17. A Collection of Blessings

17. A Collection of Blessings. Helen Steiner Rice. 2009. 160 pages. [Source: Bought] [nonfiction, poetry, christian poetry, 3 stars]

First sentence: As the New Year starts and the old year ends

There's no better time to make amends

For all the things we sincerely regret

And wish in our hearts we could somehow forget--

This is a paperback collection of poems by Helen Steiner Rice put together by the Helen Steiner Rice foundation. Her poems evoke warm, cozy, comfy feelings. The literary equivalent perhaps of a nice cuppa. (cup of tea). The subject matter varies to a small degree but all well within a narrow framework of spirituality--prayer, sorrow, joy, forgiveness, repentance, peace, love, etc. There is some repetition which I don't look down upon since rhyming can be tricky and when you find a satisfying rhyme, well, it's hard to not repeat it in other poems. To be fair, the first time I came across the lines, I was like THAT IS GOOD. The second or third time I was like, okay, okay, still true, still relevant. And to be fair, this is a collection. I doubt her intent was for anyone to read a couple dozen of her poems within a twenty minute period. 

The poems in the collection are arranged somewhat thematically with special poems for special occasions being first in the book. The book is not unlike a Bible Promise book in its topical approach or its general vibes. 

God speaks to us in many ways,

Altering our lives, our plans, and our days,

And his blessings come in many guises

That He alone in love, devises,

And sorrow, which we dread so much,

Can bring a very healing touch...

For when we fail to heed His voice

We leave the Lord no other choice

Except to use a firm, stern hand

To make us know He's in command...

For on the wings of loss and pain,

The peace we often sought in vain

Will come to us with sweet surprise,

For God is merciful and wise....

And through dark hours of tribulation

God gives us time for meditation,

And nothing can be counted loss

Which teaches us to bear our cross. (23)

Happiness is something we create in our minds--

It's not something you search for

And so seldom find.

It's just waking up and beginning the day

By counting our blessings and kneeling to pray.

It's giving up thoughts that breed discontent

And accepting what comes as a gift heaven-sent.

It's giving up wishing for things we have not

And making the best of whatever we've got.

It's knowing that life is determined for us

And pursuing our tasks

Without fret, fume, or fuss...

For it's by completing what God gives us to do

That we find real contentment and happiness, too. (28)

I LOVED some of the poems. I liked many more of them than loved. A few I didn't quite care for--a few I found could be interpreted/misinterpreted as being theologically questionable. Still, for the most part, I enjoyed this old-fashioned poetry book. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

7. Poems and Prayers for the Very Young

7. Poems and Prayers for the Very Young. Martha Alexander (compiler and illustrator). 1973. Random House. 24 pages. [Source: Bought] [3 stars, vintage picture book, poetry]

First sentence: I wake in the morning early

And always, the very first thing,

I poke out my head and I sit up in bed

And I sing and I sing and I sing.

I enjoy collecting vintage picture books. This one has a slightly Christian theme. I would say ninety percent celebrate nature and common joys in life and ten percent give a nod to God. It does include the Lord's Prayer and a few other familiar poem-prayers that you might have heard depending on your background.

I think it is a lovely-enough collection of poems. The poems aren't so religious and "Christian" that you are in any way teaching your children theology. But the poems are pleasant enough and not anti-Christian either. 

I definitely liked the soft, soothing illustrations.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

82. The Book of Common Courage

The Book of Common Courage. K.J. Ramsey. 2023. [January] 224 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Lord Jesus,

who stepped down

onto the muddy banks

of the Jordan where

your cousin John

pulled you under

to be drenched in the baptism

of a repentance God surely didn't need

so that every waterlogged ear

could be freed to rise to the sound

of the Voice of Love coming down:

we want to hear

what you heard

that strange day.

The Book of Common Courage is a devotional written in verse. Are these verses poems? Maybe. Maybe not. Probably. Think of the 'verse' in a verse novel, this is similar. There are verses and verses. (Pun intended. Each bit of poetry is introduced with Scripture verses.) Some seem to be intended to be prayers. Though not all of them have that prayer vibe going. (Though to be fair there's always more than one style of prayer.) What keeps some of them from being prayer--in my own subjective opinion--is that they have more of a vibe of being an uplifting message from Jesus to you. Christ does speak to us in his Word. I think Genesis to Revelation, you can certainly hear God speaking--plainly, clearly. With the indwelling Holy Spirit as both your guide and the author, without a doubt the Word of God is speaking. 

This is definitely a devotional more than a prayer book. Though devotional books can contain plenty of prayers. Is this one meaty enough? That's a subjective question. It isn't as meaty theologically as I personally want in a devotional book. However, I think the goal is emotional and spiritual health. 

Quotes:

I shall not want

except that I do.

I want a Shepherd

who comes through.

I want my stress

to be wrapped

in God's arms.

I want my life

to be healed

from all harm.

Perhaps it would

be better to say

I lack nothing

because Love

will stay.

Jesus,

You say the words

we hate hearing,

but you never

demanded anything

you were not willing

to live first.

Tune our ears

to recognize the syllables of love

thrumming through the sentences

that make us shudder

For your resurrection

reminds us

that suffering

can shift us

into a better story.

Amen.

Jesus, the Promised Shepherd,

you who are always making a way

for your people to rest

when other shepherds demand

performances and success:

reveal the green pastures

where we can heal

that we, the plundered,

may become those

who thunder

kindness as the sound

of a Shepherd's kingdom

where mercy 

abounds.

Amen.

Blessed are the broken,

those shattered in spirit by those

who should have made them strong.

Blessed are the grieved

in a world that pretends

positivity will take away pain.

For while the kingdoms 

of the able and affluent

corral and crush,

the kingdom of God

is a seed 

split open.

