Grand

     I urge to something grand
grand papa funk skittle de bop
     Oder grand hole in the ground
or grand odor of heart
     Grand dreams
          Ahhhh
      the grand illusion of memory
foretelling of thought
     grand future beyond grand designs
THE GRAND DESIGN
     Grand despair of hope
          in the grand canyon of soul
Spirit-filled grand glory of hallelujah
     Grand glory of God
          within, around, surround
     Grand stereo of angels, of demons
          Grand self and desire
Grand mash of conviction beneath
     the finger upon the weight of the stars
           upon the sun, the planets, the world
               upon the grand hole in heart
seeking the grand fill
     the void, grand beneath the skull
Filled by Him Who lifts the soul, the spirit, the body
     the world, the stars, the atoms, the quarks
nothing more grand than the Grand
     of all, in all, be all, over all, all in all
Gloria grand gloria, glory of divine
     The Divine
          Grandest glory of human heart spirit mind

Dandelion Fountain

     Kids at play
Memory fades to misty spritz
     dozens of spickets pollinating summer
with water spray, laughter, smiles
     Frisbees passing through
     A dog lapping puddles of pollen
The dandelion fountain
     Magnet of youth
     Old, young, middle-aged
No matter the years
     Always a child in the dandelion rain

Alternations vs. Simultaneity

Alternations vs. Simultaneity

Can the Spirit live together with my body?
Must one die to satisfy the other?
Is the soul divided?

My mind claims that I pant for Jesus
as a deer pants for water, yet a moment later
my mind pants after the world!

     What a struggle, I cannot win!
     I cannot.
     But He can!
     I believe with my lips,
     with my head and heart,
     But desire betrays, and my hands
     and feet reveal true hypocrisy!

     So how does this work?
     I must believe, but I cannot even make my body believe!
          Jesus within; the power of the Holy Spirit!
     Help me in my unbelief!  Refresh my soul
     with your living water.  Refresh my appetite
     with the bread of life!

     Pour forth from me simultaneously
with the filling of my cup, filling others and others.
     Not me, but Christ in me, through me and all of me
Reach the world while dipped in heaven.

Summer's End

Summer comes to an end with the harvest revealed-
fruit, dried from the heat and drought.
Cool mornings intimate to soul and spirit,
hint at relief from the scorch of the summer sun.
The afternoons reveal the remaining intensity
of a star not ready to Fall.
The squeal of kids around the pool,
girls walking dogs, frisbees and nothing on TV--
all hearken for more lazy days.
Crisp nights, yellow buses, fees and commitments
hearken the fall.
Life is transition
  the fruit from this summer is dry
and bitter, yet helpful to cleanse spiritual bowels.

Sometimes, we cultivate sweet blueberries
to find a harvest of bitter herbs and thirsty tomatoes.

Without a harvest to nourish the heart, the Spirit must minister to the soul and sustain the spirit.
Rooted in faith, nourishment comes supernaturally despite the drought, despite the Fall--
in spite of the winter winds prepared ahead.

Spring will return.

Spring

The sun is deceptive.
The breeze brings the cool of mountain waters.
The grass becoming green again,
but clouds of dust sweep across the fields
grit in the teeth, dirt in the eyes,
chills that penetrate sweatshirts and jeans.

Ah, Spring!
Where is your sting?

With the bees still hiding in their combs,
the earth comes with penetrating stings,
reminding me of the wildness of creation,
the wildness of the wilderness.

A longing to pass through the wilderness
to the promises made by Spring.

The promise of summer warmth to come,
the fellowship of dirt with the sun
and rain, producing fruit from the seed of promise.

Does the seed have promise?
Will it become thorns or flowers?
Perhaps both, with pain below the outward beauty.

Perhaps the flowers will be unattractive
yet hold within sweet fruit to eat.
Perhaps still beautiful flowers await
with even more precious fruit to come.

Ah, Spring!
Even on a cold windy day, your promises
stir the spirit for more than what is now.

What is to come, that is for what is it
to ponder on a cold bench.  The promise of summer
in a true spring day is still of greater inspiration
than a false summer created by gas and walls.

NEW Creation

     New in Christ!
I knew nothing before
     compared to what I know
I don't know now;
     But new as the dew each day
I struggle to be new again,
     to be born over and over.
Yet who gives birth to self?
     Me!  Giving birth to the old
while He gives birth to newness of life,
     Newing my mind again.
I never knew before love and grace,
     But He knew me before I knew anything.
Now I die
     to self each day
          to be made new!
That new Christian smell--
     a fragrant offering to the Creator of all things new--
          Even this wretched flesh,
               All things new!

Rocks

     Rocks in my life
hidden underneath
     solid support but
painful to fall upon
     lying on the rocks
leaves no rest
     The rocks beneath
provide a path
     Across the creek,
rushing water
     leading my feet
to the other side
     The rocks to climb
adventure grabbed
     Crevices provide
the climb to the top
     Atop the rocks
I sound my yawp
     upon the rock
The Rock of life!

I Write (SDG)

What do I write

  When my heart lies ripped

When my heart lies

How do I cry out

  with my spirit ripped

When I'm ripped from my soul

God, I want to pour

  what you've poured into me

Pour into your body

God, I want to glorify
  You blockade my zeal

You thwart my plans

What do I write
  when my pen is dry
A tool without a point

How do I confess
  with no guts to check
When my heart lies

God, I want to pour
  what you've poured into me
Pour all at Your feet

God I want to glorify
  Don't thwart my heart
Bathe me in Your Spirit

Soli Deo Gloria
  Soli Deo Gloria!

Drummin'

My stomach growls
My body yearns

for substance

I wave my wand
And pound the march
the cadence

And it fades to
Chaotic dreams

My heads pound
the inner scream

The Road

The road begins

leading through the wilderness

to pools of still water

lily pads, mosquitos, croaks

amidst the tall grass

Failure promotes fallacy

in action--retreat

in retreat--returning

just short of failure

refusing to decline

by denying the test

the will, the want the need

so strong yet the heart

rarely outtakes the mind

yet the brain misguides

                                                                                                                wholeheartedly the soul

I Am

In my lover's eyes, the beautiful intricacies 
of composition beyond random chance 

In human life born from love given by grace 
held by unworthy hands, loved with a corrupt heart 

In an infant boy, swimming alone, but not alone 
and back home safe 

A smile with freckles and dimples and charm 
with a soft voice whispering, "I love you" 

In a perfect flight, a perfect group, squeaky shoes 
the tight grip of my finger 

In a premature baptism in Hefei, a glimpse 
of the hope of salvation, a glimpse of His heart for the orphans 

Orphans no more, though without a father, not without the Father, heirs to all hope and glory!