Proverbs 31

¹⁰An excellent wife who can find?

More precious than jewels she is

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her

No lack of gain will be his

¹²She does him good and never harm

All of the days of her life

¹³She seeks out the wool and works with the flax,

With the hands of a willing wife

¹⁴She is like the ships of a merchant

Bringing her food from afar

¹⁵Providing food for her family,

food for her maidens

She rises while it is still dark

¹⁶She considers a field and buys it;

With her profits, a vineyard she plants

¹⁷She sets to her work vigorously

And her arms are strong for her tasks

¹⁸She sees that her merchandise profits

And her lamp does not go out at night

¹⁹Her hands to the distaff,

her hands hold the spindle,

She works them with all of her might

²⁰To the needy and poor she opens her arms

And extends her hands to them both

²¹When it snows, for her family she has no fear

For they all in scarlet are clothed

²²She is clothed in fine linen and purple

She makes coverings for her bed

²³Her husband, respected at the city gates

With the elders he sits in the land

²⁴She makes linen garments and sells them

To the merchant, sashes she brings

²⁵Strength and dignity she wears for clothes

And she laughs at future things

²⁶The teaching of kindness is on her tongue

And wisdom her mouth does repeat

²⁷She looks well to the ways of her household

The bread of idleness she does not eat

²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed

Her husband, he praises her too

²⁹Many women have excelled in these things

But all are surpassed by you

³⁰Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain

But for fearing the Lord you’ll be praised

³¹Give to this woman the fruit of her hands

May her works bring her praise in the gates!

by scott sullivan, © 2010

Me Beard!

Blackbeard started as a kid you know
But it took some time for his beard to grow
I’d really like to get me start
Because piracy is a manly art
A gun and a hat should seal the deal
Yet people keep asking if me beard is real…

All the landlubbers on all the shores
Are a bunch of beardless cowardly bores
I yearn for adventure on the blue horizon
So the life of a pirate I’ve been surmising
To pillage and plunder, wreak havoc and steal,
But people keep asking if me beard is real…

My bathtub boats I’ve bombed and they sank
I’ve made my big brother walk the plank
I’ve plundered the booty and battened the hatches
My sword is all plastic, but covered in scratches
When I threaten a flogging, the sailors all kneel
But they always then ask if me beard is real.

I’ve never once shaved it, I answer them back
Just like that swashbuckling Captain Jack
It dangles like Yellowbeard’s—straight from me chin
Like Redbeard’s, it wiggles when blown by the wind
I’m a pirate, I tell you, so what’s the big deal?
Why does anyone care if this beard’s fake or real?

For a sea dog I am, and shark-bait you’ll be
If you question this growth on me chin while at sea
The next bloke who asks me if this beard is real
Will be finding himself being hauled by the keel
Beware all me maties who don’t want to be dead…
What? What’s that, Mommy? Oh I see…
Shiver me timbers, it’s past time for bed!

by scott sullivan, © 2010

Josiah Storytime

What I am about to tell you is a true story about a king who had no Bible:

Once upon a time, there was a king and a people in a far away land. In the king’s land, the people were bad. The people had no Bible. And they didn’t worship the Lord God. Some of them worshiped other gods. Some of them worshiped the stars in the sky. Some of them made idols out of wood and worshiped them and prayed to them. Some of them built churches and altars to their strange gods. Some of them even sacrificed their own children to these gods. Some of the people practiced sorcery. Some of them were even witches. The people lied to each other, they cheated on tests, they robbed each other on the streets, they disobeyed their parents, and they disobeyed God in almost every way possible. The people of this land were very, very, very bad. The king’s grandfather was bad. Even the king’s father was bad.

But the king was good. The king became king when he was 8 years old. Only 8 years old, and he became king of the whole land. But unlike his grandfather, who was bad, and unlike his father who was very bad, this king was good. He was good because he loved God. “He did right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the ways of his great*11 grandfather David, not turning aside to the right or to the left” (2 Chr. 34:2). But even the king did not have a Bible.

Eight years later, when the king turned 16 years old, he actively “began to seek the God of his great*11 grandfather David” (34:3). He didn’t worship other gods. He didn’t worship the stars in the sky. He didn’t make idols out of wood or churches for other gods. He didn’t lie to people or cheat on tests or rob people or disobey his parents. He was good and he worshiped God only. But the king still did not have a Bible.

Four years later, when the king turned 20 years old, he actively began to take down the idols and all the other gods on display. He removed them. He took down the idols and broke them to pieces. He shattered their altars and crushed them to powder. Everywhere he went he told people to worship God and to worship him only. All over his land he told bad people to worship and to follow God. He did all this, but he still did not have a Bible.

