Ever Read Ecclesiastes? (Song)

 Meaningless! Everything is meaningless! Does the world ever feel that way? Do you feel driven to despair? Many have felt that way for a long time since things on Earth first fell apart so long ago back in Genesis 3, when sin made everything get hairy. When you get down with these blues and get down to kneel, son- remember to look up to God alone who brings order out of the chaos, adds Life to our days and makes meaning in the midst of mediocrity. Everybody's talking at you saying all kinds of things about how to make your life meaningful. In the middle of all your searching for significance, ever read Ecclesiastes? Listen to what The Lord has to say about life and follow Him and let Him give you eternal meaning and Hope.

"Ever Read Ecclesiastes?" (parody of "Everybody's Talking" by Harry Nilsson; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/17/2020)    (book of Ecclesiastes; particularly 1:1-2, 1:9, 1:14, 2:9-11, 2:24-26, 3:1-11, 3:16-22, 4:9-12, 5:1-7, 5:18-20, 6:7-12, 7:1-4, 7:10-13, 8:10-13, 9:7-12, 10:1-4, 10:10-15, 11:1-7, 12:1-8, 12:11-14)

Everything's all vanity

Under sun there's no innovations

Go read Ecclesiastes 1:9

People shopping, striving

I can see they're chasing

Only the wind blows- passes them by

Ongoings have seasons and timing

That The Lord ordains

(We're) going to forever recompose

Breaking's hard for the cord of three strands

So fear God in utter awe please

When living's over we're going by His throne

(Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!)

All toiling under sun- keep smiling

Due to 5:18

Don't call old days better- dude, sin's old!

Banking all on The Lord brings wins

Assails us all- time, whimsy 

Foolishness pours forth but wisdom's a stepping stone 

Ecclesiastes 11:6 reads

Can't know what works- keep sowing 

Only The Lord knows- (so) enjoy Life 

Guys, don't let age leave Lord God behind

'Cause God will judge all deeds

(Whoa!)

Life's found in man's duty- keep God's commands! 

Christ in a Nutshell (song)

(Note: I'm pulling a few more classics out of the archive. My last post referenced the lines I used in this parody so it only seemed fitting to post this next. I've included my original introduction from 2009 below. Since I had two others that seemed in a similar category of lyric-tweaking that already seemed to be such a good fit to talk about The Lord, I will post those other two soon too.)


    I've been wanting to share a few more parodies I've written recently and they most all deal with some things that have been coming up in church lately actually. And they're all really favorite songs of mine, some of which just struck me as being such a good song already that it would only take a bit of tweaking to bring about a really great song talking about The Lord. So I plunged in to it and God helped me bring the ideas into fruition.
    Here's a song that wraps things up nicely and just states really what Christ is about and what our life is about in Him. I loved the second verse so much and it worked so well that I left it mostly intact. Take some time and a sip out of your 70's-style Coke bottle and enjoy. ;-)

"Christ in a Nutshell" (parody of "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce)
(parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/02/09)
(John 3:3, 3:16, 10:10, 14:6, Romans 8:1-2, 10:9, 2 Corinthians 6:2, 2 Peter 3:9)

If I could state Christ in a nutshell,
The first thing that He'd like to do
Is to save every name for eternity- He just can't wait
Just to spend it with you!

Since Christ can make change last forever
His Word conveys this is for you
Get saved and today
Christ will never condemn
Romans
8 explains- 1 and 2

(Chorus)
But you never seem to think about Christ
You do the things you want to do
But you'll find out
I've looked around enough to know
The only One I want to know is Christ, yes!

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty except for the memory
Of how they were surpassed by You!

(Repeat Chorus)
and fade....

.............................................................................

Life Goals

(Note: With my birthday coming up in about three weeks, this seems fitting for my sometimes annual reflection.)


