You Are My Shade

You are my shade when the sun beats down with tropic heat, when its beams creep in like crafty spies, when it hides its face but penetrates. You are my shade. You are my shadewhen the enemy blasts with full attack,when he sneaks in wearing a new costume,when he comes behind me to whisper lies.YouContinue reading “You Are My Shade”

Prayer to the Shepherd

I walk beside a river and you hold my hand as we exult in beauty. When the sky turns gray with a storm rolling in you shelter me from pellets of ice, rough winds,sky fire, or even justa cold wet downpour.Next comes a hilly incline,tiring my calf muscleseven though this is onlyslightly draining. It’s training.ButContinue reading “Prayer to the Shepherd”

Punctuating the Separations

I greet distance once again, geographic separation that clips my best strong heart connections, separates close friends, my loved ones. The threads of tendernesstrail tears over continentsand disappear intothe salt of seas.“Goodbye!” is the wordthat stabs me, punctuation tothe phrases of my lifeeven while it sends my love after a heart.Delight moves throughshared sequences(some catapultedContinue reading “Punctuating the Separations”

Where is God in This?

A groan, the wrenching sound of a heart torn out, shredded… arms lifted skyward in the still of night, begging…tears pumped profuselyfrom the soul,sodden…The future disintegrates.My crumpled dreams are thrown away.I’m a discarded quarry,scraped until I’m bare.Where are you???. . . . . . .Hush child! Be still.Know that I am God.I hold you close.MyContinue reading “Where is God in This?”

He is at Work

God stretches out his arm, his right hand goes to work, and what was meant for tragedy is tweaked and tuned to good. We cannot see ahead, we don’t know when or how a dangerous trap’s been set in place to frustrate, crush or kill, But since he holds the worldsecurely in his palms,he knows!Continue reading “He is at Work”

To Do What He Requires

To live out justice means to hate what is evil embrace what is good act on it with wisdom take note of what’s broken speak like a prophet intervene to right wrongs when the Spirit leads the way freeing slaves of greed-mastersor of dirty justice systemsor of cultural traditionsthat demean and disrespectthe dignities of peopleContinue reading “To Do What He Requires”

On a Thread

It’s a quick walk on a fine thread, this gift of life, this privilege of breath and beating heart and strength to step ahead. So many disappear, flash out of sight, thread cut off before its final length unwinds. We shout “No!,” and cry, and move along, subdued, with more awareness of the dangers, rightContinue reading “On a Thread”

What He Wants

every weakness self-pity selfishness laziness procrastination lost opportunities hurts inflicted back-stabbing shaming ungracious picky hateful oozing woundsmisunderstoodbetrayedminimizedmalignedignoredsoul sufferinglonely depressedbattereddeceivedundressedall fell on himthe crushing weightof meannesscorruptionpaindespairthank youseems so smallto sayso minimalagainst the massof grief What grace, yes, amazing grace, was poured out on us through Jesus’ death on the cross! It saves any wretch who comesContinue reading “What He Wants”

Deep Calling Deep

I keep to shallows. You are the deep that tugs my feet from under me, blasts ears with fury, floods each orifice until I’m swept away, my deep imploded to a black hole, resistance convoluted to a vacuum. Ravished, I find your waves and breakerstender with thetropic warmthof a trillion suns,millenia of moon tides.You areepicContinue reading “Deep Calling Deep”

Radical Change After Pentecost

Extraordinary hyper-power pulsates inside this fragile jar. Its fried glass, splintered to a mosaic of prisms, splits the beams to violet, green and red (shocked with gold) and casts pictures through the night onto dark walls: images of glory, stained glass come alive and radiating metaphors: a king bathing slaves’ feetwhile a woman’s hairwipes hisContinue reading “Radical Change After Pentecost”