Happiness In Seasons

I would delight in nothing less
Then pure, attuned, fair happiness!
This is the way I claim what's mine:
October fields in gleaming rye
The April blooms, the May divine
November's trees of crimson wine---
December snows, and August rains
The shining January lanes,
A lover's knot for month's between:
The silent February sheen.
Of March, July, September's breeze
I'd gain the pale, unswerving leaves
That drift amongst the lacy round
Of stars, and moon, and shadowed ground.
June, left alone, is not forgot:
Its final petaled joy has brought
Completeness to my soul---and blessed
I bask in graceful happiness!

Evangelism

I'm no deep theologian or a sign-toting street evangelist (far from it---I'm still struggling to witness!), but I do know sincerity and a sense of humility will get you a long way with people.
People are people---all of us are sinners, and when we speak about Christ, we're doing it in gentleness and love, not in the heat of a fiery debate or winning the 'faith' argument. Listen and ask questions more than spouting religious dogma, and most of all, act like a concerned friend instead of turning people off with your irritation to 'get the upper hand' of the conversation.
Sure, people may say some stuff that isn't it line with you, but that's why you're convicting them of their sins and handing them the Gospel's truth. It isn't about argument---it's about salvation.
I found Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron's ways of presenting the gospel really great for future use. (www.livingwaters.com has their videos and presentation.) I've given out their gospel tracts and their fun, unoffensive ways that get people's attention.
Of course, sometimes you can't get a person to change their mind at the moment. That's okay, too. You may have planted a seed that another person will water, and a third will help grow.
(www.NeedGod.com is also a great website, part of livingwaters.)

Birches at Dusk

Pale white trees in the silver dusk,
Silent leaves through the sunset hills,
Drifting blooms in the breathless air:
Songs of Spring on the sparrow bills;
Gentle, gracious, heaving Wind
Catching trees with the fingered fist
Corpulent moon on the bannered sky
Waiting amongst the grass-blown wisps.
Birches, fragrant and bending low,
Wait for the times of integral sun:
Flowering stalks, Springtime dawn
Red, on the brow of the river's run.

The Shift in Feminine Dress

The entire entity of femininity has seemed to fade in the last few decades. We see women in low-cut tops and short-shorts, flaunting their 'stuff', and, in some cases, appearing like a man in their cut of clothing and style choices. There's something to be said about a woman remaining fascinating because of her modesty. It's different, it's soft, and it's...astonishing. With so many women and young girls trying to attract---yes, attract!---lust from men around them, it's like a shining sunbeam when a woman comes into the room with a skirt on and a beautifully patterned top.
It's difficult to dress modestly with the ads we're given, but the truth is, it's definitely more fulfilling in view of a woman's personal femininity. It gives her confidence, grace, and gentleness of spirit, all aspects which the Bible repeatedly promotes. It guards and exudes purity, and most of all, it takes to great lengths the passage which says, "In which you [children of God] shine like stars." (Within a crooked and depraved generation.) --Philippians 2:15
Frankly, it's difficult to see over the bulging bellies and tight pants to the Christ-toting tee shirt above. If Christian women are to put themselves into the golden service which calls them to meek and gentle living, then their clothing should show it as well.
Women in the Depression had limited clothing choices, yet we whine about the little amount of modest clothing out in the world today. Certainly, we have to look for it, but it's there. We have racks to choose from, cheap and not-so-cheap, we have the ability to learn how to sew and often the money to buy inexpensive fabric.
Put a flower in your hair once in a while and see how it makes you feel. Wear a skirt to the grocery store instead of jeans. Be bold. After all, we are women. (:
(Compare and contrast the two pictures above and tell me what you think. Which would you see as more feminine, which more unattractive and unnoticeable in the mobs of the rest of society? Aren't we supposed to separate ourselves from this generation?)

Story of the Skies

Like a charming angel,
The golden sunlight flew,
To tear apart the dawning,
And split apart the blue:
Like a wily devil,
the crimson moonbeam played,
And ripped apart the sunlight
With greedy, bloody rays.
"I'd have you hung and cornered!"
The painful sunbeam cried;
"The promises you hand me!"
The nasty moon replied---
And then the little cloudheads
Came up to bless the rue
And banished all the starlight
To cold and nightly dew.
So you may now admonish
The sky for being true:
And all because the dawning
Came up to bless the blue.

My Little Bird and Me

We'd been the way of all the world:
My little bird and me;
We'd seen the golden, cresting shores
And all the wind-torn leas,
We'd watched the little rabbits sit
In summer, by the lanes
And every clock, and every month
Go skipping through the rain.
We'd been the way of all the world:
The valleys, and the fog
We'd seen epitome of light
Upon the mossy log
And taken many pictures of
The cold and glassy sea:
We'd been the way of all the world,
My little bird and me.

Manhood and Womanhood Defined

I just read a great book on the subject of manhood and womanhood, titled, "What's the Difference? Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible", by John Piper.

I can't directly quote him, but he acknowledges that mature men are here to protect, provide for, and lead women according to differing, appropriate relationships to women. Women were made to affirm, receive, and nurture strength and leadership from worthy men in appropriate, differing relationships.

What this basically means is that men are the leaders in the marriage (and even in society with women), although they acknowledge, and yes, decide based on equal conversation with their wives. Women are meant to uphold that leadership and follow their husband's decisions.

