Hope

Hope, a hand that reaches out and
     says that everything is going to be
     okay
That rush of peace that envelops your
     heart and soul and spirit and deep
     down you know that you can rest
That moment when you can sit back,
     exhale, and inhale.

Can we live from such a place?

9-6-13

A Life Well Lived

I'm floating away on an island.

Floating away, losing attachments 

     to this reality.

Through a mist of unknown mysteries

     I travel

Through cloud and storm and wind

Then suddenly, like a curtain being

     pulled from before my eyes, 

     I enter.

Floating like a cloud,

I am taken back by the scene 

     before me.

A lush rain forest beneath my feet

A massive waterfall in the distance,

     towering into the most beautiful

     clear blue lake before me

A rainbow, mist, and brilliant sunshine

A chill of awe and inspiration runs

     up my spine

I can feel the joy in my bones.

I am revitalized.

9-2-13


This poem is a metaphor for personal growth.  I describe the struggle and price to pay for learning.  I then describe the place I find myself when I'm benefiting from that growth.  I titled it 'a life well lived' because I believe this place of discovery and glory is where we are meant to live.

Laying Hold of Other Realms

The God of angel armies
Echoes throughout eternity
Glory in the heavenlies
He has been and always will be

He speaks now as He did then
Such a hopeful, wonderful King
He loves us from now 'til the end
When from the next life we will sing

Though heaven is available
For us to bring to this place
Love and hope undeniable
Healing, prophecy, and grace

Peace, purpose, and all goodness
Passion, wonder, and trust
Can invade through acts of kindness
And melt this cold world made of dust

An encouraging word
A joyful song or joke
Can heal an offense that occurred
Brighten the day with one stroke

Joy of the Lord invading
A lifting into the clouds
I slowly begin rising
Above the earth, the sea, and the crowds

8-17-13

When Lightning and Thunder Collide

A field burns bright
A fire raging all around
Thunder claps and trumpets sound
Piercing, beautiful light

Angel armies march
The war cry has sounded
Echoing fury resounded
Underneath God's arch

A great war has begun
The outpouring of love and power
This is the enemy's final hour
When man and God become one

This surge of power and grace
Will echo in the marketplace
Revival in business
Leadership with purpose
Love flowing through organizations
Power and glory beyond our imaginations
From on high God has struck with His Fist
All the loneliness, brokenness, and depression 
       that exist
No more! He cries from Heaven
Worlds created that were once hidden

For all the works of the enemy will come to nothing and all the wicked schemes of the devil will be crushed underneath God's feet with judgment, wrath, fury, and vengeance.  For God is a jealous God, and He will not relent until His lost sheep are found and restored.

8-5-13

Treasure Created Eons Ago

She smiles and the sun turns its gaze

She laughs and sets my heart ablaze

So many ideas and dreams

Both are unspoken and unseen

Blank canvas with treasure inside

Wonderful beauty we will guide

Peace, love and hope that makes me weak

Comes from someone who cannot speak

A little bundle of Heaven

Come to our lives to reside in

A great ocean of joy inside

Those beautiful, bright blue eyes

7-23-13

A Mist Remains

Raindrops fall on leaves of green
Wind blows the warm summer air
I breathe in this misty scene
At peaceful stillness I stare

Fickle and warm summer rain
Falling like pillows on cloth
Splashing with a colorless stain
Steam rising from summer's broth

Through the mist, color is born
Light split through water's prism
On the earth, beauty adorn
A painting born in wisdom

7-8-13

Heaven on Earth

I have a dream,
That the once undivided Church
     will again join hands.
When Calvinist and Armenian will 
     embrace in love,
And every older brother accept 
     every prodigal.
One day, we will stand.
Confident in our Father's love,
Knowing who we are,
Not defining ourselves by anyone's
     opinion but God's
One day, God's love will be so 
     pervasive in our hearts
That nothing will stand to divide us.
The walls will come down.
The gates will be crushed.
The ground itself will tremble.
When we can hear from the mouths
     of women and children from the
     pulpit, and no one will think it
     strange.
When Charismatics and Pentecostals and 
     Baptists and Catholics and
     Presbyterians and Methodists can
     have dinner in peace.
We do not have to agree in order to love.
We do not have to believe the same 
     theology to shake the foundations
     of the earth with the Presence
     of God.

What will it look like when leaders and
     followers of every denomination 
     decide to love unconditionally?
What will it look like when women's 
     and children's voices are viewed 
     just as important as men's voices?
I have a dream of an army that marches
     together.
I have a dream of a powerful Church 
     filled with love.

It is beginning already.
Many are truly learning of our Father's
     heart of endless benevolence towards
     everyone.
Just as when Nehemiah brought unity to 
     Israel to rebuild the wall, many are
     coming together in love.
The prophet Habakkuk says it well: "For 
     the earth will be filled with the 
     knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
     as the waters cover the sea."
Our Lord Jesus Christ says that love is 
     the most important thing in life.
The apostle John says that God is love.

So many people are afraid of failure in 
     life.
But the apostle Paul tells us that love 
     never fails.
One day we will be fearless.
One day we will be so confident in our
     Father's love that we will bring so
     much of heaven to earth that all
     will see: The earth is filled with the
     knowledge of the glory of the Lord!
His people, His family, us:
We will be one.

I can see light pouring in between the 
     clouds.
I can see clear blue-green streams 
     flowing throughout the earth.
I can feel a cool breeze and see trees
     and plants growing everywhere.
The peace of the Lord will rest upon 
     the earth,
And all will see the riches of the 
     Presence of God.

6-19-13