Every few years I remake myself. You probably do too. Sometimes, I cut my hair radically or even color it wild, just to create a new start. This allows me to see myself differently, and maybe the opportunity for others to view me in a new light as well. A refreshed perspective breathes life into old bones for sure.
I started this blog, “culture vs content” in August of 2007! A lot of water has passed under my bridge, and your’s too! We’re both different people with new passions. xo… I have changed my website address to http://bonniewilks.com and have given my old stomping grounds a face lift, along with new digs, and hopefully new purposes.
Since my hubby and I still travel extensively, you will find slices of life from around the world here through prose, poetry, and photographs as you always have… most of the pictures are mine here unless otherwise stated.
I have titled this remake, “Hammered Gold,” and here’s why…
The Jewish Messiah — Yeshua in Hebrew and Jesus in English — Redeemer of all humankind, tears away the veil of blindness that keeps we who contemplate in the solitude places of our minds the very existence of God.
Everyone does. And everyone has. Sometimes even those who have believed the most have deep questions.
You see…
When humankind sees Yeshua or Jesus, we see that indeed God exists. He is the very representation of the one true God on earth. There is no one else.
He is the Light of World that shone from tiny Bethlehem and His light is still shining today through those who believe in Him and carry on His life and works on this world. We become His light to those who seek truth.
Isaiah writes:
Arise, shine: for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. . The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself; for the shall the moon give light to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended (Isaiah 60: 1-3, 19-20).
Tiny seeds of light that were first sown in the dark streets of Bethlehem village bring forth now a harvest of glory streaming from a cross that stood on Golgotha outside the gates of Jerusalem. The piercing of His human body, the bruises, the blood and water that flowed from His wounded side ignited a burning passion within His followers for a world without knowledge of Him. And the exquisite slendor of that death tree became evident in the miracle of the Yeshua rose again and conquered death. The brilliance of that light is blinding as the sun, high in the sky at noon. We can only quickly glance at it, taking in only small amounts of his glorious presence. Who among us can fix our eyes in constancy upon the magnificent light of the Messiah?
Those who sit in the darkness of human reasoning remain blind.
Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Messiah crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and utter foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ has the power of God and wisdom of God (I Corinthians 1:21).
It is the true light that came from above—the image of God in human form—as a babe, as a Lamb who offered his own blood and life as the Lamb of God, as the resurrected Messiah, who will return in the clouds of glory. Yeshua will return someday.
Just as the menorah in the Jewish temples of Moses and Solomon displayed light from a hammered gold stand according to the specification of the LORD and shone perpetually, so we who carry the light of the LORD shine His truth from earthen vessels of human frailty. We are hammered or molded into His image that His heavenly light will illuminate His perfection and purity.
This is the construction of the menorah: hammered gold,b from its base to its bowls* it was hammered; according to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the menorah (Numbers 8:4).
The days of my life are numbered accordingly as they have been pre-written in the Book of Life. And I am “hammered” by His hands of love into His imagine. Often a painful transformation. I yield as He yielded in the garden, alone.
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. (2 Corinthian 3:16-18).
Bonnie Saul Wilks 
I made a friend once…it changed my prespective about being kind.
When I was a rookie on the Farmers Branch Texas Fire Department, the other men always gave me the menial jobs. I didn’t mind, as it was part of the hazing process that develps esprit de corp within a fire department. There was a kid that would hang around the fire station. He was a fixture, being there every morning to help me, or whomever was on duty, raise the flag and then in the evening to lower the flag. Sometimes he would eat with us. We would buy him candy and cokes from the store next door. We’d buy him Birthday and Christmas presents. I know of at least two bicycles that had been purchased at the time for him. You see his parents were old and tired. We were part of his extended family. Oh…I forgot to mention… Ronnie had Downs Syndrome and he was 16. Well. I left the fire department after having only worked there for 13 months. I was so disturbed to have not completed my probationary period (15 months) that I abruptly left, never to return, or to say goodbye to my co-workers. That was in 1976. In 1996, I was a manager at Furrs Cafeteria in Lewisville, just down I35 from Farmers Branch. I was serving vegetables on the serving line, very busy, when I looked up into the face of RONNIE! One of the firemen had picked him up from home and taken him out to eat. His parents were dead now and he may have been living at the Denton State School. Ronnie smiled matter of factly at me and said “Hi Fwank!” I almost fainted, as it had been 20 years since we had seen each other. It is one of my most precious memories, how that from such a simple and common act of kindness as letting a little guy help me take the flag down for 13 months that he would remember me 20 years hence. I will never forget that beautiful little guy. Frank
Frank,
I love this story… precious. Thanks for sharing it.
Bonnie
How profoundly your wise words touched me. There is sorrow in them, but also promise.
Thank you Sydney.I am rather defensive since then about the flag, military or semi-military esprit de corps, and Downs Syndrome people. They are very unique and almost universally sweet and loving. I worked for 7 years at David Weekley Homes,where we gathered personalized presents every year for residents of the Denton State School for mentally challenged people. I enjoyed that same kind of esprit de corp, the huge flag out front,and our connection with the Denton State School for seven years;sadly I was summarily dismissed October, 2008 due to the economy. I miss the intellectual stimulous, the friendship, and the Holiday spirit of giving to those sweet people at the Denton State School.