I see in you a man full of strength and stature.
A character with character,
I would gladly shake your hand
and spend time with you.
A melding of the OC maroon and the Tennessee orange,
You are part guide and part scholar
who faithfully bridges the gaps
between young and old,
church and community,
scholarship and practice.
Your appearance is one of a big kid
who is known and loved by all, yet
displaying a confident purpose and intensity
that can only come from years of service
and a wisdom that comes from
loving the one who loves
all of us perfectly.
Thank you for what you do, and
may you continue spreading
His loving message
of hope and reconciliation
to future generations
as you enjoy the continued
favor of your God and fellows.
Aug 27, 2010
Aug 27, 2010 at 10:50 AM UTC
With sensuous cords suspended
between heaven and earth,
A nylon hammock generously supports
all, races, colors and creeds.
Guilty pleasures are carefully balanced
during a rendezvous of
stolen moments and secret escapes.
Ideas are born
in this cocooning nexus, and
work is accomplished from
a place of succor and rest.
A gentle swaying
calms the mind and
brings life into balance once more.
Aug 20, 2010
Aug 20, 2010 at 12:05 PM UTC
Precious Father,
I'm so glad to come into your presence,
to spend time with you and get to
know you better. I...
*wonder when the mechanic
is going to be finished with the car?
He said, it would be ready two days ago.
Sheesh! Can you count on anyone these days?*
Oh, sorry God!
I'm back. Where was I?
I need your help in so many things.
I'm so glad that I can turn to you. I ...
*simply cannot believe what my boss said
to her about me! That lousy no good slime ball
better stay out of my way...*
Oh my goodness! God, I just remembered that
I've got to send that email I promised right away!
Love you! Gotta go and
I'll talk to you later!
Amen.
Aug 10, 2010
Aug 10, 2010 at 8:43 PM UTC
These days, it’s getting harder for me to hear, though
My hearing is perfectly fine.
Words, speech, rhetoric, proclaimed in our
Homes, schools, churches, media and lives,
Filled with anger, pain, rage,
Endless debating, name calling,
Attacking, yelling, shouting,
Drama and diatribes.
A new willingness sweeps the land, offering
Gratuitous unfiltered honesty.
A truth sport that calculatingly
Cuts off at the knees,
Sending the newly scarred and
Wounded soul to walk away, with
A knife in their back.
What unfulfilled need justifies
This anger, frustration, rage,
Blaming, shaming and finger pointing,
And the creation of new effigies by endlessly
Dissecting and parsing every word and phrase?
Have we become little more than
Hurting people who hurt others?
Are we just reacting in kind with a
Pent-up frustration that has nowhere to go?
Are we really so fearful that
Things aren’t going as they should, afraid
We’ll never get what we want, or scared that
We’ll never have what we need?
Could it be that we are unconsciously
Caught in a vibration of drama, and
Easy prey for the hidden plans
And agendas of others?
Or, have we become slaves of an ego
That willingly fills our minds with
Unproven certainties to
Give us what we do not have but want?
Maybe, strangely, we are
Seeking a connection in the
Only way we know.
Hoping our shrill voices will
Convince the universe that we matter,
As we misguidedly attempt to make
Some difference on our piece of earth.
This isn’t life!
Yelling never convinces a single soul
About the rightness of a cause or the
Correctness of an action.
It only drives us further apart and
Makes us dead to ourselves and each other.
Perhaps it's time to remember
The wisdom of the ancients,
Spoken so long ago.
In compassion there is virtue,
Blessed are the peacemakers,
What is given is returned
A thousand fold; and,
In the measure we judge,
We shall be judged,
Love the Gods and
Do no harm.
These days, it’s getting harder for me to hear, though
My hearing is perfectly fine.
Jul 28, 2010
Jul 28, 2010 at 4:50 AM UTC
Stay strong and courageous
in the Lord.
Remember and know,
He upholds you
with His mighty
right hand.
No matter what
you may be feeling
physically, emotionally,
or spiritually,
He will never forget
or forsake you.
He's there right now,
Making his face to
shine upon you,
listening to
loving petitions
from your family
and friends, and
giving you peace.
Even as you walk through this fire,
He is saying to the evil one,
“What do you think
of my servant John Maple?
No one on earth is like him.
He is a truly good person,
who respects me and
refuses to do evil.”
My friend,
rest well.
You are in
Good hands.
Jul 27, 2010
Jul 27, 2010 at 9:58 AM UTC
Back in my fundie days,
Anyone could be happy, if
They really wanted to.
If you tried hard enough, all
Your wishes would come true.
Love was forever and divorces weren't possible, unless
You were selfish.
Kids didn't disappoint their parents, if
You raised them right.
People had addictions because they chose them, and
They could quit if they'd just stop.
Depression was a sign that
You weren't relying upon God enough.
Back in my fundie days.
Back in my fundie days,
I had a fish on my car, an index finger in the air, and
a pipeline to God.
