A Change is Gonna' Come

I was born by the river in a little tent
And just like that river I've been running ever since
It's been a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die
Cos I don't know what's out there beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

And then I go to see my brother
And I ask him to help me please
And he just winds up knockin' me
Back down on my knees

There were times when I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, been a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

Mystique

"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

Our lives today are so disparate. We have families. Work colleagues. Old school friends. Church friends. Those we meet in the school playground when we drop of our kids. We have those we know from the gym or the club or the pub.

And to each of those groups we may present ourselves a different person. One that is clever or funny or holy. Often our work colleagues would not recognise the person we are at home and that person isn't half as good or holy as the person we are on a sunday.

A different person for a different place.

Mystique is a villain from the X-Men series. She is a 'shape shifter'; she can change her form to appear like anyone else. She is an expert at covert work and being a double or even a triple agent. But no-one knows the real Mystique; Raven Darkhölme. Not even her children - with whom she has troubled relationships to say the least.

God describes himself to Moses as "I AM". God always is who God always is. It is impossible for Him to be inconsistent or self-contradictory. He is not a capricious God.

Part of becoming more like Him is to become more consistent. More reliable. More dependable. It is one of the reasons Jesus implores His disciples to "Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'" in Matthew 5. The world can only work on the basis of trust. If we do not trust each other we cannot function. If we are untrustworthy then we will find it hard, or even impossible, to build anything substantial. A man's word is still his bond - even if our society seeks to replace such things with legally binding contracts.

Will I be a shape shifter; changing who I am to meet my needs and get my own way?

Or will I be a rock; consistent, reliable and authentic?

"But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation." James 5:12

dg

Monuments

"Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor."

1 Samuel 15:12

These Are My Twisted Words

These are my twisted words
When I feel you still walking
I know I should not look down
But I’m so sick of just talking

When are you coming back?
I just can’t handle it
When are you coming back?
I just can’t handle it

When are you coming back?
I just can’t stand it
I just can’t handle it

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Harry Patch (In Memory Of)

I am the only one that got through
The others died where ever they fell
It was an ambush
They came up from all sides
Give your leaders each a gun and then let them fight it out themselves
I've seen devils coming up from the ground
I've seen hell upon this earth
The next will be chemical but they will never learn

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