The taste of sweet encouragement
Lingers in the soul
A friend who serves such hope
Is treasured gold
To set before a loved one
Such rich delightful fare
Is an act of love
And grace beyond compare
So prep the praises
Set the table
Make full and ready
Hope and peace
Tend to details
And the setting
Be a friend
And share love’s feast
The Cure
Carried by unseen currents we sail
To the sea of life’s bitter end
Tainted waters offer but illness
No mantra or potions defend
The cure of the plague is unworldly
The answer must come from beyond
A transfer of life whole and healthy
Given freely to those who respond
No longer to live by our thinking
But to let holy influence guide
The love that heals and transforms us
It’s now living water we ride
Stepping Up
I’m stepping up into the glory
Of the God who stood for me
Raising hands in sweet surrender
For in Christ I’ve been set free
I’m bowing down in sad contrition
Knowing where I’ve often been
I’m taking note of all my failures
And confessing all my sin
Grace is many sided
Bring joy and yet such grief
But to live in love’s abundance
Brings my soul it’s true relief
So I’ll worship with the sinners
Seeking yet to be called saints
And I’ll step up into the glory
Of the God whose heart awaits
Halfway Place
I live halfway
Between anguish and joy
Both by choices I make
And truth I avoid
Pains of the past
And hope for tomorrow
Evoke peace uncompared
And deeply felt sorrow
Others around me
Are near and yet not
I’m held in suspension
In limbo I’m caught
But I trust in my God
My hope founded in grace
One day I’ll be free
From this odd halfway place
Speak Again
Speak again
Your quiet promise
Of a day that’s still to come
Speak again
To hearts divided
Of the truth of battles won
Lord raise your voice
Above the clamor
Let the hope
Of love ring loud
For this world
So lost and broken
Needs to know
Where life is found
Lord speak again
And speak it true
We’re desperately
In need of you
In need of you
The Cost
Are you willing to pay the price
he said
as I followed close behind
There’s life to be had
but a cost incurred
if more’s what you wish
to find
It’s not a payment you make
or a debt taken on
it’s a willingness
to let some things go
You’re invited to come
but you won’t know
the joy
if lesser dreams
you cannot forgo
Then he smiled
a knowing smile
and said the cost
is well within reach
So follow my lead
to the depth of God’s heart
and you’ll find
the life that you seek
The Journey
I face mountains all day long
The climbing wearies
There are demons and devils
There to slay
But my legs have the muscle
And the sword is in my hand
As the Spirit within me
Makes a way
I’m an ordinary man
Who found a life to rightly live
I’m a sinner
Who knows the gift of grace
I walk the hard narrow path
Confronting troubles as I go
But travel on
As Christ Jesus sets the pace
Such is life
For those who would seek it
Domination of dread
Is common fare
There is power not our own
For the battles to be won
As we make our way
To hope from deep despair
No Matter
Do you know it doesn’t matter
That thing you did
Again
That mistake you make
Over and over
The decisions that keep hurting
More than helping
It’s no matter
Not for God
Oh surely God cares
Especially when your thing
Impacts others
Who also matter
God longs to see you get it right
To live rightly
To love truly
But when you don’t
God still does
You can’t make God love you more
Or less
God’s love for you
Is unbounded
And powerful enough
To overcome all those regrets
Of those times
When you got it wrong
Again
I thought you should know
You can’t stop grace
And that matters
Peace
Stand Up
He said, “Stand up”
After knocking him down
“Boy look me in the eye”
Afraid to make any sound
He knew better than to cry
“You best respect me
And be grateful too
For all I’ve ever done”
The hollow words echoed
In the ears of a beaten son
He watched as siblings
Found their way
With the help of a doting dad
And yet he knew
The times would come
He’d feel the wrath of things gone bad
He then grew into his own one day
And he caught his father’s fist
The anger swelled and broadened
But dad was too weak to resist
The boy now man
Struck a blow
To the man at whose table he sat
The father staggered
And shouted out
“I raised you better than that”
The boy now man
Stood his ground
And said, “You’re reaping what you sowed
You raised me up in fearfulness
But I’d like us to live in hope”
But the father pushed back
And hated this son
For what he showed him to be
He refused to listen
And find a way
For both to live strong and free
The family bonds were fraying
For lack of empathy’s ear
And on bended knee the son would dream
Of a life free of struggle and fear
Hopeful Be
Spread your hands
Over storms
And still the ocean
Take your stand
As the winds
Churn up the seas
Lord bring the calm
Pour out peace
Be the power
That we need
To ride the night
To hold on tight
And hopeful be
An Unexpected Writer 