Tuesday, June 15, 2010
New Blog/Podcast/Show
We should have a recorded show up very soon!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
New E-Book and Chapbook of poetry coming soon!
I'm in the process of putting together my first volume of personal poetry, "Endeavors of Self-Expression Volume 1," per interest in said things from others and myself. I'm gonna try and add a buy it now button if you want to go ahead and pre-order it. It shouldn't be a whole lot longer before I get finished compiling everything! I would say for now, if you're interested in the E-book, hold off until official release just so that I know it all works before you start paying me! :)But, if you would like to pre-order the actual chapbook, go ahead and click below until your heart is content :) Anyway, hope you enjoy it!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Just a little something
In days of Spring my thoughts are born
And ride the winds of yestershore
And live among the blue of sky
Where thoughts and dreams will never die
Where clouds do what they will and then
Refill themselves to dream again
Of shapes and moves: smooth and free
And they are what they want to be
The sea, a restless sky beneath,
That lacks the patience which he sees
And so reflects the skies above
From down beneath his watery hub
Until the sun betwixt them runs
When each, his own, does swiftly come
To meet at this: The light of day
When skies are seas and clouds are waves
When thunder and the waves will cry
When color spreads both sea and sky
Awakening the reds and blues,
Yellows, pinkish, purple hues
When time itself, it makes no sense
The stars have yet to come down hence
The sea, its tide, has yet to pull
The sun, its dial, bends the rules
The day, not knowing where to rest
The night, it looks for sun to set
The twilight is the glorious thing
Of which, these, nature’s wonders sing
When nature is a person, it seems,
Confused by all its thoughts and dreams
Deciding this, Deciding That
In turmoil comes the wild matte
And yet it’s here, from conflict great
That nature seems an awestruck state
Perceived by we, the lookers-on
Who deem the scene from realms beyond
And so I pose this question last
And leave you ponder the answers vast
In what way is it, say you now,
We are perceived, day in, day out?
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Confronting Our Very Real Fear of Death
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Finally, Some new Stuff.....Kinda
The tears have breeched their hold, and now the word is out
My weaknesses take hold, this heart gives reign to doubt
Cemented in my far outreached, I grasp the feigning breeze
The straining takes my will to live; selfishly they’re seized.
A step alone, a step without, a step when you’re not here
Is a step taken in vanity, advancing only fear
A fear of life, a fear of love, a fear of liberty
A freedom I fought not to take. The freedom fought with me
What words to say, what air to take, what kiss for forlorn lips?
What’s this embrace, who is this face, now gone on the homeward ships?
O distant vessel, curse you’re steer, curse the abyss’s path!
But pray dear carry, do not provoke the solitude of wrath
For you, sailed housing, carry what is not to be harmed nor bated
You carry, oh most precious stone, a ruby crimson-jaded
Jaded by the this love so deep, torn for sacred purpose
Oh dear God, control the seas, thwart not Thy consummate purpose
The floods are freed without their lids, the levy rushed to rubble
I stand amongst my darkly sea of salt water and troubles
Oh curse the paradox of this obedient romancer
The hopeless portion left to drown in its own terminal cancer
Abate, abate, the cleansing sea, refine me now by fire
For I’d rather burn amongst the drops than be crushed by their weight most dire
Oh time, a wretched memory, mirror for now and past
Determine not this fate for me, turn about the mast
No! distant thing, a figure phantom, lost to the horizon
This night, this place, this watery grave persuaded not the mizzen
A solemn weep runs stoic now, trickles down the run
The trees inside these open hollows, burn amongst the sun
A ruddy form amongst the shadow, black-blue of the night
But hopeless cannot justify, nor revel in the blight
For here, I stand, from heart so tender, do I now wish it stone?
So that this path eternity-laden, can somehow seem as home?
No. No. God forbid. Take not away the chalice
I’ll drink the thing which I claimed mine. I’ll drink it not with malice.
O blessed Lord, most Sovereign God, what purposes of mine,
Could ever wax or wane against your purposes divine?
For just as You have called me here, drawn to you more nearly
I trust the everlasting arms to hold me sweet and dearly.
