Stumbling along the sidewalk

Crying down inside a cave.

Trying not to be a slave.

Striving hard for what you gave.

Feeling like I am a knave.

 

Wonder who will come for me.

What is now possibility?

How will he or she set me free?

Am I banished from endless glee?

 

So what do you care? You ask me now.

Why display a wrinkled brow?

I wonder why, I wonder how

You will perform and take a bow.

 

What is the future of a man,

A man who strives to make a plan?

Are you sinking in the sand?

I will help you, if I can.

 

So, come with me, happily.

Listen to my tales and see

What you learn about me.

A surprise, but not completely.

 

Is it possible
That God never stops
Offering his love
To all of us?

Not just the chosen few,
But each and every person
On the face of the earth,
From the beginning of time

To the end of time?
Does God continue
To give and give
Until we give in?

Does God never
Take “No” for an answer,
Because he knows
What is really good for us?

Does he know
That down deep,
We all want his love,
We all want to be with him,

No matter what
We think or say
About him?
After all,

If we choose
To reject God,
And God gives up on us,
Wouldn’t that mean

That the enemy
Has won that battle?
Is our God so small
That he would permit

Most of his children
To spend eternity
Burning in hell?
Wouldn’t it seem,

If that happens,
That Jesus’ death
Was in vain?
In the end,

Does the most
Powerful being
In the entire universe
Get defeated

By his own creation?
After all,
Does God lose,
Or is God bigger than that?

Does Love win?

I can really relate to this poem…

Grace is now.
God is here.
He wants you to join him,
To bring heaven to earth.

To end the fighting,
And establish peace.
To end the taking,
And give to all according to their need.

To turn the swords and spears
Into plowshares and pruning hooks.
To cultivate God’s creation,
To sit down to a heavenly banquet.

To celebrate, to have fun.
Play frisbee in a park,
Or bask in the sun at the beach
Without ever getting burned.

To watch football games
Played according to the rules,
With nobody arguing, or
Getting their panties in a wad.

Swimming in a crystal blue ocean,
Pure and clean, with no pollution.
Always recycling everything.
There will be no waste.

Only eating just enough.
Never binging. No food poisoning.
Everything will be fresh,
And full of flavor.

We will see all our friends
And all of our family,
Every generation back
To the beginning of time.

They will all be there,
Comfortable, peaceful,
Without a hint of suffering.
And no pain.

Everyone will get along.
We will all have each other’s
Best interest at heart.
Life will be good.

Very good.

Glide into the atmosphere.
Soak in the peaceful silence.
To get away, to take a break.
It’s such a nice relief.

Sometimes the tension
Of the everyday stress
Can strangle your soul.
Set it free.

Find a quiet place,
All alone.
Drift into outer space.
Listen to the earth groan.

What comes next
Is your decision.
Could it be a touch or a taste?
Anything goes,

It’s your time to breathe.
Escape from the noise and the smoke.
Take a swim in the pool.
Stretch, or take a nap.

Relax. Find your rhythm again.
Meditate about love.
Curl up with a good book.
Open a window and look.

Nature busies itself,
But only loses its rhythm
When we step in,
So stop and listen to it.

Feel the breeze,
And the warmth of the sun.
Hear the cricket chirp.
Marvel at a dragon fly.

There is no end
To reconnection.
Drift to your heart’s content.
It is your time.

Hey, you!
Come here!
I want to ask you something.
What is your temperature?

When was the last time
You spoke in rhyme?
When did they say
You were okay?

Are you?
I beg to differ.
You seem quite not okay.
You seem on the edge.

Or maybe that was me.
I get confused sometimes,
Especially when I speak in rhyme.
So, go climb a tree.

Do you see me, carefully?
Do you feel the waves of the sea?
Are you happy?
So come with me.

Do you see the way to me?
Can you hear the tune I sing?
Are you here to knock my knee?
Is that exactly the right thing?

How do you do today?
Is this the day you come to play?
It will end upon the night.
Don’t even try to start a fight.

Let’s go now to the end.
It costs too much for me to spend.
Let’s connect the happy dots.
Then we’ll sit and start to rot.

What is here for family?
Do you see just what I mean?
The jungle gym will make you sing.
It will also make you lean.

Let’s cover up the tangled web.
Did you hear just what I said?
Are you coming now to bed?
I will stay here, turning red.

I will fill you up with lead.
You won’t know that you are dead
Until it hits you in the head.
Listen, now, to what I said.

Do you think
There is wisdom
To be gained
From the trees?

What kind of truth
Does nature speak?
What can we learn
From the world around us?

I would hope
I could grasp
The gentle voice
Of a trickling brook,

Or the booming shout
Of crashing waves
On a quiet beach
On a distant island.

