Have you ever noticed that friendships are like books?

A new Friend is like a well acclaimed  book that you just can't put down, as you wait to see if it is really all it was cracked up to be.

An old Friend is that trustworthy favourite with bent pages and peeling cover that you turn back to year after year.

A good Friend is the book that always brings a smile to your face, making the hard, dull parts of life seem worth living.

A best friends is that one book that you can inexplicably never part with. It's less exciting, less acclaimed, less popular than the other books on your shelf. But no matter how hard you try, you can never replace that well thumbed treasure with the newer, flashier releases everyone else seems so taken with.

My heart is a library full of well thumbed or ignored stories that fill the pages of my daily existence.

Even the forgotten titles of friendships past fill an essential part of my being.

Without them I would be an empty page.

You're my anchor in the open seas
My sail when currents cease
You bring me through the endless night
And guide me into peace

You're the Harbour for my wandering soul
The lighthouse when I drift
You make my raging spirits still
You give to me your gift

Unworthy is my weathered wreckage
To bear such gifts as Thine
Yet in this ravaged vessel here
You chose to graft Your vine

All hail the monarch over the seas
Searching the oceans wide
For the sailor abandoned alone
To navigate the tide

In seas unknown our gazes turn to
Our North Star in the sky,
King of the oceans green and blue
Whose banner we proudly fly

For every tear I cried
Was a tear you wiped aside
Your arms would wrap around me
And in perfect bliss would I be
For every tear I wept
Was a tear that You treasured and kept
When You find me weeping
You draw me into Your arms for keeping
For I know that when I mourn I find your perfect peace
Blessed are they who mourn for when You come our tears will cease
Like a Mother with her children's fear
You call to me and draw me near
And when You touch my broken spirit
You treat my wounds with tender care
When I was shivering in the freezing cold
You collected my tears of gold
So, in your arms rest young and old
Kings and paupers, slaves and I
Within the Father's loving hold
You have called me Precious Daughter
And I have called you Loving Father

Forgive me
When I ask with fervour but thank with naught
Forgive me
When I praise the action but ignore the thought
Forgive me
When I cry out for help but not for joy
Forgive me
When I use words to tear down and to destroy
Forgive me
When I remember the hardship but forget my reward
Forgive me
When I pray prince of peace but live by the sword
Forgive me
When I shrink from death but forget to live
Forgive me
When I'm quick to anger but slow to forgive
Forgive me God

The smell of terpentine permeates my favourite blouse
The glow of candle light flickers in my windows
The absent minded stains of ink splattered through out my house
The cool, soft clay feels like silk between my fingers
There is a chisel hanging from a nail in my wall
There is blueprint spread out on a table in  front of me
My eyes are canvassing everything, anything, all
There is a colour and flavour in everything I see
There is a word tattooed on my forehead, innovator
I can't help but find a way to reinvent the old and invent the new
What more beautiful a worship to offer the creator
Than to create with the gifts he has given you

She's alone in the crowd
Surrounded by her friends
Yet as she walks by
Nobody turns or bends
To watch her as she cries

Oh Girl
You don't need turn your eyes
To see Him smile
He's where your help comes from
He sings your love song
He's writing it for you
Every morning it is new
And He looks and sees

Oh
She walks in the crowds
Surrounded by his love
And as she walks by
He turns to her and says
"I'm walking by your side."

Oh Girl
You don't need turn your eyes
To see Him smile
He's where your help comes from
He sings your love song
He's writing it for you
Every morning it is new

He loves You, He loves her
We're all daughters of the king
So sisters we sing

Oh Girl
You don't need turn your eyes
To see Him smile
He's where your help comes from
He sings your love song
He's writing it for you
Every morning it is new
And He looks and sees....You

As blue as a thousand oceans deep
As high as a million mountains Steep
As deep as no eye could ever peep
As wide as the wind does daily sweep

I bring all that I have
I bring all that I am
I bring all that I hoped that I'd ever be

And I place it
On the alter
At your feet

I give all that I can
I give all that I own
I give all that I hoped that I'd ever have

And I give you
All my worries
My hopes and despairs

Because all that I am is yours!
All that I have is yours!
All that I am is yours
Forever I will be yours!

