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Gardens laden with turtle-doves
Melancholy music tunes of love
Tender, gentle turtle-dove…
Surrounding Jordan new life is born
Melodies of happiness in the sunlit morn
Low rising coos with the peace that it brings
The turtle-dove connecting, all, as she sings
A love song orchestrated by the King of kings…
Where will you go when your heart is torn?
Who will you embrace when life is forlorn?
Noah in his wisdom sent a dove to explore…
Is life to be given to mankind once more?
Turtle-dove returning through a window not a door…
Land was proven they would live forevermore…
Then down through the ages God’s love He would pour,
Through Jesus His son; whom He loved and adored…
A dove was sent to praise the Lord
When you hear the coo of the turtle-dove
Know you’re not forgotten you are forever loved!
Turtle-dove cooing, coo, coo, coo…
God is saying, “My precious child, I love you!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill January 25, 2018
The Soul Takes Flight Poetry by MS O’Neill
Psalm 68:13 New King James Version (NKJV) Though you lie down among the sheepfold, You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And her feathers with yellow gold.”
Luke 3:22 New International Version (NIV) …and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Genesis 8:8-10 New King James Version (NKJV) He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark.
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Words spoken
Words reveled
No longer cloaked
By the disobedient will
Covenant made
By blood, sweat and tears
No more death, no more fear
Guiding Star
Stable, manger
Birth of Messiah
A cross
A Hill
Transfiguration
Holy Breath, breathed
Redemption given
Man set free
Simply obey and believe
Death vanquished
Hell unlocked
Savior Victorious
We are forgiven
Through heart repentance
Flesh overcome
Finished
Won
Eternity
Begun
Spirit restored
Glory borne
Family of God
Transformed
New Heaven
New Earth
New life
New birth
Just say, yes, to forgiveness!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill January 23, 2018
The Soul Takes Flight Poetry by: MS O’Neill
Revelation 21 Living Bible (TLB)
Then I saw a new earth (with no oceans!) and a new sky, for the present earth and sky had disappeared. And I, John, saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. It was a glorious sight, beautiful as a bride at her wedding.
I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, “Look, the home of God is now among men, and he will live with them and they will be his people; yes, God himself will be among them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.”
And the one sitting on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true: It is finished! I am the A and the Z—the Beginning and the End. I will give to the thirsty the springs of the Water of Life—as a gift! Everyone who conquers will inherit all these blessings, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But cowards who turn back from following me, and those who are unfaithful to me, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those conversing with demons, and idol worshipers and all liars—their doom is in the Lake that burns with fire and sulphur. This is the Second Death.”
Then one of the seven angels who had emptied the flasks containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me and I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
In a vision he took me to a towering mountain peak, and from there I watched that wondrous city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of the skies from God. It was filled with the glory of God and flashed and glowed like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper. Its walls were broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side—north, south, east, and west. The walls had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The angel held in his hand a golden measuring stick to measure the city and its gates and walls. When he measured it, he found it was a square as wide as it was long; in fact it was in the form of a cube, for its height was exactly the same as its other dimensions—1,500 miles each way. Then he measured the thickness of the walls and found them to be 216 feet across (the angel called out these measurements to me, using standard units).
The city itself was pure, transparent gold like glass! The wall was made of jasper, and was built on twelve layers of foundation stones inlaid with gems: the first layer[c] with jasper; the second with sapphire; the third with chalcedony; the fourth with emerald; the fifth with sardonyx; the sixth layer with sardus; the seventh with chrysolite; the eighth with beryl; the ninth with topaz; the tenth with chrysoprase; the eleventh with jacinth; the twelfth with amethyst.
The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure, transparent gold, like glass.
