Misery to Mercy - Good Friday/Easter

Who is this

transforming power

turning misery to mercy

at the ninth hour?

Here He is

as silent as a lamb

adhering to His love for us -

truly the great "I Am".

His misery is mingling

with mine

only He is truly

the Divine

Son of God the Father

He has come to take it all

He is as burdened as certain

as I am flawed.

I cannot fathom

His love

to take

my torment and wrongs

He who made no mistake,

who gave only goodness

on this earth of lament

but because of His sacrifice

He would prevent

any more suffering -

by His ascent

and turn misery to mercy

as was His Almighty intent.

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord

now and forever more - Praise the Lord!

Peace as a Pillow - spring

Tonight

as I go to bed

I have peace as a pillow

for my head;

Peace as a pillow

while I sleep,

trusting the Shepherd

to guard His sheep.

Trusting the Shepherd

for I am weak

I have peace as a pillow

while I sleep. 

Who Are We Reaching? - spring

What can I learn from the birds in spring?

They're calling out and listening.

To watch them fly they seem all alone

but their songs reach out,

by these they are known.

So to whom are we reaching

and who is nearby,

are we actively seeking

are we willing to try?

This is the beauty of birds

in the spring

who richly rejoice

in their offering...

You are here - spring

How troubling

does the world appear

til I look to You

and You are here,

and when my thoughts

stray from Your realm

I spiral down

on earthly things to dwell.

So what takes me

away from You,

oh hope of ages ever true?

And how many times

must I in misery slip

before I once again thank You

for Your divine Lordship?

I pray it happens

less and less

until I'm with You

and Your eternal Holiness.

Tranquility- spring

I wear the robe of retirement

no early departures for me

taking my time in the mornings

to sit and enjoy my tea.

The rising sun seems also at ease

just flowing along with the gentle breeze,

life takes a new meaning

in moments like these,

the best of which

is tranquility.

Struggle - winter

Such a difficult time of year

the snow is slow to disappear,

it struggles to hang on;

the life beneath

strains to appear

wishing it all were gone.

Creatures reach inside themselves

sustained with a final drive to spring

while humans deal with winters ills

and to life's promise cling.

So we'll set our sights ahead

to look with faith and hope instead

past struggles,

looking for the strength we need

lying in God's assurance seeds.

Peace in Your Presence - winter

There will be peace 

in Your presence

flowing pure with delight

filling us with your refreshing

as you carry our sorrows out of our sight.

We long to drink of Your living water

freely it will never cease,

we who are errant sons and daughters

finally resting in Your peace.

There we will have no burdens,

You wash them away in Your gentle stream

our thirst will suddenly be no more

and our souls sparkling clean.

Draw me closer

to hear the sound

of Your peaceful presence

streaming down

and know in my spirit that You are near

Jesus, shelter me,

with Your presence here.

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said,

rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

John 7:38

He Who Watches Over Me - winter

In times of want,

in drought of soul,

when life itself -

beyond control,

that is when we

learn to see - 

who is watching over me?

Beyond all doubt,

when in despair,

we live without

and turn to prayer,

that is when

we beg to see -

who is watching over me?

And when survived,

the effort's made

to share or hide

that which was prayed,

that is when -

acknowledge we,

He who watches over me...

While in the Wood - winter

While in the wood

there are no prying eyes

there is only what you see

and it tells no lies.

While in the wood

the rich are all brought low,

humbled, though they throw about

a hundred coins of gold.

While in the wood

poor are not recognized,

instead existing as their lives

are meant in God's image - prized.

While in the wood 

all falsehood set aside

you may once again trust what's real

it's peace will heal inside.

Be assured that this wood

is stable - in morning

as in night,

I flee to the safety of the woods

where everything is set aright. 

Transform - winter

Pile it up

Pour it on

Poetry in motion

is the snowfall.

Flying free

fluttering flakes

come to rest

with what it makes

Oh let me be ever so free

as to transform

life's drudgery...

Music Every Moment - winter

Music at University,

was as in Elizabethan times,

like living in a castle

playing songs and singing rhymes. 

Full expression as I performed

of heart and mind,

how much desire still lives in me

to return to such a time...

Taken Away - winter

Here,

I am allowed to live 

without the stain of my sin;

taken to a place of perfect peace

I really cannot begin

to describe the release

except to say

it's less of a giving,

more a taking away,

of mistakes I've made

just as to You I'd prayed

that all the pain

be drawn..

it doesn't live here,

so grateful to God,

and all memory of it- gone. 

Hood of Snow- winter

Draw me in

oh hood of snow

cover my thoughts

that only I know.

With padded sound

I scare will hear

distracting din -

my mind is clear.

Embraced

in your safety

my refuge

you will be.

Draw me in

oh hood of snow

so peace

be all I know.

Consider the Cardinal - winter

Consider the cardinal

all robed in red

rejoicing through winter

and singing instead

of simply existing

for what lies ahead.