Princess Leia, we bid thee bye
May the Force be with you as you fly
Through unforgetting hearts and minds
As Empires fall & the Rebells rise
Your story unfolding before our eyes

We look at your legacy of New Hope
How you melted the heart of Han Solo
Risked your life to save the galaxy far
Did your part destroying the Death Star
And in your heart forgave that vile Darth Vader

Such a person we shall remember
Rest in peace Carrie Fisher.

To all the Christmases behind me
I remember how you used to be
Sitting around the Christmas tree
Listening to stories of wise men three

Of all the Christmases gone by
I remember crystal skys
And sparkling grape juice in the ice
The pungent smells of Christmas wine

For all the Christmases I've seen
I recall the Christmas dream
Of gifts and sweets beneath the tree
And stuffed stockings waiting for me

And all the Christmases I've reached
I feel the sand beneath my feet
All those games down at the beach
And tossing bread out to the sheep

And all the Christmases end
By decorating ginger bread
And laying down our heavy heads
On feather pillows on our beds

The girl from the slums
She was told she was dumb
That she'd never grow old to be anyone

The guy from the street
He was bullied and beat
Told to just shut up and sit in his seat

That's what they say
That's not what You say!

You say that she's loved
That You're more than enough
To get her through life even when it's tough

You say that You're proud
And You say it out loud
Whenever he's lost he will always be found

That's what You say!
And that's what counts.

How am I surrounded
When all I feel is void
I know I'm in a crowd
Because I hear the noise

I hear the children laugh
I hear their mothers sing
I hear their fathers chide
And the wedding bells ring

But they never laugh with me
And I've never had a song
No one ever chided me
And the sound of bells is gone

In a world full of people
And a place that's full of love
It's strange how I am lonely
And it's strange I never laugh

I used to have a smile
The old folk called me sweet
I was their own dear child
Grandma would pinch my cheek

Now I am an outcast
The runoff from the road
No one ever sees me
You see I am alone

Don't make an ocean out of a puddle
Don't make a forest out of a stump
From the ground the mountain looks impossible
From heaven its just a large bump

You climbed the hill in agonising pain
Laden with all our sin and shame

You took all our broken, battered pieces
Our shattered, broken hearts released

A crown of thorns placed upon Your forehead
Drop by drop, Your robes stained blood red

The clothes of God as Man in two were torn
By sinners, for them lots were drawn

And You, oh God, our sacrificial lamb
Gave up your life for wretched Man

A wooden sign they nailed upon Your cross
To show the world how you had lost

And then You cried out in love unbending
Thus Your life on earth was ending

There's no power of hell to keep you down
Devil can't keep you from your crown

You rose to show You are not defeated
Kingdom come will be completed.

The song swells in a crescendo
Soaring to heights unreached by any soul before
Calling forth from the farthest depths of my heart
Emotions unexplored by centuries of human war

There are words to bring life
Setting a world into motion
Words to cause death
Spoken in anger and violence
Words that are wasted
Like drops in the ocean
Words that are absent
Unspoken and silent

Peacekeeping is the unattainable absence of violence. Peacemaking is the presence of peace in the midst of violence.

You cannot fight fire with fire, guns with guns, hate with hate.

"Father forgive them..."
It's as simple as that.

Glory is the indefinable
Often untouchable, presence of God
Laid upon those who have
Reined in freedom, lost suffering; for
You can only reflect what you look at.

Water does not help a bird like it helps a fish

I'm speaking to humanity
My dear are you afraid of me?

