Scarlet Robe Creations

The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.  None of them will have to teach a neighbor to know the Lord , because all will know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the Lord , have spoken. Jeremiah 31:33-34 A covenant of the heart, not the law. A peace written on the fabric of life carved into the marrow of my soul. My heart has become flesh, to embrace the word spoken by our God. Know me Lord when I am lowly or lifted high, as my soul longs to know you. A covenant, word made flesh, stone hearts softened. There is no battle to be waged, only peace. There are no swords, only plowshares. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

Come Lord, as the infant you were in Bethlehem, as the teacher you were in Galilee. Speak to the veils before my heart, to the dirt on my soul.  ~ Come Lord, as the friend at table, in Bethany or the Upper Room. Speak to my hatred and fears that I might understand Your love. ~ Come Lord, risen after long days of darkness. Step out from the tomb of my sin. Speak to me with the voice of my shepherd. ~ Come Lord, into a world that sleeps, a world unprepared, a world unbelieving.  ~ Come Lord, to the meek, to the impoverished, to the lonely.  ~ Come Lord, into a feeding troth, with filthy rags and straw. Come into my heart, at times as cold and desolate as the manger and claim me as Yours. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr   

Happy are those whose sins are forgiven,      whose wrongs are pardoned. Psalm 32:1    Happiness, for sins forgiven, a pardon from my Lord. I shout with praise. He does not accuse me of that which I have confessed. When I lived in my shame I was separate from my soul. Drained of my tears and strength my joy was nothing more than embers fading in the shadows. Then I knelt before God. I confessed the darkness He refused to see. For it is my soul laboring in sin not the sight of the Lord. Happiness, for my sins are forgiven. I will follow Him where paths are straight, fields are plowed and the harvest is rich. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

Adoration of the Shepherds by Philippe de Champaigne To us there is hope. The old is made new. One who has been longed for has come to this earth. He is weakness, when we were looking for strength. He is not a warrior or a great politician. In our hearts we cry out for vindication. He brings us grace to find peace in our trials. To us is born a tiny babe without wealth or status. He is the promise of voices past. The king our hearts have sought. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

Proclaim a message, prophets hear and are frightened when they should be comforted. Speak the thoughts of God as they are spoken, without concern for the politics of the time. He spoke when Babylon was marching. He spoke as Greece and Rome stepped on sacred soil. He spoke as His son stood in the Jordan, as he died on Golgotha and as He rose that Sunday morning. He speaks today, as we defy His word, ridicule those who preach it and sing praises to His enemy. He speaks today, while there is still a moment to hear the message proclaimed. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

On one of the days while Jesus was teaching, some proud religious law-keepers and teachers of the Law were sitting by Him. They had come from every town in the countries of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was there to heal them.  Some men took a man who was not able to move his body to Jesus. He was carried on a bed. They looked for a way to take the man into the house where Jesus was.  But they could not find a way to take him in because of so many people. They made a hole in the roof over where Jesus stood. Then they let the bed with the sick man on it down before Jesus.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Luke 5:17-20  A hole began to form overhead, in the roof.  We heard footsteps scampering overhead.  The Teacher paused, no longer speaking as pieces of the ceiling fell to the floor at our feet.  Even the keepers of the law, who had no sincere interest in the Master's words, were

A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a pathway for our God!  Isaiah 40:3 The wilderness, where the wandering stumble over trails untended. Prepare the pathway, purify your hearts. Remove the stones you hide behind. Fill the valleys and make each mountain low. Where there is rough terrain leave smooth roads, for God has made a promise and men have waited. The wilderness, where a prophet cries out to those with ears to hear, to those with eyes to see, to those with hearts to love. Repentance is the call to all people. Prepare, what now is petrified stone. Prepare the calloused soul. Prepare a heart which will be made flesh. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

The perfect add for my most recent book; "An Advent Journey" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0769H9LJH This is the best promotion I could receive. The book was sitting on the coffee table, where his mom left it after reading a couple poems, C.J. decided to check it out. He's probably wondering where the pictures are.  

