The Young Man and the Sea

Cerulean waves of depth, threatening 

The young man's hope.

What is the scope

Of the horizon?

It surprised him

How well he knew the sounds

Of wind and rain.

He turned around to bait his line

Casting it to the depth of possibility

Doubting his ability.

Yet knowing he must to it cling.

Gray waves of exhaustion, overwhelming

His clouded mind.

Faith and Doubt intertwined

With harsh reality. 

The winds of joviality--

How they had dissapated to doldrums

Of boisterous calm. 

He felt the weight tugging his line.

Lifting it from the sea, he sighed

For the hook held only Disappointment Applied.

When would he land opportunity? 

Silver moon of reflected light, gleaming

Over the man.

As he fights to stand

And flourish and live.

What the light's glimmer gives!

How it paired with the stars points

To True North!

He grasps at the bow, thinking.

Renewing his purpose, line he cast

For he'd harbor no bitter thoughts of the past

For lack of faith could destroy him.

But what could defeat him?

"A man can be destroyed but not defeated." ~Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

Find Me, Bind Me, and Remind Me

"When I lose my way
And hopes are dim,
Will You look for me?"

"Child, I know each day,
Hopes are never slim.
I find every absentee."

"When I loose love's chains,
From Your victory run,
Will we stay apart?"

"No, My grace remains.
I have already begun
To bind you back to My heart."

"When I forget my name
And who I am.
Will I be too far?"

"No, I stay the Same
And have a plan.
I will remind you who you are."

"At the end of all your faith,
To the end of all your days,
Remember Me; You need
Not dread in all your ways.

Child, there's nothing left to fear.
I am here."

"So when I lose my way, find me; when I loose love's chains, bind me; at the end of all my faith to the end of all my days, when I forget my name, remind me..." ~ Andrew Peterson, Dancing in the Minefields

How Does Jesus Love You?

In the style of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "Sonnet 43"

How do I love thee? Let Me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
Of all that is. You're never out of sight
Of My lasting Love and My endless Grace
I love thee and fully fill everyday's
Most quiet need; My Word shines as your Light.
I loved thee freely, sacrificed for Right;
I love thee purely, ask only for Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
Upon the cross. You must choose to have faith.
I love thee with My Life I seemed to lose
Until I rose—I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all My Life!—and, if you choose,
I shall love thee in heaven after death.

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

How the Profs Stole End-of-the-Semester-Joy...

In the style of the beloved Dr. Seuss

All the students liked End-of-the-Semester Joy a lot
But the profs who had lots to grade, did NOT!
The profs hated the semester's end--all the ungraded craze;
Don't ask me why--they assigned those essays!
It could be their heads weren't screwed on just right;
Either way, all the teachers were crazy that night.
And while all the profs were evilly typing
All of the students were feverishly hyping.
"And their playing on Facebook," the profs snarled with sneers.
"End-of-the-Semester Joy--it's practically here!"

And the more the profs thought about this "It's-Over Joy" fling,
The more that they thought, "We must stop this whole thing!"
Why, for fifty-three years they'd put up with this now!
They must stop Happiness from happening! But HOW?
And then they got an idea. An Awful Idea!
THE PROFS GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!
Yes, those profs were so smart and so slick
That they thought up finals and they thought them up quick!
So they took a paper and a pen that was red
And they put a big raincloud over their students' heads.
Then they sat back and chuckled; now they wouldn't be alone
When going through the last-days' groan.
For tomorrow, they knew, everyone in the college
Would be frantically praying for wisdom and knowledge.

The students would have the stressfulness, too;
Although I'm not sure those profs thought it all through.
'Cause no matter what they decide to do,
They'll always have to grade far into the night
The finals we take or the papers we write.
We will still finish first on this whole finals thing,
And because of this reason we can sing, sing, sing, sing!
Although finals stress us out for hours

And though the thought of diligence sours,
The very last laugh will always be ours!

Welcome, finals, while we stand
Heart to heart while trying to cram.
End-of-the-Semester Joy will always be
Just as long as we have we!