PICK A PART

PTake a page from life and look at it completely. Don’t let it be something other than the whole story.

And then when you are done, compare it to the rest of your life. Was it better or worse? Was there any lesson learned.

It is an exercise that some never make. They avoid the process of reflection. A very common problem.

Some take the point of only looking to blame others. Then there are those who do that to make an effort to excuse their shortcomings.

Now the good part is when one lets the Lord’s Spirit guide and teach. We can find so many reasons not to see the truth.

And that is the part that really makes a difference. Do we find joy in the Lord’s grace? Is it the source of our eyes.

You can spent forever reviewing failures. Take the time to rewrite them as you please. But it won’t make them different.

And the key is truly to find acceptance in the view. To be able to understand for the sake of growth.

If looking back lets us see the future more clearly it is a good thing. But we just don’t always take the view.

Not without revisions. Those we do all the times. Just our version of the truth. Which is fine if it ends up being correct.

But so often we color it with our own view of reality. And no matter who we are we do this.

Only with God’s help can we overcome this. Or at least see clearly. But whether we actually will look is the question.

And that is the challenge. Can we take the time to turn this into a lesson. Or will we hide when the Lord opens our eyes?

That is the individual search each of us has to make. God it there to guide, but we must be willing to take journey.

And do it in parts that we must look at, which aren’t always pleasant. But to gaze is part of the journey.

For that we have steps of forgiveness.

THE PRECIOUS GLOW

Nothing truly gives a parents heart such joy
than seeing such delight in eyes of their little boy
that Christmas smile from opening a new toy,
which constant love so often does employ.

Capturing the spell seen in innocence eyes
from the magic bestowed by some special surprise.

How we renew our own dreams from youth
in those gifts of hope that a child’s accepts as truth,
we inspire by holding them in care’s sheltering booth.

What enchantment flows in a tender, sensitive mind
because the one they trust makes it something easy to find
always teaching them to believe in tomorrows
filled with more flowers and rainbows than sorrows.

It all remains so expressed in ways we cherish most
when happiness upon a young life one is able to post,
quietly feeling the song their spirit learns to sing
seeing it present in what the light that it does bring.

OCCURRENCES

The eyes have sight in the soul that can understand light the mind never sees. If the Holy Spirit is the one touching the vision.

But it is never a perfect vision. Because are imperfect. Pride gets in the way. We end up seeing what we want to see.

Sad, but true our senses are less than capable of seeing the facts at times. We just get bogged down by our bias.

And see that in ourselves can be so hard. It can just make it so difficult to actually be capable of recognizing our blindness.

But that is the process of discovery that always comes in segment and the mind may not care for each occurrence. For that will be other that pleasant at times.

So we must find the process to interpret what the Lord is using to truly help us understand. For knowledge is the key.

And some will never embrace how this process works. They will look on the occurrences with questions instead of faith.

To see and not really see is the sadness. It is the sickness we must admit. Confession’s eyes demand truth.

That we can see within ourselves the reality of our life. This is never a process without pain.

But avoiding the pain by denying its truth never brings more blessings. All the days we serve must have a lesson.

That is one that the Lord will teach. Through His school we become so blessed, even if others can see them.

To move beyond our excuses is an occurrence in itself. One that will always bring its own value.

Providing in the way we approach it we accept our limitations. Including the need to admit when we are wrong.

And be willing to accept we don’t have to know everything either. The real expert knows when we don’t know.

But some will never reach that point. They will always be preoccupied with other priorities, including pretending.

It is a nice act until it fails.

CEILINGS

The limits of the mind. So perfectly defined by our inhibitions and fears. To place a roof on our dreams and treat it as the total of reality.

So we take the time to assess our values and what we feel is our shelter. Taking it to the point we can feel some sense of security.

Yes that is so important at times. And that is the aspect we will always let create issues in our faith.

I was chatting with friend of mine the other day. And we had both seen the number of times that people took faith in such strange directions.

Ever putting limitations on the Lord, always defining what is going to work in terms of trust. And bartering on the issue of sin.

It comes under the problem of not clearly understanding grace. How often that important part of one’s relationship with the Lord gets missed.

How often we want a roof made of our good deeds. To make it the covering for your lives.

But then you never know when this will be the sad aspect of just too many excuses. So sad when that happens.

What takes place in the process is the sad system of excusing sin. To let it become a case of saying I did this good deed so it makes up for the bad ones.

Never seems to occur to such people that they are not going to earn one ounce of forgiveness by good deeds. The reality is they fall under grace.

That is the true ceiling that counts. Because the Lord is the one who creates it. That does become our version, but His.

And so often it doesn’t work for us. We want more. We want to paint our color. And take credit for its design.

The whole time it doesn’t not alter the truth. God never expects us to be perfect. He just places us in the position to see how our efforts never earn that kind of favor.

Some always will take it to extremes. They will never let the Lord truly create the tent over their lives.

They will simply let it be their illusion. And that will never result in the clarity to se heaven.

Just our version of paradise.

