Prologue

I play it in the dark,
very softly,
like cats'
feet...
disappearing
in 
the
f
o
g

                          and the clock strikes thirteen​

​
my father says
I can be anything
horsehead nebula
                                                                       
                                               
​             

one red sock all it takes
               
​            

​

road to utopia

​Susan Beth Furst


Yavanika Press
Shloka Shankar: Editor 
Cover Art: Robin Anna Smith 

I am celebrating the release of my third chapbook, road to utopia, this week! I hope you have enjoyed the preview. You can download a free copy @

https://yavanikapress.wixsite.com/home/our-titles

keep looking up...

Susan
;)


Third chapbook, Sixteen poems, Do the math...

​"And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me, I have found my lost coin.'"   Luke 15:9 NIV

​​

"For god so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall  not perish but have eternal life"  John 3:16 

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​
Submissions are open for the August Issue of Life. Check the submission page for guidelines. Write a poem. Send it in. Dazzle us with your creativity!


Beautiful Defect has a new look! Check out the "new pages." Read about my second Golden Haiku on the About Page. Visit The Life Journal and Submission Pages. And take a look at what's new on the Contact and Newsletter Pages. You might even want to sign up for notifications or submit a poem! ;)



                                                                                   Beautiful Defect

​"Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
​
​Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz
​

"If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with..."

Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz
​

​Until next week,

Hopefully,

Susan
​;)



For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16 NIV



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​
Submissions are open for the June Issue of Life. Check the submission page for guidelines. Write a poem. Send it in. Dazzle us with your creativity!


Beautiful Defect has a new look! Check out the "new pages." Read about my second Golden Haiku on the About Page. Visit The new Life Journal and Submission Pages. And take a look at what's new on the Contact and Newsletter Pages. You might even want to sign up for notifications or submit a poem! ;)



                                                                          Beautiful Defect

Journal Entry

April 23, 2019

(Written before I read my Bible)

I have turned the corner on my depression. I see colors brighter and notice the things around me. I have a hope for my future. This is most certainly signs of my depression lifting...

I randomly opened to;  Job 38:12-15 (The Message)

"And have you ever ordered 'Morning Get Up! told Dawn, Get to Work!' So you could seize Earth like a blanket and shake out the wicked like cockroaches? As the sun brings everything to light, brings out all the colors and shapes, the cover of darkness is snatched from the wicked, they're caught in the very act!"

A word to me, a confirmation from the Lord!


I had been sick since January, with pneumonia, and then the flu, and then another virus, and then, well the doctors didn't know what it was. All of this was on top of the usual chronic pain and autoimmune stuff I dealt with every day. I was feeling hopeless and afraid.

So I began to read my Bible, the Word of God, everyday, and I began to pray. Nothing happened, at least not right away. And then God healed me. It wasn't a big amazing miracle healing. They happen to other people, mostly on TV,  but that's not what God had in mind for me, at least not yet. I had to walk that road, with Him, everyday, and carry my cross. 

My big beautiful cross.

My arts and crafty cross.

My colorful ceramic tile and glass bead cross.

I read the Word and I prayed hard, even when I couldn't feel Jesus' presence, even when it was hard to believe, I believed anyway.

One day as I read His words, I looked out my window and I could see colors. I could see the blue river and the green trees, and the big puffy white clouds in the sky. It was Spring! Wow! When did that happen? And I could feel it too. There was a lifting. I felt lighter, like I could fly.

What a Beautiful Day that was!!

Thank you Jesus!!

Never lose hope. Stay close to Jesus. He is always there, even when you can't feel Him.
He doesn't promise a smooth path, but He will walk it with you. And he always gives you what you need to survive, and then some. He makes all things new!
​

Until next time,

Hopefully,

Susan
​;)



For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16 NIV



Sign up for blog post and Life Journal notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page. Leave a comment, like, and share widely. Thank you!

​
Submissions are open for the June Issue of Life. Check the submission page for guidelines. Write a poem. Send it in. Dazzle us with your creativity!


