Free and Fully Alive

Can circumstances define me?
Can peril, flame, or sword
Separate me from the love
Found in Christ my Lord?
Can the setting of my life
Choose who I will be?
Or will I choose to rise above,
Living fully alive and free?

Circumstances do not control,
Cannot define my life.
Nothing can separate me from the love
That I find in Jesus Christ.
The setting that I find myself in
Does not choose my destiny.
I will choose to rise above
And live fully alive and free.

For if I live that is Christ
As I proclaim His name.
While seeking to be more like Him.
And I die, that's gain.
Death no longer has a sting.
When I live free and fully alive,
In death, my life will still witness of Him.
It is not death to die.


"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain"
(Phil 1:21).

Christmas Gift of Grace

for Marilla K., whose FB status inspired me

Christmas Eve is here again
And Santa's hitched his sleigh
To bring the good little girls and boys
Their gifts for Christmas day.
Let's hope that they've most diligently
Earned the bearded man's favor
By being perfect, little angels
While on their best behavior.
To get the big man's presents
One must strive and one must do;
His gifts are not free of charge
Watch out! I'm warning you!

Christmas Eve is here again
And a baby's in the hay
To bring all the little girls and boys
A gift on Christmas day.
He's come as a symbol of the Father's love
And His unmerited favor
Even though we are not perfect
And we have sinful behavior.
To get this baby's present
One must only truly believe
In the gift that is free of charge
And Jesus' grace receive.

Christmas Day is here again;
Joy our Jesus brings.
But not only the reason for the season He is
But the reason for everything!

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).

A Definition of True Awesomeness

True Awesomeness (ˈtrü ˈȯ-səm-nəs) n.
1. a state of Being
That only One possesses;
2. astounding in power
With no failure, only successes;
3. boundless in wisdom,
possessing all knowledge;
4. exalted over all,
true greatness acknowledged;
5. matchless in glory
and no counsel needing;
6. sovereign in authority,
no higher one heeding;
7. faithful to One's Word
no matter the cost
Even if that's taking
Another's cross;
8. dependable to the end
Never forsaking
Those that One loves,
No promise breaking;
9. an inspiration of awe
At the sound of One's name;
10. possessing the title:
Always the Same.
Related forms--Almighty, Most Holy God p.n

A Renewed Perception of Christmas

for Derek S., whose testimony inspired me

Especially during busy times:
Complaining,
Grinching,
Forgetting the meaning
Of this Christmas season.

Grumbling,
Muttering,
Rambling through the days,
Thinking I've got it so bad.
But is it really
About me?

And then I heard the Christmas story again...

Had I ever thought
About the busyness of traveling to Bethlehem?
About the difficulty of laboring in a stable?
About the conditions that Jesus was born into?
About Mary's pain?
Is my life really that bad?
Is it really
About me?

Had I ever thought
About the struggle of growing up as the Son of God on earth?
About how much energy it took to lovingly heal people daily?
About how much effort Jesus put into teaching His disciples?
About Jesus' tired body?
About the hurt He experienced while being "rejected by men"?
Is my life really that bad?
Is it really
About me?

Had I ever thought
About the sweat Jesus shed over dying on the cross for my sin?
About the agony He endured at the hands of others?
About the ridicule He endured without an unkind word?
About His pain?
About His crown of thorns?
About His humiliation?
Is my life really that bad?
Is it really
About me?

Had I ever stopped my busyness and just pondered
His incredible love,
His matchless grace,
His unending forgiveness,
His precious peace,
His blessed hope,
Or His holy name?

My life isn't that bad.
I have a reason to celebrate this Christmas season:
It is all about
Him.

He Does Not Totter

The Israelite man gave the workman a task,
An idol to carve and fashion.
He wanted an idol consistent
That he would worship with passion.
But he had one condition:
It must sit flat
Never tottering. For what
Would people think of that?

I gave that thing so precious
To me the highest place
But that thing was not the One
Who saved me by His grace.
I had one problem:
My idol was of my own making:
Always tottering, inconsistent.
And forever, always shaking.

