Strongman You Want? Strongman You’ll Have! (Poem)

There is an old adage that says, ‘For what you wish, be careful’.¹

Here’s a wish in our world that some day we may want to cancel.

It’s the increasing wish for right leaning, ‘strongman’ governments,

To add to the heap of others that we, for years, still lament! ²

This wish is fed by ill-perceived costs of globalization.

It is fanning the well-known flames of nationalization.

But to look only at the costs of global integration,

But no benefits, yields a one-sided examination.

Increasing national conflicts and regional migration,

Add more fuel to this growing, incredible situation.

But who’d argue that ‘right-leaning’ is both ‘strong’, and also ‘right’?

Between nationalistic and integral, which takes more might??

In sports competition, every player looks for his ‘edge’,

Even if it means reneging on whatever he pledged.

In economic competition, nations do the same,

‘Till nationalism rears its head, and changes the game.

Tariff walls, subsidies, and tricks to manipulate the field,

Designed to bring ‘economic competition dogs’ to heel.

‘Beggar thy neighbor’ economic and trading policies,

Project strongman egos...but ensure mutual paucity!

As the pendulum of global unity swings cyclically,

Here is a predicted outcome worth pondering carefully.

In the past, the dark clouds of myopic nationalism,

Have unleashed across the earth much hellish opportunism.

You see, strongman economic and trading policies,

Have clear side effects, and what I call ‘bleeding properties’.

Take a quick tour around the world, and you’ll see what this has bred.

Such strongman policies into most other sectors have bled!

Strongman tactics only work when preceded by strong delusion

That makes of sound governance a derision, and brings destruction.

Consider this: Strongman governance is rooted deeply in pride.

This spirit defiles one man, and then quickly infects nationwide.

If you’re spiritually alive, you’ll know this is not odd.

Where did I get it? It’s inferred in The Book written by God!

‘To those who have pleasure in unrighteousness, He’ll send to them,

Strong delusion to believe lies, and thereby they’ll be condemned.’ ³

Pride is the root of all evil, and goes before destruction.

It can ensure both personal and national corruption.

One day, a prideful strongman will arise to rule the whole world,

And over all nations, his deceptive flag he will unfurl.⁴

His lies will be believed then, as strongman lies are believed today.

His global government will come, but it will not be here to stay!

He’ll be annihilated by the brightness of Christ’s return! ⁵

Now my Friend, from this Truth, for our world today, what can we learn?

From this rhyme, here is a warning I hope we all will heed:

Don’t ever look to a professed strongman to meet your need.

Live by your faith! ⁶ Don’t smear fear as a salve.

If strongman you want, then strongman you’ll have!

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¹ Poetically paraphrased

² Can you name the countries where ‘strongman’ governments rule?
³ 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 (paraphrased)
⁴ Daniel 7:23-27, 11:21-45; Revelation 13:8

⁵ Genesis 3:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Zechariah 14:12; Revelation 19:11-21

⁶ Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38

Four Birthdays, or Only Three? (Poem)

God designed humans to have four birthdays,

But too many of us have only three.

For you, three or four? Take time to appraise,

So you’ll complete your ‘birthday history’. 

The first of four is your spirit’s ‘breath-day’.

God breathed ‘you’ as Dad’s sperm entered Mom’s egg.

The second is the day you celebrate;

The day to get gifts for which you don’t beg. 

The fourth is your birth into forever. 

That is the day God takes His breath away.

That leaves one too few have; many never.

 Let’s see what it is with no more delay!

That’s the day you choose your forever home,

Chance to leave the one which at birth we’re paired.

From this place you will never, ever roam.

A choice between two that God has prepared.

When into this life each of us is born,

Into satan’s kingdom we are then plunged.

But from his clutches we each can be torn, 

By Christ’s bloody death that our sins expunged.

Once in your heart your decision is sealed,

In God’s ‘Book of Life’ it is recorded.

When away from earth your life has been pealed,

By your choice, you’ll be doomed or rewarded. 

To you, ‘Happy Birthday!’ four times, not three,

If in God’s Kingdom you’ve chosen to come.

But if you’re satisfied with only three, 

Just like God, on your choice I will be ...mum.

Will We Inhabit Other Bodies? (Poem)

We’re pushing to select celestial bodies to inhabit,

Whether to mine minerals or just find a cleaner planet.

After raping the Earth, and then damaging her atmosphere,

Some wonder, ‘Will we just do the same beyond our stratosphere?!’

Science reports finding several possibly good candidates.

We’re honing technologies, and setting exploration dates.

International cooperation has greatly increased,

Compared to those early days when space rockets were first released.

All of this is being done under God’s ever watchful eye.

He alone will determine whether these plans of man ‘will fly.’ ¹

In His Book that chronicles our beginning and our ending,²

Let’s see what He says concerning all these things we’re pretending.

In His Book, it’s only Earth that serves as mankind’s center stage.

From start to finish, I see this written on page-after-page.

Yeah, there is mention of Heaven, and also of hell there, too,

But of mankind having another stage, there’s only one clue! ³

Celestial bodies were given to us for seasons and signs.⁴

No mention of them as natural resources for us to mine.

