"Who Was He?"

And if I could have the part of you I like
If I could have you a little more like me
A little less like you
But my God, do you hear who you claim to be
I stumble over words
Only wanting just a piece
But you offer it in whole
I finally take your peace

Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

I highly recommend the message above; I have met very few men so sincerely in love with God and reverent to the word of God. Who do you say Christ is?

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"Sandals"

The steps I take, I take not thinking
Of the prints I leave
Till I look behind me in the sand
And wonder, whose little steps are these
I leave my sandals, above the mark
Of tide and time erased
To set out barefoot on the shore
My steps more surely placed
Check back again, the little prints
Have shed their sandals too
So careful now, I take the steps
That will lead them back to You

Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

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"Augustine and the Likes"

Augustine of Hippo (November 354 AD to August 430),

A man who greatly influenced the western church, and who also influenced the likes of Martin Luther and many other Catholic priests before and after the Reformation. I am always reminded of the words of Twila Paris when I contemplate the life of this individual: 

"There once was a man born of high circumstance, heir to advantage, he had every chance to succeed, but the light from the cross made his dreams appear small and to their surprise he would follow the call.

For the love of his Savior, for one priceless jewel, they could not understand, so they called him a fool."

Augustine was a man born into the upper class, a man who enjoyed a life of leisure and the company of concubines. He was an educated man and a Roman citizen, but would later forsake this life of ease to follow in the steps of our Lord and preach the gospel.

There were other men like this, who would respond to the call of God upon their hearts and see all else as temporal. The song excerpt above speaks to the lives and likes of Nate Saint and Eric Liddell, one who would leave a life of advantage and the other walk away from athletic fame and glory. 

Eric Liddell's life is portrayed in the movie Chariots of Fire, and it is still one of my favorite movies to this day. He stood up to both king and country for what he believed and later died on the mission field. He was a brilliant runner, and an Olympic medalist, who saw those gifts as belonging to God and to His glory. 

"He is no fool, who would choose 

To give the thing he cannot keep

To buy what he can never lose" - Twila Paris 

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Troubled Times

I keep hearing you, you keep saying, "these are troubled times"
Some one made a law today, or wrote a nasty rhyme
Your mad that I'm unfazed, and I seem to take it all in stride
I'm happy as I look around, that there's no place left for us to hide
The world has stopped pretending that it tolerates our kind
They forced you from your closet and pulled me out of mine
You're looking for a kingdom, fixed by human hands
But looking back at history thats not the way it stands
They must admit to hating you, for you to love them in perfection
Just like He had to die, or there would be no resurrection

Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

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"Winter is Coming"

He said, "winter is coming, and you need to prepare"

"Too busy," I told him, I don't really care

I don't believe in winter; it gets warmer everyday

The sun is out longer which means more time for play

So he told me to visit the ant, and then he called me a sluggard

I think about that, as I drink from the river he calls gutter

Slugs are very slow, and I am anything but that

So it must mean cool, handsome and fast

Go ahead and observe as I hop through the grass

Now I come some time later to the ant and his labor

He's busy in the field, collecting food with his neighbors

So I grace him with my presence; I do him this favor

"Dear ant,' I call out, 'its time for a break

You are tired and weary, so stop for goodness sake"

"I can't stop just yet, the sun is going away"

"Exactly,' I say, 'we are losing the day

If you don't stop this now; there'll be no time for play"

So he stops and he smiles, and then with a straight face

He says, "winter is coming, have you prepared your place?"

"Oh no,' I tell him, 'they've gotten to you too

But I have yet to see this winter; so, I know its not true"

Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

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"Small"

So small I am, and yet you see me

My voice is tiny and yet you hear me

As fragile and weak as the world esteems me
You refuse to let it crush me
My biggest fear of being trampled, or swallowed by my foes
You set aside for humbleness, and rest me in their shadows

Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

Blue fly on moss

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"Take This Journey With Me"