   One thing that I think is important spiritually is stopping everything once in a while and taking stock of life. The prudent gives thought to his steps. (See Proverbs 14:8 and 14:15) While running/walking this evening, the thought came to mind for me in thinking about the ongoing struggle with sin and striving to live for Christ, as well as making choices for life's trajectory that are pleasing to Him-
Is my life about me or is it about Jesus? That was a sobering thought to ponder. How many times do I ask that in making a decision? How many times do I center my life around making decisions to do things that bring me pleasure rather than seeking to bring God pleasure and glory?
   If I am crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) and I have died and my life is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-4), and God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever and I desire nothing on earth besides Him (Psalms 73:25-26) and The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want (Psalms 23) and a day in His courts is better than thousands elsewhere (Psalms 84:10)- then why do I not always live like it?
    Far too often I identify with Ecclesiastes 2:11 "Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun." In the same book, it says in chapter 3 (verses 1-8) that there's a time and season for everything. The book concludes in 12:13-14 by saying that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. That's also the only place we really derive any meaning in life. As Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 says, apart from God, who can eat or have enjoyment?
    I have often found this with temporary goals on earth. There are things and pursuits that give me much pleasure and I enjoy them. There's nothing wrong with that, provided they are pleasing to The Lord. As Shakespeare said though, all good things must come to an end. I love reading and I can amuse myself with books, but eventually I finish a book series and that pleasure is gone. The same goes for watching every episode of a beloved television show or watching a favourite movie. The same goes for any life pursuit, whether it's marriage and raising children, career building, property acquisition or publishing of some sort. Even altruistic measures can fall into this pattern if the motivation is to make myself feel better and look good. What's the point of me saying something and bragging about something in the hopes that people will remember it and share it in the eulogy at my funeral? I won't even be there to enjoy that! (Which is all the more reason we should say all those nice things to people now rather than save them all up for the wake.)
    As one of my favourite poets, Robert Frost, has said, "Nothing gold can stay." I agree with him to a point. There is one gold thing that can and does stay- the streets of gold. Those are forever. And Heaven is where I want to always have my mindset. As C.S. Lewis has said, it is often those who thought the most of the next life that have done the greatest good in this life. Having a Heavenly mindset should cause me to do more good in this life for the sake of Jesus and others. That's where I find my joy- in The Lord and not in things. I can find fleeting happiness in some things but true joy only in The Lord. This is one reason I periodically do a purge of my belongings, as it helps remove idols from my life and makes sure I am focused on Jesus first.
    There's a certain panic and terror that comes at times when I have a quiet moment by myself to analyze my life. It especially weighs heavily as the clock keeps ticking onward and reminders of its passage come up, particularly birthdays. It feels more so that way to me as a single person. Perhaps this is due to having had an American ideal instilled through movies and TV shows of the American dream that everyone is supposed to have. After you get through school, you're supposed to go to college and get a degree and get a good job that pays a lot and get a house and get married and have children and eventually retire and enjoy your golden years together. I made it through school and got both a bachelor's and master's degree in college and I got a job I enjoy and I have a place of my own to live. But I am nearing the end of my 30s and I still have not gotten married and thus have not had any children.
     It feels bad to say but sometimes it is hard to be happy for the friends and family I have watched get married and have families of their own. I have gone to so many weddings and while I do celebrate with those who are rejoicing, there are twinges of jealousy and regret. I look back at times and think of opportunities for friendships that I pushed away at the time. I think of romantic possibilities not realized that I wish I had pursued more. I was never super interested in dating until my late '20s or so and I wonder if that wasn't partly because of subtle peer pressure when I saw what seemed like everyone around me getting married all of a sudden and it seemed like the thing to do. That's not to say I didn't have romantic thoughts about girls when I was younger and hitting puberty though. There have been a lot of women I have liked but few I have really dated and only one that I feel like I've truly fallen in love with though. And rejection can make you so introspective, desperately reliving every moment and analyzing them to see where a different choice could have been made so that things could have turned out differently and you could still be walking through the city hand in hand with her, feeling an excitement of euphoric exhilaration race through your body!
      Alas, when the relationship doesn't work out as you would like, it's hard to trust that God still has a good plan and knows best. It's hard to let go of that time when everything was right and you both felt like you and she loved each other more than anyone else on earth and that feeling of ecstasy felt so good.
There are moments in time I can flash back to and I just want to stay there for a while. But eventually I get awakened from my reverie by reality and I have to move on. And I wonder if I'll ever love another woman like that again and if I'll ever get married and have children. I do want to have all that for that experience and for the joy of loving someone like that and being loved by her like that and raising my own children. And to be really honest, I want to have sex and experience that beautiful union between husband and wife that is an intimate expression of their love for each other. I want to have that kind of intimacy that is honoured and guarded to the highest degree as my one and only who is my beloved and betrothed to me- and I am fully hers in body and mind and heart.
