God and Justice

Justice, God
What image?
What story?

The world is broken
and in need of redemption
I am offered redemption daily
I am bailed out
how can I share the road?

Justice, God
what image?
what story?

Life is in constant motion
but is it always growing?
I should never step,
in the same river twice

Justice, God
what image?
what story?

Call everyone a neighbor
love those not like you
a simple action
can meet a complex need
be part of redemption

Justice, God
what image?
what story?

Be part of justice
be part of the image
be part of the story

It's Time

It's time to start anew,
time to relearn
it's time to start fresh,
time to reinvest

Right now is the next step
visiting barriers I haven't known
building relationships not full grown
taking hit after hit of silence
blow after blow of unknown
I'm still on my feet
I still want more

I'm learning how to build again
how to not build up,
but let people in
to take all the right pieces
and put them in the wrong places
to scramble them up
and put them together again

Enter Life

"What good must I do to get life?", I ask
'You must let go of what you know
and hold on to what is true', he responded
I struggle and wrestle
a battle internally
a battle eternally
how do I let go
when what I hold
is all I know
to step off the boat
into the water,
will I sink?
will I float?
the man returns and says,
"If you empty your life
you will float
you can only rise
with the freedom I'll give you
will you enter?
will you run?"
I choose to enter,
but I enter alone
alone I am
with no freedom
loneliness only broken by selfishness
what I thought I entered,
I hadn't entered at all
the wise man returns a third time
he says to me,
"Alone this is impossible"
I ask the wise man,
"Will you stay and talk?"
A relationship then formed
a life soon reborn.

God's Painting

The sky, a pure blue,
dabbled with wisps of white clouds
the sun, beautiful and bright,
so bright I have to squint to write
underneath are mountains
distant and overlapping
blanketed by a morning fog
underlined by trees
a rigid prickly line
with no pattern
sealing me into a valley
encased are sloping hills,
lonely trees, families of trees, dead trees,
bushes and thickets abound
running down the center of the valley
dividing it perfectly in two
is a river zig-zaging through
glistening from the sun's rays
speaking with a whispering rush
so pleasant to my ears
so peaceful to my heart

Who Do You Say I Am?

On the way to the Philippi
worm from travel
he asked a question,
"Who do you say I am?"
the largest crowd spoke quickly,
with confusion and broken hearts
they yelled,
"a fraud, evil, a liar"
"a lunatic, hateful, a crook"
a family answered next
they looked to the father first,
but he responded with silence
the mother stepped up
she spoke, but spoke with no words
for her love spoke for her
a group of friends replied next
their answers delayed by discomfort,
hesitation encouraged by the largest crowd
they answered correctly,
but with a mumble
so no one could hear
Then the man asked me,
"Who do you say I am?"
'You are the one who has loved me all along.'

Maybe One Day I Will

There is a longing in my heart
one that has always been there
a longing that continues to grow
I try to push it aside
I try to runaway
It scares me
it injects fear that runs through my veins
It is intertwined to my innermost being
a part of me that brings so much joy
a part of me that is fragile and tender
it can so easily inflict pain
it can crush me and implode
yet it can take me places I've never been
I have tasted what it has to offer
it was pure, sweet, joy
that turned sour before I could ingest it
it requires devotion
a devotion that allows it to evolve
I have closed it off
slammed the door in its face
and I am stammering back
to reopen, restart, redo
to start over brand new
but it is hard to start something new
when something old has tampered everything new
maybe one day I will be ready
maybe one day I will step out onto the water
maybe one day I will
maybe one day I will

YL Psalm

We each wrote our own psalms as part of a campaigners lesson a few weeks ago.  One of my guys is a senior now and has come a long way the past four years and just reading his psalm makes me believe even more that Jesus changes lives.  It is amazing that God has shown me his transformation and growth and it has been a blessing to be apart of this great young man's life who is now seeking out Jesus instead of the parts of this world that bring death.  Here is what he wrote

Dear Heavenly Father,
Though I think about you often
I push you away just as much
And I constantly go against you
As if I had forgotten
When times get rough
you're the first to come to mind
Yet I blame you first and
think it's part of your plan second
I rarely drop to my knees to praise you
though I assume you hear my thoughts
But I should fix all these problems
in your name God
Because a love like yours cannot be bought
Open my eyes to your love God
and show me the way out of darkness
As I continue to pursue you
throughout this journey called life
It's in Jesus name I pray
Amen.

Today's Choice

It's not too difficult
it's not beyond your reach
it's not up in Heaven
nor beyond the sea

No, it is very near you
it is in your mouth
and in your heart
it is set before you each day
a choice of how to live today
a choice of life and prosperity
or of death and destruction

Choose to walk in love
to walk down your chosen path
then you will live and increase
then you will be blessed
no matter where your path goes

 But if your heart turns away
down a path gone astray
you choose not to love
you are drawn away to worship,
what you do not love
you bow down to other gods
in that day you will be destroyed

 This day life and death has been set before you
your choice of blessings or curses
now choose life:
go and love
go and listen
go and hold tight
go because you have only been given a few years