The Pieces He Put In Place

 

The Lord knew that the hearts of men
Would tremble at the word
That He who died had risen up,
They would call it absurd.
 
He set in place the small details
To forestall any doubt.
That all who heard, would know the truth
The world would talk about.
 
No one had lain in the new tomb
So no mistake was made
That He who rose was He who died,
And in that tomb was laid.
 
He called not one, but two leaders
Whose word would hold value.
Assuring that His death was deemed
As verified and true.
 
The plan was laid well in advance,
The pieces all in place,
That man might truly understand
God’s power and His grace.
 
Yet still, for those who laid Him there
And those who watched in grief,
No prophecy or promises
Could offer them relief.
 
They sealed the tomb and left behind
Broken hearts filled with pain
Not knowing that, in two days’ time,
Only joy would remain.
 
John 19:39-41
Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

The Debt Is Paid - Good Friday 2026

 

Tetelestai He cried, dying.
The debt is fully paid,
The sentence has been completed,
And victory’s displayed.
 
He spoke to those who gathered there
At the foot of the cross
Who wept with grief too great to bear,
Unfathomable loss.
 
He’d carried every sin and stain
Each wicked thought and vice
For those He loved, He paid the cost.
The unstained sacrifice.
 
Yet, when He looked down from the cross
At each and every face,
He saw not just those standing there,
But all in need of grace.
 
Each sin we live, even today,
Was added to that debt.
When He looked down, He saw us, too,
And died without regret.
 
Tetelestai, our sins are cleansed,
Rejoice then in their loss.
He paid the debt we could not pay
Upon that blood stained cross.
 
John 19:30
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

We Still Fall Asleep - Maundy Thursday 2026

They didn’t know, though He told them,
Their time with Him was through.
They couldn’t, or wouldn’t, perhaps,
Believe that could be true.
 
He knew hearing did not mean they
Would let themselves believe
That He’d really be crucified,
And they’d be left to grieve.
 
How alone He must have felt
When they drifted to sleep
Instead of keeping the vigil
That He’d asked them to keep.
 
I feel my ire begin to rise
Recalling that disgrace,
Believing I’d have stayed awake
Had I been in their place.
 
Until I find I’m drifting off
Before I’ve said amen
When I pray to Him at day’s end.
My pride bites me again.
 
Oh Lord, thank You for loving us.
Though we still fall asleep,
We know that Your love never does
And it is ours to keep.
 
Matthew 26:45-46
Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” 

The Storm Was Coming

 

I watched the clouds turn dark and grim,
The air heavy and thick.
I knew a storm was rolling in,
And it was coming quick.
 
I saw it forming, felt the wind
Grow more fierce in its pace,
And watched the trees twisting in fear
With no hope they’d find grace.
 
Though I am limited in sight,
I still felt my fear rise
Watching that storm draw ever near,
Drowning my fearful cries.  
 
He, too, knew what was drawing nigh
The storm’s wrath He would face.
Yet He stood strong, watching it come,
That we might live in grace.
 
Even knowing what lay ahead,
The brutal sacrifice,
That debt we owed had to be paid.
He stayed to pay that price.
 
Matthew 26:1-2
When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

As A Hen With Her Brood

 

I cried out to Him in my pain,
“Why is this life so hard?”
I thought then, as if He replied,
My wrists and feet aren’t scarred.
 
Complicated still isn’t hard,
And worry’s not defeat.
Even more so when I can lay
Those worries at His feet.
 
I don’t know what tomorrow holds
Or what I’ll have to face,
But I know who is holding me
Within His perfect grace.
 
Forgive me, Lord, for self-pity
When You faced so much more.
You trusted God, I’ll trust in You
And face what lies in store.
 
Matthew 23:37-39
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Cleansing The Temple

 

He called them out for corruption
In that once holy place.
Their avarice was palpable,
He condemned their disgrace.
 
He spoke hoping to turn them back
From the course that they chose,
But they would not heed the Lord’s words.
They had no time for those.
 
It wasn’t all the animals
That filled the place with sin,
As much as the pride and the greed
Of all those “holy men”.
 
He came to cleanse that holy place,
Make it holy once more,
But, even more, He came for us,
To cleanse and to restore.
 
Matthew 21:12-13
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Once again, the sweet photo is a gift from AC, taken in Africa a few years back. 

Hosanna To The King - Palm Sunday 2026

 

Near fifteen hundred years before,
They knew this had been planned.
The Psalms and Prophets told them, but
They didn’t understand.
 
A man of sorrows, donkey colt,
The cornerstone disdained,
They had been warned, but over time
No clarity remained.
 
He didn’t fit the plans they’d laid
While ignoring God’s plan.
They had their own image of who
Should be the Son of Man.
 
By failing to understand Him,
They proved the Prophets right.
Upon a donkey colt He rode
To bring His Kingdom Light.
 
His people praised Him, Hosanna!
Oh, save us, Lord, they cried.
Well, that He did, just six days hence,
When on the cross He died.
 
He knew they’d not truly believe
Until He came again,
But they cried Hosanna to Him,
Their King, The Son of Man.
 
Psalm 118:22-25
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!

Stiving After Wind

 

Riding the wind, calling it life;
Watching it pass below.
What will you do when the wind stills,
Which way, then, will you go?
 
Too many have no course in life,
They shift with any breeze.
Giving each new passion control,
Living life as they please.
 
Until the day the winds whip up,
Or settle to dead calm,
Then they must face the consequence
Of pain without a balm.
 
At that point they find no refuge
Within the storms of life,
And end up huddled in despair
From self inflicted strife.
 
Step out of life lived for yourself
And into one of grace.
Ride not the winds of wild whimsy
Which often bring disgrace.
 
Choose for yourself a life in Him.
Thus, when you sail the sky,
You do so with His word as guide.
Beneath His watchful eye.
 
There is nothing beneath the sun
That He does not command.
Live close to Him, and through life’s storms,
Rest safely in His hand.
 
Ecclesiastes 2:11
Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

My Rock, My Redemption

 

I’m glad it isn’t up to me
To win my redemption.
I set out with big plans each day,
Then fail to get them done.
 
I rise each dawn hoping to live
The day I walk His walk,
And quickly find I’ve failed even
To simply talk His talk.
 
I let my pride get in my way,
Or forget to give grace,
And suddenly I find I am
Back at my starting place.
 
It’s not in my works or my words
That my faith has to rest,
But in His, who bore all my sins.
By His grace, I am blessed.
 
He is the rock on which I stand,
And the song my soul sings.
The only hope of redemption
I have, is what He brings.
 
Thus, I will stand upon that Rock,
The cornerstone of grace,
And I will thank Him forever
For healing my disgrace.
 
Psalm 62:7
On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Praise Him Continually

 

I will lift up my praise to Him
Within the new day’s light,
And I will praise Him as the dusk
Grows into the dark night.
 
He keeps His eye upon my path
And guides me on my way.
I’ll praise Him with a thankful heart
Each night and then each day.  
 
Let His praises be on my heart,
My mind, and on my tongue,
That this world will know of His grace
Through every song I’ve sung.
 
Psalm 34:1
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.