Now, I am not going to get into the complexities of why some women must work to provide for an ailing, unable to bear that leadership responsibility husband. Nor am I going to tread the controversial waters of the independent, "I don't need a man to lead me." attitudes, or the thoughts of why certain men are inadequate to lead their families. On the whole, I believe that man and woman were put here on earth with different roles as husband and wife, although they are equally valued by God.

I also think that Scripture supports men initiating as the main leader in spiritual matters, i.e. leading their family in prayer, taking the family to church, and setting up Biblical studies. Again, don't misinterpret this: there are instances when men do not step up to the plate, so to speak, and women must humbly and gently---while meekly asking their husband for his leadership---continue their walk with Christ and the family.

__________________

Tree Song

A league, a league, a merry league
The passions that the birches read
In letters, leaves, and little breeze
That skips in merry, sighing heaves.
A breath, a beauty, and the gasp
Of winds and weathers maples clasp
In branches swaying, soft and high
Amongst the pale, intriguing sky.
Some silent hill, some mountain pass
Ringed all about with swaying grass
And pine trees playing verdant songs
Where eagles play, and hares belong.
They'd have you lost, those swinging trees
In butterflies, and basking bees
In wings of laughter, tails of leaves
And paper trails of Sun.

The Concept of Courtship

A couple of friends of mine entered into a courtship, and eventually ended up marrying. In basic terms, you limit your amount of touching/caressing to remain pure with the other person, you both remain accountable to a mentor (usually it's the parents of the courting couple), and your intent is not just for 'fun' dating, but with a future possibility of marriage. That means both of the people in the courtship are prepared beforehand to consider marriage in the future (though that does not mean they will marry the person they're courting---courtships can be broken off and are not an engagement! It is simply an acknowledgment that you aren't some girl or guy that just wants to date for the romantic side of it, but are seriously considering marriage.).
Joshua Harris, in his book Boy meets Girl, gave a great version of courtship that worked really well for him and helped him and his future spouse consider each other in terms of both friends and, later, when they had established that, an attracted couple romantically. You can't have only the romantic/attraction side of it making all the decisions. YES, that is needed, but you must also consider the other person's spirituality, personality, and compatibility with your own values and lifestyle. Of course, with a Christian we're told to not be 'unequally yoked' with an unbeliever---meaning, choose your future spouse based on their relationship with God that will pull you up, and not away from, God and his laws.
Anyway, I have a last bit of advice for all of you teenagers and younger kids. Try not to focus so much on relationships right now, especially if you are still young and not ready emotionally, or spiritually, for something as great and sacred as marriage. You can focus more on things that will improve your future right now, and also make you the right person for your spouse when you're ready. Most teenagers don't end up with the guy or girl they thought was 'cute' in chemistry class and spent the summer struggling up courage to become boyfriend/girlfriend with.
Girls and guys, God has a greater plan for you then breaking up and hooking up. He wants you to experience things, and help you to remain pure, without the confusion and strain of relationships.
I Kissed Dating Goodbye is also a great book for all of you who still have questions! Thanks for reading!

Sunset on the Shore

The sea was crashing 'gainst the shore
A thousand lives of foam, or more
Had greedily engaged the core
Of sunlight piercing waves.
The quiet cliffs, the dropping moor
Were white, against the scattered floor
Of oceans curling golden doors
Across the aqua skies.
The seashell dipped her scarlet chest
Against the places where the crest
Fell floating through the scattered nests
Of gulls, upon the rocks---
And breezes skipped across the sea
To make it ruffle, lace and reed
Against the temporary bleed
Of sunset on the shores.

Other Issues of the Bible

Although How Faint the Whisper will mainly focus on nature, I will also include articles on several subjects consistent with Scriptural values, such as my opinion on:
1. Roles of Womanhood and Manhood
2. Evangelism
3. Courting vs. Dating
4. Holiness and Purity
5. Other Biblical Issues
For the most part, I will be posting poetry for your personal enjoyment and encouragement, but these other issues are also raised frequently in Christian circles, and I would like to make a point of mixing them in occasionally with my poetry.
Thanks, as always, for reading.

To Golden Roads

You found the road, the distant road,
It wound itself away,
Its beauty burned from fragrant throats
Of wild rye and hay,
Its heart was in the turning tide
Of trees that barred the stream,
Its leaves blew breath across the boughs
That floated by the Gleam.
You felt it pass the solemn elk,
The stagnant pond, the lake,
The vivid green drew brushstrokes on
The silver, beaming brake;
You watched the summer cast away
And whisper love notes dear
Upon the glens, and harbored wrens
In little havens sheer.
You found the road, the distant road
Then looked into the shrouds
To find the leaves go drifting down
Amongst the marble clouds:
But though the trees were shining green---
An emerald, heaven-brought---
The veins upon the drifting leaves
Were gold---an angel's lot.
You passed the road a distant foot
A mile, wheeled free
While all around you golden leaves
Fell flowing from the trees.

Introduction to How Faint a Whisper

Hello and welcome to my blog, How Faint the Whisper. The title of my blog was based on Scripture in Job, which states,
"God spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing. He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it. He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters, for a boundary between light and darkness. The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at his rebuke. By his power he churned up the sea...By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent. And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?"---Job 26: 7-14
In my blog, I seek to glorify God in poetry, posts, and discussion. Often, my poetry and other links are based on moral concerns in our world today. Thank you for joining me as we journey together down this path of God's beauty.
My first installment of poetry will soon be posted for viewing.