But then I saw His glory
And realized I'd been mistaken.
For an idol could not be firm
And would be by everything shaken.
But I had one certainty:
When I my life arrange
So that God is highest within
He does not totter or change.

"To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto Him? The workman melts a graven image, and the goldsmith spreads it over with gold, and casts silver chains. He that is so impoverished that he has no oblation chooses a tree that will not rot;
he seeks unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not totter... To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high, and behold Who has created these things, that brings out their host by number: He calls them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one fails." (Isaiah 40:18-20)

They Chopped Down a Tree...

We chopped down a tree
And decorated it with shiny metal
Ornaments.
And underneath it we placed
Gifts that would
Delight the hearts of the receivers.

They chopped down a tree
And decorated it with shiny metal
Nails.
And on it they placed
The Gift Who would
Delight the hearts of the receivers.

That Gift
Who would be as a Fruitful, Gracious
Abundance
In a broken, sinful world.

They chopped down a tree
Not knowing
Of the promise of God's restoration:
The Tree of Life
In a formally barren wilderness of thorns.
That Gift
Becoming the Hope of the world,
The Everlasting Promise
Of God's Love.

They chopped down a tree
And placed on it Jesus--
Emmanuel--
That Gift
Who would redeem our souls.


"So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree... and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off"
(Isaiah 55: 11-13).

Behold Your God!

The mountain stands
Next in God's plan
For my life.

I complain
And fill my heart with pain
And strife.

Mountain so large.
I take charge
With fear.

And then I cry,
"Why, God, why?
Why here?"

And in His glory He speaks with power,
"I am your Comfort and your Strong Tower.
But you will not see My majesty
While viewing the mountain's enormity.

Clear your head of all those lies;
Trust My Word, child; lift your eyes
To My face, My very Being
Not the mountain high that you are seeing.

See that river? That waterfall?
The waters of the earth? I hold them all
Without a flinch within my palm.
Behold your God! Be calm.

See the stars, the moon, the sun?
I know their number every one.
In My hand is the universe's span.
Behold your God! Trust My plan.

See that mountain you worry about?
Why do you fear? Why do you doubt?
I know how much that mountain weighs.
Behold your God! Yield your days

To My will.
Be still.
Cease your strife.

That mountain stands
Next in My plan
For your life.

But think of My power;
Do not cower
At what you see.

Take comfort; your mountain tall
Is incredibly small
In comparison to Me.

Behold your God!

“Behold your God! ... Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?... Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength." (Isaiah 40: 9, 10, 12, 28, 29)

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!

Before I Even Know

for Brandon E., whose FB status inspired me...

Before she even knew
She would eat the fruit and sin,
God knew of a plan to save us all
From her actions and the resulting Fall.
Redemption would win.

Before he even knew
He would lust for Bathsheba and fail,
God knew he'd send Solomon to the people;
He'd know wisdom and build the temple.
Integrity would prevail.

Before he even knew
He would run the other way,
God set the skies to show His power;
They were on course for the very hour.
Truth won that day.

Before he even knew
He would deny his Friend,
God knew he would have a story to share
And because of it for the gospel dare
Much. Fear would end.

Before I even know
The rebellious path I will chase,
He knows what He'll do to bring Himself glory,
Even through the weak moments of my story.
Though merit I lack,
He brings me back
Through incredible grace.

"But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold." (Job 23:10)

