Steve Haarman

It is a wonder that we as a people

Do not remember that Jesus has

Worked in many ways to help us.

He did not want us to dwell in the

Temple in Jerusalem, but gave us the

Holy Spirit to receive and thereby

Making us all the temple of God.

We are the living stones and should

Be building a new spiritual house and

Know that God’s Spirit dwells in us.

Jesus promised that where two or three

are gathered in His name, He is there in the

Midst of them. We wonder how this is

Possible, since we are all sinners, and not

Holy enough, humble enough or pure enough

To become part of God’s temple or even

Come into his presence on our own. Jesus

Knew that we were sinners and weak, but

For God all things are possible. Jesus said

For human beings this is impossible but for

God all things are possible. He has told us that He

Can make us His temple where He and the

Father call home. He has in fact done this.

It is up to us with His help to honor this.

Stanski

September 29, 2023,^

It is a wonder that we as a people

Do not remember that Jesus has

Worked in many ways to help us.

He did not want us to dwell in the

Temple in Jerusalem, but gave us the

Holy Spirit to receive and thereby

Making us all the temple of God.

We are the living stones and should

Be building a new spiritual house and

Know that God’s Spirit dwells in us.

Jesus promised that where two or three are

gathered in His name, He is there in the

Midst of them. We wonder how this is

Possible, since we are all sinners, and not

Holy enough, humble enough or pure enough

To become part of God’s temple or even

Come into his presence on our own. Jesus

Knew that we were sinners and weak, but

For God all things are possible. Jesus said

For human beings this is impossible but for

God all things are possible. He has told us that He

Can make us His temple where He and the

Father call home. He has in fact done this.

It is up to us with His help to honor this.

Stanski

September 29, 2023,^

Fog is drifting b my window

Riding on the current of wind

There is a purpose, although

We cannot even begin to

Understand the ways of

Nature. We do miss the sun

And cannot see the horizon

We could be missing out on

A day of fun.

The day moves through morning,

Afternoon and evening and

As in life when we lose someone

There will be grieving, with hope

That tomorrow will be better.

Tomorrow comes and I see

Colored leaves falling, Now and

Then the sunlight catches the

Leaves. Beauty at that time is abundant

The horizon shows under a blue sky.

There is reason for optimism.

We learn from our experience.

Life can be interpreted as good or bad.

It will make us sometimes happy or sad.

Look for the positive

There is always beauty

Sometimes we just have to look for it.

Stanski

September 28, 2023, ^

The Jews were horrified when

Their city and Temple were destroyed

They were exiled, but managed to keep

Their faith. Today a great many Christians

Can identify with the Jews in exile as they

Have no access to a church, or their faith

Is outlawed. They may be soldiers on

The front lines, or a prisoner, or maybe

Homebound or in an area where there

Are no priests available. They could feel

Lonely or distant from the Lord, but the

Lord does not abandon them. We, too, must

Not abandon them, but love them, pray for

Them and bless them. We should never take

For granted the life we have. We open our hearts

To receive love and prayers and ask Jesus to

Stay close to us.

This Meditation presented by

Stanski

September 26, 2023, ^

Because He came to dwell among us a s shepherd,

Jesus will always seek us out when we wander

From Him. No matter what roads we travel down

Jesus will be right next to us, ready to gather us

Into His fold the moment we turn back to Him.

Because He came to dwell among us as a

Doorway to eternal life, Jesus will keep heaven

Open for us. This is not just an abstract idea,

But an ongoing promise of renewal for both

Body and soul. He even pours out His heavenly

Grace to sustain us on our way. Jesus will never abandon

Us. He will never abandon you. He will always be

“Emmanuel,…God is with us” Jesus, thank you for

dwelling with me now so that I can dwell with

you forever.

Presented from the psalms by Stanski

September 25, 2023, ^

Jesus will keep the doors of heaven open.

He is a man and knows all the works of man

Except for sinning. He understands that we

Will stray, but is always ready to take us

Back into the fold. He is the Good Shepherd

And he came to us as a doorway to eternal

Life. He is always ready to renew us and

Pours out his heavenly grace to sustain us.

He will never abandon us. This you must believe.