Beautiful Defect has a new look! Check out the "new pages." Read about my second Golden Haiku on the About Page. Visit The new Life Journal and Submission Pages. And take a look at what's new on the Contact and Newsletter Pages. You might even want to sign up for notifications or submit a poem! ;)



                                                                          Beautiful Defect

What do you want me to do for you?

That's what he said.

Yeshua.

Son of David.

The Messiah.
 
I want to see again!

That's what Bartimaeus, the blind beggar said.

Right before all the colours of the rainbow exploded before his eyes.

And he began to follow Yeshua.


What do you want me to do for you?

Something?

Anything?

Go ahead, throw off your cloak, He is calling you, you are his beloved, the one in a hundred, the highly favored.

The master is calling You!

Bartimaeus had it bad. He was a beggar and he was blind. And even worse, he didn't even have a name. Just Bartimaeus, Son of Timaeus.

He wasn't even worth a name of his own. Imagine...

And yet Yeshua, Son of God, called him.

The Son of God!!!

And He gave Bartimaeus much more than his eyesight, He gave him an identity.

Bartimaeus became a Son, not of Timaeus, but a son of the King.

And Bartimaeus followed Yeshua.


What are you struggling with today?

Something?

Anything?

All you have to do is ask, or call, or maybe a text. 

And Yeshua, Jesus, will be there!

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall...


In that day the deaf will hear words of a book, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.  Isaiah 29:18 (TLV: Tree of Life Version)


Until next week,

Hopefully,

Susan

;)


For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16 NIV



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​
Submissions are open for the June Issue of Life Poems. Check the submission page for guidelines. Write a poem. Send it in. Dazzle us with your creativity!


Beautiful Defect has a new look! Check out the "new pages." Read about my second Golden Haiku on the About Page. Visit The new Life Poems Journal and Submission Pages. And take a look at what's new on the Contact and Newsletter Pages. You might even want to sign up for notifications or submit a poem! ;)




The Tree Of Life Version of the Bible is a translation that uses the Hebrew names of Jesus and his followers. It also uses the original order of the books in the Old Testament or Tanach. It is a wonderful translation which brings to life the Jewishness of the Bible, Old and New Testaments, which is a fundamental and essential part of our Christian faith. 

                                            

Can't touch this
No, not even the king
in his new Threads


"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not toil or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"  Matthew 6:28-29 NIV



Stress and worry, we all do it. In fact, in today's society it seems to be our ever present friend. We kind of wallow in it, in a way it feels good, like a mud bath...


Do we have enough money? Do we have a nice enough house? Do we have enough clothes and are they the latest styles? Do we have enough food? And what about water? Will we have enough to reconstitute all of the dry food we have stockpiled for when it all hits the fan? No one told us we needed water...


And our kids, are they smart enough, are they good looking enough, will they be able to make it into the best daycare academies? You have to start young if you want to get into Harvard. And what about lessons, music, art, or sports, or all three? What if they can't do all three, or any, can they fake it? Can we?


Are we rich enough, are we poor enough, are we giving enough to charity or the homeless shelter down the street? Should we let people see us putting money in the donation jar or should we sneak it in on the sly? Maybe we should keep it all for ourselves, for a rainy day...


Are we praying enough, and how should we do it?  Do we have to kneel, is it okay to raise our hands in church and speak in tongues, and how will we know if it is us speaking or someone else? Will people think we are crazy? Will they throw us out of the synagogue?


And what about God? Have you ever seen Him? Blessed are those who believe and have not seen, or so they say. What if God isn't there? What if he died? What if he never existed? What if he can read my thoughts, will he send me straight to hell?


And the evolution thing. And global warming. And 5G technology.


Is the world coming to an end? 


And what about Trump?


Stop! Stop! Jesus says,


Come to me and I will give you rest.


And as for the basics, what you really need, start here.


"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  Matthew 6:33 NIV


"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."  Matthew 6:34 The Message


So if you've had enough, let it go, trust God. Give it to Jesus, he will take it. He's already taken it for you, on the cross. And then open your Bible, if you don't have one get one. For easy reading and understanding I recommend the New Living Translation or The Message. You can find great buys at the second hand bookstore. And you might encounter Jesus in the next aisle. He's been known to hang out there. 


