Music With What's Left

I read about the performance of a most inspiring musician. Itzhak Perlman, who is a concert violinist that was stricken with polio as a child. He has braces on both legs and walks slowly and painfully. In one of his concerts a string broke on his violin. Instead of going through the time consuming process to get a replacement string, Itzhak played a symphonic work with three strings instead of the usual four strings. It's supposed to be impossible to play a symphonic work on three strings, but that night Itzhak refused to know that. You could see him modulating, changing and recomposing the piece in his head. At one point it sounded like he was detuning the strings to get new sounds from them that they had never made before. After he finished the piece, the applause was thunderous.  He smiled, wiped the sweat from his bow, raised his bow to quiet the audience, and then said-not boastfully, but in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone, "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left." This poem is dedicated to Itzhak Perlman and all those committed  to passionately making the most beautiful music possible with what they have left.


MUSIC WITH WHAT'S LEFT


Each human is unique,
Something special,
Some are born handicapped,
Others become handicapped later,
It may be physical,
Or  mental,
Whatever form it takes,
Whenever it happens,
No matter how slight it is,
It leaves us at a disadvantage,
Areas where we struggle,
Or can't perform at all,
Whatever life hands us,
Whether a full cup,
Or one that's almost empty,
Or somewhere in between,
Our attitude is so important,
We can be whiners,
Or winners,
 A blessing to others,
With our positive attitude,
Kind actions,
Or a curse,
With our negative words,
Self centered actions,
Whatever we have left,
To make music with,
We need to use it,
Chose to live passionately,
With purpose,
Seek to make beautiful music,
By discovering our gifts,
Using them to glorify Elohim,
Bring his life to others.

Shadows

The poem "Shadows" much like "Watching Raindrops Dance" rejoices in God's awesome creation. There are various types of shadows in this world both good and bad.  According to the dictionary definition of this word a shadow is "a shade or patch of shade, or a shaded part of a picture." There are several other definitions for the word, but these two are sufficient for the purposes of our discussion. Something shaded can't be seen clearly. A shadow is a reflection of some tangible object. This can be beautiful like the shadows on my wall or be ominous like the shadow of someone who is stalking you. There can be shadows of the true and also of the false. What we say and do is a reflection of our character. It can mean that we are not being transparent or honest in our dealings with others and trying to hide something. Our Savior wants us to walk uprightly and determine to be honest in all our dealings with others. Psalm 15 encourages believers about the benefits of walking uprightly and speaking truth in our hearts. Proverb 2:7 promises us that "He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly..." That is what I want in my life.

                    SHADOWS

Tree branches sway,

Shadows of the real,

So delicately beautiful,

They decorate my wall,

As no picture can,

Sunbeams dance,

On my oak floors,

Emitting a golden glow,

Rainbows light up the room,

Radiating off my prism,

Each speaks peace,

Cheers and comforts,

Tells of an awesome Creator,

And his magnificent creation. 

Watching Raindrops Dance

Our Creator, to use one of my favorite 

expressions, is profoundly simple. I'm 

seeing ever more clearly the things that really 

matter the most in life. We can be in 

such a rush that we miss the restorative 

blessings of all that our very good Father has 

given us so richly to enjoy. Time alone with 

him, fellowship with other believers, enjoying 

discussing Scripture with liked minded people, 

rejoicing over his numerous blessings in our 

lives and spending time in  his creation 

together, refreshing ourselves as we give 

thanks for its beauty are but a few of 

God's (Elohim in the Hebrew) choicest gifts to 

us.

Recently, Chuck and I took a walk in a  local park with a zoo after service on Sabbath. We ran into some old friends whom we had not seen in a while. We enjoyed the zoo's cougars, tigers, bears and buffalo together. What an awesome Creator. One of the friends we toured the zoo with is a very enthusiastic Puerto Rican. I tease him, "You never get excited about anything."  He's a joy to be around. His wife is quiet, but really sweet and is also a joy to be with. There honey daughter was with them. What an enjoyable walk. We exclaimed over the size of the tiger's feet. While the male tiger is very bright colored, the female is very light colored. Again, what an awesome Creator.

The next time it rains, I encourage you  to take time to watch the raindrops dance and give thanks to our wonderful Creator for all his marvelous gifts. You are all in my love and prayers. In our most precious Messiah, Jan Hagg  

WATCHING RAINDROPS DANCE

Rejoicing in your creation,

Its loveliness,

Watching raindrops dance,

Joyously hit the pavement,

 Rejoice in life,

 In your goodness,

They give the earth a bath,

Remove the air’s dust,

Leave it so fresh smelling,

 Each raindrop is transparent,

Like fine crystal,

The leaves so still,

Then gently swaying,

Praising you,

The quietness so refreshing,

I don’t want to leave.

They Did It For Us!

A New Year has arrived and I'm sending you a new poem. It was written at the end of the old year. A New Year's gift from me to you. I am still doing a afternoon Bible Study at the county jail every other Friday. My partner brought in the most beautiful song called "How Many Kings," which really blessed me. It was the inspiration for this poem. The poem is different from the song, but still has the same theme which is the awesome love of the Father that he would send his only begotten son to die for us. Also the love of son for his fallen creation that he would come and live amongst sinners and then pay the torturous price to redeem us.  Hopefully it ministers to you. In Him, Jan

THEY DID IT FOR US!

The king of all kings,

 Laid aside his crown,

 Left heaven’s perfection,

 For a manger,

 A crown of thorns,

 And a cross.

The sinless Master,

Humbled himself,

 Took on flesh,

 Hating man’s wickedness,

 He grieved over lost humans,

 Healed and set them free.

The Creator of all,

Was tempted,

 Just like us,

Yet without sin,

 Had human needs,

 Felt what we feel.

El’s only begotten son,

 Suffered a broken heart,

Was betrayed,

 Beaten and mocked,

 Spit upon,

 Died between two thieves.

Yahweh Shall Supply

For the past several months Chuck has been laid off. I love to do studies on various Scriptural topics. I am presently studying the subject of Yahweh's provision in Scripture. Even though the word provision isn't found in Scripture,  the word supply is. The two Scriptures I used in this poem are found in Philippians 4:19 and Ephesians 3:20. Another neat Scripture I came across on the  this subject is found in Psalm 112:1-10. 


                                YAHWEH WILL SUPPLY

Yahweh will supply,

Not just some,

But all of my needs,

Not with thrift store rejects,

Not just his earthly wealth,

As vast as that is,

But his riches in glory,

Not through man,

But by my Messiah,

Not my greedy wants,

But every genuine need,

Emotional, spiritual, physical,

If I but seek him,

Not material possessions,

He will give me his desires,

Reveal my true needs,

For relationship,

With him,

Other believers,

Time in nature,

Rest, exercise,

Healthful food,

A peaceful home,

Satisfying work,

And all else,

If I put him first,

Yahweh will daily provide,

Not a stone or serpent,

But all my needs,

Exceedingly, abundantly,

Beyond all I could ask,

Or even think!