Granting each dawn

its chance for a day

where a hopeful song

may find its way

into the here

into the now

life is worth living

we'll know it somehow

for in each of us

the Creator has placed

a song

that belongs

to His sustaining grace.

Supermoon in January - winter

The moon holds January in its wake,

the snow capturing the white,

sanctioned light

dispersing it throughout the acquiescent night.

So it steadfast stands

like one second in command

who guides nocturnal ways

as the still, chill air

and icy satin sheen

comprise the properties propelling it on -

converging with the dawn. 

He Cares for You - winter

Huddled or hurried

we're being preyed upon

uncaring or worried

our resources gone

wounded and weary

daytime dark

and night is dreary

let us all

unfailingly fall

to the Light

and call

to Him

who won't leave our sight.

Humanity hopes

on blessings that He

brings to all

who are in need.

We either accept

or decline

He'll never force us -

it's what we decide.

We are in His image made

and cherished so -

if just for a moment

we must know

how when a sparrow 

falls from the sky

He cares,

so much more

for you and I.

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?

Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

words of Jesus in Luke 12:6

Joy to the World - post-Christmas

The world is back

with all its demands

dealing and reeling

with what is at hand

if only we could

hold in our heart

the hope Christ gives

though the season depart

and cold be the winter

and bold it cut through

give us joy that can only

be coming from You.

Your Arrival - Christmas

We know what it is to wait

and to pray

with hope that transcends

what is now and today,

a hearts hope for healing

be it body or soul

for Him who is higher

to come here below.

Desire is inherent

but greater still

the anticipation

of joy through God's will

He has not left us

oh come and see

this baby conceived

through his mother Mary.

Whether a nation had waited

for hundreds of years

or a nine month term

for Christ to appear

weeping may last for a night

but joy comes in the morn

come then Messiah

the blessed with us born.

Life was meant to be more than

survival

how eagerly we've waited

for your arrival!

Snowflakes Free...- winter

How is it the raindrops are so driven?

They point themselves straight into the ground 

while we find the feathery snowflakes wandering around...

they dip up to my window 

and pause to wave hello 

before lying gently down

in unexplored space below.

Scattering like leaves

they find a place to rest themselves as flying things will do

in a tapestry 

ever shaping anew. 

The rain will run to its lowest level 

forming its puddles and ponds

but the snowflakes free 

flit gleefully 

with the air their riding on...

Breathe a World - winter

How astounding

to take a breath

and breathe a world -

with a Word there was light

as Your Spirit hovered over the waters...

I take a breath and breathe

a song, a psalm

of ascending praise

in word and melody

with a voice that You made...

Greatest Thoughts - Fall

Perhaps our greatest thoughts in life

are those we never write

they're hidden away

so we never say

but hold onto them tight.

Coming in on silent feet

that tread upon the stair

they rise up where reflections meet

and leave impressions there.

Given voice,

what would they seem

if others couldn't know,

from past or present

incidents how deeply

they intone?

So they furrow

through our minds

with seeds of insights sown

but these will never see the light

nor their impact ever known.

The Leaves at my Feet - fall

The leaves are scattered

at my feet

a life of living

in victory over defeat

clear skies shine through

vacant trees

the earth has come to fall

on its knees

after so much bounty

it has received

yet here I stand

in testimony to the demands

that God is the power

and there is no other

who is as replete

than He who has 

scattered life's leaves

at my feet.

Hearth and Home - autumn/fall

On this sunless, chilly day

let us pull a tighter shawl

as our eyes seek out the warmer

places here in autumn

all

to find a fire and gather ‘round

to drive away the dampness’ cloy

as harvest past

we meet with joy

around a table spread with food

and loving folk knowing this is good

for fall has given

us each a prize

that seeking a hearth

and home

revives.  

A Time for Crickets- fall

it's summers end

a song of thankfulness 

is penned

for fruits of goodness

that God sends

His faithfulness 

do we depend

if life's a cycle

this warmth is our friend

as with all good things 

the leaves will descend 

and life itself

on which we depend

becomes so thin

we can not comprehend

what the future holds

but yet we transcend

to that which was promised

which God portends

and in midst of loss

we shall ascend

to Him who sends singing

we no longer contend

A time for crickets-

at summers end.

Fulfilled- fall

Somewhere fog drifts over a bridge

someplace the sun peers over a ridge

where time is standing

still.

Sometimes there's water of aqua hue

with islands piercing waves of blue

while dunes of snow turn

chill.

Falls of red volcano flow

canyons calm reflections glow

sometime, 

somewhere,

somehow

fulfilled.

Wind through the Curtains - fall

Wind through the curtains

time unseen;

flowing past,

what does it mean?

To sit in the chair

my grandfather sat

so long ago

bringing memories back

with merging of feelings

time comes together

as if ends were meeting

and a day were forever…

maybe a lifetime

is but one page

the script runs together

regardless of age

like a flower blooming

a continuous flow

maturing then fading

after it’s grown…

the breezes keep coming

as the earth turns round

yet I’ll live in this moment

so rich, so profound…