Josh Mills on poetic interpretation.

"You think you're wearing sunglasses, but I can see your eyes
because I punched out the lenses."

"Accepting Erosion" - first draft

I wrote this during Kneedrill tonight, there's a lot of story and thought behind it - I'll post on it soon.

I am small.
You, crashing around me
rolling over me in the morning tides
I hear nothing but the
submission of the sands
feel nothing but the
heartbeat of the waves crashing against my
small, weak, delicate and
ultimately insignificant
body.
You, enveloping my self and
urging me to break into
the bigness that -itself- overwhelms
me.

I, like the rocks upon which I stand,
will give way to the relentless waves.
and You, great Rescuer, will search
for me amongst the sands
Sweep me up and let the
current rush me from this
simple, safe and ultimately destructive
shore.

I am a house gutted by fire.

I've thrown myself back into the world of Christ-centered literature and poetry.
May YHWH continue using the warrior poets of past days to teach me to write for the sake of His Glory.

This is by Rilke. It's captured my thoughts and mediation recently.
Enjoy.

I am praying again, Awesome One.
You hear me again, as words
from the depths of me
rush toward you in the wind.

I've been scattered in pieces,
torn by conflict,
mocked by laughter,
washed down in drink.

In alleyways I sweep myself up
out of garbage and broken glass.
With my half-mouth I stammer you,
who are eternal in your symmetry.
I lift to you my half-hands
in wordless beseeching, that I may find again
the eyes with which I once beheld you.

I am a house gutted by fire
where only the guilty sometimes sleep
before the punishment that devours them
hounds them out into the open.

I am a city by the sea
sinking into a toxic tide.
I am strange to myself, as though someone unknown
had poisoned my mother as she carried me.

It's here in all the pieces of my shame
that now I find myself again.
I yearn to belong to something, to be contained
in an all-embracing mind that sees me
as a single thing.
I yearn to be held
in the great hands of your heart--
oh let them take me now.

Into them I place these fragments, my life,
and you, God--spend them however you want.

O the Spirit of Adoption!

I'm in Nanaimo! How lovely to be back at my home corps for the weekend! Though my officers are on furlough, it was delightful to see the saints I was raised fighting with. The corps is operating terrifically, many of the soldiers - old and young - stepping into their calling and wearing their uniforms and rank with holy pride. I thought I'd write out a list of things I adore about Nanaimo Corps:

• Steadfast, holy, sanctified soldiers who treat any saint or prodigal who walks through the doors as their own family.
  
• Glory flags.
  
• An excellent mixture of contemporary and traditional Army worship songs.
  
• The diversity of the corps' ages, yet the unison of their love for one another
• The well-worn Mercy seat and Holiness table
• The cacophony that rages every time everyone tries to off-beat clap
• The cookies
• The way the corps itself is run, the ranks of the soldiers being well-distributed amongst the corps and embraces local officership. (It was great to come back and see everyones new trim.)

I adore the Nanaimo Corps and all the things Christ is doing there. And what a blessing it is to have War College students and youth from my corps joining with my family's celebration of thanksgiving! Family has to be one of the most beautiful things on the planet.
Want to be part of an amazing family? Join the family of God!

PRE-CAMP SUNRISE ETIQUETTE REFRESHER

PRE-CAMP SUNRISE ETIQUETTE

For the week prior to departure for Camp Sunrise, the etiquette is as follows:


• All typing referring to Camp Sunrise must be done in only capitalized letters.
This includes but is not limited to; memories of previous year’s camps, plans made for this years camp, and discussing kit list.
• All clothing designated for Sunrise use must be laundered during this seven day period, no earlier.
• Any spoken conversation regarding Camp Sunrise must be done so in raised voices only. NO EXCEPTIONS aside from libraries, or while near babies’ cribs and sleeping parents.
• In a situation in which Camp Sunrise is being discussed, one may not compare Camp Sunrise to any previously visited camps, unless the sentence you are using is unveiling the awesomeness of Camp Sunrise compared to these sub par Camping Facilities.


For the 24 hour period before departing from Town of Residence, the rules are as follows:

• Any typing at all must be done in capital letters ONLY. This includes, but is not limited to, MSN conversations, emails to elderly grandparents, URLS, display names and search engine key phrases. To make this rule easier to apply, one might duct tape their caps lock key down at all times, or remove the key from the keyboard entirely, to avoid temptation.
• All conversation WHATSOEVER must be done so in raised voices, except in the afore mentioned places.
• This period should be used for tasks such as: arranging transportation to ferry terminal (#2 bus or parent very helpful), packing designated kit list items into designated suitcase, enjoying ones last private shower, making all other acquaintances jealous that they are not also going to Camp Sunrise.

For the 3.5 hour ferry rides you will be undertaking, we have constructed the following rules:

• One might want to make sure that they listen to Shawn’s initial instruction of where we should meet once boarded the ferry. (We’ve got your back Shawn)
• On the ferry ride leaving camp, it is HIGHLY encouraged to congregate amongst Sunrise peers and partake in the jovial singing of Camp Sunrise favorites, including but not limited to: D-I-S-C-O, The (Stupid) Squirrel Song, All 3 Camp Sunrise Theme Songs and last but certainly not least, the classic Baby Shark melody. (Remember: The louder, the better! We want the whole ferry to be entranced with your angelic voices.)

A Word About Packing:
• Though it has been highly debated in previous years, GUMBOOTS are most definitely a constant necessity. We cannot stress this enough, people!
Though they may not lend use in the traditional form, they make excellent hand baskets and are useful in the packing process. (ie: Holding socks and other small articles.)

Following these rules provided shall assist you in experiencing optimum Camp Sunrise enjoyment.
If one comes up with a new rule, they are encouraged to speak with one of us, and we shall bring it up with the committee, concerning it’s place on this hallowed list.

Your diligent Camp Sunrise Aficionados,
Caitlyn Spence and Molly Woodford

I refound this test!

I did this test a LONG time ago and the results were completely differant. Funny how I've changed.

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan --- 86%
Neo Orthodox --- 64%
Reformed Evangelical --- 61%
Fundamentalist --- 54%
Emergent/Postmodern --- 46%
Charismatic/Pentacostal --- 36%
Classical Liberal --- 32%
Roman Catholic --- 25%
Modern Liberal --- 21%


In November of 2006, I posted my scores as:

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan --- 96% (whoa, unexpected drop in that number)
Emergent/Postmodern --- 79% (I expected a drop here)
Clasical Liberal --- 75%
Reformed Evangelical --- 71%
Charismatic/Pentacostal --- 68%
Neo Orthodox --- 61%
Fundamentalist --- 61%
Modern Liberal --- 54%
Roman Catholic --- 14%

Veiled crowds and peacekeeping sounds.

The deaf lay their ears
to the ground
and we are numb to the rooster's defeated cry.
Our numbers drop, the darkness deepens
and we duck as the ravens fly
over us, eyeing our spines
dropping like the sun over the dusk.

We were once:
fresh faced boys and girls
entangled in this fight,
believing in our right
to claim foreign words.
Boys - with eyes like the ocean and freckled forewarms and
Girls- who chased fireflies, deep into the night, not for the sake of capture
but because they reminded our eyes of light.

Now we fall like wounded soldiers
to our faces in the vally of the shadow of this city,
searching the ground for the roots
of those old abstract truths
that once
dried our weeping eyes and
offended the broken-record mindset of our desert forefathers.
Such words not resound as whispers
in the foreign winds.

So now our roots force their way
into the ground, where
the saints lay on their backs, screaming,
"WHERE ARE YOU?"
to the endless sky

and the searchlights in the tall darkness
shine, as their reply.