Here Christ Stands

Here lies a body

Cold with death.

No longer taking that

Life-giving breath. 

Only to be

A cavity

Wherein worms feed

Decomposition's deed.

Here lies a body

Like rotting pages

Sitting in a decrepid

Library for ages.

Once a story

Of glory

Now damned by death

To end.  And yet--

Here lies the body

Of Jesus Christ.

It laughs at death

And clutches life.

A Revised Edition,

Restored and Risen.

Defeat is not His plight

While the Author writes.

Here lay the body 

Of Christ the King

Until victory triumphed

And conquered death's sting.

Sin is not the end

While the Savior pens

The tale of His plan

With nail-scarred hands.

Here Christ stands.

"Like the Cover of an Old Book, its Contents torn out and stripped of its Lettering and Gilding, He lies here, Food for Worms.  But the Work shall not be lost; for it will (as He believed) appear once more in a New and More Elegant Edition, Revised and Corrected by the Author."  ~ Benjamin Franklin

I'm Speechless

for my Speechless sisters; thank you for all you've taught me about our God...

I look into Your Word

In expectation

I see my Hope, my Peace,

My Joy, and my Salvation.

And I'm speechless.

I see the miracles You do

As You make the blind see.

And I stand in awe

When You speak to me,

And I'm speechless.

I see You hanging there

Upon that cross.

Why don't You come down?

Without You, I'm lost 

And I'm speechless.

I see the empty tomb;

My heart begins to sing.

Say what? My God is risen?

Death could not hold my King?

I'm speechless.

One day I'll see you there

Upon Your throne.

I'll bow to give You praise,
Lift my hands toYou alone,

As always, completely speechless.

"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek You;  my soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary, beholding Your power and glory. Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands." (Psalm 63:1-4)

"Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." (Psalm 33:8)

Re-Defining Sin

 In an effort to be

Holy within,

I defined sin

.

I made my list

And checked it twice.

I would avoid evil

In all my life.

To me, sin was breaking

My list of rules

By following

The way of fools.

It was things that 

I shouldn't do

Because the Bible

Said not to.

And while sin can be

All this,

My list,

I realized that

In reality,

This view puts

The focus on me.

What I'm not doing,

And what I do.

But how would I know sin

Without the truth of You?

My focus needed

To be changed;

My mindset had

To be rearranged.

I questioned myself

In an effort to 

Honor You.

And now instead

Of avoiding sin

Because of my rules,

I'll think again.

I choose to avoid

Those things You dislike

Because I know what

You say is right.

I focus on You

Trust the commands you give;

Being all in

Is the way I'll live.

I have decided to 

Be holy within;

I re-define sin.

Sin is choosing

Not to trust Your word,

Not claiming the truth

That my prayers are heard.

For each evil deed

Starts with a doubt

That You have the answers

And best thoughts about

My life. No longer is my reason

Just don't or do.

I choose not sin because

I want to love You.

Have Mercy, My King!

Have mercy, my King!

Cast me not away;

Blot out the transgressions

I've committed this day.

I seek restoration

Through the blood of Christ.

I know You forgive

And give me new life.

Have mercy, my King

On my guilty heart

Though I know you want truth

In the inward parts.

I no longer hide 

But all I confess,

Realizing my sin,

That I've made a mess.
 

Have mercy, my King!

I will not ignore

Your call to forsake,

To reject, to abhor

Those things that You hate.

May You wisdom give.

May I follow You

And in righteousness live.

Have mercy, my King!

I want to be clean.

I want to be humble

And on Your strength lean.

Help me learn from this failure;

Salvation's joy restore!

May I showcase Your deliverance;

May I desire You more! 

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to Your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions...Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation... I will teach transgressors Your ways and sinners will return to You." (Psalm 51:1, 10-13)

You Talk Of...

Note: The poem below may not be suitable for young children as it deals with human sex trafficking.

You talk of freedom

That American dream ideal.

But is it real?

Is freedom your house

With a white-picket fence?

