Unchained Agony

01 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Poetry

Tags

adult son. agonizing challenge, agony, anguish, child, circle of life, family dynamics, flashbacks, hope, loss, new growth, nightmare, profound sorrow, rebirth, renewal, somberness, sweet reunion, unchained, unchained agony

Spring isn’t the season of renewal
When April’s flower does not bloom in May
All because Death forgot how to behave—
So hell-bent on crippling the living
Perpetually with profound sorrow.

Day after day, the sounds of somberness
Break the silence of sadness with painful
Reminders of an unfathomable
Loss that is every parent’s worst nightmare—
Burying a child, no matter the age;
Each gone-too-soon offspring denied time to
Fully blossom as next generation,
Signifying the changing of the guard.

Sunrise to sunset—compressed life unzipped
During regeneration rotation
Uncommonly aping winter’s barren
Graveyards veiling wealth of invisible
Existences—presence now replayed as
Flashbacks airing on The Recall Channel.

An unwanted change inserted itself
Into family dynamics, scrubbing
An interaction mortals can’t restore.

Travel on circle of life is rougher
Than ever since initial departure,
And there’s no joy in sight, no happiness
Likely ‘til arriving at journey’s end,
Then the sweet reunion of glorified
Bodies with souls and spirits will trigger
Final renewal season for the dead
In Christ and those alive when He appears.

~ the above poem is from Deep-Rooted Disposition, my new poetry manuscript; this poem is about the profound sorrow I have felt since my oldest child/son, Olumuyiwa Ade Keen, went home to be with the Lord . . . April 30, 1972 – May 2, 2017

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you. ~ 2 Corinthians 2:4, NASB

Transformation

13 Tuesday Oct 2015

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Poetry

≈ 2 Comments

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bleeding soul, gem-stone quality, gold, goldfinches, gray mood, gray personality, grays, happiness, hope, joyousness, love, peace, Progressive or Practical Sanctification, ravens, transformation, victory, yellows

Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. ~ Ephesians 4:22-24, MSG

Sadness comes in many colors,
Depression does too—it’s not just blue.

Yellows are few and far between,
For goldfinches of happiness
Never fly where ravens of sorrow
Twitter destruction, agony, and death—
Loss of hope, peace, victory, and joyousness.

People say: “You think you’re smart,”
“A real know-it-all”; or “you’ve got some gall.”

The pall of their willful blindness
Throws shade—they err in judgment;
Can’t discern lack of confidence or fear
Of highbrows ripping apart
Everything I write or speak.
They are unable to see
Day-to-day gray mood
With companion fuchsia funk
Suffused with a purple haze
Emanating from hues of red and blue—
A reserved mix of passion and trust.

No mental assent here; it’s clear
Grace accepted; resurrected new life.

Redeemed, reborn, saved, justified,
Being sanctified: Holy Spirit filled, refilled,
Transformed, pruned, taught, nudged,
Controlled; yet, unaware of true
Natural talents or
Spiritual gifts, if any.

Transitioning between two non-colors;
In a compromise season, no rhyme or reason.

Must preserve balance and stability, but
Gray mood—not black or white—is unemotional,
Detached, indecisive, and motionless;
Makes a mature and responsible fence-sitter
Who ironically maintains status quo, with
Gray of old age—a blend of blue, green,
Pink, pale purple, and yellow
Running together;
Chronic suffering of sorts;
Praying and hoping pain will go away—
This issue of blood, a bleeding soul.

It’s now or never—produce gold, silver
Gem-stone quality deeds that endure for sure.

Survive consuming Fire’s test, or enter eternity
Without teeth or taste; no smell, sounds, sight or touch—a true reversal;
For this fact tortures very core: young no more!
Born in year of rabbit: tender, sensitive, noble,
Approachable, amorous, but conservative;
Even so, unloved and unfortunate.

Let window He opens when
Opportunity’s last door shuts
Release freedom, hope, necessities
So aging believer
With simplified faith
Can have deepest needs met:
A belonging feeling; a healing satisfied;
A place in the Son; a balanced life.

