Let Love and Life come
Not from a desperate chase
But within a beautiful intimacy
Not an object but a place
Let Love and Life come
Not from a cynical or critical view
But from an earnest heart
With childlike faith
Ready to receive anew
Let Love and Life come
In spite of heartache
And all the lies that threaten to shake
Let Love and Life come
In spite of dreams forsaken
Let Love and Life come
To rebuild and reawaken
Let Love and Life come
As a wonder and a mystery
Let sacred Romance be the melody
To which I sing
That sets my heart free.

The journey into authenticity
Battles with simplicity;
As longing for what's meant to be,
Creates a perpetuating drive
To discover what it means to be free-
In revelational epiphanies.

Will and mind seek to find,
The belongings of the soul and The Spirit that
Heart and feeling seek to bind.
Will and mind chase
In the True Self - actualization race,
While Heart and feeling boldly dare
To proudly wear
The superhero cape.
They can't afford
Destiny to escape.
But while they with Destiny
Attempt to relate
They stand in awe of its mystery
Figurative mouths agape.

Drink it Your Way

Coffee is a brew served hot or cold,
Enjoyed by people young and old.
"It's fine," we say,
"Any time of day!"
Caffeinated or decaf,
You can drink it your way.
If you care about strength,
Dark roast is OK;
The flavor will usually atone.
But the strength of lighter brews
Needs no sidekick,
It stands freely on its own.

There's some bias
When it comes to additives,
As some will have you know.
But coffee has no limitations,
As its endless possibilities
Time after time will show.

Any touch of sweet
Can make it a worthwhile treat.
The added flavor
May be just what you need
To make your day complete.
Maybe you'll satisfy
The urge to fully merge
Sweets and coffee,
With what you'd call:
Cappu-frappe-ccino-latte-macchiato
Splurge.
It's a surge
Of energized intensity,
Bubbling and brimming
With unbounded
Immensity.

When the sacchariferous
Wave
You do not crave,
But is the thing from which you'd care to be saved,
The black midnight coffee
Is wise to brave.

What will we see in the Heavens?,
Beyond the great deep blue:
In the Presence of the God
We've waited so long to be,
In every respect,
Absolutely true.

   What will we know up above,
Beyond the realm of our minds?
What will it mean to fully understand?,
To leave the former things
Irreversibly behind.

   Will we have severed from us
Through our supernal ascent,
Memories of what was broken?:
The knowledge of our pain
No more to lament.

  Will we forever lose the scars
From our wounds which were healed?
Can we forget the lessons we learned,
Through Grace and Truth revealed?

   Would the Lord of Creation,
The Savior of Man,
Erase all of His scars
And forget the value of His plan?

   What greater truths of God will we conceive?
How far surpassed will consciousness be?
What realities shall we behold
As greater than any image the mind can achieve?
How much more in Heaven will be
Than any of it on Earth we could ever perceive?

    What will we come to realize
In the place of eternity?
If partial knowledge is made incomplete,
Will once held beliefs become absurdity?

   Is there a chance we won't be
Taken by surprise?
When we're ready to go, when it's our time,
Will we know our Father well enough,
His nature, His heart to recognize?

True enemies are invisible,
Using visible forms to hide;
To obscure what is meant to stay visible,
In the invisible realm of heart and mind.
Invisible enemies felt as arrows,
Piercing the aura of heart and mind:
In attempt to sever invisible truths
From visible forms invisibly designed.
Fight with invisible weapons
To destroy the invisible lies.
Take up the shield against their reproach,
Look beyond the visible disguise.
The divine-wrought sword of eternal reality,
This will be the enemies' demise.
However invisible the Truth may be,
It doesn't have to be visible to see:
The invisible Force that will set you free-
The One True God, Triune Deity.

Tinges of blue and gray
Fade the blanket of ink away.
As blots of waxing light
Chase away the night,
Disintegrating gloom and darkness
Give way to renewed sight.
Fiery shades of dye
Bleed through the canvas sky.
The arrival of the lion of the morn
With its warmth and radiance is nigh.
Emerging from the vast hills arrayed
Within a palette of color overlaid,
The bright lion with its extended mane,
Roars over the dusk it has slain-
Rising with sovereignty
In an atmospheric domain.

