Little Fish
The tiny fish enjoy themselves
in the sea.
Quick little splinters of life,
their little lives are fun to them
in the sea.
— D. H. Lawrence
September 2019
Salt and Light
Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
The Star
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Then the traveler in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep,
Yet often through my window peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.
As your bright but tiny spark
Lights the traveler in the dark,
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
— Jane Taylor
Blessed Are You
Matthew 5:1-10
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ”
Sloth at the Zoom
“Sloth at the Zoom” by Helaine Becker is a really cute book about animals and friendships. A sloth thought it was going to a “zzzzzoo”, where it would be relaxing, but it actually went to a “zoom”, where all the animals move very fast. It was difficult to make friends at first, because no one had any time. When the sloth makes friends with a snail, suddenly everyone else notices. In the end, the animals become friends even though they are very different, because they took the time to get to know each other. The illustrations, by Orbie, are beautiful, detailed, and complement the story perfectly.
How All Things Praise the Lord
Sun, moon and stars, by day and night,
At God’s commandment give us light;
And when we wake, and while we sleep,
Their watch, like guardian angels, keep.
The bright blue sky above our head,
The soft green earth on which we tread,
The ocean rolling around the land,
We were made by God’s almighty hand.
Sweet flowers that hill and dale adorn,
Fair fruit trees, fields of grass and corn,
The clouds that rise, the showers that fall,
The winds that blow – God sent them all.
The beasts that graze with downward eye,
The birds that perch, and sing and fly,
The fishes swimming in the sea,
God’s creatures are as well as we.
But us He formed for better things,
As servants of the King of kings,
With lifted hands and open face,
And thankful heart to seek His grace.
— Lord Montgomery
The Strength of My Life
Psalm 27
1The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom
shall I fear?
The Lord is the
strength of my life;
Of
whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
4 One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That
will I seek:
That
I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All
the days of my life,
To
behold the beauty of the Lord,
And
to inquire in His temple.
5 For in the time of trouble
He
shall hide me in His pavilion;
In
the secret place of His tabernacle
He
shall hide me;
He
shall set me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all
around me;
Therefore
I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I
will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my
voice!
Have
mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,”
My
heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I
will seek.”
9 Do not hide Your face from me;
Do
not turn Your servant away in anger;
You
have been my help;
Do
not leave me nor forsake me,
O
God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then
the Lord will take care of me.
11 Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And
lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false
witnesses have risen against me,
And
such as breathe out violence.
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That
I would see the goodness of the Lord
In
the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord;
Be
of good courage,
And
He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait,
I say, on the Lord!
Old Pond
Old pond
Frog leaping
Splash!
–Matsuo Basho (translated by Cid Corman)
The old pond;
A frog jumps in —
The sound of the water.
— Matsuo Basho (translated by R. H. Blythe)
The Lord’s Prayer
Matthew 6:5-9
5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you [c]openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be
Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be
done
On earth as it
is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our
debts,
As we
forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
A Clear Waterfall
A clear waterfall;
Into the ripples
Fall green pine needles.
— Matsuo Basho (translated by R. H. Blythe)
Let There be Light
Genesis 1:1-31 and Genesis 2:1-3
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day and the darkness He called Night.
So the evening and the morning were the first day.
Then God said, “Let there be an uninterrupted space in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus God made the uninterrupted space, and divided the waters below from the waters above; and it was so. God called the uninterrupted space Heaven.
So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place and let dry land appear”; and it was so. God called the dry land Earth and the gathered waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. The earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
So the evening and the morning were the third day.
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the uninterrupted space of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the uninterrupted space of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the uninterrupted space of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth, across the face of the uninterrupted space of the heavens. So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind;” and it was so. God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the seas, over the birds of the air, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His Own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves about on the earth.”
And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.
So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all the work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.