    It seems cruel at times in having those desires but not being at that place yet and knowing there is no morally correct way of having a release for that sex drive until that time of marriage comes. That's where temptation can hit so hard to give in to sexual fetishes and fantasies and enjoy the erotic pleasures of an erection, which themselves are also fleeting and short-lived, and lead to only shame and guilt afterwards. When I think of those I know who are Christ followers who struggle with homosexual tendencies, I can't imagine what an awful struggle that must be in that same scenario and knowing there is no release on this earth. And if I remain unmarried, then I am in the same place as them in that regard of dealing with the desires of a sex drive that can't be fulfilled. Passages like 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 make this very clear.
    All of this gets back to my original point and question though. Is my life about me or is it about Jesus? If I am to follow Jesus as I say I want to do, then I must lose my life to find it. Jesus says I must take up my cross, deny myself daily and follow Him. (Luke 9:23) I must believe that His lovingkindness is better than life. I must store up my treasures in Heaven because Jesus is my real treasure. Even if I do get married and have children, my real joy can never be found in my wife or kids. Jesus is better than my potential wife and kids. Jesus is better than sex. Jesus is better than possessions. Jesus is better than sin. Jesus is better than anything this world affords today. Would I really rather have Jesus than anything my heart desires? Is Jesus really my number one passion and desire? Is He the ultimate lover of my soul Whom I am so in love with above all others?
I know don't desire God as much as I should but I want to desire Him more. I want to want Jesus and want nothing else. As Rich Mullins wrote, "The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance I owe only to the Giver of all good things." "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ...." (Philippians 3:7-8)
     Matthew 6:33 tells me to seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto me. What things? The things I need- not necessarily all the things I want. As I seek God more, I believe The Spirit will make the things of this earth to grow strangely dim (as the hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" says) in the light of His glory and grace. Psalms 90:12 beseeches The Lord to teach us to number the days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom. To be sure, this of course applies for every follower of Christ. Married couples have to decide how best their union can glorify The Lord. How do the husband and wife help each other grow closer to The Lord and be used more by Him for His glory? There are some advantages for the single person as there is no entanglement with trying to take care of a spouse and children. The time and energy that would be spent in that can be spent in other things. Am I using time just to indulge myself though or am I using it to serve God and others? (See 1 Corinthians 7 for a lot more on this.)
     Jesus gives us the ultimate example. Philippians 2 is such a beautiful picture of how He humbled Himself and put our needs before His own. He gave up His rights and didn't count equality with God something to be grasped but instead took the form of a bondservant in the likeness of men- and humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross! For this reason God raised Him up and gave Him the Name above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We are commanded to have that same mindset. (1 Corinthians 2:16 indeed says that we have the mind of Christ.) We are to do nothing out of selfish ambition and conceit but in humility count others as better than ourselves! As Philippians 2:21 says, too many folks- and too many times we ourselves are in this number- seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. My interests are to be those of Jesus Christ. I am to look to others' interests before my own.
   Just as Jesus said in regards to the most important commandments, I am to love The Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and love my neighbour as myself. (Matthew 22:34-40) I try to keep those two directives constantly in mind, along with Ephesians 4:15's admonition to be "speaking the Truth in Love." Part of loving God and my neighbour is sharing The Gospel with others as Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:18-20. I tell others about God's love that pays for all sins through our faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection and I show others God's love through helping with their physical needs as well. (James 2:15-17, 1 John 3:18)
    What can be said in conclusion then? How is my life demonstrating God's love and grace to others as well as warning about His judgement? How is my life pursuing and displaying the needs and desires of others and ultimately Jesus first? "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of The Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with The Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to The Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God The Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:15-21)
    I must give thanks to God in all things and for everything because it's all His blessings! He has me in exactly the time and place He wants me. (Acts 17:26) His plan for me will come through. (Psalms 138:8)
Thus, I must do all things without grumbling or disputing that I might be a blameless and innocent child of God without blemish, as Philippians 2:14-15 says. As it goes on to say, then I can be shining as a light in the world in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. That is what I want my life to be doing and Jesus is who I want my life to be about always. I quote this next verse often as my writing goal but it's true of life in general: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." (Psalms 19:14) Lord Jesus, may that always be true of me in all I say or do. May I always find my contentment in You because I know godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6)
"For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21) 
 

