My Biggest Challenge
February 20, 2015
*
I’ll live with the scars
Of all my past failures
I won’t forget them
They have been my hard teachers
My joy is that mercy reigns
*
I found the biggest challenge
Is to learn to forgive me
When others cannot forgive
The wrong I have done
*
I cannot please men
Measure up to my own rules
I found a friend in Jesus
Looks at me with compassion
Gives what I do not deserve
*
This relationship
I can’t explain to others
It’s a mysterious love
From another world
Love broke through a story
Real man in real time – real love
*
I have fallen many times
Failed to trust, done it my way
Suffered consequences
Felt the despair
*
He is the one I trust
No other one can bear it
My soul’s deepest pain
When I am alone I know
My Father’s hand is on me
*
I arise with His power
Renewed by Eternal love
Accept forgiveness given
Live today in peace
*
Reflections of the morning as the birds sing behind me in the bitter cold.
*
When I read this “Haiku” to Charlotte she said “You make yourself sound like you were pretty bad.” I said, “I know that I have hurt people. I don’t remember ever intentionally hurting anyone. But looking back I see I have. I just take responsibility for my part in that hurt and I am very greatful for the kind forgiveness I have received from God and those I have offended.”
A Focused Love
February 13, 2015
*
Each day brings trouble
Tragedy is around us
Suffering overwhelms us
Where can we find peace
*
My soul languishes
Fear and anxiety rule
Where can I find rest
*
I stand amazed when love comes
Light springs up in the darkness
Hope born in desperation
Our God hears our cry
*
Looking back I see
When I trusted God He came
Lifted the burden
Opened my eyes to see love
My greatest work is “Believe”
*
I’ll hope against hope
I’ve been given a reason
I’ll focus and understand
God became a man
Human in every way
He chose to suffer the pain
*
A personal gift
An intimate love given
Each person is known
Beloved, seen, heard and treasured
This is the heart of God known
*
Death cannot destroy
Joy sits above circumstance
The presence of love
In the life of everyone
Can be seen by looking back
*
Open our eyes, Lord
To see things that matter
Let gentleness rule
The way that we treat ourselves
And the way we treat others
*
Your unfailing love
Was demonstrated so well
In the life of your Son
*
No matter what the trouble I may face each day, I get to choose who sits at the center of my soul. With all the noise of the human tragedy around me my heart is drawn to one voice. It is the voice of love I will focus on today. That love is bigger than my circumstance. It is bigger than death. That love is worth dying for. That love will enhance every person I meet today. This love guarantees permanent, constant and continual growth. It is testable! I could be right! These reflections come out of meditating on the Psalms. All the best!
Leaning
January 22, 2014
~
I’m leaning on you
In a world of unbelief
May we be like stars
That shine in the deep darkness
Beauty of your handiwork
~
I choose where I look
A secret discovery
Comes when I focus
I’ve learned just one thing matters
I have been surprised by joy
~
Be clear on one thing
Think it through with all you are
Your head, heart and gut
~
Purge your imagination
Truth is what I must pursue
Relationships are dying
Therefore, I will seek real love
And I found it in one man
~
He has ignited my soul
Refreshed me in solitude
Rekindled the fire in me
And guided my steps
~
His Spirit awakens me
His loving kindness comforts
His presence surprises me
Radiant love comes
~
Trouble will always be there
It’s the landscape of this world
It’s the reason God showed up
Became one of us
~
He gave a way to follow
Those who practice discover
The way of love is narrow
And few will find it
~
If you will practice these things
Recorded on that high hill
You’ll discover a new way
That’s certain and true
~
Sermon on the Mount
These famous sayings practiced
Matthew five, six and seven
Will show you the way
They tell about the one thing
They will bring light to your path
~
The book ,Famous Sayings of Jesus , by James Woodroof is the clearest writings of how practicing these teachings work out in real life. A.A. (Alcohol Anonymous) practices these all over the world and millions of lives and families have been saved because these teachings are being practiced.
