Cancer

For Roozie.

3 times you fought.
And despite what we thought
You won. Each time.
But cancer is like a land mine.
It goes off when you least expect it to explode
like after you showed
signs of improvement.

So on its 4th attack
you could not bounce back.
Each battle wore you out more
leaving your body and mind in pain, and sore.
So you took your last breath
to finally accept death
and begin your final rest.

I do not know now where you are
but know that you are never far
from the love in our hearts or thoughts in our minds.
So for a while we will draw the blinds
and cry out our love as we miss you.
But we will rise with the morning dew
as we hope you have, too.


Rest in peace buddy. Take your ever present smile up to heaven with you.

10/21/15

Prayer for Asbury 2015 Fall Revival Week

Lord, here in this single hour
Come show us Your heavenly pow'r.
O how we long for You alone
so come give life to these dry bones.
If only You will come and touch
reach out Your hand so I can clutch;
Cling to You with all my being,
through every trial into You I am leaning,
Pleading for You to come bring Grace
that I may catch just a glimpse of Your face
because that is enough to bring revival.
And revival, Lord, is what we need
so come Holy Spirit to water the see
that once was planted but upon being sampled
by the world was horribly trampled
leaving us bare, uncertain and afraid.
But in the tomb You were laid
only to return in 3 days!
Lord Jesus, You are THE way.
So set a fire in our hearts now
as we pray for revival and bow
our entire lives to You the Almighty, our Good, Good Father.
God outside of time, come enter this earthly hour
and show us Your heavenly pow'r.
We long for You and You alone,
so come give life to these dry bones.


09.11.15

Walls

Walls.
Everyone has them
builds them
fortifies them
and hides behind them.
But every so often
you meet someone,
and a certain someone,
and you let your walls thin,
and thin,
and maybe shorten a little.
But then there are those
who don't wait
and simply leap over the wall,
and tear it down from the inside out.
We weren't made to live with walls.
So why do we
have them
build them
fortify them
and hide behind them?
We think it's for safety.
To protect ourselves
from getting hurt.
But we end up
locking ourselves
in our own miserable prison.

So what about when
you know you shouldn't live with
walls
but walls are all you know?

Worse yet,
what about when you
might know
more than just walls in your life,
maybe you've experienced
the freedom
the liberty
of living without walls
at a certain
point
in time -
- but upon being hurt,
walls rebuild themselves
without any effort on
your part.
Then you realize
they are there,
but you lack
any desire
to tear them down.
What then?


08.26.15

Grand Canyon: Grand God

Clean.
Put together.
Dressed to the nines
in a shiny white tuxedo
sitting on Your throne
overlooking the workings
of the world.
Leaving us to live our lives,
gently nudging us
and intervening when we lose our way.
But otherwise apart
and "upstairs."
This is the God I once knew.

Raw.
Powerful.
Bold.
Coming down the clouds with fire.
Messy.
Real.
Deep.
Huge.
Moving and working in ways
both we can and cannot understand
Transforming lives
from broken to whole
from sinful to righteous
from glory to glory
in grace upon grace.
God Almighty
Lord of all
but able to be called
Abba, Father
This is the God I now know.

The latter is the God who has shown Himself to me.
The latter is the God I know to be true.
Even if I live where people know the former;
Our speech does not define You.


Misty
08.16.15

Things of This World

So easily enamored
by the workings of this world,
my Eyesight evades
the glory of my God
As I turn my head this way and that,
unknowingly hardening my heart
to the gentle weight of His love.
To be like a cihld:
Forever in faith,
left behind in life.
We must learn to take the leap
from milk to meat
as instructed by Paul
when we take up our call.
So my excitement may endure,
but only as I lift my eyes
to the One
who made all of it possible.


19 April 2015

Pace

Preface to the Poem:
We love because He first loved us.
We forgive because He forgives our sins.
Love brought back together what was once separated,
taking scarred souls, breathing life,
and making beautiful
what could have been forever ugly.
I forgave. She forgave.
God redeemed.
God restored.
To God be all glory forever and ever. Amen.