CLOUDS

Clouds

I shall never touch their face,
nor lie upon any lofty pillow
and my heart will not taste their puffy blooms.

Still they are the stairs
my mind still burns to ascend,
to imagine this vale
where I languish
was not the cellar of my life.

Though its airy scent always eludes,
despite the wings that won’t sprout
as plumes of my desires,
inside the eagle dwells,
refusing to be chained
by the cesspool claws,
which don’t cease to snare
regardless of the plot or plan.

As long as there is breath in my day,
pulse to remind I am more than peril flotsam
trapped where horizons I dream
vanish as mirages,
then feathers shall I write upon tomorrow,
because to do otherwise
would be a death
before the grave is opened.

TANGLED

How easy life seems to end up in knots. All those unexpected complications that make life other than peaceful.

Some you can predict. Others are just not they type that you in any way imagine will happen.

It is amazing how so many times our plans can get so messed up. We can plot some strategy and it all ends up going sour in some way.

But that is the part of change that can take a lifetime to learn to accept. Even then some don’t.

I know I have so often found it to be that way in my life. Just happens in ways that is so frustrating.

Now from my view naturally I never look upon this is a good way. I have tried so often, but it just doesn’t work.

In any case, I do try and appreciate how it is not the most joyful experience. And that is the aspect I do try to control.

Now what I have done is often to simple sit back after the stress passes and the frustration and see if I can find some good in the process. To do what I can to enjoy the truth it has to express.

Doesn’t eliminate my impatience. But I do so love that time of learning when I really learn.

That doesn’t always happen when I want it to. Sometimes it never happens. So you take the time to assess the truth.

And if you have any faith and are sensitive to the Lord’s spirit then it will often end up with having the whole process reveal some truth. And for that you can be grateful.

Which is the good part at times. I do my best with it. But no matter how much I know I am still human.

And I am grateful for the fact that God’s grace does bless despite the weaknesses. And I don’t let Satan snare me with guilt.

For the strength comes from embracing the truth. Even if that means being flawed. Which is part of the reason to give thanks.

Always hard to truly find that joy at times, but honesty will always bring more comfort thank pretense.

BEING A ROLE MODEL

Now from my view this role would be better spelled roll. Because you really do have to be so careful to know you are going to be pressed on the compliance.

So this means you are one big pastry. Yeah, not the kind you will like to be honest. You are going to end up being served.

Everyone will want a piece of you. And they will devour you and ask for more. That is why the smart person doesn’t vie for this title.

I do my role model work through others. Yeah, that is the part that really works. Just the times you have to let yourself create the illusion that it all works.

Yep, that is not the good part. I really have to just you know appreciate this is a matter of liking dessert.

Which is a case of being sure somebody else is the actually cake. You stick with being the icing.

See that is the part that people remember as sweet and tasty, but really they devour the cake. You do that by taking time to make lots of sugar.

Those are promises that you make. Only you do take the time to give somebody else the credit.

Which makes them the snack. Yeah, they think they are great. Real that is the part that counts.

You have to make them what to be the cake. You have to feed them all kinds of bull till the believe it.

And play up the part that makes them you know believe it will be a good think. Feed their ego big time.

Make them think they are a saint. Make them so darn happy to volunteer. Then they will beg for the job.

And for a while they will think they are so great. Yeah they will think they are doing fine.

Not tell later will the find out they are suckers. By they you have the praise for being so great.

Then end up on the platter. And you get to say, next? Which is the next time they get a chance to find out who is on the plate.

Just not me.

BEGINNING OVER

Life is so full of change. Sometimes it is more blessed that others. From our point of view.

But that is not to say it isn’t necessary or helpful. Just doesn’t always feel that way at times.

The Lord does know our hearts. And He so often is able to tell the things that are problems for us.

So He will make sure we face those challenges to learn. Do we always learn? I don’t think so.

I wish I could say that human nature was otherwise. But in truth we are always human. No matter how spiritual we think we are.

I’ve seen plenty who seem to think spirituality means not having the usual thoughts and desires of life. They would lump them all under sin.

I do smile at the times that people make such amazing claims. Such as never hating others or not sinning.

It is so hard for me to see how some can make such claims. But I do understand we all think differently.

So I will make allowances for those who are less subject too moods. I just don’t find that is the case for most people. Not if they are honest.

Perhaps the greatest change any of us can make is to see the truth in human nature. To not let ourselves be seduced into excuses.

I’ve seen the people who no matter how many times the Lord places them in a situation to change, they resist. They just can bring themselves to accept the truth.

To finally come to terms with the evolving state of one’s reality can be so hard. And then means starting over.

It means to look at the same thing with new eyes. To not let it dominate ones thinking or resist the Lord’s will.

Lots of people sure do find ways to justify that approach. Oh it is so popular. But it just doesn’t lead to growth.

And in the end we all find ourselves left to either embrace what God lays before us or find one more means to just not listen.

The whole time His wind never stops blowing.

