Monday, January 31, 2011

Why Can't I Enjoy The Peace?














Why can’t I just enjoy the peace?
There’s just calm in my world
And yet I anguish through each day,
Thoughts all dizzily swirled.

I’m used to crisis management,
I’ve lived within the storm.
Why’s it hard to accept the calm?
It’s just so out of form!

I think I need to remember
There’s pleasure in the calm;
I have to strap down in the gales
And see the peace as balm.

I live within the brambles and
The thorns that they have grown;
They twist themselves around my life
And tear me to the bone.

I get so used to fighting them
That, when they’re all cut down,
I don’t quite know what I should do
And plant some more around.

I have this little space in life
Where brambles just don’t grow.
I think I’ll practice loving it
And let the worries go!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Where Grief Still Lingers





















I wept before the sun rose up,
I mourned for those I’d lost.
There is a toll for every life,
But this is too much cost.

I wept before the colored dawn
Could draw me from my bed,
The tears soaked deep into the sheets
That lay beneath my head.

But, with the first light of the day,
That tinged the distant east,
I rose to greet the rising sun
And found my tears had ceased.

The mists burned clear beneath its warmth,
The tears dried from my cheek.
I watched as peace rose with the mists;
And peace is what I seek.

So I will step out in the day,
To greet the rising son,
And know that, while it’s not complete,
My healing has begun.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Face of Grace
















What is the face of Grace?
Can you see it in the rising of the sun
Or in it’s setting when day is done?

Can you see it in the mist
That spills through a quiet bay
Before the first light of Day?

Can you see it in the rough fingers
Of the darkening evergreen
Where evening shadows stir and lean?

Does it pause knowingly,
Waiting patiently for me to see
That the face of grace is reflected in me?

Friday, January 28, 2011

Light in the Haze





















With all the chaos of the world
It’s hard to see your hand.
So much is happening so fast
And some I understand,
But not how all of it will fit
With all that you have planned.
Does all that causes me such fear
Still come at your command,
Or is it darkness taking hold
To wrack the weary land?

Oh Lord, your light still shines for us
Though we’re lost in the haze.
We sometimes miss our step and fall.
Or drop our weary gaze.
But still your light will lead us on
Through all the smoke filled ways
And keep our feet upon the path,
Our hearts filled with your praise,
For you direct this changing world
And all our crazy days.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Psalm 126: 5-6





















We’ve borne much sorrow, you and I,
We have much more to bear;
Despite the tears we spilled today
We’ve many more to spare.
But all these tears will pass with time,
And with his loving care,
When next we meet the tears we spill
Will be for joys we share.

Psalm 126
5 Those who sow with tears
   will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
   carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
   carrying sheaves with them.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Gift of Friends














Oh thank you. Lord, for all my friends
The quiet and the bold;
The friends who always have my back,
The new friends and the old.
They lift my spirits when I’m down;
They’re warmth when I grow cold.
They bring the light when all seems dark;
They’re worth their weight in gold.

Oh Lord you’ve blessed me all my life,
In oh so many ways,
But for my friends, Lord, I thank you;
And will for all my days!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Romans 12: 6-8

People bring their pain to me
For I can make them laugh;
I take their pain within my heart
And give them back but half.

I can’t take all their pain away,
And they don’t ask me to.
But we all need someone who knows
The things we’re going through,

Someone who knows, but more, who cares
And helps us bear our load;
For laughter and a caring word
Can smooth a rocky road.

We all have gifts God gave to us
To use to serve his plan;
My gift is one of laughter and
I share it when I can.

Romans 12
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Dancing in the Rain


When skies are grey and cloudy,
You're overwhelmed with pain,
Don’t just sit and drown in sorrow
Learn to dance in the rain

Pick up your heart and be merry
Though life is fraught with strain;
Don’t let it stop your rejoicing, 
Learn to dance in the rain

Raise unto God a joyful voice,
Sing a grateful refrain,
For with him we will learn to dance
Joyously in the rain.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Proverbs 27: 19














I see myself in the mirror,
The wrinkles and the years;
I see the struggles that I’ve faced,
The laughter and the tears.

