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

To my future son:
With utmost awe and reverence, we greet and bring you to this world. Everything to you is new and intriguing; your life has yet to be unfurled. We're so happy that you made the trip here safely and unharmed. We're glad to see you holding fast, here in your mother's arms.
You mean so much to your mother, and me; more than this world around you will ever see. You are a special blessing from above; a reminder of God's faithfulness, and His love.
I do not have all the words to tell you, indeed, what must be said. And I know your eyes are small and fragile, and cannot see ahead. For a prodigious journey lies out before you; there are many joys and afflictions you have yet to come to. And in your innocence and nescience of mind, true understanding you have yet to find. But I know without a doubt, and that with all my heart; God will watch over you always, and from you never depart.
Enjoy your days of simplicity for as long as they shall last. For the time won't be long, my dear son, until these years are past. Learn and grow the best you can with what life brings your way. For soon the truth will dawn upon you, and bring you to many a fateful day.
Little by little, you will come to apprehend: The wilderness around you; the troubles of life that seem to have no end. Though you be disappointed or dismayed, do not let your heart be afraid. Do not believe your life is done. For a road to destiny lies our before you, and your mysterious pilgrimage has just begun.
Your trials and your hardships will bring you to a choice. Will you open up your mind and heart to hear the Savior's voice? For that inevitable moment will come to you the same; when you realize God is oh so real, and that He knows your name.
One day you will see the importance of God's calling on your life. Someday, you too will rise to say: "I want to give Him ALL my life!"
Even as you make the decision to take Jesus by the hand, you may wonder how to see this world exactly; and to know exactly where you stand. Some days you will think that maturity seems unattainable and far. But no matter the winds and storms that threaten, NEVER forget just who you are.
Jesus Christ has chosen and adopted YOU, as a child in His kingdom, son. There is no higher purpose; this world will offer none.
He has the perfect will and plan for your eternal being. One that you will find in faith, not by physically seeing.
Fret not, my son, for I will stand by you, as sure as you are my token. I will do my best to counsel you wisely; to speak only words that must be spoken. I will share your happiness and heartaches the same; I will endeavor to identify with your dusty frame. I won't give up on what God has invested, no matter what way in this life you are tested.
And when the time comes for you to be more on your own, I will remind you that with God's presence, you are never alone.
He knows your deepest desires; He longs to satisfy your needs. Even ones you cannot identify, God Himself can see.
Jesus will love you perfectly, when no one else can. Remember He is ALWAYS good, and He has a plan.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Livin' on a free food ticket
Water in the milk from the hole in the roof where the rain came through
What can you do? What can you do?
Tears from your little sister
Crying cause she doesn't have a dress without a patch for the party to go
Oh but you know that she'll get by
Cause she's:
Livin in the love of a common people
Smiles from the heart of a family man
Daddy's gonna buy you a dream to cling to, Momma's gonna love you just the best that she can
She can

It's a good thing you don't have a bus fare
It would fall through the hole in your pocket and you'd lose it in the snow on the ground
Walking through town to find a job
Trying to keep your feet warm, but the hole in your shoe lets the cold come through and it chills you to the bone
Better go home, where it's warm, and you can:
Live in the love of a common people
Smiles from the heart of a family man
Daddy's gonna buy you a dream to cling to
Momma's gonna love you just the best that she can
She can

Living on dreams ain't easy
But the closer the knit, the tighter the fit and the chills stay away
You take it in stride for family pride
You know that faith is the old foundation
With a whole lotta love and a warm conversation
And of course there's the prayer
Making you strong the way you belong

Cause your:
Livin in the love of a common people
Smiles from the heart of a family man
Daddy's gonna buy you a dream to cling to
Momma's gonna love you just the best that she can
She can

I have an agile little brother; his name is Dylan Cole. And I think there is a smart gene, that some where from me, he stole.

For his fingers fly like bullets around that rubik's cube. He even has nine subscribers to his channel on YouTube.

How he learned it I don't know. Memorization, was it so? Or perhaps, inside his brain, there is a robot on the go.

Giving him orders left and right;
guiding his hands, his sense, his sight.
With masterful skill and concentration,
he knows how to place blocks right.