May you know 

your breaking

is a broadening.

May you trust

your ache

is an awakening>

The kingdom of God

is a seed split open

and the kingdom 

belongs to you.

If God keeps track of your tears

and holds them safe in a bottle,

then perhaps

your pain is precious.

Perhaps

your tears

tell truth.

Perhaps 

you don't have to stop

the flow of what God

wants to hold as a treasure.

---crying is holy. 

Prayer 

is not

constant 

positivity.

It is honesty

held in our hands

and hurled at the sky.

When David dared

to curse at the air

and Christ cried

from the cross

that the Father

was not there,

they both pierced a hole

in the 

universe's clouds,

and now Love's ears

are tuned to the sound

of candor and cries

as much as praise

rings out.

The world has forever

been widened

for worship.

Our worst words

of self-pity and 

loudest wails

now have become

welcomed prayers.

Christ's prayer

pierced

the veil. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

50. Ordinary Hazards

Ordinary Hazards. Nikki Grimes. 2019. 325 pages. [Source: Library] 

First sentence: I read somewhere that names penetrate the core of our being, and I suppose, this is as good a time as any to confess my name is not the only lie I’ve ever lived with, but Nikki is the first invention for which I accept full responsibility. 

Premise/plot: Nikki Grimes’ newest book is a memoir written in verse. Ordinary Hazards tells her story—the darkness and the light in her growing up years. 

My thoughts: I have loved, loved, loved Nikki Grimes’ work in the past. I have always found her work to bring on the feels. Her characters are more often than not, oh-so-humanly drawn. Her writing realistic, but often with a strong foundation of hope. No matter how dark, how tough, how painful, there is still reason to hope; where there is life, there is hope. 

This memoir is an amazing read. I think perhaps most enjoyed by those that have read her previously. But perhaps not. Maybe this would encourage readers to pick up her other books and seek out everything she’s written? 

Recently a school district in Texas (Leander Independent School District) removed Ordinary Hazards from its "secondary school book club reading lists." You can read about it here. I have not read ALL the books on the "removed" and "paused" lists. I do not know for certain what "removed" means. If it is simply removing from a recommended book club list, or if it is removal from classroom libraries, or if it is removal from the school library. If it means removal from the school library, that is truly sad and a bit terrifying. 

I can only guess that Ordinary Hazards was removed because of so-called inappropriate content. But truly if that is the case, then people have lost the ability to read critically and in context. That wouldn't surprise me. But it does sadden me.

I say so-called inappropriate content because IN CONTEXT one wouldn't judge it that way. Or have to judge it that way. 

First things first, it is a MEMOIR. It is Nikki Grimes' autobiography. This is HER story. She's sharing real events and real emotions with readers. There is depth and substance to her HONESTY. This book is *real* and leads to *feels*.

Sure, there's alcohol and drunkenness in Ordinary Hazards. But it is her mother. There is no way, no how anyone could read those scenes and think hey, drinking alcohol is the best thing ever. Or wow, now I have life goals. There is PAIN and CONFUSION and HEARTBREAK. Because her mother can't overcome this addiction. And perhaps doesn't even see the addiction as addiction. Nikki Grimes isn't the first and won't be the last child to have an alcoholic parent. What message are we sending to teens when we say, you can't talk about that? 

Sure, there's drug abuse. But it is a cousin. And it terrifies her. At the time this occurs in the memoir, she hasn't even started school yet. She's helpless to control her situation. She's completely reliant on a mother who has some major blind spots. It's HEARTBREAKING to read about.

Sure, there's mental illness. Nikki's mother suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. What we get is Nikki's childhood perspective reconstructed and imagined. It is honest and reflects the pain and confusion and terror she felt as a result of her mom being unstable and unable to really be there, be there. But mental illness exists whether we acknowledge it or not. Whether it's kept buried in shame--deeply buried and barricaded--or whether it's brought out into the light. Keeping quiet about it doesn't make it go away. Again, I have to ask, what message are we sending to teens when we say, you can't talk about that?

Sure, there's child abuse and abandonment. Her father is absent. Her mother is, well, a mess. Her mom is so desperate financially that she's leaving her daughters with strangers as babysitters. Too checked out to check up on them....as she should. Nikki and her sister end up in foster care. She wasn't the first and won't be the last to experience childhood trauma. What message are we sending to teens when we say, you can't talk about that? 

Sure, there's sexual abuse. When Nikki leaves the foster care system to return to live with her mother, she is placed in the house with a child molester--her mom's boyfriend/partner. It is TRAUMATIC and painful. It leads to confusion, anger, bitterness, shame. But Nikki didn't ask for this--no child would. She is not to blame for someone else's action. To silence her story is a crime. Again, Nikki wasn't the first and will not be the last child to be molested, abused, traumatized. What message are we sending to teens when we say, you can't talk about that?

This is a MEMOIR. There are those that would SILENCE her story just because it contains "unpleasant" and "uncomfortable" details that like it or not happen in the real world every single day. It takes bravery and strength to step up and speak up. Do we really want to reinforce the notions of shame and dirtiness? To send the message, if this happens to you--it is too dirty, too shameful, too inappropriate, too immoral to talk about. Keep silent. Keep it to yourself. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

36. Glory in the Margins

Glory in the Margins. Nikki Grimes. 2021. [September] 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: When was the last time you heard the words poem and pulpit in the same sentence?

Nikki Grimes newest poetry book is a collection of one hundred poems inspired by the Word. She writes, "As a person of faith with a reverence for the Holy Word of God, I also understand that God welcomes, and even invites, the honest questions of his children, and so I come to the Word with an open heart, bringing my questions with me. As I climb into the skins of the men and women I encounter in Scripture, I try to look at the world through their eyes, asking the hard questions of God that they must have asked, seeking the same solace, wisdom, inspiration, and guidance they must have sought..."