I see the hopes I still hold dear
And those I’ve let go by,
The words I spoke to those I love
And those that I let die.

A few regrets that taught me much,
Lessons learned the hard way.
The prayers I’ve kept close to my heart
And those I’ve cast away.

There’s still so much I need to do
And time slips by so fast,
I’ll never finish all my tasks
And much I do, won’t last.

But some of it may leave a mark
And so, before I start,
I must be sure to focus on
What best reflects my heart.


Proverbs 27:19
As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Gift Is In the Light

















How did you get that great picture?
Everything is just right.
I tell them the answer’s simple-
The gift is in the light.

Things can look so grim sometimes
The shadows close in tight
But that same frame can be different
The gift is in the light

So I try to find where the sun
Brushes against the night
And focus where the light is rich…
The Gift is in the light!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Her 81st Birthday





















I came to her empty handed,
There’s nothing I could bring.
I have so little I can give
And she has everything.

I felt so humbled and ashamed
By all of life’s demands
That left me nothing I could bring
Except these empty hands.

She has given me everything
Through all these many years
And I should give her back much more
Than empty hands and tears.

In shame I looked down at my hands,
And shock rippled through me,
My hands were not as empty as
I had thought them to be.

They were filled with years of love
That she had shared with me
And snuggled in there near the love
Were times spent happily.

There were so many growing pains
That we had both laughed through.
The hopes that we had shared for years
Spilled through my fingers, too.

The warm hugs and uplifting words
Draped cross each upturned palm;
The gentle kiss when our world crashed
And our hearts needed balm.

I looked at her then raised these hands
That overflowed with love
And realized that, more than gold,
Their gift would be enough.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Broken Faith
















I’ve broken faith with you today,
I let the devil win.
I gave in to my fear and rage
And settled into sin.

I know the rage was justified,
The fear, no doubt was too,
But letting them control my mouth
Meant that I betrayed you

So I will make apologies
To those who felt my wrath
And to you, Lord, for failing you.
Please get me back on path!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Can You Still Hear Me?
















Sometimes I think you can’t hear me,
There is just so much on your plate.
My little problems seem petty,
They surely don’t rank with the great.
But then you wake me up early,
Just in time for a rich sunrise,
And there’s the proof that you hear me
Reflecting itself in my eyes.

Let me not doubt your love for me,
Nor that you have me in your plan,
Just give me your strength and wisdom
And a rich sunrise now and then.



Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Little Burdens That Weigh Me Down
















It’s all the little burdens, Lord,
That seem so hard to take.
They’re not the kind that shatter worlds,
Just cause my heart to ache.

Those unrelenting little strains
Eventually will crack
Beneath this burden that I bear,
Upon my weary back.

I will not show the world my tears,
I will not share my pain,
But I will ask you, precious Lord,
To give me peace again.

I’ll carry all the burdens, Lord,
That you require of me
But I need help to find my way,
Oh Lord, please help me see
Through all the worries and despair,
That this ends happily.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Jeremiah 31: 35





















The light slipped cross the dark'ning bay
Beneath the silver moon;
I heard the ocean rise and roar,
The singing of the loon.
I danced with joy to hear it, Lord,
My heart leapt up to see,
For you’re the light that fills the night
While I’m the sparkling sea.
Though my world can be dark and cold,
The waves may toss and heave,
Your light still spills across my face
For you will never leave.
And so my heart will dance, my Lord,
For all the world to see,
For you’re the light that fills the night
While I’m the sparkling sea.

Jeremiah 31: 35
35 This is what the LORD says,
   he who appoints the sun
   to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
   to shine by night,
who stirs up the sea
   so that its waves roar—
   the LORD Almighty is his name:

Sunday, January 16, 2011

River Rocks





















River rocks, born of fire and destruction,
Spewed from earth’s molten belly,
Rough hewn and resting
On the muddy bank of a mountain stream.