How do we seek
Truth in the desert?
Do we need
To get away from it all

To hear the still, small voice
Of our Heavenly Father?
Perhaps, if we wait
In silence,

Resisting the temptation
To blare our favorite music,
Or watch our favorite tv show.
How is God speaking to us

At this very moment?

When I serve my brother or sister
In generosity,
Giving what I have,
And then giving a little more,

Do I see God in their face?

When I visit the prisoner,
Tend to the sick,
Feed the hungry,
Shelter the homeless,

Do I see God in them?

What can the immigrant
Teach me about my culture?
What can I learn
From the aborigine?

How will the Native American
Teach me about the universe?
How will I be humbled
By the former slave?

We all have truth
In our lives,
Learning from whom and what
We see and hear around us

In our everyday life.

What places have you been?
Where are you from?
What have you learned
From your ancient ancestors?

Wisdom and love
Are passed on to the next generation.
Gifts and truths shared
Through mutual respect

Bond us together,
And make us all stronger.

You have a special place
In my heart.
I pray for you
Every day.

For strength, for patience,
For wisdom, for love.

I know you will get through
This difficult time.
I am here beside you
Every step of the way.

Let us walk together
Into the future,
Holding hands,
And standing tall.

Let us bless the lives
That cross our paths.
Let us pray
For the broken-hearted.

When you are sad,
I am sad.
When you are lonely,
I am lonely.

I will carry your burden
Until the heavenly kingdom
Descends upon the earth.
Let us go there together.

We are never completely saved,
Until we go to be with God.
Rather, we are constantly being saved,
God is working on us.

So, you can be momentarily saved
From one thing or the other,
Whether it be some type of trouble,
A bad habit, or any terrible sin.

But you are not completely healed
Of all your shortcomings,
And there is always the potential
For you to get into some type of trouble.

So, don’t get a big head,
Thinking that you are better than others,
Because God is constantly saving them, too.
It’s just God’s nature.

God reveals himself
To different people in different ways,
And God heals us
In his timing, not ours.

God will always be a mystery,
And there will always be things
That we do not know about God,
And about each other.

That is our nature.

We are incomplete.
That comes with the state
Of being human.
Without God, we are nothing.

Instead,
We should wonder
At the amazing generosity
Of God, our redeemer,

The one who is redeeming us.

Let us all strive to be as
Generous as God is to us!

We are never completely saved,
Until we go to be with God.
Rather, we are constantly being saved,
God is working on us.

So, you can be momentarily saved
From one thing or the other,
Whether it be some type of trouble,
A bad habit, or any terrible sin.

But you are not completely healed
Of all your shortcomings,
And there is always the potential
For you to get into some type of trouble.

So, don’t get a big head,
Thinking that you are better than others,
Because God is constantly saving them, too.
It’s just God’s nature.

God reveals himself
To different people in different ways,
And God heals us
In his timing, not ours.

God will always be a mystery,
And there will always be things
That we do not know about God,
And about each other.

That is our nature.

We are incomplete.
That comes with the state
Of being human.
Without God, we are nothing.

Instead,
We should wonder
At the amazing generosity
Of God, our redeemer,

The one who is redeeming us.

Let us all strive to be as
Generous as God is to us!

It is such a temptation
For Christians to think
That when they accept Jesus
As their personal savior,

That they have arrived.

There is nothing further
From the truth.

When we become saved,
It is just the beginning
Of a life-long process
Of sanctification,

A process that never ends.

We are only acceptable
In God’s eyes
As we are convicted with judgement
And forgiven with mercy.

That is, by God’s actions, not ours.

This is not a one-time,
Or even just a once-in-a-while thing.
Until we pass on from
Our present state of being,

That is, as a fallen creature,
Who is continually faced with
The choice of either doing
God’s will, or playing God ourselves,

We will be constantly dependent
On God for everything good.

Not only that,
But the very next minute
After God forgives us,
We are tempted into mischief again.

We never truly arrive,
Until we die.

So what can we boast of,
Except, that God is wonderful?

How can we possibly think
That we are any better
Than anyone else,
Or that anyone else

Is better than us,
Except God?

We do not have
A leg to stand on.
But we do have
A lot to be thankful for,

And a lot to be humble about.

So, let’s not divide ourselves
Into who’s right
And who’s wrong.
Let’s welcome all,

And appreciate all,
For how God is working in their lives,
Whether they are Christian or not,
For we are all God’s children,

Created in God’s image.

Nobody has a corner
On the truth,
And we can all learn
From each other,

Because God blesses
Each one of us uniquely.

Let’s focus not on
Who’s in, and who’s out,
But, instead, on
How each of us can contribute

To the greater good of all.