Jumping and diving over rocks in a struggle for life. Magnificent creatures seeking to return to their place of birth. Noble creatures of bright and splendid colors fighting against the force of nature itself. Swimming to exhaustion, driven by some unseen force. From the cold waters of far inland rivers to deep oceans then back again. A course of life that is planned out by generations of selection through natures process of survival. Each fish must run it's course and finish where it started in order for it's species to survive.

Stranded in a barren desert, I wandered across the burning sand. I was lost and in desperation when I came upon a man. I asked if he could help me, he said no but I will show you where to go. He pointed towards the setting sun, so I tiredly walked on. After much labor, I began to lose my mind. I saw what I wasn't sure sitting what seemed miles away. I then stumbled into the massive object, with the fading light of day. I stepped back several paces to see what this thing was. It had the face of a man and body of a lion and looked so regal, that I stood in awe. Then I saw something move, it was part of the giants paw. I fell to the sand in fear, think I was done. Then I heard a voice say welcome to my home. Startled I stood up and the massive being said what do you think. It rose up on all four paws and gave it's head a shake. I replied that I am not sure, what am I supposed to think. I am very thirsty I said, can I have something to drink. As if by magic, a lovely maiden appeared. She brought me water and a cold beer then quickly disappeared. I gulped down the water and delightfully savored the beer. I smiled at the giant beast and wished him good cheer. I then went black and some hours later, I found myself inside a pyramid. In a magnificent room, covered in marble and gold. I woke up and tried to stand only to find I was naked and cold. I wrapped a sheet around myself and I am happy to report, that I wasn't in ancient Egypt but had found Luxor's casino and resort. I put on a hotel robe and called some one the phone. It was long until a nice you man came up with my laundered clothes. I ask him with a puzzled look, what had happened to me. He answered with a great big smile and a great amount of glee. He said that our staff found you out back of the resort. You were lying on the ground between our icons feet. A waitress said you had ordered a few drinks then passed right on out. I asked about the giant statue and why it talked to me. The young man we get that a lot when our visitors have had too much to drink. So I lie here pondering a hanger over and massive bar bill I think, as I try to solve the riddle of the Luxor Sphinx.

Oh how your hair is swept in the wind. Your brown braids flutter in the breeze. Walking in warm sand forgetting our cares, I am trapped by your smile. My heart has been swept up by your love, as the waves of the ocean sweeps a boat out to sea. I am lost in a moment that I am not sure I can leave. I hold your hand and feel as I never want to leave. In a brief time, I have know what it is to be in love, but it will soon turn to loss. The summer is short and our time will not last. The forces that will tear us apart cannot be controlled, because we are so young and in love.

Under a mid-day sun, I walked among the tombstones. I saw the markers with the names of the fallen. Under a tall tree, I sat down in the shade and drifted off to sleep. My mind became free of all it's clutter. Before me I saw the cemetery where I had just been, among the monuments, I saw the images of men and women standing side by side. They all turned and looked toward me then up to the flag that flew above them. They saluted and stood tall with pride. I walked up to a soldier and ask him what this means? He turned with a click of his heels and said come with me. We walked through images of past battles and wars, then down streets and through school yards. We went through nursing homes and churches of every faith, all in what seemed the blink of an eye. As I awoke, I saw the fading images of the honored dead, and I came to understand. Each soul that had fallen, was ready to have given all to ensure the freedom the solider showed me.

Water falls from the sky when the ground is parched or nature needs to weep. The rain can be clear or silver, or perhaps grey or white. It depends on how the light catches, or on how nature feels. The water was once pure, then we had a hand in it. Now sometimes the rain can even be black. The rain is part of the life cycle of all things. People and nature alike depends on it, so the color of the rain can tell a lot about what affect the things that we do will have on the way things live.

I wake up with a hang over and I haven't been drinking. I am sick at my stomach because I haven't eaten. The wounds are healing on my wrist, but I keep wanting to lay them open. I am not sure what is wrong with me, still I keep hoping. I look for answers but I find little to make me feel alive. No matter what I try, I am still sad inside. The day wears on, one into the next. Most are horrible make me want to give up. What I wouldn't give for just one lousy day.

When you feel that your past cannot be forgotten and the shame of it brings you down. God does not remember the things that were covered, he only sees the blood. When you stumble and fall and think how can I come back again. If you repent for what you have done, he only sees the blood. When others persecute you and question all you believe, hold fast to his mercy for he only sees the blood. What was past has been washed away, and will be remembered by God no more. For all of your sins are forgiven when you seek his mercy, for he only sees Christ blood.

