Holy Ground

If I want peace

What must I do

Another chance

A friendly move

If I want life

What must I sow

Prepare the soil

For seeds to grow

If I want mercy

I offer the same

Root out anger

Remove the blame

If I want love

Make room inside

A cluttered heart

Brings more divide

If I want faith

Let go of doubt

A life of fear

Will live without

When Jesus came

He made a way

For all good things

Come what may

If I believe

That this is true

My words and deeds

Reflect this view

Lord, give me strength

To persevere

To offer love

Not pride or fear

I want to build

And not tear down

I want to grow

In your holy ground

Inspired by Psalm 4:4 “Be angry and do not sin; on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still”

Advent

Share to Strengthen

In a season of waiting

Each morning unfolds

Open hands to receive

The story being told

Clenched or closing

Refusing new grace

Shackles old thoughts

No mercy embraced

Sun rises slowly

Brings light to new ways

Trusting the process

Turns color from grays

A blanket of snow

Warms earth underneath

To bear the cold season

Hope springs new relief

For so many years

God’s people were yearning

A Savior foretold

A long time of learning

The birth of a baby

In a manger of hay

The answer to prayer

In the Father’s way

The King who came walking

Just like one of us

His holiness hidden

To love and not crush

This love that was given

Is heavy to bear

Yet when I receive it

I learn how to share

From Advent to Christmas

I must travel alone

Hand in hand with Jesus

To learn what He knows.

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What are Thy Longings?

I long for the day 

where silence is sound

When tapestry colors 

are heard from the ground

The earth’s vibrations 

will sound like a choir

And sighs of despair 

are incensed by the fire

Moon rises slow 

and sun rises fast

Chasing the night 

with a day that outlasts

Shining like diamonds 

the light dances new

All things which were old 

between me and you

New skins for the wine 

and grapes under feet

A rose without thorns 

where grace and love meet

The blessings to come 

are held in our prayers

Listen and watch 

while we cast all our cares

Like footsteps to follow 

in new fallen snow

Our Savior has laid us 

a path we must know

Life in the present 

is precious and treasured

Give grace to the ones 

with mercy unmeasured

This love we are given 

must be shared on the way

To the Kingdom that reigns

for us all come what may.

Life From Dust

Stop and listen

Quell the fear

Take the moment

You are here

Fervent hopes

And relished dreams

Take the place

Of what may seem

Quickened pace

And rushing now

Stop the madness

Cease the plow

Throwing seeds

On worthless ground

Is like the quiet

When seeking sound

Find the soil

Where life is grown

Place the hope

With truth that’s known

Dirt that covers

Promised seeds

Protects the hope

Our heart needs

Seeming darkness

Waits for light

Pushes through

And blooms delight

Past mistakes

And choices made

Lead the days

That Jesus saved

Perfection altered

There is no one

Who keeps the way

As God’s own Son

His way to goodness

Leads from us

Brings a hope

Life from dust

Unmask the Glory

Unmask the glory

Hidden from faces

Eyes twinkle glimpses

Of smiling embraces

Where is humanity

Behind these veils

Hidden in sight

Joy of life pales

Layers peeled back

Of a way former lived

Shadows of simple

Light hits hidden gems

Shrinking from crowds

Pulled deeper in

Bask in the goodness

God pours from within

Streams in the desert

Becoming more real

Words on a page

Truth you can feel

Return to creation

As it was intended

Realm of His beauty

Where hearts are mended

Touch blades of grass

Breathe deeper the air

Recalling the purpose

That’s always been there

Grace in the tree tops

Stones cry out truth

From chaos to calm

Like an elder to youth

Father of mercy

Let your goodness reign

Teach me compassion

Thy way, in your name.

