When I rise in the morning
all I’d like in bed with
your’s truly
(along with the missus)
is a ray of sunshine.
At the risk of sounding
a tad
flamboyant,
I might say:
it’s divine.
Up come the shades
and out come the shades
if I’m going outdoors
fewer clothes than other days
is my usual way
to treat blissful
sunshine
a share of which is mine
After the bed is made,
the cat requisitions a beam or two
It’s what cats do
and you do too
if you know
what’s
good
for
you.
Rain
You mist-ify
for you we’ve torrential love
you cloud
our minds with vapor
and
drops from
heaven above
Bits of you with friends float
ocean liners
and
surround land
till chunks of that
form islands
complete with
fruity drinks
and bands
You’re sometimes swift when you’re a river
but then again
you can be
serene
You might bob about in a lake
with a
panoramic woody
scene
You’re our life to drink
or filled with lives…
creatures we’ve seen
and not
You’re where sailors go
the ones who returned
and those forever sought
You float Huck’s raft
and bring God’s wrath
You swallowed the Egyptians
whole
You’re there when we’re skating on thin ice
and there
when the thunder rolls
Rain, we celebrate you with a tidal wave
for the thrill
that fills
our souls
You make us happy
when you stay for a time
but
even more so
when you go
Use your words child when you cry I know that
something
is wrong I just don’t know exactly
what
that
could
be
It’s terribly
frust-er-ating when you carry on
so
must I tell you how I tear my hair out
yell-
ing bloody murder ain’t
en-light-en-
ing me to the cause of all this conster-
nation
Give me patience Lord I haven’t asked you for much
in the
last
five
minutes
Use your words child no not the ones daddy said the other day remem-
ber
he told you those are not nice
It’s just that daddy was kind of angry
oh I get it
yeah you’re right daddies misbehave sometimes too
let’s start ov-
er
We’ll use “our” words
did I tell you how you’re the answer to the prayer your mommy and I prayed
let’s find some pictures of your mommy when she was little like you
see
how much alike the two of you are
Sure we can read some stories
as
many
as
you
want
We’ll read some words
maybe we’ll learn some togeth-
er
that would be fun
My favorite word
that would
be
your
name
You see me
anything false floats away
ash
impermanent as when it was
smoke
You’ve gently
drawn me in
to begin
discarding yesterday’s
clothes
In my dreams
I stop
running
away
anyhow
Your Word
woos me
to here…to You
to
now
Purpose laden
wearing your work
on
your clothes
Promise taken
youth spent
before you
could
grow
Redemption made in
the
form
of a rough hewed
cross
Nothing wasted
life
re-purposed
through
the cost
When all is weighed
at the end
of
the night
or your light
would you
rather
have said
more no’s
or
yes’s?
I would much rather collapse
running
for a heavenly flight
than make busy
with trivial
messes.
bondage oil break chain
spokes-person rides wind down hill
revolutions turn pumps dusty
No matter
however old or young
it’s all ahead of you
destiny is inspired
knowing you’ll sing
Best be working
on your theme song
make sure
that
you sing it true
make certain the lyrics are all
that they can be
Tender moments
followed
by grand notes
borrowed
from a chorus
sung long ago
a memory
dimly
responding
simply
plays well
fast or slow
If people
start hearing you
round the town
whistling
a braver tune
worries
tossed to the
side
like castaways
They’ll remark
to each other
listen closely
I’d rather
miss anything
other
than that
We can now end our day
in no more
satisfied way
’cause its made all
our hearts
so
very glad.
Will your car start tomorrow morning when it’s time for you to go to work? Will a freak storm level most of the town you live in? Will your future wife walk into your office, look into your eyes, and see something that she can’t really describe, but which irrevocably changes both of your lives? I sometimes play that game in my mind, where I go back in time, but this time I’m armed with the knowledge of what has already happened. But what if you went back and changed one thing? What if you decided to get your car fixed before that day it wouldn’t start? What if that change in timing meant you turned your head at the wrong time at the office and that magic moment never happened? Going back in time doesn’t seem like such a great idea now, does it?
It’s easy to see how our meddling with time could mess up our future. We aren’t meant to have that kind of power. But what would change in your future if you gave control to God? What if you actually became so sensitive to God’s voice that He didn’t have to keep hitting you over the head to get your attention? You might say, “That would be great, nothing bad would ever happen to me, because I would always be in God’s perfect will!” Wrong! Even when we do our best to listen to God, stuff happens. A lot of those happenings are things we don’t like. But God knows what we need, long term or short term. His plan is always best, even if we don’t understand. For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Father, let me know you so well that I trust you to read the map.
I won’t constantly stop the car and complain that we are going the
wrong way. When you say, “Turn here,” I won’t ask you if you’re
sure, I’ll just turn the wheel. Let a peace wash over me that tells
me I will get to just the right place at just the right time to have
the future you’ve designed for your servant.
A thousand miles or a few
you carry my heart with you
I want to be with you
wherever you breathe
Time grows heavy and still
passing away from you
Tides murmur the sound
of long restless seas
Lord, if you would
construct a storm
to move the world
like a globe of snow
shaken by a child
rearrange north south
east and west
make every path
bring her home
make fewer the miles
Just let me see
You’ve
brought her home
to
me
Write here, Joel. 