A flea’s view of the back of a dog.
Some dying moss on the side of a log.
The green tinged roots would look funny on a lass.
Do you think it might be some fountain grass?
© Joel Tipple
314
Perspective
postaday
Commence
com·mence
kəˈmens/
begin; start.
“his design team commenced work”
synonyms: begin, start; get the ball rolling, get going, get underway, get off the ground, set about, embark on, launch into, lead off; open, initiate, inaugurate; informal kick off, get the show on the road
“the meeting will commence at noon”
I wonder if God has ever looked at onions and people and considered whether he got the two of us mixed up somehow when we were created. There are so many layers to go through to get to the heart of us. I suppose for some Christians, soon after the alter call, however it manifests itself, there is an immediate jump into the deep water. All or nothing. They choose all. Then, there are the rest of us. A big toe in. A jump back. A foot in. A jump back. And so it goes. I don’t think many Christians dedicate their lives to Christ and then make the conscious decision to be mediocre followers. They just keep fighting surrender to the Holy Spirit indwelling them and becoming the prime motivating factor in their daily actions. Like Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentleman when his drill sergeant, played by Louis Gossett Jr. is trying to get him to quit, we have to get to the point sooner or later that we cry, “I got nowhere else to go! I got nothin’ else!” When you do get to that point, however God gets you there, that’s when your walk with God really begins. As long as you’re hanging on to something else, as long as you have somewhere else to go, a backup plan, you haven’t given Him everything. Don’t you think it’s time to begin? To commence?
© Joel Tipple
313
Technology
At the risk of sounding
like an out of touch troglodyte,
I’d like to encourage
connoisseurs of technology
to consider what I say
in spite…
of their love for all things digital.
If the face you pay the most attention to
is really a screen,
you’re at risk for someday looking up
and finding no human beings.
People are difficult,
sure.
Unpredictable,
we’re pretty much all in beta,
and many of us are not that compatible,
and lack the latest updates.
However, though the risks are there,
the rewards for really being present
for the people you know
and don’t know yet,
are greater.
© Joel Tipple
312
To the Encouragers
To the encouragers, we celebrate you,
with your words
you change lives.
Salt of the earth, God’s messengers,
Discerning talents with your light.
How many of us would not try,
or try a little and then stop.
Spirits faint, not willing to step out,
for fear of falling.
Cajoling, gently nudging,
You’re the ones who say we can swim.
Somehow we’re able to borrow your courage
and begin
and begin again.
Whatever our best is, you see it before we do,
encouragers, heroes behind the scenes.
You don’t always get the credit,
but we know how much your love in action means.
If you get what you deserve,
you’ll be encouraged too.
Thank you, encouragers.
Thank you.
© Joel Tipple
311
Vessel to Serve
Why did you call
me,
this nondescript vessel?
I’m every-day-ware, with a few chips from use.
How do I dare take a place on your table?
And yet you say I’m beautiful. And you use me.
It’s the same mistake we make every time,
trying to discover our purpose
our way.
But the vessel cannot dictate to the potter.
It doesn’t have the final say.
Let your love pour forth from this vessel.
Help me get out of the way, and let Your Spirit work.
I know this God, You didn’t make your vessel
to store.
You made it to serve.
Here at your table, your everyday vessels,
redeemed and rescued from sin.
We humbly offer ourselves Lord.
however you care to use us,
pray begin, Lord.
Begin.
Let your love pour forth from this vessel.
Help me get out of the way, and let Your Spirit work.
I know this God, You didn’t make your vessel
to store.
You made it to serve.
© Joel Tipple
310
Cursive
A more inappropriate word
I believe I have not found
it just doesn’t bear examining,
like most other words around.
Well…
The word is cursive,
a most contradictory word.
Beautiful writing bound with ugly speaking…
a concept, frankly, I find absurd.
When one pounds one’s thumb with a hammer
elegant lines and flourishes don’t appear.
Instead what falls south from an undisciplined mouth
is more like an eruption from a gassy rear.
Sorry.
I’ll readily admit,
It’s a craft I’ve never mastered.
I mean the writing part,
my handwriting is a disaster.
An artist with a pen I’m not,
though mostly the letters find their right place.
So I decided long ago to not try,
thus saving face.
Now cursing, as a boy,
I recall being quite good at.
At least it was effortless,
especially when I was at bat.
But then after introspection
following a revelation from the Lord,
I turned over a new leaf,
cleaned up my act
and found language I didn’t abhor.
Now I admit the occasional slip,
like the other night when half of my poem disappeared
I did let one rip.
To the cat and dog I apologize.
If I ever pick up that bad habit again,
feel free to claw me down to size.
© Joel Tipple
309
what to write
just between you and me Lord
tonight I don’t know what to write
the cursor blinking teasingly at me
is mocking and a fright
production has ground to a standstill
like the government of late
and it seems I’ve lost the numbers
needed to open the gate
I keep sliding screens across my brain
the way I do with my phone
but it’s so hard to write something worthy
when it seems there’s nothing home
Please help me tomorrow
with some energy in a cup
and a couple extra brain cells
with shoestring synapses to tie them up
For tonight I bid you thanks
for abundant grace and truth
your love for your creation
needs of course no more proof
good night
© Joel Tipple
308
Walking Around
Lord, do you think it’s breaking?
Can you confirm the sound?
They say when you have children
it’s like your heart out there
walking around.
Walking around out there in the world,
a boy, a girl, or both.
Forever young though years may pass,
the cord feels like a rope.
Lord I know you’ve been there,
so I won’t waste words complaining
it isn’t fair.
Lord I know we can be
a little melodramatic,
and parents throughout the ages
have been correctly described as frantic.
But since you gave us each a heart,
perhaps share the reasons,
and as long as we’re going through it,
help us survive the seasons.
Walking around out there in the world,
an evolution of trust.
A joy and burden all wrapped up,
though we try not to fuss.
Mentioned in our prayers often,
if not more.
A wise parent focuses on the gratitude score.
© Joel Tipple
307
Not Such a Bad Idea?
Imagine our cars
transparent.
Just like Wonder Woman’s jet.
All those anonymous travelers,
those people you haven’t yet met,
were visible and seemingly vulnerable.
Would you act the same?
How about then reducing the speed?
Let’s say 45.
Would we have time to see the country
and more likely stay alive?
Would we miss the animals
that so often get in our way?
I wonder what else we would notice
at that much less hectic pace?
What if we had to stop,
say every five miles?
What if we talked to our fellow travelers,
and passed pleasantries for a while?
I know this all sounds like a fools paradise
and you’ve got places to go.
But if we all slowed down and really looked at each other more,
I believe in some valuable ways we’d grow.
© Joel Tipple
306
That
When you see the biggest waterfall
you’ve ever seen, and its size and noise transports you to somewhere amazing…
That.
When you endure discomfort and put forth more effort than you thought you could,
and finish the race, because you said you would…
That.
When the young lady you respect and love says she loves you too
and wants to spend her life with you…
That.
That’s what it is to ask God to please use your gift to make a real impact for Him
and for Him to make that dream come true. It really is
that.
© Joel Tipple
305
Write here, Joel. 