~
“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make at right and plain your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (Amp)
Our Father’s Heart
June 17, 2013
The reason I’m here …
To reveal our Father’s heart
Good news for the poor
Freedom for the prisoners
He releases the oppressed
The blind will see the light
The sick will be healed at last
The lonely friends will have friends
His promises restore life
His forever love renews
Focusing on Jesus
I have trained to listen each day
My friend forever
I have no greater joy here
Than living with his presence
Enduring the pain
Incomprehensible loss
Grief that overwhelms
He holds me close to his heart
His love secures and gives hope
My lived experience says
I have a friend big enough
To enter my losses with love
And understanding
His compassion draws me
His story is compelling
What mattered to him captures
His mind is brilliant
He always sees the person
Religion has kept hidden
Incomprehensible love
That is in the now
I cannot fathom
The depth of our Father’s love
In silence I come
Laughter breaks forth in my soul
Joy enters the darkest room
The story revealed in the Bible in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have focused me on a real man. The daily practice of choosing who would be the most influential person in my life (over the last fifty years) has led me to inexpressible joy. This is poetry from my soul. It comes out of a lived experience through pain. This gift of joy is available to all.
Miracle Presence
November 14, 2012
~
I will listen to one voice
The one that can be trusted
He has been tested and tried
He heals all my wounds
~
This daily practice
Of choosing not to worry
Just because he said
“Don’t worry about your life”
“What does worry add to you?”
I have found a key
For healing and freeing men
Helping people move forward
Through obstacles
Understanding your own story
The richness of your own life
~
If you look within
The wounded places stand out
You survived the pain
Do you know the reason why
And where to find the healing
~
He knows your story
Understands right where you are
And offers healing
Who is this one who is present
Who makes a promise of life
~
Know his story well
Listen only to his voice
What he says is relevant
Connected and true
I know how much he loves me
~
I’ll be strong and courageous
I will not give in to lies
I’ll be kind and merciful
And love without end
~
Because Jesus loves
I’ll love you with the same love
Forgiveness at the center
Miracle Presence
I believe with all my heart
His resurrection power
~
Energy given
When I decide to believe
And act in obedience
Against my feelings
Then his healing touch will come
I drink the living water
~
“Faith needs to meet people where they live otherwise it is irrelevant.” Glenn Hinson
For fifty-one years, I have asked the real hard questions about human relationships. No one has made more sense to me about life than Jesus of Nazareth. His teachings and the way he treated a person were contrary to the religion of his day. They killed him for it. They are contrary to the religion of my day. What mattered to him was the person. It will take your best mind to look carefully at your own story, and his story to make the connection. The distractions of your own pain, and the distractions of others vying for your time and energy are formidable obstacles. When Jesus said, “I came to give life and give it abundantly” I said he is either a liar, crazy or telling the truth. I was in such a desperate state I was compelled to search out the facts of his story. I wanted to know how he put his pants on, who he ran around with, what was important to him, because he gave a promise that was outlandish, but one I so desperately wanted to be true.
Reflections this morning are from Jesus Calling , by Sarah Young as well as Luke 12:22-26, II Corinthians 10:5, Deuteronomy 31:6, John 4.
Living with the Unseen
September 20, 2012
The Mysterious
September 3, 2012
That causes me to seek You
You placed that hunger in me
A longing I trust
It’s mysterious
Your invisible presence
I cannot prove it
But it’s undeniable
Head, heart and gut engaged
Each person is seen
No person is missed by You
This I am certain
Every cry is heard by You
The story I know tells me
I know I’m getting weaker
Physically I can feel it
Emotionally the losses
Drive me to my knees
I want to be strong
I have found a way to see
To not live in denial
Of my weaknesses
I discovered the secret
God’s power works in weakness
Our relationship will stand
When all of the others fail
Tested for generations
God’s passion to love
Insecurity hidden
Loneliness behind the mask
Fear paralyzes people
Who can provide peace
Take time, listen well
His life speaks, his words follow
Unexplainable Gift
April 18, 2012
I have learned to hide
In the shadow of your wings
You’ve lifted my heart to joy
I cannot explain
I’m an ordinary man
A broken human being
When I look back my heart’s sick
I see my failure and pride
Lust for affirmations
Longing for power
I repent again today
I am new every morning
Each morning I rise
Praise God for his massive love
One who lives by his Spirit
In those who repent
Those who accept forgiveness
Who accept undying love
A gift I cannot explain
It defies logic of men
But I know one thing
I was shattered in pieces
And now I am whole again
I will seek the truth
That is a choice I can make
It is the one thing
That I have done and will do
It has brought light to my eyes
I’ve lived close to death
I have watched my love ones die
I’m angry at death
I hate it with all my heart
Only truth has brought me hope
Men’s religion has failed
A cloud, a veil hides the truth
You must look deeper
Search for yourself the answers
You will find if you will seek
Reflections written after meditating on Psalm 31; Proverbs 7; Jesus Calling; My Utmost for His Highest – 4-7-12.
