Move not swiftly

But verily I say unto you, that it is not needful for this whole company of mine elders to be moving swiftly upon the waters, whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief.
D&C 61:3

Move not swiftly on the stream,

ignoring on the side

those who thirst for gospel truth

and perish from their pride.

Instead of cruising blithely by

the banks of unbelief,

moor your craft a little while

and sound a bright motif.

Speeding down life's river

creates waves, and little more.

Stop to smile and chat a bit

with those upon the shore.

And should they spurn your overtures,

don't take it very hard --

since, after all, you'll sail your boat

beyond their great junkyard. 

Photo Essay: Zen Stones. Vol. 7

Is a stone

acted on

or acted with?

When a snowflake

falls on a stone,

which one smiles?

A stone

never stops thinking --

because it never starts.

You can't

warm a stone

with another stone.

I am rich

in stones.

So what?

A stone is not the same.

It is

different.

Slower would I be to wrath

He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

Proverbs 14:29

Slower would I be to wrath,

walking more the peaceful path.

Lord, whene'er I meet a fool

help me, please, to keep my cool.

Or, better yet, keep fools from me --

send them to Washington D.C.

In the house of his friends

And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
Zechariah 13:6

In the house of his friends, where he thought to be safe,

the Christ was betrayed and abandoned like waif.

Defenseless and meek, he was mocked by the crowd,

those who had sought him now jeered him aloud.

Forgive them, he said, as they skewered him tight

onto a cross for a day and a night.

And how is it I, when forsaken and teased,

manage to think that my God is displeased --

say to myself, in sick pride and belief,

that I am not worthy of my Father's relief.

What though all the streets I must pass through are grime;

I am loved, you are loved, we are loved, all the time!

Photo Essay: Zen Stones. Vol. 6

A stone inside my thoughts

is the same

as a stone outside my thoughts.

A stone

takes up

no more

physical space

than itself.

The anger 

of a stone

would be terrible.

The death 

of a stone

would be ludicrous.

Under

every stone

is another stone.

A busy stone

is as likely as a

smoldering glacier.

Photo Essay: Zen Stones. Vol. 5

A stone leaves

nothing behind

but itself.

Teach a stone

to be a stone.

Nothing else.

A stone

never kills time.

It ignores it.

Anger.

Putting clothes

on a stone.

The difference between

a fool and a stone

is untrue.

Today a stone.

Tomorrow

a landslide.

Hosanna!

Connected by technology,

we shout "Hosanna" joyfully!

In village hut and condo high

we cry it up into the sky.

At least a million voices sing

"Hosanna" to our God and King.

A prophet leads this godly chant

that clears the air of doubt and cant;

A wave of white, our throats contract,

as angels our bright tongues attract. 

We shout it in the face of death;

we say it till we're out of breath.

Increase your faith, and give a yell --

until we shake the gates of Hell!

Photo Essay: Zen Stones. Vol. 4

The stone

is just as it is --

no more, no less.

A stone has nothing 

to throw out.

Lucky stone.

A stone 

is not picky

about the company

it keeps.

A stone 

is already enlightened.

It just doesn't

talk about it.

A stone 

knows its place --

and its worth.

What has a stone 

to be thankful for?

Or to complain about?

He is Risen

Risen is the Christ this day.

Raised to wash my sins away.

Lowly Lamb, so pure yet bold

to break the chains of death's grim hold.

How I hope forevermore

upon his clement wings to soar!

My Frivolous Ways

When I was young my mother said/frivolity's the thing to dread/
Embezzle funds when short on cash/but levity is way too rash/
It is okay to gild the lily/just never ever be caught silly/
And so I learned to always stifle/tendencies to flirt with trifle/
But now the world is marking time/and flummery is called divine/
Those who fribble day and night/are pegged as heroes in the fight/
Fame and fortune come to nuzzle/those who work the crossword puzzle/
So I will play at tiddlywinks/and be revered like some old sphinx!