The musings of this murderer, this adulterer, this thief,
Cannot be said to be worthy of comparison with Thee
Just as I have seen so fit to obey amongst the briars,
Let this new beginning be the same, bid me not to tire
For she is there, and I am here, for plan not fleshly foiled
And though a distance seems as a thorn, Your healing is most loyal
Cut not the band that ties me there, break not the sacred seal
You know alone, what I can bear, sustain with Your last meal
On broken knee I take to ground, prostate and contrite
Make me meekness, make me bold, plunge me to the plight
For I’ll implore the troubled blue, I’ll question the new stakes
So I may know the morning dew, of each night’s passing wakes
I’ll sail against the cold quick blades, and let them bite and frail me
And be tossed with the varied grades, and pay the frost it’s steep fee
This be done unto the end, of love most tried; assaulted
To show the Healer’s true amends; Abundance now exalted
Make known Thyself amidst the pain, and cause the scars to smooth
So that we will break the strain, fulfill the vibrant youth
Let time to ripen the diverse dyes of coat so lovely laden
With crimson reds of love so deep, its rosen folds unfaded
For when one flesh will grab ahold of coat love labored sewn
We’ll rest in its undying warmth of love we’ll call our own
And there we’ll journey amidst more seas, amidst more edge and shadow
But this we’ll do so willingly, as we venture the unkown meadows
Together we’ll climb the mighty mountains of your own purpose and will
And at the end of each new day, we’ll hold each other still
Written By Brennan Klensch
INNOCENCE LOST
What have you done with my friends?
Where have you taken the little one?
I know he was here, and I swear I never recall taking my eyes off of him, but he just vanished.
No, he must’ve been taken.
YOU!! —Wait, there’s no one there, but I swear I just---
I have to run. I don’t know why.
At least not now.
I keep running, harder, longer, my legs and heart growing tired.
It seems so purposeless. Where am I even running to?
To him? But where do I start to look, I mean, he just vanished? How am I supposed to--?
Maybe if I say his name…no…maybe yell it…no, that didn’t help.
Wait, just then! Just then I just felt him almost! Like he was right here. He can’t be far now. So I run again.
But I find it even more purposeless.
Wait! I see him, Go to run to him, with my arms open, but, they are met with a window, I’m seeing him through a window. The window won’t break or open, I even hurt myself doing it, and I see him fall down, try to break the window, need to mend his own cut and in doing so,
I cut myself.
I tried yelling. Didn’t help. He was yelling back, we were both trying to hear each other.
Now walls surround the window, and a room with a window surrounds me. This room is red, a crimson, near black red. I look and the window is gone, but there’s a doorway on the adjacent wall.
I go through it. The room is blue. There’s the window again, and there he is outside. At this point I know not to run. I just slowly walk to the window, and I shed a tear as I look on his countenance, mourning with me, I want to be there with him. He needs protecting. I look down in my weeping, and when I lean my head back up, this window is gone, but yet another doorway on the opposite wall. I walk through; the room is green, and yes, another window. There he is. I remain where I am, scowling at the window. Not at him, at the window.
I turn my head to see if a window has returned to the other blue room….No, but, yet again, the window adorned with the reflection of green light, has now gone, and one more room. A purple room.
Now, I try and outthink the window, I walk right up to it, scowl at it up close. I’m better than this; I’m smarter than the window. But, I’ve become so busy staring down this paned demon, that I almost lose sight of the child. I become frantic, run back through into the red room, then blue, green, purple, red, blue, green, purple. I make my way across the red from the purple doorway and collapse in the blue room. I wail, and plead to an invisible someone for help. What else can I do?
But, after this, I hear the child’s laughter. I almost jump up, I see the child’s hand drag itself across the doorway as he skips through, I run to each one. He’s always just in front of me, or, is it more that he’s a few rooms behind me. Either way, at least the child’s inside, and I know I’m that much closer. But I can’t go to the windows, anytime I do, he’s back out there, looking at me. I must remain inside and search therein. I must not lose hope. I will never give up.
written by Brennan Klensch
BONUS: :)
Yes i've added a bonus, although calling it a bonus seems a bit self-righteous. However, i couldn't really think of a better word, so, here you are, the bonus is a more straight-forward poem that I wrote about 4 or 5 months ago when I stopped to think about the idea of being a daddy to a son. I'm still working on one for my daughter, whenever she may come. Here's what came out after the thought of the first.
MY SON
MY SON
O my son, my son,
What is it you’ll bring
To our hearts when, this world,
Your commencement song sings
My boy, sweet boy
Will the day ever come
When your daddy will be ready
To father a son?
To think of your face
Brings tears to my eyes
Knowing that one day
We’ll sing lullabies
My angel, sweet angel
Can you ever know
The love that I have
For you now, even so?
I think of the moment when
Lying in my arms
You look to my eyes
And you don’t see the scars
Of a world-stricken man
So young still it seems
How can this little one
Have been part of me?