HEAVEN

Body draped in brilliant white light,
no sense of pain to ache the thoughts,
feeling weightless,
floating as if a feather
by sheer command of will.

Suddenly feeling the inexorable power of pure divine love,
mind ceases to ask questions
because the answers come
with a knowing,
every secret and mystery revealed,
truth sings inside with a constant effulgence.

Surrounded by walls and edifices of translucent golden hues,
easily passing through them,
aware their purpose without being told.

Wandering in the throng of souls,
their stories and lives are intimately understood
though you’ve never met on earth.

Above the timeless sky is a tapestry of cosmic images,
planets and stars appear and disappear
each bringing their tales into one’s conscious.

Angelic beings are seen ascending and descending from above
as the array of heaven’s host in shimmering entities,
seraphim, cherubim and the countless other ethereal beings
each attends to their anointed charges

Ageless peace floods the spirit,
moving inexplicable towards the Lord’s throne,
utterly and happily immersed in His mesmerizing power,
washing away any memories of tears
along with the stains of sins.

Comes the moment of complete union
between creator and created,
at last discovering one’s purpose in eternity,
given clarity with euphoria,
possessed by an awakening one is truly at home
never having to fear leaving or it being left alone.

UNDER THE WALLS

I live so many years walling myself away from others. Every time I ventured out into the world it seem I just ended up getting wounded.

But you can’t live in that shelter forever. Live just has too many demands and you have to deal with others.

However, that is not how things often take place in a way we enjoy. For lots of others live in walled places too.

So the challenge is to reach out as the Lord wills. Now that can be such a tricky problem. It is hard to deal with at times.

Even hard to always appreciate how those walls cause problems. But despite my own walls, God did extend my life.

That is in ways that reach out to others. It sure can be so strange. And I sure didn’t get much of a chance to do it my way.

And it meant being willing to get out of my safety at times. Did it mean I never got hurt again?

Not even close. Did it in any way offer me blessings for doing so? Nope. That didn’t happen either.

Still I did want I was called to do. I found myself accepting the time you help without thanks.

Those are the times that are the hardest to accept. Just doing things because the Lord said compelled.

And perhaps in the process seeing how He feels at times. How many occasions when He does so much an the person doesn’t say thank you.

I can’t say there have never been any blessings. But never like they talk about in those prosperity doctrines.

In any event there is a small joy that comes from doing the right thing. Nothing to brag about, but a peace.

Sometimes that is joy that always gives you such reasons for happiness in small ways. And it is amazing how they last.

It is truly the quite times of satisfaction that have their own special peace. For that I will always be happy.

And yet also be grateful for the times they teach too.

TOGETHER

Ah, the joy of unity. That wonderful time of harmony. At least in theory. However, so often it doesn’t work that way.

I heard a comment once that one should agree to disagree. Somehow to be able to tell that we can have compromise in the mist of differences.

It is a wonderful concept. So very noble in its intentions. Yet not very realistic. At least I’ve never seen it work.

Because sooner or later people seem to let their egos get in the way. Sooner or later clashes come.

And when feelings get hurt it is hard to heal the breech. Sometimes down right impossible.

Now if you toss in the added ingredient of people decided to claim the Lord inspired their view and it gets even more complicated. Only it doesn’t have too.

But then you can always claim something is the Lord’s will. Even when it isn’t. Because the mind has this need to feel we are right.

Lost in the process is the true communion. Diversity was mean to be celebrated and not to be a battle ground.

But that is the problem. We allow ourselves to take this to the wrong level. Pride gets in the way.

Toss in some prayers and it all sounds so spiritual. Never works out that way in reality it seems.

I’ve sat in on too many church council meetings where the one thing that didn’t dominate was seeking the Lord’s will. Lots of opinions got mentioned.

Those all had to do with people’s desires. Sometimes they even were dreams. True hopes for the church’s ministry.

Only it got bogged down in so many ways Just way to many occasions when other things too priorities.

But this is where the heart must battle to listen. To let the Lord truly lead. All a fact that is well known.

But doesn’t get applied as we wish. Instead we just gravitate to the place where we find it safe.

Which is not always in the Lord’s will.

After The Storm

After The Storm

Oh havoc’s mistress, visiting in deluge to my world,
straining to recoup from the clouds of crisis
bringing such devastation to my financial shelter,
ripping at the fiscal planks,
seems of security shredded by the storms.

Looking around to see the impoverished and haggard souls
who weathered faces share my anguish,
if only this torrid transition had a happy ending
without the residue of loss abiding in the mind.

Aftermath brings the shifting through of resolution’s blueprints,
heart bearing the millstones from pass reconstruction,
from times of lay off hurricanes
and health emergency tornadoes,
which brought their own forms of destruction.

Through it all, the heart remembers
seasons come to every life,
learning to never build a wall you think can’t be tore down,
nor presume there is an impenetrable shelter one can build.

It is the confidence born out of falling in pits
where one discovers a means of escape
that grants the strength to endure the next round of heartaches,
slowly accepting the scars as emblems of stamina,
silent medallions to wars fought in the spirit.

