Squirrels dancing in the trees,
Sunlight tickling my knees —
Spring is coming.
Spring Approaching
February 21, 2016
Goodbye to a Friend (Reprise)
February 17, 2016
Lord, when the feelings end,
And things are still the same,
It takes some faith
For feelings great,
To love without pretense.
When things seem all awry,
When it’s so hard to try,
Must just express
Some bitterness,
And then let bitterness die.
Who did I think you were
That you should meet all needs?
You’re just a person
Whom I conversed with —
Not God, to Whom I plead.
[Just feelings; I might not really say goodbye to this person; it’s only what I feel like doing. And it could just be a misunderstanding.]
Goodbye, goodbye,
We’ve had a lovely time.
We laughed and cried
And talked a while,
And then you broke my heart.
Goodbye, my friend;
All good things have to end.
But so do bad,
Not always sad;
Somehow I’ll start again.
Goodbye, goodbye,
You couldn’t be the one
To make me whole,
To save my soul;
And I could not go on.
Goodbye; it’s true —
Had lots of fun with you.
Just don’t know why
I have to cry —
Life’s bittersweet, it’s true.
Goodbye, goodbye,
Someday we’ll meet again
At heaven’s doors,
On distant shores,
Where hurts do ever mend.
If Your Heart is Broken …
February 10, 2016
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.
God Is Going to Win!
January 31, 2016
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.
The Window on Your Mind
January 12, 2016
[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
January 8, 2016
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.
What God Cares About
God doesn’t care about
the size of my bank account,
the size of my waist,
how many diplomas I have on my wall,
or how many cars I have in my driveway.
What He cares about
is the size of my heart
and how much I love Him.
And if I love Him,
I do my best to obey Him.
“If you love Me, you will
keep my commandments.”
(John 14:15)
Category:
Commentary, Faith
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