Long ago, I forgot you were a person
Loving this friendship for the pride of being noticed
Look closer! Whispers a deep-inside voice
At what you have neglected
The mixed-up motives and tender hurts
Real life is hard on those who lead
Long before you arrived in my life
Loving others like you made me tired
Look at how long I’ve put up with all of you!
At the same time, these joys and foibles are uniquely yours
The path to maturity is old and worn, but for you it just became
Real, and it’s right where you belong
Long years blur into fleeting decades
Loving well this week, poorly the next, pressing on
Look at all that fell away in the refining fires!
At how mettle outshines accomplishments
The dross skimmed off year by year, this is living
Real purity of heart the distant prize
Continue reading “Teacher, Student, Self”
Tag: Discipleship
Plans
“Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things
but only one thing matters.” – Luke 10:41 (paraphrase)
All those big plans? Sing them a lullaby
Let them rest awhile undisturbed
Some I will wake at the right time
Some will slumber until they dissipate
Will you give them to me anyway?
Child, here at my feet you are becoming
For that end, the doing may wait
but only one thing matters.” – Luke 10:41 (paraphrase)
All those big plans? Sing them a lullaby
Let them rest awhile undisturbed
Some I will wake at the right time
Some will slumber until they dissipate
Will you give them to me anyway?
Child, here at my feet you are becoming
For that end, the doing may wait
Bitter Proverbs
Bitterness is like a drug
Heady and intoxicating
In its own righteousness
Able to provide excuse after excuse
For bad behavior
Continue reading “Bitter Proverbs”
God in all the Wrong Places
In the interest of simplifying Advent, this week is a re-post of my favorite Advent blog from last year! Blessings to you as you find small ways to rest in this season.
“Oh no, for real?” I thought to myself as the band began to play. “Of all the Christmas songs, why this one? Can’t we sing “Oh Come Emmanuel” or something? This is a kid’s song…”
Despite my internal protests, the drums beat steadily, soon followed by the incessant refrain: “PA RUM PUM PUM PUM.”
And then I started to cry. Continue reading “God in all the Wrong Places”
A Load Less Carried
What do you call a man who has found a great treasure
and then left it in a ditch
to a catch a lift
when it didn’t fit in the backseat?
Do you call him
A madman?
An idiot?
Hell-bound?
Pitiable?
Or do you simply call him lost Continue reading “A Load Less Carried”
Manger Song
When we find our wells of Peace have run dry
The world, within and without, misaligned
Into despair, the Incarnate Child
Brings his Hope and his Way Continue reading “Manger Song”
Repeat the Sounding Joy
There are many beautiful traditions to love at Christmastime: nights alight with dazzling displays, neighbors sharing family favorite treats, music evoking decades gone by, candlelit churches keeping vigil in song, gifts that bring delight and joy.
But every once in a while I wonder… why is it that I love Christmastime so much?
Is it the pumpkin spice lattes and repetitive playlists? Are we really that enamored of turkey that never gets done cooking at the right time or kids hyped up on sugar?
God in all the Wrong Places
“Oh no, for real?” I thought to myself as the band began to play. “Of all the Christmas songs, why this one? Can’t we sing “Oh Come Emmanuel” or something? This is a kid’s song…”
Despite my internal protests, the drums beat steadily, soon followed by the incessant refrain: “PA RUM PUM PUM PUM.”
And then I started to cry. Continue reading “God in all the Wrong Places”
In the Light of Dawn
An expectant mood permeated the room. Seven men, all of them close friends of Jesus, sat waiting. Continue reading “In the Light of Dawn”
Seasons
When spring awakes, all green and new,
Full of blossoms, turf and dew
Which, though it rains, still grow, accrue;
‘Tis just a season of the soul. Continue reading “Seasons”
In Pursuit of More 