River rocks, torn from the quiet bank
In a spate of froth and foam
And cast into the wet frenzy;
Broken and battered smooth
Tumbled in the river’s wild torrents,
Pummeled by the currents.
Dragged on the river’s bottom
To be snagged in weeds,
Torn loose, and snagged again.
Rough edges, battered smooth In the eddies
and polished in the foam;
Coming to rest in the shallows,
Finally smooth, finally rounded,
Finally a perfect color drawn from within their hearts

River rocks, harsh and rough edged,
Smoothed through life’s course into the perfect shape,
The shape to which they were born, without knowing.
Surviving the battering of the river, knowing the pain,
But not the purpose,
Until they arrived and reflected their final perfection
In the still waters for which they were created.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

At the Graveside





















Oh weep, you fragments of my heart
And let your sorrow spill.
The Lord still rules heaven and earth
And he always will.

Oh fill with bitter tears, my eyes
And pour unceasingly.
The Lord still rules heaven and earth
And that will always be.

 Oh heavens let your endless tears,
Wash clear this pile of earth.
The Lord still rules heaven and earth
And did before her birth.

Oh Lord, I cannot bear this pain
I’m battered to my soul.
The Lord still rules heaven and earth
And he will make you whole.

Be patient, oh my broken heart
And dry my last salt tear.
The lord has wrapped us in his arms
His love is ever near.

Friday, January 14, 2011

A Winter Tune

















The wind that’s howling round the eaves
Sings a dreary song,
The branches whipping, without leaves,
Snap and click along.
The rain taps out the rhythm on
My weeping window pane,
While white caps whirl the waves they spawn
Then dip and whirl again

The music of a winter day
Might seem to be so drear,
Yet it’s a song I love to play
Of blust’ry winter cheer!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Luke 5: 11





















They left it all behind them there
Upon that windy shore
They followed him because he called;
They needed nothing more
Than his command, “Come, follow me.”
And everything they knew
They left there on the windy shore
As he asked them to do.

They walked down pathways strewn with pain.
It must have been so hard
To not turn back to what they knew,
What they chose to discard.
Their lives grew dangerous and rough,
Their bodies wracked and sore,
And prison cells were bleak indeed
Compared to that lost shore.

Yet, they did not live with regret,
For life held so much more
Because they’d followed as he asked
And left that empty shore.

Luke 5:11
So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Psalm 36: 5-7





















Oh Lord, please wait, I am coming,
I want to fly with you.
I want to hide in your shadow
And live my life like you.

Oh Lord, please wait, I am coming,
I’m slower than need be.
I’m still trying to learn to fly,
Please Lord, wait patiently.

Oh Lord, please wait, I am coming,
The sky’s so very large.
I fear that I may well get lost
Except that you’re in charge.

Oh Lord, please wait, I am coming,
I follow you with glee!
For when I’m in your shadow, Lord,
No harm can hamper me.

Oh Lord, please wait, I am coming,
I’m riding on your wing!
I’m soaring right behind you, Lord.
Can you hear my heart sing?

Psalm 36 
5 Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,
   your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
   your justice like the great deep.
   You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
   People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Between A Rock and A Hard Place





















Between a rock and a hard place,
Just hoping that I can survive;
Trying to find the strength to grow,
The faith I need to stay alive.

Oh give me strength to beat this rock.
Please help me, Lord, to ever strive
To rise above the hardest place.
And, more than live, Lord help me thrive!

Monday, January 10, 2011

On Wings of Faith

















Sometimes I struggle just to stand
And hold my head up high,
I feel so battered by the gales
I crumble down and cry.
I long to soar above the pain
Where winds are all that sigh,
But I am tethered to the earth
And in these chains I’ll die.

Oh help me find my wings, dear Lord,
And lift me to the sky;
If faith is all the wind I need,
Then I know I can fly!