 

What meaning is meaning what? (poem)

Note: This is a piece I have pulled out of the archives. I thought it might be fun to post this during this week as a way to celebrate both National Poetry Month (which is in April) and Holy Week. I will plan to do poetry readings videos for the rest of week, if anyone's interested (These are specifically available for my family and friends on Facebook.) (I'll still do them to amuse myself even if no one's interested- lol. :-)) 
The text of the poem and a little introduction is below. Enjoy! Happy Easter!
In honour of Holy Week and The Lord Jesus, I also wanted to read poems reflecting on the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us when He died and rose to pay for all sins for all time. We can have forgiveness of sins and salvation from the hell we deserve and entry into the Heaven we don't deserve all through our faith in the love God has for us and the salvation He has provided through Christ! (Romans 10:9-13)
................................................................................
This poem employs the language of language itself to make a spiritual point. English major nerds should appreciate this. ;-) (Of which I would totally consider myself part of that number. I minored in English myself.) It's largely inspired by one of my favourite Bible books- Ecclesiastes- and the wisdom found there about The Lord Jesus who truly brings meaning to our life, both here and eternally.


What meaning is meaning what?

(original poem copyright Nathan Ludwick 2/27/2010) 

(Proverbs 25:11, John 10:10, Ecclesiastes 1:1, Ecclesiastes 2:10-11)

Every sentence has a verb for proper meaning.
It seems every sentience has a verb in the meaning of meaning.
Are the well to do the ones who have done well?
Well, to do is what we all seem to strive for.
We're not content to simply just be because
It's not enough of an action word.
The amazing paradox of the vernal equinox
Is having all the time in the world yet nothing to do.
We can mask the panic in our eyes with layers
Of activities and tasks for responsible adult lives.
But when we give ourselves a moment to breathe and not think
We realize we don't know how to do nothing and not sleep.
Boredom and laziness may be bosom buddies
But the problem Is in our bosom beneath that cushion.
We have plans, goals and dreams mapped out for life
But the list of things to do before kicking the bucket
When all accomplished is still just a drop in the bucket
And it's never enough to wash our car, much less our heart.
Love of self is the bacteria that lines the inside
And man's search for meaning makes but a poor bandage
Our verbs still serve only to propel our own renown
We need a modifier to change our life sentence
And the aptly spoken Word sets us back on the street
With a joyous adverb as we narrowly tread from dross to gold.

..........................................

Season for the Reason: Have I Served God All for Naught or Has He Served me All for Naughty?

 (Note: This is a piece of writing borne out of a real conversation about the age old question of why the wicked always seem to prosper and the righteous always seem to suffer. Christ calls us to count the cost before following Him and many times after walking faithfully with Him for a long time, we start to feel the weight of that cost. After a while, we don't feel like we have received the rest God promises in Matthew 11:28. It seems like we should have more of our felt needs met and God doesn't seem to be cutting it anymore. What do we do then? Why do the wicked always seem to prosper while all we seem to get for our struggles in following Jesus is just pain and suffering? Is God fair?)

