Joey's Rainbow

Guidelines for Living (transposed from ‘Rules of a Godly Life’) I.                  Every day, prayerfully note all the wonderful works of God’s creation and governance of the Earth.   II.                In the morning, at midday and at even, fall upon thy knees in thankfulness to thy Creator for the gift of that day, repenting and confessing any faults or sins and embracing God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ, His Son. III.               Refrain from harmful or unclean thoughts that thy conduct, speech and manner of living might be kept pure and true before God. IV.               In all thy dealings, be humble and honest, which is praiseworthy and reward enough. V.                Be not overly concerned with what others may do and meddle not in the business of another. VI.               Bear patiently all wrongs from the heart, and be not angered by them. VII.             Silence thy heart before the presence of God and be patient in suffering, knowing that His g

Being a Means of Grace There is a saying used by some that says, “the End, justifies the Means”. I do not know what all is meant by that statement, especially as it is used in various situations, but if the End you desire is- imparted grace towards another human being, then you being the ‘means’, by which that grace is imparted, seems very justifiable. Jesus Christ, was sent by God the Father of all Creation, into this world to be The Means of Grace to all who are lost in sin and departed from the fellowship of God.   When he lay down his life sacrificially for all who believe in Him, Jesus clearly passed on his work to those who followed after. “Go out into all the world” was his disciple’s first commission, and ever since, recipients of his grace, have been busy sharing that grace with others. You might say, “well, what is grace?” Simply put, it is unmerited favor. Before you or I ever existed on this planet, God humbled himself by putting on the bodily form of a hum

THE BEST PB & J EVER When I was a child living at home with my parents, I was blessed to partake every day from the bounties they provided me.   My mother was an excellent cook and baker and she made us delicious bread. Living in harmony and obedience to my parents was beneficial to me being able to enjoy mealtimes together with them.   She would cut me a thick slice of her homemade bread and I would dig deep into the peanut butter jar to smear thick creaminess across my slice, and then slather on some strawberry jelly to add that essential sweetness.   This made the best PB & J ever! In Psalm 81, God is speaking to Israel and all those who love him, that he will feed them, just as he fed their fathers long ago.   “Open thy mouth wide and I will fit it” is a promise to those who seek after God.   To be fed with the finest wheat, and honey out of the rock, is God’s parental desire to provide pleasant nourishment to his children.   Oh that each would put away hate from our

A Simple Truth A simple truth Jesus proclaimed By living pure in word and name God’s plan for all in spirit find His will to do and live in kind A new order He did set forth In spirit’s truth was worships worth Heartfelt and pure the thoughts behind Each living task of human mind Christ unshod boldly traveling led Twelve fishermen from seashore head With miracles and sufferings hard God’s truth He charged them to impart In dying He revealed His love Then rising He returned above Jesus, God’s Son for mankind came From Satan’s grasp them to reclaim Disciples then and ever since Have preached our need of repentance Turn from prescribed religions way Let God’s Spirit and Truth have sway Brothers and Sisters both alike Speak freely with the Spirits guide Proclaiming truth in word and way Showing the path to brighter Day                                                       Joseph Stalnaker 06.24.12

A Life of Prayer One simple candle in window stands A flick’ring light to Dark Its motion stills nights’ pressing bands And warms the needy heart So, oft a prayer can singly move The mind to daring deed By faith in Him who hears us speak Through cloud and veil unseen Not in the rote delivery Of record   words and psalm But from the stirrings of the heart Doth God receive our call On bended knee or walking foot Christ knows his friends always From bustling town or quiet wood No distance can our prayer delay So, Christian friend and faithful all Live speaking every day In praying to our living God And walking in His way Then shall a little candle shine From out our hearts below A window to that promised World Where all in glory glow