Just as o’er Earth’s natural resources much blood has been spilled,

Imagine headlines from space when, off Earth, the first man is killed!

As bloodshed increases from natural resource wars we’ll have exported,

And celestial bodies are militarized, not just purported, 

Pray tell, where ‘in the world’ would all of these bodies be buried??

Inter them ‘there’ or back on Earth? Who would care, or be worried?

Revelation says both the seas and hell will ‘give up their dead’ ⁴

At the end of Christ’s Millennial Reign, that is what I read. 

No mention of dead folk rising from some place other than Earth!

Then on earth, Heaven will be featured, and hell at its center.⁵

The sky and all its occupants will be rolled up like a scroll.⁶

No further need of them for lights, time, seasons and signs, we’re told.

So if you think we’ll succeed in rearranging all God’s plans,

My Friend, you don’t understand the power of His Word and Hands.

We should be concerned over the extent of Earth‘s pollution.

But consider the impact of God’s punishment solution!

Earth will be nearly unrecognizable when He gets through,

But then Jesus will return and establish all things anew.

We should be concerned about natural resource depletion.

But consider God’s power and plans for resource repletion! 

Earth, recognizable, with new life and fresh purpose supreme! 

Earth, ‘Under New Management’ by Jesus and His Church, redeemed!

We don’t know whether He’ll allow our space forays to proceed,

Let’s wait and see how He will respond to man’s resource greed.

For now, all we know is what He wrote, which is what we should read,

As we ponder whether from Earth’s limits… we’ll ever be freed.

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¹ Pun intended
² The Bible
³ Many scholars believe hell may be in a black hole or elsewhere in creation. The main point about hell is that it is a place of eternal torment for God’s demonic enemies and mankind who side with them. It represents eternal separation from our loving God, and is a place ‘you don’t wanna be!’ To understand where The Bible affirms hell will be, see: Hell: A Preview ((Series)

⁴ Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the Earth”; and it was so. (Genesis 1:14-15) Here, ‘lights’ refers to both gaseous stars and the planets and other bodies that reflect starlight.

⁵ Revelation 20:13

⁶ Isaiah 34:4 and Revelation 6:14

Un-Binding the Strongman (Poem)

 Fathers, we have an unseen influence over our children,

This influence ‘works’ whether we are present with them or absent.

It is something special that to us alone God has given.

It’s His delegated authority as ‘their Helmsman Parent.’

From the time they are conceived, until the time from home they leave,

We’re assigned as their Protector, spiritually speaking.

Whether it’s to their Mom, others, or no woman we may cleave,

This responsibility is given without our seeking.

Angels and demons alike must respect OUR authority,

Even if we, ourselves, are totally ignorant of it!

Over all our children we exercise an autocracy.*

In the spiritual world, the buck stops with us. Be sure of it!

That’s why devils and demons work hard to get our attention.

They well know we are God’s assigned ‘Strongman’ in all of our ‘house’.

If they can capture our imagination and ambition,

Our authority over our children they know they can douse! 

In one of His parables, Jesus gave an insightful word:

‘One can’t enter a strongman’s house without first tying him up. 

Then the strongman’s house can be thoroughly ransacked and plundered!’**

Imagine recovering from such a horrible smashup! 

While Jesus referred to satan in the context of His words, 

The exact thing applies across our physical world today.

But let’s think how it also applies to other things we’ve heard:

‘Like father, like son’, ‘apples falling close to trees’, as we say. 

Fathers’ persistent words and actions during children’s ‘home years’, 

Give to angels and devils our ‘spiritual nod and license’,

To influence our children based on how ‘we set our own gears’. 

In our children’s lives, OUR spiritual lives will set the cadence.

Did this get your attention, as your own life is in review?!

It sure got mine, so down on my knees I went, and repented. 

I asked God for His great Grace and Mercy my life to imbue.

He said, in Christ, all my sins and shortcomings are remitted!

Now this word I share with all sons, fathers, and fathers-to-be,

For too long, by devilish tricks and traps, all of us have been bound!

Please hear my plea, and let’s open our eyes, spiritually.

WE determine whether our kids’ spirits will thrive... or be drowned.

As we embrace God’s assigned role as Strongman/Child Protector,

And daily perceive into worlds in which our kids cannot see,

He will daily grace us with the strength, insight and character,

To become ‘all the Strongman we should spiritually be’.

If you’re still Father, and your kids’ at-home years have not yet passed, 

Ask God for Grace that will inspire and instruct future outcomes.

If they are just leaving, or their at-home years have long since passed,

Ask for Mercy to enhance, retroactively, past outcomes.

Our Father assignments one day will attract great scrutiny.

At Christ’s Judgment Bar, consider carefully how might you be found,

When He says, ‘Now let’s review your Father opportunity!

‘Were you the best Strongman you could be, spiritually un-bound??’

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* Spiritual autocracy, that is. God installed fathers as the spiritual head and protective covering over the family, and especially over children.

** Matthew 12:29, Mark 3:27 and Luke 11:21-22, paraphrased.