    One of the biggest areas of unfulfillment more than anything else felt for Christians is in the area of love and romantic relationships. Though married people feel this at times too, it seems particularly grievous and painful for single Christians faithfully holding to celibacy. Praise God for that testimony of holding true to His standards of sexual purity! That's a very honest confession that not many can make. And I always appreciate honesty, as I know God does. And we can always be totally honest with Him.
But where does that leave me when I feel like God isn't meeting my needs in this area?
   I can understand struggling with doubts about God and His promises. I've struggled with doubts numerous times myself. I think every Christian, if they're honest, would admit that. Throughout the Scriptures there are tons of folks who struggled with doubts. Just read the book of Job. Moses and Elijah are also two prime examples. But both those guys also appeared with Jesus on the mountain at His transfiguration! Obviously they made it through the doubts to see their faith become sight.
   It's certainly not easy but we are still called to trust God and endure- particularly when it's hard, sad and lonely. (The command to endure is one of the most repeated phrases in Revelation particularly and through The Bible.)
     Just read the accounts of  Jesus' time in Gethsemane. We are promised to stand with Him in Heaven in the end- and all our trials here will be far outweighed by it! (Romans 8)- but we must stand with Him in Gethsemane and at Calvary first.
  I can understand about feeling lonely and sad- I'm an almost 36-and-a-half-year old man who's a virgin too and I've never been married. I'd still like to be married if God grants that and leads me to the right woman but I'm okay with it if God wants me to be single too. As single Christians, we're in good company with Paul and Jesus. :-)
   As to God meeting our needs, Philippians 4:19 says God will meet all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. I believe that encompasses companionship needs as well. However, I think we have to be careful how we define our needs. We usually talk of sexual desire, not sexual need. I mean, no one's died from not having sex. That is something we have to surrender to The Lord- along with all else.
        You might like to read Psalms 73- a dude named Asaph had some of the same complaints. Habakkuk had similar thoughts too. And in the end, we can remember that the pleasures of this life are fleeting- but the kingdom of God is eternal. And He promises an eternity of joy in Him. He is the One we are made to worship (Revelation 4:11) and when we live in accordance with the way our Maker made us, we find the greatest joy. Everything else disappoints us ultimately- including marriage and sex.
   And if we put our hopes in those things fulfilling us- if we put hope in any relationship over the one we have with Christ- we're going to be disappointed. Where else can we go but Christ? He has the words of eternal life. (John 6:68) And He comes to give us life and life more abundant. I believe that starts in the here and now and continues into eternity.
We have to seek Him first and His righteousness and all our other needs will be added onto us. (Matthew 6:33) And if I can trust Jesus with my eternity, surely I can trust Him with my relationships on earth! I am not always the best at this and I fall into wistful whimpering and whining at times too but I have decided that I do not want to wallow in depression and despair because of what I don't have right now! I choose to be happy and joyous in Jesus because of all He's blessed me with in life. May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth like peanut butter if I forget Him and don't make Him my highest joy! You are my one thing, Lord Jesus! May Your praise ever be on my lips. You are always worthy! I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked! (See Psalms 137 and Psalms 42 and 43 and 84 and 103!)
  I hope that helps some. Hold on! And I don't claim to have all the answers but I know I have struggled with a lot of these things before and those are the conclusions the Holy Spirit's led me to in The Bible. The marathon comes before the maranatha. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and 1 Corinthians 16:22) But let's be clear too that God doesn't owe us anything! A classic song made famous by Lynn Anderson comes to mind- "I beg your pardon. I never promised you a rose garden." I'm also reminded of the elder brother in Luke 15 complaining about the seeming unfairness of his father when all his years of service didn't get him a fattened calf. Of course, the father assures that all he has belongs to him. In our case, we are given all that God has too! He sent Jesus to die and rise to pay for all our sins so that we might have salvation and be in Heaven with Him instead of in Hell for eternity! The burning hell is what we deserve! As Mark Lowry once observed, anything above burning in Hell is a privilege!
     God never promised to meet all our wants but He did promise to meet all our needs- and He is enough for us in the end. (Psalms 73:23-28, John 6:68) Why do I want this world to be perfect (according to my standards) when I have a perfect one waiting? That's where I must put my hope above all else- Christ and His kingdom! (Philippians 3:20) This world is not my home- I'm just passing through.
   I pray God continues to encourage you and show you His Love in a special way. Keep enduring. There is a glory coming that far outshines and outweighs anything we face in this life. We must continue to walk by faith and not by sight. It will be more than worth it in the end.
   And keep praying and seeking after God even when you doubt His benevolence or care. He is always faithful and delights in you and delights to gather you in His arms of love. Love you in the Lord. I will pray for you too. :-)
   I've often found songs to be therapeutic as well. Maybe some favourites that have helped me often will be helpful to you.
I'll post a few here and be done. God bless.
(James 1:17, Ephesians 2, Psalms 149, Psalms 150)

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow! Praise Him all creatures here below! Praise Him above ye Heavenly hosts! Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Amen!

Vanity Tabled

"All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:8-9)

What are you living life for? Is it worth dying for?

"For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:19-21)

Unless you're Enoch or Elijah, everyone dies.

"And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11)

What's the point of life if it's all vanity- it's all meaningless? Everything is meaningless!

"There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind." (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26)

Ah- there's the rub. The only enjoyment in life comes from God.
And there's only One Way to know God.

"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) - And that Name is Jesus Christ.

"For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him." (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)

"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

Knowing and following Jesus is the only Way to truly have life- life abundant and life eternal.

"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:7-8)

"For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

Dust and a Rib (song)

It happens at some point in all of our lives. Some call it a coming of age experience and some call it a loss of innocence. At some point, we all have an epiphany on some level and realize that life is nothing at all like we thought it once was. All the things we've striven and worked so hard for- they're meaningless glibness. Nothing of our efforts last forever. It all fades and passes away. But just when all seems hopeless, there is still a Light that shines in our darkness. And The Lord Jesus, who is the Light of the world, opens our eyes to the Truth- and if we let Him, He will bring us to salvation through His death and Resurrection when we ask Him in faith. There is a meaning and purpose to it all. Only Christ and His kingdom lasts- that's what really matters. And just like Dorothy's world changed when she let the whirlwind take her to Oz- when we let ourselves ride Elijah's whirlwind that leads to Heaven instead of reaping it, we find that we're not in Kansas anymore. Neither is this song- not exactly, anyway. Like sand in an hourglass, the days of our lives flicker away as dust in the wind. But we're more than just dust and a rib- we're human beings made in God's image- and He says we're priceless. His thoughts for us are more than grains of sand on the beach.We should rejoice in that thought as we marvel at how God loves us- and our eternal gratitude to Him.