Waves of blue,
Given life by deep green and umber hue.
Or perhaps made new,
Being complementary to.
Bright swells of lavish,
Golden efficacious sunlight;
Streaming down as a translucent river,
Eminently severing itself from night.
Violet and crimson,
Yellow, then white:
Surging forth from watered terrain,
Noble and petite statues aright.
Ruddy brown limbs,
Arrayed with scarlet and sapphire,
Synchronizing with achromatic breath;
Creating an invisible fire.
A flow of florid dancing,
Brought on wings bright and flush,
Saturates the resplendent landscape,
Encompassing it with tranquil hush.

Lush green,
Smell of dreams.
Soft blue,
Gentle hue.
Caressed white,
Resonating light.
Buoyant arrows of song;
A cry, a chorus, a throng.
Rays of filtered fire,
Echoed back on uplifted spires.
Majesty rich with the color of Earth,
Harmonizing with the sky above;
With a new spring comes again a new
Birth.

It's a wonder how others
Can sometimes look at us
better than we see ourselves.
The darkness we fight
Obscures a brighter view.
Thoughts hidden from sight,
And feelings concealed,
Portrayed as right,
Are not beliefs that others
Purposefully gather to be true

Truth without love
Is error
Love without truth
Is a lost wayfarer

Logic,
In many ways
divides;
Truth,
In it's own way
Decides

Or

Logic
may divide,
But Truth
Will decide

In God's eyes
It's not about right versus wrong
It's about choosing life over death


#Truth
#Grace
#Tree of Life

Do we
Choose love
or embrace it?
Do we
Ascent to love
or face it?

Free of pretense
It's own defense
Immense beyond sense
In a sense,
Accessible at no expense
Relying on us with it commence;
Not above needing us hence
That from which true justice is dispensed
It's own recompense
Without offense
Past, present and future tense
Unable to be condensed

My beliefs
Are not found on a map,
Or in a book of matter o' fact.
They are not
A prescription to every foreseeable problem,
Or even the best of ideas
If anyone's got 'em.
But they are the partiality,
Out of all reality,
That leads me into truth.
And this thing of the latter
Is really all that matters,
And for which I would rather
Fight for with my life.

#Truth
#Wisdom of God
#Word of God

It's better to travel hopefully than to arrive,
Better to come awake than to feel alive,
And better to contend joyfully than to strive.

None on Earth shall be the wisest,
None on Earth shall be the best;
Complete possession of virtue is not the goal of our quest.
For we have but one created purpose,
Bestowed upon us by our Father above:
We are meant to be forever subjects of His Divine choosing,
And objects of His perfect Love.

At the foot of the Cross,
My fear and shame are lost.
Regrets which past hurts had begotten
Are now former things forgotten
By the One who paid the cost.

At the foot of the cross,
Darkness is brought to light,
And faith augments my sight.
No weapon fashioned against me shall have prevailing might.
Grace empowers me to see
The truth that sets me free,
By the power of the cross.

On the hill of the Cross,
Death was utterly destroyed;
With the grave as my permanent ending made void.
A life giving crimson tide was employed
To wash away my soul's dross.

At the heart of the Cross,
The Son of Man spoke
In a language too deep for words -
The powers of Hell He broke.
To bring back the created life He gave to you and me,
By tearing down the staggering veil,
That our eyes would be open to see.
No life can ever be lost,
When we are truly
At the foot of His saving Cross.

At the foot of the Cross,
The Self is left behind,
With its ever striving vexatious bind.
Near the heart of the Father, a true home I find:
An ever faithful, loving embrace,
When from life's storms I'm tossed.
I find it all here
At the foot of the Cross.

I do not have a tangible prescription
For the state of our world today.
I do not have all the right words
To keep all your fears at bay.
I have no great or noble plan
For conquering literal and figurative
Giants far and wide;
I do not have infinite wisdom
To govern or decide.
Determining solutions
For dilemmas too abstract to see
Is an insurmountable complication
A proposal too deep for me.

I prefer instead to offer
An outstretched hand to you,
By sharing a loving Father
Whom I've found to be faithful and true.
Through all my joy and sorrow -
And yes, I've felt a lot -
My God has never abandoned me,
Nor His own promise has He forgot.
For yet in my sin He loved me
And payed a price to purchase my soul.
So that even in  my conflicts and messes
The beauty he made would surely be made whole.
Through my brightest and darkest hours
His Spirit still strove with me,
To bring me into a deeper relationship
In order that I be free.