Presenting a life of service and humility. Seeking wisdom and knowledge to help others. Giving selflessly to help another person. Asking not for praise or repayment for giving of yourself. Being strong and pursuing justice, while showing the presence of faith in things that are unseen. Speaking words of hope to those who have lost it. Living a life that is a measure of God's mercy that all me see his love.

On the porch of a weather worn house, sits a creak old rocking chair. It moves slightly when a good breeze blows and you can hear it speaking ever so slowly. It tells a tell of aged grand parents rocking a new born babe. It tells of many a night spent staring at the stars, while holding someone you love close. The chair is a silent witness to many a times that have gone by. For the good or the bad, it is a place still that brings me home and reminds me of what home is to me.

Accept my way or die. They are to blame for your problems. God loves me and hates you. These are the messages that are delivered everyday. These are the things that our children hear and see, ignorance and intolerance, close mindedness and bigotry. Blaming ones neighbor for our poor decisions. Saying that what another has is ours by some imagined right. These are the messages that stir up strife. These are the words that people use to create divisiveness. These are the tools of the messengers of hate.

After all other ways have fail. When violence and anger accomplish nothing. When the drugs can no longer **** the pain. What is left out there? In a state of hopelessness, a wear soul contemplates the unthinkable. What is one less person they think. In that moment of desperation, a glimmer of hope sparks to life. A kind word or a gesture is remembered. The seed of hope has been sewn, perhaps in an inadvertent way. By someone who speak of Jesus, or did his command. Kindness has opened the door where hope was lost and shown that perhaps there is another path.

As the sun rises and the world awakens, a host of new possibilities are realized. The night has passed and the weariness of yesterday has been shed. Tired eyes awaken to the sounds of life anew. The script has not been written as to what might occur. The day is a blank slate waiting for someone to set the scene. Embrace the morning and all of the promise that it brings.

Wisp of smoke walking in plain sight of others. We cast only a faint shadow as we float along. We are living in a thin veil of reality. We pretend that our lives have purpose and focus, when in truth many of us never know our true purpose. So why the pretense of trying to be what we are not comfortable with. Our existence is a vapor inside a mirage, that lives in a snow globe that is shaken often by circumstance and fate. We are simply pieces in a puzzle that never quite fits together unless you reshape the pieces. So we live on wisp of smoke, in a false reality. We are but ghost of ourselves.

If I give someone a dollar, and they buy something to eat. They will not be hungry. If I pray for someone and God blesses them, they may prosper and help another. If I show a stranger kindness, then they pass it on, a chain of humanity is formed. In all of these things there are unseen effects to the simplest of things that we can do for one another.

Our outer self is just an illusion. We keep pretense to guard our feelings and our true beliefs. Nothing is as it appears, we hide behind the façade. If were to be totally honest with ourselves and others, how would the world really be?

The world is filled with chaos and there is apathy. Brotherly love seems to have been forgotten as we fight amongst ourselves. Though all seems to be lost, there is yet another way. It was set into motion before time began. The fall of heavenly beings made it a necessity. God knew man would fall so he came up with a plan. A way of salvation, through the sacrifice of the son of man. Gods one begotten would pay the price, for all of our sins, he would be sacrificed. So when you see the world in turmoil, just open God's word and understand. Despite all of the doubt and confusion, God has a plan.

Walk carefully and mind yourself, for you are in a place where winged creatures fly and breathe fire. Mighty roars echo off of mountains and through out canyons. Rivers run deep and scaled creatures swim in them leaving havoc in their wake. Empty caves are filled with colorful scales where a dragon spent time shedding it's skin. All things seem to be an illusion, until something with a spiked tail, rips the trees in front of you apart. Truly you go flush and see terror, only to hear a playful laugh, at the dragon toys with you for fun, then flies away to find other amusement. You are more of a curiosity than a meal, as you would equate a bite of a snack. You shudder and come to know this is real, you are the land of dragons.

I speak for what I believe. I seek to right that which is wrong. Many will oppose me and seek to silence what I have to say. I will find those who think like me and I shall be empowered. Together we shall seek to make others aware. With one voice we shall speak and seek to make a change. Some of us may fall by the wayside and others may be persecuted. What ever the cost, I have a voice and I and others like me will be heard.

Weeks of planning are coming to fruition. A vision of loveliness waits in the bride chamber. Caterers and florist, musicians and maids of honor all come together to make this moment special. The guest are seated in order of importance and the groom waits with his best men. The brides maids in their unflattering dresses, wait to escort the princess for a day to her betrothed. The music begins to play and chaste flower girls in small white reflections of the bride come forward with baskets of flower petals. The stage is set for a marriage made somewhere. The room rises as the starlet makes her appearance, such a sight to behold. Mean while the groom takes one more quick nip form a bottle hidden in his coat pocket. This is it here comes the bride.

