their scarlet and gold outfits. But their faces are quite sad when you get closer. Photo by Charl Durand on Pexels.com That’s not surprising for they see the whole Christmas pageant below them. The [...]

A shard of goodness – Advent

https://youtu.be/qsYtVb4fvcU ‘I am Gabriel!’ With those words, the Angel of the Lord made clear he was not to be trifled with. Unfortunately, Zacharias did so trifle. So, he was struck dumb for his troubles. This was all because he doubted the good news that he and his elderly wife were to have son. Photo by [...]

Wise innocence in Advent

Photo by Vinu00edcius Vieira ft on Pexels.com The cartoon shows the Wise Men on the way to Bethlehem. One is saying – I still think we should have gone for the Pampers, tiny vests and a teddy! The truth is the Nativity story has remoulded more times than even Dicken’s Christmas Carol. It is used [...]

Climate for harmony

It had the Andromeda galaxy on the cover. I’m talking of my first astronomy book by the famous Patrick Moore. The other childhood favourite was about the planets. From it, I learned that Earth is sandwiched between Venus and Mars. The first has a foul atmosphere of sulphuric acid at 90 times the pressure of [...]

Most Important Question

DarylMadden

Our most important question
Of asking everyday
Even if we don’t
We answer anyway

One of the eternal
The state of your soul
Direction of your life
Who do you give control?

So many voices calling
Tempting offers, be
Pride, shouting the loudest
Just let it be me

We know these to be empty
Long for a better way
Turn unto the light
To listen now and pray

To the still small voice
Which does not poke or prod
Of loving invitation
Would you let me, be your God?

Such an easy answer
For soul to be blessed
The joy of accepting
With a simple, yes

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Seeing Miracles

Uzzah had every right to feel miffed! For, seeing the Arc of the Covenant in imminent danger of crashing to the deck, he reached out to steady it. His reward was instant death as recorded in 2 Samuel and I Chronicles. So, as Mark Twain quipped – ‘every good deed deserves punishment’. Now some commentors [...]