Amidst a chaotic world today,
I have no answer but one:
The all sufficiency of my Lord Jesus Christ
God's only begotten Son.

Truth is like the Ocean; it goes deep and covers much; it has both a revealing and concealing touch.
Truth is like the sands of the shores; though it be shifted by men and change, throughout time it endures.
Truth is like Earth's Skies; it continually surrounds us, but does not overwhelm us with its size.
Truth is like the Stars in the night; infecting us with its beauty and light; however far off, or externally finite.
Truth is like the Seasons; Governing the nature it does not overthrow; time and patience it seems to bestow; it gives many signs whereby it is known.
Truth is like a Galaxy; it spans a distance the mind cannot see; it's vastness is captured subliminally; but yet, it gives life to you and me.
The father of Truth is Wisdom, an example and teacher is He.
The mother of Truth is Love, our lifeline in setting us free.

Those lives were mine to love and cherish,
To guard and guide along life's way.
Oh, God forbid that one should perish,
That one alas should go astray.
Back in the years with all together,
Around the place we'd romp and play
So lonely now, I oft times wonder
Oh, will they come back home someday.

I'm lonesome for my precious children,
They live so far away.
Oh may they hear my calling, calling
And come back home someday.

I gave my all for my dear children,
Their problems still with love I share.
I'd brave life's storm, defy the tempest,
To bring them home from anywhere.
I lived my life, my love I gave them,
To guide them through this world of strife.
I hope and pray we'll live together, in that great glad here after life.

I'm lonesome for my precious children, they live so far away. Oh, may they hear my calling, calling, and come back home some day.

Through the pain
Truth can be hard to see
In the pain
It can be hard to think clearly
Because of the pain
God is giving me
The desire to love others
For who they are
Not as they ought to be

Many things can be true
Depending on the lens you're looking through

True power isn't ability the intellect hires;
It's about how much truth my heart desires.

Your trouble I don't invite
It feels you've come to spite
The joy that has been my light
The goodness that has been
A stronghold within
To keep me from my sin
I know, Adversity,
You strive to win
To break my will and spirit
My goal, my prize
Adversity, you permit me not come near it
Instead, the obstacle itself,
You desire me to fear it.

It shall not be so

My protection, my battle armor
Bent and battered though it be
Has not aided me this far
To fail to set me free
Adversity, you will not make an example, a mockery over me.
You can take my possessions, and rob me of my wealth.
You can even crush my dreams,
And swiftly infect my health.
But this One Thing, Adversity, you shall never deplete me of:
Almighty Sovereign God
Jesus, whose name is Love.

You may find me
When you aren't striving
You may know me
When you aren't driving
You may love me
When you are least trying

Unconditional Love
Is not based on the merit
Of the one receiving it
But on the character
Of the one giving it.
Jesus Christ
The eternal source
Receive freely
Give freely
Be free
Be love

Love compels,
Yet lets be
Love captures,
Yet sets free
Love is blind
But is able to see

Love forgets itself
& Simultaneously
Love finds itself

What makes true suffering feel
Like an unbearable weight?
What makes struggling seem
Like an incurable state?
The reason is the very thing that freedom hides behind
It's not a matter of ignorance;
Love and virtue I seek to find
The trouble lies in letting go
Of the things that I call mine

God
Grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
The courage
To change the things I can
And the wisdom
To know the difference

The heart has its reasons
Which reason knows nothing of
The mind may try to analyze
But never fully comprehend
The ways of love
The heart may be brash
The heart can be defiled
Reason tries to cure or mend
But cannot ultimately reconcile

Some words are best
Unspoken, unsaid
Some memories must remain
Buried and dead
Yesterday's pain or regret we may dread
But Freedom only comes to those
Who continually move ahead.