The poems are arranged by month--thirteen months in all. January through another January. There are a handful of poems per month. Enough to cover all the Sundays within a given month for sure. 

I would say most poems are tied directly to a Scripture. (Not all poems do. That doesn't mean the ones without are less biblical, less inspired by the Word of God, they are just more general.) 

The poems often encourage readers to slow down and process--perhaps meditate is the better word for the religious context. Scriptures can be rushed through--passing in and right back out again. But reading these poems can help you slow down, unpack, really tune in. It isn't so much that the poems are absolutely necessary for this practice of reading the Bible. But it's a practice, a discipline, that perhaps many don't make time for in their busy lives. 

The poems point readers straight to Scripture. The poems aren't trying to take the place of Scripture. 

I read through the book in one sitting. I would probably advise readers to savor the book more slowly. Definitely make time to look up the Scriptures. The book definitely has a devotional vibe.

I have a handful of favorites from this collection. I will not share any poem in its entirety. Just a brief stanza or possibly two from each that I called FAVORITE. 

From The Bright Side of Repentance:

Webster has got it wrong this time,

Repentance is not

feeling regret

although we may.

Repentance is action. It's that dirty

little six letter word

we have all heard

and wish we hadn't:

Change.

From One Cookie Leads To Another

Intense hunger

is a scream in the belly

piercing you from the inside out

demanding attention

the sorry state

forty days of fasting

will leave you in.

It is good to remember that hunger

carries no shame

but how we fill ourselves

may well be up for review.

If we knew 

God was watching 

how often would our hands

disappear inside those

cookie jars labeled

Do Not Touch?

From Safe Deposit

Stress is a word

life teaches us to spell.

We are all well-acquainted

with worry

that wicked worm

that eats us

from the inside out.

From Worth

We owe him skin and bone

heart and breath

for deleting eternal death

from our stories.

Our talents, our tithes

our bodies

as living sacrifices--

is anything too much

to surrender?

Ask Judas

whose cold coins failed to satisfy

his soul.

From Petition

To intercede is to plead with God

on behalf of another

slipping on another's skin

standing beneath the canopy

of another's sin

and asking the inventor of mercy

to forgive us both.

....

To go before him

we must first agree.

Then it is on us to recall

the very nature of this Holy Father,

his splendor, his might,

his glorious grace

proven through the ages.

Only then are we prepared

to pray for another

groaning with as much passion

as we would summon for ourselves.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

5. Come, Sweet Day

Come, Sweet Day: Thoughts and Poems from Hard Times to Hope: A Writer's Journey. Julianne Donaldson. 2021. [April] 96 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: I know every single person out there is dealing with a lot of hard things. But for those who are wondering if they’re alone in feeling weighed down by life, you’re not. I want you to know that you can be a good person and still have really heavy burdens in this life, and it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.

Come, Sweet Day is a book of poetry and short prose pieces by Julianne Donaldson. Donaldson generally writes fiction, but this is a more intimate and personal book written from a place of faith, hope, and honesty. 

I have enjoyed her novels. I am not as open to "loving" poetry in general. But I liked this one. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was super amazing and life changing. But I liked it. I appreciate her honesty and insights. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: My Heart Cries Out

My Heart Cries Out: Gospel Meditations for Everyday Life. Paul David Tripp. 2019. Crossway. 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: I am not a poet; I am a pilgrim. I am not attracted to formal, overly romantic Christian verse, but I think that we do not train our eyes to see enough, our hearts to consider enough, and our emotions to celebrate enough the glories of the grace that is showered down on us in a thousand ways every day.

My Heart Cries Out is a new devotional book by Paul David Tripp. The devotions are poems. But don't let the poetry scare you away. This book is far from intimidating--it's refreshing, honest, genuine. I enjoyed most--if not all--the entries. Which is saying a lot considering the fact that it's poetry. I am not a big reader of devotional books. I like books with weight, substance, heart--not light, fluffy, feathery nonsense. This book has substance. But again, it's not intimidating. Truth resonates.

I loved, loved, loved some of these:

My heart cries out, but I am not afraid, discouraged, panicked, forgotten, alone, dismayed, or doubtful because in the din of a million voices from every place in every situation young and old crying day and night in weakness, in alienation, in fear, and in distress, you are not overwhelmed, you are not distracted, you are not disgusted, you are not discouraged, you are not exhausted. But you listen, you hear, you attend to my cry in tenderness of mercy, in patience of spirit, and with generosity of love you listen to my plea and you never turn away. But with power and wisdom and the tender heart of a Savior, you do this amazing thing—you answer. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. (1 Pet. 3:12)

You are the sun that shines in darkness. You are the water that quenches thirst. You are the balm that heals the wounded. You are the master that calms the storm. You are the rose of brightest beauty. You are the chosen, perfect lamb. You are the king of a greater kingdom. You are the captain of battles won. You are the lion of chosen Judah. You are the dove of peace that’s come. You are the shelter for the homeless. You are the father to helpless orphans. You are the chosen, suffering son. You are my God, my Savior, my hope, my life, my forgiveness, my wisdom, my strength, my righteousness, my peace, my Father, my brother, and my friend. Because you are, I am what I am.

You are not a distant Lord, or a detached Master, moving the pawns on the board in an impersonal act of winning. Your lordship does not separate me from you as a serf would be separated from a king. No, you accomplished your sovereign plan by invading my dark and messy world in the person of your Son, giving yourself in radical grace to people who saw no value in your nearness. You are Master, and you are Immanuel. You are Lord, and you are Father. You are King, and you are Friend. You are Sovereign and you are Shepherd. Your rule is not from afar. No, your rule brings you near. I have hope today, because you are not distant. And I celebrate the amazing rest and strength to be found in the reality that your sovereignty has brought you near.

