Blender-speed life...

What do I know of your green pastures And still waters? You long to lead me here but My mind is a blender stuck on high And my body alternates its activity Between frantic actions And sheer exhaustion. I don’t think Your desire for me matches up With my choice of lifestyle! Oh DO lead me away from myself, From my self-importance, And closer to You instead. I do not know the way and I may stall And balk at times Because it is TOO quiet, because it is Unfamiliar and frightens me. Please bear with me, Father, Until I adjust and learn to trust You As my Shepherd and The Guardian of my soul, And until I can learn the pace and Tempo of Your footsteps in the sand Before me.

our tender and pursuing Father

I can't help but notice that we are wholly unable to generate any goodness out of our natural selves. Just try and stop a habit you enjoy!! Try to do something you SHOULD without outside assistance. we cannot and i am not convinced we even want to!
So as i think of the good things in my life, to whom else can i look? it is You. Its always been You!

"We dabble.
You pour.
we tentatively call Your name
and you tenderly but persistently
woo us to do so.
Oh, Lover of my soul, can anything
good come from me
which does not have its source
in You?"

May you find great freedom in knowing Father provides in advance for those things He calls us to do - to His glory!

HIdden in plain view

Ok, i hope this isn't overly corny...i realize it could be. But sit back, listen and see if there's a new tidbit here.

"Treasure hidden in plain view
Written clearly and valuable beyond words.
oh, you likely have this treasure on a table
or bookshelf- perhaps in pristine, untouched condition
it is the book of Proverbs.
How little we seek its counsel yet its truth
and practicality have stood
the test of time.
Our bookstores boast the "latest" drivel (ahem)
and trend-driven insights.
Here, by contrast, lies true Wisdom
and we devalue its ancient worth in our
panting lust for the "new".
Let us stop long enough to reconsider
that our LORD has ensured its preservation
through the ages,
for our blessing and our benefit.
written by the wisest man who ever lived,
let us mine these treasures with an open mind
and see if they do not transform us, indeed.
Your living Word, o LORD, never
fails its mission.

Wisdom- tricky to find

These 2 poems express my limited experience with moments of recognizing wisdom. Now, to avoid being stereotypical with elderly folks, please do notice the qualities i suggest to watch for rather than assuming every elderly person is wise. Birthdays do not come with "wisdom installments" i have learned!!

"Behind the thinning grey hair,
deeply trenched face and frail body,
there lies a vast wealth:
a lifetime of walking with our Father.
a compendium of experiences of His
goodness and faithfulness stored and available
to encourage, fortify and inspire.
Safely tucked away in long-term memory.
we need only ask the right questions to
share, with joy, all You have done in this lifetime."

___

"Wisdom does not sparkle like a
sequin-covered dress
or a disco ball- drawing attention to itself.
it is like an ancient tree in a
silent rainforest, waiting
to be found.
Fortunate, indeed, is the heart
that seeks it with persistent fervor
for its treasures never cease
to enthrall and inspire."

Can you see me?

It is a balancing act this walk with the Lord. First we struggle to grasp our sin. Then once we get a good look (and recoil in horror), we try to believe we are loved truly and completely. So the balance tips back and forth. It is hard for us, in a culture that punishes honesty to accept these seemingly opposing truths. This is my attempt to voice this challenging balancing act and our LORD's very tender mercy and love.

"In prisoner's rags (and duly deserved sentence)
i am lead out, in my chains, to the outer yard.
There you are....nail scars, thorn scars
and you are smiling at me.
i look down.
i feel unsettled by Your visit and am conspicuously
aware of my rags, my guilt and my chains.
but You do not seem to notice.
You reach out Your hand and tip up my chin;
my eyes remain lowered.
You say my name and
the iceberg in my heart begins to melt.
My name! (not a number!)
i then see who You are -
The One sent to bear my beatings,
to live out my sentence and to redeem me.
and in that moment,
i am free!

Motives- those dastardly little brats

Subtle and easily ignored.
self-deceit and justification
muddy these waters in me
and i am a stranger to myself.
i am not motivated by noble themes
very often but rather by
self-protection, self satisfaction, pleasure and ease
self-will and competition with others.
i am the king on the throne
an dit is most unpleasant to face head on.
oh, i mouth the words of surrender and self-denial
and i mean them....mostly...
until they translate into my schedule
and involve an inconvenience or deferral
of my desires and wishes.
Father, please go to the dry rot in my soul
and make it new.
there is no self-flagellation or
firm resolve to improve that will
reach this pernicious dry rot!
I know how keenly i desire to instead cover it over
and to stop looking at it.
i can only ask you...
"Change my heart, Oh GOd
make it ever new
change my heart Oh God
May I be like You."

Ready for blessings

(my advance apologies to those more horticulturally adept than i am!)

As a daffodil is both a bulb and a flower,
so am i both a sinner and a saint.
Without the bulb, there can be no flower.
it is only sinners who can be saints
through Christ's atoning work.
Only the blind can receive their sight,
only the sick can be made well.
only the simple can be made wise
and only the child-like nature made mature in You.
o holy Physician, cure that which is
so very wrong in me.
May the very dirt and filth of my sinful nature
Be transformed by You into fertile soil
for the blush and blossom of
Your Spirit's work.

Easter 2012

Beloved of the LORD
Daughter of the King
Redeemed.
it is from these truths i must see myself
and live a loving life with others.
Yet my clay feet are real too. ouch!
It reminds me that it is by your miracle of love
that i am the first three.
and by nature, i am sinful and unclean.
Duality of reality.
How can this be?
and yet it is so.
Teach me to accept my natural self through
confession and forgiveness
and to see myself, in Truth, as beautiful
and beloved,
in You alone.

Spring

Spring is so long awaited and desired....but i suppose given the length of winter, yes even here (i can hear all you "inlanders" laughing right now. yes i can!) But perhaps it only proves i am spoiled rotten with good weather- ok MILD weather all year. So i pout shamelessly with actual cold or snow!!
I don't know whether i was more observant this year or what. I know last spring was pretty rotten and wet and late in finally coming. Perhaps that set me up for delight this spring.

"The beauty outside almost overwhelms me
after the simple austerity of winter.
the fireworks explosions of green,
growth and blossom dazzle me.
every colour in Your created world
sings it song - in time and tempo -
with all its might.
and my heart cannot help
but
sing along."

May the God of renewal and rebirth bless your heart with keen gratitude this beautiful spring!!
D

Free

I know we all want to be free, think we are free....here i wrote what it is for me.

FREE...
from carrying the weight of my own life
from taking myself too seriously and
frantically trying to manage my image
(which we cannot EVER do anyway...)
Freedom from others' expectations pressing us
into their little molds.
instead, we turn our attention to You
who won our freedom at
very great expense, who
calls us to
"march to the beat of but one Drummer"
and to find joy there,
to find peace in having this singular focus
and the simple life that goes with it.
Teach us restraint to not overcomplicate
our lives by running after every trend,
activity and bit of hype that others
wave at us.
you alone suffice
and we can sing
in the shadow of your wings.