Six years later, when he was 26 years old, he actively began to fix the Temple of God. He hired carpenters and builders, people who worked with stone, people who buy the stone. He hired priests who were the ministers of God. He hired secretaries and doorkeepers, writers and musicians, preachers and leaders, horn-blowers and guitar players, drummers and harpists, singers and tambourine-players. While the builders were building, the workers were working, and together they were building and fixing the Temple of God. The king did all this and hired all these people to work for him and for God, but he still did not have a Bible.

One day, when the priests were cleaning out the closets of the Temple, because the Temple had lots and lots of dirty closets, they found something. The priests found something that the people in that land had completely forgotten. The priests had to blow the dust off of it just to figure out what it was. They opened it up to see what was inside. Do you know what it was that they found? It was the Bible! They called it the Book of the Law. But it was a Bible!

When the priests realized what they had found, do you know what they did? They took the Book of the Law straight to the king. The priest read the book to the king. When he read the book to the king, do you know what the king did? When we get excited about something, what do we do? We jump up and down, we may scream, we may shout, we may give high fives to everyone in the room, we may throw a party and call all our friends and celebrate, we may take the youth pastor out to lunch—we may do lots of things. But back in those days when people got really really really excited about something, so whopping excited that they can’t hardly stand it, do you know what they did? They tore their clothes. Rip. Right down the leg. Rip rip rip.

When kings did this, you knew that you were either in really big trouble, or you were second to none, cream of the crop, flying high. Well, when this king heard this Bible in this land from this priest, do you know what he did? Rip! Rip! Rip! (Do not try this in your own home.) He ripped his clothes right there in front of everyone, from knee to toe. He was excited and ashamed at the same time. He was thrilled at this amazing discovery, but at the same time, he knew that the people of his land were lying to each other, cheating on tests, robbing each other, disobeying their parents, and disobeying God.

So the king called together all the people of the land, all the governors, all the mayors, all the leaders, all the priests and all the preachers, teachers and ministers, to the Temple. He called together all the people, from the least to the greatest. And do you know what this king did? He read in their hearing the Book of the Law, this Bible. The king stood in the Temple and he read and he read and the people all listened, from the least to the greatest. He read from the Bible, he read from God’s Word. He read from the Book of the Law. And something wonderful happened that day. Something amazing occurred in the Temple. Something so wonderful happened. Do you know what happened?

Shhh. Listen. Can you hear it? It still happens today. It may be happening right now. When the king read from the Bible, something happened then that still happens today, but you have to be listening…

GOD SPOKE.

It happens whenever you open up a Bible and read it, but you have to be listening. God spoke to them.

God spoke to the king, and he spoke to the people. From the least to the greatest, God spoke to them all. There was not a single person there that day to whom God did not speak, because the king read the Bible and the people all listened.

From that day forward, the king promised that he would do what was right and follow God’s Word. From that day forward, the people all promised that they would no longer lie to each other or cheat on their tests or rob other people or disobey their parents or disobey God. They pledged allegiance to their God, to love him only and to serve him only. They gave their life to God, their heart to God, their mind to God, their behavior to God. They listened to God and God spoke to them that day.

Because the king had a Bible, and he read it to the people, their lives were never the same again.

The king was Josiah. The far away land was Israel. This story is from the Bible, and if you’re listening, and if you read this book, it may just change your life.

God is speaking. Are you listening?

by scott sullivan, ©2010

A LOVE STORY FROM GOD

A LOVE STORY FROM GOD
Jan. 30, 2001

Agape
Where do I begin to tell the story of my best friend and lover, You? As I look back on our lives together, I can recall so many precious memories that I will forever treasure about our lives and how they increasingly became woven together—and now they make a beautiful tapestry that I will share with you.
I still remember that first breath you took and how you drank in life for the first time—so beautiful to behold, so tiny and so eager to grow together with me. I remember when our eyes first met—when you looked up and cried out to me and I embraced you for the first time. I can vividly picture the day that you first learned of my sacrifice for you, and you thought—is this too good to be true? Could someone so holy, without sin, so pure and perfect, actually desire to be with and to love someone so imperfect, doubting, angry, selfish, impure and unholy as me?
Yes, I do! I desired you though you were born in sinfulness, spoke hurtful words, and denied me day after day. When you began to realize how great a sacrifice I had made for you—this day stands out more brightly than the most dramatic sunset I ever made—you took the leap, you received the gift, you answered my call! The angels in heaven had a celebration that day! From then on, you began to learn for yourself how rewarding sacrifice can be and always is.

