Is it the "not knowing" that restrains us
Fear and what we precieve as failure or rejection
We know we should not harbor such goods
But still we carry the heavy cargo

We would like to push it all overboard
Watch fear sink till it fades from our sight
Knowing in our heart it is gone
Forever laid to death in the darkness of the deep

We tell ourselves
Trust and take that first step
We will never know what can be
Until we walk across the unseen bridge of faith

I know I carry this burden unnecesarily
In my heart is the knowledge I am held in Gods embrace
But fear causes my eyes to refuse to see
That great things wait at the other end of the bridge.

In these long hot days of summer
The heat , it beats me down
As the ground it lies cracked and dry
And the grass is dead and brown

The rays of the summer sun
Reach down and touch the earth
Causing me to seek the shade of a tree
Knowing now its worth

Summer is also a beautiful time
As we are warmed by the light of the sun
But I count the days of summer away
Until at last the summer is done

Then, that season for which I yearn
That season which nature in her time will call
And I with anticipation await
With joy, the arrival of fall

Trees
Barren limbs
Dead leaves fly
Cool breath of God

RLB

My mind cannot comprehend
The quickness of the speed
Of time as it passes
As more of time we need

The sun rises up each morning
And a day anew begins
Then the sun will set
And the day anew, it ends

The morning came so silent
As a promise new and stark
Then silently disappeared
Into the black of dark

Another day to quickly gone
Now the days have turned to years
With more behind than ahead
And eyes now dimmed with tears

Life comes to each as a raging flame

It dances and it flashes

Then as quickly as it came

Our life is turned to ashes .

Moments mirror a locomotive
Moving swiftly upon the rail
Or a ship of war upon the sea
Gliding by wind and sail

They are ever racing forward
To meet the end of day
Even there they do not rest
Till they have met the grave

Then the many traveled miles
Will become but a faded scene
Then for forgiveness you did or did not give
You will never have the chance again

The moments will always quickly flee
Carrying us closer to that time of rest
When we can no more speak or do
Because our heart lies still within our chest

James 4:14
.........You are a mist that appears for a little while
and then vanishes away.

Each and every step
Lays etched within the grain
Each step so different
Yet each one is the same

Now the soles of home bound feet
Can no more pass through open door
And they can no more leave
Their imprints within the floor

For now must be left behind
These floors with stories replete
Of life's laughter and life's tears
Floors that bend and crack and speak

RLB

All my yesterday's now,
Gone,
I held them but for a short time,
So many in my yesterday's I loved now,
Untouchable,
I held them but for a short time,
So much joy and laughter in my yesterday's ,now,
Unheard,
I heard it but for a short time,
We were a close family in my yesterday's, now,
Separated,
Close by physical presence for a short time,
Though separated we are bound by love now,
Eternally ,
To be reunited one by one.

RLB

If today I speak
A word that is unkind
I ask that you forgive
Because my thought was blind

If I do not help
When I see you are in need
I ask that you forgive
For this from you I plead

If I see you shed a tear
Which I help you not to dry
I ask that you forgive
If I walk on by

If I speak slanderous words
About you that are not true
I ask that you forgive
That I spoke lies of you

If I cause you pain
And sorrow within your heart
I ask that you forgive
That I hurt that tender part

Whatever I do this day
That hurts another's soul
I ask that you forgive
That I might learn and grow

I do these things each day
And hurt my fellow man
I ask the question why
For I do not understand

Knowing that as such
As I have done to the least of these
I have done it Lord
Done it unto thee

Matthew 25:40

Forgivenes
Never
Given,
Transforms,
Becoming
An
Albatross
Of
Weig­hted
Anxiety.

Morning pristine
Slate clean
Day untarnished

RLB

Hi there Moma
It's your one and only son
How are things in heaven
Are you having a lot of fun

All here is good Moma
Except I guess you know
We get a little sad sometime
Because you had to go

We think about you often
Well, really all the time
And how good things must be
Now that you are fine

Today's your birthday Moma
Are you going to celebrate
With Jesus and everyone
Did Grandma bake you a cake

I won't keep you long Moma
On this your special day
I just wanted to write
And tell you
Happy Birthday!