No temple could be seen in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are worshiped in it everywhere. And the city has no need of sun or moon to light it, for the glory of God and of the Lamb illuminate it. Its light will light the nations of the earth, and the rulers of the world will come and bring their glory to it. Its gates never close; they stay open all day long—and there is no night! And the glory and honor of all the nations shall be brought into it. Nothing evil will be permitted in it—no one immoral or dishonest—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
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(Inspired by Holy Spirit)
Soaring beyond the star-lit sky
Far beyond third heaven,
I fly
Seeing things of wonder and beauty, planets and galaxies…
Life of a different kind…
Only spirit can go, there’s no, body, to bind~
The soul takes flight…
Bursting into illumination~
Straight into the presence of the Three-in-One
Laughter and open arms; grip me with a dunamis hug
Soul content, Soul loved!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill January 23, 2018
The Soul Takes Flight Poetry by: MS O’Neill
Isaiah 40:31 English Standard Version (ESV) but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
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Bound to the earth by flesh and bone
Out of the garden, out of our home…
Tied to the earth by the sweat of the brow
Ruled by the dirt by the ox and the plow
Cursed and fallen
We work the ground
Remembering a time of Paradise
Beast, man and woman paid a terrible price
Thorns and thistles, rock and clay
Sunup to sundown we make our way
The slithering beast, subtle in his way
His part was easy; tempting the woman to disobey
No one to blame but ourselves we pay~
Chained and shackled; no other way
But wait~
What did YHWH say?
One of woman’s descendants will crush the enemy’s head~
God had a plan, God made a way~
Earthbound we work, we toil and we slave
Waiting for many millennia to pass away…
Walking in shadow
Until that day!
The serpent still whispers, ‘Surely God did not say.’
It’s your choice, who will you obey?
~Marla Shaw O’Neill, January 23, 2018
The Soul Takes Flight Poetry by: MS O’Neill
Genesis 3:15 New Century Version (NCV) I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your descendants and her descendants will be enemies. One of her descendants will crush your head, and you will bite his heel.”
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Where light and hope and faith once permeated the room
Now only darkness surrounds the place and fills it with gloom
No love songs, no truth, no life, just doom
Self, has taken God’s seat,
I am heir to the throne
Sitting where only God belongs…
I am…
Ruling my kingdom with pride and arrogance
I take the place of King and no longer joyfully dance…
To life’s sweet love-song, for self has taken over, it’s now my chance
To reign
You see, the chair, was no longer mine…
I gave it up long ago, but something went terribly wrong…
Thinking I can rule better than He
I took the seat; no longer intended for me…
Then everything began to crumble, and ole self must humble
Himself before the rightful King…
Self must bow or suffer the cost
Of death and pain and total loss
“You see child you’re sitting in my seat…
There’s only room enough for one King
It’s either you or me…
If you take my seat your life will end in bitterness and defeat
But if you allow me to govern your life, if you will live in righteousness
And truth, without hatred and strife
Then you will see hope and not disaster
Grace and not tyranny
Faith and not doubt
Love that never fails
Life and not death
Joy and not despair
Thanksgiving and not lack
Forgiveness and not revenge…
For only then will you see…
Victory in the kingdom of your heart
Stop sitting in my seat…
Let us come together and meet on Holy ground,
And as we eat the goodness of the land
Our fellowship will be sweet…
Remember, I am the Lord your God
I have redeemed you and adopted you to be an heir and joint heir
But never forget, I am King!
Anger works not the righteousness of God…”
Lord in humility and with deep repentance
Bowing before your Majesty
You have full authority
Please take your seat on the throne of my heart
Restore the joy of your salvation
I recognize that with me as Lord and Master
My life’s a total disaster…
There is only room enough for one to sit upon the throne room of the heart
It’s too big for me, pride kept me there, but love made me see
This chair was built for thee!
Crowned in Splendor and draped in glory…
God sits on the throne and tells a story…
“If you sit in my chair you will never know
The beginning of grace and how I bestow
Blessings to my child who gives up their seat
So that I may sit down and make them complete…
Stop trying to be lord of your life my child…
Sit down with me and let’s talk a while…
The things I have prepared for you; are far greater than anything you could do…
I will not go against your will
If you are willing now,
Get up and let me have my seat.”
~Marla Shaw O’Neill January 22, 2018
The Soul Takes Flight Poetry by: MS O”Neill
James 1:20 King James Version (KJV) For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
1 Peter 3:14-16 English Standard Version (ESV) But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
Psalm 51:12-14Good News Translation (GNT) Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach sinners your commands, and they will turn back to you. Spare my life, O God, and save me, and I will gladly proclaim your righteousness.
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When I was a little girl I loved to eat, but I was always skinny. No matter how much I ate, I could not gain weight. Now some of you would say, “What a problem to have, I can’t lose weight.” But it bothered me a lot. Someone, I won’t say who, would call me, “Skinny Lizard.” So one summer I was determined to gain weight. I ate a baked potato every night loaded with pepper and butter. Low and behold I did gain weight and my cheek bones proved it. LOL! But soon, I lost the weight, I had gained. Well, I couldn’t keep eating baked potatoes forever. I had no idea that food, that I had always loved, and thought of as a friend, would become an enemy later in my life.