I was not designed to be on my own, to author my own story, to compose my own rules, to live with me in the center. I was not designed to question your goodness, to bring you to the court of my judgment, to be bitter in my assessment of the things you do. for owning my heart’s desires, for teaching me that my life is you. I was not designed to look for life outside of you, to treasure the creation, to love people, places, and things, more than you. I was not designed to let my heart fill with envy, to be constantly accounting, to be jealous and untrusting instead of resting in you. I was not designed to rely on my wisdom, to trust my imagination, to rely on my thoughts, to ignore your revelation. I was not designed to follow the paths of my craving, to be enslaved to my desires, to be ruled by my passions, more than I am by you.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Christian Book of Mystical Verse

The Christian Book of Mystical Verse: A Collection of Poems, Hymns, and Prayers for Devotional Reading. A.W. Tozer, editor. 1991/2016. 177 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: The purpose of this book is to bring together in one convenient volume some of the best devotional verse the English language affords, and thus to make available to present-day Christians a rich spiritual heritage, which the greater number of them for various reasons to not now enjoy.

The word mystic might throw some readers off--give the wrong impression--the introduction clarifies exactly what is meant by the word mystic.

The word “mystic” as it occurs in the title of this book refers to that personal spiritual experience common to the saints of Bible times and well known to multitudes of persons in the post-biblical era. I refer to the evangelical mystic who has been brought by the gospel into intimate fellowship with the Godhead. His theology is no less and no more than is taught in the Christian Scriptures. He differs from the ordinary orthodox Christian only because he experiences his faith down in the depths of his sentient being while the other does not. His religious experience is something elemental, as old as time and the creation. It is immediate acquaintance with God by union with the Eternal Son. It is to know that which passes knowledge.  

So what makes a poem or hymn mystical?!

The hymns and poems found here are mystical in that they are God-oriented; they begin with God, embrace the worshipping soul and return to God again.

The only healthy emotions are those aroused by great ideas, and even these must be restrained and purified by the Spirit of God or they will spend themselves in weak and sterile rhymes.

This devotional collection is arranged by topic or theme. The sections are: "Adoration of the Godhead," "Devotional Meditations on the Cross of Christ," "Penitential Reflections on Our Sins," "Rejoicing in Forgiveness and Justification," "Yearning for Purity of Heart," "Aspirations After God," "Delighting in God's Presence," "The Raptures of Divine Love," "The Rest of Faith," "The Spiritual Warfare," "Victory Through Praise," "The Prayer of Quiet," "The Bliss of Communion," "Joyous Anticipation of Christ's Return," and "Immortality and the World To Come."

Contributors include: Isaac Watts, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sir John Bowring, Fredrick William Faber, Walter Shelly, Henry Hart Milman, Charles Wesley, Jacques Bridaine, Bernard of Clairvaux, John S.B. Monsell, Christina Rossetti, John Wesley, Johann Andreas Rothe, Nicolaus Ludwig Von Zinzendorf, Nahum Tate, Nicholas Brady, Jeanne Marie de la Motte-Guyon, Gerhard Tersteegen, Oliver Holden, Paul Gerhardt, Mary Bowley Peters, George C. Neumark, William Cowper, Jean Sophia Pigott, Anna Laetitia Waring, Thomas Blacklock, Martin Rinckart, Michael Angelo, Thomas Moore, John Newton, Thomas Hastings, T.P, Johann Scheffler, Horatius Bonar, Reginald Heber, Philipp Nicolai, John Cennick, Henry Ware, Christian F. Gellert, Lord Plunket, Pierre Abelard, Anne R Cousin, and Bernard of Cluny. Some contribute just one or two pieces. Others contribute DOZENS.

I began reading this one with a good deal of skepticism. I'm not a fan of the word mystical or mystic. But I am a fan of A.W. Tozer. These poems--hymns--were selected by Tozer and among his favorites. I am not naturally drawn to poetry--and while I love music--I usually need to HEAR music to love a lyric.

I can't say that I had a reaction to every poem. That would be a lie. But I did find myself loving a handful of poems. As in LOVING. I wasn't expecting that. I wasn't expecting these words to speak to me--to speak of me.

From "Lord of All Being, Throned Afar" by Oliver Wendell Holmes

Grant us thy truth to make us free,
and kindling hearts that burn for thee,
till all thy living altars claim
one holy light, one heavenly flame. 

This flame/fire/burning theme is NOT new to modern worship music.

From "The Thought of God" by Frederick W. Faber

The thought of Thee, above, below,
Around me and within,
Is more to me than health and wealth,
Or love of kith and kin. (second stanza)

To think of Thee is almost prayer,
And is outspoken praise;
And pain can even passive thoughts
To actual worship raise. (tenth stanza)

O Lord! I live always in pain,
My life's sad undersong,
Pain in itself not hard to bear,
But hard to bear so long.  (eleventh stanza)

Little sometimes weighs more than much,
When it has no relief;
A joyless life is worse to bear
Than one of active grief. (twelfth stanza)

All murmurs lie inside Thy Will
Which are to Thee addressed;
To suffer for Thee is our work,
To think of Thee our rest. (fourteenth stanza)

This one resonated with me. I'm not sure I love the 'joyless life is worse to bear than one of active grief' bit. BUT all the rest I've shared...I've lived.

From "The Fear of God" by Frederick W. Faber

A special joy is in all love
For objects we revere;
Thus joy in God will always be
Proportioned to our fear. (fourth stanza)

They love Thee little, if at all,
Who do not fear Thee much;
If love is Thine attraction, Lord!
Fear is Thy very touch. (twelfth stanza)

I think the fear of God is a lost doctrine that desperately needs to be rediscovered by the modern church.