Poem:
I was lost. And so I ran.
Ran after you who showed me the way.
Ran after you who encouraged me on.
Ran after you as you pushed me forward.
I became confused. And so I ran.
Ran in circles arguing with myself.
Ran in circles wanting to trust you, not knowing if I could.
Ran in circles, elusive answers evading my grasp.
I hurt. And so I ran.
Ran away from you thinking distance would numb the wounds.
Ran away from you hoping to forget it all.
Ran away from you wanting to heal and eventually move on.
But I loved you. So I walked.
Walked towards you asking for your forgiveness.
Walked towards you extending forgiveness of my own.
Walked towards you in hopes of redemption and restoration.
I live. As we walk.
Through life hand in hand, supporting and encouraging each another.
Through life teaching and learning from one another.
Through life as friends with a now unbreakable bond.


25 June 2015

My Psalm 121

The pain of my past

and the chaos of confusion

descend from their ethereal stratosphere

into my earthy existence,

threatening to dislodge all sense of reality

as they swirl around my humble self in a tornado of endless strife.

So I lift my eyes to You.

I stand in the eye of this cacophonic storm,

blinded by the dust

and deafened by the screeching of the wind.

No handkerchief can keep dirt out

and so I suffocate without clean air to breath

stumbling along attempting to find my way.

So I lift my eyes to You.

But as my eyes search the heavens

I hear the menacing whispers

nudging me to look here, buy that,

or become this ungodly thing.

To become something so bad

it can hardly be called human.

So I lift my eyes to You.

Using my veins as highways for their sinful work,

these clashing voices spread

through every cell in my skin

reverberating in my brain

sending mixed messages and injecting lies;

simply becoming clanging gongs and resounding cymbals.

So I lift my eyes to you.

Desperate to hear Your gentle voice,

I fall on my knees in this whirlwind of noise

Even as the winds whip my hair,

and the dirt stings my face

I pray despite it all.

Will You respond

As I lift my eyes to You?

10/10/14

Revised: 04/16/15

My Calling: God's Way

Do you see what happens
when you let My Spirit lead you?
Guide you and nudge you
in every endeavor?
Fruit bursts forth,
growing, flourishing,
expanding My kingdom.
Not only that,
but you,
my child,
are at your best.
So come, follow Me
because that is your calling.
Come follow Me
because My way is best.


12 Apr. 2015

Voice of Truth

My struggle with identity has met its end
as my regard for others' expectations descends
despite what they intend
their words have been penned
in the book of what not to listen to
Voices in my head to ignore
as I open God's Word of Truth
and let His gentle whisper fill my mind.


April 2014

The Schizophrenic Christian

I feel schizophrenic.
It's like an epidemic,
spreading to so many Christians
turning our faith into fiction.
We cry out to God in need,
but when He begins to lead
our free will restrains
and our prayers go in vain
as we assume control once again
thinking we though mortal men
can live our lives how we please
ignoring the God who sees
everything.

Can this end?
Can a cure truly mend
our souls and wills to lay them bare
before God's throne if we so dare
yet able to approach because of Grace
though I choose to fall flat on my face
because I know I screw up
and here I am before the One who fills my cup
with blessings amounting to overflow.
How can I still prioritize God so low?

I am nothing.
I am a sinner.
He is Holy.
He is Everything.

01/02/15

Healing of Hatred

A friend's poem on relationship troubles (11/24/14):

I pray for a miracle to bring healing

And for some relationship spring cleaning

We know Your promises are worth believing

But on this earth they seem so deceiving

I pray for change in both their hearts

And for perspective on her own part

That You would mend the broken art

That has been destroyed by angrily thrown darts

My response:

But now I thank thee Lord above,

for mending my torn soul with your love,

able to heal every inflicted wound,

ever so closely to hatred tuned.

I feel the dark cloak of my heart,

fallen away in all not part,

and I know it’s due

only because of You.

So though close quarters may be hard,

I know there will not be a single shard,

left strewn of my soul,

because You oh Lord are now in control.

I give you my all of my life,

to be Your beloved wife,

and in this beautiful romance
through life we will dance.

02 Jan. 2015