Prosperous! Really?!

I Had Been Invited To The Meeting!
The Meeting Of The Prosperous Folks!
You Know?!
The Meeting Of The Prosperous Folks
Where They Advise
People With Potential
How To Become Prosperous
AND
Get Away From Being Broke!

The Venue Reeked Of Position Prosperous!
The Set Up Was Prosperously Outlined!
The Attendants Were From Prosperous Is!
The Motto Is The Prosperous Do
AND
Every Participant Was Given A New Pair Of Shoes
Size Not Customized
BUT
Manufactured By
Prosperity Idealized
From A Design By
Prosperity Idolized!

Everyone Was Raging In Raptures!

Suddenly ...

There Was A Mighty Hush
ALL OVAH
As HE Walked Into The Room!
Those Who Saw That God
Squealed 
Screamed
Uproariously
In Pleasure
BUT
My God-Given Common-Sense Screamed
'Tis Devilish!
How Profane!

The Glitter!
The Flash!
The Cash!
Impressive Words
All About The Stash
Had Those Around Me
In Ecstasy
AND
I Feared For Their Emotional Crash!

The More That The Event Unfolded
The More My Spirit Cried Insane
As Every Body Put On
Their New Shoes
That Don't  Can't Won't Fit
BUT
Looked To Be Prosperity Personified
AND
That's When For Me
It All Clicked!

By Any Means!
By Any Available Means!
By Any Means Necessary
Get What Your Heart Desires
AND
Gluttonously Indulge
BUT
See To It That You Keep
Wipe
Your Mouth Clean!

The Call To Prosperity
Is Enshrined In The Model:

Walk In The Ill-fitting Shoes

For

The Obvious Impress

Imprint

Cannot Connect Back 

To The Prosperous You

AND

By Every Available Means

Let Other People's Money

Be

To You

The Delicious Candy Chew!

The Whole Operation Is Sliiicckk!

They Even Provided Sample Candy

Ready To

Blow UP!!

I Get Up To Leave!
I Am Stopped!
I Protest!
He Rises
AND
DEMANDS
That I Speak Up
Out!

He Demands:
What Have You Got Against Prosperity?

I Said:
I Am Already Prosperous!

He Said:
You Don't Look It!

I Said:
My Prosperity Is Inside!
It Comes From The Spirit 
Sent From Christ Jesus
Who In My Heart Does Abide!

There Is A Shocked Silence!

I Say:
My Prosperity Is My Peace!
My Shoes Are Shod For The Gospel Of Peace!
My Faith In God Lubricates My Hope And Belief!
God's Grace Lines The Path I Walk!
God's Mercy Sets My Soul Free!
The Justice Of God Keeps Me Walking Light
AND
Right
AND
Out Of Your Hands
You Wicked Devil!
You Who Is The Consummate Fraud!

Pandemonium Ensues!
AND
I Depart
Not Having Indulged Myself
With
Fleeting Prosperity's
Deceptive
AND
Sickeningly Sweet
Candy Chews!

I Am Standing Firm

In The Good News

AND

Want Nothing To Do With

The Wanton Destruction Of Souls

The Raping Of Widows And Orphans

AND

Those Testifying "Precious" Metals

Which Condemn

Rich Men

Before The Conquering King

The Righteous Judge

The Returning Son Of Man

The Great I AM!

Sheep Shepherds With Goat Parts! + Prayer

Do we Know What happens
When The Shepherds are The Sheep, and
The Sheep act like Goats?!

Do we Want to Know What happens
When Goats are Shepherds
Pompasetting and
Wearing Pretty Judas Coats?

Do we Want to Know What happens
When Goats Lead Sheep, and
Shepherds Bleat and
Even Eat Meat?

Did you Know that When a Sheep Eats Meat
He has Got Fangs and
Hangs Around with
That Wicked Satan?

Weeellllll ...

I Met a Shepherd
A Shepherd of The Sheep
Who was Not The Owner
And who Willingly Cut Truth's Corners!

He hung out with Fiends - those Creatures so Mean
And Spoke often ... it seems
Of Meat Succulent and Lean
Having been Fed on The Green
Where Cooling Waters Stream.

I Listened with Interest, and Wondered
Then I Grew Flabbergasted
As with Malice True Sheep were Pounded
And The Death-Sirens Sounded
And Lambs were Grounded
Down with The Spurious
Truth that was Curious to Boot
Giving The Shepherd The Loot
To Buy Expensive Suits
To Appear on The Air
Pretending to Give a Care
About Where
The Souls of The Poor
The Innocent
The Seeking
Would Spend Eternity
While Caviar he is Eating
And Unrighteous Riches he is Reaping!

That Shepherd Looked at My Face
Walked Around
And Stood a Pace
From My Body
And - too Jovially - Explained:

"Boy's Howdy!

Lord, Love a Duck!

Details, Details!

A Story I Tell

To the People - No Hell!

Get to the Beach

Pick up a Shell

And Listen to them Chiming Bells!"

"Details! Details!

Men Falter and Fail

I "Comfort" them and I Sail

And they go to Sinners' Jail

And Cry and Rail

At Jesus - not Me!"

"I Work for a Fee!

I Entertain for an Allowance!

My Fabled Secretary is called Florence

And we Met in Torrance

Introduced by Lawrence

The Handsome

The Dark

Who Encouraged our Romance -

I Never Stood a Chance

And now we Dance ... with The Devil!"

"There is No Turning Back

For that Would Mean Lack and

I Tell you The Fact

Lack is Something I Don't Choose to Pack!"

I Listened!
In Fact
I Wished He'd Take it Back
That He was just Giving me Flack
But, Alas, and Alack
This Steward 
Was a Coward
Who Preached Faith
But didn't Know The Lord
And his Sworn Task 
Was to Pull The Gold Cord
Of The Seeking Soul
Looking for The Word of The Lord!

His Mission was to Feed Self
To Lay Aside Treasure on The Shelf
To Live Large 
In Good Health
While Accumulating Worldly Wealth!

He Didn't Seem To Care or Try to Understand
That God Almighty
Is NOT a Man
That All That He Has Said
He Will Do
He Will Do!
... HE WILL DO! 

"Don't YOU Read your Bible?
Don't YOU Know Right from Wrong?
Don't YOU Know Jesus Christ is Coming Down?
Don't YOU Understand that The Trumpet Will Indeed Sound?
Don't YOU Believe that we ALL have a Judgment Round
And Every Human Must Give An Account However Wherever he is Found?!"

"Don't YOU Believe in God?
Don't YOU Fear God!"


He Stiffened ...

I Raised My Eyebrow.

      He Turned ...

I Tilted My Head.

            He Opened his Mouth as if to ...

I Held My Breath.

                  He Walked ... away ... breathing audibly ...

I Bowed My Head and Prayed.

Oh, Lord, Most Holy

Have Mercy upon Your People Today!

Protect us, Lord, Help us

We beseech You as we Pray!

Lord, please take us into You Care for

The Shepherds are Hirelings and

The Sheep are as Prey!

Without You, Dear Father

Your People will not well fare!

Raise Up, Lord, an Honest Steward

A Diligent Shepherd for Your Sheep

And while You are Blessing, Lord, 

Bless The Humble

The Poor, and Your Children All, The Meek.

AMEN.