[Faith-talk] Good Night Message for Tuesday, June 19 2012

[Paul]

Hello and good evening all of you.  Hope that your day went well today.  Mine did, by God's matchless grace and His providential care.

Again, our words of inspiration this evening came from my fertile brain and were inspired by a very short article that originally appeared in a magazine called "The Lamplighter" from sometimes back in the mid 50's.  Will begin with this article, followed by my contribution.  The title of the original article was "Porch-Sitting" by James E. Fogartie and was rendered as follows:

Porch-sitting has almost become a forgotten art.  To behold the wonder of God's world, to revel in its grandeur, to recognize that this world has been given us to enjoy--these are the benefits from porch-sitting.  Another follows: that of being together.  The usual pace of activities all too often separates us as families.

How unnecessary, then, that there be times when we become reacquainted with those we love best.  Then, porch-sitting has the inevitable consequence of conversation.  This is more than talk.  It is the sharing of experiences, ideas and feelings.  It is the freedom to express those thoughts which lie deep in the heart.  Let me recommend to you the art of porch-sitting.  End of article from "The Lamplighter"

I can't remember who put this periodical out, as I copied the above from the magazine itself, but it inspired me to write the following poem several years ago, in June to be exact.  Entitled "The Old Porch Swing," it is rendered as follows:

I love to sit at twilight time
Out in the old porch swing,
Savoring all the scents of night;
Hearing the crickets sing;
Swaying slowly, back and forth,
Thinking of yesterday;
Listening to laughing children
When they're called home from play.
This world has much to entertain,
But surely there's not one thing
That brings more peace and comfort than to
Sit in an old porch swing.

As you probably can guess, this was written from personal experience, and not some flowery words of inspiration.  Even though it's not Christian, strictly speaking, I hope and pray that it brought back a bit of nostalgia to some of you who live in apartments and may remember those things.  And yes, if you were to come here this summer or perhaps even in the fall, I'd invite you to join me on a not-so-old porch swing/glider.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout this night and during the day, especially in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian brother, Paul