Washington, D.C.
The Joint Chiefs will issue a policy statement tomorrow regarding military personnel and their use of social media during battlefield operations. The statement will be titled: “No Retweet, No Surrender.”
Month: May 2013
Destiny Please Part 2
Destiny please,
what you see, is just the beginning.
Now that I can see
the purpose in the pain
and I’m not foolin’ around anymore.
Destiny please,
The seed that God planted
and nurtured with the sun and the rain
is bursting forth and spreading its wings.
Soaring to
where the air is thin
and it’s terribly hard to breathe.
Little do you know,
but great you should expect
from the One
Who invented miracles.
Destiny please,
When the rain’s falling,
and tragedy’s calling
out its siren song,
help me remain steady,
as a tide pool’s eddy,
content in the knowledge
with God I’ll carry on.
Fully aware of the past,
not forgetting, but moving on,
rejoicing in His healing power,
leaning on His Word
hour by hour.
Destiny please,
complete in release,
He is worthy
to be praised and
all creation sings its song.
Despite what goes wrong.
I’ll continue…
in faith.
Destiny Please Part 1
Destiny please,
what you see, is just the beginning.
Now that I can see
the purpose in the pain
and I’m not foolin’ around anymore.
Destiny please,
The seed that God planted
and nurtured with the sun and the rain
is bursting forth and spreading its wings.
Soaring to
where the air is thin
and it’s terribly hard to breathe.
Little do you know,
but great you should expect
from the One
Who invented miracles.
The Inside
You’ve hit the gym.
You’re counting all the calories
that you consume.
You’ve got a walk-in closet
to get lost in, it’s bigger than most ordinary folk’s
bedrooms.
But at the end of the day
even though it all looks fine,
the only thing that could use work
is what’s not showing, it’s on the inside.
They told you just work hard
and things will be fine.
But though you’ve made it
you’re not making it… You don’t know why.
Your friends are telling you to chill
but if you stopped paying their bills,
would they know your name?
All you know for sure… Something’s gotta change.
Give yourself to Jesus.
It’s in His Word.
Trying to avoid God is worse than absurd.
He’s always been around you, and He’s now knocking on your door.
Give it all to God and run
to a relationship, not religion.
For the first time in your life
it’ll all make sense, not just for the future
but in the present tense.
Give it all, give it all.
Give it all to Jesus.
Please, can I go too?
Going to the store?
Yes, I’ll go. Sure, I’ll go.
Please, can I go too?
Anywhere you go, is where I want to be.
I want to go with you.
Lift me up onto your shoulders.
I’m taller than everyone.
Give me your rough hands
to use for reigns;
we’ll ride off toward the sun.
Going to the beach?
Yes, I’ll go. Sure, I’ll go.
Please, can I go too?
Anywhere you go, is where I want to be.
I want to go with you.
Sand is a world of adventure.
We’ll put it in my sandbox.
The ocean gives it up for free.
God knows I like to play.
Anywhere. Anything. Anyhow. Anywho.
Anywhat. Anyone. Anyis. Anydo.
Yes, I’ll go. Sure, I’ll go.
I want to be with you.
I want to go with you.
Your Word
So will My Word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11
Your Word
Lord
sustains me
without it my likeness is poorly drawn
Your Commandments
direct me
push me
to run on
let me hide your Word
inside my heart
may it fill me from within
let it soothe the ache
caused by this world and
expose the damage of sin
help your Word
complete in me
what You’ve seen from the start
a destiny not of this place
but kept safe in Your Heart
Time Out
One weekend
I decided,
being of the giving kind,
to take my friend Time out,
might he need a break to unwind?
To my view he’d been working too hard,
passing everything in sight,
until night blurred into day and daytime into night.
I asked him, might he speak with his boss,
to request an extended leave?
He replied this was unlikely,
as his boss, Greenwich
was a hard taskmaster and mean.
Nonetheless, upon the issue I prevailed,
until my friend agreed
to take a two-week-sail.
For that 14 day period,
he did not once count,
though he was the only one who knew
since no functioning clocks could sound.
From that day back
and forward
Time has taken occasional rest
because even a man like time
needs to take himself out
to be his best.
I’d like to be…
i’d like to be
as strong as a tree
that grows stronger
with the wind
turning over new leaves
while learning to breath
tasting news of where the wind’s been.
my roots would wind
down
toward the earth’s middle
halting before they burned
with so deep a grasp I’d survive
though swiftly the planet might turn
then after thousands of years
and lightning and wars and men’s tears
with one limb left green
teachers would take little ones to me
to wonder
and marvel
and dream
How will they hear?
But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That’s why Scripture exclaims,
A sight to take your breath away!
Grand processions of people
telling all the good things of God!
But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: “Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?” The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.
Romans 10:14-17 The Message
“Your actions speak so loudly, I can not hear what you are saying.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I need to hear of God.
I may not know I do.
I may not know His word contains the key
to a relationship I was made for before the world was.
My intellect, my will, my judgment, will be present.
But salvation speaks like a laser to the heart, to the soul.
I do not know yet the unvarnished truth of the gospel, how it will reveal something
so natural I’ll wonder why it took so long to become a reality in my life.
And why would He choose a human being to reveal this truth?
Why not send an angel, or a blinding light?
God could do that.
God chose you,
and others…
people.
For some reason, God is really about relationships.
Don’t think I need someone perfect to tell me about Jesus.
What I really need,
even though I may not know it yet,
is for someone to be authentic, warts and all.
Be real to me.
Care.
I’ll recognize that.
What I Say
Don’t just say you see
what I do
what I say what I say
don’t just do
what you can prove
say what I say what I say
all the day all the day
what I say what I say
stop
jump in jump in spin
jump in jump in spin
do a quick revolution
jump out
ever since the day
we got married
been a holy ride
love done never ended
holy ride holy ride
on
jump in spin jump in spin
jump in spin jump in spin
do a quick revolution
jump out
Lori sweet Lori
train gets a goin’ cross country
dreams of rails and coattails
we got goin’ with a mist of steam
dreams of rails and coattails
ain’t never lost what it mean
jump in spin jump in spin
jump in spin jump in spin
do a quick revolution
back on
dance to the Lord’s revival
dance to our sweet Lord’s tune
dance to Jesus’ music
sweet sounds in your room
jump in spin jump in spin
jump in spin for it do you in
Lord lead a quiet revolution
with your strong constitution
say when
Write here, Joel. 