Category: Uncategorized

On the good days
We fight the lies alone
Truth thunders
From our lips
Reverberating in our hearts
Other days
Weak and wounded
We lay silent
While dark vapors
Fill the atmosphere
Lips tremble
Hearts break
Lies seep in
Hope is lost
In that moment
Of utter darkness
You appear
You pick up
Our forgotten sword
And speak the truth
We no longer can
Lies flee
Truth pursues
Salve pours from your lips
You treat my
Self inflicted wounds
You turn to go
And I afraid
That night might
Return again
I ask
You to stay

I hear God saying
Fan the flame
For too long
Your fire has been
Too small
Under fed
You’ve let lesser things
Block His breath
Things like
Entertainment
Busyness
Offenses
Politics
Hate
Love
Have all created
Walls blocking
The rushing wind
The Holy Spirit
The oxygen
Your fire needs
God says to let
His Glory
His Fire
Consume the walls
Surrounding your heart
And begin again
To fan the flame
Such that everything
You touch
is set on fire
Fan the flames
Feed the fire

Jesus
King of all creation
Lord of Light
Let your light permeate
King of my heart
Permeate my life
Make the dark places light
Cause my heart to glow
Cause it to shine
Out through the wounded places
To flood the world with your light
Create new pools of light
New constellations in the night
Guiding others to you
The wounded healer
King of the universe
Jesus

Bend
Dig
Plant
Cover
Water
Shuffle

There’s a rhythm to life

Bend
Dig
Plant
Cover
Water
Shuffle

The spirit hums while he works

Bend
Dig
Plant
Cover
Water
Shuffle

Planting a little of this
And a little of that
In a field freshly plowed

Water awakens the seed
First the root takes hold

A sprout pierces the soil
Basking in the light of the sun

The farmer looks on with joy
A son dreams of possibilities
As the brown field turns green

And the spirit continues his gentle work
His hum turns into a song of praise

The sun rises and sets
The rains come and go
And tiny seedling grows

Finally the spirit is satisfied
It’s time for the harvest
With a whistle the sickle sings
It sings of glory

the point isn’t
to forget
to explain anything
or to even move on
the point is
to realize
what you had
and to give
that gift
to another

The night whispers in my ear
That I am alone
The world shouts out
That I am not worthy
But I have adoption
Running through my veins
I was created
With delight inscribed on my spirit

What is the modern oasis?

Is it that cell tower that comes into view after traveling for so long with no bars?

Or how about that green coffee shop (or perhaps the red chicken) sign that you can just barely make out down the road?

Or maybe it’s that new notification from our trusted news source telling the truth we’re all to eager to hear?

Whatever the case may be, make no mistake we’re all that tired and thirsty soul in the desert.

Looking off into the distance we see our salvation.

But is it an oasis or a mirage?

Can you discern the two? Or do you have to wait till your mouth is filled with sand?

For years I’ve struggled for breath. 
For years the water has risen and risen. 
Each day feels like my last desperate gasp to keep my head above water. 
The worries and the cares of this world threatening to end me. 
Each morning I pierce the surface and take a deep breath. 
The sky is dark and menacing. 
The sea is green and gray.
The first wave comes and pushes me back under.
And the thought occurs to me that this could be the end.
I kick my legs and sweep my arms pushing with all my strength back to the surface.
My struggle drowns out the still quiet voice calling to me from the unfathomable depths of the ocean.
“Be still. Trust. Have Faith.”
Instead I
Pierce. Breathe. Submerge. Repeat.

But what if I have this backwards.
What if the worries and the cares of this world are the air I’m so desperate for?
And the water isn’t death but rather life.
The sea is the spirit.
The flooding presence of God.
And it is inviting me to die.
To die to this world.
To die to my flurry of activity.
To die so that I might live.
Live in His presence.
Live in His depths.
Submerge. Dive Deep. Breathe. Repeat.