We must never judge ourselves or others
By struggle, failure or weakness
Nor by single or first impressions
If indeed they lack completeness
We are always a work in progress
Taking time as we sojourn here
To find the peace we long for
By conquering our fears

Steadfast endurance
Patient determination
Unwillingness to give up
On a resolute fixation
Letting nothing change or alter
The firm belief within
The expectant and ready soul
Whose trust has decidedly been
Anchored in truth
Impartial to change or whim
Holding on to the good and right
Despite the odds
However grim

Why does God....?
Fill in the blank with any questions you please
It's not always evil to ask
Gaining understanding is a necessary task
Greater is the challenge
In allowing the answer to set your inquisitive mind and heart at ease.
Why does God allow and do what He does?
It goes against our natural reason
With potential to perplex us
For a season
But the answer my friend is simple
Although we hesitate to see
Whatever brings God the most Glory
Is best for all
And will set you free

There are times I tell myself
When reflecting on life's scenes
"Someday, somehow I'll get there,
Where I am supposed to be."
"I will find the peace I am longing for,"
And know what it means to be free."
"The circumstances are less than ideal,
And the struggles are still very real"
"But one day I will learn to live above the waters,
Regardless of how I feel"

It is true that I am only human
And while on Earth won't ever fully arrive
But why keep putting off this day's dreams
And forget the gift of being alive?
Though disappointment still comes
Still I must strive
For the best version of myself
This must be my drive.

Today is the day
To wake up and shine
To accept the Divine favor
That is meant to be mine
Today is the day to let go of fear
Regardless of how dark
The clouds do appear
Or how uncertain the future
Looming large and unclear

Today is the day to focus on the good
And bring it out in others
To help them do as they should
Energy is wasted
Pointing fingers of blame
I must remind myself that the power
Of forgiveness is still the same

Today is the day
To let go of regret
And make the best of time now
And learn not to fret
Today is the day
To live in the moment
To stop looking back and hitting
rewind
To figure out where things went wrong
Instead I'll forcefully
Leave the past all behind

What is real freedom?
It's not just an idea
It's a state of being
Freedom starts when you get to the point in life
When what your heart wants the most
Is also what you need the most
It continues with patience and courage
To pursue what you need most
And it sums up with wisdom
To maintain what freedom you get

In the basking warmth of the day
Or the friendly coolness of night
I hear the chorus from musicians
Hidden in their habitations
Away from plain sight
A keen buzzing, rustling
And rattling
A long vibration that sounds like
Prattling
It's not useless chatter
But an inviting call that will scatter
Throughout the woods and hills
Underneath the radiant infinity of sunshine
Dancing in the wind
Or in the mysterious moon lit darkness
Unbounded and undisciplined
The lively tenors awaken my senses
A grandeur display that quickly dispenses
Vigor and vitality
Throughout my very bones
Propelling my spirit upwards
In a resonating tone

I find my personal security
In knowing who God is
How great the Grace and mercy
That saved me from my sins
Words alone cannot spell out
The plague of fear and doubt
That He removed from me
I am a slave to it no longer
In His Awesome Presence
The darkness must flee
The guilt and shame
Is no longer implied with my name
Because of the blood
Washing like a flood
Over this sinner's soul
I have been made whole
My eyes can see
The value of a life
As the Lord intended it to be
I am loved
I live to love
No one should offend me
Not when God Almighty
Left his only Son to
Die on a tree
I do not fear
What I may see or hear
Others say or do today
My identity rests
And I am blessed
With this new life that's
In me to stay

If you want real change
You have to want it bad enough
Bad enough to stay resilient
When life gets really tough
Circumstances change
Feelings do too
You don't have to let yourself
Forever stay blue
Not everyone in the world
Will be faithful and true
The only thing or person you will have power over
To control or change
Is you

Never make promises that you cannot keep
Always back up your words with action
Consistency leads to
Satisfaction
But talk is always
cheap
Every idol word
spoken
Is another piece of trust
broken

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I'm not shouting, "I am saved!"
I'm whispering, "I was lost..."
That is why I chose this way.

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I don't speak with worldly pride
I'm confessing that I stumble,
And need Someone to be my guide.

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I'm not trying to be strong
I'm professing that I'm weak
And pray for strength to carry on.

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I'm not bragging of success
I'm admitting I have failed,
And cannot ever pay the dept.

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I'm not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are much too visible,
But God believes I'm worth it.

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches
Which is why I call upon His name.

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I do not wish to judge
For I have no authority
I only know I'm LOVED!