Let's start at the beginning and work our way through slowly

Open to "In the" and everything worth knowing

Take this journey with me, we walk on words, I'm going

We'll meet a talking snake wrapped around of tree of gain

We can trade our innocence for arrogance and pain

I need you to come with me in case anything goes wrong

So I can point my finger at you, but that won't last for long

But don't worry, it's not over yet, this only sets the stage

Don't give up, there's more yet, so go on turn the page

No longer can we stay here; the garden chapter closed

Now we've witnessed the first murder; a brother dead to blows

The patriarchs are counted; and one of them does not return to dust

He had this testimony that he walked with God in trust

But long before he left here, he passed his seed along

We'll follow it tomorrow; the story must go on

Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

I'm doing a blog called "The Whole Book" which will be a journey through the Bible cover to cover. I am taking it in small chunks, and referencing to other passages as we go along. This is important because scripture should not be taken out of context and treated like a book of spells; it is God's word. The best interpretation for a verse is usually the passage context and scripture whole. The Bible is used to interpret the Bible. I will probably at times also quote from authors that I trust as I am not a student of the Greek or Hebrew, and I like the counsel of men who have spent there whole lives trying not to mess up what God has said through his prophets in scripture. I welcome you and your comments to my blog and I will answer you honestly and to the best of my ability, but that answer may often times be that I don't know. I hope you will join me and you do not have to be a believer to do so, God Bless, Calvin

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"The Blessing"

Why say the blessing; it's just red beans rice with pulled pork cooked twice
Everything looks good and it all goes down nice
When I first got married; I prayed for God's protection

Always one spoon full away from salmonella infection

But not a pious man, and not wanting to seem so

I stopped praying before meals; I just let it go

Ignorant, I am, I know

For it was never about safety, or cleaning the outside

My cup wasn't empty, but dare I look inside

It was about being thankful and remebering who made this

Sharing at the table in the blessing that he gave us

Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

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"You Are What You Eat"

A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. - Charles Dickens

Just a little food for thought, about the things we're not

To each other I suppose, like color or clothes

Take your plate and sit down here beside me

We'll talk and you can help me find me

I've been sick and lost my constitution

But feel better now with new resolutions

Darwin tells me that were different based on evolution

And I was once tied up in his confusion

This Scotsman, but only in part, some German with a whole lot of heart

A six sided blue star, with two bars, following a man with deep scars

And as I sit here and listen to your story taking all the steps back a priori

Someone's ranting about color and shade, but I love it, you were beautifully made

I look beside me and we're not so different, I'm glad you finally decided to sit

After all, we are what eat, so today we're all catfish and cheese grits

Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

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"The Problem With Super Heroes"



I came upon a lion and victory was sweet

Tested by 1000; I served them up defeat

The edge of sword I mocked, with donkey's bone and laughter

I send the jackal to them with fire chasing after

Whole armies shake before me, my name is now a warning

And as the sun comes up I brake the cords of morning

When military might could not, a woman went to war
One fateful night, I said too much, my pride lays on the floor
They now laugh like I once did, their jester I've become
I look to her for nourishment, her face turns cold and numb
Now I turn the wheel of brokeness, a case of misplaced trust
I grind the grains of sorrow, blinded by my lust
And though I don't deserve to, I call upon your name
One more time, your strength Lord, so they don't forget my name

Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

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"Call Down Angels"

Hello angels, he's suffering, aren't you going to do anything

It was so much easier standing by

I was stronger by your side

But now their staring, watching me

I've gotta go now, before they see

I know, I watched you heal the sick and the lame

But now I hear the rooster calling my name
Calling my name, call my name

But call down angels, your suffering, why won't you say anything

Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

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"Kids, the Greatest Medicine"

This is great! Kid's offer so many moments of laughter and relief from the structed, and stressful world of being a grown up. Take a moment everyday, or even better, take as many moments as you can to enter their world and see it through their eyses.

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#22 "The Eagle And Now the Gull"

A seagull came the other day, to talk about the weather

And whether or not I would stand

I found it hard, so hard again

Been talking to the gull for weeks

It's great to have a friend

You don't find many of them

And no one shot the seagull

But someone said, "don't believe him

Don't believe him

Please, don't believe him"

I climb the stairs to the roof again

Wondering where, why and when

How this happened so fast, and then

Open the door and walk outside

Can anyone please tell me why

I've often wondered

Do just the good ones die?