The Word of God

The Word of God

Thoughts of worry

Thoughts of fear

Thoughts of Satan

Or carnal peers

Thoughts of foolishness

Thoughts of lust

Thoughts of anger

Or gossip’s dust

Thoughts of bitterness

Thoughts in disguise

Thoughts of selfishness

Any lies

~~~

How does the title fit this dictation?

Look at this poem as an illustration

Of bad thoughts' subordination

To the Truth.

In the Tongue

An ugly word's a nasty thing
Not retractable once you've said it.
And such a word has left many a sting
And many a friendship beheaded.

Those unkind syllables thoughtlessly uttered
That leave behind their painful lies.
Those terrible thoughts carelessly muttered
The moment patience dies.

So easy to slip in your frustration
And let the bomb descend.
Gone are all forms of wise filtration.
How easily words can offend.

The tongue is said to have the power
To give others death or life.
To give hope or to hope devour,
Tear down or build up strife.

That I would learn to tame my tongue
And make my words like His.
A word in kindest manner sung
In season, how good it is!

"The tongue has the power of life and death..." Proverbs 18:21

"To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!" Proverbs 15:33

To the God of Steadfast Love and Faithfulness...

To the God of steadfast love and faithfulness
I lift my soul in praise.
For Assurance of salvation,
That Blessed hope that stays
Within my heart since Christ
Has died; Death is overcome;
Everlasting life is mine!
Through Faith in God's own son
Grace is greater than any sin.
The Holy Spirit lives within.
The Word of God is Infallible
Jesus is the Truth for all men.
I can Know Him, call Him Abba.
His Love will always be the same.
Endless Mercy is always shown
To those who trust His holy Name.
I rest in His Omnipresence
And His Peace that passes understanding.
Quietness engulfs my heart,
Rest although life is demanding.
Security in His sweet promises
For He is Trustworthy in all.
My life shows His Undeniable Hand.
He gives me Victory when I call.
I have the freedom to publically Worship
And eXplain how Jesus set me free.
I have confidence that Yahweh is good.
And He is Zealous over me.

To the God of steadfast love and faithfulness,
I lift my soul and boldly sing,
Filling my heart with shouts of glory
And pure adoration and thanksgiving.

"To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul...For all the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies." (Psalm 25:10)

Butterfly House

for Denise Ray, who shared my pre-presentation anxiety...

Inside the butterfly house
A dim, worrisome silence
Screaming
With a giddy cry
For relief.

The butterflies' batting wings
Brush against each other
Roughly.
Begging to be let out
And know peace.

The walls that held them in
Feel their tension.
Pressure.
Causing the house to shake
With fears.

Words tumble out of the chimney
Of the haunted house.
Terror.
All the other houses in the neighborhood
Are watching.

And then the moment ends--
The butterflies rest,
Again.
The house settles down
To recover.

Inside the butterfly house
A bright, peaceful silence.
Singing.
The student's form relaxes--
Presentation complete.

In the Name of the Lord of Hosts

They jabbered fearfully about the hoots

Of Goliath. Shaking in their boots,

They didn’t care to lose their heads

That day I came to bring them bread.

It had been forty days without relief

Still I listened to their chatter in disbelief.

They focused on Goliath’s might

And not one man volunteered to fight.

I looked at them and said, “Wait, wait.

I think you’ve made a grave mistake.

It’s not your skills or your resources

Or the size of the Philistine’s giant or forces.

I will fight this Philistine

For my God will be with me.”

First I was unjustly charged

With pride, then given armor large

Enough for the Giant. I said, “No.

You don’t understand. It’s the God I know.

Not the armor of Saul or a shield or a sword

But the power of the Lord of Lords!”

I grabbed my sling and five smooth stones

And asked for help from God alone.

The giant laughed, thought he had won,

But I went in the name of the Mighty One.

As the giant fell so fell the scales

Off the Israelites' eyes. Their faith had failed

For their faith was found in the strength of man.

But now, they’d seen the Almighty’s hand.

They knew the truth: We only boast

In the powerful Name of the Lord of hosts.

"Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand... that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel..." (I Samuel 17: 45-46)

Myrrh

for Ariel and Rosie G., who first coined my nickname

Myrrh--
Bitter to the taste.
Hard brown stems
On small, scrubby bushes.
Not fit to give the King of Kings.

My heart--
Bitter with the flavor of sin.
Hard, cold, heavy.
Hypocrisy at its finest.
Not fit to give the King of Kings.

Myrrh--
Fragrant and Beautiful
When cut, broken, or crushed.
Perfect to be
That gift brought to Jesus.

My heart--
Fragrant and Beautiful
When cut, broken, or crushed
By conviction;
I brought it to Jesus.

He turned the bitterness
Into Joy
As I chose to forgive those who hurt me.
Songs flowed out as my heart