I wrote this in remembrance of my beautiful mother who now calls heaven home and Jesus her neighbor. I love you Moma as much today as I did when you were here. I cannot wait to see you.
This world was made a better place on Feb 21 1945 and then you left for that perfect place on June 27 2005
For 63 years your smile brought comfort to all who were blessed to have known you.
Love you Moma
Your number one son
Robbie Lee

Since the day of the first created man
When the initial breath of life was given
The bell of time has continually rang
For the ones now gone and those still living

One by one echo the rings
Deep within the ears of living men
Then comes the moment they are no more heard
For the bell has stopped to ring not again

Each time the bell  of time rings out
That ring is lost forevermore
Becoming just an echo in the past
A dying ring that sounds no more

Each living soul hears the bell
And each ring we hear we claim as mine
All men past and present and those to come
Are the ones for whom tolls the bell of time

Faint
Retreating
Ignominious
Embers of;
Never
Disturbing
Shadows

A horseshoe made of iron
Strikes against the ground
As the horse carries his rider
To the place which he is bound

The riders horse is quick
Traveling under a midnight sky
Gliding silently through the night
As lightly as a butterfly

The horses stride is long
And like a musket ball in flight
He moves about unheard
Unseen within the night

At last the morning comes
But no rider no horse no sound
Yet there upon the trail
A horseshoe print is found

RLB

Heavens,
Star Shining,
Angels singing Hallelujah !
The Saviour has come!

Merry Christmas
To all!

RLB

There exist within this world,
Those who proclaim,
"I am a man"
They are men,but only in a physical sense,
These self proclaimed men decieve themselves ,
And will never know the truth ,
Of what it is like ,
To be a real man,
A man who lives his life,
By a set of morals and standards,
Set not by men,
But set by God,
Who created men,
To serve him,
A real man needs not to tell you,
He is a man,
You will know he is a real man,
Simply by what you observe in him,
How he speaks,
How he acts,
How he responds to adversity,
How he treats others,
How he loves,
You will know a man is a real man,
By the way he lives his life.

RLB

Today I have given you
A beautiful Sunday morning
A sky of topaz blue
The Suns beams adorning

An ever gentle breeze
Passing silently by unseen
Through the leafless trees
And over the blades of green

I give you music along the way
From natures vocal cords
Singers red and blue and gray
Singing without a word

I am ever present in creation
This I am reaffirming
As I walk in revelation
On this beautiful Sunday morning.

RLB

The
Peace
Of
God
Resides
Within
The
Storms
Raging
Winds

So much time has past
So little time now left

No more Big City
No Working Man Blues
No more Swinging Doors
No more patriotic tunes

No more California Cottonfields
No Bonnie and Clyde
No Amazing Grace
No Always on My Mind

No more the Way I Am
No Waiting For A Train
No more Where Have All The Hobos Gone
Or When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again

Goodbye Mighty Merle
Thanks for the gift you gave
There will never be another
Who can take your place

To me you were the best
Singing for the working man
I only wish my friend
I could have shook your hand

RLB

You were the best country music has ever known.

Grandfather speaks repeatedly
In the same repiticious tone
Repeating the moments away
Till each second he has is gone

Grandfather never lets me forget
The passing of the hour
He sings at his appointed times
As long as he has the power

Grandfather works under a heavy weight
And only when this weight is lifted can he play his song
A sound as cymbals on a drum
Or the beating of a gong

Grandfather talks till his heart winds down
Only then will he stop
Then unlike me ,he will breathe again
When once more is wound my Grandfather clock

RLB

Mankind can no longer discern
Between the night time and the day
There is no black there is no white
Black and white have turned to gray

Isaiah 5:20
Please read this verse and think about what's happening in our world today.

