http://theartofrhyme.wordpress.com/

Poem: Autumn

"Yours is the day, Yours also is the night;

You have established the heavenly lights and the sun.

You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; 

You have made summer and winter."

- Psalm 74:16-17

Autumn (Psalm 74:16-17)

By: Quina

Autumn comes

and I

     think

          I’m

               falling.

My

shadow stretches

depravity stalks me

groaning until this

Fall is lifted

and as I

through long nights

wait

I am struggling

wanting to take flight

away

from this chill

feeling I’m

dry and dying

but I

            can’t ignore these colors all around me

            orange, yellow, brown, red

            dead leaves

            remind me

            of Your determination of grace:

            the beautification of my mortification.

            Daily dying is not in vain.

And I know

Winter’s freeze has lost its sting

from its clutch I will thus Spring

to even brighter beams

of light and color

but

Autumn is when

You prepare me.

Creative Response: Cosmic Love

Original song: "Cosmic Love" by Florence and the Machine

Creative Response: "The Light They So Despise (Cosmic Love)" by Quina

Commentary: I did a rough draft recording of this piece as spoken word mixed with a remix of "Cosmic Love" on my computer, but I don't know how to upload it on here. Oh well. 

The purpose of this creative response wasn't so much to challenge what the original song's lyrics are communicating. Instead, I took the themes of light/darkness, vision/eyes, the heart, and living to contrast the blinding, deadening effect of the heart's depravity with the coming of the Light and the Life, Christ. From Him the majority of humanity hid, and hides, because of the darkness of our own hearts, the evil of our deeds. We even go so far as to demand further proof for the existence of God and the deity of Jesus. But this is like asking for proof that the sun is out when it is midday. Christ rightly said, “the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (John 3:19-20). The prayer of my poem is that God, who alone can shine “in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2Corinthians 4:6), would so shine in the dark shadows of unbelieving hearts.

"Cosmic Love"
by Florence and the Machine

A falling star fell from your heartAnd landed in my eyesI screamed aloud, as it tore through themAnd now it's left me blind
The stars, the moon, they have all been blown outYou left me in the darkNo dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilightIn the shadow of your heart
And in the dark, I can hear your heartbeatI tried to find the soundBut then it stopped and I was in the darknessSo darkness I became
The stars, the moon, they have all been blown outYou left me in the darkNo dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilightIn the shadow of your heart
I took the stars from my eyes and then I made a mapAnd knew that somehow I could find my way backThen I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness tooSo I stayed in the darkness with you
The stars, the moon, they have all been blown outYou left me in the darkNo dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilightIn the shadow of your heart
The stars, the moon, they have all been blown outYou left me in the darkNo dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilightIn the shadow of your heart


"The Light They So Despise (Cosmic Love)" 
by Quina

Prove the sun is out?

Need you such obvious testimony?

When it is shining in all its beauty?

Do you not see golden beams?

Shadows cast by trees?

Do you not feel the heat?

How do you believe you are living, breathing?

As it were, we

            have eyes, but do not see

            ears, but cannot hear

            lungs, but cannot breathe

            we dwell in the shadow

            of our cold hearts, dark

            alive, but not living

            alive, but not living

He needs no proof, the light

but humbly He set upon this twilight

and it tried, with violent screams,

but could not overcome

His cosmic love, bright beams

when He rose, rose in three

glorious, undeniably bright beams

Oh, rise in their hearts

that they might

step into the light they so despise,

the light they so despise

"Sanctification is worth all the pain on earth." 

- Gina's Poetical Books Professor

"...but when God comes with afflictions to the men or women who have studied their own hearts, they can say,'I would not have been without this affliction for anything in the world. God has so suited this affliction to my condition, and has come in such a way that if this affliction had not come I am afraid I should have fallen into sin.'"