The cold that you can feel is coming from my heart
It may be black as coal but at least my suite is smart

You look at me and see your dreams
I look at you and see my means

I need a beauty, real and admired
To spread my word and light the fires

To many I am a good excuse
They point at me so they can't lose

If you ever want to see my face
Just turn towards the looking glass

I can't help it if I feel nice
You made your choice now pay the price

If you choose to use my name
You will start to cry in pain

And I am sure that soon you'll feel
That it was never you, but the devil at your heel.

I'm captivated and drawn in
I'm sinking under the waves anew
Yet all the while I'm watching
The light beams rippling through

I'm floundering in the ocean
I'm in doubt way over my head
No hand of yore can rescue me
I'm giving myself up as dead

I'm calling out my sins to you
I'm hoping to suffer no more
I'm waiting for the Angel to come
And take me to your shore

But suddenly I see a star
Shining brighter than before
And behold it dawns upon me
That I'm already at the shore

But not the shores of death
Or yet the shores above
No such place is there for me
For I have washed up in your love

Breathe
Into my mouth
Breathe
Into my life
Breathe
Into my soul

Speak
And I will be Your mouth
Sing
And I will be Your voice
Command
And I am Yours

I stumble
And You pick me up
I cry out
And You hear me
I ask
And You answer
I knock
And You let me in

I am free
Because of You
I am healed
Because of You
I am Yours
Because You love me

Yet I know that the Sovereign LORD  loves me
For did He not give up his breath and die upon a tree?

The cross is not just a place where blood flows
It is a doorway through which the free must go

For every wound that I've received
And every lie that I've believed

I will place at the foot of that cross
And never again shall I be a lamb lost

I am accosted by Your love
Thrown into the turmoil of emotions
Given no chance to realise
That I'm about forgotten notions

Love ought to be a pure thing
But here it is despised
No one can forget Your love
Yet many try to hide

Impurities and long lost dreams
They think it's all they'll gain
What others try to offer them
Is always causing pain

Love now is no more than a toy
To be found and lost
To be enjoyed and forgotten
Yet they never realise Love's true cost

It is an unmoving thing
Forged from Man's first thoughts
It always is and has forever been
Yet now it is debauched

We claim that we know what it is
And yet we have no clue
Unless of course we have sipped
The Love that comes from You

You are yet still pure of heart
And know of Love's true worth
For it was You, the Mighty Craftsman
Who first divined Love's birth

Love, deep, pure, irresistible and kind
There is nothing weak about it

It is stronger than any force of man
It is the greatest kind of magic
It is the weapon to defeat death

And the power bestowed upon even those most unworthy of possessing it
It is possessed of powers to bring happiness that no drink, not even the strongest wine can give you.
This is love.

It is not the polite affection of a man and woman strolling through the park.
'Tis not the simple kiss that has no pleasure
This is not a lukewarm relationship
It is pain
That you would rather die than see the one you love hurt

This is not a whitewashed kind of love that brings only worldly things
This is unearthly and unforeseen
Beyond all our hopes and dreams.
This is more even than one of Shakespeare's plays
Because it is real!
This is a passionate kiss between two lovers
This is love.

On a dark and frightening eve
When the clouds rolled in and the moon went black
Lay the body of an inocent man

Not a trace of fear could be seen on his blood stained face
Not a drop of his pure blood had been spilled without worth

Every sin and all wrongs were no longer our death sentence
As he had paid for our ransom with the holes in his hands and his feet

Wrapped in the clothes of the dead
Sealed in a tomb of stone
Rejoicing were the Angels in heaven
As the Son made His way home

But not for Long would he stay
For there on the third day
In the tomb of the dead
There lay no body at all

Our guilt and our shame were laid on the body of an inocent man
A man without guilt and without shame, a man who overcame death

Golden sun beams pierce through my clouds
Bringing every thought of self destruction to a complete and sudden stop

There is no longer any need to tear myself apart
The war of ages has begun to slow its pace

Perhaps in days unvisited yet by myself I will know the sensation of peace

Unlocking to secrets of my pasts
Will open up the gates of my future
Allowing me to grasp onto the golden promises of yesterday

