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

To all the friends I lost along the way
It was you who shaped me into who I am today

You made me happy and when you left I was sad
But now I look back on you, I don't think our parting was so bad

You left a legacy within me
And now I can become who I'm meant to be

I couldn't have done so without you
And I hope you think the same too

Our paths may never cross again
But since I met you my life has never been the same

And now I wonder where you are
And I hope that from where we met you have traveled far

I know that you are changing people's lives
And so I search into my heart archives

And there I find the love I used to feel for you
And then I see a light, a tiny spark of blue

The love is still alive because of all you've done
And so I search for another special someone

To take a place in my heart
But there is still a small locked up part

Where the spark of love I have for you
Can never die and never bloom

Until the day that we may meet again
Whether on earth or in heaven

Now I sign this letter and say
I love you! To all the friends I lost along the way.

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.

We're all actors just looking for the right costume
We're all puppets just looking for the right strings
We're all clowns just looking for the right masks
We're all rabbits just looking for the right holes
We're all people just trying to fit in

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

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.

In our back yard there's a big big tree we like to call him Chest he's a chestnut tree and he really is the best, and in that big old tree is a little fat robin with a bright red breast and with that little robin is his mate and his nest! And that is the story of our big tree Chest he's a chestnut tree and he really is the best!

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

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 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!

You knew what would happen
I'm sure of that
I heard the scraping as you sharpened
I saw the knives
But the blinding smile you always flashed
It always fooled me
But that day I remember as good as ash
Bleak and useless
You stung me to the very core
The pain was acute
I couldn't bare it anymore
But then I saw a bird of white
So small I almost missed it
It was then I grasped at hope and began to fight

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

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

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

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

What I was never brave to say
I never meant to hurt you
I know the pain you felt that day
I wish I could turn back time
But the cogs of the clock don't work that way
I wish I could undo all the wrong
But I hear you have a different tune to play
I never meant those dreadful lies
But I thought I would hurt you anyway
So I'd better do it now so you'd know
That I hurt those close to me afraid that they won't stay
Everyone abandons me unless I hurt them first
But I realise I only hurt more that way
So can you ever forgive me?
I hope it isn't too late to say
I'm sorry for the lies I told that day

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

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

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.

Mending broken teacups
Mending shattered glass
A little spot of glue for here
A little more to make it last
But can I ever fix what matters most
Is it possible to mend a broken heart
Probably impossible like mending broken promises
I wish there was a way of mending broken pasts
Like trying to keep a cloud together
Or making forms from dust
But there is a God out there who made impossible work
Once you believe in him impossibilities start
First he forgives you
Forgives all of your messed up past
Then he starts to work on us
And mends our broken hearts

Water does not help a bird like it helps a fish

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

Faith
It holds me up
It keeps me on my feet
It is steadfast and sturdy
It keeps my head above the
Waves of doubt that wash over
It bears me up on its strong shoulders
And when all else is lost I find my faith
It is imoveable and capable of much
Once developed my faith can never flee
It flies on wings of fire that can never let me down
But is not just any faith, but the faith in the one who made me
The one who knows my name
The one who loves me dearly
That can withstand the trails.

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

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

My life before my eyes saw you
Was dark and empty and like a dying coal
My heart was hard and burdened with rue
My blood was cold from my dying soul
I had my things and friends 'tis true
But the happiness from stuff grows old
From whence happiness came I never knew
The only thing I felt was the creeping cold
Joy seemed to me as like a bird, in it came and out it flew
"Things always get better" I was told
But it seemed that to happiness was an everlasting queue
Some said to take a risk and risk being bold
Was all it took, as well as risking my life too
But I cringed and tried to hide in gold
Surely happiness From wealth was due?
Then I felt myself squeezed into a mould
And that was when my eyes saw you.

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

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

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

The greatest mystery left unsolved
No science no logic knows
As the great mystery now unfolds
The phantom known as love

The children know it but can't prove
No one on earth could lose
The greatest cure for all men's ills
The phantom known as love

It's in our hearts and in our souls
But can't be touched or moved
It's there for all eternity
The phantom known as love

It's often said its all we need
And though that we cannot prove
Without it we are shadow beings
The phantom known as love

It is the key to happiness
It is a gift from above
It's been here longer than you know
The phantom known as love

White lady of the lake what makes you oh so Devine?

Sitting there in the water like earths own sweetest daughter!
Into thy silver throne where now thou sit thy silken leaves all dusky around thee knit.

White lady of the lake what makes you oh so Devine?

She sits in water colour rich as wine. Her golden crown sits on her head glinting in the sun giving her all the glory of one.

White lady of the lake what makes you oh so Devine?

She sits in winter water with a wavy shawl of vine, waiting for the sun to come light the sky all up. Waiting for the sun to come fill her silver cup.

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.

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

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?

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

She calls to me while I'm sleeping
She cries to me for help
And yet for the many souls in her keeping
Who was there to help?
I look on her with wary eyes
Her form of curving blue
Her hair like billowing clouds of sky
And wish that if only I knew
What dark and dreadful deeds she Keeps hidden in her depths
And wonder where her heart could be
And how she justifies so many deaths
And yet it is her song of sorrows that lulls my mind to sleep
And so I leave in her care all my secrets to keep
And now and then I hear in her waves The softest sounds of happiness
And wonder if the children gave
Their laughter to her sadness

I can't handle this kind of pain anymore
It's so repetitive like the waves kissing the seashore
It's so deep like the pearls lying on the sea's floor    
It's like a thousand years of this or more
Will rip open the wounds I had before
I can't close my eyes without seeing the expression you wore
And when I see it I can feel your hands as they tore
My heart aches but this pain is worse than any I ever bore
I can't handle this kind of pain anymore

Christmas means many things
When I think of Christmas I think of light
The great star that lit up all the night

The candles that shed their warm glow over the face of our Lord
And the greatest light who came to earth for love's great fight

And when I think of Christmas I think of pretty things
I think of tinsel and of wreathes and Christmas decorations

I think of all the lighted windows
and all the scarlet berries hidden in the snow

And when I think of Christmas I think of warming hearths
I think of many things along many of thoughts paths

But most of all the miracle that made the cold depart
Because of Jesus Christ, Christmas thaws the heart

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

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

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

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