And so we wait with great anticipation. God from God, Light from Light. We wait to hear a crying child in a stable, a mother singing sweet melodies to her infant. We wait to see shepherds kneel before the glories in the sky and wise men bow in homage. And then we wait again, to see the stone rolled from the entrance of an empty tomb, to hear Mary's wonderful news brought to the apostles. We long to feel the joy spreading through the upper room when their Lord, Master and Friend stands before them, Alive. Yet we who are witnesses today, need not wait. The child, given by the Father, is here to be in your hearts everyday. He has grown to become a man. He died for every blemish on every soul and He longs to stand beside you in every room and every place. How fortunate are we! copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

Do you know where you stand, goats or sheep? Do you know the shepherd, have you submitted to His guidance? Are you certain you will stand to the right and not the left? Will you know you have served, fully aware of your deeds, or will you have loved from a heart born of compassion? Have you stayed unstained when He needed your hands in the soil? Do not say, "Lord, I never saw you hungry," when He is in our midst everyday. Do not say, "Lord, when were you a prisoner," when our old wait for Him in loneliness. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

Tell them there is a shelter, a voice that will calm the storm. Assure them of His dominion over every trial in life. Teach them that wrongs are forgiven, never made right. Sin is a wound healed by grace, not man's desire. Instruct for the glory of the one who freed your soul. Take no pride in the faith of a single student. Show them the sainted life. Walk the precise path you preach. Bear responsibility for those you unify and divide. Lord, often in our desire to share Your word we preach the fabric of ourselves without wearing the garment You wove for us. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

The last leaves have prepared to fall, trusting the designer of beauty to change the color of their garments and separate them from the branch of life. Faithfully ready to let go, to float gracefully to the soil, a journey directed by the breath of creation. November chill, makes brittle what was once ripe, preparing our souls for December and the white veil of winter. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

Come broken, sing the songs reserved for the holy. The diseased offer praise when their wounds are scabbed over. Come empty, fill your stomach on morsels, crumbs given and thrown out, blessed by the blood of the Son. Come lonely, your streets are filled with those who seek. Listen for the whispering prophets in garbage laden alleys. Come sinner, do not condemn yourself any longer. The harlot has been made pure and the thief witnesses paradise. Copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

Seek the Lord in the darkness. Do not let the shadows define your journey. Lean on His wounds when anger tells you to strike back. Seek the Lord when the world says there is no reason for doing so. Kneel and pray for the holy ones and the sinners. Seek the Lord when deep voids surround you. He stands in the light, risen from an empty tomb. The saints of Revelation bask in His glory, evil is crushed under His foot. Seek the Lord in the darkness. Do not let the shadows of this day change the course of your journey. Cling to Him when it is most difficult to see His light. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

Once there were ten young women who took their oil lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and the other five were wise.    The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any extra oil with them,  while the wise ones took containers full of oil for their lamps.    The bridegroom was late in coming, so they began to nod and fall asleep.   “It was already midnight when the cry rang out, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come and meet him!’    The ten young women woke up and trimmed their lamps.  Then the foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Let us have some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’    ‘No, indeed,’ the wise ones answered, ‘there is not enough for you and for us.  Go to the store and buy some for yourselves.’    So the foolish ones went off to buy some oil; and while they were gone, the bridegroom arrived.  The five who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was closed. Matthew 25:1-1

I do not deserve the grace You pour out on me. I do not deserve the light bringing me in from the shadows. I do not deserve the echo of Your whisper in my ear. I do not deserve a single splinter from the wood of Your cross. I do not deserve the thorns pressed into Your scalp. I do not deserve the bread You offer, or the wine. I do not deserve to be served at Your table. I do not deserve forgiveness for any weak addictions. I do not deserve Your peace or Your love. I do not deserve the blood You have washed me in. What do I deserve for cursing You, for turning my back on hope and celebrating vices? What do I deserve for striding through dark alleys, purposely staying out of the light, and pushing You away for the moment? Am I not Cain? Am I not the multitudes laughing at Noah? Am I not the chosen being led off into slavery? And still... You extend Your arms to embrace all that I have defiled. You have washed the mud from my face and