Who knows where this skill will take him,
with some years along life's way!
With some invention on his radar,
the cube will one day seem like child's play.

Say there, clever brother; can you show me a tip or two?
Though I know I'll try my best,
I will never keep up with you!

I didn't write this, but it's a favorite song of mine:

I remember Daddy's hands folded silently in Prayer
And reaching out to hold me when I had a nightmare
You could read quite a story through the calluses and lines
Years of work and worry had left their marks behind

I remember Daddy's hands how they held my mama tight
And patted my back for something done right
There are things that I've forgotten that I loved about the man
But I'll always remember the love in Daddy's hands

Chorus:

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was crying
Daddy's hands were hard as steel when I'd done wrong
Daddy's hands weren't always gentle,  but I've come to understand
There was always love in Daddy's hands

I remember Daddy's hands working till they bled
Sacrificed unselfishly just to keep us all fed
Well if I could do things over, I'd live my life again
And always remember the love in Daddy's hands

Chorus

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.

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.

It's always a skill to make wise decisions
With the limited facts one has on hand.
Not all things are as they appear to be;
One must seek to understand.
Feelings can be right at times;
Some choices they are helpful for.
Although it's an art to know which ones to listen to,
And which ones to simply ignore.
It is also a great skill to see the big picture
In every circumstance
That the reason for my dilemmas
And why I am here
In each situation is not
A happenstance
Misconceptions and misperceptions
Are traps that can leave me marred;
They will overtake and seize me
If I happen to let down
My guard.
Open-mindedness is key
To the right degree
Combined with humility
That perceives the possibilities
And besides all this,
I simply cannot miss
Wisdom
The jewel to keep in the safe of my heart;
A mother of knowledge and virtue
From which I must never depart.
Though I may never find all the answers
I seek from the complications of life,
Love with Truth will be my compass
To help me live out, to the best of my ability
All that I know is right.

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

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.

Eternity is that hope or doubt, floating about
Like a small boat inside our imagination.
No person can fully understand this mysterious concept
Yet it is our final destination.
That dimension called Time still exits; eternity is not yet here, Though some for that may have an eternal fear.
Eternity is simply where time is quickly headed. Oh may its approach be welcomed instead of dreaded.
An everlasting age, without time
Or change?
This is incomprehensible to man; none can see despite their intellectual range.
This is what eternity looks like, if we can look at all at this...will our landing inside it be torment or be bliss?
Should the spirit cease to exist, when the body from it goes asunder?
Should the spirit cease to exist, just because the body is six feet under?
Who can fathom a dark and meaningless emptiness, running on without an end? To try to grasp this abstraction would cause the mind to bend.
This mind - numbing picture is colder than the coldest breeze - blown up from the icy waters of the very coldest seas.
No meaning and no purpose, a lack of vitality without an age. Like a one thousand page book, without a single drop of ink, on every single page.
Or a constant void of blackness, with no sense of consciousness or sight. Nothing and no one to turn on the light.
Or a relentless dripping inside a dark cave, a monotonous nothingness from which no one can be saved.
If self - preservation were an instinct, why wouldn't an afterlife be, the destination and explanation for our eternal souls you see?
While there exists the will to live
How many truly want to die?
While time moves us ever onward
For permanence we cry.
All are carriers of life, from one true and sacred source. All WILL meet their maker at the end of this life's course.
To receive the eternal
Punishment or reward
Eternal damnation
Or to be forever
With the Lord

Every soul is fighting a battle, however great or small. So take heed unto yourselves, and be mindful lest ye fall.

Every soul is fighting a battle, however great or small. So be kind and caring always; be humble is our call.

Everyone is on a journey which they cannot fully control. Each one with their own frailties; each fallen heart with its own hole.

Each pair of shoes must walk a pathway
designated for them alone. One pair of eyes to search the wilderness; with enough uncertainty of their own.

For every person is one being, possessing only just one soul. Giving all their breath and purpose to meet just one single goal.

For they too must be a conductor on their train of choice and will. They must purpose their mind, enslaved to time,
to be faithful, immovable still.