Union
The deal was sealed. I entered into your life in a new and rich way, and you responded so eagerly—going to church—so hungrily—reading my love story written especially for you. I introduced you to my friends and you immediately took to them, enjoying their fellowship, and together, you literally sang my praises.
However, it wasn’t long before the hard years hit. You saw someone else. And increasingly you spent time with them. I reached out, desiring so much to be with you, but you turned me away. You had found a new first love.
I want you to know that our union was always, is always, and always will be my greatest desire. As far away as you went from me, I never once left you. As many times as you forgot my sacrifice, I have never forgotten you. All the times you doubted, I was there. All the times when life seemed to be against you, I was there. All the times that you were laughed at, beaten down, fired, discouraged, empty, lonely, crushed, frustrated, without hope, and without a friend, I was there—and I knew exactly what you were going through. Because, you see, I’ve been there myself.
In fact, I offer a little reminder of our union with one another. It’s a very special time—a chance for you to give me all these burdens that you hold, all the sins of your past, all the failings and faults, and to lay them at my feet. I want to take them right now and let you know that I am with you. This reminder of our union is my body, broken for you; it is my blood, shed for you. It is communion. Take, eat, drink, and remember our union.

Romance
Once you remembered our union, it was like all of your other loves fell aside. Once again, I was your first love, once again we had passion, once again, romance. Let me illustrate for you what our romance was like:

“Cheryl” has demonstrated to me and to her peers that she is a kind and compassionate friend. However, I discovered this most vividly this year when I invited my next-door neighbor to the youth group. He did not appear to be the church type so much, sporting a black Marilyn Manson t-shirt quite frequently and proudly. I later found out that at the beginning of the school year Howdy Dance, he was the ninth-grader standing by himself against the wall with long hair dangling in his face. Cheryl saw him and, at the encouragement of a friend, asked him to dance with her. Can you picture it? (In my opinion, it is a picture of God’s love for us:) The lovely and graceful senior homecoming queen walks up to the ninth-grade boy wallflower that no one else seems to care about and many probably go out of their way to avoid, and she invites him onto the dance floor. They danced. Needless to say “Ron” (names have been changed to protect the innocent) is now actively attending the St. Luke youth group.

I held out my hand to you and invited you to the dance floor. You took my hand into yours and you let me lead you. We danced. Daily, your delight became spending time with me, sacrificing for me. “At-one-ment”—it was like being at one with me was your greatest desire—you had finally realized how wonderful it can be when we are at one, in step with one another!

Partnership
As my daily partner, you and I danced, and out of that romance—it usually happens this way—the fruit of our love began springing up everywhere. You bore fruit for me! Love for the unlovable, joy in your trials, peace with your enemies, patience with your family, kindness to strangers, goodness in your language and thoughts, faithfulness in your work, gentleness to your spouse, self-control in your frustrations—all the fruit of the Spirit.
And the fruit of love—people began asking you about that glow—that sparkle in your eyes, that love which just kept overflowing from you. Gradually, our family grew. It grew as a direct result of this romance and partnership we now shared. Oh, we have an enemy who likes to steal, kill and destroy any fruit that you would bear. Any time that you share my love and my truth with others, he is at work to prevent them from joining the family.
But you learned that I am your advocate, like a lawyer defending you against his attacks and accusations, interceding on your behalf. It is my job to protect you and provide for you. When you finally caught on, we became yoked together in a partnership which brought you and me both praise and glory, and many more children into the family! You are my glory, and I am yours! You are my delight, and I am yours. I am my lover’s and my lover is mine!
By the way, did I mention that all of this is just the courtship? I invite you to the wedding that is to come. Wait on me. I am coming soon.

Love,

God

by scott sullivan, ©2010

Be Like the Bird

Be like the bird that,
passing on her flight
awhile on boughs too slight,
feels them give way beneath her,
and yet sings,
knowing that she hath wings.

Victor Hugo

THE AMAZING GIFT STORY

THE AMAZING GIFT STORY
Luke 15:11-32, retold by Scott Sullivan

This is the story of an amazing gift
And if you listen real hard, it’ll give you a lift
The characters are two sons and a dad
The ending is happy but also it’s sad
One day the young son said “Enough is enough!
I’m outta here, dad; now gimme my stuff.”
The dad said, “OK, I’ll split it in two,
This half’s for brother; the other, for you.”

