writing

Fear

Fear,
the bully,
waiting to tap you on the shoulder and remind you why he’s there.
He likes to whisper things like:
you can’t,
you won’t,
or
it’s too hard.
As evidence for his claims he will
use your past against you,
conveniently leaving out that the reason
things went badly was because you
listened to him.
He prefers
the dark
because he knows he doesn’t do well in
the light.
The light causes him to become
small and insignificant.
Knowledge
is his enemy.
Courage
is something he would much rather
not be in the same room with.
Words like:
joy,
truth,
love,
hurt his ears.
Try as he might,
when he digs around in his pockets
for the key
to a home filled with prayer,
unable to find one,
he walks away.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power,
and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

Xander’s Day

Morning
Streeeeetch…
Down, off the couch and pad through the house.
Sniff the carpet.
The cat was here,
and here,
and here, here, here.
Sit. My collar goes back on, as if there were anyone in my world who didn’t know me. Funny thought, that.
Give the door a little nose bump, in case he doesn’t know it’s time for me to go out. Just in case.
Freedom! Whoops, turn around. Gotta eat. Get to eat. EAT!
Hey! Someone is walking by. Bark bark bark bark bark bark bark! My yard my yard my yard my yard.
Okayyyyy maintenance. Do my rounds. Gotta pee on that bush that tree that fence that fence that bush that tree that shoe… whoops! Sorry dude, my bad.
My TOY! Oh blessed God of play, my toy. My most favorite inanimate object in absolutely all the world.
It looks like a big rubbery jack and I am either dropping it and chasing it myself or he throws it for me.
Oh, I would do that for hours if he would let me! Much of the time it just sticks out of the corner of my mouth like the prototype drill sergeant with his cigar. You have to be ready.
Bark bark bark! My yard my yard my yard!
Pee more, drink more, pee more, drink more. It’s good for you, you know.
Wow… time for a break. The sun isn’t out yet, so I’ll go get in my doggy bed under the carport for a while.
Annnd, I’m up! My yard my yard my yard. He says it’s just an airplane, but what do I know? As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a big noisy bird that needs to know it’s… my yard my yard my yard.
A bee! Clop! My massive jaws miss again. Once, I actually caught one and it bit me! I still go after ’em though. Everything has to know this is my yard. It’s my job and I take it seriously. I’m important.
Run run run run run. I love to do that. I’m a gymnast too! Sometimes, when he throws my toy, I jump high in the air, and I could almost do a whole flip. It was easier when I was younger. A bird in the crab apple tree! My tree my tree my tree! They’ll never learn.
Work play eat sleep. Work play eat sleep. Am I getting the order right? It doesn’t matter. I’m a dog and I just do… What was it he called it? Oh yeah, what’s “instinctual.” Where do they come up with these funny words? The sun is out! Oh yeah. Time for a nap. Another stretch, and I’m down.
Back up.
Play
Drink
Sleep
Play
Bark
My yard
Dinner!
After a while it’s time to go inside for the night. I go sit with them for the evening. Sometimes I get to share popcorn. She throws it for me and I pretend it’s a bee. Clop! That’ll teach you, popcorn!
Back to the couch, to dream.
My house! But I say it quietly.

True Wisdom

“How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain is better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her.” Proverbs 3:13-15.

Teach me where to find true wisdom, Lord,
the only one who knows my days.
Every time I’ve leaned on what I know, I’ve discovered the error of my ways.
Help me to hold fast your words.
Be my shelter while I’m on this earth.
When I believe I’m too little or too much,
teach me what you say I’m worth.

Help me to not abandon your instruction, Lord.
Help me to not turn away,
for the difference between my mind and yours, Lord,
is like that between night and day.
You who founded the earth and the heavens,
the only source of true light,
when my eyes can’t see what’s before me,
show me the way and the life.