Whether they live for good or evil, their choices are outside our rule. So let God be the ultimate judge: He who condemns his neighbor is a fool.

For in each person is a life of greater value than fine gold. Each with their own uniqueness; a classic story to be told.

So thank God for your neighbor
And find good in the unlovable too
For this is how to win their hearts
The path to peace pursue.

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

I don't hate the people
I hate what they do
As they stubbornly pretend to
Be someone they're not
Real security and confidence
Is not something they've got
Misery is their lot
As they go around faking
Undertaking
To fool those that care the most
Utterly forsaking
A real attempt at making
Genuine relationships
Real and close
I don't hate the people
I hate what they decide
As they put on a front
To cover up and hide
The undealt with mess
And turmoil inside
What they need is not
A good disguise
Or more convincing lies
But to face and embrace
The truth
And towards freedom
Rise

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

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

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

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.

If I could be a better man,
I'd have enough insight
To always come up with a plan.
In times of trouble, danger, or distress,
I'd keep my emotions under control,
And never run out of rational sense.
No circumstances would ever drown me,
Or rise above my head,
Because I'd know how to swim the currents,
And land on solid ground instead.


If I could be a better man,
I'd have enough courage to follow through with every noble goal I set.
And every appeal to selflessness
I am tempted to forget.
There'd never be a task
I couldn't undertake,
Even if it meant
My life was at stake.
Money, time and resources
Would never grow on me,
But I'd give of these objects endlessly.
And at the end of the day
I'd still know how
To be completely and utterly free.


If I could be a better man,
I'd never fear the entity of change.
I'd embrace this shrewd reality,
Unhindered by its pace.
I'd keep a face like solid flint
When revolution
Threatened to derange.
At will I'd change my emotions
To better fit each phase;
Each chapter of life
From page to page;
I'd wire my brain to electrically flow
Smoothly and flawlessly,
Everywhere I'd go.


If I could be a better man,
I'd never struggle with uncertainty;
I'd always know what choice to make,
No matter the options that lay before me.
I'd never have to second guess,
Overthink, obsess or stress:
The presented realities and decisions of life;
A special wisdom I'd possess.
A knowing in my gut and heart
Of all that is my destiny,
With the calm assurance of having what it takes
To get to where I want to be.
The truth itself would become my eyes,
And never from my heart escape or flee.


If I could be a better man,
I'd always be a man of my word;
Letting my actions always
Positively confirm the things you heard.
I'd mean every syllable I spoke to you,
With fiery convictions I knew to be true.
I'd always know how to communicate,
And wouldn't let grievous words
Separate
Relationships so vital and true;
The stuff we're made for,
And shouldn't undo.


If I could be a better man,
I'd be a fountain of virtues flowing,
Ever going;
Like a rumbling and roaring
and rushing waterfall,
Dazzlingly Tall:

Wisdom

    Prudence

   Diligence

  Patience

Courage

  And Emotional Intelligence

     Faithfulness

   Rectitude

  Purity

  Relentless tenacity

    Fortitude

      And overall confidence

                                            With surety


If I could be the perfect man,
There'd be one thing I'd always know how to do.
And that is, my friend, in all sincerity:
Faithfully and infallibly
Loving God and You.


But since I know
I am far from perfect,
I will do the best I can.
And though I fail now and then,
I will get back up
And stand.
I will seek forgiveness
Down on my knees;
Ask God for humility,
Grace and Mercy please.
My weaknesses I'll count as blessings,
And thank God I don't have to be:
The Savior of the world -
Superman -
Who for comfort, has no need.

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

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.

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.

I wish I had a sidekick
To jot down all my thoughts;
As they came rushing like a freight train
Through my overwhelmed brain.
Triggering emotions like an avalanche
That rumble and tumble
down
the mountain of interpretation.
Knocking me off
my diplomatic
feet;
Burying me
in my passions,
Before I get a chance to articulate myself
To the Peak.
I'd shoot down inspiration like flaming arrows
If I made it to the top,
Piercing hearts with words of wisdom,
Awakening their spirits with a shock.
The truth of our origin,
And the purpose on Earth we serve;
The reality of our created purpose
I'd convey to them unnerved.
O to have a sidekick
To record this in a book
No more to search and hunt down memories
I'd only have to read the ink
Open the page and take a look.

