dis-ease
April 1, 2014
Learn how you can reach them.
And from where trouble stems.
Open the doors to something more,
And show them what could be in store.
Then give your heart a shake.
Don't stop until it breaks.
Protect and give and share.
Don't hold back, if you dare.
Watch as your hope unfolds,
Give courage and be bold.
Pick your heart back up again,
Could be that it's on the mend.
Don't ask too many questions,
Don't beg them to believe,
Don't further their oppression,
Don't ask them not to leave.
And from where trouble stems.
Open the doors to something more,
And show them what could be in store.
Then give your heart a shake.
Don't stop until it breaks.
Protect and give and share.
Don't hold back, if you dare.
Watch as your hope unfolds,
Give courage and be bold.
Pick your heart back up again,
Could be that it's on the mend.
Don't ask too many questions,
Don't beg them to believe,
Don't further their oppression,
Don't ask them not to leave.
My Lighthouse -- A symbol of faithfulness
March 27, 2014
I decided to try another song-related blog post. For those of you who didn't know, that's where "Off With Your Sandals" all got started. Just little me getting real about what Jesus means to me and reflecting on songs that have pointed me towards some great truths.
I am getting married in 24 days. Unreal. Truly, the joys and blessings leading up to this celebration have certainly made for the most beautiful, exciting season of my life so far (by far).
And yet, to be honest, leading up to our wedding has been a bit of a disorienting time for me because of the life-altering changes which are imminent in a time like this. Don't get me wrong-- I could not be more thrilled and truly blessed that the man I am marrying is 'in it' for the long haul with me. But, really, what will that look like? How much does that change other relationships? What ugly thing will it bring out in me that will be exposed to someone whose opinion matters so much to me? Well, that's the beauty of it, we're promising to be there throughout it all, no matter what comes our way, together.
More truth? We don't really know how to do that yet. Y'know, the 'being in it no matter what' thing. I know I'll be bad at it sometimes. Other times maybe it will feel like it comes (super)naturally. Mostly, I think we'll just look at each other in life's different seasons and be like "What is going on here?!" and be thankful to have a teammate to go through it with.
All that said, this song came at a really cool season in my life ('My Lighthouse' - Rend Collective). The lyric that pushed me to write this is: "Fire before us, You're the brightest. You will lead us through the storms." Thank God!
We're super-fresh newborn babies in this whole realm/idea of the commitment of marriage, but what we do know is that it's not going to work if we're banking on each other to be the other's anchor or guide or lifeline or compass when we're in the same boat. God's promises, His Word, and gentle leading have gotta handle those roles for us. The good news is, my experiences show me He's got it covered!
FIRE BEFORE US
I like this title for God. We just we reminded at Knox (our church) through The Lord's Prayer (Psalm 23) that it is important to address God by His names. Helps to arrange ourselves in an appropriate posture when addressing El Shaddai -- Commander of Angel Armies, for example. I love when God is called "a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29). It's not a flickering flame. That fire is raging and jealous -- in a powerful, not weak-jealous way.
Also, probably not surprisingly, it wasn't a huge stretch to take this image to the "Fire By Night" and think about the practical measure of God's presence, faithfulness and provision for Israel when they were escaping from captivity in Egypt.
Exodus 13:21 (NLT) -- The LORD went ahead of them. He guided them in the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.
The fire is provided for the purpose of providing light and being a guide. The cloud is a poignant image throughout the Bible of God's holy presence being with His people. I also love how His provision made it possible to travel continuously. It's like God saying "I've got this, just keep moving, keep trusting me as I go ahead of you".
YOU'RE THE BRIGHTEST
When things get crazy, and you're disoriented on the ugly waves of grief, fear, suffering, and a myriad of other troubles... light is a way out. "WHAT SIDE IS UP!?" gets tricky to answer if you can't see anything.
John 8:12 (NLT) -- Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."
There can be other things that provide light, but they don't always lead to life. A focus for me has to be that I rely on God's truth, His Word, to guide my steps. This true light, in our world, is a beacon for others, too, so that when God's presence is found in us (because we just get out of the way), then they can also be encouraged and find solace.
YOU WILL LEAD US THROUGH THE STORMS
Referring to the same first passage about fire, 1 Corinthians 10:1 talks about not forgetting what God did, that He was able to protect God's people and lead them through... the sea! The Israelites had no way to go -- a body of water stood between the land of slavery, which was all they had known, and a new land of freedom and where they could be make a new life.
If he's leading, we've gotta follow. A tall order? Yup!
Matthew 16:24 -- Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
Dear Jesus -- thank you for being our guide, for being the truest Light and the truest Love we can depend on to lead us through all the seasons of our lives.
