Running, Always Running

running, always running

never stopping, never slowing

there's no telling where I'm going

to the edge we keep on rowing

can you see the tension showing

is the life within me flowing

has this race halted my growing

has my heart's fire stopped glowing

until rest I stop foregoing

there will be no way of knowing

which way the wind is blowing

...

stop.    wait.    listen.

Signs of Life

Brilliant greens and blooming redbuds tower above the earth.
Blankets of clover roll as a wave across the ground.
Winding through the woods, this rain washed road shimmers in the sunlight.
I drive this road alone in the midst of a slumbering world.

Where are the signs of life?

The Land of Square Men

Welcome, dear children
To the land of square men
Of boxes so graven
With letters even

Just come to the table
And give us your name
We'll give you a label
You'll all be the same

First on your schedule
We have education
Eight hours you must school
Textbooks our foundation

For lunch frozen dinner
Or instant fake soup
Please just add water
And eat in ten scoops

Your parents we'll enslave
From eight until five
They'll work in a square cave
For paper they'll strive

Perhaps you're a failure
Just making a mess
Don't worry, here's the cure
Ten steps to success

For the more ambitious kind
We have just the fit
To satisfy the curious mind
Try our DIY kits

For those special occasions
Pick a pre-written card
Only standard traditions
Gift-wrapped with regard

One day a utopia
We soon will attain
Your minds in our boxes
Now circuits for brains

We have but one law
One thing that we ask
Don't resist blah
Don't take off that mask

Cardboard for sky
And four walls all around
You must believe the lie
You must always be bound
You must never defy
You must not make a sound
On us you'll rely
Freedom never be found

For all you desire
We've packaged it here
Imagination's fire
Even love so sincere

But break from this casket
You'll never climb high
Like Yeshua of Nazareth
You'll be sure to die
--
Friends, is this such
A bad plight to be in?
Yeshua gained much
By His resurrection

Watch your box crumble
Though we be dead to you
Through Him we are able
To find what is True

His burden is light
His yoke is easy
He has fought the good fight
He has made each of us free

Let the world watch and see
Let them hear His decree
As we sing of His mercy
And declare Jubilee

Birth of an Atheist

A chariot is prepared for light to make its course
A path is lined out across space
Darkness breaks as the first rays of dawn call forth
A thousand voices answer in praise
Numberless stars answer to our King
They speak of glory all through the night
But one has been given the duty to bring
Light to our world and reveal what is right

An alarm clock rings, the snooze button pressed
Late for work again today
Put on some shades and buy a coffee express
Crank up the music, drown out the blue jay

With dirt covered hands, a seed is sown
It's joy in death brings life
Day after day it strives all alone

With patience it grows to new heights
Every branch becomes a place to rest
Every fruit pleasant to eat
Every flower clothed in only the best
Existing only to express His beauty

A homemade sandwich with factory made meat
He scarfs it down forgetting to bless
With so much work to do he's feeling the heat
Can't stop to think lest he see his regress

The clouds roll through, darkness covers the streets
Fire strikes down from heaven
Healing rain comes down like a sheet
Giving grace to all men and women
God rolls out His justice, bringing kings to their knees
But on the humble He has compassion
He blots out a record that was our disease
Closes the gap that was a great chasm

He gets down on his knees cause he feels guilty
Prays the sinners pray to make things right
Gets on with life without so much as a blink
As if God owed him this life

Surrender

My grip tightens. My resolve strengthens. And slowly everything I care about slips away.

Let go.

My hands slowly relax. I look to Him who gives me peace. My life falls away. I lose focus--I reach out to catch all the things I let go of. Frantically, I try to grasp at my fleeting ambitions.

Hand it all to me.

My eyes lock with His. My trust is in Him. Slowly I begin to hand pieces of my life to Him. He takes them. He molds them. I cry out "No! That's not what I wanted!" I reach out to grab my life back. And as I pull, they tear. My hopes. My dreams. Torn. My fears. My frustrations. My bitterness. My life--broken. And He says to me,

Will you trust me? My ways are higher than your ways. My plans are greater than your plans. I can take your life, your love, your hatred, your ambition, your fear--I can take all the broken pieces and turn them into something greater. But you have to give it all to me.

Broken, I hand Him what is left of my life. As He begins to work, I begin to see Him work wonders in my life. And as I see my life restored, I feel empowered to take it back. But He gently reminds me that I am His. Reluctantly, I surrender. My hopes and my fears. My friends and my family. My hands and my heart. I place it all into His hands.

Father, sometimes surrender feels like the hardest thing in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm caught in the middle. Father, help me to trust you.

Prayer of a Butterfly

God of our fathers and of every creature under heaven
Transform my life, make me a new creation
Through death of myself and in you resurrection

In wisdom you are crafting the wings with which I fly
Give me wisdom to use them to sail into the sky
And discernment to know when I have flown too high

With kindness you sustain every living creature
Mend my wings, make my flight sure
Forgive my sin, make my heart pure

Creation groans under the weight of sin
They hiss, they fight, but I won't give in
Gently I'll touch a shoulder or a hand
Sharing your love, waiting for redemption

Where the Dinosaurs Roam

Miles away from civilization, where the dinosaurs roam...


Where water is scarce, and the floods sweep away boulders, and the rain pours on a dry and dusty desert.

A connection is made with the Most High outside the cell phone network.