- (saw this on Rachel's Facebook)

Fri.NiteKids: Gina & Coco

Gina and Coco, the little 7 year old disciple. #Fri.NiteKids

Here is a post that Gina wrote about the privilege she has to disciple Coco. Oh how I love this little sister in Christ! Yesterday when Gina taught about Hell, Coco began weeping. As I sat next to her, patting her back, I asked her, "Is it because she is talking about Hell?" She continued crying, then looked me in the eye and asked, "Have any of your friends gone to Hell?" Sobered by her question and convicted by her response to the reality of God's judgment of sin, I responded, "Yes, yes some of them have." 

After Bible study, Coco asks Gina questions and they usually spend more than an hour discussing the gospel, praying, and reading the Bible together. Praise God for giving Gina words to give a depiction of Coco and the glorious grace of God working in her. Below is taken from Gina's blog.

“I USED TO LOVE SINNING, BUT THEN YOU TOLD ME ABOUT JESUS.”

By: Gina

Her face shines brighter than the Sun whenever the opportunity arises to talk about Him. Her smile radiating from ear to ear, long black curls flowing in the wind as she pivots her foot, shifting all of her 53lbs to her right leg with her hand on her hip. The fullness of those seven long years of age and the wisdom they’ve acquired pour forth from her mouth to her younger cousin, testing her on what they’d just learned 10 minutes ago in Bible Study.

“Who’s the most important person, Raquel?”, said Coco.

“Umm…. God! I mean, Jesus! I mean….yeah!” Raquel replies, as she looks to Coco for affirmation.

I try not to burst out with loud shouts of praise, rejoicing from the pure joy bubbling up within me as I’m overwhelmed by the joy she is enthralled in by simply talking about Him. Jesus. Yes! This Holy God, yet loving friend, Righteous King and faithful Savior! It is Jesus that Coco is filled with excitement over!

After she quizzes her younger cousin, the three of us are distracted by the loud calls to worship that the sky proclaims. Bright neon-looking pinks mixed with soft oranges sitting on a background of indigo sky. After many questions and answers, Coco pulls out her Jesus Storybook Bible and begins to ask Raquel if she’d like to see what Heaven will look like. As she scrambles to find the page towards the end of the book, she re-adjusts all of the purple, plastic, bracelet pieces (used as book marks) to save the place of her most favorite stories and people in the Bible, one being Peter.

If ever I took the time to write down all of Coco’s questions about God, His Son and His Holy Spirit, I’m quite positive I could conclude my memories with a chapter-book. However, I’d still like to give you an idea of how deeply my life has been impacted by a child so young, and so eager to know God, that I am drawn to worship Christ every Friday evening because of what He is merely doing in her.

It baffles me to see how much understanding Christ has granted her at this extremely young age of seven. Not only does Coco hate her sin, but she weeps over it. Not only does she know the gospel, but she has been totally and radically transformed by it. Not only does she know that the gospel is true, but its truth resounds in her life so much so, that she weeps and prays, weekly, for her family’s salvation. Not only does she understand that hell is real, but she weeps in Bible Study for those who have gone there.

I never in my life could have ever expected to have such deep emotions and love for a child who is not my own. However, I have recently found myself identifying with the Apostle Paul when he addresses Timothy and Titus as his “true child” or “beloved child”(Ti.1:4, 1 Tim.1:2, 2 Tim.1:2). Marriage-less, husbandless, childless, I find myself given the gift of being a mother to children who’s real mom’s are in prison, or worse, are present yet have never told them about the one who could save them from the sin they’ve passed down to them.

I don’t know how long of a time the Lord will continue to grant me to be a part of their lives. However, during this sweet, sweet time, I will continue to find myself before His throne, worshipping Him for the opportunity to delight in Him in this way; Provoked by the challenge of loving and trusting my Savior like a little child (Lk.18:17).

Fri.NiteKids: A Quick Intro.

Yodeysi, Luisana, Coco, Yudeisy, and Alondra w/ Gina. #Fri.NiteKids

I'll call "Fri. Nite Kids" an inner-city ministry in Tampa that my beloved sister, roommate, and co-laborer in the gospel, Gina, unintentionally started about 2 years ago in her old neighborhood by sharing the gospel with a little girl, who then told her neighborhood friends, who then repeatedly showed up at Gina's door with questions about Jesus, the Bible, etc. There is much more to say about how the Lord began this ministry and how He has been reaching these children with the gospel, but I will post that later, Lord willing. 