String bikini's have replaced over coats, flip flops have replaced furry boots. The sun rises higher in the sky and stays longer. The warm trade winds come in from the ocean and the smell of barbecue fills the air. There is no question that winter is gone and summer time is here.

At last the guns are silent, the last soldier has fallen. The ground is covered in the remains of the dead. Two countries could not resolve their problems peacefully, so swords were drawn in anger, now many that have paid the price, are finally at rest. Their bodies are collected, letters are written to their families. The courage of their sons and daughters is made known. A day is set aside to honor the fallen, but will it truly change anything. The dead have no knowledge of the life they left behind. The families are left with memories and a hollow space to fill. While an honor guard is all that salutes them, as they are silently laid to rest. How much more precious blood must be spilled.

Treasure can purchase so many material things, food, lands, and even so called friends. Though these things might joyful, the will soon fade away. For there are things more precious, that can't be purchased at any price. A few moments with a parent, cooking in the kitchen. Watching grandchildren play to your amusement. The chance to help someone you don't even know. One more moment of cherishing someone before they have to go. So when someone tells you that the pursuit of treasure is how you should spend your life, just remember the most precious things that money cannot buy.

See the Silver moon rise and watch the waters rise. Feel the cool earth beneath your feed at the ground slightly swells. Jump and prance to the sound of a Reed Flute as nature is celebrated. Bathe in the shimmering light of the lunar ascension and see fair maidens at play. Embrace the lesser light and revel in it's coming. Behold the celebration and the adoration of the heavenly bodies that give rise to celebration and bring a calm peace to the night.

Colors don't seem just right and words are not in the right place. Beauty is not what it should be. What others call ugly, the distorted views of the angry mind call normal. Looking through skewed ideals, the distortions make sense only to the person from whom they originate. The ways of the people who live in the shadows and on the fringes of society are often shunned and feared. Many of these person who hold problems inside, just want to be understood. Not all are monsters, some are just different and think in different ways. Only when we stop and look through the prism of their ideas, can we begin to understand the twisted mind of anothers soul.

I will walk in the way he gave me, I will show love and mercy. I will let my life bear a resemblance to what he did. I will seek to give and not take. I will become what he said I should be. Though I have human failings, I will pray for his guidance. I will ask for strength when I am weak and I will speak of him when ever I am able. To the first work I will be faithful and in all things I will persevere. Even when the world rejects me, I shall lean on him and hold to the nail scarred  hands. I will be a witness for Christ.

Block out the background noise and turn to the person in front of you. Put down the cell phone and turn it off. Stop the tweets and emojies put an end to the endless updates. Look at the person you are with and hear what they have to say. Do not talk and do not interrupt, for a single moment be silent and just listen. Hear what they actually have to say, see their emotions what ever they may be. Feel something for your friend or the stranger that is talking to you, just listen.

Many seek the meaning of their existence. They study philosophy and history but cannot find a purpose. In truth the greatest thing any person can do is show a concern for others. Having a willingness to give of yourself even if it is a small thing, is of great importance. Many feel hopeless and helpless but if they know that others care, then the seed of hope will be planted and they can live a better life.

People decry inequality, but they fail to sit and realize that life does not discriminate. While people may be bias, life is not. Life can be equally cruel to the rich and the poor. Life can be ******* persons of color an on those who are white. Many scream about one group being privileged over another, but tragedy knows no lines. Money does not mitigate sorrow and life does not care about status. Death is the great equalizer, just as all will age. All these things are aspects of life that cannot be blamed as being biased, for life is color blind, it affects all of us equally.

Plagues ravaged the earth and millions were lost. Ideologies became futile and new ideas arose. Brighter minds performed miracles of science and enlightenment became the way of understanding. With the vestiges of old paradigms falling away, the heavens open up to receive the children of creation. The confines of one world is no longer our prison. People have become children of the stars as vast new worlds came into focus. Want is but a bad memory and good health and fortune are available to all. The old generations have faded and new eyes see equality. Belief systems are nothing more than personal philosophies to be debated and not fought over. Power has been given to live beyond the limits of the old mortality and the mind has been opened to it's full potential. At last the children of the old world have found their place in the cosmic puzzle. The ascension of humanity has begun.