A young child grows to learn and love Touching to feel and know Sights, sounds and light from sun above Help youth to adults go With open mind and heart we share Our gifts and love with all No strange foreigner do we know For all are friends to call Yet somehow later on in life Our minds are taught to hate Some friends are good, and others not Bias put in our pate God made our hearts with love o’er flow In every human space No gender, race or creed should be Denied by us, a place Heart’s love and kindness freely given Is how God made us be Mindless bigotry, fear and hate Clouds His truth to see Conflicts come from lusts within Showing the minds of them Who judging think themselves the best, While others live in ‘sin’. Oh may our hearts, like Christ’s, live love And tell our minds today That love is love for humankind No matter Bi, or Straight, or Gay So, then like in our childhood days Our friends are friends al

What Did the Old Orders Keep? In days of ole when preachers sang And families bent the knee What did the fathers then portend For their children’s lives to be? The nineteenth century preyed upon with industrial pulse Most everyone, to seize with joy the New Order’s course The church foretold its doom and prayed God’s will be done while yet twas day Sunday Schools and picnics came New clothes and bonnets too Next revivals, higher institutions and Foreign missions across the blue Against these changes some who stood Were parted from the rest Planted in their proven ways They were sentenced to a test Could they keep their piety? Could they manage God’s own truth? Could they handle change without? Could they harbor true renown? The Old Order felt the World’s way Was by far a dangerous path They felt it’s evangelicalness Would soon incur God’s wrath So strong they stood for Order And hard they preached for good Long they s

Confirmed to Be One night to Shepherds low A Babe was born to show Angels announced with Peace God with us confirmed was He In Cana’s joyful marriage hall The guests were filled with instant awe As water turned to wine, did see A miracle confirmed to be When fishing boat of men did sail And stormy sea on it prevailed Then spoke He who from Galilee Tempest stilled, all confirmed to see By waters well, in heat of day Christ with Samaritan did say “Drink of me Living Water free” Then none need be confirmed thirsty As thunder rent the skies of dark The rocks did break on hillside stark Raised on that rugged tree was He Died Christ for all confirmed to see Then Angels on the tombstone stood Gone was the cross of nail and wood Nothing of earth’s mere frailty Held back His rising confirmed free Now on through all the ages past This Truth endures in hearts to last Jesus of Nazareth, Christ to be Lord and Saviour, confirme

                                     Christ Has arisen from the Grave On that great new grain harvest day In that long time ago Disciples met to sing and pray Seeking Christ’s will to know God’s Holy Spirit down did come Upon their bow-ed heads Like cloven fiery redden tongues Spoke they of Christ once dead From the Judea and beyond Resurrection was named As hope in a believer’s heart Who for Jesus proclaimed Ever since that empow’ring day Christians have much to say Rejoice and be exceeding glad For Heavn’s our home for aye That dreadful day of death is past Behold the morn is bright Christ has arisen from the grave And   banished sins dark night

In the Book of John, loved scribe of old We read the story of That Word Its presence and form with God before time Created all life and lighted the world In That Word was life and that life was light Shining through bewildering and blinding dark A witness did Jordan’s prophet make Believing all may have hope of heart That Word, made flesh and dwelt among Lowly creatures here below Declaring God’s grace and truth Willing His fullness to bestow That Word was Christ, who lightened humankind Each and everyone one Welcoming all who in faith believe His Spirit of Truth to receive.

Living Simply Living simply seems to me The message of Christ’s ministry Jesus as a servant came Help and healing brought his fame He unshod tread through Jacob’s land Lending a kind and helping hand To the maim and sick and blind Bringing them towards God’s kingdom kind Christ lived among us poor and alone Yet wealth he had of worth unknown Far greater is the treasure of Spiritual wealth in Heav’n above If we could but leave our pursuit of things And praying let our spirits sing Then we like Christ might work and do To help and heal with spirits true A shelter o’er our heads at night Work for our hands while it is light Food in our bellies at end of day Gives strength and nourishment along our way Beyond all these let Christ’s witness prove A spiritual wealth’s more worthy trove For Christians on their pilgrim way Journeying simply towards golden day

