RAISINCAKES

The vine had budded, blossomed and produced

Its grapes; they had been picked, and dried and pressed

And brought to David’s men, where they conduced

To show the graces Abigail expressed.

So some were given to the Egyptian slave

In his distress, so that his soul grew strong;

As brought back from the frontier of the grave,

He led against those who did David wrong.

Thus David, when he came to celebrate

The ark of God borne to a settled place

Gave with the bread and wine, joy was so great,

A raisin-cake as token of God’s grace.

And now sustaining food from the True Vine

Through grace and pressure may be yours and mine!

In the Grampian Highlands

LANDING IN BHUTAN

 

SPEAKING

The dumb ass spoke

Under divine power:

Lord, at least,

Make such use of me.

Abner, general

Of those against God’s king

Could speak truth: allow truth

To come even from me.

Necho, King of Egypt,

Could convey to Josiah

The word of God: let thy word

Issue by me.

But much more, make me

A suitable instrument,

A vessel consistent

With the message.

Let the trumpet tone

Be true; the string, tautened

By Thee, be undiscordant; the bell

Chime clear!

I'm safely back from Bhutan and India where I had a very good time.  I've been a bit busy since.

JOURNEY AND A FEW LINKS

 For your prayers: I go to Bhutan and India to visit believers on the Lord Jesus there over the next three weekends (if the Lord will).  A first visit to Bhutan, a largely Buddhist country, where Christians are restricted rather than persecuted.

I have eventually put all last year's Indian scenery photographs on https://dcbindia.blogspot.com/.

I have a bit of reading for anyone who wants it at Gislebertus, and also some Reflections here.

You can also look at the Christian magazine for which I share editing work at A Word in its Season.

And here are a few more Scottish scenes:

Near Montrose: with washing hanging out over the sea when the tide comes in.

JOHN

Consciously the disciple whom Jesus

Loved, you followed:

For you had leaned on Him

And you, in that nearness, had

Enquired: these features displayed

Such as continue to the end.

More near Scurdie Ness

JAMES

Was the training - one

Of the select: taken to the house

Of Jairus, the mountain of glory,

The garden of distress - squandered

On the point of Herod's sword?

No; you had thus formed in

Perfection heaven required. 

Scurdie Ness Lighthouse, Near Montrose

Montrose Basin

ANDREW

 

A fisherman's life - finding:

Messias found, your thought

Was first to find your brother

- Earliest fisher of men.

And the boy with loaves and fishes

You discovered: may I have such

Divine serendipity!

Signal Tower Museum

and

Lunan Bay

PETER

 

First, Peter ‑ not only

First to speak, wisely
Or not, first to act
Most often rashly ‑ you
Were selected, the first
Apostle to see Christ
Risen; the first preacher
In the fresh era; the first

To invade the Gentile earth.