So the young one took off with his stuff in his hands
And he left dad & bro for far away lands.
With quite enough stuff, you can only imagine
The son had a taste for fortune and fashion
He spent all his dough at phenomenal rates
He drove fast donkeys and went out on dates
He stayed up real late and he had lots of fun
And mostly forgot that he was dad’s son

The gift of the stuff didn’t last much longer
And the way he spent it couldn’t be wronger
The son spent his way through every dime
He spent every cent— he ran out of time
The money was gone, he was hungry for dinner
His wallet and tummy became somewhat thinner

So he worked for a farmer who said, “Feed my pigs”
And he thought that his problems with money were fixed
But fixed they were not because rain there was none
And the crops shriveled up in the heat of the sun

As he gave to the pigs the slop for their food
He thought to himself, “My, that slop sure looks good!”
Then he came to himself, thinking, “What am I sayin’?
This severe lack of food is affecting my bra-in
“The servants of dad have it better than this
And a home-cooked meal I’m beginning to miss.
“I will go back and say, Father, I’ve sinned
Against heaven and you and I throw the towel in—
Your son I am no longer worthy to be
So make me your servant— your servant is me.”

Back toward his home the son set his stride
Emptied of hope, and vacant of pride
As he rounded the bend that led to his home
The son realized that he wasn’t alone

From far away off the dad spied him coming
And he hiked up his robe and he took off a-running
Dad ran to his son, and threw open his arms,
Gave him a kiss and made him feel warm
The son said to dad, “Father, I’ve sinned
Against heaven and you and I throw the towel in
Your son I am no longer worthy to be…”
Then dad interrupted his son’s lengthy plea
Dad said, “Quick! Servants, bring a new robe—
My son once was gone and now he is home
Brand new sandals for his feet you will bring
And onto his finger place the family ring
Prepare us a meal— the fattened calf at the least
For my son is alive and we’re having a feast

(This is the amazing gift he received
The dad’s love was greater than the son had believed)

As the servants prepared for the music and dancing
Big brother inquired as to their prancing
The servants said, “Sir, your brother’s in town
Once he was lost but now he is found”
Big brother went to his father that day
And he said to his dad, “I don’t think so, no way!”
“All of these years I’ve been slaving for you
Yet no party, no calf, the rewards have been few
Your son has gone out and blown all that he had
This party for him is making me mad.”

The father said, “Son, look at all that you see,
It’s mine and it’s yours and you’re always with me
The return of your brother is something so great
That we must welcome him, we must celebrate
So change your heart from a hardening stone
And join us in welcoming your brother home
You’ll give the amazing gift of God’s grace
And spread a fragrance of love all over the place

This is where the story closes
Not everything is smelling like roses
Big brother is jealous for his father’s affection
In the meantime the young one has changed his direction
So remember, friends, when you need a lift
When you’ve been running from God wildly and swift
Hear the amazing gift story again
From the Father who loves you wherever you’ve been

by scott sullivan, ©2010

DENNIS SULLIVAN BUYS A TWO-HANDED FORD

DENNIS SULLIVAN BUYS A TWO-HANDED FORD
By Uncle Dick Sullivan (William Fletcher Sullivan)

Dennis sold his horse and wagon the other day,
And the two-handed rascal throwed his money right away.
Rode into town settin’ on a board,
Come home riding in a two-handed Ford.
(No, I believe it was a Buick.)

The doggone Buick keeps right on going,
The doggone Buick keeps right ahead.
The doggone Buick keeps on going,
And it’ll keep on going till Dennis is dead.

When he got to the house and turned towards the gate,
He shut down the throttle and he put on the brake;
He grabbed for the reins,
Got the throttle instead.
And the doggone Buick kept pluggin’ right ahead.

Dennis jerked at the levers,
And he turned off the gas;
He kicked at the pedals till he broke out the glass
He cut all the wires and he pulled off the top,
But the doggone Buick just wouldn’t stop.

So he pulled out his knife and he smiled all serene,
Cut a hole in the tank,
Drained out the gasoline.
He pulled out his gun and shot the tires full of lead,
But the doggone Buick kept pluggin’ right ahead.

Dennis went right through the fence and up through the lane.
Jack saw him coming and he almost went insane.
Jack ran out ahead and he stopped to see
And the old Buick struck him
Where his bustle ought to be.

Jack stuck out his arms as he went into the air,
Just as Dennis went by Jack grabbed him by the hair.
He bounded on the seat,
Landed on the pad,
And the doggone Buick kept pluggin’ right ahead

Dennis steered for the shed, but just missed the hole;
Struck an old sow,
And you ought to seen her roll.
Then out through the yard, they landed in a heap
In a big mud hole about six feet deep.

Dennis grabbed for Jack and struck for the shore.
He was glad it stopped
And would go no more.
He pricked up his ears, looked back and he said,
“That doggone Buick is pluggin’ right ahead.”