A Poem and Half Shell

These words let it be known

To Christ on the Throne

Who calls unfaithful servants to His Glorious Home

Not Alone

But Christ who dwells within

Who took a dirty pagan

And made him

A Friend

I’m speaking in rhymes to tell of these wonderful times

He’s the God of Abraham

Not the god of the Jains

Awe striking signs

That He showed to this shredded up vine

LORD please

Prick and Prune me

Cut the slack on the line

You have

Made me ready Lord, I repent to the dust

It’s Jesus Christ, God save me, let my demons be hushed.

-Jayson Philbeck-

July 6^th

It was on this day that Mark Twain, the pen name for Samuel Clemmons, began writing for a newspaper entitled the Territorial Enterprise. Clemmons followed the trends of the day: heading west in hopes of finding gold or silver and making it big. When nothing ever materialized, he found this job in Virginia City and began the legend known as Mark Twain.

It is the birthday of a Tibetan. In 1935 a baby named Tenzin Gyatso was born. He later became the future leader of Tibet. He was proclaimed the Dalai Lama, a reincarnation of the Buddha. He has written several books, many which made the best seller list. Time magazine included him in their top 100 most influential people issue.

On this day in 1946, George Walker Bush was born in Connecticut. His family later moved to Texas. His father became the president after Ronald Reagan. He became a very successful businessman, becoming co-owner of the Texas Rangers in 1989 and holding the position as governor of Texas for 6 years. In 2000 he became the 43^rd president of the United States, beating out democrat Al Gore. Bush was the first president in history to put a black man, Colin Powell, in the position of Secretary of State. He quickly became a war president on a dark day in American history, 9/11. He regained re-election in 2004 and the president this current day in 2006.

In 1956, John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met. The occasion was a church picnic near Liverpool. These two men later formed one of the greatest pop sensations of the 1960’s. Their group was called The Beatles. They ended up with four men in the band. They were a big hit in Europe, but more so in America. The band broke up in 1970.

When the year 1967 rolled around, this day went down as the initiation of the Nigerian civil war. The Republic of Biafra broke away from Nigeria and began a three year war. Many people died from malnutrition as the countries main source of income was destroyed. Nigeria ended up winning the war when Biafra surrendered.

July 6, 1988 holds the date for the largest oil rig explosion in history. It occurred in the North Sea near Scotland and was owned by Occidental Oil. Out of the 225 workers on-board, only 58 survived. The source of the explosion was a gas leak which later exploded and engulfed the rig in flames. Most oil rig disasters are due to inclement weather, which is why an explosion is so horrific.

In Time and Space

It has once been said that man desires the answer to three basic questions in life. He wants to know where he came from, why he is here, and where he is going. Sometimes I look into the sky when there are clear, dark nights and then my soul becomes my mind and answers such questions.
My first love ever was Jupiter. In my elementary school there was a program entitled AIMS. The other day I jokingly called it AG on steroids. It was an advanced math and science class for 4th and 5th graders. One day we had to do a project. We got to choose a planet in the solar system, research it, and present our information to the class. I chose Jupiter, not because it was the biggest planet, but because it was unique. You see, at that time and with that class, what we really thought was cool were 'rings' around planets. For this reason, most of my friends wanted to do Saturn for its elaborate and colorful display of rings. But there was something in Jupiter that was calling me. I'm not sure if it is the giant red hurricane that sits stationary on its underside, the twenty plus planets which orbit it (a few of which are the size of our earth), or maybe it was because it had one lonely, thin ring. Nevertheless, I chose it and had my first love. When I thought about Jupiter, I was outside of this world. There was no crime, no hate, no sin; there was only time and space. There was a world outside of earth that I couldn't physically see, yet it intrigued me. It was real. I knew it my deepest of deeps and to my utmost of most. At a time when I was learning all these new theories of how the world came to be outside of my Sunday school six day creation, I began to show signs of my inner philosopher. How can it be, that something so great can exist in such harmony with itself. And then there was the thought of infinity, and endless end, or lack thereof I suppose. I began to comprehend what my pastor meant when he said God was infinite. This was all so wonderful to me.
It is really funny to be sitting here typing about my youth because I am only nineteen years old. It seems like it was so long ago that I was daydreaming about space when in fact it was only a decade or so ago. I wonder how many other people are having the same experiences I did with Jupiter. I still think Jupiter is an amazing thought because it was made by God. I know how big God is. Ten years of growing in my faith and understanding of God and this world has been a wonderful ride. God has brought me to the point that I know without a doubt He is there and He is real. Time and space is a testimony of His existence because chaos can not turn into order without something else. When I look at Jupiter now, I see where God's hand has touched. I see how He has crafted His universe. It gives Him praise by doing everything He made it to do. All I can do is think what it would be like to behold this planet. It is beautiful.
It would be so neat to be able to visit Jupiter. I would like to fly to it in some magical euphoria and sit upon its ring and gasp at the immensity of this gas giant. Once I have overlooked it, I could descend into the clouds and meet its liquid core--a giant ball of molten rock and fire. How can it be? How can things so wonderful exist? The earth seems so vast sometimes, especially when I look across the ocean. But what would it be like to be on a planet that is thousands of times larger than this one, and to peer across its gaseous oceans? It rattles my mind. Perhaps one day in the life to come when God reveals His glory, all those questions that are hidden from me now will be answered. For when the fullness of time comes, the fullness of His glory will be revealed. Oh how I hope that one day, my dream of dreams would come to its fruition.