Start reading the Gospels, the Good News about Jesus, written by the people who new him best, his disciples and friends.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (his favorite, or so John says), will tell you all about him. And you will be amazed. Oh, and John wasn't lying about being Jesus favorite, it's just that everyone is Jesus' favorite!


And blessed are those who believe and have not seen. That would be you. Seek His kingdom. Read. Believe in miracles. They happen every day, no matter what you've heard.


Jesus will change your life. He changed mine. He is enough, and infinitely more.


Until next week,

Hopefully,

Susan

;)


For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16 NIV



Sign up for blog post and Life Poems Journal notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page. Leave a comment, like, and share widely. Thank you!

​
Submissions are open for the June Issue of Life Poems. Check the submission page for guidelines. Write a poem. Send it in. Dazzle us with your creativity!


Beautiful Defect has a new look! Check out the "new pages." Read about my second Golden Haiku on the About Page. Visit The new Life Poems Journal and Submission Pages. And take a look at what's new on the Contact and Newsletter Pages. You might even want to sign up for notifications or submit a poem! ;)



photo-haiga (shahai), SusanBethFurst 2019


                                             Beautiful Defect

​
​Good Friday
the cross
stripped
​naked

bottle rockets #38


​
seismic shift jelly beans lost in paper grass
Sonic Boom December 2017

 
​resurrection day
great grandma 
​still waiting
​
Beautiful Defect April 2019


​
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 KJV


And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.
Revelation 21:4 KJV

Alice
 
I must go,
she said, as she closed
the electric book.
Down is up and up is nowhere.
 
It is time,
she said, as she climbed down
from her wobbly throne.
It waits for no one.
 
I will look to the east,
she said, as she remembered
the line from the song,
for the sunrise.
 
One can never be lost when one looks for the sun…


​

​
Until next week,

Hopefully,

Susan
;)




Sign up for blog post and Life Poems Journal notifications delivered directly to you inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page. Check out the most recent Life Poems Journal before the special Easter Issue hits the screen on April 15th. Just click on Life Poems! Please leave a comment and tell me what you think. And if you would, Like and Share widely!
​

Thank you,

​
Susan




Alice
by Susan Beth Furst
previously published, Sonic Boom, December 2018 

photography&haiku
by susan beth furst

Watercolor, Rainbow Jesus
​by susan beth furst

​

 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going to the tomb rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. Matthew 28:1-4 NIV



So, it's Sunday, the first day of the week, and who goes to the tomb to check on Jesus? Why the Marys, of course. They had come to finish embalming his body, as they did not have time to do it properly, before the Sabbath began on Friday evening. I don't know what they were expecting to find. They must have thought about the stone at some point. It was much too large for one or two women to roll away. Perhaps they thought the guards would help...

As we read from Matthew's gospel account God provided.

A really big angel came down, and the ground shook, and the lightening flashed. The Roman guard, men who were used to walking where angels feared to tread, fell over and played dead.



The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, Now I have told you." Matthew 28:5-7 NIV



So, angels had this way of popping in and out of the lives of people here on earth. Because they were generally described as large beings and because they sort of showed up out of nowhere, they often had to tell people not to be afraid, unless those people happened to be the Roman guard...

The angel was the bearer of good news! And he told the women, who did not faint, that Jesus was alive!!

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."

And then the angel did what angels do. He left. The message was delivered. His work was done. He was on to the next thing on his to do list.

And the women, well, they did what women do. They raced all the way back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples.  The news  was way too good to let someone else beat them too it!



So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Matthew 28:8 NIV



So, this is the story; the Marys got up early, went to the tomb, weathered an earthquake, talked to an angel, and were the first to get the good news. Jesus was alive, just as he said!

So what?

Think of it this way. In first century Judea, women  were given little thought or value; they were not to be believed or trusted, it was a man thing.

But Jesus the one who "broke the rules," many rules, according to the religious establishment (who all happened to be men), decided that the women should be first to know, that they should be the ones who would carry the news, of the Resurrection of the Son of God!!  

And speaking of rules, Jesus broke a really big rule, He brought himself back from the dead!


Only God can do that!!


​Hmmm...