50 years have past
Those days now are faded
The sunshine of my years
Has now become shaded

50 years ago yet only yesterday
That I was a little boy
Running around the old home place
With a heart full of joy

50 years of memories
O ,the many faces I have known
A few here still remain
But many cherished now are gone

50 years have come my way
And 50 years have left
Looking back across the bridge of time
I see fading images of myself

How quickly from a boy I grew
Growing up to become a man
Given the choice if I had my way
How I would love to be a boy again

Spending my days as a soldier
Sometimes a cowboy true
Fishing for crawdads down at the creek
Under the azure blue

50 years past seems so long
But its really only a breath ago
Like the waters of a mighty river
How quickly the waters of time do flow

50 years of blessings
To me God has given
So many blessings undeserved
In this 50 years of living


This 50 years of life I have lived
Has been filled with tears and smiles and glory
All I have known and seen and done
Are written upon the heart of my 50 year story.

Beyond deaths darkened portal
The deep and silent grave
In the abyss that lies beyond
Is that place that's ruled by day

Where the light of God forever shines
Within that realm unseen
And angels there abound
To love , lift up , esteem

It is a bright and beautiful place
Where abides all believers souls
It holds all true peace and joy
No more is death or woe

No need of sun or moon or star
For the light of God, he is it's king
There all faithful servants to the lord himself
Will live under Jesus reign

To walk in eternal life
Forever in Gods own haven
Where love and peace and kindness dwell
Together forever in heaven

I think the sky above
Is the bottom of heavens floor
And if this thought is true
Where is heavens door?

Is heavens door unseen?
By the eyes of mortal men
And if this is true
How do we enter in?

God who lives in heaven
Made for man a way
That we could enter through
And reside with him someday

Heavens door exist
Though not in common form
It is Christ the son of God
Who was of a ****** born

Upon a cross Christ died
But rose to life again
And he became the door
Through which to heaven we may enter in

Forgiveness he offers from sin
To all not just a few
If we will accept, believe and repent
He becomes the door we enter through

No opening is there anywhere
No wooden door nor frame
Just a simple faith and belief
In Jesus precious name.

Our Hope
Our Faith
Our Trust
Our Saviuor,
He Is Risen!

An
Empty
Cross
Shadows
An
Empty
Tomb
HE
IS
ALIVE!

Beyond deaths darkened portal
That deep and silent grave
In the abyss that lies beyond
Is that place that knows not day

Where darkness rules forever
Within that realm unseen
And demons there abound
To torture , haunt , demean

It is a cold and empty place
Where abides no friend or foe
It holds no hope or joy
But only death and woe

No sun or moon or star shines there
It is the devils dark domain
Where slaves to evils way
Abide under Lucifers reign

To walk in eternal torment
In the place where Satan dwells
Where live s all hate and sin and deciet
Together forever in hell

Help me lord to love
Just as you loved me
Help me lord to pray
For others earnestly
Help me lord to encourage
Each one in his task
Help me lord to admonish
The faults that each one has
Help me lord to greet
Each one with a kiss
Help me lord to serve
For even you did this
Help me lord to teach
So that others may learn
Help me lord to accept
That I may show no scorn
Help me lord to honor
Those for whom you died
Help me to bear another's burdens
As I walk with him side by side
Help me lord to forgive
Just as you forgave
Help me lord to submit
To love be a slave
Help me lord to be devoted
To each may I show concern
Help me lord to love
Help me lord to learn

Thank you Lord this morning
For the gentle falling rain
You heard our prayers O Lord
And answered once again


Praise be unto our lord for ever
and ever

I love historic images
Life captured so long ago
Of places I'll never see
Of faces I'll never know

Old images hold within
An unknown mystery
When looking into the image
What story do we see

A moment from years now past
A frozen scene in time
Are a joy to look upon
And are a pleasure to these eyes of mine

Ferrotypes made on iron
Ambryotypes on glass
Dageruotypes on copper sheets
Then the cabinet card came at last

I love these beautiful images
With their hues of browns and black and grays
In each a story longing to be told
Is held in these treasured yesterday's

Gazing into the eyes
Of these long forgotten faces
And seeing how it used to be
In those now forgotten places

Brings great joy to my heart
And much happiness to my soul
To see what and who once was
In our not so long ago.