How have we made
So beautiful a thing
Which now comes
Into this dark world and sings
Of innocence lost,
To a world come undone;
Such a brave song
From my sweet baby son
But no, you see not
This world as this man,
For what it may be,
You just see these hands,
That have sworn all their love
To this treasure most dear.
In this moment, for you,
There exists no fear
Oh my boy, my boy
Though this moment I feel
That nothing could breech
My fatherly seal:
That I’d give my life
For only your thought
If it meant for a day
That you would have taught
This world what it is
And this world, what it’s not
And man in his wisdom
Would by infant be taught
For they’ll see only heaven
And what life should be
In those sweet silent eyes
That, regardless, love me
My child, sweet child
I cannot foretell
Or promise
That I will always do well;
I shake at the thought
Of bringing you up
For it seems but a day
Before I was “grown up.”
I’m scared son, so scared
To do anything wrong
But I promise you this
My love is so strong
Stronger than all
My failures and needs
Stronger than anyone who’d
Dare to impede
On our sweet blessed life
Though it, undeserved be
They cannot break
What they cannot see
I have to admit
I don’t know if I will
Be the best father always
But a daddy I will
In spite of all this
That I fear I can’t do
I’m fearless when I’m there
With mommy and you
In which moment you will
Look into my eyes
Your daddy,
Who doesn’t so often cry
But I weep now with joy
For the boy I’ll adorn
With my love, as I dream
Of the day you’ll be born
Words by Brennan Klensch
Thanks for reading everyone (anyone :) )
Brennan
Monday, April 21, 2008
Our Copious Christ
In Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World, society is ignorant of reality. They exist in this state of mind mainly due to the drug supplement, Soma. Soma is a drug that keeps the grown humans of Huxley’s world ignorant, and in doing so, keeps rebellion, curiosity, and all hostility and negativity at bay. Every time a character in the novel uses the drug, it is either for the purpose of heightening a sense of pleasure or pleasantness, or to subdue feelings of negativity, anger, or any extreme emotional or, worse, intellectual response to a foreign or hostile situation.
In this sense it is seen as the addictive behavior of people in general who run to their addictions as a numbing supplement to the problems of life, or use them to stimulate or increase natural pleasures or happiness. The addiction leads to more addiction as each time builds upon itself a greater happiness, therefore a greater crash at the end, seeking a supplement that will now fill the bigger void, therefore causing a bigger supplement, and so the vicious cycle goes on and on.
Is this not the behavior of the average churchgoer? Better yet, you or I as believers? Do we not wait for Sunday to “fill” ourselves, to numb the pain of life? Why do we do this? Church was meant to be a fellowship of the believers in Jesus Christ as sole Savior. It was not, however, meant to be a place where struggles, pain, and sin are left at the door. It is in church these needs and fleshly deficiencies should be ministered to and given encouragement for proper healing by faith, prayer, confession, repentance, honesty, passion, and thought, all centered around and only existing through the Words of Scripture. Instead what we have created is a rehab center that takes on a philosophical, shell-like life. How did we arrive here?
I don’t know if I’ve made my point clear as far as distinction between The Church, and church. The difference lies really upon whether we are performing what we call church in the proper boundaries or at least guidelines of God’s Word. How nonchalantly we walk into our tower of Soma. Do we come here to face the problems, or to ignore them? Do we come here to fuel our passion or numb it? What I fear and what I know is that we have created a self-idealized Utopia that is truly non-existent and bringing about a decay of the real church with its constant façade of non-Biblical and extra-Biblical promises that carry no real, divine power.
It seems as though we’ve turned the church into a self-help program seeking to relate to people on an emotional level so that we can feel human. What we do not do most of the time is to understand the Word of God as our life, not its supplement. John Piper said it best during his sermon at Passion conference 2007 in Atlanta Georgia; “Heaven is not your pre-nup to salvation.” What an honest and very true statement. How do we understand salvation? Do we see it as solely the promise of eternal life in Heaven? But, is Heaven really the thing of it? The real prize of being saved by grace through faith is that of an eternal, un-hindered and non-tempestuous relationship with the unconditional Lover of our soul Jesus Christ. On top of this ignorance the church has missed the very concept that defines it. The marriage ceremony of Christ and His church comes after, and only after, the preparation for and of the bride.
We must understand that our lives are to be Christ’s. This is the standard that we obviously fall short of before becoming saved. So what about after we are saved? The very simple answer is that we are now joint-heirs with Christ. We take the inheritance that he takes part of, that of eternal relationship with God and the glorification of our bodies in which we will know no inner chaos that is the nature of human temptation.