PRESSED

Perhaps there is a place to live without this problem. A chance to function with all the demands of life and still smile.

What that pressure cooker starts it really is hard to cope. And I know how many times I search for ways to avoid it.

And yet, there are times when it just goes with the process. The price of being involved and taking chances.

In any case I find the times I follow the Lord are not those of pure peace. And that also means some pain to serve a lesson.

Which is not on the fun list. And there is no way to avoid it without staying away from all the areas of risk.

I’ve seen people who do that. They are so crippled by a need for security they can not function on any other level.

So they make excuses for when they gave in to that stubborn practical side that screamed, play it safe. And then ended up sad ever since.

There is a difference between prudence and a lack of confidence. Being able to admit it is something else.

Now the big problem can be perspective. To avoid the concept of always seeing what doesn’t work.

In any event for those that spend their time in this valley how often they never get why things don’t go well. This seldom changes.

I have learned to accept that with each step of faith there is risk and also demands. Things don’t end with perfection.

Blessings are not the process of being without pain. Sometimes we only learn through the struggle.

And then along the way if we follow the Lord even with the demand and feeling pressed, it is a good thing. Which is always the part that is hard to take at times.

So we battle the feelings and then move on. Fight the questions and them move ahead. With the Lord’s help.

Which is the part that we will always have to accept. And that is the aspect we don’t always want to admit.

Thus have many stumbled in their walk.

SAILS OF SIGHT

Now we are often find ourselves in the position were we have to see the future without all the facts. That doesn’t always happen when we want.

One of the realities of life is the uncertainty. It really does dog our thinking at times. Not always in a good way.

Not that we always enjoy it either. But life does take those turns. And in that regard we often find ourselves in the middle of doubts.

The Lord is merciful with our humanness. That is the nature of His grace. How wonderful it is.

How many times I have truly found myself in those places I wish I hadn’t been. To find those times when I wish life was otherwise.

But faith will prevail in such situations. Providing we can actually let it be the thing we actually desired.

Now that is the part that often gets lost. Really it does. For our heart can crave what is not really good for us.

Oh how often this happens. So very often it becomes the one thing that we excuses. And it can be so amazing the lies we will tell ourselves.

But then life must proceed at its own pace. And that can be very difficult to learn. Lately I’ve been struggling with that.

I have been on a certain quest. Not that it really is one that leads anywhere I would like, but I do try just the same.

And the Lord has allowed me to grapple with my quest. Hasn’t gone the way I expected, but I think I have learned.

So I am sitting back now and enjoying the reality in some ways. Just wish the desires had been more realistic.

Still I do give the Lord thanks for the mercy and His grace. Did I get what I want? Not really, but that is the part of the learning.

Now I move on and that is the part that really matters. Will it lead somewhere good? I’m sure in the Lord’s will yes.

In mine, well I can’t say. Just that I will keep on trusting and hoping. But tat is an area of faith that really counts.
Just hard to always embrace.

ADVENTURES

Oh how the mind love to travel. Would be so terrific if for some reason they took the time to actually travel as we wanted.

But then it is a reality that we can’t always go where our hearts would prefer. So that is then we can still travel by our minds.

Which is the part that can give some relief. When we try. And this is more than dreaming.

It is when we also listen to the Lord. When we take the time to actually let ourselves truly listen.

Now that can be a challenge. For it is the means where visions come. A chance to look beyond the place we need to be.

And then to be willing to spend the time actually taking moving into the realm where they will let them find a joy in the process. Which can be to imagine more than li

But do it in a way that will be focused on what God lets us see. How often that can be a joy.

Just to be able to see more than we wish. To be able to let it truly bless in the ways we look at life.

But then it is a matter of being willing to see too. And that can be a challenge. For it can be other than what we want.

And so often we find this to be other than our need. For that we do so often move beyond where we are suppose to be.

Now that requires the link between the heart and the soul. To see with inner eyes. And then to let it bless in ways that really counts

Because to see with our spirit’s view is to feel more blessed and willing to gaze beyond the now. It is to travel eons and then see the light we often miss.

How we can so often do we let ourselves not see. Simply fail to see what truly is there for us to understand.

If we do this correctly, then it will be the things that bring such wonderful light. A fantasy to some.

But a vision to others. A candle that lets us have joy and see into places that inspire. And thus we get a chance to move ahead.
Hopefully, if we truly listen to the lord.

SANCTARY

Contemplation stunned her senses over the incredible transition
eyes filled with sight she only had dreamed of before,
the walls she sees proving no barrier to her leaving
when her essence passes through them from that emerald lawn inside,
cemetery’s quiet a mixed blessing
for the spirit rising from a plot,
but she felt such a calmed in that sanctuary of departing,
as sun shined path to God,
watching mourner standing over the grave,
grandmother breathes a kiss goodbye as love’s wisp of air,
her shadow appearing briefly on the wall before faith brings her home to heaven.

AENVUES

For some it seems that life has lots of options. They can travel so many different paths. And more come there way in the process.