"Dust and a Rib"
(parody of "Dust in the Wind" performed by Kansas and written by Kerry Livgren; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/17/2015)
(Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2, Luke 12, Philippians 4:4, Psalms 118:24, Colossians 1:11-20, Psalms 8, Isaiah 2:22, James 4:13-17, Ecclesiastes (the whole book- but especially Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and 16-22, Ecclesiastes 1:1, 1:11, 2:1-11, and 7:13, Ecclesiastes 4, Ecclesiastes 6)

Christ holds our lives- we're here for a moment- then the moment's gone
James 4 reads- What is your whole life?- It's there in verse 14
Just but a mist
All we are is just but a mist

8:4 Psalms- Why does God our Father think of little me?
All we do crumbles to the ground- 2 Ecclesiastes
Chasing the wind!
All we do is strive after wind!
Oh, ho, ho

Now, don't hang on- nothing lasts forever but The Lord's kingdom
Life slips away- and all your money won't another minute buy
Dust and a rib
All we are is dust and a rib
(And we go to dust back again)
Just wait a min.!
(Everyone's made in God's image!)
All we need's Jesus for the win-
Heaven!
(Ooooh! Ooohh! Ooohh!)

.............................................................................................................................

"You and You Alone" (poem)

Note:  This is the second of three blog posts that are entries that I submitted for my church's Art Exhibit earlier this year and they were first originally published August 5, 2015 in the commemorative booklet detailing all the artists' work. :-) The theme was God's creation.

This last one is just simply a hymn of praise to The Lord Jesus Christ for being my All and truly my One Thing I need.
“Purity of heart is to will one thing”- Soren Kierkegaard  
“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God”- Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:8)
Thank You, Lord Jesus- You are my Everything. I praise You for You are worthy to be praised- You reign above all others!

 
“You and You Alone”

(original poem by Nathan Ludwick; copyright 7/14/2013)

(John 15:5, Psalms 50, Romans 11:35, Job 41:11, 1 Chronicles 29:10-20, Job 42:2, John 3:16-17, Psalms 68:35, Psalms 84:10, Psalms 85:9-13, Psalms 63, Psalms 96, Psalms 98, Psalms 40, Psalms 150, Psalms 45:1, Matthew 5:8, Psalms 100, Psalms 42:1-2, Psalms 139, Psalms 73:24-26, Philippians 1:21 and 3:8, the book of Ecclesiastes)

There’s nothing new under the sun… it’s all been said and done
What can I do that is ever truly original?
Even in asking this, I know I’m not the only one.
All these musings were recorded ages ago by Solomon.
Yet as Thy Spirit moved his quill to pen, Your Spirit moves my pen to do the same.
You are The Inspiration and The Meaning- The Only One that makes Life anything.
You are The Newness we all crave.
Your Word commands us to sing a new song unto The Lord.
Strive as we may there’s nothing really new we can say.
It’s only You who puts a new song in our heart- a song born of gratitude for the legs quickened from the quicksand of miry clay now standing firm on The Rock.
From the New Heart and Spirit You transplant into our edifices,
a new song of praise will flow to The Holy Christ.
There’s nothing I can give You that’s not already Yours.
You who own the cattle on a thousand hills seek the one thing we can give that You gave
but will not reclaim at force- our free wills.
Your will will come through anyway- no plan of Yours can be thwarted.
I am nothing and can do nothing without You.
I give my life and will back to The One who gave it first.
Thy love is enough for me, Lord- You are good enough for me.
As I pray to You, clutching my Bible close like I’m holding a love letter to my heart
Take and make me all Yours- to You alone do I lift up my soul- all praise to You alone!

What Can Wash Away My Sin? (poem)

Okay- and now I want to present a poem I wrote the as kind of a follow up in some ways to a poem I wrote some years ago that I called “What Can Make Me Whole Again?” Both that poem and this one follows the same format- a series of questions. I hope that in them everyone can truly see The Answer who holds an exclamation point for every question mark. :-)

“What Can Wash Away My Sin?”
(original poem by Nathan Ludwick 9/6/2013)
(Romans 1, Hebrews 2:1-4, 2 Peter 3:8-18, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