So what of our daily lives? Colossians 1:19 says, “And it pleased the Father that in Him (Christ) should all fullness dwell.” To understand this fully while we are sewn up in these fleshly bodies with finite minds is impossible, as finite will never comprehend infinity. I wish so much that I could right now, but this was obviously no the best thing for me to know right now. But at an attempt to at least understand the enormity and effectiveness at this will truly revolutionize one’s outlook on this Christian life. In another note I’ll write more about this, but when we participate in communion we are remembering the practice and teachings of the last supper and understanding them as our very own. What happens is that, when we take the “blood” and “flesh” of Christ (I don’t mean this as transubstantiation), we are literally taking on His fleshly life; his perfect, sinless life lived in a human body with a human mind and with human desires. When I understand this, it convicts me in a way that nothing else does. My Savior shows such love with this statement and I realize how lightly I have taken communion in the past, not realizing how serious the implications of this practice and just how much I had fallen short of living the life of Christ. The Bible, as seen from these two passages, shows us that as Christians we are to live the life of Christ knowing from Colossians that, literally, there is no deficiency with Christ. All fullness dwells in Him and we are part of that, if only we would realize it.
The church is relying upon itself to help itself. When I say the church I’m including myself, and all I’ve said came by conviction of my own actions. So, what the church, what I have not done is to run to Christ, in whom all fullness (the fullness of God, who is infinite) dwells. If I did understand this I would understand that in running into the fullness of Christ I am running into the arms of eternal forgiveness, of unconditional love, and unlimited regenerating power. Some would say that this has been commonly preached, but what is not commonly preached is how we do that. Actually it is, but I don’t know if it’s fully realized by the congregation, the pastor, or both. Christ is also the Word. The Word of God is the written life of Christ. It is our fullness for it is Him in text form. But “text” is so limited in its connotation. It is a living, breathing, inspired book that literally can, if we run to it, define our lives as Christians. But by this self-same book, reading is the first part, action is the second. Real action. There is just such a lack of Christian activity in my life. How much ministering am I doing? What does this mean? It means me looking for someone who either is not saved or who needs to know the Truth of Christ’s life, and, consequently, His words. If this is not attempted, how then can I saw the love of Christ is in me? Is there any fruit? Where? Can I honestly say that compassion is a familiar feeling to me? If I were to be completely candid, which I am, I’d say no. Compassion cannot exist in a selfish person. By it’s very base nature, compassion is selfless. I have to get my eyes off of myself for two seconds to see those around me, screaming, grasping, and failing for answers to what this life is for. I can’t imagine what life must be like as an atheist. How can anything ever be enjoyed? Better yet, how can anything be experienced? Experience and joy are, by means of the standard definition, abstract. How can the literal produce an abstract outcome without an outside mediator and a founding intelligence? I must know what it is to feel compassion for the atheist. We must learn to have compassion for the atheist. The church should be flooding the desk of Richard Dawkins with letters of complete and honest love. Compassion really is just as simple as that; a genuine love for the lost.
I’m a Calvinist, and I know a lot of people will have a problem with that, but truly I don’t see how Romans, specifically chapter nine, could be any less clear. It’s not that I’m a follower of Calvin, I’m a follower of Christ, and God, in His sovereign grace, has seen fit to teach me finally to accept all things in His Word, both “logical” and not, due to the fact that I am under Him; creation will not define its creator, it can only display Him! I loved Piper’s quote about this. His words were, “Christianity begins with the great conviction that quite apart from my ideas, and my feelings, and my thoughts, and my desires, there is objective reality defined by God. God absolutely is.” This is nothing but scriptural truth resonated by a completely surrendered servant. Imagine if you will, what would happen if we were to begin to define objective reality. Can even the grandest fantasy of our own minds create credibility great enough to match that of absolute truth? No. The very fact that there will be disagreements about things such as “Calvinism,” should tell you that we do not have, as a church, the kind of absolute nature that God does. We are fickle, and change over time. This is sanctification. Do you have to be a Calvinist to be a Christian? No. Do you have to put a whole and unapologetic faith in the Word of God to be a Christian? In the most absolute way, yes. Why? Because Christ is the Word! So what is the point about me rambling on about this? It’s very simple. We have been given grace by the unconditioned love of Christ, grace unto salvation by faith. If we truly accept this love, we will understand it as the greatest act of love to ever present itself to creation. If we know this, and we know, as was said before, that this Christ, this ever-faithful lover of our souls is inside us, defining our life in the most literal and spiritual sense, then we will know what it is to love others in the deepest most profound ways.