This being the nature of opportunity. And if the person is in such situations then comes the time for prayer. To be able to ask for the Lord’s will to be revealed.

Life for me has never quite had the problem. The few doors that come my way always open one at a time.

But that doesn’t mean I always enjoy the door. I do go through it since it is pretty obvious given it becomes my only choice.

That does take some of the mystery of out things. But that doesn’t always make things easier.

I always enjoy hearing when some have expressed how blessed they are with lots of opportunities. I try to be happy for them.

Just gets hard at times. Not that I would want to take away from their happiness, just doesn’t quite do much for one’s own feelings of being cared about.

Funny thing is how often the other person ends up with other than success on these opportunities. When you talk to them later something often went wrong.

It isn’t that I want such to happen to the person. All it does is help to confirm that life is sometimes that same for everyone.

We all dream, we all have desires, but the Lord only blesses according to His will. And being the prophet is less than successful at times.

Just a matter of how much we let our pride get in the way. Which happens to often I think.

Have that need to impress. And it is so much harder to do that when you are say in the process of boasting and not saying fact.

Sure is hard on the ego to come back later and explain being wrong. So that is why it is so necessary to have all the facts before saying much.

I think a lot of times it is a matter of making sure you don’t assume on God’s sovereignty. That is so easy to do.

And it always will get the results of less than good results. Better to be humble and grateful than demanding.

How many do that and learn the hard way.

THINGS

Now why is it that things always end up cluttering one’s life? It is the curse I guess of life.

One can’t live without distractions. They will burden the day and thoughts so you can’t focus on what you think is important.

So you start out for example trying to have a devotional period. A time to just reflect on spiritual things.

But then things get in the way. A phone call, an emergency or any number of issues intrude.

They all can irritate and annoy and you wonder, if all I wanted to do is to praise the Lord and pray couldn’t He stop the chaos? Which is always an unanswered question.

The reality I think is that while in this life we can never ascend to heaven. We can wish for it, but it doesn’t change the facts.

No matter how much we crave living on the mountain top we have to also dwell in the valleys. And that means accepting it as fact.

God keeps us human in our faith. He will never remove us from that realm even when we want to.

Sanctuaries do come, but they rest stops and never permanent. All part I think of what is to help us see ourselves.

To discover the thing inside we need to change and accept. Not all of them are things, which will change.

That is the constant struggle. And it is the part that remains a fact we can’t escape. Just learn from.

For we truly only gain when we accept who we are. God will always guide us to that truth.

How we can so wallow in the land of illusion. Bear the false wings of denial as our piety and ignore the horns.

But inside still know the truth. And thus have the conflict in our souls. This always leads to lies.

The will keep us trapped in denials snare and it is never comfortable there. Just a prison we think is an amusement park.

Always riding a rollercoaster of feelings.

THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE

Curtains pulled, lights left off,
outside only filled with dying zombies,
newspaper offers only spikes,
even when there is no storm
pollution still makes the sky brown and bleak.

Using television to keep away the night,
the heaviness doesn’t lift
because what is shows is always
artificial and surreal.

Napping silences the screams of ghosts,
but never ends the feel of their fingernails,
in all the prefab cave dwelling
keep remembering when there was a dawn
when life didn’t bring mourning in the morning.
Wandering if the bones don’t moan their complaint
out into the concrete graveyards
to see if somewhere there is a doctor
who can fix the shadows,
a healer that isn’t a vampire,
some knight not owning a switchblade
and fights invisible dragons.

Haven’t lost the vision of the day
knowing it isn’t dead,
just lost between the layers of the mind.

Before winter sets upon the spirit
with hibernating crippling to the eyes,
there lingers the trace of hope
somewhere there dwells a hand
with sunrise to restore
what cold and bitterness have taken away.





Curtains pulled, lights left off,
outside only filled with dying zombies,
newspaper offers only spikes,
even when there is no storm
pollution still makes the sky brown and bleak.

Using television to keep away the night,
the heaviness doesn’t lift
because what is shows is always
artificial and surreal.

Napping silences the screams of ghosts,
but never ends the feel of their fingernails,
in all the prefab cave dwelling
keep remembering when there was a dawn
when life didn’t bring mourning in the morning.
Wandering if the bones don’t moan their complaint
out into the concrete graveyards
to see if somewhere there is a doctor
who can fix the shadows,
a healer that isn’t a vampire,
some knight not owning a switchblade
and fights invisible dragons.

Haven’t lost the vision of the day
knowing it isn’t dead,
just lost between the layers of the mind.

Before winter sets upon the spirit
with hibernating crippling to the eyes,
there lingers the trace of hope
somewhere there dwells a hand
with sunrise to restore
what cold and bitterness have taken away.

STUFF

We all got stuff. We all have so much of it. Possessions, memories, feelings and a host of other things we collect.

Now some might not consider emotions and memories as stuff. But they are in many ways.

Just not always a bad thing. Sometimes it can be a valuable part of life. But it is still a furnishing of the mind.