Or something left entirely 

To the National Defense?

But if some are still enslaved

Is freedom still free?

What of the girls 

Who long to be

Free?

You talk of freedom

But will you show it to her?

You talk of change

That we mustn't lack

But you turn your back.

Is change the metal

That fills your purse

Or what you in 

Various banks disperse?

What if each night she

Seeks sex fifteen times

To meet her pimps quota

Or pay her fines?

To fate she resigns.

You talk of change

But will you show her the way?

You talk of love

That emotion that impacts

But you ignore these facts.

Is love the abuse

Of a lustful john

Who uses a child

As a turn on?

Today, as every fifty-four 

Seconds have passed

A child has been harmed

In Atlanta; may I ask

You to act fast?

You talk of love

But will you show her what it truly means?

You talk of a future

That hope in tomorrow

But what of her sorrow?

Is a future the fact

That four-hundred will be

Trafficked in the next month

In Atlanta, our city?

And if seven thousand

Three hundred men

Will purchase sex from these slaves

Month and month again?

What then?

You talk of the future

But will you show her one?

You talk of your God

Who has power to heal.

But is your faith real?

Is your faith the thing

That you do on Sunday?

Or that thing that you claim

When at mealtimes you pray?

What if alone she cries

In the dark of the night

For someone to show her

Her value in life,

The light?

You talk of your God

But will you show Him to her?

One of Those Days

It had been one of those days.

I felt tired and worn.

 Everything was crazy.

My heart was torn

Over the actions of others

And my own sin.

Emotions were racing;

And I knew deep within

That there had to be something

Greater to know

Than this discouragement

That brought my head low.

It was one of those days.

He felt tired and worn.

Everything was crazy.

His heart was torn

Over the sins of others

Though He had no sin.

Emotions were racing,

And He knew deep within

That He was giving us something

Greater to gain

He called to His Father

 In the midst of His pain.

It's been one of those days.

For the truly insane.

 I've been needed each time

Someone called my name.

I'm utterly exhausted

In an extreme sense

But Jesus found solace

In His Father's presence.

"Abba, if Jesus needed that

To remember His calling,

I surely need that time

To keep me from falling.

And when I recall a day

That was a daunting task,

I'll remember the things

That You've done in the past."

It's just one of those days

And all is not lost.

I'll remember my God;

I'll remember the cross.

May I Do What You Bless

At times when the clouds 

Cover my skies

And I can't see the road

For the tears in my eyes,

When I'm mad at the world

And the people in it,

When I look at my failure

And want to forget it,

When all of my hopes

And all of my dreams,

Are falling around me 

(Or so it may seem),

May I look to Your heart

And take in Your presence.

May I hear Your soft whisper

And know its assurance.

May I feel Your embrace

And Your love that's unending.

May I be real with You

And forget my pretending.

May You smile on me, Abba!

My greatest desire

Is to know You more

At my day's-end than prior.

May You show me Your glory

And remind me of peace.

And at the end of it all,

May my faith be increased

That wherever You lead, 

I will answer You, "Yes."

May You not bless what I do;

But may I do what You bless.

Words

Inspired by David Crowder Band's "I Need Words"

Words--those spoken sounds used many ways
To tell You how I feel; my voice I raise
To weave those morphemes together in a song,
Trying to explain You and knowing all along
I need words as deep as the sea
To explain the joy You've given to me.
I need You.

Words--the music of the human tongue
That into complex sentences I have strung
To seek to praise; I know that even then
To praise You human words cannot begin.
I need words as high as the stars
To attempt to describe Who You are.
I need You.

Words--units of speech that I explore
With my life, and yet I want You more.
With words and pen and page, I feel alive
And yet with the True Word I simply thrive.
I need words beyond my speech
I'm humbled by how out they're of reach.
I need You.

Words--those syllables of which this poem is made--
The utterance of a child who was a slave
Until You freed me. My Abba-King, I pray
Hear my man-made words today!
I need words more intense than my longing
To explain the glory to You belonging.
I need You!