MY LONG GRIEF (A POEM)

The loss of one, the loss of a son,
The loss of a wife, the loss of a life,
The loss of a lover,  
Slow to recover,
Becomes a long grief.

The hurt of absence,
The pain of empty,
The sound of silence,
There is no relief. 

Don’t cliché me to death,
Don’t tell me ‘don’t cry,’
Don’t say get a grip,
When I cry out ‘Why?’
Mine is a long grief.

One day will pass and then another,
In some deficit way,
I will recover,
But I won’t be the same.
My long grief laid its claim.

I’ll smile again and help others grin,
Hiding the anguish I carry within.
I’ll live longer and I’ll live without,
But I’ll always miss the one life was about.
‘twill be a long grief.

© Ron Unruh, March 2020

WE ARE DUST

It’s just my opinion. You can take it or leave it. Just don’t argue with me. You’re entitled to keep your own opinions to yourself. Humans are such momentary and delicate beings, superfluous really to the functions of the universe. Our existence is perilous. We are dust. We will return to dust. There are no guarantees to us about our continued health, future success, or the promise of tomorrow. However, mercifully, we have a God who loves us and, for some divine mystery, he values our presence. He is a God who walks among us. He did it once literally, and since he came and went, he is with us non-stop by His Spirit inside us if we allow him. How much do we undervalue who the Spirit is, what it means to us to have the Spirit of Christ alive within us. 

WE DO NOT LOSE HEART

On Sunday February 9, 2020 I preached at Northwest Langley Baptist Church. It’s a small congregation now. This church had glory years of vibrant helpful ministries to many people. Over many decades the bush that once surrounded this church building turned into a commercial, industrial area with numerous dining establishments nearby. It’s on the 200^th Street high traffic corridor at a strategically located intersection where the Colossus Theatre sits. Residential areas are not immediate to the church property. Some might view its future as tenuous. Some in the church might be discouraged. The apostle Paul wrote letters to the church in Corinth, and 2 Corinthians chapter 4 Paul expressed ideas that I believe were appropriate for NWLBC, and predictably for almost every other Christian who experiences a whack of trouble and heartache at different times. 

The link below brings you to an archive of audio recordings of recent sermons. Look for Feb 9, 2020 – 2 Corinthians 4. You can listen to all of it, or perhaps touch the thin grey progress line at the 35-minute mark, and listen to the last few minutes.

How Can Northwest Langley Baptist Church Fit Into God's Strategy

PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS

On November 3 2019 I spoke at Cloverdale Baptist Church on the subject Persecution and the Response that must be expected from us toward other believers in jeopardy in many nations where freedom of religion is denied.

The link presents the 35 min presentation. Persecution and a CBC Response November 03, 2019
 

RAPID CHRISTIAN RESPONSE IS NOT A TOO-TALL EXPECTATION.

It’s not surprising that some Christians become disillusioned and disappointed with a church, with its leaders and with the Christian friends who comprise it. Christian education and evangelism are not the only services a church should prioritize. When a person, or couple or family experiences a crisis, the church should respond. Rapid Christian response should be the ready position. Christian friends should jump to assist. Even when the presenting issue is awkward, distressing, immoral, angry, or hopeless, it is a God-assigned responsibility to love and to listen and to counsel and to shelter and to give aid. That’s not a too-tall expectation.

COUNTERING THE CLAIM THAT OBAMA WAS THE MOST ANTI-CHRISTIAN PRESIDENT

Claims that are Made to Justify the Opinion that Obama was the Most Anti Christian President. 

First, this allegation is made without an comparative information about other US Presidents. Second, I have answered each of Conservative activist David Horowitz’s eight itemized accusations with some factual evidence that invalidates the majority of the claims. He himself could have ferreted out these details. Nothing is gained by these crazy claims. But Horowitz managed to sell another book with this diatribe. Dark Agenda. No one should share either liberal or conservative activist exaggerations without first examining them and validating them.

PRO-LIFER OPINIONS ABOUT SOCIAL ISSUES OTHER THAN ABORTION

An acquaintance wrote a statement recently. It prompted me to think and to respond. He wrote, “Things I'll never understand: how American "pro-life" advocates can justify the violation of the right to personal bodily integrity to prevent abortion, but cannot entertain the thought of ANY violation of the right to access firearms that would prevent the mass murder of school children.”

Immediately thereafter, he added a second statement. “If you're "pro-life" in America, you are most likely fine with forcing a 13 year old rape victim to carry to term and give birth to the perpetrator's child, but vehemently opposed to restrictions that would limit access to fully automatic military weapons that kill thousands every year.” 

I enjoy thoughtful people whose minds stimulate significant discussion points.