Burky's Blog

I hang here…
with the piecing pain of nails beneath my flesh,
as rust wars with my blood.

Running through me…
coursing through my veins the taint of metal
staining from within.

I close my eyes…
The pain's too much...
To shut my eyes might shut the pain away.

Yet still I see…
the nails before my eyes and in my sight,
with eyes shut tight.

I can feel them in me…
the man shaped metal mingles with my blood;
The blood of God.

And in my mouth…
I feel the drops that trickle
from the wounds above my eyes.

I long for them…
To quench the thirst that burns.
A drop to douse the fire in my mouth.

My head…
stabbed with thorns from the crown that makes me king
of the people that would slay me.

King of what?
These people? This world?
Hanging on this tree… do they deserve me?

This tree…
who's very life was given by my breath;
knows whom it holds.

An honoured role…
for a tree, made by me,
to hold my final moments so the world may see.

And now…
the very breath that gave it life is failing.
The weight's too much, the weight's too great.
If you are…
the Son of God, come down.
Tempting.

With Mother…
Watching - the pain within her face.
Her Son the criminal, hanging with disgrace.

But what crime?
Teaching?
Healing?
Helping?
Feeding?
Caring?
Loving?

Are these the crimes that warrant death?
Torture?
Pain?

And all the while…
my Mother looks upon me
with a look
that serves
to tear
the dying embers
of love for this world
from my heart.

She sees me with the very eyes that saw me born into this world.

She sees me with the very eyes that saw me grow into a man.

She sees me with the very eyes that saw me fly toward my goal.

And all the while she knew.
If only they knew.
If only they realised.

The nail…
that's driven thorough my feet stings.
I feel it as it grates against my bone each time I feel I have the strength to move.
I can hear it grinding.

This is what they give me?
For caring for them?
This is what I get?
For loving them?
Foolish men.

Consumed by love for themselves, they are lost.

It's hard to breath up here.
It hurts to breath up here.
My thoughts aren't clear, up here.

Forgive them Dad; they don't know what they do.
Dad?
Dad…?
Dad!

Why have you forsaken me?

And in that moment, everything you ever did, everything you'll ever do, was held by God Himself.
And in that moment, the world changed…
The world changed…
The world changed…
The world was saved!

Washed clean, by blood that stains with love.
My blood.

Innocent blood.

Blood that should not have been shed.
Blood that should not have bled.

a price owed, a price paid.

And all you have to do is believe.

I did the rest.

THE COW AND THE ICE CREAM

ONE OF THE BEST EXPLANATIONS

OF WHY OBAMA WON THE ELECTION

From a teacher in the Nashville area

"We are worried about "the cow" when it is all about the "Ice Cream"

The most eye-opening civics lesson I ever had was while teaching third
grade this year..

The presidential election was heating up and some of the children
showed an interest.

I decided we would have an election for a class president.

We would choose our nominees. They would make a campaign speech and
the class would vote.

To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members.
We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have.

We got many nominations and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked
to run for the top spot.

The class had done a great job in their selections. Both candidates
were good kids.
I thought Jamie might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support.
I had never seen Olivia's mother.

The day arrived when they were to make their speeches.
Jamie went first.

He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place.
He ended by promising to do his very best.

Everyone applauded and he sat down.

Now is was Olivia's turn to speak.

Her speech was concise.
She said, "If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream."

She sat down.

The class went wild. "Yes! Yes!
We want ice cream."

She surely would say more. She did not have to.

A discussion followed.. How did she plan to pay for the ice cream?
She wasn't sure.

Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it.
She didn't know.

The class really didn't care.
All they were thinking about was ice cream.

Jamie was forgotten. Olivia won by a landslide.

Every time Barack Obama opened his mouth he offered ice cream and

52 percent of the people reacted like nine year olds.    They want ice cream.

The other 48 percent know they're going to have to feed the cow and
clean up the mess."