Here I am, coming towards the edge

One step… smile for the birdie 

Just one more step and I'll be the eagle

Spread my arms to hug the sky

No, I don't believe that I can fly

But that's not the point

You know as well as I

I hear a bird beside me sing

A little sparrow with a damaged wing

He sang, "don't believe him"

Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

Even in my darkest places, my most clouded of contemplations, suicide always lacked a certain oops factor for me. It just wasn't something I could do on a trial basis, and then change my mind. Well, that didn't work out, so I won't be doing that again. Unless you fail miserably, then you won't be doing that again. I guess the people that feel things the most deeply find it easiest to base their beliefs on what they feel. We start listening to the wrong advice from the wrong people and some probably are of good intention and even of the mindset to want to help you. I had to get outside myself and quit running. Running did carry me along for a while, but when you stop, you either crash or you be still and know that he is God. 

He has sent messengers, left His Word and even sent His Son. Turn your eyes to the cross, and see your problems and depressions in the true light of this finite beginning. Yes, this long, hard life that you see, is only the beginning. It does not even register on the endless and most glorious clock of eternity.

Cast your cares upon the only one who truly cares, and quit listening to the gull- he's a fool.

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#21 "Moon Shine"

There was a place, I had to find

A place where things get left behind

I could not get there in my mind

For it was lost

But in a place, I had never been

I looked for it again

Deep in the woods I went, hoping to lose my way back

Up one Holler, down the next, I came upon a shack

It stood out to me that what I found

Was not intended to be found

And the crackling of leaves and twigs, sent shivers down my spine

Being still by light of moon; I watched him make his shine

And though I came here quite by chance; I dared not speak my mind



This man appeared a bit on edge, glaring into the black

Just like an owl, he peered towards me, but I refused eye contact

And quietly I held my place praying he would leave

Because though I found this place by chance, I don't think he'd believe

Finally he packs his wares just before the light of day

Oh hurry up, I say inside, before the light gives me away

Then he by truck and I by foot go quickly on our way

I find a place high on a hill to make up what I lost

-Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

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#20 "The Bottle"

One more day and the bottle held me, one more day and it slipped right through my hands
One more day making sense of nothing, I didn't expect you to understand
10 years wasted in wanting, wanting to be wasted
Broken glass and turkey stained my porch tasted
Don't know how I got here or when, how long has it been
And whose dog is licking my face again
I don't feel sad, like the crying kind, but the air is thick above my head
If I talk to you, just silence, and that's ok, I understand
Not much worth saving here and one more day right through my hands

That crazy woman keeps talking to me, but I've already heard this tale
He's born and then he dies, his mother crys, sounds like he failed
So one more day I press a new a bottle into a shaking hand
One more morning of smelling like a dog again

She won't shut up though, but wait, she's not even here
What's that, so overwhelming, it smells and taste like fear
Who goes there? My voice cracks out a prayer
In that moment, when I least deserved, your power to believe
I could hear the things your servant said, and I could feel you breathe

-Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

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#19 "Mom Drives Van Into Ocean"

http://www.wesh.com/news/central-florida/volusia-county/car-filled-with-family-drives-into-ocean-in-daytona-beach-authorities-say/24804232#mid=185118

A new trend, brought on by the increasing cost of air fare. Tickets across the pond are expensive, especially for the whole family. See what woman and three children do to get around this.


Iv'e always had mixed feelings about people being able to drive on the beach.

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#18 Go, Go Godzilla

Isn't that Malcolm's dad? This is a movie that I'll have to watch just because it takes you back to be a kid again, yet with more visually pleasing, modern graphics. It's not dubbed or subtitled either which is a huge plus. I rember as a kid feeling sorry for Godzilla because to me, animals don't have the capaacity to be evil. He was just big and misunderstood. My daughter's and I have discussed this alot; you really can't help how or what you were born. It is is fare on both side in that struggle of life or death, to defend oneself and family, but I see a lot of people ignorantly killing things because there poisonous or even worse, just because they are a snake. God made everything and he saw that it was good. We introduced sin into the world by the fall. We have been more poisonous to this planet than Godzilla could ever hope to be.

Nephrurus Amyae
My favorite little knob tail Godzilla

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+Finding Out

I think it fare, or that it were

Though for certain I can't be sure

Pleased by the thought I was indeed

But there is a warning I must heed

Now by the surface, I'm almost bound

Beneath it though, what's to be found

To continue on, do I dare

Or shall I find the pages bare

-Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke

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