When did sex become so casual?
When did we start having friends with benefits?
When did baby daddy become a family member?
When did partners and special friends get united in holy matrimony?
When did sexuality become our god?
When did we reinvent its meaning?
When did we begin experimenting with new sexual identities, partners and acts?
When did rape, lust, pornography and torture devices become aspects of love?
When did the world and life itself become our personal centerfold for masturbation?
When did clothing become optional?
When did streaking exhibitionism become inhibition freeing expressionism?
Why can’t we censor anything at all?
When did free speech become our excuse for any vulgarity?
When did our quest for natural and artificial highs trump everything else no matter how low we have to go?
When did it become me and not us?
When did hedony become our manifest destiny?
When did violence become our common expression of feelings?
When did murder become our aversion to boredom?
When did ridicule and sarcasm become our native tongue?
When did babies become an inconvenience to be disposed of instead of a gift?
When did life itself become ours to give and take, whether our own or those we’ve grown tired of caring for anymore?
When did our self-actualization become our empowerment to think, say and do as we please?
Who died and made us god?
Why do we assume the mantle and assume there is none higher to judge us?
Why do we do everything to avoid our funeral instead of prepare for it?
When did our barns become so full of stuff that we have to rent storage sheds to hold it all?
When did our wallets get so fat and our hearts become so small?
When did we trade discipline and responsibility for our perceived personality and personal freedom to do anything we can possibly think to do?
When did we reject all authority but our own?
When did we become such scoffers of truth, justice, love and redemption?
When did we exchange the truth for a lie?
When did we become cynical misers seeking only to save ourselves?
When did we fool ourselves into believing we have?
When did the love of God poured and flowing through a bloody cross and empty tomb become such an outdated and laughable story in a book of fairy tales to us?
Why do we tremble at we don’t even claim to believe?
How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?

What Can Make Me Whole Again? (poem)

What can make me whole again?
(by Nathan Ludwick- August 5, 2007)

What am I to you but just another pretty face?
What are any of us but carbon-based space?
Are we but a breath in the span of an eternal sigh?
Is our definition of life straining to fill a void inside?
In our Babylonian thinking, must there be another day?
Are we trying to live or outlive our own fantasy?
Are we partakers or does the wind elude us eternally?
Does what we're looking for ever really satisfy?
Is utopia purchased with a pot of gold over the rainbow?
What is the connection that makes existence tolerable?
Do lovers and dreamers construct myths to confine?
Does anyone ever really look out for the other guy?
Why is it easier to say labels than to name names?
Is philanthropy ever truly unselfish gain?
Is routine our code for controlled chaos?
Do our mirrors reflect more than Narcissus and Icharus?
Do our treasures and gold serve only to cap a cavity?
Does our primal carnality outweigh instrinsic capacity?
Does the heart of eternity still beat in our withered forms?
Can this mortal coil transcend immortal throes?
Is the song of the pack the call of the wild in our souls?
Is death where we begin and life where we end?
Does the roar of Judah's Lion still resound in our fleshy heart?
In Androcles' kindness, do we embrace the wounded paw?
Do celestial heights raise the plane of our existence?
When will Aslan be on the move from the land beyond the sea?
When will we read the first chapter of the Greatest Story of all?

The Meaning of Life

"We want more than this world's got to offer....we want more than this world's got to offer... we want more than the wars of our fathers...And everything inside screams for second life.......We were meant to live for so much more...have we lost ourselves?"- "Meant to Live" by Switchfoot

