Cain

Genesis 4:6 "Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

Silence. Cain did not respond to God's advice. Instead, he killed his brother.

"I hate you, Abel!"
Thought brutish Cain.
From that one thought
pure Abel was slain.

"My offering was just as fine as his.
I should find favor,
I've been ignored.
Now his death will be my bliss!"

So God made Cain aware of the consequences of this sin. He would be banished, yet when Cain expressed his fear of death, God eased his worry, promising vengeance on any who might harm Cain. Why? Mercy, perhaps. Perhaps God hoped in Cain's reform. Perhaps that is why He extends mercy to us all.

My Raoul

"All I Ask of You" by Andrew Lloyd Webber

"No more talk of darkness,
Forget these wide eyed fears;
I'm here, nothing can harm you,
My words will warm and calm you.
Let me be your freedom,
Let daylight dry your tears;
I'm here, with you, beside you,
To guard you and to guide you."

Discover The New Musical Cast!

These lyrics represent my Raoul, those who enable me to face my phantoms and fears, and to cast them away in the comfort of their embrace. My Raoul is plural. This is because I find my comfort in God and in my husband Phil, and in my husband Phil through the tenderness of God's grace.

I attended the live theatrical performance of Phantom of the Opera for the very first time just over a week ago, and this song pulled me into its melody, as the lyrics spoke of things I understand too well. Like the heroine, Christine, I have my own phantoms that lurk in dark corners in my mind, and I could hear God's comfort in the words of Raoul, "Let me be your shelter / Let me be your light. / You're safe, no one will find you, / Your fears are far behind you." I, too, often feel vulnerable and in need of a shelter, and my husband offers all that Raoul proclaims and more. This is a stability, a comfort bestowed on me by my husband, through God, and for this I am thankful and at peace knowing that he'll "lead me from my solitude."

The Sixth Day

Be fruitful and multiply!
Make love and procreate;
Celebrate this sixth day of creation--
Be fruitful and multiply!

Worship Me as One!
For I am One,
and when your limbs interlock,
you celebrate Me.

For this I will bless you:
from your loins you will bear another
in My likeness.

Be fruitful.
Multiply!
Make love.
Worship!

Creation

you Raised your Hands,
and the sky parted from the sea.
the deep indigo waters
receded to blue, teal, aqua,
as the azure dust wafted into the expanse above.

the colors seceded from themselves,
white taking the form of cotton and pillows,
blue painting the world in a serene backdrop,
and then you lit the Sun,
with the Wave of your Hand, you set it Aflame,
orange bursts from a hidden purple flare.

you saw that it was Good, and it Was,
and it Is, and it Ever Will Be,
for you are there shining your beams upon me as I drift along the sea,
you are there sprinkling your grace drops, thundering your love,
blowing kisses in the wind to your creation,
your Child,
your Reason for Being.