On the Field*

A spirit of obedience

Comes with its rewards –

No fear of opposition,

Possession by a Cause,

Courage from the Spirit,

Faith that believes AND knows,

Attack, when all the Effort is

Left where green grass grows.

*I wrote this after hearing a message by All-Pro Jeremiah Castille:  Heart of a Champion. It focused on the story of David in 1 Samuel 17:20-48.

Choices*

Turn off the time wasters –

Take away their power.

Apprehend the thieves of

Meaningful endeavor.

Trade apathy for passion –

Engage in what you’re doing!

When did God tell you,

“You need to tone it down”?

Blessings – we all crave them

As long as we exist.

There’s just one place to find them –

All blessings are in Christ.

Jesus is the Real Choice

That drives a life made new.

When you make that decision –

The Decision makes you.

*I wrote this after hearing a message by All-Pro Jeremiah Castille.

Older Younger, Not Kin*

You’re my

father.

 

You’re my

brother.

You’re my

mother.

You’re my

sister.

No harsh words,

Just Patient Honor as

I treat you

like

My own.

*See 1 Timothy 5:1-2.

The Big Small, a Haiku

 

The thoughtful surprise,

Well-placed romantic gesture –

Big small offering.

Remorse

Where, favorite jeans?

Why, hanging in closet?

When I really wish I’d worn you –

You always make me smile.

Line Dance

Dance, sweet line!

Celebrate the air!

Sing to the fish –

Land soft on the water.

Caress your good fly and

Flirt with the trout.

Tease him and whisper,

“You need this for supper.”

Float like a hair,

So thin and so fine.

You’re there, but you’re not,

Mostly invisible.

Move away from the trees -

Cool water’s your goal,

Not branches that want

To keep you for always.

Set a right rhythm.

Don’t jerk.  Don’t snap.

I’m counting on you for

Nice presentation.

Stay tight and be ready –

The bigtime is now.

Bring me that trout with

No thought of breaking.

Swim with him –

Dive with him –

Play in the river!

Lead him –

Follow him –

Partners forever.

Bring him this way –

Teach him your steps.

I want to see

A flash of the shiny.

 

Be still while I capture

A moment in time.

Look with me – praise

God’s awesome creation.

Rest now and breathe.

Dry off and stay strong

Till I find more fresh air and say,

Dance, sweet line.

Posterchild

Still taking treatments

Those weekly Hope infusions

Healing posterchild

 

Lindsey

She always likes Nashville

Best -

the Radio in person,

Lights burning the darkness,

Rhinestones, denim, cowboy boots

on the red brick sidewalks,

a sad Guitar seated on the corner,

its Rhythm so different from Home.

CMT live,

the Grand Ole Opry,

Opryshopping (not Opryland),

Batman, Gaylord, LC and Adelphia,

Capitol Hill and Bicentennial Valley,

not to mention

Key Lime luncheons,

Cloth napkin placed in lap

(Which fork?)

plus

Boot scootin barbecue,
(line Dancing while you eat),

and

Factory spaghetti

in Brown Butter

on a Trolley Car,

Fringe on lamps,

Spumoni ice cream,

Green and cold in a silver dish.

a place to stand

Alone

in an Unbroken Circle

where

She can always find a

Stage

and be a

Star,

All the time.

*I wrote this several years ago during an exercise at a TCTE (Tennessee Council of Teachers of English) meeting in Nashville.  Lindsey, attending MTSU at the time, was able to join me there for a visit.  We had an amazing time together.  I'm posting this today in honor of her 28th birthday.

Fall Kiss

Beauty suspended

In the very breath of fall –

Kissing all who see.

Greenway Anyway

Might not want to walk –

Doing it anyway, I’m

Always, always glad.

Click here.

Floors, a Haiku

Wood floors, freshly cleaned –

Worthy investment of time –

Feet satisfaction.

Lord, I'm resting

Lord, I’m resting,

Resting ever neath a blanket of your Mercy,

Pillowing my head into your Comfort and your Love,

Stretching out my limbs upon your strong and firm Foundation,

Dreaming,

Dreaming always of Forever in your arms.

Prayer for a Patient

Please heal her, Lord.

