Month: October 2018

Centerpiece

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Matthew 16:26 NASB

Centerpiece, oh Centerpiece,
you have the narcissist disease.
On the table set for everyone and thing,
you must be the middle,
the centerpiece.

Centerpiece, oh Centerpiece,
everyone’s estranged.
You used to share the focus.
You used to share the stage.
Now you bore of the stories
when they don’t feature you.
You don’t even care
if the tales told are true.

Centerpiece without a center
is it you against the world?
Is your’s the only side that matters?
What will be left
of the name you’ve been building
when your reputation’s all in tatters?

Before it’s too late, Center,
move over and let God
take His rightful place in your life.
Turn from selfish deceit
and empty values.
Build a solid foundation
on His Holy Word,
a center worthy of holding on to.

Give away your worship of self and things
Stop collecting and hoarding
every valueless thing.
Give honor and dignity to every being,
all you used to think were beneath.
Instead of trying to be you’ll find who truly is
the centerpiece.

© Joel Tipple 10/16/2018

Not So Pretty Prayers

After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.
Matthew 14:23 NASB

In the tumult of our lives,
the noise and chaos,
we don’t always take the time
to download peace.
Jesus was our model for connection
to our father, who would gladly hear our needs.
Our words don’t always have to be perfection.
God surely wants to hear our naked truth.
A genuine relationship is what he seeks from us,
so don’t try to sanitize your news.

© Joel Tipple 10/15/2018

Releasing Life

There’s a seed in a forest,
and it’s waiting for a fire,
to release the life within
and tell a story.

A renewal story.

There’s a man in a city.
There’s a child in the hills.
There’s a woman in the suburbs,
all challenged by the ills
of the world.

Each one has a story.

Now fire can take
and it can destroy
cities, towns, and people.
It can take it all
when destruction’s not expected.
But there’s a fire that God can send into your life
that somehow mends it.

So if you’re the seed that’s left under the ashes
after the fire has swept through,
let God nourish the life that’s now awakened.
The world will watch what Jesus does for you…
after the fire.

© Joel Tipple 10/14/2018

A Courteous Life

“Life is not so short but there is always time for courtesy.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Romans 12:10 ESV

Life is messy. No doubt. Even in a human life seemingly charmed there must come a share of grief. My prayer has never been that God would keep me from all trouble, only that I would be given the grace and resources to carry myself well. An important part of that I think is the most courtesy I can bring to all my relationships, from those closest to me, as well as those who cross my path only briefly.

It starts with your first
please.
It continues with your first
thank you.
Let us give thanks for every parent
who sends out into the world
a loving courteous human boy
or girl.
Where do we get the idea
that putting others before us is wrong?
Do we even want to live in a world
where caring doesn’t belong?
I’ll open the door.
I’ll pay for your coffee.
I’ll look you in the eyes and really care
that your day is good…
or gets better.
Courtesy mostly doesn’t cost much,
but the lack of it always cost more.
And the gift the giver gives
comes back
pressed down and over.

© Joel Tipple 10/13/2018

Put Away or Keep

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:31-32

I’ve been angry.
I suppose I’ve felt wrath,
although that sounds so much bigger than me.
That seems more the size of a monster,
about to swallow a city.
I’m somewhat allergic to clamor
and slander.
I cringe at loud noises and people.
And though I love bells and music,
I might even put mufflers on steeples.
I’m reasonably good at kindness
and tenderness.
Of course, it’s easier when it’s in kind.
If I keep in mind
my debt to Christ,
forgiveness is more feasible too.

© Joel Tipple 10/12/2018

Be There for Me

Be there for me
when everything’s wrong.
Be there for me
when I’m not feeling strong.
When everyone runs away
like I’m a building burning,
run to me and say you’ll stay.

I sometimes dream there will be a day,
when I can stand for someone too
but then this tidal wave of sad knocks me over.
I might be able to hold on a little longer
if I knew you’d row out
and pull me in with your oar.

Be there for me
when I’m not attractive or fun,
when I don’t have anything
that anyone would want,
when I look like I’ve been washed up
by the sands of time,
when what separates me and death
is a very thin line.

I’ve heard your Jesus
went through a lot too.
If you know him, could he help me too?
I’m not looking for charity,
I just need a moment,
and an arm,
for a few steps,
until I’m steady.

Thanks for staying,
I’m starting to believe
that bright spot is the day.
Stay a little longer.
Together, we’ll pray.

© Joel Tipple 10/11/2018

The Past

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14 ESV

I’ve got a new perspective now.
The past isn’t what it used to be.
God’s pointing my head in a new direction.
Is this what it means to be free?

Instead of taking inventory
of possessions,
I remind myself
to whom I belong.
Instead of bemoaning
all the reasons I’m weak,
I claim the One
who makes me strong.

© Joel Tipple 10/10/2018

 

Courage to Breathe

It takes courage to breathe
when your lungs feel like glass,
when your heart feels like paper,
when your mind is like a thousand blades of grass
waiting for the wind to blow.

It takes surrender
to the God of Heaven and everything,
who can give you breath and help you sing,
who will heal the places you’re afraid to see,
and make the mountains in your life
climbable.

It takes courage to breathe
when the air around you is toxic
when the people in your life
tell you God is dead
or has run away.

It takes courage to stand
when you’re afraid you will waver,
and steps forward are only a dream.
How do you dare…
or risk being counted
as a believer,
a holder of his name?

But you can breathe,
and you can stand.
then even run.
God will be your security detail
for the journey.
You will climb up through the clouds,
where the doubters tell you not to go.
And they’ll call you a fool for climbing.

But God will meet you there
like He promised…
because you had
the faith to breathe,
the temerity to breathe,
the courage to breathe.

© Joel Tipple 10/8/2018

Be Still

    He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10 NIV

When storms of war are raging,
when all you see is strife.
When every bit of news seems bad
so you’re afraid to step outside.
Remember the battle is the Lord’s,
He alone holds high ground.
So listen closely, Pilgrim
for the trumpet sound,
and be still.

Be still, and know I am God.
I didn’t bring you to the battle
just to leave you.
Be still. I have your back.
I know your destination, oh.
Be still, be still.
My child, be still.

Just because you can’t see around the corner
of your block, let alone the future,
that’s all the more, reason, to rely on the one
who knew you…
before…
anyone knew you.

Be still, and know I am God.
I didn’t bring you to the battle
just to leave you.
Be still. I have your back.
I know your destination, oh.
Be still, be still.
My child, my own, be still.

©  Joel Tipple 10/07/2018