When I was forty-two years old, I was diagnosed with, Type-One-Diabetes. The doctor said I had gotten a virus and it had destroyed all my beta cells in my pancreas and I would need to take insulin shots to live. What a shock that was. I could no longer eat just anything I wanted and the battle began. Counting carbs and pricking my fingers would become a way of life for me. It’s been an interesting journey and while I’m grateful it wasn’t something worse than Diabetes it is still an ongoing battle and where it will lead is not going to be fun. Don’t pity me though, because I have strong faith. And if this is to be the thorn in my flesh, then I know His grace is sufficient for me. I count it all joy…because this flesh isn’t going to live forever…but my spirit will. While I’m here I will serve the Lord with a grateful heart with the gifts he’s given me to serve him. And I will pray over my food and bless it. I will go until I can’t go anymore. And then I will go to heaven.
My story isn’t about the diabetes it’s about something Jesus said about food. This morning as I was praying the Holy Spirit brought to my mind what Jesus said when his disciples asked him to eat. Jesus said, “I have meat to eat that you know not of.” I thought about what that meant, and this message started coming to my mind.
Jesus was flesh and blood. He lived among us. He taught and served us. And He loved us with all of His heart.
Here goes…
Meat to eat that you know not of
Bread of heaven, no, cake of heaven baked in love
The sweetest ingredients poured from above
Flour made from heaven’s grain
Milk poured straight from God’s on veins
The gift of angels gave chocolate its name…
Baked from the heart of the one we proclaim
The food from heaven to fill our frame
Eat of this cake and you’ll forever remain
It’s full of grace, and hope, through Jesus name…
Tell us, where do we buy this food which you speak?
It cannot be bought or sold, but all who seek
Can come and dine with me and eat…
Meat you know not of…
The cake of heaven is free
All it takes is a heart for me
I AM, Holy God, Holy Spirit, Holy Son
Meat from heaven that you know not of
This holy cake, from God above
It satisfies the hungry soul
Angels come and fill the empty bowl…
Dining with, the heavenly host…
Father, Son and Holy Ghost…
No longer hungry for this world’s grain
From my table you will gain…
Meat you know not of…
~Marla Shaw O’Neill January 18, 2018
The Soul Takes Flight Poetry, by: MS O’Neill
John 4:31-33 King James Version (KJV)
In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
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Lord, my mind will not cease its rummaging
Through the wasteland of my life
Accountability reached but all I see
Are mistakes that cut like a knife…
You have never let me down
Not one single time…
But life isn’t poetry spun into a rhyme
It’s twists and turns, and spurns and yearns
Causing the soul, to search to learn
To become wise, not blind…
Child you must remember, life is not always kind…
When the enemy of your soul lurks behind every vine…
I have given you the way
When you walk in this path with me and obey…
Truth is right in front of you
Giving hope and faith and light to guide you today…
Don’t think about yesterday with its gripping, death and decay
Tomorrow isn’t given yet, look to me and pray…
It’s in this moment you’re living
You must stand up strong and be brave…
The life that I am giving, will be for always…
In one moment at a time…my Spirit there resides…
Let go of what binds you in life’s twisted bitter twine…
Open your eyes and see me now, I’m here and I am thine!
Taking every thought captive, walk in my light…
You are no longer in darkness; for I have given you new sight…
Open your spirit, to My Spirit, let your soul take flight
Into my very presence; here you want to abide…
You in me, and me, in thee…that’s where heaven collides…
In this moment, we reside!
Lord, I find my rest in you alone. My life I give, my heart your throne…in this moment I belong, you are my fountain of peace, my sacred song.
~Marla Shaw O’Neill January 17, 2017
The Soul Takes Flight Poetry by: MS O’Neill
2 Corinthians 10:51599 Geneva Bible (GNV) Casting down the imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,
Matthew 11:28-301599 Geneva Bible (GNV) Come unto me, all ye that are weary and laden, and I will ease you.
Take my yoke on you, and learn of me that I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.
