Poetry

Poetry

For years
I journaled in poetry.
Then
I journaled in story
laced with whine.
Then
In whine

laced with story.
And finally
just whine.

I added loathing
guilt
despair
and always weariness.

But somehow,
in my life-dry-as-dust
poetry remembered me
remembered my pen

and poetry
led my tired words
back to places green
and cool with life.

and oddly enough,

once again,
prose isn’t enough
lacks the power to picture
so

poetry trembles
starts
falters
tumbles
and nervously
through dry cracked lips
tries to whistle.

And someday
maybe far from now

poetry will find a song.

Ministry

 

Explosion

Exuberant, exhilarated, exultant
Life
bounces, careens, cataracts
down, over, around and through
my soul,
making
waterfalls, rivers, pools,
streams of Living Water
that burst, bubble, gurgle,
out to drench my world
to fill the jagged, gaping
festering tears and cracks
and crevices and
empty souls
with foaming, frothing, sparkling,
chuckling, burbling Life.

(Please state your 3 main educational objectives
for the year.)

(Please write down your main goal in life
and 3 means of achieving it.)

(You must list 3 areas of your life that
you’d like to “commit to the Lord”)

(In the first column
put down your actual priorities
In the second column
put down what you know they SHOULD be.)

 

I.M.P.O.S.S.I.B.L.E.

 

A waterfall cannot be
contained.

 

an explosion is never tidy.

 

Drink up.

Pearl of price

Like that man who sold all he had,
I want the pearl.

Whatever it takes….
Whatever it requires of me….
However many plans it blows away…..

I want the pearl.

I’m afraid I was probably rude….

So where IS the kingdom?

I posted this comment on the Kingdom of God on Molly’s blog and it got totally out of control in terms of length. Definitely a lot of rambling…and all at someone else’s table. These are things I’m mulling over these days:

“Molly, thanks for bringing this up. This is a subject that I have a terribly hard time sorting out in my mind. In my head, I picture myself coming up to your table with my arms overflowing with quilt squares (and I might have a couple stuffed in my pockets too, that I’ve forgotten about but will haul out later.) I can’t make this quilt fit together the way I think it should. I’m pretty sure that the way it’s pieced right now is missing things…or maybe has squares inside out or misplaced.

Laodicea in my Living Room

Matthew 25.34-36
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”

Revelation 3:17
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

Lord,
I don’t know any poor people
(but you do, He whispers)

I don’t know anyone in need
(but you do, He whispers)

I want to feed the hungry
and clothe the naked…
(you know someone, He whispers,
who is wretched,
pitiful
poor
blind
and naked
and doesn’t even know it.)

Oh.

Her.

But I want to bring Good News
of release to the captives

But I don’t know anyone who is a captive.
(and she’s not? He asks.)

She doesn’t THINK she is.

I want to announce new sight
for the blind
(Few are more blind, He reminds)
but she doesn’t even WANT to see!

I’m arguing now.

I want to be part
of the glorious Kingdom Come
of the Great Commision
(then. start. at. home. He doesn’t whisper.)

A Shorter Catechism

A Shorter Catechism

I used to think that the Shorter Catechism referred to a briefer version of reformation theology. I know differently now. NOW I know that the Shorter Catechism really is what Very Short People think about God.

I’m sorry

All mothers need forgiveness–none more than those who think they don’t.

vengeance

The more I read
in the Psalms
the more I see

I can be patient.
I don’t have to anguish
or strive.

Evil succeeds for a moment.
The godless profit and prosper
for a bit,
but the picture is SO much bigger.
And ultimately,
justice is sure.

And with that,
I can walk forward
from this.
I don’t need to stick around
to watch.
I don’t need to wring my hands
and fret and fuss
Someday,
things will come right
on the eternal scale.

I don’t even need to wait around to see it.

I have other
more important things
to attend to.

My soul finds rest in God alone.

Say THAT a hundred times real quick.

A Tale of Two Houses

A Tale of Two houses

or It’s all My Fault

Sometimes I don’t know what I think until it pops out of my mouth. This provides a great deal of amusement for my family and others who love me. Some days I wish there was an easier way to access the things inside my head and my heart than just waiting, along with everyone else, to hear what I say.

Several months ago we did something ill-advised.