"God Is Present Everywhere" by Oliver Holden

They who seek the throne of grace,
Find that throne in every place;
If we live a life of prayer,
God is present everywhere.
In our sickness or our health,
In our want or in our wealth,
If we look to God in prayer,
God is present everywhere.
When our earthly comforts fail,
When the foes of life prevail,
'Tis the time for earnest prayer;
God is present everywhere.
Then, my soul, in every strait
To thy Father come and wait;
He will answer every prayer;
God is present everywhere. 

From "All Must Be Well" by Mary Bowley Peters

Through the love of God our Savior, all will be well
Free and changeless is his favour, all, all is well.
Precious is the blood that healed us,
perfect is the grace that sealed us,
strong the hand stretched forth to shield us,
all must be well. (first stanza)

We expect a bright tomorrow, all will be well.
Faith can sing through days of sorrow, 'All, all is well.'
On our Father's love relying,
Jesus every need supplying,
in our living, in our dying,
all must be well. (third stanza)

From "Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting" by Jean Sophia Pigott

Jesus! I am resting, resting
in the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of thy loving heart.
Thou has bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For, by Thy transforming power,
Thou has made me whole. (stanza one)

Oh, how great Thy loving kindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea:
Oh, how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of prime,
And have made it mine. (stanza two)

From "Bless, O My Soul! The Living God by Isaac Watts

Bless, O my soul, the living God,
Call home my thoughts that roam abroad;
let every power within me join
in work and worship so divine.
Lord God, how wondrous are your ways!
How firm your truth, how large your grace!
You take great mercy at your throne,
and thus you make your glories known. (first stanza)

Lord, your eternal love is sure
for all your saints, and will endure!
Let not this wonder that is wrought
be lost in silence and forgot!
Let all the earth behold your face;
let all adore and know your grace;
the noblest with the humble join
in work and worship all divine. (third stanza)

God's Eternal Now by Gerhard Tersteegen

Now stillness 'midst the ever-changing,
Lord, my rest art Thou;
So for me has dawned the morning,
God's eternal NOW.
Now for me the day unsetting,
Now the song begun;
Now, the deep surpassing glory,
Brighter than the sun.
Hail! All hail! thou peaceful country
Of eternal calm;
Summer land of milk and honey,
Where the streams are balm.
There the Lord my Shepherd leads me,
Wheresoe'er He will;
In the fresh green pastures feeds me,
By the waters still.
Well I know them, those still waters!
Peace and rest at last;
In their depths the quiet heavens
Tell the storms are past,
Nought to mar the picture fair,
Of the glory resting there. 

I haven't decided absolutely that this is my new favorite poem. But I'm considering.

From "My Heart Is Resting, O My Lord," by Anna Laetitia Waring

My heart is resting, O my God--
I will give thanks and sing;
My heart is at the secret source
Of every precious thing.
Now the frail vessel Thou has made
No hand but Thine shall fill--
For the waters of the Earth have failed,
And I am thirsty still. (first stanza)

Glory to Thee for strength withheld,
For want and weakness known--
And the fear that sends me to Thy breast
For what is most my own.
I have a heritage of joy
That yet I must not see;
But the hand that bled to make it mine
Is keeping it for me.  (second stanza)

"O! Tell Me, Thou Life and Delight of My Soul" by Thomas Hastings

O! tell me, Thou life and delight of my soul,
Where the flock of Thy pastures are feeding;
I seek Thy protection, I need Thy control,
I would go where my Shepherd is leading.
O! tell me the place where Thy flocks are at rest,
Where the noontide will find them reposing?
The tempest now rages, my soul is distress'd,
And the pathway of peace I am losing.
O! why should I stray with the flocks of Thy foes,
'Mid the desert where now they are roving,
Where hunger and thirst, where affliction and woes,
And temptations their ruin are proving!
O! when shall my foes and my wandering cease?
And the follies that fill me with weeping!
Thou Shepherd of Israel, restore me that peace
Thou dost give to the flock Thou art keeping.
A voice from the Shepherd now bids thee return
By the way where the footprints are lying:
No longer to wander, no longer to mourn;
O fair one, now homeward be flying! 

From "At the Lord's Table" by Horatius Bonar

I have no help but Thine; nor do I need
Another arm save Thine to lean upon;
It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed;
My strength is in Thy might,
Thy might alone.
Mine is the sin, but Thine the righteousness;
Mine is the guilt, but Thine the cleansing blood;
Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace,
Thy blood, Thy righteousness, O Lord my God. (second to last stanza)

Prayer Before Communion by Reginald Heber

Bread of the world, in mercy broken,
Wine of the soul, in mercy shed,
By whom the words of life were spoken,
And in whose death our sins are dead:
Look on the heart by sorrow broken,
Look on the tears by sinners shed;
And by Thy feast to us the token
That by Thy grace our souls are fed. 