Compelled to bear His Cross On that day so long ago, Simon bent beneath the load Compelled was he, Christ’s cross to bear painful journey, with Him did share Apostles past, Disciples true Have borne that cross, with trials too faithful martyrs on history’s page Did testify through every age We too, may do as Jesus did And with Him run, the victory win Lift high the Cross, His Body, Blood With others share the truth of God And may we also humbly seek His Presence in our hearts this week Walking through prayer each hallowed day Bearing the Cross the Christian way -written by Joseph Stalnaker upon being commissioned to serve as a Eucharistic Minister at Christ Episcopal Church in Pottstown, Pennsylvania

The Spark Small and crisp, dry and clean Twigs and sticks, stem and string Fodder for a fire make Room enough for flame to take Roaring start and skyward aim Up from this temporal plain In human heart a thirst begins To feel and know our origins But more than these Its reaching sees The plan there was from ages past Of making me and things that last As sky and air and land and trees Still sparkles fast that tiny start Of flaming bright and thoughtful heart A scratching inward and seeking out To fine the Source, what life’s about This tiny ember burns still bright In each and every human life That of God is what we seek By Mose’s altar of penitence And standing tall near Sinai’s ledge Neath dreadful fury of Red Sea’s wave On peaceful waters of Galilee To know and feel, to hear and speak Almighty One from Far and Nigh Lift our hearts to you on high Bring the wood for fire’s strength Kindle anew the inward flame Buil

The Christian Centuries From beside the rippling Bay Came a man of God one day To few disciples He did say, “Follow Me, from now till aye. Though numbered Twelve just at the first Their party grew with spiritual thirst Yet none a question ask Him durst Whence had he pow’r o’er death and worse? Soon did they see and embrace His Light That others too Christ’s power might See change their bodies from sin’s dread blight Into clean beings with spiritual sight On mountain top one morn He rose His earthly ministry did close But sent in fiery tongued cloves The Holy Spirit with fruit which grows From thence forth His Disciples met And in each other’s care were fed With spiritual courage, so they led Gentile’s learned Truth with heart and head A thousand ages since have passed Jesus Christ’s sacrifice is Mass’ed Teaching’s worthily have last And ever will, though time fade fast Honesty and love for God and self To lend thy nei

From out eternal dark there spake the voice of God His voice did make the Light From which all life did spark The Three were present there Father and Son and Ghost Land, Sea and herbal fare Sun, Moon and starry host Creation made complete With mankind made from dust Adam neath tree, knew Eve As fruitfully they must The Serpent did beguile Eve’s wishes for knowledge Adam then chose to lose For love of her who said They then did till the earth Midst thorns and thistles wrought Their bread by sweat of brow In daily sunshine hot But God did plan a way For Adams seed to bring Salvation from decay Redemption from the Spring Twas Noah showed the plan How God will man redeem Into the Ark of Wood Went all created things Above the sea of sin In Grace was Noah’s sight The animals and men Did see a rainbow bright So then in manger came A babe of lowly birth Midst animals below And praised by men of worth T

O God, Barn of Our Sheltering How worthy of our love, So deserving of affection, Thy nearest dwelling place, O God, Barn of our Sheltering Our souls do reach for Thee, Heart, mind, and body, Crying daily in driest lands Passing through to Baca Weary ones find strength in strength, Drinking from rain filled pools, And dwell neath Thy o’er shading calm, Feeling Thee etern’ly good O’er head the thatching of thy care Doth shade from sun’s cruel heat Upheld beneath by posts of prayer The birds find beams of respite sweet Thou hidest harvest’s plenty store Of golden faith’s small grain And plenteously rewardeth those Who in thy courts remain When harvest past and at the last Our pilgrimage doth cease May we sure find our comfort best In Thy eternal peace Inspired from Psalm 84 JS MMXIX