Number the buds on a sun-starved bough
wound tight and waiting to breathe
wrung in a shell of perpetual dusk
sealed with a frozen key.

The splintered shaft betrayed my Lord
who wore my darkest shame
hung bare upon His laden chest
as He gasped and sighed my name.

Hour by hour, the weight of His blood
dissolves my tattered pride
and kindles the shoots of newborn trust
that scatter by His side.

“My child”, He pleads, “Come shadow my steps
where shivers melt away.
The steady strains of home grow near.
Come rest, the price is paid.”

Lord, tell me how each snip of snow
that melds into the glass
can tip-toe by your ear and drum
a low sigh on your lap.

It waltzes to the cracking roof
that guards a drafting barn
where you lay two thousand years before
in mottled swathes of yarn.

A brush against a splintered beam
will splotch its frozen cape
with drops of ruby warmth that blot
the mold of every flake.

Lord, show me how your full, rich blood
can thaw a heart stung stiff
and craft a child all your own
held strong in mercy’s lift.

When the lone gull fiddles in the dune grass
to the chatter of light on the tide
come whittle the hours by the water's edge
where a palette of wonder hides.

Watch as a watercolor sharpens the sky
on the crest of the ripening day
a snippet of eternity
that filters through the haze.

As hands of age betray their touch
where the shoreline chips and bends
so grain by grain the Savior sculpts
the lives He spurs and mends.

Our footprints melt beneath the spray
in concert with the Lord...
old marks forgotten, chiseled clean
simplicity restored.

Pocket the morning's steady drum
and frame it in your soul.
Run breathless down the dwindling coast
'til the dizzy world winds to a stroll.

Icy flames erupt upon
a rolling sea of slate
to etch into the trampled shore
a spineless, whirling gate.

White claws of foam will ****** their prey
and melt upon the sand
to sputter forth an endless roar
that tumbles from their hands.

The Lord will hear my windblown pleas
and catapult the door
transforming fear to thrilling hope
emerging from my core.

A lingering beacon swells in song
to kiss the evening's wings
an amber-gold reflected sun
beneath the ocean's ring.

A world long lost among the shadows of despair
emerges, beaming with new found hope.
Our souls, disconnected and searching for truth
stand no longer alone on a frayed, broken rope.
Our eyes lay unopened, unable to see
through the blindness engulfing our lives
but our own deadly sins faced a turbulent battle
when Jesus came and died.

Atop a lonely hillside drenched with the bitter perfume of death
stood the cross of trembling fear
awaiting salvation's quest.
The distant horizon kissed the day good-bye
fading out of sight
draping the sunset on the long-gone memories
creating a vision of light.

As dusk fell over the flourishing garden
in a moment all too soon
the piercing truth cut deep inside
by the light of the faithful moon.
Gazing up at the sapphire sky
falling down to pray,
Jesus called out to God
with His heart filled with sorrow
for strength for tomorrow's dark day.

With a kiss of betrayal came a violent arrest,
the convictions of the crowd's mighty roar.
He bore bravely the unrelenting burden of sin
that would dominate our hearts nevermore.

"Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" His tormentor's yelled,
His clothes bloodstained and torn.
"Hail, King of the Jews!" came the cruel, heartless shouts,
deeply wounding His head, a crown of thorns.

Nailed to a cross of merciless torture
enduring excruciating pain
He hung there in silence and humiliation
burning with undeserved shame.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?"
He cried out to the heavens above
as He took on the sin of our wretched world
with an eternal abundance of love.

He could have saved Himself right then and there
and ascended into the sky,
but He chose instead to save our unworthy souls
accepting His destiny to die.

When the hour had come and befallen the earth
and the voices of angels were heard
His labored breath grew shorter still
as He whispered His final words...
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know
what they are doing to me".
And with one last breath, as He slipped away
He fulfilled our father's dream.

His deepest sacrifice touches us all
with an incomparable gift.
In our hearts forever stands
the cross of salvation's lift.
A symbol of mercy
of undying grace
a truth of which we must never lose sight.
A message of undefeatable love
a promise of eternal life.

Nighttime falls
Revealing a glimpse
Of the rising darkness
As the sunshine slips
Into the vast realm of nothingness
Frozen in time
As the rich, tranquil tones
Illuminate the sky…
Contrasting the glow of the twinkling stars,
The bold brilliance, of Jupiter, Venus, and Mars.
Ascending into the wonders beyond our limited picture of life
The wondering moon lifts us up to the sky
Soaring to reach new heights
A glimmering gleam of magic
A shimmering beam of hope
A glance at the world through the eyes of God
His truth shining all aglow
The silent song of nightfall,
The music of the sky
Remind us all that night never lasts,
And at break of dawn, whispers good-bye
With incomparable silent splendor
And a voice of courage and strength
The fiery lantern embraces the earth
And smiles through the darkness again
A reflection of inspirational beauty,
A promise of tomorrow’s light
A vision of Heaven’s harmony
A lullaby that greets the night.

Yesterday's shadows called me back
beyond the dooryard lane
trodden with laughter that swings through the years
on nature's windowpane.

A seed of mercy cracks the earth
tangled with neglect
a letter spun from heaven's heartbeat
swallowing my debt.

The startled shoots of dormant faith
tremble at morning's first blush
and choke the frozen roots of fear
beneath the Savior's touch.

The infant leaf unwraps its strength
ransomed by the Lord
and thrusts away its broken bonds
abandoned to His Word.

I'll tarry by the feet of Jesus
carried by the cross
that sprouts a crown of matchless grace
for all who wander lost.