Poetry Blues

sittin’ here on my porch chair
tryin’ to think up a song
I wish I had me some crickets
so they could sing along
but if it’s just me I can’t lose
by writin’ poetry blues

poetry blues is expression
from the earth right up through your feet
words that reveal what you’re feelin’
start a tinglin’ in your teeth

that’s how you know it’s bitin’

ever once in a while then
it start to feelin’ so good
and you wonder if it’s right
if poetry blues should
but since it’s me that is writin’
I don’t mind if I would

poetry blues is expression
from the earth right up through your feet
words that reveal what you’re feelin’
start a tinglin’ in yo teeth

that start to sound familiar

wonder if these words go out
if anyone else will read
will it just be me and myself
that their sentiment feed
and not just me and my muse
enjoyin’ poetry blues

poetry blues is expression
from the earth right up through your feet
words that reveal what you’re feelin’
start a tinglin’ in yo teeth

feel a buzzin’ in yo teeth

it be shinin’ through yo teeth

go ahead son

everbody got da blues once in while

just don’t stay there forever

get up get out say hi

get out yo head

dat right

heh

Your Personal Highlight Reel

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Do you often stop do consider your thoughts? Thinking about thinking, now there’s a deep concept. As Christians, we seem to most often consider our thoughts within the context of sin: Sinful thoughts of one sort or another that drive a wedge between ourselves and God. Thankfully the Bible doesn’t simply leave us there, it also tells us what to think about. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he says, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

So we know generally what God wants us to think about. Under that banner is something I like to call “my personal highlight reel.” If you have ever watched a recap of sports events, you’re familiar with the collection of highlights, or brief films of the plays deemed significant for that particular day. They’re entertaining because they contain the most action, and often illustrate which plays led to a win or loss. I believe each of us have highlight reels that we have racked up, ready to play at a moment’s notice. There are positive and negative highlights that each of us carry around. What I’m suggesting is that we increase the impact of the positive highlights and decrease the impact of the negative. Let’s say you’re a singer, and during a performance you hit a wrong note. Everyone hears it and you’re embarrassed. You might play that episode over and over again in your mind. Your replaying of it may hold you back because you’re afraid to step out and sing solos. Let’s turn the same situation around and say you were in excellent voice that day and got lots of compliments as a result; You would hope to play that back often enough to help encourage great performances in the future.

We can’t guarantee we won’t have bad days. We can’t always hit home runs. But we can take what lessons, if there are any to be learned, from negative highlights and decide not to give them unlimited air-time. We can also use positive experiences to give us the confidence we need to perform well. Our prayer should be to ask God to help us limit the impact of negative highlights. Where healing needs to occur, we should seek help as it is needed. Learn, with God’s help, to control which highlights get played, and how often. Ask God to give you His perspective so that your life’s events are given their proper place in your mind.

For as he thinks within himself, so he is… Prov 23:7

First Haircut

The moment his mom sat him
in the chair at the beauty shop,
he knew in his very small heart
he’d be losing his favorite locks.
The ones he’d been working on growing
from when he was smaller still,
than today, the day when they sat him,
and he felt just a little ill.
Not the sick you feel when you’ve eaten
too much ice cream and berry pie.
Not even the sick you experience
on a twisty turning car ride.
No, this was more like foreboding,
if he knew what foreboding meant.
It was the fear that his mirror at home
would never be the same again.
So for now best to think up a strategy,
again, if he knew what one was,
to make all scissors go away
and in their place put a brush.
Don’t cut his hair for a while now.
He’ll need some time to recover
from this time he was sentenced to the chair
and experienced such a trauma.
He’ll grow his hair for some time
and come up with a weird design
fitting for a teen age.
You might then wear the face
he’s sported this day
when his favorite locks went away. ©

Some Writer Types

Writers
Put words onto pages
or onto screens
in this digital age you know what that means

Wordsmiths
remove thoughts from the ether
and bring them to earth
where we cast them about
debating their worth