"The Blessed Morrow" by Gerhardt Tersteegen

'Midst the darkness, storm, and sorrow,
One bright gleam I see;
Well I know the blessed morrow
Christ will come for me.
'Midst the peace, the joy, the glory
And the light, God's own,
Christ for me is watching, waiting,
Waiting 'til I come.
Long the blessed Guide has led me,
By the desert road;
Now I see the coming splendor,
Splendor of my God.
There amidst the love and glory
He is waiting yet;
On His hands a name is graven
He can ne'er forget.
Who is this, who comes to meet me,
On the desert way,
As the Morning Star foretelling
God's unclouded day?
He it is who came to win me,
On the cross of shame;
In his glory well I know him,
Evermore the same.
O the blessed joy of meeting,
All the desert past;
O the wondrous words of greeting,
He shall speak at last!
He and I together ent'ring
The fair realm above;
He and I together sharing
All the Father's love.
Where no shade nor stain can enter,
Nor the gold be dim,
In His holiness unsullied,
I shall walk with HIm.
Meet companion then for Jesus,
From Him, for Him, made--
Glory of God's grace forever
There in me displayed.
He who in His hour of sorrow
Bore the curse alone;
I who through the lonely desert
Trod where He had gone;
He and I, in that bright glory,
One deep joy shall share--
Mine, to be forever with Him;
His, that I am there.

I haven't decided if I love, love, love this one...or not. At the very, very least it's given me food for thought. I haven't unpacked ALL the theology yet of this one. But for some reason it is resonating with me. It is in the section upon Joyous Anticipation of Christ's Return.

From "Jesus Lives, and So Shall I" by Christian F. Gellert

Jesus lives, and so shall I.
Death! thy sting is gone forever:
He, who deigned for me to die,
Lives, the bands of death to sever.
He shall raise me with the just:
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.
Jesus lives and reigns supreme;
And, His kingdom still remaining,
I shall also be with Him,
Ever living, ever reigning.
God has promised; be it must.
Jesus is my Hope and Trust. (first two stanzas)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Where Did You Come From Baby Dear?

Where Did You Come From Baby Dear? Poem by George MacDonald. Illustrated by Jane Dyer. 2018. Random House. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Where did you come from, baby dear?
Out of the everywhere into the here.
Where did you get those eyes so blue?
Out of the sky as I came through.

Jane Dyer has newly illustrated and adapted George MacDonald's classic poem "Where Did You Come From, Baby Dear?" You may read the full poem here.

MacDonald was a British fantasy writer and a minister (1824-1905). His poem is "lightly spiritual" according to the publisher, Random House. I would agree with the assessment. God is mentioned a handful of times as are angels. It is not meant to be a theological work by any stretch of the imagination.

The book celebrates babies. It is cute, sweet, adorable, lovely, delightful, charming. I love the illustrations by Jane Dyer.

My favorite lines:

How did they all just come to be you?
God thought about me, and so I grew.
But how did you come to us, you dear?
God thought about you, and so I am here. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Little Lips Shall Praise Thee

Little Lips Shall Praise Thee. Emily Hunter. 1986. Harvest House. 96 pages. [Source: Bought]

Blessings on thee, little lamb,
Where'er thy feet may take thee.
God in Heaven is watching thee,
And He will not forsake thee!
Blessings on thee, little lamb!
Be glad and never fear.
Your loving Keeper is the Lord,
And He is ever near!

Premise/plot: This children's book is written and illustrated by Emily Hunter. It is a book of Christian poetry to share with little ones.

My thoughts: Do I have thoughts? YES. Before each poem there is a verse shared. I like the verses. Hunter's selection of verses is solid--solid even when the following rhyme isn't quite as strong. Some of the verses: Psalm 90:2, Psalm 145:3, Psalm 115:16, Psalm 74:16, Genesis 1:21, Amos 4:13, Genesis 2:9, Genesis 1:11, Psalm 77:14, Matthew 10:30, Genesis 16:13, Psalm 4:8, 1 Peter 5:7, Micah 7:7, John 1:3, Job 10:12, Psalm 136:25, Psalm 100:4, Psalm 92:1, Psalm 23:1, Mark 10:14, 16,  1 John 4:7, Psalm 4:7, Psalm 144:15, Psalm 119:103, Ephesians 4:32, Song of Solomon 2:12, Galatians 5:13, Proverbs 14:23, Psalm 118:24, Jeremiah 31:3, Colossians 3:9, Isaiah 41:6, Mark 12:31, Luke 6:31, John 3:16, John 14:2, Psalm 63:3.

I enjoyed a few of the poems. I did not enjoy all of the poems. Poetry IS subjective. And in my opinion, some of the poems--rhymes--were quite bad. I will say this. I preferred the poems to the illustrations. Hunter is a better writer than she is an illustrator.

While I can easily and honestly say that I liked a few of the poems. I can't say that I enjoyed any of the illustrations! Sometimes in an older book the problem is that illustrations aren't timeless. That isn't the case here. I'm not sure there was ever a time when these illustrations were awesome.

It is interesting that one of the weaker poems features the strongest illustrations. I am referring to the poem featuring the bunny Jake who makes a cake.

One poem is disconcerting--even for 1986 standards. That poem is  "You Love All Children Everywhere."

Jesus loves the Eskimo
Who lives up north
In cold and snow.
And Indian children
Smiling sweet
With moccasins
Upon their feet.
And children who
Have slanted eyes--
The Orientals,
Small in size.
And all the Swedish
Children, too,
With golden hair
And eyes of blue.
He loves the Dutch
So clean and neat
With wooden shoes
Upon their feet.
He loves the Scottish
Lass and lad,
Who wear their skirts
Of Scottish plaid.
He loves all children
Dark or fair.
He loves all children
Everywhere!

Here is one poem that I enjoyed, "You Are Our Good Shepherd."

The Lord is my shepherd.
I am his little lamb.
His eye is always on me.
He knows just where I am.
He leads me by still waters.
By pleasant streams I rest.
He guides me in the right path.
The one He knows is best.
When wolves are all around me,
His rod and staff I see,
To keep me from all danger,
To guard and comfort me.
And though I walk through valleys
Where shadows dark may be,
I still will not be fearful,
For He is there with me. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: How Sweet the Sound: The Story of Amazing Grace

How Sweet the Sound: the Story of Amazing Grace. Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. 2018. Simon & Schuster. 48 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence:

Slave ship Greyhound, ocean faring;
Young John, homeward, brawling, swearing.
Fierce storm, sea squall, ripping sails;
Young John wakes to crewmen's wails. 