Covered in the darkest silk robes with lace gloves and silver chains adorning her face. Walking with footsteps that quietly echo like the brushing of stone from a sweeping broom. Her presence elicits both awe and fear! Her form moves beneath her dark veil , every motion is an inviting temptation to seduction. Her pail skin and dark lips offer a sense of foreboding. Her piercing eyes are full of longing, and the thoughts of wicked pleasures yet unknown. Many long to feel the sharpness of her Ebony nails, but few dare to try. For she is a dark mistress bound to a cruel and unforgiving lord, who does not like to share such peculiar treasures filled with other worldly delights.

When I give a glass of water to some who thirst, let the glory be God's. When I sew a seed of hope, let the glory be God's. When I answer a friends call for help in the midnight hour, let the glory be God's. In all things that I do that are worthy of honor and praise, let the glory be God's.

Let the light be taken away from the night and let your radiance outshine the sun. The celestial bodies are of no compare to you. The light of your love blinds me and you walk with footsteps as light a summer breeze. I long to hold you and to feel the warmth that your love projects. Flowers bloom in your presence and lives are changed because you have passed by. To know you is to love you and to be placed under your spell. You have stolen the moon from the heavens and replaced it with your smile.

I know that I am not the same as all of the others, I have a different point of view. I don't like showing my true self, because I will be criticized. I try to find others like me, but it is hard you see. To open up my emotions and expose who I truly am is a great risk. When I do find a kindred spirit, someone who acts and thinks like me, it makes my heart jump, could this be the one, for I just want love you see.

My life is a piece of unmolded clay sitting on a wheel. I am not sure where I will go or what I will be. I sit patiently and wait for my life to take shape. With each passing day I seek to learn more. I study and pray for guidance. In each moment I strive to be better, looking forward to the day when I am complete. As Jesus slowly molds me, through his spirit and discipleship, I am becoming a worthy vessel for his habitation, as I am shaped by the potters hands.

It is almost surreal, the whole day became black and white. An echo could be heard for miles, or so it seemed to me. Standing in the grasp of stark reality, I fell to pieces. Like a building cracking under the pressure of a massive explosion. The force with which you shattered my world, would have made all war unnecessary, it flew into a million bits in one moment. The mind numbing pain that I felt from the white hot reality of your betrayal, could not be equated by anything in the normal sense. I could only feel the fusion of shock and disbelief as all of my realities melted and I was forced to reel from the emotional bomb you dropped on my heart the day you told me you no longer loved me.

Once there was a stony garden, where nothing grew at all. The dirt and rocks lay dusty and forgotten. Then one night a man came there to pray, his tears fell like rain. In great distress, he unburdened his soul until they came and took him away. At the place where he had knelt, his tears had soaked the ground, it all seemed in vain some would say. They took the man away and the let him die, then they placed him in the cold, cold earth. For 3 days he was mourned, then on the morning of the next day, they found his grave was empty. On that very same morning, at the dawning of first light, a passer by happened on a remarkable thing. From the ground where the tears had fallen, a vine had sprung up over night. The vine clung to the rock upon which the man leaned and it used it to climb up to the sun. The as by a miracle the plant exploded in magnificent blooms and Roses bloomed in the barren garden. Now there garden is still there and the mans memory has gone from that place, but every year the roses bloom. It's vines run far and wide in this once barren place, because the Rose of Sharon once bloomed in this garden place.

I saw a luscious looking berry just hanging from a vine. I thought I would pick it quick and just be on my way. Little did I expect what was laying in wait, behind gorgeous Green leaves, where the berry waited to be pricked, were rows of unsightly thorns, wanting to give me a stick. So in my hurried anticipation, I reached into to claim my prize, then I winced as tears filled my eyes. So just remember this lesson, when you curse at the fruit you would have enjoyed, check behind the foliage first because Briars do have thorns.

The floral arrangements will be lovely when they lay me to rest. The mourners will be very somber and waiting to pay their respect. The casket will be lain open for all the world to see. Alas, life has finally gotten the better of me. There will be plenty of tissues for those who choose to weep and for those who snicker at my demise, there will be free drinks at my wake, but before anyone gets a sip or sheds a single tear. I will bid my own farewell as I eulogize myself. Attendance will be mandatory if you want to be in my will. I will not take a lot of time, just a few choice words will I have to say, but by the end of my own sermon, where I speak my mind. Some of those in attendance will be surprise and others will say that's just about right. So all I ask if a few moments of your time, then some of you will inherit my stuff and others can get drunk on my dime. For after I eulogize, myself, I want all to have a good time.