Jesus came into the world to die on a cross for our sins. Back in the Garden when Eve took the first bite of the apple, she set into motion God's plan to save us. It was a brilliant plan of course, but not easy. There were a lot of sins for Jesus to carry on that cross. But our Lord is ever gracious and full of mercy and love. He went willingly, bore our burdens and shame, and by his wounds we were and are healed.


Jesus gave us life instead of the death we deserved. This is called grace. And to sustain us, Jesus promises Living Water. This is the Holy Spirit who is poured out onto all believers...

​
"Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, "Rivers of living water will flow from his heart." (When he said "living water," he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.) John 7:38-39 NLT 

                                       


















​ Grace


White blossoms float languidly in the lily pond. Tadpoles and minnows teem underneath the dark surface, and frogs sit fat in the green rushes. We bring baskets of Easter flowers to decorate great grandma’s grave. We climb the hill to the old water pipe, tiptoe, and turn the knob. It creaks and begins to shake. Water splashes our upturned faces, fills our shoes, spills over our pails, soaking the ground beneath us. We dance in the puddles and slosh through the mud, dragging our pails behind us.
 
evening rain--
that peculiar scent
of hyacinth

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
​John 3:16 NIV

His grace, mercy, and peace be with you...

Hopefully,

Susan
;)

Sign up for blog post and Life Poems Journal notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page. Check out the most recent Life Poems Journal by clicking on Life Poems. Leave a comment, like, and share widely!

Thank you,

Susan


Light haiku & photograph 
by susan beth furst
previously published, Ekphrasis: The British Haiku Society Member's Anthology 2017


Grace
by susan beth furst
previously published, Under The Basho, March 2018

​forbidden fruit
she takes another swig
from the bottle


​

Fall from…
 
Naked—white branches reach up, full of ice the river moves slow clouds in the pewter sky.

​midnight train--
smoke billows
on the far shore



"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked..."
Genesis 3:7 NKJV


What exactly is The Fall? When did it happen? Who fell? Where to? And why? 

I have it on good authority that The Fall happened "In the beginning..." in a garden, not just any garden, but The Garden. The garden God created for his best work, Adam and Eve.

The Garden was beautiful. A river flowed through Eden watering the trees and flowers. It was in Eden, where Adam named the animals that God had made. It was in Eden, where Adam fell asleep and God created Eve from his very rib. It was in Eden, where Adam and Eve communed with God.


It was perfect, a utopia! But there was just this one little thing...


And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden: but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." Genesis 2:15-17 NKJV


And with that the stage was set...


You see, there was this serpent, and he had a reputation. He was crafty, a deceiver, a twister of the truth. And he asked the fatal question...


"Did God really say?"  

And then he told the lie...

"You will not certainly die"


Well, that is all Eve needed to hear. She grabbed the apple, pear, or kumquat, whatever the forbidden fruit was, and she took a bite. And so did Adam. They disobeyed God. They sinned.

The thing about God is that he is holy and just. And he cannot be in the presence of sin. And when there is sin there are consequences. So, God sent Adam and Eve packing, after he made them coverings of animal skins. Death had entered the garden...


And so it is today. The serpent, the deceiver, the father of lies, is still asking the question,

"Did God really say that?"


​And we like hungry children don't think twice...


So, what is a Father to do?


God, being who he is, had a plan to rescue us, from the beginning, before Adam and Eve were a spark in his eye.

Actually with God there is no beginning, He always was, always is, and always will be...

Don't spend too much time trying to figure that out. Some things are just a mystery. After all he is God and we're not!


​Someone had to pay for the sin, so that we could be bought back, redeemed. But that someone had to be perfect, sinless...


And then God had an awesome idea...


"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16 NIV


And so Jesus went to the cross, the perfect sacrifice, he took our sins, every last one of them, on His body. He suffered. And he died. But it didn't end there...


Spoiler Alert!!

Sunday was coming...


Stay tuned next week for my companion haibun, Grace, and the rest of the story.


Until then,

His Peace be with you.

Hopefully,

Susan


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forbidden fruit haiku & watercolor
by susan beth furst

Fall from...
by susan beth furst
previously published in Under The Basho, March 2018

photography
​by susan beth furst










​