Thomas’ Lonely Week: Tuesday
Posted by Rey
Tuesday.
Thomas is splashing water on his face, hair and back. He opens his red-rimmed eyes, and stops, his hands frozen above the basin, water dripping back in. He stares, not at his own reflection but at the sparkling, rippling water.
"The blind man." He slowly scoops up some water and methodically washes his eyes. "That blind man…we asked Him who sinned. He told us neither: that confused us for weeks…" he chuckles "but still, he told him to wash in Siloam but first…but first: what was it?" He closes his eyes and puts water once more, over his shut eyelids.
"We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day: night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world…"
"…did He know…? Is it possible?"
He looks at the water basin again, and stands up, staring at it, backing up against the wall. "That night, there was so much that happened: but when He washed our feet…I’ll never forget that. But…but…how could I have forgotten what He said afterwards.
"Not all of you are clean…from now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it occurs you may believe that I am He…
"…did he really know…?"
Article Tags>> resurrection | thomasThomas’ Lonely Week: Monday
Posted by Rey
Monday.
Thomas is standing at the window, a rooster crowing in the nearby distance. The sky still has the final purple remnants of night that it stubbornly clings to in the face of the overpowering dawn. A cup of goats milk sits forgotten on the table. A basin of water sits unused by the door.
Clean trails run down his upper cheeks. His eyes are red, bleary, exhausted.
His eye catches Martha carrying water back to the main house. She can’t see him; she’s focused on her task.
He tries to suppress a yawn while whispering "…but Lazarus…". He yawns again, shakes his head, lowers his eyes.
Article Tags>> resurrection | thomasThomas’ Lonely Week: Sunday
Posted by Rey
We all know the story about Doubting Thomas and how, in a flash his doubt was wiped away. In John 20, Thomas demands proof for Christ’s resurrection and refuses to believe unless he puts his hand into His side. Well, 8 days later Jesus pops up into the room and next thing we know Thomas is answering the proof (which he hasn’t put his hands on, mind you) with "My Lord and my God!" Jesus’ response to that statement is probably the one some of us have asked: just because he saw Jesus, He believed? I mean what if it was a twin brother or a look-a-like? And really, what made Thomas go that far anyway to call Him God? Well, for a few days, I’m going to be posting a story, in almost screenplay format, called "Thomas’ Lonely Week".
Sunday.
The small room is dark save for the soft light of the moon that drifts in through one of the nearby windows. The light falls gently onto a wooden table, pillows and finally the large, heavy door. The door swings open and in strides a medium height, curly haired figure, breathing heavily.
He drops a bag on the table, moves a chair and starts shuffling through something on the floor. The clapping of rocks is heard with the bright flash of flintstones (which illuminates his bearded face) until after two strikes an oil lamp is lit.
He sits heavily in the chair, his eyes fiery, daring the flickering flame.
"Oh come on." he mumbles, then momentarily, laughs humorlessly. "Give me a break!" He reaches over to the bag and pulls out some flat wafers which he proceeds to crunch on. "He was right here. We saw Him." his voice is mocking, unnaturally deep then he’s shaking his head. "Those guys will believe anything. It’s over…"
"…man, but Lazarus." He pauses, sits back. "Laz is definitely alive…"
He shakes his head, blows out the candle and gets up and drops onto his mat on the floor.
It goes dark with a passing cloud and unknown amount of time.
The room illuminates slightly as clouds allow the moon to shine on the tossing and turning person on the mat.
Article Tags>> doubting thomasBad Friday
Posted by Rey
Anyone who knows New York’s J-Train immediately understands a few key proverbs: One, the J-Train is best ridden during the day; Two, the J-Train through Brooklyn is not a very safe ride; Three, the J-Train is best avoided. In my old high school another proverb might be added to the list but it sounded more like an ancient curse: damned are those who go to school in the shadow of the J-Train.
Article Tags>> christ | good friday | richmond hill high school | salvation…At the Diner On The Corner
Posted by Rey
“You’ve been here two years and you haven’t eaten there yet?”
How could I answer? I’m a stay-at-home art director who works off-site for ESPN. I can easily take an hour lunch at the restaurant up the block: I just haven’t felt motivated to.
While driving, one witnesses Minivan Caravans canvassing miles of rural-dential property wending their way to the small Family Diner. Roving carloads pull quickly into the seemingly small parking lot to deliver loads of smiling patrons before flipping back to the rear section. It’s almost as if some evil scientist figured out how to make a magnet built to attract kids, couples, Mennonites, and bikers alike.
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Cyber-Psalm
Posted by Rey
Trying my hand at writing a modern day Psalm.
Article Tags>> bible archive | Cyber-Psalm | poetryThe Kaijo
Posted by Rey
Normally I’m tired when waking up 4:30am, but not that Sunday. I was excited about the passage I was preaching on. Normally, I don’t enjoy road-trips when I’m alone but I had recently downloaded a bunch of NPR’s CarTalk episodes which I was eager to spend some commute time listening to. Normally I’m bleary eyed, but not that Sunday: I could see every aspect of the road that the headlights allowed.
Article Tags>> car accident | coyote | pronunciationRun, Forest, Run
Posted by Rey
Although I could always throw (and land) a few punches, I wasn’t much of a fighter. In the heat of the moment I found my body considering several options (jab to the neck, kick to the groin, a punch to the solar plexus with a powerful chi cry) but it usually resorted to the easiest: run.
A Summer Blog Party
Posted by Rey
Far in the east, beneath the pale moon, a mountain ruptured sending waves of wind crashing across distant shores, over valleys, past rolling green hills through the rural countryside and finally into the suburbs of a long inhabited town. The wind, like a fuming dragon, refused to be practical and merely restrict itself to the outside of homes so it pushed through thickets, then screen doors and finally it managed a narrower passage inside.
The precarious piles of picnic supplies on the table toppled over, off-balance to begin with but finally being carried away to dance in the wind like angels spinning on in the heavens. And the crash from the kitchen below struck terror in the King upstairs, making him gyrate uncomfortably and simultaneously try to explain away the reason for the noise below. In vain he tried to approximate the time from the series of sounds to the door of his room but no amount of mathematics could satisfy him; his mind continued to exaggerate the importance.
Exhaling, the King lifted his shaggy cotton shorts, rose from his porcelain throne, ignored the fountain at his side and ran downstairs to the kitchen. Afterward, feeling sickly, he’d incriminate himself and wonder “Did I flush? Better yet, did I wipe?”
(more stories with practical, shaggy, porcelain, dragon, approximate, explain, narrower, fountain, gyrate, exhaling, off-balance, angels, exaggerate, cotton, incriminate, afterward, moon, terror, ruptured, sickly words).
Sy: Song and Story
Posted by Rey
My boy composed a song (
coconut-tree.mp3) that I had to record so I played the guitar for him while he sang the tune: it’s called Coconut Tree. Also, he wrote (or drew) a nice story about his visit to the radiologist for a CAT scan: I’ll let him tell it (with my notes in italics).
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