I was going to heaven and
I knew how you could too.
There was only one name for the Almighty, and
It was “God,” and God was a HE.
Prayers were always answered, if
You had enough faith.
All solutions were found in the Good Book, and
You could look them up for yourself.
Back in my fundie days.
Back in my fundie days,
I lived in a country founded on Christian principles,
the ten commandments and the twelve apostles.
People were poor, because
They were lazy and didn't want to work.
My country was right, and
If you disagreed, you could move away.
Protesters were communists, who were
Trying to tear this country down.
English was the undisputed language,
Both here and abroad.
Back in my fundie days.
Back in my fundie days,
I knew the difference between right and wrong,
With no shades of confusing gray.
There was a place for everything.
You, me, us, them,
God, family, country, life...
It was much simpler, when
There were more answers
Back in my fundie days.
Jul 22, 2010
Jul 22, 2010 at 7:22 AM UTC
My Darling,
Friends tell me we met more than half a million minutes ago.
But I noticed, before a few seconds had hardly passed,
That time was standing still.
In its place, a merged continuum of
Tender touches, love, kindnesses and gifts of presence
All indescribably nuanced, existed.
Before,
There were beginnings and endings marked by
An endless procession of sunrises and sunsets.
Now
It’s days of azure and crimson filled with
Winding walks, delicious dinners, long slow kisses
and careful careless caresses that stop only long enough for
us to visit our children, mothers, friends and work.
Before,
There was only myself.
A tree bending in a mighty wind.
Now,
We have the shelter of each other,
A holy temple, our haven
That shields and holds us safe.
Before,
I experienced only myself.
Now,
There is us!
A co-creation of meanings, moments and
Transformations into all things new.
My darling,
The once stopped clock may still be ticking.
But for me, time continues to stand still.
And that’s a supernatural possibility,
Available only for those who discover, that
Love is all there is.
And we have!
Jul 20, 2010
Jul 20, 2010 at 12:12 PM UTC
"Don't drink that coffee," my friend shouted at me,
"That caffeine will **** you!"
he said impatiently!
Drinking water is bad for your health,
the feds put fluorine in it
to **** you by stealth."
Paternally he whispered,
"Whatever you do, don't drink cows' milk.
the sucklings its made for
aren't close to our ilk.
The consumption of pigs and animals that ****
most certainly will keep you
from obtaining sweet bliss.
And stay away from creatures that swim in the sea,
their svelte tasty bodies are filled
with deadly mercury."
And then he looked aghast at my plate,
"Tell me you're not eating that excrement," he sighed,
"Do you really want to die...
from eating french fries?
Don't you know that fried things are the scourge of the planet,
cooked in hydrogenated fats by
some woman named Janet?
Avoid eggs, if you can, and by no means eat the yolks,
your cholesterol will rise,
that's no funny joke."
Then, with a scowl in his voice he said,
"Avoid plants grown in this country,
sprayed with pesticides and poisons
by corporate monkeys.
And stay away from foods grown in the East,
they're probably fertilized by
humans, dragons and beasts.
Potatoes, tomatoes have starch and acid,
that eats up your guts and
make you grow flaccid.
Lemons and limes will ruin your pretty white teeth,
making you go snaggle
right in your sleep."
With a superior air he ended his harangue,
"Beer, wine, and all forms of liquor,
Can you think of anything that
will **** you quicker?
Don't eat rich chocolate--it'll make you a ****
humping everything in sight
like a mad deer in rut.
Cakes, breads and cookies too,
contain sugars and flours that's
sooooo baaaaad for you.
~~~
I'm hungry and starving and don't know what to do,
I want to eat something
but afraid to give it a chew.
Though all of this leaves me feeling quite uneasy and queasy,
I'm closing the door and
doing as I pleasey!
Jul 19, 2010
Jul 19, 2010 at 7:58 AM UTC
I go to a church that's broken.
One that's cracked to the core
and had its comeuppance.
It beaten, battered and knocked to the floor.
Some said, "We may as well close the doors."
"All the good is gone--we'll never be as we were before."
But God is good.
Peace and people are slowly coming back.
But not the same folks as when we were on-track.
Lives mired and full of sin,
most have given up on them.
Bruised, broken and knocked about,
the ones who are clearly on the outs.
Now that the strong ones are on the run,
all pretensions here are done.
I'm glad I attend this outcast place,
full of cast-offs from the human race.
God's triage comes from this salt of the earth.
Something's finally getting done.
We're seeing rebirth.
Jul 17, 2010
Jul 17, 2010 at 7:49 PM UTC
Imagine...
Loving her purely, completely and unconditionally,
trusting that you will always do
the right thing for her.
Listening to her heart,
instead of her words,
while she listens to yours.
Whispering words of love
that find her heart
as they should,
Having absolute trust in the power of love,
faith in the goodness of all things and outcomes,
no matter the circumstances.
Jul 16, 2010
Jul 16, 2010 at 10:05 AM UTC