Stumbling along the sidewalk

We never know

What will come next.

There are so many opportunities

To extend the love

We have for each other.

Sometimes, it is easy.

Those are the happy times,

What most call, the good times.

But, there are other times,

That are even better.

It is those times,

When it takes work,

Lots of work.

When it is not comfortable.

When we have to stretch ourselves.

When we mess up.

We have to forgive each other,

For the ways we fall short.

And none of it depends on

What either of us do.

It is a God-given blessing.

The heart and the mind

Working together,

In a beautiful dance.

Sometimes, we don’t feel it,

And, then, the mind has to step in

And say, didn’t you? Don’t you?

Isn’t it worth it, in the end?

It takes discipline,

And without the dedication,

Loyalty and commitment,

It would never happen,

And the heart provides the fuel.

The heart says, it’s worth it.

Keep going.

You’ll be glad you did.

A hero.
But is this someone
To inspire us, really?
Is this what we want our children
To dream of being,
When they grow up?
Someone who kills people
For a living?
Yes, he saved many lives,
And that is admirable, in itself,
But does that mean
We should glorify it?
Should we all read the book
And watch the movie?
Is it that important?
Obviously, to the military,
He was a very good man.
But is killing
Something to admire?
He was very skilled.
He helped others.
He killed more people
Than anyone before.
Something seems wrong
With that picture.
Perhaps,
There is nothing wrong
With the man.
It is we who are in the wrong.
The man did
What he was supposed to do.
Now, what are we supposed to do?
That is the question.

If I dare,
Yes, if I dare
To be normal,
Would it scare you?

It might be
That I am cruel,
Or, maybe,
I might be a fool.

I might justify
My actions,
Common to
Us, Anglo-saxons.

I might say,
It’s okay to hate.
I might even
Discriminate.

I might lump you all
Together.
I might think
That I am better.

There’s nothing wrong
With criticizing.
When you’re Number One,
You should flaunt it!

I’m much better
Than all you, Liberals.
I can say
My times tables.

So, let me have
Your worst, come on.
I can take it,
I’m the bomb.

Don’t tell me
To be ashamed.
You’re the one
Who should be blamed.

You, and all
The media
Have blown this thing
Way up, I tell ya’.

There is nothing wrong
With being
Greedy with my
Hard-earned money.

Why should I care
About the rest?
I’m what matters.
I’m the best!

So, don’t complain.
I don’t care.
I am normal.
Does that scare you?

Touch feel heal mercy
Compassion aching pain
Sore anxiety piercing
Throbbing hole abyss
Empty life prayer God
Forgiveness sin Christ
Jesus sacrifice cross
Paid judgment end
Return end new whole
Body love connection
Knowing me unique
Image child cherished
Son abandoned fear
Terrified justification
Confusion broken
Brotherhood fellowship
Divine blood communion

Prayer seems like
A crazy thing, sometimes.
Talking to God,
What a concept.

Really,
Is God that accessible?
Seems we think
A lot of ourselves

To take it for granted
That God is available
To us at any time,
In any place.

But that seems to be
What the Bible tells us.
Again, the Bible, already.
Another can of worms.

Some say it is just
A collection of writings
By different authors
Over the span

Of hundreds of years.
Perhaps,
It is inspired by God,
But God is not the author.

Does that make it
Any less reliable?
The other source we have
Is all those in our lives

Who have taught us
About prayer,
And about the Bible.
Some things they have told us

Are true,
Some not,
Maybe,
Like what we read

In the Bible.
More messages,
Perhaps, divinely inspired,
Perhaps not.

Somewhere
Along the line,
We have to make a decision:
Who are we going to trust?

For some people,
Like myself,
Trust is a difficult thing.
Who can we trust?

It is possible
That all these people
Are fooling themselves,
Right?

Or, maybe,
There is something,
Someone,
Really out there,

A divine Being,
Just waiting
For us to have a little faith,
And reach out.

I guess it is up to us.

To touch God,
Even for a moment,
Would be a great privilege.
Can we do so?

My prayers,
Sometimes answered,
Sometimes not,
Allow this,

But I wonder,
Is it real?
Is God as close
As some say?

At various times
In my life,
I have believed
That God is close,

As close as can be.
He is all around us,
And inside of us,
Part of our very being.

God moves through us,
In words and deeds
Of compassion
And mercy.

God speaks through us,
As we comfort one another.
God touches us,
As we reach out to each other.

But what of the times
When it feels like
We are all alone?
Are our hearts hardened?

Where is God
When we are afraid?
Is he here beside us?
Does he feel our fear?

It would seem
That all we have to do
Is ask God into our heart,
And he will come in,

But sometimes,
That just seems too easy.
And life gets in the way.
Suffering produces doubt.

Why does God allow
Such bad things to happen,
If he really cares about us?
It is a mystery.

Perhaps,
It is we who cause it,
Or someone, or something
That is a part of the imperfect world

That we live in.
Perhaps,
It is not God
That causes bad things to happen.

But, is he
All powerful?
Is he full of mercy?
Is he compassionate?

Why does God
Seem like such a twisted person,
When we consider
All the evil in the world?

Who is to blame?
Or does blaming
Completely miss the point?
Blaming really doesn’t solve anything.

So, perhaps,
God is not the problem,
But neither is he always
The solution.

Perhaps,
We need to look within
Ourselves
For that.

Or, maybe,
Instead of trying
To escape from suffering,
We should embrace it,

Simply asking God
To give us the strength
To bear it,
And go from there.