Arms wide open, a face welcoming a child. The wanderer who returns from the briar patch, wounded but healed, by the embrace of the waiting arms. Arms wide open, a love without condition. The journey home is nearly complete. Filth is cleansed from soul and flesh by the embrace of the waiting arms. Arms wide open, a white robe of forgiveness. The scarlet blood of iniquities is washed away. The sinner is welcomed into the embrace of the waiting arms. Arms wide open, despite pride and venomous tongues. The sheep cornered by shadows of life, clinging to the last ember of hope, crawling from the depths into the embrace of waiting arms. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

No one knows about that day or hour,  not even the angels in heaven,  nor the Son,  but only the Father. Matthew 24:36  Raise Your hand, Lord to calm the winds and the torrential rains. Still the turbulent earth and quench its fire. Are we in those days, Lord? You said I was not to know, yet prophets speak of Your wrath without knowing Your name. There are soldiers mounted for war and dark clouds on the horizon. I hear You say "not today," and remind me that only fools predict the moment. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

I am the lone sheep, wandering from the flock. I am the one unprotected, caught in the numbness of the world. I am the one frightened, but ashamed to commit to my protector. I walk through shadows, ensnared in the briars of sin. I am the lone sheep that the shepherd searches for. He celebrates my return, a sinner becomes a saint. He removes each thorn dug into my flesh and returns me to the flock healed of every wound I have inflicted on myself. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim, and on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt, they came to the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai.  There in the desert they all complained to Moses and Aaron and said to them, “We wish that the Lord had killed us in Egypt. There we could at least sit down and eat meat and as much other food as we wanted. But you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death.” Exodus 16 1:3    God gives, we take and moan for more. We complain while walking through the desert of Sin about our own failings of faith. The burden of every struggle crushes us. We accuse our deliverer of abandoning our souls to the darkness. Manna and quail rain from the sky. In time we will explain the miracle, in human terms, and forget God's gift. He gives over and over as we give glory to ourselves for our daily bread. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,  as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 Gifts, God's design through us, words we see as insignificant, talents we see as insufficient. Gifts, God's daily grace in our lives, of His creation, not ours. Gifts, His prayer through us to a people in need, never ours through Him. Gifts, love that serves the servants, bringing no glory to the giver, but only to God. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

Why do I turn back to those places you saved me from? The pleasure is momentary, not eternal. The corners of darkness tempt, but offer nothing of comfort. Why do I walk among those who hide from the light? Pushing aside Your love, saving You for a day when I am overcome with despair. My God, why are you always there waiting for me? Why are You always eager to take me into Your embrace, love me and call me Your child? I deserve not one ounce of Your precious blood, and yet You shed every drop, over and over, that I might turn again toward the comfort of Your love. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./autho r  

Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. Luke 9:58 I will follow, but am I willing to sleep in an open field with a stone for a pillow. The den is for the fox, the nest is for the birds, but the cold and barren ground is for the Son of Man. I will follow, but let me first bury the dead and say farewell to those who abide with me. He says, begin the journey without looking back at where you have been. Enter the pristine fields of holiness without the burden of your sins. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

Little children, keep yourselves away from idols 1 John 5:21 False gods, idols, golden calves, proclamations of unbelievers intolerant of faith. Isn't it clear that there is one way, one truth and one life. (John 14:6) The Father is not visible through money, possessions, relationships or political division. Look for Him in His word, in His creation and in the promise of His only son. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Matthew 20:16    Jealousy, we have walked in the way of holiness our entire lives and our reward is the same as he who sought You in his final hours. Jealousy, we have fought the battle and crawled along the difficult road, while they slandered, celebrated, drank fine wine and lusted. Jealousy, we have accepted You before our peers, stood by Your word in print and heart, yet they share equally the reward of Your kingdom. The last shall be first. Am I a worker on a street corner, hired at first sunrise, or am I he who stood waiting for a job in the hot day's sun. Help me to not see Your kingdom as I would wish it to be, where only those I understand as righteous stand before Your throne. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