To conclude, while this entry may seem long, convoluted, and given over to scatter shooting, I mean it all to come to this. We as the Church must start relying on the Word of God, and the fellowship granted in that same Word by our mutual faith, in a complete way. We are to come to Christ with the faith of a child, not just in salvation, but in all things. Remember your faith as a child, and know that the innocence which spurned it, was given to you in the purifying blood of Christ, to an even deeper sense, removing all sin from your countenance before the Father, allowing your body to be glorified as to Christ’s, the ever and copious Christ of love, forgiveness, and innocence. May you know the Word and the power it has to transform, regenerate, and renew those who will come to it. And may you catalyze your church to a full reliance upon Him by examining and refining your own faith to be a complete reliance and full acceptance of the perfect and omni-powerful Word of God, and through this, love unconditionally. Amen.
2 Timothy 3: 14-17- “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned [them] And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Conquering Logic
I know that's a good chunk of Scripture, but really, can that ever be said to be a bad thing? So, now I continue, and I kind of summarize the passage here as well. In this passage Jesus is telling the disciples that He is about to leave them. He is telling them that they will be sorrowful as a woman is sorrowful when she enters labor, but will possess the same joy of a new mother. He tells them they will no longer need to ask Him anything, because the Father will supply them according to His name. he says the Father loves them because they had loved Him (Christ). He continues on to tell them that all He has spoken here has been in parable, but that the time was rapidly approaching, when He would show them plainly, "of the Father." The disciples respond, almost offended, telling Him that right now even, he doesn't speak in parable and that He knows all things now, and that this is how they believe He comes from God. And Christ's response is as blunt as it is beautiful. He immediately poses the question, "Do ye now believe?" and proceeds to tell them of their forthcoming denials, betrayals, and abandonements. But He won't need them even so, for the Father will be with Him, He says. This is just as we are, when Christ is gone, while He is not here upon this earth, the Holy Ghost is, and we have access to the Father through Christ; finally the process complete, and the opportunity vulnerable.
In this passage Christ speaks about how after His ascension, no man will be able to pluck the joy from their hearts. Why? Because we now can ask anything we want of the Father. Our inheritance was and is and always will be the same as the disciples, which is to say that their inheritance was Christ's inheritance.
Why then are we so down-trodden by the ways of this world? Why am I continually sluggish every day with the voluntary vesting of this world's logic and thrill? No man can take my joy! Never! I think Christians who are either wallowing in their sin or are trying to make worldly sense of Biblical and divine Christianity, are even more miserable and confused and lonely than the unsaved and the scholars of the world themselves. Why?! Because we have the answer! We have the answer and yet we are almost trying to convince ourselves into the idea that we don't. It's like having the answer, the satisfactory, abundant, and ever sufficient answer to the world's hardest and most abstract equation. This is equation exists to the world as the equation of life and purpose. To separate these two things is to sever the spinal cord from the brain. The world can't figure it out! They can't! God makes no 'sense,' and in this world where life is seen only and fully as an equation, God does not, will not, cannot make sense to them until He shows them the answer. But we have it! We who are saved have it! Yet, we try and convince ourselves, almost daily, routinely, that we don't. THIS IS SINFUL. We aren't being satisfied with the answer God has given us, because we want to solve it on our own. But this is not what we are called to and this will never happen. It is like knowing that the answer to the equation 2+2 is 4, but trying to figure out a way to make it equal 5. It doesn't and it won't! The gospel is God given only. If it could be made and given by man, Christ being here would have been completely unnecessary, and yes, useless. But the gospel is that Christ came and lived a perfect life so the He would be the subsidiary sacrifice for us to put away sin, fulfilling the law, taking upon Him the ultimate spiritual death of spiritual separation from God, but then, being the master of both the physical and spiritual deaths, came back to life self-sufficiently, pure and holy, conqueror of all things that have, do, or ever will exist. If we only believe this as our own salvation by faith, that Christ brings us to Himself not of our own wicked will, but of His own perfect, holy, and conquering will, and that we are saved from our spiritual death only by His grace, and only through his death, his burial of separation, and His conquering and saving resurrection, then we will be saved. No man will come to this on his own, only be God can He be saved. Let every man who claims to have conquered death personally be conquered by the witness of the Scriptures of Christ's supreme resurrection. May you know the gospel, and may God see fit to pen your eyes if they are not already, and if they are, may you preach the gospel boldly and with joy, being soaked in the joy of His crusade against death, against flesh, and against your own will. Amen