The items we collect and hold onto even try to acquire in some special way, from others. All part of the nature of life.

Some have tried to not make this a good thing. They will act as if they stuff one has is a detractor from spirituality.

Then you have the other extreme. The people who act as if their stuff is a blessing from God.

Which naturally it is there opinion. And I don’t think the Lord expects us all to live like paupers.

Neither do it seem that He is going to cure poverty in the world either. That is not how things work.

Nor does He promise to end that problem in life. Or a host of other things either. So in that regard I do appreciate each life has its consequences.

Some we can control others we can not. And that is all part of the way we face life in faith.

It is never the same for everyone. I am grateful for the many blessings the Lord has granted my life.

Yet it is hardly a perfect life. And that is all the way it has been. I am not as bad off as some or as well off as others.

But I have learn to not make stuff my priority. Just accept that it will be part of our life. And to try and keep in balance what is important.

Namely that we live in our lives with surrendering it all to the Lord. Then His Spirit can teach us what is the way we are to use our stuff.

It is wonderful to have piece over our lives. To let it be the joy from remembering all we have is what God gave us.

And know He can add or take it away as He wills.

FOUND

What great joy there is to find something you lost. That sense of relief, that totally happiness that comes from the moment.

But then we don’t always get our choice in such things. The are the times when things get lost and are never found.

Doesn’t stop the feelings though. Just makes us aware that we really do have a sadness of that missing item.

I was having a discussion with a friend on the issue of a loss of respect. This person felt other opinions didn’t matter.

That the Lord is all you need and as long as you have that, the rest doesn’t matter. I do agree that having the Lord is the cornerstone of faith and life.

But I don’t think we were expected to be monks. We have feelings and need to be able to encounter others.

Be able to interact, love and be loved. For in those moments we do reflect the Lord in our lives in a special way.

Yet, we also can’t be held hostage to opinions. To let our lives be driven by the need for approval.

Still esteem does have a purpose in our needs. We are far more happy when we have a good feeling about ourselves.

Which often doesn’t happen in life. We encounter so many who don’t embrace the need to encourage.

So the Lord I think often empowers and anoints. He finds the place where we live so it can be touched.

It might be different for everyone. The need to find the keys that will make our own life has balance.

And to that degree is can be hard to keep this focused by the nature of faith. That is where the key lies.

For it will be the joy when we release the parts of life we claim for ourselves in the process of trusting. Feeling the need will always be better if we give it to the Lord.

And that is the part that we will find such a great discovery. Providing we let Him truly bless.

So easy to avoid that.

TAXED

I don’t recall anyone ever saying they enjoyed paying taxes. They are a cost we endure, not with out a lot less than joy.

But then these are also the times of taxing of one’s spirit. Where are find out what resides within.

It isn’t always a wonderful experience, but we do learn from the process then it is a good option. Just wish they weren’t painful.

This is the part that truly comes when least expected. The times when we get hit broadside by some trial.

And we never find this to be a demand that brings happiness at the time. We might even sit back and question the value.

There are times in life for which there are no answers. Those occasions without a clear point of meaning.

Does this happen? Not always. I still have moments that strained me to the max, which have yet to make sense.

If it is a case of something that is truly where we made a mistake or bad choice then it can make sense. Consequences we can appreciate.

Doesn’t mean we necessarily take time to always celebrate this learning process. And I wish that the Lord did always make these moments clear.

But that is not the reality. It is all part of the journey of faith. Some times the answers have to wait until eternity.

And that is the tax we bear in our souls. The strain of not knowing and being aware we may not any time soon.



But that is the part where there are not easy answers. Just the challenge to accept the fee. And celebrate when the time allows.

When we move ahead we sometimes have to step back. There are occasions this has reasons.

But that is not always the hope we want. Not the dream we savor or desire. Just the tax upon our spirit we will face

Do it the way the way the Lord wants and it will be a blessing even in the hardship. Do it wrong and no peace will come.

Just an issue of if we want to see it with our hearts or doubt.

CIRCLES

World wrapped around spheres of thought,

clusters of images defining perceptions,

erecting walls in verbal bricks

by the communion of lips.



It is the song from the heart

expressing the joys and secrets,

little dreams and biggest lies,

shared in the conversation between companions

drawing circles with the language

finishing where it began,

but so happy the journey was made with a friend.



How life finds a pool of mellow in which to swim,

to immerse the spirit in a balm of sweet release

when the voice within has a confessor

who won’t drown the harmony

in floods of guilt,

not used their tongue as a carving knife.



Between sips of coffee at the breakfast table,

savoring an appetizer at a restaurant,

or sitting in the serenity of a pastoral paradise,

each setting is backdrop for the jewels of the mind,

shining best when seen by someone

that makes the time a melody,

charged with electricity of stimulation and creativity,

giving those spoken seconds a special magic.

CLEAR

Would that life was always day. That we always had nothing, but light and the world would make sense.

But then there would be less reason to trust the Lord. Not much concern over what you don’t know.