Shed Grace's fragrance.
Healing.
Peace.

Birthright of Grace

I rush around with perfectionist's fright
Am I doing everything right?
Not walking in the Gospel's light,
Forgetting Grace is my birthright.

That birthright makes me always able
To sit at His feet and eat at His table.
His love is true. His story no fable.
As His own child, I'm held fast and stable.

I can pray to Him--I am His own;
Jesus prays for me before the throne.
I can call God "Daddy;" by Christ, I am known.
I can run to His arms; I am never alone.

I can claim all the promises because of His power.
In every trial, He is my strong tower.
I'll always have victory for I am empowered
Moment by moment and hour by hour.

I'm completely free to live without shame
And to tear down the walls of guilt, fear, or blame.
I can laugh at the Devil for he cannot claim
Any authority; I have a new name.

I know I'm forgiven and I'm heaven-bound
And wait for the rapture's trumpet sound.
He has with loving-kindness crowned
Me as His child. Joy surrounds.

I rest in His freedom and trust His embrace.
I know that my past has all been erased.
I can climb in His lap and look up to His face;
And hear Him whisper, "Your birthright is Grace."


"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus ..."
(Ephesians 2: 4-10)

Same, Same, Same, Same, Different

A life full of stripes--
Black, white, black, white--
Repetition of day and night.
Same, same, same, same.

She rambles through the mess
Of responsibility's stress.
Perfection rather than rest.
Same, same, same, same.

His head is in his hands
For He doesn't understand;
Where is truth in his life plan?
Same, same, same, same.


Same, Same, Same, Same--
This Truth we can claim
Because Faithful is His name.

Life full of the mundane
Hectic schedule, daily drain,
But because He is the Same
We must be without blame--
Different.

Running After Me

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty...For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.... For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways...Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My name. When he calls to Me, I will answer him;   I will be with him in trouble;   I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation." (Ps. 91:1, 3-4,11,14-15)

So many times in my life, I realize that I am operating out of a works-based lifestyle--doing devotions vs. being in my Savior's presence.  Tonight I was reminded that I have a bad habit of taking even the things that are supposed to be part of the essence of grace and make them works.  Like resting.

Instead of simply resting in His presence, I make the whole resting idea out to be a process. If I can just find the rest, my actions say. I treat resting as if I'm hunting dry firewood in a forest that just underwent a hurricane. As if it were a nearly impossible task, I seek rest as if it were way out of reach and something I have to work at.

Psalm 91 is about God being our refuge. On the surface it is a beautiful depiction and an encouraging word for believers.  But digging deeper into the syntax of the sentences yields a freeing truth. (I know, this is where all my non-English major friends tune me out... but hang in there.=)  In grammar class, Dr. Stavick has been encouraging us to notice the use of pronouns both in comparison to the percentage of nouns and in analysis of the meaning of a text.  When I was reading through this, I particularly noticed how much focus was put on God and what He is doing.  Most of the chapter, we are the direct objects--the action is being performed upon us.  This is the opposite of my hunting for rest idea.  I am not the subject of most of these verses.  God is the subject, and He is performing the action.  He is delivering, protecting, covering, commanding, guarding, answering, rescuing, honoring, satisfying, and showing; all the difficult actions are His.  I am only dwelling, abiding, finding Him faithful, holding fast, knowing His name, and calling on Him.  None of the actions I am performing here require me to be running about.

All this time I've been running after refuge, Refuge has been running after me.

Living in the Red

Black and White
Dark and Light
Divisions.

The people of God splitting hairs
Over convictions.
The Redeemed Ones lacking care
For others.

Another way
All is gray
Abuse of liberty.

The people of God misusing grace
And forgetting
The Man of God's respected place
In their hearts.

None of these ways
Black, white, or gray
Are working.

The people of God are fighting;
No unity.
The Redeemed Ones should be lighting
The world.

What if, instead,
The color is red?
Christ blood.

The people of God alive in Him
Who bled
And redeemed them from sin
And said:

"Live like Me;
I am liberty
And I am restraint.
Liberty because you are under My blood
Restraint because your sin caused it.

You are not in black and white or gray;
You're in the red.
For though I paid your sin debt,
Even yet,
You're in debt to My grace.

You cannot Me repay
But you can
Walk in My way
Each day.

Forsaking black, white and gray,
Follow Me for you are
Living in the red.