Elevenfold

Elevenfold                                3/29/2018

We learn

And we forget

We try

And we fail. 

Lifted up

And pulled free

Only to sink

Down again. 

If we had forever

Then God only knows

The evil we would plan

Limited until such a time

That those worthy

Arise.

We sleep

And we turn away

Averting our eyes

From harsh truths. 

But you made me look

And you plucked me out

Tested by trial

And burned in the fire. 

I prayed as hard as I could

But I did not get

The answer I wanted

Humiliated again and again

Rejected and forgotten. 

Nothing but a ghost

Unable to let go

Moaning in the darkness

And dragging my memories

Down the hall.    

Letting go hurt

And in the sun

We squint at the light

The journey uphill

One inch at a time.

Many give up

And many fall  away

Preferring the comfort of lies

To cleansing self-awareness.

They think they are free

From obligation and debt

Strolling down an easy path

Out from under

Easy and clear. 

But they are the ones

Deluded and dumb

Empty, soulless

And grasping at crumbs. 

Calling good evil

And evil good

Trading light

For darkness

Shallow and unaware.

Blinded to truth

And deaf to God

Holding hands

And skipping to death. 

God had a better idea

Than what it was
I wanted

Saving me

For something bigger

And better. 

Now is the time

That we must follow it through

Come what may

Hated or loved. 

Death is defeated

And sin is cancelled out

Victory from loss

And redemption from debt!

Timeline

Timeline                                               3/28/2018

Ancient rock

Shifts and sinks

One millimeter two millimeter

Three millimeter four. 

Breaking down

And building up

Living clay 

Breathing in

And out. 

The same now

As it was then

All promises kept

In the beginning

And in the end. 

With each new beginning

Coming from another end

One foot in front of  the other

Marching down to zero. 

The sword

Is in the fire

And the Lord

Stands at the door. 

Closer than ever

We who listen can hear

That the days grow short

And full of murder.

But for many

The world has changed

With the spread of knowledge

Awakened, and aware.    

To any and all

Who might dare seek

The silhouettes

Through the shadows

Long hidden from view. 

The big lie thwarted

At the last possible hour

Exposed through a window

Like a snapshot in time. 

Come out it will

For everyone to see

With time enough yet

To learn

And to know. 

Be careful

Lest you forget

Good or evil

Worthy

Worthy                         2/28/2018

It is far more than a feeling

And it is far more than an obligation

The choice we make

Every moment

And every day. 

A hard hike up the hill

And not an easy slope

Leaning in

And pressing on. 

And no,

love is not a prize

To be won

Or trophy

To be owned. 

Especially for those

Who have lost everything

Yet remain undefeated

Tested by trial

And seasoned by fire.

No longer in fear

And no longer bound

To status or approval

Fake, false, and temporary.

At peace within

And content without

Feasting among enemies

And laughing like a pirate.

Full and overflowing

In love and fellowship

Surrounded by the good

And genuine. 

Like a king in his castle

We rejoice in the gift

Undeserved splendor

And glittering glory.

I thank the Lord

Even before I have

The Grace and the peace

Beyond compare. 

It was you

Who opened my eyes

And your who

Healed my heart!

Thank you Lord

Thank you Lord

It is you who fill me up

And you who pour me out. 

Tip Toe

Tip Toe                             3/1/2018

Time moves slowly

Until it disappears

Eroded away

By radiation

And rot. 

Born to lose

We are offered up

On a plate

The few and the many

Inextricably linked.

I am no more

Than I was then

Indulged and unaware

Asleep in my dreams.

She gave me a Bible

But then she bled me out

With one deadly thrust

Back to front. 

The mortal wounds

Kill more than the body

Succumbing to an evil

Patient, silent, and deadly.

Hiding in plain sight

And camouflaged as weakness

The humble sheep in the fold

Cold and calculating. 

Whispering in our ears

That all will be well

If only we trusted

And if only we trusted.

Sweet little lies

Worm their way in

Burrowing deep

To lay their seed. 

And with one tiny step

The door cracks open

One millimeter as a time

To all kinds of deception. 

How many have fallen

Because they wandered afar

Even though they were warned

And even though they tried. 

Cautious at first

And lulled into safety

The casual pace of deceit

Unpunished and happy. 

One foot in front of another

The seemingly innocent

And justified

Becomes a lure

Sucking us in

And sucking us down. 

Food for fodder

To fill an empty void

A sacrificial lamb

Dumb

And deceived.

And by the time they know

It is already too late

Unable to escape

Without loss

And shame. 

How great the loss

For lack of courage

We give up

And we give in. 

So far down the rabbit hole

That they can’t come back

Another loss to sin

And blaming God. 

Stay on the path

Even though, it be hard

And finish the race

No matter how tired

And how weary. 

For those who stand it now

Shall forever see the glory

The kind you cannot own

And cannot lose.