She’s so young,

Sitting there in the vinyl recliner,

All clinical-cozy,

With a faithful pet parrot

Perched calmly on

Her shoulder

Eating Cheezits.

Her husband looks at her with

Such obvious love,

An attentive sensitivity

So clearly not duty.

Not a chance he takes her for granted.

He doesn’t miss a thing,

Like how she tries

To look so relaxed about it all,

Like women go to war,

Bird on shoulder,

With their own cells

Every day,

In unlikely places,

While who-knows-what

Races into their veins

Through sharp needles.

Please heal her, Lord –

She’s so young.

*Conviction, a Haiku

A conversation

That leads to conviction –

Pure Holy Spirit!

* Jennie Talley, my friend and the most awesome chemo nurse in the world, told me about someone being saved after the Holy Spirit used some casual conversation at their family Labor Day “Bed and Breakfast” event to convict a young woman to go and make sure her boyfriend knew Christ, not just attended church.  We’re praying even more lives will be changed as people hear about what happened.  Wow.  We should all have such a rich, daily relationship with Jesus that he comes up in conversation all the time.

Revelation

Talk about Him more –

Think the world less.

Focus on the Word –

Speak about what matters.

Jesus in the daily

Hum of conversation

Could mean new Life, new Song,

Sprung from real-life Revelation.

Just One Word

Just a simple conversation that

Reflects a life lived Jesus starts a

Raging-real conviction and

Encounter with Salvation.

Just a minute with God in it

Brings such Power to an hour,

Turns a heart and saves a soul for

Eternity-forever.

Just one new Life starts a ripple,

Multiplies the Miracle –

More who’ve seen and more who’ve heard Him,

More lives Changed by just one Word.

Fog loves the valley

Fog loves the valley.

 

At dusk, it unrolls its fluffy batting self

Beside the base of blue mountains.

It reaches deep soul-places and

Sleeps with misty meadows.

When daylight comes, fog lingers,

Loathe to end the sweet embrace.

It leaves with sudden promises,

Pledging its sure return.

Absorbing Beauty

 Absorbing Beauty takes time

(and sometimes silence).

Not quick, cursory glances –

Not rushed, distracted ramblings –

Not hasty, half-hearted looks –

but

Waiting-watching,

Rapt perusal,

Sweet study.

Beauty

Clears clutter,

Finds focus,

Transforms,

Bears Peace.

Absorbing Beauty takes time

(and sometimes silence).

 It’s always worth it.

Trinity

Jesus is the

Word is

God is the

Holy Spirit is our

Savior is our

Loving Father is our

Life Light is our

Tear Catcher is the

Only Begotten is

Almighty God is

Love Incarnate is the

Complete Sacrifice is the

Creator is the

Earth Walker is our

Prayer Hearer is our

Prayer Speaker is the

Powerful Responder is our

Redeemer is our

Eternity Sealer is

Forever King is our

Healer is

Holy  is

Lord of all.

Green Manna

Time to pick again –

Living lima bean bounty,

Green, growing Manna.

Fresh Bread Daily

I fed on warm Bread today,

Crusty-fresh and straight from the oven.

It smelled like heaven,

It tasted like Paradise –

Jesus, Bread of Life.

Staring at the Block

It is there, you know, the End to

This temporary flesh-life,

Waiting to arrive on a

Day unexpected.

Rare the one who greets it, who

Marks it, unflinching,

Not holding fast to the

Slippery elusive.

Is his day here more sweet or is the

Darkness more fleet?

Does his life become more,

Who stares at the block?

A swift Transformation

 

Harvesting,

Butchering,

Processing,

Killing,

Slaughter,

Death.

 

It’s all the same –

Breathing, then not,

Moving, then still,

There, then gone –

A swift Transformation.

Easy

The computer tech made it look easy –

Killing that digital chaos, turning

Dysfunction into function, and,

With a few skillful strokes,

Making malware a memory.

Is death like that?

The executioner made it look easy –

Red combed head between the two nails,

A swift pull on two chicken feet,

A hatchet to the chopping block –

Blink and it’s over.

The living done.

Crowing turned to silence,

A rooster to reason,

Life to purpose.

Uncommon

One computer crash,

One killing of two roosters –

One uncommon day.