Exodus 33: 18-19

And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

Take Heart

We travel far and reach abroad

Endlessly searching for life

Step by step we soldier ahead

Numbed by a false sacrifice

The pain we endure in the journey

Gathered and kept in a vault

Secrets left hidden will hinder

And others are blamed at fault

Slinging and slander will follow

A soft fitted mask becomes real

It is vital to wake from the slumber

Before acting becomes the appeal

Check in with your heart and wonder

Remember the things that felt real

Under a canopy of kindness just wait

For the steps that God will reveal

When the path is dark and impossible

And no light ahead can be seen

Pause and breathe in His mercy

God’s love comes through in extreme

No matter the darkness or difficulty

If the way you are led seems true

Your heart can discern its Creator

Listen to the wisdom come through

Dismantle the overthought questions

Let peace in the unknown grow

Close your eyes and take a moment

To settle on what you know

Who I trust is Jesus my Savior

And His are the words that are best

His ways are beyond comprehension

Start here when put to the test

In this world he promises trouble

But take heart He has overcome

In hard times it is also worth knowing

That God’s good Word will be done

A Law Officer’s Wife

You married well

She is a fighter

Glorious and strong

She shines brighter

You step out to fight

She remains still

Her strength is hidden

In a fiery will

Brave and lonely

You keep to yourself

She sees you truly

And fuels your stealth

Badged with an honor

To serve and protect

She’s got your six

You’ve earned her respect

No matter the distance

She follows you close

The most difficult path

Abandoned by most

Assured in her knowledge

Of your merciful of heart

She loves you truly

And accepts her part

Tried with the truth

Of the fallout of life

I am proud to say

I am a law officer’s wife.

Listen

Listen with your heart

And you will understand

Jesus had it right

The wounds are in His hands

Angry mobs are burning

Violence in the streets

Voices heard through madness

Where pain and trauma meet

Hatred stirs more hatred

Destruction leaves a void

Hardened hearts are blinded

Where hope has been destroyed

Pay attention to the wounding

The pain displayed is real

Stories need a reading

Acknowledge first to heal

We contain the power

The love of God resides

Believers hold a brightness

That darkness cannot hide

A hopeless world seems empty

The news would make it seem

But grace is in the beauty

Of the Healing Water streams

The secret of the Kingdom

Contained in listening

Pay attention to the sources

It matters where you cling

Truth is like a bedrock

A firm unmoving place

Ancient ways resounding

When you slow the anxious pace

The faces of the hurting

Wear many different colors

In shields, in fields, in cities

The same love and mercy hovers

Ready for the taking

A time to heal must come

Compassion holds the healing

When all is said and done.

‘The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. ‘ Genesis 1:2-4 NKJV

…“Listen with your heart and you will understand!” (Jesus) Luke 8:8 TPT

Thy Way

Standing before the ocean

The great and mighty sea

Waves roar and lightly land

Power turns soft at my feet

Deep and inescapable

As far and wide as my view

Wonder sinking to the depths

My God, my God, where are You?

Answers deep inside my chest

My heart can hear the calling

Thunder rolls in water crashing

Louder than my yearning

Trusting what my eyes can’t see

Open hands surrender

Breathing deep and grounded now

I know that I must enter

The Red Sea story beckons me

A miracle of parting water

He was in the unseen deep

Deliverance from the slaughter

I cry aloud with fear and praise

Trading bondage for His freedom

Arms raised high with surrender

Aware of how I need Him

Thy way is in the sea my Lord

Your paths are in the deep

I cannot see your footsteps

But my soul is Yours to keep

Faith steps in and takes my hand

My fear is slowly fading

I step in and find dry ground

The Promised Land is waiting.

Inspired by Psalm 77

“Thy way is in the sea, and your paths are in many waters; and your footsteps shall not be known.” v19

New Normal

Shedding the scales of the old ways

Believing the new ways will come

Forced to exist in a smaller domain

There is nowhere to run away from

A heavy storm of sickness and fear

Has washed across the earth

Page after page in a never ending chapter

What was our previous life worth?

Missing the chaos, we want to return

To places we knew too well

Somehow we know this is crazy

Yet our heart is too desperate to tell

The longer the pause, the more we settle

A chance to consider the past

Maybe this reset and unwelcome halt

Reveals we were living too fast

Reaching for things we thought would bring joy

Pursuing pleasure and lust and money

We forgot how to feel the pain of too much

And bitterness tasted like honey

A new normal set into the rhythm of life

Hidden things come bursting into view

Some things are dark and some filled with light

Most of which we already knew

The power to choose when the world opens up

Holds a chance for the life we desire

I pray that the chaos cannot recover

And the shadows don’t kill back the fire

There is a smoldering spark of redemption

Patiently waiting to burst with a hopeful flame

All we must do is fill with God’s love and recover

Knowing our stories will not be the same.