Remember, the government cannot give anything to anyone ---

that they have not first taken away from someone else.

THE BLOOD

One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart.

She responded to God's call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and
prostitution.

But, the change in her was evident. As time went on she became a
faithful member of the church.

She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children.

It was not very long until this faithful young woman  had caught the
eye and heart of the pastor's son.

The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans.

This is when the problems began.

You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman  with
a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor's son.

The church began to argue and fight about the matter..

So they decided to have a meeting...

As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting
was getting completely out of hand.

The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought
up about her past.

As she began to cry the pastor's son stood to speak.

He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be.

He began to speak and his statement was this:

"My fiancee's past is not what is on trial here.

What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin.

Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial.

So, does it wash away sin or not?"

The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been
slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Too often, even as Christians, we bring up the past and use it as a
weapon against our brothers and sisters.

Forgiveness is a very foundational part of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely
then it cannot cleanse us completely.

If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble..

What can wash away my sins?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus! End of case!!!!

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee he shall
never suffer the righteous to be moved."

Psalm 55:23

My instructions were to pick four people that I wanted God to bless
and I picked you.

Please pass this to four people you want to be blessed and a copy back to me.

This prayer is powerful and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive..

There is no cost but a lot of rewards, let's continue to pray for one another.

Here is the prayer:

"Father, I ask you to bless my friends, relatives  and email buddies
reading this right now.

Show them a new revelation of your love and power.

Holy Spirit, I ask you to minister to their spirit at this very moment.

Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy.

Where there is self doubt, release a renewed confidence  through your grace.

In Jesus' precious name.

Amen

I know I picked more than four, and you can, too.

IN GOD (THE I AM) WE TRUST

What Did You Do? 

Did you give him a lift?...he's a brother of man, 
and bearing about all the burden he can.
Did you give him a smile?...he was downcast and blue, 
and the smile would have helped him to battle it through. 

Did you give him your hand?...he was slipping down hill,
and the world, so I fancied, was using him ill. 
Did you give him a word?...did you show him the road?
...or did you just let him go on with his load? 

Did you help him along?...he's a sinner like you, 
but the grasp of your hand might have carried him through.
Did you bid him good cheer?...just a word and a smile,
were what he most needed that last weary mile. 

Did you know what he bore in that burden of care,
that is every man's load and that sympathy shares?
Did you try to find out what he needed from you?
...or did you just leave him to battle it through? 

Do you know what it means to be losing the fight, 
when a lift just in time might set everything right?
Do you know what it means - just the clasp of a hand, 
when a man's borne about all that a man ought to stand? 

Did you ask what it was - why the look of despair, 
and the sad face deep lined with shadows of care.
Were you a brother of his when the time came to be? 
Did you offer to help him - or didn't you see? 

Don't you know it's part of the brother of man, 
to find what the grief is and help, what you can?
Did you stop when he asked you to give him a lift?
...or were you so busy you left him to shift? 

Oh, I know what you meant, what you say may be true 
- but the test of your love is, "What did you do?"
Did you reach out a hand? Did you point him the road?
...or did you let him go on carrying his heavy load? 

1 Cor. 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender
my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She
didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.

When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the
longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her
at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and
looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she
said in a clear voice strong.

'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here
staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I
explained to her.

'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really looked
at your hands?'

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over,
palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at
my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Grandma smiled and related this story:

'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have
served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled
shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to
reach out and grab and embrace life.

'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.

They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my
mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled
on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off
to war.

'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were
uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with
my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved
someone special

They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my
parents and spouse.

'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and
shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.

They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the
rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried
and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works
real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to
fold in prayer.

'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.

But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out
and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to
His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of God.'

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God
reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my
hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and
husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed
and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

When you receive this, say a prayer for the person who sent it to you,
and watch God's answer to prayer work in your life. Let's continue
praying for one another.

Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both..

Passing this on to one not yet considered a friend is something God would do.