When I rise in the morning, I can now visualize the places I have read about for over 50 years. I am in Jerusalem. I have been to the Sea of Galilee. I have stood on Mount Carmel. I have been to the synagogue Jesus taught in Capernaum. I have stood on the mountain where he explained who the really happy people are (Sermon on the Mount). I have looked up at the stars over the Sea of Galilee where he knelt before dawn broke. I have seen these places and marveled. What is happening inside me is a feeling of having brought the one in me (Jesus) to a most familiar place. It has made my heart glad.
Jerusalem on Easter Morning
April 8, 2012
Surprised by Joy
March 29, 2012
A Love Without End
February 18, 2012
We are not alone
January 20, 2012
You can watch Jesus’ movements in the recording of His behavior in the fourth and fifth chapters of Mark. This poem is written from the perspective of Jairus a synagogue ruler.
We felt all alone
Our daughter was dying
Helpless and despairing
I went looking for Christ
Believing Jesus could heal
~
I felt hope when Jesus said
“I will go with you and help.”
The crowds pressed as we traveled
Suddenly he stopped
He looked all around
We were running out of time
He healed a woman
The words came like a dagger
“Your daughter is dead.”
He turned and looked straight at me
“Don’t be afraid, just believe.”
When we reached our home, I saw
Weeping and wailing
Jesus said, “She is sleeping.
She is not dead.” They all laughed
He made everyone leave
Except us, the parents
Three of his disciples stayed
Peter, James, and John watched him
Jesus touched her and spoke this
“Little girl, get up!”
She opened her eyes
Arose and began to walk
Marvelous astonishment
“Don’t tell anyone.”
He told us to give her food
Because he knew she was hungry
Who is this that calms the storms
Who cast out wicked demons
Who heals all the diseases
And raises the dead
The twelve year old girl was raised from the dead. You will be raised from death. I will be raised from death. Jesus spoke to life and death. Your love ones will be raised. No one else I know speaks to real life issues like Jesus.
He rules nature
He rules the demons
He heals all our diseases
He rules over death
You are not alone. God sees you. He hears you. He listens to your cry. Nothing is greater than God demonstrating his love by giving his only Son to live in you. You are his joy. My job is to hear him; receive his love; meditate on His teaching and act on the things he teaches me. In doing this I have discovered inexpressible joy.
Just as He hears You
January 14, 2012
A woman who had spent all of her money on doctors, after being ill for twelve years, touches Jesus cloak. A miracle happened as she cried out and reach out to Jesus. The same happens today. He hears us and always responds. God hears the human cries. Click here to read the story.
A large crowd came to see him
He stood there on the sea shore
Jairus fell at his feet
“My daughter is dying”
“Will you come and heal?
She is only twelve years old”
He begged Jesus to come
“If you will put your hands on her
I know she will not die”
He left with the crowd
Traveling toward Jairus’ House
In the crowd was a woman
An outcast by law
Bleeding for twelve years
Unclean by purity laws
She suffered greatly
All of her money was gone
She touched the hem of his cloak
She touched his cloak and was healed
She could feel that she was clean
Whole from touching his garment
He could feel her touch
Jesus felt the power leave
His response was, “Who touched me?”
Everyone was silent
All were touching him
Then the silence was broken
This woman came forth and spoke
His gaze fell on the woman
She dropped to her knees
Shaking, fearful and amazed
“I am the one who touched you”
He listened to her story
He heard why she came
“Because you believe, you’re healed”
Go in peace now and stay well
He heard the cry of her heart
Just as he hears yours
Your Story Matters 