Exploring the aftershocks in both; Lessons from a Stammering Monarch

Christchurch and Christ’s Church
Exploring the aftershocks in both

Christchurch, New Zealand has collapsed.
An earthquake rocked its soul.
And aftershocks reduced its pride
to chaos, grief and woe.

There’s loss of life, despair and tears
and haunting memories.
What once were viewed as normative
are abnormalities.

Christ’s Church is, too, on shaky ground.
That isn’t really new.
What once stood tall for holiness
has crumbled. Yes, it’s true.

The tremors started long ago
as God’s Word was attacked
when some church leaders deemed His Book
as fiction more than fact.

The quaking grew much stronger
when their views on Jesus changed.
Some claimed He’s but one way to God.
To them that wasn’t strange.

And neither is the way that truth
is redefined at will.
It’s relative and up for grabs.
God’s voice is often stilled.

Christ’s Church foundation will give way
without its cornerstone.
Without commitment to what’s right
it’s left to die alone.

Lessons from a Stammering Monarch
Takeaways from “The King’s Speech”

A star-studded portrayal
of a stuttering king
should land Colin Firth
that gold first-place thing.

King George VI was slow of speech.
He struggled with his words.
But thanks to one played by Geoff Rush
he soon was self-assured.

The King’s Speech is a brilliant film
deserving Oscar’s nod.
But more than that it celebrates
a principle from God.

We are not meant to live alone.
Companionship’s God’s gift.
There’s nothing like a friend’s advice
to give a needed lift.

We fail to reach all we can be
when we go it alone.
We stammer, flustered prone to fail
by trying on our own.

We only can annunciate
and speak with eloquence
when we let others draw us out
with words they never mince.