For now, I rejoice that after praying for some months now for the few laborers of this ministry and the many children in this neighborhood, God has opened a door for me to serve in the ministry every Friday. I am now teaching the middle and high school kids about the gospel at 6:45pm after Gina teaches the younger children at 5:30pm. I can't express how much joy and burden God has given me as I begin to share the gospel and my life with them (1 Thessalonians 2:8). They have become even more dear to me as I have spent time with them in these last few weeks. My heart is so burdened for these children, and I praise God that He has me here to labor that they might know "the Father of the fatherless" (Psalm 68:5). 

Gina also plans on trying to post more about the Bible study on her blog here: http://unabridgedgina.wordpress.com/

Prayer Requests: 

• Salvation: Most of these children come from extremely broken homes, and they do not know Christ yet. Please pray for the Spirit of God to open their eyes to the glorious gospel of grace as He also empowers us to proclaim it to them weekly. Pray also for their families' salvation. 
• Laborers: The Lord has blessed this unexpected ministry with laborers who love these children and have proclaimed the gospel to them for about 2 years now. At this moment, however, only Gina and I are serving/teaching on Fridays. Please pray that the Lord of the harvest will send laborers (especially faithful brothers to disciple the young boys in the neighborhood) to this neighborhood. 
• Local Church: Please pray that He will connect the Bible study to a local church so that it can be under elders, etc. Efforts are in progress to connect the Bible study to a solid local church that is near the neighborhood, but please pray that it will happen.
• Unity: Please pray Philippians 1:27 for Gina and I. Pray for our unity and harmony as we labor together in the gospel and live together along with 3 other beloved sisters in Christ. Pray that He will keep us humbled by His glory and remind us continually that our lives are hidden in Christ alone.

"The church is the Embassy of the City of God within the cities of man." 
- Michael Horton (paraphrased, sermon on Psalm 68/Ephesians 4)

Journal Prayer: 7.7.12

True Prosperity 

"Who is the man who fears the LORD?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
His soul will abide in prosperity,
And his descendants will inherit the land.
The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, 
and He will make them know His covenant." 
- Psalm 25:12-14

Father,
I do taste in some measure the prosperity of my own soul in Christ Jesus. For in Him, You have blessed me with every spiritual blessing there is in the heavenlies. He prepares a home for me in Heaven. He reserves my inheritance--imperishable, undefiled, and unfading--for me as You keep me by Your power until I see it and hold it. I rejoice with joy inexpressible in this hope given to me in Christ. And I am presently given the privilege of tasting and seeing that You are good. I taste these hors d'oeuvres now that whet my palate for Your kingdom coming. Charles Leiter's illustration of regeneration and justification in the sermon I heard yesterday was such a beautiful picture of how You presently let my soul abide in prosperity. Justification is like a class that I take in which the professor declares to  his students on the first day of class, "Do not worry about your grade in this class. I have already given everyone a 100% for the whole semester. Now you have the privilege to learn  this subject with no fear of failing, nor with the futile motive of scoring the highest in the class." And regeneration is as though the professor had the power to change each students' heart prior to the beginning of the semester to genuinely love the subject of the class. And the subject is Your Son, who explains You, Father; Your Spirit is my Professor; and Your Word is my textbook; and my class is paid for in full by Your Son's sufficient blood. "Now," You tell me, "Enjoy learning." It's as though You say again, "From any tree in the garden you may eat freely. See, there is the fruit of sweet juice called the doctrine of adoption. And over there is the fruit of reconciliation with Your Creator. Taste, see, touch, explore. Enjoy the abundance of My overflowing goodness, and drink deeply from the river of My delights and the wells of My salvation." Here, in Christ, I have freedom and longings to pursue the prosperity of my own soul. For I know the grace of my Lord Jesus Christ, "that though He was rich, yet for [my] sake He became poor, so that [I] through His poverty might become rich." (2Corinthians 7:9). Though within myself I am poor in spirit, wretched, blind, and miserable; yet the splendor of the gospel is that I receive beauty in exchange for my ashes, riches in Christ for my destitution in Adam. 