I am Levi, I have taken advantage of my downtrodden brethren.  I am Mary, I anointed Your feet and wiped them with my hair. I am the rich man, Finding it so hard to forsake my comfort and wealth   and the poor, Encouraged that You take note of me.   I am he who cries out in the dark valley, I am the single lost sheep You search for   and she who they wish to stone, Trapped in the fornication this world worships.   I will deny In my fear of criticism. and I will betray, Since in my mind my plan is foremost to God's  I will stumble and rise again, Because of Your unconditional love. copyright 2016 - Donald P James Jr  

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, H e refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me;  Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

The Lord said unto my Lord,  “Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. Psalm 110 Thus says the Father, to the Son who witnessed creation, to be born of the great king's lineage, Sit here at my right hand. The human messiah, one of flesh and bone, expected to be man and not God. The divine one asking the blind to open their eyes and see. Whose Son is He? An incomplete answer lingers on the lips of some. Is He a prophet? Is He a great teacher? Or is He the messiah, the Christ, the Son of God? The Lord said to my Lord. The Spirit moves a great king, who realizes he is the servant of his promised offspring. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

I will praise thee, O Lord , with my whole heart;  I will shew forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. Psalm 9:1-2 We rise after the storm, some with fewer scars than others. The dark clouds give way to sun and eventually the flower blooms. Armies have marched against us. We have been betrayed. The heathen have slandered our faith and false judges have condemned believers. Still, as the sun crests in the eastern sky, there is victory. The rays of light bathe our flesh and dry the earth. The enemy has fallen and the unbelievers are without hope. And I will praise the Lord, with all my heart. I will tell of the wonderful things He has done. I will sing with joy because of Him. I will sing praise to the almighty God. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

These are murmurers and complainers,  walking after their lusts  (and their mouth speaks proud things),  showing respect of persons to gain advantage. Jude 1:16  Grumbling voices, murmuring against God and those spoken to by the Lord. Never content with their share of the Father's promise. Complainers, who are never pleased with the path  they are directed to walk. Weeds among wheat, wandering eternally in the wilderness. Seeking their own lusts, justifying the outcome of foolish desires. Opening their mouths to spew forth swelling words in praise of themselves. They claim to stand for God when in truth they stand against every commandment of the flesh, carved in stone, and bow to their own glory. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

Unto the Lord I sing praises, with each string of the guitar and the voice in my throat. He has given me sonnets meant to be sung out over the land. He has given me melodies to help stir the mind of the complacent. Unto the Lord I sing with one voice. If another joins I have succeeded at little for it is His words lingering on my tongue. I recite nothing more than the prose of the prophets and the psalms of David. Unto the Lord I sing praises, a chorus of saints and sinners at my side, instruments of faith at the tips of their fingers. Offered are notes meant only for worship, sung with the intimacy of prayer. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

“Everybody who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise builder who built a house on bedrock.   The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It didn’t fall because it was firmly set on bedrock.   But everybody who hears these words of mine and doesn’t put them into practice will be like a fool who built a house on sand.   The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It fell and was completely destroyed.” Matthew 7:24-27     In the midst of the storm there is hope. Is the foundation of your house built in the rock, or does it rely on sand to keep it firm? The strength of the storm comes only in wind and rain. Any other power, it yields, we surrendered when we built without conviction. Keep your focus on the foundation of faith, the rock, the cross, the empty tomb and the Lord's embrace will keep you secure. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr ht