And anxiety would be less than a reality. We would just have a realm that always made sense and was clear.

As much as that is such a blessing. It won’t happen. God doesn’t offer us that option. So we normally try and invent it in some way.

Which never really works. But we do love to imagine it works that way. However it is not reality.

I wish that I could say there was a way to make this the way we prefer. But I do rejoice over the light we do get.

It might not always be quite as bright as we would like, but it is genuine. And that is what matters.

For myself, I would be happy if this never caused any problems. However it always creates its own difficulties.


More in terms of how I deal with what I can see. Those moments that haven’t come yet that I want to try and figure out.

And it is really about wanting control. The means to end any anxiety. Only that never happens.

God won’t take away bad times if they gets too tough. He will prove His hand of provision, but never to the point we have no more problems.

So sad it is when the world seems to fall apart. And nobody offers any solutions. We simply have to trust.

That is an easy answer, but the right one. Maybe not the one we want, but it is the truth. And that is what matters.

Just a matter of our capacity to embrace them. And then seek the light He provides. Might no come as we wish, but that is part of the test.

So we can enjoy and let it be a time of understanding. To that end we can celebrate. If we truly see His hand holding the match.

And it is by grace we really have eyes.

SOUVENIRS

Laurels crowned

by “thank you” winds,

blowing

from tortured, destitute hearts.



Kept in cerebral

trophy case,

shining still

in life’s wintry eve.

LIKES

How easily preferences can divide people. Make us at odds over the simplest things. And you don’t need the devils help either.

It is amazing when this happens in churches. All the minor details that can really become heated issues.

A friend of mine and I were discussing this fact the other day. It is so easy for something I think is not a problem to be treated as wrong in that person’s eyes.

Difference of life views and past history does impact that. Which is the nature of life in many ways.

It doesn’t keep us from being friends, but does impede our conversations at times. Which becomes an area where we don’t talk about.

I wish life was different in that regard. How that would be so peaceful. Yet, I know that won’t happen.

Still I do enjoy when we can have some common ground of sight. Might be difficult to manage at times.

And naturally pride figures in there on occasions. We just have that need to be right. And won’t give up on our view.

For most aspects of life I doubt it matters much. It is only in those situations where things involve spiritual matters that it really counts.

But it is hard to keep that in perspective when the emotions are inflamed. We are not happy with that choice.

We can pray and seek the Lord’s wisdom, but it doesn’t work if asking Him to make others see the light. And more so if we are the ones in the dark.

So hard to truly put the Lord before our own desires. To keep ourselves on the right path that will seek is truth.


However we can at least at times achieve this. And those are the time we can celebrate that we listened.

Just to bad they are all the time. But then we wouldn’t be human that is for sure. And you can never stop that option.

I wish I could. It is nice to dream of harmony. Maybe that prayer will come true someday.

Hopefully I won’t stop listening when it does.

DISLIKES

We all have those things that we truly enjoy and others we just down right hate. I’ve never seen anything in scripture to success where have to be the same.

And that is a good thing to me if we don’t like our personal dislikes becomes a form of gospel. Seen that happen at times.

Not about important things either. More like personal preferences. Which is not always a bad choice.

Providing we don’t let those details become something we claim the Lord sees as wrong. So often that is not the case.

I remember being in this church with a very large group of elderly members. They had grown up in the depression.

So there were a number of things that to them were considered sinful. Such as dancing. For when they grew up, dancing was associated with dance halls.

In those times these were places fill with drinking and other activities that church folks didn’t see as acceptable. So in their frame of reference dancing was wrong.

But to those who didn’t live in those times, dancing was not seen as a problem. They just saw it as a fun activity.

Now in the scriptures dancing is not a sin. But it doesn’t prevent them from viewing it that way.

The down side is how it fails to impress. How it takes away from people’s credibility. And it undermines the church’s message.


There are so many small things like that, which are do’s and don’ts the Lord never mentioned. Keeping them as laws in no way impresses the Lord.

Sadly for such who do this they will always place their own values above all else. And nothing will keep them from expecting others to do the same.

Which will only help to label the church as narrow minded. The more others see this as true the less the message of Christ gets the hearing it deserves.

Pity to many care more about their small preferences than the truth. They peddle their bias as fact.

God is never honored in the process. And to that end the Kingdom of Heaven is not seen as intended.

Just becomes another thing to be ignored.

EVIDENCE WAITING

Eyes cast a stern glare into the dark. What we see is really within. Our fears and ghost haunting and questioning.

We might not always like the answers we see, but ignoring them can be worse. So we do what we can to function in the process.

How we can so easily fall away from our path the Lord intends. And even when the time comes that we get hints to give us warnings, we ignore them.

The more intelligent and the more we can analyze the facts the more we can come up with excuses for our behavior. Such is the nature of life we don’t like to think about.

And that is where the Lord’s spirit will often touch us to wake us up. But do we listen? Most of the time I don’t think so.

I am grateful that the Lord has mercy upon us. And will be willing so long suffering in that regard.