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In the early hours of morning, just before the dawn
A symphony erupts from the lily pond…
Standing tall is the cat-tails awaiting the song…
Apalone-spinifera curious to hear
Baritone bull-frogs croaking near…
Woodwinds of crickets…a clicking, chorus, cheer…
Sassy Mallards waddle and the meadowlark sweetly tweet…
Monarchs dancing, making daybreak complete…
Songs of the morning, arousing from their nests…
Listen to the orchestra as the climax brings its best…
Trumpets and lily pads…they all draw near
Father Sun opens the sky, on the horizon, rising throughout the years…
As beams of light burst forth in glorious delight…
All peonies and water lilies and critters, arise…
For the grand finale as it lights up the skies…
Awaken earth, awaken sky…stretch forth from your sleep, day is nigh…
Bunnies and little foxes…field mice and turtle doves…
Newness of day fills the morning with His love…
Sing morning Glories, Pine Trees clap your hands…Praise for the morning…
Daybreak commands…greeting the Master and all who draw near…
Open your hearts open your ears…
For in the meadow just before the dawn…
A symphony erupts from the lily pond…
~Marla Shaw O’Neill January 15, 2018
The Soul Takes Flight Poetry by: MS O’Neill
Isaiah 55:12-13 The Message (MSG)
“So you’ll go out in joy, you’ll be led into a whole and complete life. The mountains and hills will lead the parade, bursting with song. All the trees of the forest will join the procession, exuberant with applause. No more thistles, but giant sequoia, no more thorn bushes, but stately pines— Monuments to me, to God, living and lasting evidence of God.”
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Art work by Abram Liverio
Lord I just want to thank you for the time you’ve given me.
I don’t want to waste it, or take it for granted.
We are not promised tomorrow…but we have faith that we will see another sun, rise
And watch another sun, set.
You gave us time Lord. A beginning and an end…A sun to rule the day and a moon to rule the night…
Seasons of a cycle…
Like the tide coming in and going out…
The grass here today and gone tomorrow
Nine months to carry a baby
Time…is a circle, actually it never ends…
Where time begins it revolves over and over again…
The earth turning on its axis and day spins, to-night
Slowly the body changes…ages, returns to dust and light…
Thank you for the gift of time…
It’s a blessing to go on…
Time relative here, we spend it like it’s free…
It reaches out to somewhere, there beyond eternity…
Life is light, time a gift, given to us by thee, Abba!!!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill January 12, 2018
The Soul Takes Flight Poetry by: MS O’Neill
Daniel 2:21 Good News Translation (GNT) He controls the times and the seasons; he makes and unmakes kings; it is he who gives wisdom and understanding.
Isaiah 55:10-11 Good News Translation (GNT) “My word is like the snow and the rain that come down from the sky to water the earth. They make the crops grow and provide seed for planting and food to eat. So also will be the word that I speak— it will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do.
Acts 1:7 Good News Translation (GNT) Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be.
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Like pebbles left on a headstone
Where I’ve visited a beloved friend,
Souls set free, to sites unknown, in the presence of
Pure love, God’s Promised Land…
Knowing they existed, but I can no longer hold their hand
Or see their eyes searching mine…
I lay upon the dirt, and I cry….
Time is not relevant in the city where they abide…
So I will not cower in the night, nor seek a place to hide…
For when I leave this body of clay…my spirit will soar high…
A pebble’s such a little thing…but a remembrance for all passersby…
When they see the tiny rock on my headstone…
They will all know why
And they will lie upon the dirt, and there they will cry!
Missing the essence of me…
But do not weep for me, but let Joy be your strength;
To give and love and live your life, like pebbles skipping over a lake…
Ripples in a circle, each one touching the other, like a tsunami flowing into the world, a path we all must take…
You see…
Life passes quickly here, gone in the blink of an eye…
Transformed then transported…We must…
Take hold of the Angel’s hand, and soar side by side…
Life doesn’t end with a headstone…
With pebbles left behind…
There’s no good-bye’s and no one dies…when you’ve accepted Him
Now, when you leave that pebble on a headstone for someone
You’ll know that for a child of God, their journey’s just begun
The battle is finished, and with Jesus, we won!!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill January 11, 2018
The Soul Takes Flight Poetry by: MS O’Neill
Philippians 1:3 King James Version (KJV) I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
1 Corinthians 2:9 New King James Version (NKJV) But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
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