We are called out for the mission
To give of love without condition
Some are called to the foreign land
But all are to be his feet and hands
Where words fall silent, love speaks
To find a home is what the heart seeks
Our own homes can be the mission field
Our towns and communities to be healed
Preach with conviction, with peace, not rage
The voice of a prophet and wisdom of a sage
They will see your joy and how it is portrayed
In the face of persecution, you stand unafraid
If they question, they are open
If they are open turn them not away
Pray for them and with them
I will break their hearts of stone
Until they beat for me alone
Each of us has a mission should we accept it
Something to reach out right where we are
At work, in town, or riding in your car
Each gifted uniquely for a special role
And what a gift to uplift another human soul
To care for the widows and orphans
The forgotten and the oppressed
The stranger and the refugees
To work and know the work is blessed
Each of us is on a mission to do the work of God
Just don't expect the whole world to applaud
Sow the seeds of faith and hope
The seeds of charity and love
The wisdom of God was spoken
Like an echo from above

This time of year,
When trees go bare
And snow covers our ground,
I come down
With a seasonal disease...
Weeks prior to Christmas Eve.

The onset is a distant twinkle
Shimmering in the deep;
That gives me such a nuanced twitch...
I itch to hang a wreath.

And when I sneeze,
I'm joyfully pleased
To shop for such and stuff.
I horde it in a secret place,
Then worry I've not enough.

When my muscles get tired and weak,
My back gets bent and sore,
When my body starts to sweat...
I await the seasonal cure.

I'll run a fever, hullucinate,
Take to my bed and wait.
Don't present me meds,
Don't ring me up a nurse,
I'll protest and rave.
This winter ailment,
This gifting curse,
My present proclivity,
Will only break
Come Christmas morn.
Oh Come, Oh Come Nativity.

Already back in class.
Wow, the Holidays went fast.

Wasn’t Black Friday great?
‘Bargains,’ make my heart race
and the Internet’s my kind of place.
I can dead-on shop this time of year,
shamelessly, without the fear
that someone will be judging me.
I make some ‘passing effort’ to be frugal,
that’s what ‘black Friday’ sales are for—and google.
I bought my suitemates those techie gifts, to guarantee,
that they’ll meet with their approval.
.
.
A Christmas playlist for this:
https://daweb.us/xmas/Christmas_21.mp3

How deep is your love (for me)?
That stretches from sea to shining sea
How much higher than the mountains
Streams of life flowing down from endless fountains
How deep is your love for me?
It's a little overwhelming this Endless Love
To feel the weight of your glory falling from above
I am swept forward in this flood of grace amazing
Even now, ever new trails, my heart is blazing
One thing leads to another
And pretty soon I will discover
Rarely, are things as simple as it seems
For now, I'm in a place far beyond my wildest dreams
"How much do you trust me?"
"How deep is your love for me?"
Says the Lord, God of Hosts
It is in Christ's abundant mercy that my spirit boasts
We are playing now for high stakes
It's not a gamble when it's for souls' sake
Never was a time when the stakes have been higher
It is of critical importance, the situation is dire
Sometimes I marvel at your perfect timing
But I still need, at times, your gentle reminding
That Your generosity and love will not be outdone
And I would ask, Lord, let's keep having fun
May I disappear in you as you increase
And may the joy and wonder never cease

God right now I could use a hug
And a fresh hot cup of coffee in a mug
Won't you wrap me snugly in your wings
And call to mind such heavenly things
The road is hard the road is tough
I'm losing my mind, my patience and other stuff
Lord, hold me close to your chest
And there, let me stay and rest
A God hug is just what I need
Though it is with reluctance I concede
Sometimes, I'm not as strong as I think
And I need your love to pull me back from the brink
Sometimes a God hug is all it takes
And Lord what a difference it makes!
Let me be with you in silence and peace
That as I decrease you might increase
Let me learn from you and lean on you
Where I can find a love so pure and true
And when I struggle to bear my cross
Remind me that not everything is loss
By your gifts, you strengthen me
To become who I was made to be
When I lift others up, you lift me up as well
And my burden is easier, I can tell
So, help me serve and do your will
To sow the seeds of faith and so instill
A firm foundation of faith to follow
But with love, so my words are not hollow
And so, once more, with a kiss and embrace
I am comforted and strengthened by His grace

God, some days I could really use a hug from you. Maybe today is one of those days. I run into your waiting loving arms ad there I rest, I cry, I need someone to listen or tell me it's going to be okay. Help me take a few moments out of my crazy day to get a hug from you and continue moving forward. By your Holy Spirit, reveal to me something that I could do to be a God hug for someone else. Help me count my blessings and use the charisms (gifts) you gave me to do your will for others as we, in turn, find ours lifted as well. Amen

Turn it on, turn it up, let's start tonight
Spirit grow, let it flow, we are the light
So let us shine and let us stand
We representin' Son of God and Son of Man
How you gonna shine for the world to see
Are you gonna let that light go free?
We are radiating illuminating
We love in a world used to hating
We were made to spread love like fire
Testify and, by your life, you'll inspire
A turnaround a turning back
Of hearts astray again on track
So, the question is this: the question remains
How can I shine in my own special way
And add a little color to a world painted gray?
How can my light, however flawed
Reflect the most perfect light of God?
Take your little light and offer it up
As a sacrifice of love and praise
He will bless the gift and multiply
Do what you can and let God amaze
On every occasion use the gifts you're given,
They were made to be shared not hidden

All have been given different God-given gifts
To choose to use to grow to show
The love that we receive and the faith that we believe
To bring His kingdom down right here right now
To change the world, to change the lives
To change our very hearts and minds
To speak and act and think and pray
To make the most of every single day
Let His light shine through you
That you glow for someone who
Was lost and wandering
Someone searching for something
And maybe your gift and offering
Is what picks them up off the ground
And turns their whole world upside-down
You could be the answer God sends
Upon your loving "yes" a soul's fate depends

The mantis shrimp
Sees all that I never could.
My creator, ever frugal,
Gave me gifts
Of word and tongue
But only just this once,
Bits of light cowed by the sun.

I peer through the window,
Too short to see those
Violet peaks.

I brush past reality
Like the eyelash fluttering past
My cheek,
Never to really know.

i’ll always send you
the things i see that remind me of you

every poem i read
that i know you’ll love too.

every movie
that i think will sit you in the edge of your seat.

every book
that i think you will like, and that you will keep.

every song or lyric
that makes me think of you.

it will always be sent.
always be given- a gift, an offering too.

my way of saying
i love and am thinking if you always.

i can’t help that everything lovely i experience
is always infused with a little bit of you.