To move beyond our stumbling steps within our day, we must be willing to face the truth. Let our eyes behold the truth and accept the reality.

Only the Lord can make that possible. So many have been trapped in denial. And we can be so good at it.

Still that is not what is in our best interests. Hopefully by God’s light we will find the facts.

Let them sink into our lives to bring the help we need. Not always the option we truly crave.

But it the evidence that is waiting. They provide the internal witness to our own essence. Whether we accept it or not.

I like the moments we find those guiding points that truly inspire. That is the good in the middle of the bad.

If we embrace what we fear without excuse and let the Lord show us the way that is most according to His will. So easy to miss it.


Even more so when you allow yourself the freedom to move past every thought that tells you that it won’t work. Doubts really do struggle against the light.

Not hearing them move than the word of the Lord is the hard part. And what a joy when we can.

It is the celebration that comes with peace.

BORROWED TIES

How often it seems that our dreams never are touched by reality. And we can crave a truth that equals to what we truly desire.

Now I think the response to such situations is to day dream or fantasize. Which I can’t imagine not doing.

I had a conversation with this person the other day. And in that person’s view a fantasy was the same as actually doing something.

So if you daydreamed about doing something forbidden it was a sin. Well I do appreciate that wrong thoughts are a sin.

I didn’t have an issue with that. But then sin is so much more. So many things we somehow delude ourselves into thinking are not that bad

Or we play the game of, “if I don’t to this the other things I did don’t count.” That hardly impresses the Lord.

God already knows what is in our hearts. He can see what our desires and thoughts are. So pretending never helps.

Then there is the simple question of can one truly control thoughts? I haven’t seen any evidence of that.

I’ve seen all kinds of talk from those who claimed they did. Just never seem to translate into truth.

And that always ends up being such a farce the way some act. I’ve heard the most amazing things come out of people’s mouths.

Not much of it ever seemed truth or realistic. But that didn’t keep people from making all kinds of claims.

Some more bizarre than others, but what they had in common was the theme of control. How they can do what no one else can do.

It might impress others, but no the Lord. For that is the part of our life that can only change through forgiveness.

This one can only achieve by faith, not by trying to do enough good to offset the bad. That is man’s view.

And to that degree, the person of faith lays all sins on the altar of grace, not just the ones we admit to. Sad is the life, which pretends.

For it never find the gems of grace that we can own.

WITH NEW EYES

With new eyes

the sky is painted with a purer song,

hearts belonging to a new awareness

lifted up to not think

of the earth alone as the sole path of being.



Awakening apart a family Heaven born,

which comes as a sunrise,

minds filled with light instead of confusion,

at last seeing that mortality is, but a whisper of time,

willing avoiding being filled with flowers of vanity

that wither and die as quickly as they bloom.



A generation adopted by ethereal parent

is given birth in the soul,

one that finds joy beyond mere existence,

not content to spill its juices

for a bag of gold or some plot of land.



Having heard the lofty serenade

from eternity’s harp,

finding point and pulse in the richer tones

of the canvas painted by divine hands.



Bearing the equilibrium unto the journey followed,

remembering and cherishing

how all that dwells is caressed by an immortal wind.



It is the rebirth of what has ears

to find meaning in the intangible mocked by doubters,

embracing as gold the nuggets of love,

all the treasure that never rusts and can’t be stolen.



Becoming apart of what is dressed with garments

taking pride more in charity than greed

living for what has everlasting durability.



Walking with a view seeking truth more than deception

because one lets the conscience finally

be a compass, instead of stuffing it in a closet.

SIGHS AND SMILES

I think it is always so wonderful when you have those special times that feel so precious. Holding a grandchild, celebrating some special event.

It all swells in the heart with such cherished feelings. The kind you can’t in any way put a price on.

But the joy is never something you take for granted. It goes unspoken and savored on so many levels.

What doesn’t work is the problems that intrude upon the joy. Those occasions that complicate and betray the peace.

How often the inexplicable can mar. It can burden in a special way. Never to the point that you can’t still find some happiness in the process.

It is sort of like planning a party. You make all the preparations and have such great expectations.

Then things start to go wrong. The cake you ordered isn’t the way you asked for it. You can live with it, but it isn’t the same.

The food you planned has problems of some kind and the decorations don’t turn out right either. So it all dampens the dream.

So we adjust and still have the party, but somehow it never ends up living up to our hopes. Doesn’t keep us from wanting more parties, just loses that quality we wanted.

This happens in many ways with many different aspects of life. And it can so affect one’s mood if you are a planner.

Still we move on as best we can, some times wondering why at least one part of life can’t be perfect. Which always takes away from how we try to view the next opportunity.

I think at times God allows us to wallow in such passages. Because He wants to keep us focused on what is important.

So hopefully we will get that message and learned, but so often it doesn’t seem to work out that way.

The human heart craves its toys. We can get so stubborn if they get broken. And we often don’t step back to appreciate the reason.

Which hopefully along the way God is able to help us in that regard. So we find the joy He intended.

That will always last longer than our expectations.