Monday, July 27, 2015

WHEN DARKNESS IS THE LIGHT

Dark, dangerous clouds cover the sky
A powerful storm unleashes its fury
The boy shaken to his core
Desperately seeks shelter

Running through the streets
Thunder roars, lightning cracks, the wind howls
Fear grips his body, terror in his eyes
Falls to the ground

Slowly opens his eyes, clutching the covers
Alone in his small room, his fortress
Walls of steel, a thousand pound door
Dim light soothes him, drifts back to sleep

Only a small peep hole to the outside world
Storm clouds rage outside, always dark
A magic suit and skin tight mask
Always protect him when he leaves the fortress

Now a young man, he loves his fortress
Cunning light dances in the space
Perfect hideaway his mind believes
The light of the fortress only deceives

Now a man, he glides through the streets
The magic suit and mask hide him from the world
He slips into the fortress
Light tantalizes, flickers, taunts him

A tornado roars overhead
The fortress is gone
Lying on the ground
Staring at the storm clouds above

Everything gone, even the magic suit
Shaking with fear
Through the dark clouds way in the distance
There is a tiny sliver of light

Pain so intense, please let me die
Struggle slowly to my feet
Glancing down, the mask!!
Slipping it on, slowly start to walk

Towards the tiny sliver of light 

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Free

I yearn to be free
Like branches blowing in the wind
Free from the destruction
 
I yearn to be free
Like birds singing in the spring
Free from the fear
 
I yearn to be free
Like teenagers in love
Free from the guilt

I yearn to be free
Like the King of the jungle
Free from the self doubt
 
I yearn to be free
Like the rising sun
Free from the darkness
 
I yearn to be free
Like a newborn baby
Free from the past
 
Living in a prison
One window to see
A door sometimes opens
Always pulled back in
 
My soul is trapped
I struggle to transform
To be the person God created
I yearn to be me

Saturday, July 26, 2014

No Words

There are millions of words out there
So many for us to choose
Verbs, nouns standing by
Ready to be freed

We look around all the time
See so many interesting things
What a gorgeous sunset, what a sweet baby
It comes so naturally

Some words come harder
Feelings are often not easy to describe
Or sharing our innermost thoughts
No matter how hard we may try

When a friend loses a loved one
And we look for something to say
So sorry seems so hollow
Words that are said any old day

Just know we are holding your family in prayer
And sending love your way
Today our language lets us down
No words to save the day

The Day God Made

I wrote this in honor and memory of a friend who recently passed away after a long fight with cancer.

The Day God Made

When the stars align
We feel on top of the world
Fly out of bed each morning
Eager to experience the joy
Of what the new day will bring


When things take a turn
As they inevitably will for all
Do we embrace the struggle?
Or are we paralyzed by fear
Of what the new day will bring


There was a man
Loved his family and friends
Had a beautiful spirit
Relished all the possibilities
Of what the new day will bring


One day something was wrong
Heard the words we all fear
Now in the fight of his life
Faced the complete unknown
Of what the new day will bring


When death looks us in the eye
Do we blink?
Do we stop living?
Completely dismiss the possibility of beauty
Of what the new day will bring


Or do we savor every moment
Like our friend Tom
Spirit never wavered
Faith strong as steel
Lived with a Grace impossible to describe
The love of his life always at his side
Beautiful witnesses to the strength God provides
Until the very end
Kept looking forward to the joy
Of the day God made

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Live or Die


The fear you had as a child
Devours you
A lion eating its prey
                                                                               Open your mind
                                                                               Possibilities are endless
                                                                               A calf, seeing for the first time
Shame overcomes all thought
Burns out the light
Dark as a night with no stars
                                                                              Aware of your surroundings
                                                                              First sunlight on the horizon
                                                                              Dim light fills your soul
Guilt weighs you down
Unable to move
A fly in a spider web
                                                                             Will yourself to take a step
                                                                             Cautiously moving forward
                                                                             A baby bird opens its wings
No sparkle in your eye                                                  
No passion if you try
No beauty in the sky
No longer able to cry
No one cares enough to pry
                                                                              God loves you every day
                                                                              God’s grace is here to stay
                                                                              God will light the way
                                                                              God teaches you to pray
                                                                              God helps you learn to play
                                                                              
                                                                              Transformed
                                                                              With God you are reborn
Broken
Walking with the living dead



Sunday, May 11, 2014

The Voice

We speak with a voice that the world hear
High or low, loud or soft
Filled with passion or joy
Tainted with anger or doubt

Announces our presence
Shapes and defines us
The window to our soul
The steel door with a peep hole

Constantly at the ready
Protecting us from harm
Laughing with loved ones
Screaming with sadness

Unique to the world
Only ours to share

We all have another voice
High or low, loud or soft
Speaks kindly, reassures us
Critical or condescending

Always there, lurking in the shadows
Shapes and defines us
Only for us to hear, hidden from the world
Making sound when we need silence

There from the beginning
Intimate knowledge of our darkest secrets
Uses fear to knock the wind out of us
Consoles us as we fall to the ground weeping

So cunning, we start to need that voice to survive
Becomes our best friend
Traps us, controls us, owns us
We are now puppets to the power of the silent voice

God silences that voice, rescues us from the deadly grip
Scream for him, pray with him, sit with him
Walk with him, wherever you go
The Truth now is with you, the world hears you

The other voice slithers away, back into the darkness
Lurking, watching, listening, taunting
Waiting for you to come back
Tempting you with false promise, trying to soothe old wounds

When you speak, what does the world hear?
Your voice or the voice of the puppeteer?

Nothing Out, Nothing In

In the deepest part of our soul
Our most sacred thoughts live
Love, passion, joy
Disappointment, insecurity, anxiety

At our most vulnerable, we share these thoughts
Dancing with other’s thoughts
To beautiful music, coming together
Connections are created through God

Vulnerability becomes the heartbeat of life
Opening ourselves to the Truth of God
Our light shines brightly with others
Seen and admired in all of God’s Kingdom

Fear stops the music
Fear stops the dancing
Fear stops the sharing
Beautiful thoughts, trapped in our souls

Alone in our silence
Looking for a dance, searching for the music
That will allow us to feel the beauty of God
Our light so dim, it slowly burns out

Fear is cruel, does not discriminate
Hard as steel, deep as an ocean
Protects us from vulnerability
Sits with us so we are not alone

Tricks us into letting nothing out
Mocks us as we let nothing in

We miss the music, we miss the dance
We miss the connections
We miss God
We miss purpose and Truth

Fear has won
Nothing Out, Nothing In