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

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

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

Love forgets itself
& Simultaneously
Love finds itself

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

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

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.

Tell me, O great Philosopher; How could this be, that only one choice would move a whole sea?

For one deed of will, from thought to action, can ripple the waters, causing any possible reaction.

Some may move men's hearts on to compassion; and still others, to deep dissatisfaction.
Inspiring souls to some better way of life,
Or stirring up confusion, conflict and strife.

Authors, Scholars, Public Speakers and Preachers. Scientists, historians - and you name the teacher.

Musical Composers and singers of songs,
With lyrics that tell of all the world's wrongs.

Each has their own class of influential touch. So tell me, Philosopher: How have they so much?

This power of mind must have a true source; how have we come to this intangible course?

Is there no reliable, or plausible proof?
Or must we remain simultaneously aloof?

I conclude very simply, though I know only in part: One faith-based belief is where we must start.
For my reason and intellect are limited indeed; But my spirit longs for truth, and on that it will feed.

What will you do with the facts you've been given? What will move your passions - how will you be driven?

You and I are no different, whatever rank we find ourselves in. Each choice that we make
Determines direction
Again and again.

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

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

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

Or

Logic
may divide,
But Truth
Will decide

Someone please help me
I'm on a rhyming spree
I've decided to rhyme to
Pass the time
But I simply can't stop
Rhyming you see
Don't know where I'm going
Or what I'm doing with this
My mind will not stop running
My concentration is running amiss
I don't know if there is an antidote
A reliable cure for this
I'm addicted to poetry
Words and phrases are my bliss
The figurative pencil is flying in my hand
The ideas are running from my head
Like the hourglass sand
I would like to write a book
With poems full of tact
Do I have enough ability
To write enough in fact?
I would shut myself up
In creative thoughts so abundant
But I'm afraid of wasting all my time
Of becoming superfluously
Redundant
I suppose I'll keep on writing
When the occasion seems to me to be
Right
I'll try to shed on some old subject
Some new and authentic
Light

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

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

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.

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

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

One day as I was meditating 'neath the sunshine bright and fair; I beheld an expansive highway, whose passage led to I knew not where.

A great number of souls; each with a different destination. I watched them from a distance, with eyes of trepidation.
Nothing could stop them from venturing down the thoroughfare: Of perplexity and enigma; I could only sit and stare.

The signs and markings tried to show and tell where each one was bound; not knowing the minds of those arbitral travelers - worthy advice could not be found.

Only a roadmap would help to guide them, if they knew not where they were.
A guide that only claimed to know would surely confuse and obscure.

I wondered which collection, or source of information, the people would cite. How would they know just which road was right? And could they truly trust their own headlamps in the darkness of night?

Further observation revealed just what I suspected: The mob was on a fixed and stipulated course; they would scarcely turn around, and would not care to be corrected.

What might cause a multitude to behave in such a way? What caused this scene of deception that my senses did betray? The sight that lay before me was an undeniable fact: A highway of free will and choices, brought about by just one act.

Up ahead in the distance, there arose a statuesque hill. On it's mount were three wooden crosses, standing somberly and still. They seemed to dare those passing by to glance up and chance a look. The message that the crosses bore told more than could be written in any book.

What significance would this symbol have on those rushing by? Would the people see beyond its uncomeliness, would they even try? Or would they consciously or otherwise its meaning deny?

Though the emblem would be viewed and interpreted adversely, it would still provide living water to those that were thirsty. The middle cross would serve as a reminder and a promise to all; a door to someone's heart, where through God could call.

There are a lot of feelings
Within the human heart
An astronomical number...
I don't know where to start
For I cannot paint a picture
Or make feelings come alive
By simply writing them down on paper
Words alone cannot survive
If you do not have an inner thesaurus built into your heart
The words will have no meaning
But from your memory soon depart
So as you consider all the words of the language that you have learned
Consider the language behind the words, and perhaps your feelings will be discerned.