Premise/plot: How Sweet the Sound is a picture book biography of John Newton, specifically it focuses on Newton's writing of Amazing Grace and his campaign to end slavery. The last few pages--spreads--focus on the legacy of the hymn.

Choirs make the song their own.
Newton's timeless hymn has grown.
Verses added here and there
Till this song is like a prayer. 

It is written in verse.  The verse, I admit, may take some getting used to for some readers. But once the rhythm catches you, it is quite catchy and instead of a weakness, it becomes a strength.

My thoughts: I loved this one. One of my favorite things about it is the verse--the rhythm of it. If you'd asked me before I read it what I wanted, what I expected, it would not have been verse. It would have been prose. Of course, prose would be the best way to frame the narrative, right? I was so wrong.

The story is worth telling--sharing.

I didn't love, love, love the illustrations as much as I loved the text. But they're good: strong and intense. They convey a LOT of emotion.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Watcher

The Watcher. Nikki Grimes. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. 2017. 42 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Premise/plot: The Watcher is a golden-shovel poem told in two voices. What is a golden shovel poem? It may be easier to show you. But essentially 'you take lines from an existing poem and create a new poem using the words from the original.'

Jordan
Some days, even the ant towers over me, and I
cower in a forest of grass, waiting for the fear to lift
like fog, so I can be brave, rise up.
But the class bully growls my name, and I shiver in my
sneakers, feel the wet fill my eyes.
Then I remember how Mom told me to
roll my fear like a ball, toss it high in the
air where you can catch it, and fling it to the hills.

Tanya
Wish I was some other Who, living where
stutterers aren't treated like spit. Does
that place even exist? No. So I switch off my
hearing when Grandma says to ask you for help.
If you care, maybe you can tell me how come
kids tease me into meanness I can't run from.

The narrators are Jordan and Tanya, classmates who appear to be as different as can be. What can these two ever have in common? How could they ever be friends? How could they be anything other than enemies? But the Lord works in mysterious ways. And his guidance leads these two together.

My thoughts: I really loved this one. I love Psalm 121. I love this form of poetry. The book is inspirational.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Quotes from the Cloud #44

This year, I hope share weekly posts of quotes. These quotes are from authors I'm reading and enjoying from the Clouds of Witnesses Reading Challenge. 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love. ~ Isaac Watts

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Quotes from the Cloud #42

This year, I hope share weekly posts of quotes. These quotes are from authors I'm reading and enjoying from the Clouds of Witnesses Reading Challenge. 

RUN, shepherds, run where Bethlem blest appears;
We bring the best of news, be not dismay’d,
A Saviour there is born, more old than years,
Amidst the rolling heaven this earth who stay’d:
In a poor cottage inn’d, a virgin maid,
A weakling did him bear who all upbears;
There he in clothes is wrapped, in manger laid,
To whom too narrow swaddlings are our spheres.
Run, shepherds, run, and solemnise his birth;
This is that night, no day, grown great with bliss,
In which the power of Satan broken is;
In heaven be glory; peace unto the earth.
Thus singing through the air the angels swam,
And all the stars re-echoed the same. ~ William Drummond of Hawthornden

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Quotes from the Cloud #41

This year, I hope share weekly posts of quotes. These quotes are from authors I'm reading and enjoying from the Clouds of Witnesses Reading Challenge. 

MARY, to thee the heart was given
For infant hand to hold,
Thus clasping, an eternal heaven,
The great earth in its fold.

He seized the world with tender might
By making thee his own;
Thee, lowly queen, whose heavenly height
Was to thyself unknown.

He came, all helpless, to thy power,
For warmth, and love, and birth;
In thy embraces, every hour,
He grew into the earth.

And thine the grief, O mother high,
Which all thy sisters share,
Who keep the gate betwixt the sky
And this our lower air;

And unshared sorrows, gathering slow;
New thoughts within thy heart,
Which through thee like a sword will go,
And make thee mourn apart.
For, if a woman bore a son
That was of angel brood,
Who lifted wings ere day was done,
And soar’d from where he stood;

Strange grief would fill each mother-moan,
Wild longing, dim, and sore:
“My child! my child! He is my own,
And yet is mine no more.”

So thou, O Mary, years on years,
From child-birth to the cross,
Wast filled with yearnings, filled with fears,
Keen sense of love and loss.

His childish thoughts outsoared thy reach;
Even his tenderness
Had deeper springs than act or speech
Could unto thee express.

Strange pangs await thee, mother mild!
A sorer travail-pain,
Before the spirit of thy child
Is born in thee again.
And thou wilt still forbode and dread,
And loss be still thy fear,
Till form be gone, and, in its stead,
The very self appear.

For, when thy son hath reached his goal,
And vanished from the earth,
Soon shalt thou find him in thy soul,
A second, holier birth. ~ George MacDonald

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Quotes from the Cloud #40

This year, I hope share weekly posts of quotes. These quotes are from authors I'm reading and enjoying from the Clouds of Witnesses Reading Challenge. 

EARTH was waiting spent and restless,
With a mingled hope and fear;
And the faithful few were sighing,
‘Surely, Lord, the day is near;
The Desire of all the nations,
It is time He should appear?’

Still the gods were in the temples,
But the ancient faith had fled;
And the priests stood by their altars,
Only for a piece of bread;
And the oracles were silent,
And the prophets all were dead.

In the sacred courts of Zion,
Where the Lord had His abode,
There the money-changers trafficked
And the sheep and oxen trod;
And the world, because of wisdom,
Knew not either Lord or God.

