[StarfireIV]

A man in black
a man who struggled
a brother who died much too young
and by horrific means

Addictions
pills
nothing seemed to chase the demons away
the father who said "The Lord took the wrong son
Pictures of a life
pictures transformed by music
One of the few popular ones to whom the word
Gravitas
is correctly applied

He embraced old age
as if it were the mile marker
telling him home was near

Opposite Andy Griffith in a movie about crime
Playing an illiterate farmer
reduced to "lumpin"

The lean years
the slow burn years
and the feverish pace of composition
He still had things to do
despite the distant wail of the whistle
The 309 finally came
and we mourned
knowing all the while he was rejoicing

"Johnny Gravitas" 03/04/09

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

March 5, 2009

Idols In The Heart

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READ: Ezekiel 14:1-8

Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts. —Ezekiel 14:3

When my husband and I first went out as missionaries, I recall being concerned about the growth of materialism in our society. It never crossed my mind that I myself could be materialistic. After all, hadn’t we gone overseas with almost nothing? Weren’t we choosing to live in a shabbily furnished, rundown apartment? I thought materialism couldn’t touch us.

Nonetheless, feelings of discontent gradually began to take root in my heart. Before long I was craving hungrily after nice things and secretly feeling resentful over not having them.

Then one day God’s Spirit opened my eyes with a disturbing insight: Materialism isn’t necessarily having things; it can also be craving them. There I stood—guilty of materialism! God had exposed my discontent for what it was—an idol in my heart! That day as I repented of this subtle sin, God recaptured my heart as His rightful throne. Needless to say, a deep contentment followed, based not on things but on Him.

In Ezekiel’s day, God dealt thoroughly with this kind of secret idolatry. His throne on earth has always been in the hearts of His people. That’s why we must rid our heart of anything that destroys our contentment with Him.

The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from Thy throne
And worship only Thee. —Cowper

An idol is anything that takes the place of God.

Bible in One Year: Numbers 34-36; Mark 9:30-50

[WayzataJOHNN]

Good Morning one and all

To start the day, a thought to ponder

NIGHT TO DAY MARE

I awoke and found my country gone
changed between a dusk and a dawn
Where honor and honest no longer roam
and now only selective ‘truth’ calls home
Where any honest dissent brings wrath
and only left turns allowed in the path
Where the flag has become a joke now
and personal respect is a forbidden tao
Money is printed on toilet paper hope
and all for taking power over us dopes
Who’ll stand firm and say, and mean, NO
while others watch America crumble and go
Oh if this were but only my dream
but I find too many want to scream
Who will be as strong as those before
we let this evil within our very doors
Am I alone, or will you stand with me
across this great land from sea to sea

[JustAmy]

Happy Thursday, Starfire.

Thank you for sharing your poem tribute to the Man in Black. It is excellent.

Hope you are enjoying a Terrific Thursday and a Wonderful Week.

[Billie]

“Man in Black” - Thank you, Starfire. That was great. His life was certainly not an easy one, but his music was/is unforgettable.