Spectating

Be no longer a spectator
Go 'all in'
Jump into the pool of life
And love
with abandon

Get up out of that bleacher
Filled with passive onlookers
The crowds
Believing a lie
Telling themselves life is there
In the watching
Avoiding the danger inherent
In living with passion
Often critically demeaning others' attempts
Yet secretly wishing they were one of participants on stage

So Engage with the seemingly mundane
Step into the ring
Plunge into the pool of uncertainty
Battle for your life
Because you're losing it on the fence
Of indecision and fear
Lulled into complacency
Accepting the little scraps of meaning
Shed from the meals of those risking
Failure and shame
As you watch and wonder
If there is more to life
than this leering...
A habit
crying out to be broken

Get out onto that stage
Speak your lines with passion and gusto
To all who would listen

Whether it be understood or dismissed
Your voice matters
Your heart must be heard
It is cherished

Disclose the inner workings of your soul
To those who dare to know
The depths of you

Engage in hope
For he reigns
And keeps you near
Prodding and pushing you into the light
Leading you to life
Never will he fail you

Standing on the sidelines
Will not result in fulfillment
Just anguish and angst
Regrets and fears
That rule without purposeful action
To Overcome the passive

Be strong and courageous
For the One who holds the stars in the sky
Has planted a seed of the brightest light
in the dark depths of your being
Desperate for the Son's endless power
Aching to breakthrough the hard soil of inaction

So put down the playbill
Pick up the props granted
Clammer into your wardrobe
Valiantly walk onto the platform stage
Join him in his ocean of grace

And live



Written March 30, 2015
Inspired in part by Ezekiel 3

Tied in Knots

My heart is tied in knots. 

My path - foggy and dim. 

Oh Lord, give me vision. 

Grant me a hope. 

Hope tempered with wisdom. 

Solomon was wise, but in Ecclesiastes, he seemed to have lost hope. “Everything is meaningless, like chasing after the wind… especially for the wise.” 

But he lived without the concrete gift of the cross… 

Where do I belong? 

How do I invest my talents? 

What are the deeds prepared in advance for me? 

How do I love? 

How do I get filled to the brim with love – your love… so I can love out of a surplus and from strength and security? 

Fill me with your Spirit.

I am confused. 

I feel pushed along in a direction. 

A direction based on the rigid groove I’ve engraved in my soul. 

How do I reorient my soul and veer into LIFE?

written March 29, 2015

Heave To!

This is inspired by my love of sailing. God gave me a picture of a sailboat in a rough storm and there was an urging to "heave to" to stay in one place despite the coming rough winds and seas. A few weeks after I wrote this, I hit a hard patch emotionally and spiritually. This image and metaphor has given me hope and encouragement.

For those non-sailors out there, I have included the definition of "heave to" below:

Heave To - Definition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaving_to
In sailing, heaving to (to heave to and to be hove to) is a way of slowing a sailboat’s forward progress, as well as fixing the helm and sail positions so that the boat does not actively have to be steered. It is commonly used for a “break”; this may be to wait for the tide before proceeding, to wait out a strong or contrary wind. For a solo or shorthanded sailor it can provide time to go below deck, to attend to issues elsewhere on the boat, or for example to take a lunch break.[1][2]

-------------

Heave to, my boy
Keep your sails hoisted high
despite the wind and tumult
Leave the vessel at the ready
Regardless of the high cresting waves
Lock down the rigging
Let the rudder point the bow into the wind
Despite how illogical it may seam now
Ensure your soul's compass stays set
Toward True North
Study your heart's sextant
Be Guided by the mighty works of light
In the dark night's sky

Back-fill the jib
balance the powerful forces
Of your finely tuned ship
Bound for life 'a plenty'

Let the Master take the helm
For the winds and the waves listen to His calm voice

Step down into the cabin
Lie down in your cushioned berth
And rest
Let your attitude below reject the undulating swells above
And be resolutely firm in your shalom
Allow the handcrafted hull
To cradle you in the loving arms of the sea

Be at peace within
And rest




written March 7, 2015

Religious Acts vs. Love Relationship

A legacy of rule abiding
With no end in sight
of repeatedly missing the mark
For who can attain perfection
Hostage of the saboteur who dwells within
And The enemy who lurks about
Fangs dripping with poisonous lies
Smirking accusingly at my doomed existence

Sinister emoticons splash shame into my soul
Constant barrage of spiritual text messages sent
To Obscure my sight
Numb my tongue
Deafen my ears
And destroy My heart

Inner dialogue of destruction overwhelms
I succumb without much struggle
A dark and shadowy magnet pulls me
Sucking me atom by atom away from the light of truth
My internal compass no longer points True North

The path to my future is obscured and uncertain
But The one who is the Way
Stands upon the waves of chaos and uncertainty
Armed with complete control and unending peace
He beckons gently with open arms
"Fear not, for I am with you" he declares

Yet I cling to the broken shards of my doomed vessel
Too afraid of what may come
The words "Do not doubt" are heard over the crashing waves
The rule following has failed me
I should let go now and swim
But I fear
My heart of stone would drag me to the ocean floor

"But your heart is no longer stone, my son!
The granite that weighs you down is no more
Instead you have a buoyant center core
Granted to you from your Father above
The accuser has no power
For the thief is vanquished
Your doom is no more
I have defined perfection
My righteousness is yours
For I died but I live forevermore!"

"Like you, those who were dead in their failures
I bestowed life Abundant
Eyes ever seeing by my light
Boldly eloquent tongue speaking my words
ears sensitive to my Quiet whisper
As I renovate your heart to be mine
For my glorious presence
Reigns in you
Leading to your ultimate gain!"

"Look to me is all I ask
Keep your eyes upon my eyes
I will empower you
Putting an end to your fall
Why do you doubt?
Love me and the rest of your path will fall into place
Before you as I planned.
Be strong and courageous!"

So my mouth utters a heart cry
Come Lord Jesus
Come
For your glory
By your power
may these words be fulfilled
And my turmoil exchanged with peace
Amen!


Written 2/26 & 3/4, 2015