I once lived as if there were no tomorrow. I didn't care what I did. I thought this moment was all that there was. I was lost and foolish, I could not see the truth. I was without hope as so many are. I struggled to find the answers to a burning question I had inside. Nothing I tried would could give me peace. It wasn't until I one day found Jesus, that I finally was given rest. I came to know the truth. I was broken and couldn't fix myself, I had to empty out my soul. In a moment of utter shame, my sins were lifted away. That was the day he pardoned me.

I take a pill to sleep, I take one to stay awake. I drink coffee and take in nicotine. Your memory still haunts me and I can't get you out of my head. I need a pill just to focus on my day. I am not sure what else I can do, I am a mess without you. I can't even drink your memory away.

Born in the heavenly spires, but brought low by mortal love. Wanting to stay in the ethereal realm, but caught in the intoxication of mortal paradise. Oh what could bring a celestial being to give up eternity for mortality? The simplest of human failings, the desire to be with the one who has stolen your heart.

Brisk are the winds that blow on the seas. Raise now the sails and cast out upon the white waves into the deep blue sea. Look lively and trim the jib, pull back on the wheel and set the rudder true. Remember the last night and the dark hair maiden that stole your heart and a few coins from your purse. Hold fast as we break forth into the unknown. Looking to a star to guide us, off we go for fortune and glory. Farewell to our native home and look clear eyed, fasten the anchor tight. It will be a long journey and many a lonely night before we see dark haired maidens or drink good ale again.

Surrender to the inner self and open the minds eye. Meditate quietly on a serene place. Release your physical bonds and let the mind wander. Look to the serenity and beyond your place of focus. See all that is possible and receive ideas from the open spaces beyond the restraints of the physical world. Ascend to the heavens and see the birth of a new star and the ending of an old one. Cry for the beauty of both, realizing that their span of life is only a small part of the fabric of creation as you wander among celestial bodies. You are a free spirit taking flight and discovering secrets that lay hidden from those to focused on the physical world and it's trappings to under stand the reality of what is waiting for those who are willing to seek it out.

Open your mind to endless possibilities. Challenge the things you believe. Listen to another argument than your own. Learn new things and do not be set in your ways.

Moving on past the hurt and anger, seeking inner peace. After suffering through violent storms and the turmoil of life, you now seek redemption. At first you must lay aside all guilt and hateful intentions . Then you must stare into the mirror and take a close look at yourself. For in order to reach safe harbors and still waters, you must first forgive yourself,and then others in order to move on and find peace.

In quiet moments of the day, take time to pray. In the sleepless night, take time to pray. When all seems lost, take time to pray. When you are doing well, take time to pray. For no particular reason at all, take time to pray. In all things be grateful and take time to pray.

Opening wisdom to the light. Laying down words into pages of tomes yet to be read. Brothers and sisters of the scribes trade, poets and story tellers alike. All bound by a union of pen and ink. Essence flows from their pens. Recording ideas for posterity or scribing out words for entertainment of others. All who hold a quill for the purpose of reciting or creating written words or prose are in the same order. A collaboration of written ideas and keepers of knowledge. Each writing on pages of enlightenment for others to read and enjoy.

Pens have been silenced and quills no longer spew forth words. Chirps, tweets and post have taken the place of polite communication. Letters are now seen in a museum and one blurb can be around the world in a moment. Oh how it grieves the soul to see the art of relating diminished to nothingness. Were Shakespeare to see the folly, he would shake his head in disbelief. Samuel Clemens might lay down his pen and return to a river boat captains ways. Lord Byron would lament and Mr. Poe would brood in a dark and morbid way. What shall become of the future generations, who have lost their way. To even be able to form two coherent sentences may be too much to ask of them. Oh how do you mourn the death of the written word?

Grey and Silver clouds come down from the mountains and bring fog into the valleys. Rain pours down and creates temporary streams in dry gullies. Puddles form in potholes along the driveway and the roadway. The earth drinks in as much water as it can hold, then spews out what it can't take in. The air is cool and damp as I wrap myself in a wool blanket and look at the trees dripping silvery drops off of their limbs. While others see nothing but darkness and gloom, I see beauty and cleansing. While the air may be cold and things may get damp, water like faith is the essence of life. At times both are invisible, but often manifest themselves in a flood of abundance. So I take joy in the rain, knowing that it will help the earth bring forth fruit. That is why there is no ordinary rainy day.

On a path straight and true, I walk each day. Often I carry burdens and find fallen souls along the way. There are often temptations of a quicker way to go, but I know what end lies down a different road. So I will labor onward in the narrow way. Each footstep is toward a sure victory at the end of the day. In the masters path I will follow all the way, praying for his strength and guidance while walking the narrow way.