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.   But understand this:  If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,  he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. Matthew 24:42-43    Keep watch , be vigilant about your ways. There are those, in these days and those to come, who will point to disasters and calendar dates, making claim that the end is ordained. I don't understand, did we not comprehend His words. "You do not know", spoken to men who witnessed every footstep of our Lord's ministry. Does pride invade our hearts , telling us  we have more knowledge of Him than those who stood in the midst of the teacher. There will be floods, there will be wars, there will be earthquakes. Understand the times, but do not feel you can count the days. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr 

O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us,  thou hast been displeased;  O turn thyself to us again.   Thou hast made the earth to tremble;  thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.   Thou hast shewed thy people hard things:  thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. Psalm 60:1-3 You have cast us off, scattered us over the land. We have been displeasing to Your sight. Turn toward us again. You have shaken the earth, made it tremble on its foundation. We have struggled because of our lack of You and our fullness of self. Denominations split. Your word divides us, because of our fault, not Yours. Bring us together like wheat to bread and grapes to wine. I have been cast off, turned my back from Your gaze, although, You never stop watching me, waiting for my return. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr 

The ethics I find difficult to apply to my life, I apply to my neighbors a hundred fold. I speak slander with my tongue against another's adherence to the law and I condemn my soul to the same judgement. How foolish I can be, rationalizing my guilt, while asking that my debts be wiped clean. All the while having not cleansed my heart of the trespasses against me. I ask the Father to forgive in the same fashion I forgive, as unforgiving as I can be. I have much work to do. My heart can be like stone, when it should be of flesh and emblazoned with forgiveness. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKXXYK9

Awake, O sleeper,      and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Ephesians 5:14 The night of darkness is past. Rise up from the shadows, fold your mats and face the light. You are no longer a victim of eternal death. Sleep no more, the light bathes your face. The scent of a new morning fills your lungs. You have followed the course, without hope, of your ancestors, returning always to darkness. The word is spoken. He begs for your ear. Hear Him now while His voice calls to you. Feel the warmth of His gaze as His eyes settle on your brow. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

  This is a true saying. I want you to give special emphasis to these matters, so that those who believe in God may be concerned with giving their time to doing good deeds, which are good and useful for everyone.  But avoid stupid arguments, long lists of ancestors, quarrels, and fights about the Law. They are useless and worthless.  Give at least two warnings to those who cause divisions, and then have nothing more to do with them.  You know that such people are corrupt, and their sins prove that they are wrong. Titus 3:8-11 Warnings, twice to those who divide the intention of the Word. Do not break down the law of love with arguments and quarrels. Corruption and sin are ever present. Give yourself to unity. Bring together what has been separated, as the Lord brought the fisherman to the tax collector. Warnings, twice and you have made the effort. Nurture the wheat and have nothing to do with the weeds. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

Worry not. Sometimes I need to listen to the gentle voice, speaking to me, calming every tension in my soul. You are so much more than the birds or the flowers growing wild in the fields. Why worry about clothing, the bread on your table, the money in your accounts? I read these words and know that I stumble. I hear quotes and sonnets meant to remind and comfort me. Still I give way to anxiety and unease. Tomorrow will have enough worries of its own. Do not add them to the concerns of the day present. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKXXYK9

Command me to come on the water. One step before the other, without sinking. Strengthen my faith, that the undertows do not pull me under. Lord, bid me the courage to see beyond the storms, to ignore the dark clouds building against the horizon. And yet, if after all Your words have been spent on me, still stretch out Your hand to pull me up when I am of little faith. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author

He will take from the crest of the cedar, from its topmost branches, tear off a tender shoot and plant it high on a lofty mountain. It shall put forth branches and bear good fruit and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will dwell beneath it. Every winged thing will rest in the shade its boughs and all the trees of the field shall know. That the Lord will bring low the high tree. That the Lord will lift high the low tree. That the Lord will wither the green tree and make the withered tree bloom copyright 2012 - Donald P James Jr