A Secret Discerned

Joe Mangano has invited me to attend a writers' group here at McKendree Village tomorrow. Their assignment is to write a short story or other writing on an attitude you changed that improved your life. As a visitor or first time attender, I do not have to bring a writing. But I want to and this is it. I started out writing about how positive thinking was the attitude that changed my life but ended up focusing on yielding my life to God. If I get serious about this writing stuff, I might re-write and maybe make two poems, one on positive thinking and one on letting God take charge. But then, it was my reliance on God that gave me the positive thinking in youth, so maybe this is okay. We'll see!  Or maybe I should stick with prose!  :-)   Here's the May 10 draft:

A Secret Discerned

A teen boy who was poor and shy,

Though in life, determined to try!

No success in sports, fame or girl,

I added activities, living in a whirl!

Mom gave me a nice new book,

Norman Vincent Peale’s ideas I took.

Bible verses and fun stories he told,

As I was learning in life to be bold.

“Change your thoughts - you change your world.”

As my petulant young life unfurled!

“This is the day the Lord hath made . . .”

A simple thought I carefully weighed.

God’s in charge, not me I learned;

That’s the secret I discerned.

Live simple and give much,

Scatter sunshine, love and such.

Words learned when I was young,

For a lifetime on my tongue!

Let go and let God have His way!

This attitude must not sway!

Charlie Doggett

May 10, 2013

A New Heaven & A New Earth & A New Eden

Revelation Chapters 21 & 22

21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”^[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’^[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³ No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

This morning's worship service focused on Heaven as described in Revelation