RLB

Heaven must be
A beautiful home
For loved ones we know
That have already gone
A beautiful land
Full of eternal day
Where those here we loved
Now in eternity wait
Where the music is so sweet
And all sounds are so fair
Rivers like glass
In that land over there
The birds how they sing
Songs of sweet praise
In a land that knows not
The ending of days

The
Unseen
Rope
We
Grasp
When
All
Else
Proves
Futile

I am so often held in awe
Of the created beauty my eyes can see
Quietly to myself I think
How beautiful heaven must be

When I look upon all of creation
All that is made by Gods mighty hand
He has given such beauty here
How must it be in that heavenly land

I think upon the promise given
In the pages of Gods word so true
In my fathers house are many mansions
There I have a home built for you

So it is to this precious promise
That I so faithfully hold
Knowing someday I shall walk in his presence
In a land where the streets are paved with gold

As I look at the world around me
It's present and its past
I ask of you this question Lord
How much longer can we last

Unending pain and hurts
Multiple miseries and dispair
No matter what direction I look
And I see sickness everywhere

I watch and see mankind seeking
Shelter from the calamity
If just a temporary place to hide
From the worlds disparity

Some think they have found the answer
But in reality a peace that's only temporary
Turning from the only Son of God
Believing his help is not necessary

How many more tears must fall
How much more blood to be shed
Before we realize the truth
Of the words of the Christ who bled

How many more men must die
At the hands of mankinds wars
And how long will men still seek
The lies behind the devils doors

Our world is a darkened place
As the devil tempts and tricks
And he laughs when we are splintered
Like so many dried and broken sticks

You are our saviour Lord
In a world of darkness , a light
Our only way to safety
As we continue our earthly plight

We cry out to you Lord Jesus
Help us our burdens to carry
Please come quickly Lord
How much longer will you tarry?

I am just a flag
I do not mean to cause discontent
All I did was wave
Over men who into battle went

The motives of those men's hearts
I could not see
But from what I observed
It was a fight for liberty

I am just a flag
I cannot **** or hate
Let me wave again
My presence reinstate

It truly makes no sense
For me to be taken down
When the reason for the hate
Within men's hearts is found

You men should find within your heart
The need to love and to forgive
I'm just a flag that waves
Above land on which men live

Simply just a symbol
Only cloth and thread
Let me leave you with some words
A man I knew once said;

"A house divided against itself cannot stand"
President Abraham Lincoln
Springfield ILL,
June 17,1858

RLB

I really don't know why
But here I sit again
An empty page before me
A pen within my hand

As I look upon the page
Laying as an empty canvas waiting
I contemplate the colors
Before my hands begin their painting

What picture will I paint
What thought will be revealed
When the ink at last is brushed
To bring forth the story concealed

I don't know why I posses
A desire that has no end
To create an image or thought
With paper and with pen.

RLB

If there were no GOD
If there were no creation
If there were no Christ
If there were no cross of Calvary
If there were no tomb
If there were no resurrection
If there were no forgiveness
If there were no promise
If there were no eternity
If there were no heaven
If there were no hell
If there were no hope
If there were no Bible
If there were no truth
If man did not have a soul
Then,
There would be no reason.

A song birds song drifts into my ears
As the valley green sings to my eyes
The music from the bird is clear
As clear as is the valleys skies
The gentle hum of the rain is heard
As the lighting screams into my eyes
The music from the rain brings dreams
And the lighting dances in my sight
A coyotes howl rings in my hearing
And a mountains tune I can see
The coyotes song is a lonely rhyme
But the mountains verse speaks mystery
An oceans wave plays a gentle chord
While the far horizon lies in distant days
The oceans wave makes a peaceful sound
While the music of the horizon in silence lays
All the music of nature that's heard
And all the peaceful sights of nature you see
Each work together in harmonious tune
Playing music in perfect harmony

ISIS is a cesspool of individuals who are nothing more than a mere pathetic group of;
Impacable,
Scelestic,
Ideopraxist,
Sicarians.