The eagle screams and disturbs the peace of night
My sleep is interrupted by the fear of what tomorrow brings

But when the new day dawns a crisp and sun-flooded morn
I fear nothing anymore but the fear of fear itself

I run in the wake of my High King
Swept along by the waves of his grace
Each step is a bound
As I climb up the mountain on the road that leads to his place

I bask in the glory of my Lord
Weighed down by the weight of his love
Each breath is a milestone as I fly on the clouds to the city of his up above

I rest in the peace of my Father
Lulled by the song of his calm
Each verse is a kiss from his beautiful lips as he carries me home in his arms

In fields of red our soldiers sleep
Their souls in heaven for God to keep

Our freedom comes at such a cost
We will remember the lives they lost

An endless sleep brought on by war
We pray for peace forevermore

But we know a day will come
When we will call our brave and young

To take up arms and defend our land
So we ask for God's mighty hand

Our country's one full of free men
Because of thousands who'll never wake again

So as I watch the red sun set
I Whisper their names lest we forget

The music begins
Making me sway to its soft lullaby
I slip off my shoes and begin to dance
Led by my partner to the middle of the floor we begin a duet
The beat quickens and the rythem drums a tattoo on my heart as we swing around the room
Around and around until I forget where I am
Then the music slows and the violin strikes the last chord

Knowing the past
Living in the present
Hoping in the future

Growing from the past
Giving in the present
Creating the future

Learning from the past
Acting in the present
Preparing for the future

Everybody sees
The worst side of me
They always seem to find
A darker frame of mind
When I send them beauty
They only see the cruelty
When I give them love
They go ahead and break their hearts
And then they say that I am cruel
And that I don't play by any rules
But maybe it is time for you
To see the beauty I put on show
Look at the sky and see the birds
Look to the ocean and feel the waves
Walk through a forest of beauty
And know that I put it there for you

I hear the roar of the ocean
As the waves crash upon the shore
Dashing every hope and dream upon the the rocks' fatal jaw

Slashing through my every thought
And drowning out my screams
As the salty spray quenches my soul of all its heveanly dreams

The sand rubs against my skin until it rubs it raw
It causes me to weep and bleed and still it gives me more

Tossed and thrown about by the storm
As night descends like a shadowy beast
I tell my self to just hold on
Until the morning brings me peace

And when at last the morning dawns
And when at last the deadly wind ceases
I'm left stranded on the shores
Left to gather up the broken pieces

Every shatter torn up dream
Every broken bit of my past
To mend and salvage what I can
And make a future that will last

As I tend my wounds I look to the east
A new sun rises where the old can't cope
And a feeling starts building inside me
As at last I see the hope

Truth is a man of stone
No matter how we bend his words
He is the truth and he alone
We hack away at his heart with swords

We tell each other that he lies
That everything is relative
But our bendable "truth" soon dies
And leaves us dangerously adrift

Our relative truth Is flexible
That's what we want to some degree
But as the man of truth has told
The real truth will set us free

Saint valentine I thank you
For this day you helped create
It opens up our hearts
And might even change our fate

Perhaps that handsome stranger called
Or maybe your Best Friend
Possibly no one at all
But that doesn't make this the end

Love is there for everyone
But it comes in different shapes and forms
For some it's at first sight
For others twenty years

Or maybe you're one of those special
Girls or guys whose been chosen for
A different life

But I don't care about that so much
So I'll still say
Happy Valentine's Day!