Some famous scribes
have been known to imbibe
but it’s not necessary
to drink when spreading ink

Lyricists
can write songs by the score
while their heart’s on the floor
amidst the notes that they wrote

Poets
eschew convention
with their own invention
which becomes… convention

Dramatists
know all the world’s a stage
and seek to engage
those in the seats
patrons they may never meet

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

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Yesterday I mentioned that I had been nominated for the “Very Inspiring Blogger Award” by Tony Roberts of the blog, “A Way With Words” http://writingforfoodinindy.wordpress.com Today I’m going to continue fulfilling the conditions for acceptance, which are:

1. Display the award logo (see above)
2. Link back to the person who nominated you (also see above).
3. State 7 things about yourself (see below)
4. Nominate 15 other bloggers for this award and link to them (see further below)

7 things about myself (definitely not in terms of importance).

1. I can play the tenor sax (badly). I sing better than I play the saxophone. I can’t dance, don’t ask me
2. I became a Christian at a church summer camp in 1972.
3. I am the father of one and the grandfather of two. You might ask, “Of what?” I assure you they are humanoid and often bring tears to my eyes, mostly tears of joy.
4. I have successfully completed over 30 years of marriage to the same wonderful woman and I’m grateful for each day, including the extra day in leap years.
5. Though my wife treats them like the most delicious treats, I have never completely come to terms with Brussels sprouts.
6. I have a very large tattoo of a dragon on one side of my chest and an equally large tiger on the other side. I added a Celtic cross to my right forearm recently. The comment I have received most over the years: “You don’t seem like the kind of guy who would have tattoos.”
7. I have survived many years in the retail world, most of them selling books.

Now, on to the blogs I find inspiring. I will gradually add to this Inspiring blog list until there are 15.

Soul Artist: “Giving Hope When Times are Hard” http://soulartist.blogspot.com

Raising 5 Kids With Disabilities and Remaining Sane Blog: http://5kidswdisabilities.com

Life Out of the Box: Giving back in Nicaragua. http://lifeoutofthebox.com

God and Stuff: “Christianity, not just for old people” http://www.godandstuff.com

A Devoted Life: “Practical Daily Devotions for the Real World” http://boyslumber.wordpress.com

Mine?

First, I would like to say thank you to Tony Roberts, of the blog “A Way With Words” http://writingforfoodinindy.wordpress.com for nominating me for the “Very Inspiring Blogger Award.” (See left) I’ll post more on this later. Now, on to today’s post.

‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of hosts.
Haggai 2:8

“But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You.
1 Chronicles 29:14

Our attitude towards money and time often reflects that of our children’s towards their possessions. Anyone who has had to referee an argument over the ownership or right to play with a toy is familiar with the back and forth exclamations of: “Mine!” “No, mine!” Our perception of what we own or deserve is often skewed by our sinful nature. It doesn’t take practice to develop, it’s right there from the moment we take our first breath, and we may not always know what we want, but we’re pretty sure we want more.
You probably have a drawer of things that you just can’t seem to give or throw away.
Mine.
We have garage sales to get rid of our clutter, only to take the money to buy other people’s clutter.
It was yours, now it’s…
mine.
If you have the wherewithal, you may just fill a warehouse full of beautiful cars, boats or whatever.
Mine.
Matthew 6:28 says, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Where is your heart?
Really, where is it?

Here on earth in the mire
I find of my own making
gathered tight in my arms
the things that I’ve been taking

only to find what what I’ve held so tight
turned to refuse and dust.
What first appeared as jewels and silver and gold
turned to sand and rust.

What if I became instead
a caretaker, investor, steward
eager to add value for my Lord
instead of by possessions lured?

Would my attitude change?
Would I become a conduit?
Would I by his love and wisdom give away
all of the time and money and things
by fear of loss kept to stay?

Instead of building prisons of possessions
by our Lord’s mercy might we open doors.
Pray blind eyes like mine be open and see
to give away God’s stores.