Let gray tints—sadness and depression—transform
As faith’s Author and Finisher manifests
Brightest, purest gold—love, respect, favor;
Enhanced vision, clarity of thought;
Rebuilt confidence, and restored lost
Hope, peace, victory and joyousness.
Forever and ever and ever more, amen.

~ from My Spirit’s Musing manuscript

Turning A New Leaf This New Year

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Praises and Thanks

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

forgiveness, future plans, God's Peace, hope, life's uncertainties, New Year 2013, reconciliation, turning a new leaf, unchanging love

‘For I know what plans I have in mind for you,’ says Adonai, ‘plans for well-being, not for bad things; so that you can have hope and a future.’ ~ Jeremiah 29:11, CJB

My deepest appreciation to you wonderful people for following, visiting, reading, liking, and/or commenting on any of my blog’s articles, poetry, musings, or pictures this past year. Each one of you marvelous people truly has been a blessing to me!

Additionally, my deepest appreciation to you incredible posters who have shared your blog’s awe-inspiring articles, poetry, musings, and/or pictures with me this past year. Thank you so much for sharing with me everything our God has given to you, because so much of what you have posted actually helped me to increase in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. I absolutely have enjoyed everything I read and viewed in 2012, even if I didn’t click the “like” button or comment on your postings!

This New Year, as we turn over a new leaf and hope to do better, I pray that our Lord’s presence and guidance will be with us all, as we face the future. With every uncertainty of life that lies ahead of us, I pray that our Lord will continue to assure us of His unchanging love while kindling within us our faith in His hope and plan for our future.

Let us forgive every hurt

Let go of the past,

Seek God’s peace,

Respond to His reconciliation

Request and savor

His hope for the future,

This New Year.

Happy New Year, 2013!

The cartoon used in this blog posting is from Joyful ‘toons.

Strong Encouragement

23 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Heavenly Insights

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afflictions, anchored, Christ Jesus, comfort, dangers and perils, hope, persecutions, Rock, shipwrecked, strong encouragement, sure foundation, temptations

This was so that, by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before [us]. ~ Hebrews 6:18, AMP

Not only are we to have hope, and comfort from that hope, but also we are to make use of our hope and comfort. Like ships are to a tempestuous sea, subject to the dangers of being tossed and driven, or even shipwrecked, our bodies, souls, and spirits are subject to the dangers and perils of temptations, persecutions, and afflictions. Just as the ships that are tossed and driven by the storms of nature need to be anchored in something that is steady and sure, our bodies, souls, and spirits must be anchored in a sure foundation, a steadfast hope, that will prevent us from becoming shipwrecked. For believers, that sure foundation is Christ Jesus—believers’ hope; their strong encouragement, which is set before them.

In several respects, Christ Jesus not only is the object of our hope but also He is the Rock upon which we can anchor our hope. In Christ Jesus, we have the assurance that our hope in our High Priest, who has made it possible for us to go beyond the veil and enter into the presence of God, will never fail us. Because of Christ Jesus’ sacrifice and His intercession, God has made it possible for our hope to be fastened solidly, steadfastly, and irrevocably to our Savior and Lord.

Moreover, Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection also provide us with the most earnest and perfect examples of a first-fruit hope, a hope that maintains that just as Christ Jesus was resurrected from the dead we too will follow in a like manner after Him. And, our Lord also assures us that we have a sure hope in the fact that He will accomplish the WHOLE work and design of God, which is to watch over our heavenly interests and concerns (our prayers), to watch over our safety and well-being in this world, and to watch over our positions in heavenly places.

Holy Spirit, please teach us how to express our love for God’s peace, joy, and happiness that He gives us, because we know that we safely can hope for, trust in, and depend on Him to keep His promises. Help us to see, Holy Spirit, that our hope of glory, our fear of the Lord, and the comforts of the Holy Spirit are our “strong consolations” (KJV) that strengthen and encourage us, even in the midst of our strongest trials and tribulations, as long as we remain anchored in (if we lay hold upon) the Gospel and the Person of Jesus the Christ. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Taken from Heavenly Insights