A Trilogy of Healing. Glenn Goree

      A Trilogy of Healing

      Poetry for the Broken Hearted

      Copyright © 2018 Glenn Goree. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

      Resource Publications

      An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

      199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

      Eugene, OR 97401

      www.wipfandstock.com

      paperback isbn: 978–1-5326–6855–5

      hardcover isbn: 978–1-5326–6856–2

      ebook isbn: 978–1-5326–6857–9

      Manufactured in the U.S.A. March 15, 2019

      Scripture is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

      I dedicate this work to the most important woman in my life, my wife Valerie, my anchor and light.

      Foreword

      As a young man growing up in what was then Rhodesia, I had always heard story’s about Texas and how big everything was in Texas” . . . .When I met Glenn after his arrival in my hometown of Bulawayo, I started to believe the stories . . . Tall, broad of shoulder, thighs like tree trunks and arms like steam engine pistons . . . Glenn stood out as the quintessentaial example of the what someone from Texas would look like, if you held those stories to be true . . . Apart from his physical stature I also learnt some other things about this man from Texas . . . His love, compassion, generosity and kindness were likewise Texas sized . . . He became and to this day is still someone whose presence I actively seek when I have the chance to travel anywhere near the place he and his wife reside . . .

      When you read these poems you will start to know a lot more about him than I can ascribe to him in a few sentences . . .

      Deeply convicted of his beliefs through a journey of life that moulded him into a man of God who knows the pain of separation and then redemption that God has offered to all those who seek His path . . . These poems truly encapsulate the wonder that is our Creator and our God . . . They are insightful, passionate, heartfelt and inspirational and would be worthy additions to anyone seeking comfort in the promises, made and kept, of Gods Forgiveness, Mercy and Grace . . . .

      Glenn has one more Texas sized attribute that I believe is revealed by this Anthology in Poems of Gods wonderful plan for us . . . His heart . . .

      Texas sized for sure, but Heavenward bound . . . Glenn is a man I am honoured to call friend, confidant, brother in Christ, of whom I can offer no greater compliment but to quote my favourite verse in support of these outstanding poems . . .

      38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

      39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

      Romans 8:38–39 KJV

      Don Lambert

      2018

      Anthology One

      “The Lord is compassionate and gracious; slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”

      (Psalm 103:8–14) NIV

      Forgiveness Unprecedented

      Imagine a world without forgiveness. There would be wars, famine, hunger, pestilence, murder, rape, and many other perils. Oh, wait a minute, we have those problems now and forgiveness has been a part of our world since its beginning. Now think what our world would be like if the divine blessing of forgiveness didn’t exist at all.

      Forgiveness is a difficult virtue to practice much less fulfill when feelings have been bruised. And yet, when forgiveness is offered and accepted it is the most powerful medicine for the soul. Friendships are reborn, marriages are healed, co-workers grow more in tandem in their relationships, and small children learn to play well together by sharing their sandbox equally and fairly.

      You may think the idea of two children learning to play nicely together in a sandbox is inconsequential to forgiveness. But practicing this virtue, or refusing to, forms the core of the adult heart. The only difference between the lesson on forgiveness a child and an adult can either learn or fail to learn is found in the size of their sandbox. Are not corporate wars fought over the size of respective company sandboxes? And how about military wars? Were not The Great War and World War II fought over the size of sandboxes? In both the corporate wars and world wars, the opponents were/are jealous not only of the size of the sandboxes but what was/is in them as well. And usually adults who can’t play nicely with each other didn’t play well in a sandbox as a child either.

      What, then, do I mean when I say forgiveness unauthorized? Other than to catch a reader’s attention, this snappy title and the titles of the following poems have a deeper, spiritual single-mindedness.

      God’s forgiveness is intended for all people everywhere. What if Jesus had said while hanging on the cross, “Father because these people are murdering me I don’t want them to be forgiven.”

      No, his words were, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

      Jesus chose to forgive his foes even though they were in the very act of murdering him. They had witnessed the Roman soldiers fillet his back with whips until his flesh had been torn from his body exposing his ribs. They didn’t cringe as iron nails were driven into his hands and feet. And in a final insult to injury, they stood at the foot of his cross and watched his life blood pour down his body.

      So how could Jesus pray to his Father to grant these hypocrites forgiveness? Was not their goal to murder Jesus? Jesus asked for them to be forgiven even though he knew they chose not to understand. Understand what? They chose not to understand the bigger picture. They weren’t murdering a mere man; they were murdering the Son of God.

      Their focus of concern was on this life and not the next. They chose not to acknowledge he was the Son of God by turning a blind eye to his miracles and a deaf ear to his teachings. And yet, regardless of their lack of spiritual acuity he still did not want to punish them.

      With Christ’s example on the cross, how can any of us refuse to receive or offer forgiveness? Not one human has suffered the gravity of Christ’s injustice. Through his example, we should be inspired to offer and receive forgiveness no matter what the circumstance. Is this practice of humility difficult? Do any of us think it was easy for Jesus to ask God to forgive the people who were murdering him? No, it wasn’t easy because although his divine mission was to die, his human side dreaded making the ultimate sacrifice. In the end, his divinity took precedence over his humanity, an act for which we should be eternally grateful.

      Hence, what does this background to Christ’s forgiveness