RLB

Our society is obsessed with the cell phone
That ever present handy little device
If we could just leave it behind
Sometimes that would be nice

I've observed people literally
Walk into a door
While looking down at their cell phone
As if gazing at the floor

A call a text or Instagram
Excuse me I have to check my mail
O my God!!!my batteries low!!
Please my phone do not fail

I know we're here for dinner
But I must text a friend
LOL and ***
Now it's time to send

Cell phones have their place
I guess in today's society
But there would not be one in existence
If it were up to me

No one can communicate
As in talking face to face
This type of interaction
Has by the cell phone been replaced

I guess that's just the way it is today
O how I long for the days of old
When you had to find a pay phone
In the heat or rain or cold

Drop a quarter in the slot
Or maybe just a dime
Better say what you want
Your running out of time

I'm just a little old fashioned I guess
I like the way it used to be
When two would sit and talk
Without interruption from technology

RLB

I wrote this poem about an old home place that I have passed many times on my way to Eureka Springs Ark. with my wife. The old house even in its aged and worn condition is beautiful and intriguing .The sets just off of Highway 62 in a small clump of trees, alone. There is no other structure around it. It is leaning more each time we pass. It's outside boards are gone and it is completely grey in color. I know that it is just a matter of time before it falls into a pile of forgotten memories. I always stop to take a picture and spend a few moments looking upon this old home place. The joys the sadness, the Thanksgivings and Christmases celebrated. Family gatherings . Warm summers and cold winters, beautiful springs and peaceful fall days. Children running to and fro . What stories would you tell me if you could.But sadly, someday it will be gone, taking with it all the scenes and memories of all that happened there. Then it will be forgotten, and remembered no more. If only the past could speak to us.

If you have some time to visit
I have some words to tell
So if it is you can
Please stop and stay a spell

But if you must hurry on
Don't worry, I will understand
You are young and busy
But please stop if you can

I was once like you
Young and full of life
But the years they have flown
Like a bird into the night

I have long withstood
The blowing winds of time
As I stubbornly grasp
This place I know as mine

And with each passing storm
My foundation weaker grows
And my strength is slowly lost
As from my frame it flows

I was beautiful once
Here underneath these trees
And folks that were passing by
Would stop to gaze at me

My paint was clean and crisp
And I did firmly stand
I was proud of who I was
As I stood tall and grand

A family from long ago
They once called me home
Inside where they lived
I saw true love was shone

I recall the many sounds
The old clocks tick that counted time
The laughter as memories were made
Each day and at special times

I have also felt the sadness
My floors have been stained with tears
From many times of sorrow
Suffered through the years

Their many words are echoed
Within my empty halls
And the ghost of those who loved here
Speak and rest within my walls

But to your ear there is only silence
For my family now has gone
And I have been left here
These many years alone

Each of them one by one
Left to go away
And I had always hoped
They would return someday

But so many years have past
And I have grown weak and worn
Now I am grey
And my boards are bent and torn

I know not how much longer
I will have the strength to hold
The precious memories within
Worth so much more than gold

I know that I will someday fall
Into finality
No more remembered here
A home or a family

If you dont mind my friend
May ask you to mark this place
And remember here once stood a home
Full of love and grace

Why is it, we as Christians
At least by words, that's what we claim
Talk so bad of others
If Christlikeness is our aim

Why is it that we
Speak anger against another
If it is we truly believe
They are our sister and our brother

Why is it we utter
Words that should not be said
Against another's soul
And therefore slay that person, dead

This sin I do not understand
For I myself stand guilty to
I claim that I am Christian
But my tounge destroys you

Every word I speak
Should lift up and edify
Not tear down and destroy
And cause sorrows to multiply

If I am truly Christian
Saved by Gods own son
Why do I speak evil
And not control my tounge

Joy bids;
Seek me,
You will find me,
Though I may hide,
I cannot forever elude.

RLB

The rain is falling this morning
It is proof of Gods unending love
Sent down from the portals of heaven
That land that is set above

The grass on the ground layed dry
Turning brown from the beating sun
But the grass will again be green
Before its time is done

God himself has sent this blessing
To the earth to nourish and cool
It is a blessing upon each and all
Both the believer and the fool

I watch as the raindrops fall
And crash rapidly into the ground
It is music unto my ear
To me , such a beautiful sound

I can feel the raindrops kiss
Of comfort upon my skin
And as by the rain I am loved
I am kissed again and again

Thank you so much Lord
For this blessing you have sent this morning
This precious blessing of rain
That is the face of the earth adorning