LIPS

"And I said, Woe unto me! 

for I am undone; 

for I am a man of unclean lips, 

and I dwell in the midst 

of a people of unclean lips";

"Asps' poison is under their lips" ...

But there is a Man, 

Of whom it can be said,

"His lips lilies, dropping liquid myrrh":

Pure word, sprung from suffering love,

For grace is poured into His lips.

While "He that loveth pureness of heart, 

upon whose lips is grace" -

May I have this blessing! -

"The king is his friend".

He has His answer in someone

Whose "lips are like a thread of scarlet",

Bright as Rahab's signal.

... One of the seraphim

Took the glowing coal

From the altar, and said,

"Behold, this hath touched thy lips; 

and thine iniquity is taken away, 

and thy sin expiated".

Joshua 2: 21

Psalm 45: 2

Proverbs 22:11

Song of Solomon 4:3

Song of songs 5: 13 

Isaiah 6: 5

Romans 3: 13

Straiton Pond (again)

SENSES

 

Blest Spirit, help increase my appetite

For Jesus whom Thou dost present as food;

I long to savour more of this delight

Since I have tasted that the Lord is good.

Thou didst, blest Spirit, open up my ear

To hear the Saviour when I was astray;

Help me to listen and have ears to hear

Thy word to the assemblies day by day.

Though Moses died His eyesight did not dim -

O Spirit of the Lord control my sight

That with my eyes exclusively on Him

My body always may be full of light.

The Lord of life has touched me in my need:

He lifted me and set me up through grace -

Blest Spirit, help me handle well I plead

The substance of this elevated place.

A life entirely for the Father's will

And death entirely to the Father's mind

Rose as a fragrance - may, blest Spirit, still

Such fragrance rise from those Thou hast refined.

(I was reminded of this old one by https://freshinsightsonancienttruths.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-danger-of-distractions.html?sc=1759662611678#c7761740279406800422

More of the Firth of Forth (from Fife)

THE COMING ONE

 

Once unto Israel’s remnant
Thou wast the Coming One
They saw Thee in the temple
And hailed their rising sun;
And still a waiting people
With opened ear and eye
Desire the Coming One’s face
And long to hear His cry.

The Firth of Forth

THE FIRSTBORN

Thou cause of heaven’s exultation,
Yet in such lowliness displayed,
Thou hast, as Firstborn of creation,
Lived in the world that Thou hadst made!

And such the grace of Thy subjection
That Thou hast died here in our stead,
But in Thy glorious resurrection
Thou art the Firstborn from the dead.

When Thou wast here there were not any
To comfort Thee in time of strife
But now Thou art Firstborn of many -
Thy brethren in Thy risen life.

Come near as Man Thou art distinguished
As Firstborn by the Father’s choice;
Thy praise will never be extinguished
And all Thy worshippers rejoice.

If you look hard you can see Edinburgh Castle top centre, and, a little clearer, Craigmillar Castle to the left, with Arthur's Seat to the right.  This is from the only spot I know of, near Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where the two castles can be seen.

TO YOU WHO BELIEVE

(1 Peter 2: 7)

(1 Peter 1: 19)
What could resolve our need,
And satisfy God’s heart and mind?
Precious blood.

(1 Peter 2: 6)
Men saw a stone, thwart to their building;
God saw a Corner-stone for all His works,
Elect, precious.

(2 Peter 1: 1)
What can avail itself of precious blood?
Or of this precious Corner-stone?
Precious faith.

(Psalm 133: 2)
From the Head, giving savour to all
Down to the hem of the garments flows
Precious Oil.

 (1 Kings 10: 21)
In the expansive house of the forest
Of Lebanon all of the vessels
Precious gold.

(Ezra 8: 27)
What workmanship!  Now God has
Vessels of shining copper
Precious as gold.

(Revelation 21: 11)
What workmanship! Now descends
The holy city – her illuminating,
Like a most precious stone.

Near home in Midlothian, Scotland

"I ASCEND"

 "I ascend":

One Man had the capability to say this.

 "I ascend":

One Man had the authority to say this.

 "I ascend":

One Man had the moral right to say this. 

On The Moray Firth

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