I tried to stand but found
That the chains around my ankles
Kept me to the ground

I thought that I could tear
The bounds that trussed me up
But the pain I could not bear

I cried out in agony
Release me from these chains!
But no one came to rescue me

Then I looked back upon my life
And saw a deserted waste
Filled with hate and strife

Oh all the things a saw
Were worse than I could imagine
And all of it I bore

Then I closed my eyes in pain
The sight was too much for me
And regretted every chain

But regret was like a poison
An acid to my soul
It became my prison

I went to every doctor
but they told me only this
One cure exists, no more

That one cure they called love
I scoffed at that and laughed
There is no thing called love

But one day I lifted my face
And there before my eyes
Was a man they called him Grace

As I struggled with my loss
He bent down and kissed my cheek
And died upon a cross

And when his blood was spilled
It washed away my sin
And cleansed me of my guilt

Every time I look in your eyes
I see a thousand fireflies
Like a burning ember before it dies

Every time I look at you
I look through time at how you grew
And know that now you are renewed

Every time I look in your eyes
I see in you a hatred for lies
I see the colour of crystal skys

Like shadows in the moonlight
Or feathers in a nest
Like stars on a dark night
Or diamonds on her ivory chest
These things are settled, ment to be
You cannot change nor rid yourself thereof
They are still yet listless like a bird trying to get free
They whisper on the wind, their voices always soft
Such are the ghosts of my past
Not like misty beings but flesh and bone
Yet always here and gone so fast
That I know this world is not their home
They come when my mind us wondering
Or when I'm ill at ease
They always come when sounds arise of suffering
Or at the moment when they please
But unfriendly they are not
Nor are they unpleasant company
They walk with me on days that are hot
And when I'm lonely they talk to me in symphony
Like nightingales on summers eve
And tell me tales of times gone by
And how they measure time by trees
This was planted when born was I
They say in pleasant voices
And now it is a greater tree
And full of happy noises
And when they leave I still feel their company

Stars quench the thirst of my eyes
Every line and constellation on my heart I memorise  
They are the candles of the skies
And beyond them? Farther than that what there lies?

Sweet child whose face is pure light
Is there anything that still you want?
Frankincense and gold and myrrh
Are yours as well as all the earth
You came to rescue all of us
Your life you gave upon the cross
You are the perfect gift for us
On this day called Christmas

Man's greed is His noose
It entangles His heart
And when He keeps pulling
It pulls Him apart

As I went on in life
I started building havens
First out of sticks
But as time went by those sticks turned to stones
Walls of doubt and fear began to appear and close in around me
The stones turned to iron bars
And the rising walls trapped me in
Inside my head
Inside my own prison
The more I fought the stronger the barricade became
Then you came to me
My knight in shining armor
My king and my Friend
The love you had for me burned down the doubt and tore away the fear
Until I was a child holding up my arms to my Father for his strong embrace
You carried me home and I was never again alone with my fear

Leaving me behind in the shadows of my past
Time is being lost with every tick
Like the heartbeat of the universe
The clocks are calling to us
More followers have they
As our lives are being ruled by this cruelest of masters
Truly we are prisoners of our own invention
Grasped by the aged fingers of time herself
Each wrinkle a century gone by
Each blink is a lifetime
Her hair is grey with the ages
And her robes torn with war
But still her aged heart beats away in her heaving *****
Each breath represents a birth
And each sigh a lonely death

What is this?
Is this some cruel game and I am your pawn?
Can you move me around for your own gain?
Am I some shallow follower that is yours from dusk till dawn?
How is it that you feel justified by what you do even when it causes others pain?
You treat me like I'm less than nothing
But truly it is you and not I who is the lesser of the two
I am here for more than this
But you are nothing more than a shadow being

When I'm alone I dream of days lost In the many folds of Time's robes
Who's errors have been forgot but Who's joys have been replayed
When I'm sad I think of all those Friends I lost along the way
I think of how they shaped me
And made me who I am today
And I thank them all for leaving me
And for the room they made
They have left a legacy
That I cannot trade
They have written history
As history was made

The metaphor is the most powerful weapon at a poets fingertips
Besides the pen it is what gives life and meaning to the words
It is our fingerprint
It is our double edged sword

It gouges into meaning and extracts the bare minimum
Then it coils around it like a serpent
And squeezes the life from it onto our paper
Behold! The magic of the pen