Character Puzzle

Piercing through the thick unknowing
Shrouded droplets cling with roots
To darkly tinted glass
Surely unsure of the weight of the keystone
Heavy or light? Needed at all?

Unable to commit to the one or the other
Unwilling to choose from the this or the that
Unstable fence-rider!
Splinters & splits

The privilege - not robbery
Equality. Identity.
The crux, a crutch, revolving portals
Breaking through the utmost finish
Entrance there through force-field doors

Many rivers flow and merge
Only to plunge from the downpour cliff
In a fiery crash of mist & whitewater
Whittling away at the rock of offense

The Tallest of 4

Her toothbrush is the tallest of four
Worn out, frazzled & leaning to one side
Quietly
Inside the cheap plastic cup

And her life is so hard
With the bills, mismatched pajamas, tantrums
Scary nights
It's a struggle, it's a fight

But at least she struggles & fights

Her bed is the warmest in the house
Not quite as wide as it needs to be
For 40 toes, 8 knobby knees, 4 resting heads
A couple of snores

That stupid van never runs like it should
A knock, a jolt, a belt
A whatsamathingy
But the road never stretches too far too fast

(How far could she get
If she slammed the pedal down hard
Bald tires screeching
And never looked back?)

But, her toothbrush is the tallest of 4
And her bed is the warmest in the house
And even though it's a struggle, it's a fight
Worth fighting

The quiet breath of sleeping angels
Is her favorite sound in all the world
So they brush their teeth, crowd in together
And dream pretty dreams

Original Write Date = 20071230
For a friend...

Ekklesia [a prophecy]

The jet black vultures hover & circle, darkening the sky
Descending on the perfect brick building - clean and polished - steeple aimed high
The spire jutting upward - piercing - the clouds with its whitewashed paint
Yet unseen beneath the fatal wounds, an underground spring flows to new places

Original Write Date = 20071223

Holy Discontent

Monotone ringing out
Heavy sighs of unsure groaning
Escaping from a numb-like breathing
Only wanting evermore

Good stuff? Yes
But what of better?
Greater still
What of the best?

Burning discontent with simple mediocre
Aching drive inside to thrust for the upper rung
Golden ring in shiny splendor
Shining forth with Spirit life!

Ever reaching, grasping, stretching
Out a hand that longs for light
Perfectly content with going one
Step further, one inch more


Original Write Date = 20071104

A Sure-Coming Summer

As I awoke this morning, I found myself thinking about seasons & how they gently meld into one another. God could have kept us in a constant state of summer & we would never have known that other possibilities were even out there. But, He has chosen to give us seasons. And we are only aware that there could even be such things - because He reveals that truth.

I can imagine the seasons working in reverse: spring flowers closing, shrinking & the new sprigs sucking back into the ground. Water seeping up through the soil, forming a layer of white that separates and then floats upward in tiny flakes. The crisp, fallen leaves taking flight back into the warming air, reattaching themselves to their limbs and changing into a uniform green.

But, when God wants to make things new He doesn't take dead leaves & reattach them - He lets them decay. Trees go bare for a time. But, sure enough, He creates fresh, new, vibrant leaves to replace the dry, lifeless ones.

I can't quite draw all these thoughts together but there is a connection here somewhere with putting new wine in old wineskins. My faith is intertwined somewhere in here too. I am not willing to live a life that is a constant attempt at reattaching old, dead leaves to a tree that wants to fall asleep...

Even if it means the ice of winter - the cold of a temporary death - I want that newness of spring. I will shiver for a time - if that's what it takes - to see the bud shoot forth. I just want to find that new wineskin & discover what it should hold. For I know that in so doing, I will reach that promise of a sure-coming summer.


Original Write Date = 20071009

Healing Flash

The darkened depths that dip within
to both the hard & softened parts
So deep beneath the thickened skin
where sovereign light has never gone.
Oh so deep. Ever deep.

They stretch out wide with rubber arms
to wrap around & help them hide
Those secret & clandestine charms
who duck & dart to not be found
In the caves. Darkest caves.

Hidden chambers, trapdoor hatches
Open. Close. Fold in. Swing wide.
While locking all the hooks & latches
to block out help that waits nearby
With a smile. Peaceful smile.

But light! It bends. It splits. It curves.
to maze its way around the stops
To shine, to glow, to grow, to surge
and cause the crouching rogues to squint
Oh so bright. Painful bright!

Thrust upon them - burning stars
blaze the darkness, flood the night
Mushroom clouds & halo bombs
refract, reflect, revamp their lives
In a flash. Healing flash.


Original Write Date = 20070925

E a R t H q U a K e

So... my family woke up this morning around 4:40 am to a quivering floor. Is it a storm? A train? Did an oil pipeline blow up? Is Jesus coming back....

Southern IL was hit by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake this morning. We're about 1.5 hours from the epicenter. They felt the quake all the way up in Chicago - 5+ hours away from the origin... So, yeah, we felt it alright!

It was kinda eeire, kinda surreal. Just a rhythymic rocking, shaking. And it was so quiet... When I looked outside to see if it was a train - I saw a dark orange moon above the trees. A load of scriptures came rushing at me all at once..."earthquakes in many places.." "the moon will be turned into blood" "...like a thief in the night..."

Had I missed out on one of the most important events of a believer's life?

The kids woke up a little spooked. We had them climb in bed with us. As parents, we certainly couldn't stop the earth from shaking beneath them, but we felt better having them close to us. We prayed, talked for a little bit, then they voluntarily went back to their own rooms. We were a little sad to see them go...

There's still this haunting feeling about the whole thing. The experience is still hovering at the forefront of my thoughts. Everyone is buzzing about it - sharing their own experience. It made me question my beliefs - check myself to make sure I'm right with God. What if Christ had really returned at that moment? What if it was more than just an earthquake? What if it had been an 8.0 on the Second Coming scale?

And, I believe I'm alright. Even though some questions are still lingering... So, I'm climbing in bed with my Daddy so He can keep me safe until the trembling stops...