GUILTY HANDS

Guilty hands held soldiers' lances, when they arrested my Jesus.
     My hands.

Guilty hands bound His arms behind His back when they dragged Him away.
     My hands.

Guilty hands swung the scourge that sliced His skin to ribbons.
     My hands.

Guilty hands wrapped sharp thorns around His blameless brow.
     My hands.

Guilty hands dropped splintered cross on His bleeding back.
     My hands.

Guilty hands stripped seamless garment from His holy shoulders.
     My hands.

Guilty hands threw Him, naked, onto rough, wooden planks.
     My hands.

Guilty hands held spikes to His sinless wrists, mallet lifted high.
     My hands.

Guilty hands pounded spikes through His chaste flesh, splashing His innocent blood.
     My hands.

Guilty hands held spike to His sacred feet, mallet lifted high.
     My hands.

Guilty hands slammed the spike through holy feet, into blood-stained wood.
     My hands.

Guilty hands lifted Him high and dropped rugged cross into hole.
     My hands.

Guilty hands pointed blame, laughed derision, mocked God.
     My hands.

Guilty hands wielded sword, plunged into His lifeless side.
     My hands.

Guilty hands pulled Him off the spikes and laid Him in the grave.
     My hands.

Guilty hands pounded breast in conviction for causing His passion.
     My hands.

Guilty hands clasped together, raised high in fervent prayer for His forgiveness.
     My hands.

Innocent hands raised high in praise and adoration for sins forgiven.
     My hands.

Eternal Security

Our Daily Bread, a ministry of Radio Bible Class, published a devotion by Anne Cetas clearly stating the popular, neo-Calvinist teaching that once saved, we cannot loose our salvation.       Of the dedicated saints tirelessly working for God's kingdom, a large proportion claim this teaching as their own, jealously guarding their "assurance of salvation" against all who challenge it. Both schools of thought, of course, claim to be in the majority.       The idea of eternal security has plagued me for years, at times seducing me, at times repulsing me. I would love to believe my salvation is eternally secure, but for the vast implications of such a belief.       Calvinism states that God sovereignty chooses who are His, without regard to personality or performance. And some Bible verses back that up. For a more in-depth coverage of Calvinist proof-verses, click on Safe & Secure--The Permanence Of Salvation.       My problem with this teaching is the "witness of the Spirit" that Calvinists claim gives them assurance of salvation. Romans 8:16 gives little to us but the barest idea: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." The passage doesn't tell us what sensation He uses in bearing witness with our spirits, or in what circumstances that will happen. We are left to grasp at warm, soft straws, interpreting any religious thrill as His Spirit bearing witness to us.       I've watched countless brethren backslide after weeks, months or years of bragging about feeling such a "witness."       While emotional testimonies do little to confirm our infilling with God's Spirit, God's word invites us in Galatians 5:22&23 to discern for ourselves the fruit a brother bears: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."       All the warm, "witness" feelings we might experience cannot contradict the fruit we bear. So regardless how eternally secure we may feel, we must rely on God's clear description of His fruit born through us.

Writing the Perfect Scene--how writers can avoid boring their audience

          Randy Ingermanson wrangles his way into these prestigious posts infrequently, but powerfully, because he has strong things to say about writing fiction. His page on writing the perfect scene is a good example of his systematic approach to that masochistic undertaking.
          While his instructions help structure the story at all levels, something he said blasted light on my most basic writing fault: I can't see the story for the words.
          This month's Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine dissected two movie versions of classic pieces of fiction. Years ago I saw North by North-West with Cary Grant. I recalled several of the scenes based on Randy's description, but his analysis of the story was new to me. While enjoying the action and the special effects, I had missed the Big Picture altogether.
          Well now, that tells me I need to work on story-telling from the macro perspective. Now I realize there is a great difference between word-crafting and story-telling. Great fiction requires both!

Pink ...

          ... isn't a bad color--downright appealing on some. As the title of a book, though, it does anything but appeal to this guy. But Marilyn Griffith's web site beckoned me to sample her literary wares. Chick Lit notwithstanding, Pink drew me into its smooth, hip prose and soft, Afro-speak voice. I like being drawn into literature.
          Though I read only the first chapter that Marilyn thoughtfully posted on her site, I saw plenty of reason to continue immersing myself in young Raya Joseph's tastefully rebellious world. Coming from an old-white-guy, that says quite a lot about Marilyn Griffith's word-crafting ability.