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!

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.

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?

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!