Calling II

As I think about hospitality,
There is a greater mystery
Than I could at first see.
First, an analogy:

Though others possess both fingers and voice,
When our friend leads worship,
The Spirit moves, and more stirs than
The senses would project.

And I make funnel cakes and greet with a grin,
But with the Spirit, the fellowship is greater,
The rest and restoration more, than
The welcome and home would make you expect.

No boasting in that.
It’s not me anyway.

Tomato Gift

I went to cook a meal
And realized I had calculated incorrectly,
One can of tomatoes short.
Garlic and meat already sizzling.
What is a mother to do?

As I turned away from my fruitless pantry search,
My eyes fell on a bowl on the counter,
Filled with tomatoes.
A farm share gift from a guest.
Once cut, precisely the right amount needed
To fill my pot. Of course.

I felt loved just that my friend gave me fruit.
How much more then, that the Spirit
Knew what I needed, and provided,
Through the listening obedience of
His daughter.

Blood Cries Out

After Cain killed his brother,
Abel’s blood cried unto the LORD.

The earth opened her mouth
And received Abel’s blood.

And Cain was cursed from the earth,
Made fugitive and vagabond.

Jesus described Abel as righteous,
And Abel’s blood spoke no good thing.

We also come to blood from a murdered man,
The blood of Jesus, of sprinkling.

It speaks better things than that of Abel.

Forgiven sins. Cleansed.
Saved from wrath.
Reconciliation.
Made near. Made peace.
Made holy. Made righteous.
Boldness to enter into the holiest.
Eternal life.

Calling

Buechner said that calling is found
“Where your deep gladness
And the world’s deep hunger
Meet.”

At the end of a week or so where I have
Rejoiced in fellowship
As many hours as a full-time job,
I wonder.

I have found my deep gladness.
But is it really a calling to feed French fries
To my friends?

Does that count?
Isn’t there some call to welcome the lame
And pathetic?

I’d be content to carry on with my
Exuberant hospitality,
But I note the warning:

Do not even sinners do that?

Another Budget Story

When Phil started his own engineering firm,
We had to live by faith.
One month, after we paid the bills,
We had less than a quarter in both checking and savings.
Our needs were met, with none left over.

And I felt so blessed that we weren’t a quarter short.
Praise his name.

A Budget Story

At one point, we kept a strict budget.
My brother married around that time,
And once we had covered the rental car
And various parking fees and treating friends,
We were short $498.73.

Unbelievably, my uncle sold his house around that time,
And our half decade late wedding present arrived
That same week, very generous.
Five hundred dollars.
God provided, in such precision.
Praise his name.

International Friendship Day

Of all the trumped up holidays,
International Friendship Day
Ranks up there in absurdity.

When needing any excuse for a party, though,
That’s as good as any.

We celebrated our friends for eight hours,
With music and drinks,
French fries and funnel cake,
Conversation and laughter.

Who else gets to soak in friendship so deeply?
How blessed are we!