Then the spirit of the Highest
On a Virgin meek came down,
And He burdened her with blessing,
And He pained her with renown;
For she bare the Lord’s Anointed
For His cross and for His crown.

Earth for Him had groaned and travailed
Since the ages first began;
For in Him was hid the secret
That through all the ages ran—
Son of Mary, Son of David,
Son of God, and Son of Man. ~ Walter Chalmers Smith

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Quotes from the Cloud #39

This year, I hope share weekly posts of quotes. These quotes are from authors I'm reading and enjoying from the Clouds of Witnesses Reading Challenge. 

Near him she stole, rank after rank;
She feared approach too loud;
She touched his garment's hem, and shrank
Back in the sheltering crowd.
A trembling joy goes through her frame:
Her twelve years' fainting prayer
Is heard at last; she is the same
As other women there.
She hears his voice; He looks about.
Ah! is it kind or good
To bring her secret sorrow out
Before that multitude?
With open love, not secret cure,
The Lord of hearts would bless;
With age-long gladness, deep and sure,
With wealth of tenderness.
Her shame can find no shelter meet;
Their eyes her soul appal:
Forward she sped, and at his feet
Fell down, and told Him all.
His presence made a holy place;
No alien eyes were there;
Her shamed-faced grief found godlike grace;
More sorrow, tenderer care.
"Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole;
Go, and be well, and glad."
Ah, Lord! if we had faith, our soul
Not often would be sad.
Thou knowest all our hidden grief
Which none but Thee can know;
Thy knowledge, Lord, is our relief;
Thy love destroys our woe. ~ George MacDonald

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Quotes from the Cloud #38

This year, I hope share weekly posts of quotes. These quotes are from authors I'm reading and enjoying from the Clouds of Witnesses Reading Challenge.

Had I been Joseph's mother
I'd have prayed
protection from his brothers:
"God keep him safe;
he is so young,
so different from
the others."
Mercifully
she never knew
there would be slavery
and prison, too.
Had I been Moses' mother
I'd have wept
to keep my little son;
praying she might forget
the babe drawn from the water
of the Nile,
had I not kept
him for her
nursing him the while?
Was he not mine
and she
but Pharaoh's daughter?
Had I been Daniel's mother
I should have pled
"Give victory!
This Babylonian horde--
godless and cruel--
don't let them take him captive
--better dead,
Almighty Lord!"
Had I been Mary--
Oh, had I been she,
I would have cried
as never mother cried,
"…Anything, O God,
anything…
but crucified!"
With such prayers
importunate
my finite wisdom
would assail
Infinite Wisdom;
God how fortunate
Infinite Wisdom
should prevail~ Ruth Bell Graham

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: When Daddy Prays

When Daddy Prays. Nikki Grimes. 2002. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: May my children see beyond my muscles to your strength. May they find across my broad shoulders the imprint of your wings. May they feel your love in the hollow of my hand. May they hear your voice in the echo of my words.

Premise/plot: When Daddy Prays celebrates family life and PRAYER. This picture book is a collection of poems. Each poem either directly or indirectly concerns the father's prayer life both private and public. For example, the book opens with "A Father's Prayer." I would consider that an actual prayer. (See above). The next poem, "When Daddy Prays," is more of a son's poetic reflection of the effects of his father's prayers. In part, "When Daddy prays my fear of darkness disappears and angels tiptoe down the hall. I hear them through the door and wall. They whisper in a velvet husssshhh that floats me off to sleep when Daddy prays." The third poem, "Daddy Says," seems to be a child's prayer to God. It may just be my favorite of the whole book.

Daddy says
you rock him
in your arms
the way he
once rocked me.
That after he
tucks me in
and switches
off the light,
he whispers
secrets to you
through the night
exactly like
I whisper mine
to him.
But yesterday
I think
I heard him say
you're a better
listener.

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. I think it is a MARVELOUS celebration of family life, of a family's devotional life, of faith itself. What a WONDERFUL book celebrating Fathers as well.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Temple

The Temple: Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations. George Herbert. 1633. 192 pages. [Source: Library]

Do I read a lot of poetry? I wouldn't say that I do. Perhaps two or three books per year, usually. And often those "poetry books" are poems for the very young. So reading George Herbert, in many ways, was going outside of my comfort zone. Yet, it was good for me to go outside my comfort zone in reading. I assumed--presumed--that it would be an intimidating read: at best a bit boring, at worst, incomprehensible. But I really enjoyed reading this one.

I enjoyed "The Sacrifice" which is a poem written from the point of view of Jesus Christ. It has a refrain of "Was ever grief like mine?" and it would be a timely read for Lent and Easter. (Another timely read would be "Good Friday.") Though I think believers would profit from it year round.

"The Call" would probably be in my top three. Here's how it opens:

Come, my way, my Truth, my Life: Such a Way, as gives us breath: Such a truth, as ends all strife: And such a Life, as killeth death.

Though I'm just sharing the first stanza, I really adore this one from start to finish.

"Colossians 3:3" is a fun little poem, and, definitely in my top three.

My words and thoughts do both express this notion, that Life hath with the sun a double motion. The first Is straight, and our diurnal friend, the other Hid and doth obliquely bend. One life is wrapped In flesh, and tends to earth: The other winds towards Him, whose happy birth Taught me to live here so, That still one eye Should aim and shoot at that which Is on high: Quitting with daily labour all My pleasure, To gain at harvest an eternal Treasure.

 I love the "hidden" message: My life is hid in Him, that is my treasure.

I also appreciate Herbert's "The Twenty-Third Psalm" which opens like this:

The God of love my shepherd is, And he that doth me feed: While he is mine, and I am his, What can I want or need?

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible