April 19: Christ Come Today

Christ Come Today

I’ve been trav’lin’; travelling hard;
got a worrying mind and a load on my back.

I’m keeping my trust in the Spirit of God
for a presence of kindness and strength for my pack.

Five hours I stood by the side of the road
with the cars going by in a regular stream.
The ice storm comes.  I can’t cover my nose,
and my brain grows numb in lingering dreams.

I consider the reasons for passing my by
and the times, for convenience, I’ve also refused.
I was chained to my wheels.  Now I’m learning to fly.
I travel wherever I choose!

Are you travelling far?  Do you ask your wife?

Is there space in your car?  Is there space in your life?

The high cost of living and the high cost of gas
remind you that nothing is free.

With the view that I’m lazy, you drive on past.

That’s a kind of concern and sincerity.

Or maybe this world of heartache and trouble
leaves you no place for charity.
You can’t help a stranger if your life is too muddled
to make any decision with clarity.

Where is heaven?  Could Christ come today?
Can he heal our depression?  Can he teach me to play?

I’m only a step ahead of my fears,
but this earth and God’s kingdom is home!

Though the world may close its eyes and ears,

I don’t feel alone!

God has blessed me with a family and friends,
and they listen whenever I call.
They believe in me even when they don’t understand,
and they pick me up when I call.

I thank God through both my pleasures and pain
as my Spirit grows stronger than emotional need,
For Jesus died leaving no one to blame,

And so would I love through my own words and deeds.

Chorus:

Are you travelling far? Do you ask your wife?

Is there space in your car?  Is there space in your life?

Are you ready for heaven?  Are you ready for play?

Can you teach me a lesson?  Are you Christ come today?

Repeat first two verses.

I think it’s when we’re sisters and brothers
and we seek the connection of “I” and “We”,
then it can’t be too long before we’ll discover
the way to both love and be free!

Chorus

April 18: The Climb

The Climb

I.

The hook and rope

Where I’d put my hope

Suddenly started to slip.

On a dangerous height,

I held on tight

As I felt for a firmer grip.

The psychic line

I use to climb

Is strong, with plenty of give.

When I fall from my goal,

I connect to my soul:

With all of my heart, I live!

I thought it was all philosophy.

I thought it was about education.

I thought it was about psychology,

And the expressions of imagination!

I thought it was building community,

And the potential for self-reliance.

I thought it was a mystical unity

In balance with the knowledge of science.

I thought it was needs to be fulfilled,

In balance with active compassion.

I thought it was building practical skills, . . .

But an avalanche came crashin’!

I did my best.  I passed the test,

In that I lived to tell my tales.

If I win or I lose, it is I who must choose,

And honor where truth prevails!

So now I’m back,

And I take up the slack,

While I keep my footing sure.

The sun and the wind,

And the eagles my friends.

Could I ask for anything more?

I’ve been feeling the strain,

But I slowly sustain

My weight in reaching the crest:

Then standing alone,

I gaze towards my home,

And take off my knapsack to rest.

II.

I say, “Don’t let the sorrow of strife

Seep in to make your heart bitter.

Don’t let your battles for life

Be driving you down to your knees!

You may need to run for the trees!

When the winds of your hopes haven’t blown your way

And you don’t know how to get fitter,

Just keep on looking for the part you can play.

You can’t let your fears make you freeze:

You must look for that choice you can seize!

There are so many needs to be fulfilled,

And so many cries for compassion.

We can make a difference if we have the will

Even when the billows come crashin’!

We do our best.  We see how we’re blessed.

And we grow as we tell our tales.

If we win or we lose, we join forces to choose

And trust that our truth will not fail!

And -- we all have a mountain to scale.

April 17: Long Red Butte

Long Red Butte

The long red butte says,

“Here I am!”

Whatever you think,

I don’t give a damn.

You can say whatever you want to say.

If I’m too rugged for you,

Find some other way.

The long red butte says,

“This is me!”

This is the way I’ve come to be.

It’s not the way

I’ve always been;

Shaped by water; by the ice and the wind.

I am the grandeur

that yet remains;

The remnant of what was a lake or a plain,

Lifted up by tectonic force

Which  altered what had been the usual course;

A change in ecology; change in the weather

A change in the landscape, now and forever

But the record remains, where I stand like a giant;

Unprotected, but I’m still defiant!

And you’re free to see me

 as a tragic hero

Who knows he will one day

dwindle to zero,

But I don’t sweat the changes, because they happen slow.

People live and die,

and many storms blow,

Settlers pass through, and then they’re gone

Wars may be fought, but I still live on.

Though rocks be jarred loose from a rumbling train,

Most of my body will still remain,

But when they finally bring me down to my knees,

This scrub will be forest

With wide-branching trees,

And that’s a future

I’m willing to face.

‘Til then I’ll be proud

to be holding my place.

I’m life’s changing expression,

But my roots are down deep.

Under pasture and farms,

 I may seem to sleep,

And though wind and rain may grind me to dust,

It’s rock that comprises most of the crust,

Shaped and molded

from earth’s various forms,

From rock and water,

all life is born.

You may see my beauty but ask,

“What’s the use?”

“I am that I am!”

I don’t need an excuse.

April 16: Heart Appreciation

Heart Appreciation

I’ve got shelves full of poetry; halls full of art,

Tangents, and time, must intervene.

I see the beauty, but I’m in the dark,

And the meanings get cold when I take them apart,

In search of the alchemist’s dream.

And so much of my poems seem neurotic and strange,

Or at times they seem irksomely typical,

Ungrounded ideals, or someone in a cage:

What will the effort actually change

When I try to be more - or less - critical?

Chorus:

Find the beauty you Know within,

And let that be your attraction!

Then you have a place to begin;

A foundation from which you can take life in

Before you get lost in distraction.

I’ve been sinking into Scriptures

For something to inspire.

My thoughts and reading become quite a mixture

That gets me caught in mental strictures,

When I want to be on fire!

Wisdom converges, and the message is clear,

But the pace I keep is so fast,

That, hunting my purpose with my wisdom-spear

While tossing around on the back of a steer,

My purpose got lost in the past.

Chorus

We may take the time to analyze

Who and where and why and how;

Draw comparisons; scrutinize;

Find the ways we can sympathize;

But will it lead us to what matters “now”?

When you follow the path that can lead you to Grace,

Let the art it engenders become your song.

As you hold it in your heart’s embrace,

It will guide your steps, and show in your face.

Let it live and grow and shine – every moment as you go along!

Chorus:

Find the beauty you Know within,

And let that be your attraction!

Then you have a place to begin;

A foundation from which you can take life in

Before you get lost in distraction.

April 15: Purpose to Serve Part 3: Our Connection and Our Hope

III. Our Connection and Our Hope

I see I’m a piece of the whole of humanity.

I see I’m a part of the human calamity.

To say, “I’m the cure” is a part of my vanity:

It’s beyond me, but it’s got me to think

How our lives are affected by cultural trends

And how my personal changes affect my friends,

And how choices themselves affect all of our ends . . .

At least to admit there’s a link!

I look at a hill I’ve been wanting to climb.

It looks so soft, and it doesn’t seem far,

But the going is rough, and it takes some time.

From the top, I can’t see clear to Madagascar,

But I do have a picture of where we are!

We’re reaching the place where our dreams can flower,

Uncovering the love that awakens our power.

This is the day!  This is the hour!

This is the time to begin!

                  No longer needing to be resigned

To social pressures and others’ designs:

The world has its limits, but not our minds.

Our freedom to thrive is within!

The road is now open for a new commencement,

Like for prisoners craving release,

But we have to think bigger than petty resentment.

We have to work from a state of contentment

To bring our world to the path of peace!

I’m talking here about sensibility:

We each have our own dreams and kinds of ability,

And the acceptance we nurture creates social stability,

While admitting that things have gone wrong.

When we can be hopeful, but also real;

Understanding:  People lie, cheat, and steal!

Let’s be matter of fact about all our ideals.

Then the bonds between us grow strong!

April 14: Purpose to Serve Part 2: Honor the Earth

II.  Honor the Earth

The earth has provided.  The earth is the carrier.

It’s given us pleasures that make our lives merrier.

The earth also has its natural barriers,

And dangers we may need to face!

Thus we inherit both doubts and success,

And sometimes it’s present, or impending, distress

That prods at our minds, and makes us progress

Towards knowing and finding our place!  (Verse 2x, Only I inherit)

Thirsty, I stumble on a rushing river.

I must figure out how to build a bridge!

A dry wind is blowing, and I start to shiver.

I’ll need to climb over the ridge,

But seek shelter under a ledge.

In the wilderness, I can go on forever,

And there’s joy in survival as I learn to be clever.

Sometimes the achievement of my higher endeavors

Requires joining in with the community.

Get some support when I’m feeling pressed;

A chance to put my skills to the test;

Other perspectives to determine what’s best,

(And a hundred new faces of lunacy!)

Up against many converging forces

Which in time must be resolved

By the utilization of my best resources,

Sometimes a solution evolves.

Sometimes - there’s just too much involved!

In all of this, I strive for expression:

To state what is true without concessions;

To stand for what’s just and to look for connections

With the life I perceive all around.

I draw upon science and engineering.

I try to see past how my life is appearing,

Never forgetting what I hold endearing

While creating with light and sound.

In the many modes of life and survival,

This is a pathway I choose;

Always preparing for the Kingdom’s arrival,

Straightening what’s been confused;

Not yet knowing how my work will be used!

I honor the earth, for the earth is the carrier!

Its natural beauty has made my life merrier.

I praise its abundance and also its barriers;

And its storms, which we may need to face!

In the vastness of space, we are graciously blessed.

Who can deny that we’ve made it a mess!

Shall we live what we mean - by doing our best,

Doing honor to this time and this place?

We are more than mirrors of life’s expression

As we state what is true without concessions,

And stand for what’s just and look for connections

In the life we perceive all around.

I draw upon science and engineering.

I try to see past how my life is appearing,

Never forgetting what I hold endearing

While creating with light and sound.

I honor the earth, for the earth is the carrier!

Its natural beauty has made my life merrier.

I praise its abundance and also its barriers;

And its storms, which we may need to face!

In the vastness of space, we are graciously blessed.

Who can deny that we’ve made it a mess!

Shall we live what we mean by doing our best,

Doing honor to this time and this place?