There’s nothing left,
I’ve been drained dry.
Can’t force a smile;
Can’t even cry.
I feel I’ve given
All I can give.
Except perhaps
My mess and sins.
Put all my energy
In what I thought …
Was most important,
What meant a lot.
And now I find
It all is dust.
A new beginning —
I’ll have to trust.
Yet there is hope
Within my soul.
God’s pruning me,
To make me whole.
Lord, take my mess
And all my sins.
Then You will truly
Dwell within.
[Inspired by Denise and Jacob discussing math, poetry, and philosophy]
Different minds
And ways of being.
Different eyes
And ways of seeing.
To different beauties
We are attracted;
The dance of life
For each enacted.
The heart and mind
Must have a reason
To live, to die —
In every season.
You might think beauty
Is only in art
But even equations
Can move the heart.
Warmth in the cold — how often do we take it for granted?
A fire, a heater in our home, a warm jacket, a cap that covers our head and ears, a warm scarf, socks and shoes or boots, blankets, quilts, or comforters. And how about the warmth of a smile, a hug, a gentle voice, a forgiving or encouraging friend?
I once stayed a weekend at a cabin in Grass Valley, California. All the heating, cooking, and hot water was produced by burning wood. On mornings there would be a designated person who got up first and got the fire going for heating the cabin. People took turns because it wasn’t so pleasant getting up in the cold. Then, if you wanted to get clean in the shower, water had to be heated by burning wood. Cooking was a lot more work, too. In the United States and other places, we take our electric or gas heaters and ovens for granted.
So today, let’s be grateful for warmth. And Lord, help us to offer your warmth to someone today.
Bow down, bow down,
Your Savior now has come.
Look up, look up,
The angels’ song is sung.
So low, so low,
In circumstances born.
A child, a child,
A small and humble one.
He comes, He comes
To take away your sin.
Within, within,
Look in your heart for Him.
Rejoice, rejoice;
He takes away your sin.
I wait for you in long, dark days,
In silent places far from crowds.
I wait for love’s most tender words,
For glances with your love so full.
I wait, and do not force myself
On hearts that are not ready yet.
I wait until that day you come
And we will then be one at last.
Lord, please send the rain again
Upon the dry and dusty land.
Send it down so we can drink;
Send it on the sea and sand.
Send refreshment that we need.
Desperate, we await Your plan.
Hungry, needing nourishment;
Thirsty, knowing that You can –
Bring beauty out of ugliness,
Bring joy from sorrow extreme,
Bring order out of great chaos,
And bring alive our dreams.
Why do You tarry, oh so long?
How long before Your plan matures?
Teach us to follow Your commands;
That You will triumph, is sure.
Without You, we are frozen still.
Without You, we are lost.
But with You, there is hope and light;
I look upon Your cross.
How the wind is moaning,
And how the trees are groaning.
The cold wind, it is roaming
To find its place of rest.
How my heart is yearning,
And to the light is turning.
Every day, I’m learning
To find my peace at last.
The wheels of time are turning;
So many people hurting.
The millstones, they are grinding
Until the end of time.
The flowers, they are flourishing,
The Word of God is nourishing.
With many people perishing,
God’s mercy we must show.
I know You have a plan
A purpose great for me
But what the plan and purpose are
Is hard for me to see
It’s hidden from my eyesight
Too quiet for my ears
Or maybe I could see and hear
If not absorbed by fear
You’re making a creation
You have an awesome plan
The gears are turning slowly
O’er many years they span
The universe You fashioned
The earth, the stars, the sea –
Am I just a speck of dust, or —
Made for infinity?
clarakatalin 
God Is Going to Win!
One day I went to church, soon after the Paris terrorist attacks in November, 2015. The priest talked about the fact that many boys are kidnapped or forced into terrorist training, as young as age six. They are taught violence and how to cause destruction. They may be threatened with death if they don’t cooperate. They don’t know any other life. I don’t know if the priest implied it, or I thought it myself – “How can they not be terrorists? They don’t anything else.” The priest also offered heartfelt prayers for violence to end, for our safety, and for God to touch the terrorists.
So, I’m driving home after this, and God knows what unconscious process unfolded in me, but suddenly I kept thinking, “God is going to win! Love is going to win! Love is stronger than all the violence, hate, and destruction.” This kept going through my mind for perhaps the rest of the day, and beyond.
I feel so sure that God, who is Love, will win in the end.
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