So let me know more deeply, and pursue more fervently, the prosperity of my soul in the fear of You, Lord. If no other aspect of my fading life here is prosperous, and perhaps it is better for me this way, but let me seek the food that does not perish. Let the eyes of my heart be enlightened, so that I may know what is the hope of Your calling, what are the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of Your power toward us who believe. And, oh, to know Your secret--the deeper, more intimate knowledge of You--is what my heart wants more when I read that You will make me to know Your covenant when I pursue and fear You. Let me seek it with perseverance and delight at Your table of delectables, in Your classroom of many treasures to explore. 

In Jesus' name, 
Amen.

Poem: Snowflakes

Snowflakes (Nehemiah 9-10)

By: Quina

I fear my last breath will be filled with regrets

on this deathbed 

lying next

to idols I chose over You

left

empty and excuseless

My heart is weaker than

            a dried leaf

            I crumble and think

            of Your past and present faithfulness to me

            and I am baffled by my unbelief

            this senseless

            response to pressure and stress

Even these

            precious and pure

            snowflakes

                        fluttering down from

                                    Your hand above

                                                to mine below

            unique, glimmering

            necessarily temporary

            crafted to make me smile           

            and sing with

            greater praise to You…

I see them and

            run inside, and

            tell myself I will get

            cold and wet

            run inside,

            it seems safer, yet

            Love is

            pleasure and pain

            and I run as

            an escape with my lusts

            promising me just pleasure, but

            leading me to this deathbed

            and I feel the depression set in

            pressing upon my soul

for I’ve

            locked myself in this room with

            suicidal ambitions

            fueled by lies

I’ve heard in my heart, believed, and repeated until

it seems they’ve become a part of me—

            “You will

            never be understood, so

            silence will save you

            from more pain.”

            “There’s no

            deliverance

            for pits this deep, which

            you have dug for yourself.”

            And,

            “You are alone.”—

and I crawl toward

shadows in this room

cast only

by undeniable beams of light,

Your continued mercy,

shining through the window

where I still see

            those snowflakes

            You are

            still pursuing me…

But I am

            unable to comprehend

            these depraved shadows in my mind

            much less articulate a confession

            when

            my sins have reached the heavens

So I

            close my mouth, and

            pride freezes me from the inside

This warm house was a delusion

            stupid lies

            embrace of insanity

running

from my cross to bear

when

You offer me

life in exchange for my worthless tries

at breathing in this room, suffocating

Ashamed,

I

cannot run from You, yet

before You I cannot stand.

When

             I reach to close those blinds

            upon the window, so as

            to dwell in despair

            with darkness all around me,

a shadow You cast

            from behind me

            startling

            it reaches around my arms,

            horizontal beams,

            then the rest of me is covered, a

            vertical beam,

and I am left to gaze

trembling

at the cross You bore for me

there on it

is nailed all my iniquities

and before it

I weep,

and confess,

            “You are a God ready to forgive

            merciful and gracious

            abounding in

            steadfast love

            You will never give me up

            You keep covenant,

            Righteous One,

            You have dealt faithfully

            and I so wickedly,

            Yet in this room

            You have refused to grant me rest

            Only to meet me in my misery

            to hear my cry of distress

            and answer me with Your sure salvation

            so I might run

            outside into the snow

            finding warmth in Your fellowship—

            this cross on my back.

I mind not

getting wet, soaked even

by trials and daily death

if my heart is on fire

and I can feel You again…”

Snowflakes will fall and melt at Your will

Still, I’ll take Your path:

            Death to self for life You will resurrect

            instead of a life preserved for regrets

            on this deathbed.

"The best songwriters are the best exegetes." 
- from Gina's notes in Poetical Books class