"You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense." - Rick Warren

As Rick Warren talks about in his best-selling book, "The Purpose Driven Life", we and all those philosophers that have come before us and the ones here now often can't find the purpose for our lives because we start at the wrong place. As human beings we have a natural tendency to focus in ourselves and so we look to defining life and its purpose in terms of how it affects our own lives particularly. But that's the wrong approach. As Rev. Warren's book states in the first line- "It's not about you."
           Now that's just an affront to our self-centered fragile egos. It takes some real humbling on our parts to remember that there are many things in the world so much bigger than ourselves and everything does not revolve around us. We are but dust blowing in the wind, as Kansas said. But though we started out as dust, God makes something more of us through Jesus. And here we get to the purpose and meaning of life when we change the focus to the One bigger than us- bigger than everything else in the world. Life starts with God Himself- because He is Life. In fact, as Jesus said in John 14:6, He is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No man comes to the Father except through Him.
       After spending most all the time and money in the world on women, wine and song, King Solomon concluded that all of life is vanity! " 'Everything is meaningless,' says The Teacher." (see Ecclesiastes 1:1) What a bleak outlook on life! But read the whole book- that is exactly what life is like without God. It's all meaningless without God. Without God, it's nothing but a set amount of time to kill before time kills us. The kicker is there at the end of the book. "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
        Okay then- so if we start this quest for the meaning of life by looking outward to God instead of inward, where does that take us? Well, here are some Bible verses that speak to this point. God Himself tells us plainly our position in the universe and our purpose. While the Psalmist marvels that God should think of us at all- "What is man that You are mindful of us?" (see Psalms 8). Yet God made us "a little lower than the angels." (again, see Psalms 8). And since Genesis 1:26 tells us that God made us, male and female, in His image- we have an infinite booster shot's worth of self-worth right there! Of course, our worth is not in us- it's in Jesus. It's because we are made in His image that we are infinitely important and valuable. And God loves us with an eternal love because we are His creation. (Jeremiah 31:3)
          And why were we created? What are we here on earth for? What are we? When are we? Where are we? Who are we? Why are we? Well, we need look no further than God. And He says that He created all things- and they were all created "for His pleasure". (Revelation 4:11) That's it right there. We were created to bring God pleasure. Unfortunately, too often we have brought Him nothing but heartache and grief, as Genesis 6:5-8 attests. Fortunately, that's where Jesus comes in- both figuratively and literally. Though we were created to bring God pleasure- and nothing brings Him more pleasure than our willing obedience to Him and worship of Him- we chose instead our own pleasure and chose to sin against God. And the wages of sin is death- and not just physical death. There is also the spiritual death we dwell in outside of Christ- and the eternal second death in Hell. However, after Adam and Eve's sin brought corruption to the whole earth and tainted the human race's bloodline with a sin nature, God still had a plan in mind to put right what once went wrong. And much like Dr. Sam Beckett quite literally in some ways becomes one with the person he Leaps into (on "Quantum Leap"), God became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ. And Jesus paid the price for us and made the sacrifice of His own life for all the sins of the world. And because He lives again, we have forgiveness from God and a restored relationship, all free for the asking. Romans 10:9 says if we confess Jesus as Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. And we can know we have an eternity with Him in Heaven instead. Praise God for His love! (see Philippians 2:1-11)
          When we are in a right relationship with our Creator, everything falls into place. As we seek more and more to obey God and be more like Christ, we come to fulfill one of God's other purposes for our lives. We are created for His pleasure and one of the ways God gets the most pleasure is when we worship Him as He rightfully deserves and thus bring Him glory. He formed and made us for His glory. (see Isaiah 43:7). And the crazy cool thing is this- when we live in right relationship with God and seek to bring Him glory, we also find ourselves most fulfilled and find purpose in our lives. In becoming more like Christ, we become more ourselves than ever before, as C.S. Lewis once noted. Of course, there is a good reason for this. This is how God designed us to be- this is His original intent. He is a relational God and He desires us all to have a relationship with Him. And only in that relationship with Jesus can we truly find the fulfillment and purpose and meaning we are looking for in life. It just doesn't work any other way. Try to save your life- you'll lose it. Try to get ahead and win in life- ultimately, you'll fail and lose. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? If you want to know peace, fulfillment, purpose and meaning in life- they only come in following Jesus. Forget the pursuit of the temporal and rather pursue the eternal. Not only is the eternal all that will last- it's all that really matters in the end. The eternal not only rewards our permanent dwelling in Heaven with Christ- it enriches our time allotted in the land of our sojourn.
          We are here for a reason. God has a purpose in mind for each one of us. He loves us with an eternal love and He has placed eternity in our hearts. To live for His glory and bring Him pleasure is built into our DNA- but it's only realized when we make the choice to follow His call and accept Christ as Savior through faith in His death and Resurrection as payment for all our sins and then live in union with Him- the way that He designed all along. To reject Him and His love is truly a living hell on earth that extends for eternity. To accept Him and His love is pure ecstasy- pure rapture for a captured heart that eternally dwells in His presence in His heavenly realms. He is the meaning of Life-He's The Way of enlightenment and understanding and wisdom- He is The Truth- there is no other. We either live with anathema or we can join an anthem of the everlasting Hallelujah chorus! Praise God for His love. :-)
           So the call goes out to us all- forget about our own lives and pursuits- deny them all; yes, deny our very selves- take up our own cross and follow Jesus. It's a daily process and thankfully, one that He prearranges and ordains and maintains all the while working through our surrendered will and being. (See Matthew 6:24-28).God is faithful- even when we're not. (1 Corinthians 1:4-9). And what is His command? Love The Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind and strength- and love thy neighbor as thyself. And speak The Truth in Love. (See Matthew 22:34-40 and Ephesians 4:15). Love undergirds everything. So keep walking in fellowship with Jesus and live a life of purpose on purpose- just as He purposed it all along. That's The Way He planned it. There is no other way to truly live. This is The Life! And that's The Truth. :-)