Stanski

September 24, 2023, ^

No clouds, waves or wind

Only the voices of birds and insects

The shore line was littered with stones,

Pollen, and other debris

Seagulls were floating overhead

Looking for an easy meal

And on the lookout for predators

Looking at them for an easy meal

The lake was smooth

Almost like an ice-skating rink

You could almost imagine the

Sounds of happy skaters, but we were

Only nearing the end of summer

We could not possibly imagine what

Was before us in the coming seasons

We would have our color tour as

Jack Frost, the magnificent artist, would

Paint the leaves of the deciduous trees

A palette of color, unimaginable

Beauty which will diminish our best efforts

Then winter will have its say

We can only hope that the clippers

Will be mild and endurable

For now I remember seeing a man swimming

A little less than a mile in each direction

He was a teacher, a professor, and this

Would be his last swim and he looked good

By early spring he had gone to his reward

Cancer, a quick acting form, had taken him

Our mortality supersedes the weather and I am

Curious about what happens when we are gone

And then the wondering if we succeeded in life

Also, will our accomplishments be remembered?

Most have no idea of all that has been done

Because it was done quietly, silently and by choice

Life like the seasons will go on

There will be low tides and high tides

Sometimes we think we are essential but

The grave yards are full of indispensable people

We should be aware of this fact

Life is a precious gift; it has one season

Live it well

Stanski  

September 24, 2023, ^

What if everyone had a paycheck?

What if everyone showed their care?

I’m thinking how wonderful things could be

No one could say that life isn’t fair

     Some working in the fields

     While others sit on a porch

     Farmer comes home bent

     Sitters “high” finishing a roach

     Workers have no complaint

     Get high on accomplishment

     Floaters sit and dream

     Dreaming the reality they meant

     Workers show up and are happy

     Idlers pretend they are

     There is quiet joy in the work place

     Noise and emptiness at the bar

Think of the pride the paycheck brings

And the world where everyone has care

I’m thinking how wonderful things could be

No one could complain – life isn’t fair

     We may all take a step

     In the direction of making things right

     Make things better for those along the way

     Turning the day from gloomy to bright

     We know what is real and the ideal

     The wishing that life could be smooth

     For everyone in every category

     To hope for, work for and not considered fools

What if we remember that we’re only of the world?

There will be a time to share

What if everyone had a paycheck?

What if everyone showed their care?

Stanski

September 23, 2023, ^

I started my walk at the edge of the woods.

This was usual and I seldom varied. Today

however, I did not follow the path down

to the water but went the other way to

see what changes may have taken place

since I had last been here. I was surprised

by the growth of the shrubs and evergreens

as well as the ground cover. Little animals

fairy like were running about as though they

did not like my intrusion. I thought a story

could be written about them and their domain,

but I think that has been done more than once

so, I filed that notion in the back of my mind.

Larger birds like owls and hawks were flying

haphazardly from tree to tree. There has been

a real takeover I thought, and I was not supposed

to be part of it. I continued and came to a camp

sight that was occupied by gypsies. They invited

me to join them for lunch. I accepted and as

we ate we carried on a conversation that led me

to believe that they were planning to stay for a while.

I reminded them of the zoning rules and the

ownership of the land and they told me that they

had already been advised, but planned to stay

if possible. I realized that it was my land

that they were “camping” on and having had lunch

with them, my action may be misconstrued as having

given them permission. This is going to be interesting.

I thought about it on my return and when I arrived

at my usual path I took it down to the water

where the rippling music put me at peace.

Stanski

September 22, 2023, ^

Some saw Jesus as a threat to

Their own status. They wanted to see

Him killed. Their rage blinded them

With their thinking. Jesus, being humble,

Always had wanted to elevate them.

As far as we are concerned, we see how

Many times our resentment, jealousy,

Or anger has tempted us to do

Something that we knew was wrong.

We have done this out of a desire for

Revenge or as a way to blow off steam.

In our own church we can find ourselves

Speaking against people whose experience of

God or faith doesn’t conform to our own.

We should not let our emotions carry us

To do something we will regret. When in

Certain uncomfortable situations we

Should really think before we open our

Mouths and say something we will later

Regret. We must pray to the Holy Spirit

And ask that our heart be softened and

That we learn how to forgive. Then we

Will feel free.

Stanski

September 21, 2023 ^