========================================================================
-- M Y ... L I G H T H O U S E --
(Rend Collective)
In my wrestling and in my doubts
In my failures You won't walk out
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
In the silence, You won't let go
In my questions, Your truth will hold
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
My Lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness, I will follow You
My Lighthouse, my Lighthouse
I will trust the promise,
You will carry me safe to shore (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore
I won't fear what tomorrow brings
With each morning I'll rise and sing
My God's love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
I am getting married in 24 days. Unreal. Truly, the joys and blessings leading up to this celebration have certainly made for the most beautiful, exciting season of my life so far (by far).
And yet, to be honest, leading up to our wedding has been a bit of a disorienting time for me because of the life-altering changes which are imminent in a time like this. Don't get me wrong-- I could not be more thrilled and truly blessed that the man I am marrying is 'in it' for the long haul with me. But, really, what will that look like? How much does that change other relationships? What ugly thing will it bring out in me that will be exposed to someone whose opinion matters so much to me? Well, that's the beauty of it, we're promising to be there throughout it all, no matter what comes our way, together.
More truth? We don't really know how to do that yet. Y'know, the 'being in it no matter what' thing. I know I'll be bad at it sometimes. Other times maybe it will feel like it comes (super)naturally. Mostly, I think we'll just look at each other in life's different seasons and be like "What is going on here?!" and be thankful to have a teammate to go through it with.
All that said, this song came at a really cool season in my life ('My Lighthouse' - Rend Collective). The lyric that pushed me to write this is: "Fire before us, You're the brightest. You will lead us through the storms." Thank God!
We're super-fresh newborn babies in this whole realm/idea of the commitment of marriage, but what we do know is that it's not going to work if we're banking on each other to be the other's anchor or guide or lifeline or compass when we're in the same boat. God's promises, His Word, and gentle leading have gotta handle those roles for us. The good news is, my experiences show me He's got it covered!
FIRE BEFORE US
I like this title for God. We just we reminded at Knox (our church) through The Lord's Prayer (Psalm 23) that it is important to address God by His names. Helps to arrange ourselves in an appropriate posture when addressing El Shaddai -- Commander of Angel Armies, for example. I love when God is called "a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29). It's not a flickering flame. That fire is raging and jealous -- in a powerful, not weak-jealous way.
Also, probably not surprisingly, it wasn't a huge stretch to take this image to the "Fire By Night" and think about the practical measure of God's presence, faithfulness and provision for Israel when they were escaping from captivity in Egypt.
Exodus 13:21 (NLT) -- The LORD went ahead of them. He guided them in the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.
The fire is provided for the purpose of providing light and being a guide. The cloud is a poignant image throughout the Bible of God's holy presence being with His people. I also love how His provision made it possible to travel continuously. It's like God saying "I've got this, just keep moving, keep trusting me as I go ahead of you".
YOU'RE THE BRIGHTEST
When things get crazy, and you're disoriented on the ugly waves of grief, fear, suffering, and a myriad of other troubles... light is a way out. "WHAT SIDE IS UP!?" gets tricky to answer if you can't see anything.
John 8:12 (NLT) -- Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."
There can be other things that provide light, but they don't always lead to life. A focus for me has to be that I rely on God's truth, His Word, to guide my steps. This true light, in our world, is a beacon for others, too, so that when God's presence is found in us (because we just get out of the way), then they can also be encouraged and find solace.
YOU WILL LEAD US THROUGH THE STORMS
Referring to the same first passage about fire, 1 Corinthians 10:1 talks about not forgetting what God did, that He was able to protect God's people and lead them through... the sea! The Israelites had no way to go -- a body of water stood between the land of slavery, which was all they had known, and a new land of freedom and where they could be make a new life.
If he's leading, we've gotta follow. A tall order? Yup!
Matthew 16:24 -- Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
As a team, we will need to always be listening/watching for His leading. Also, may I just say, from what I know of myself already and what I've heard about marriage -- probably, if I could "deny myself" at all, I will be able to better be lead to care for another more than I care to look out for myself!
Dear Jesus -- thank you for being our guide, for being the truest Light and the truest Love we can depend on to lead us through all the seasons of our lives.
========================================================================
-- M Y ... L I G H T H O U S E --
(Rend Collective)
In my wrestling and in my doubts
In my failures You won't walk out
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
In the silence, You won't let go
In my questions, Your truth will hold
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
My Lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness, I will follow You
My Lighthouse, my Lighthouse
I will trust the promise,
You will carry me safe to shore (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore
I won't fear what tomorrow brings
With each morning I'll rise and sing
My God's love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
old men gone, young man taken
March 26, 2014
some old men grow old
and great stories get told
of when they were young
and life's fun had begun
and how they lived well
with jokes ready to tell
and gave it their all
how they were good at 'ball
and what they would say here and now
we say rest in peace
and can have a calm ease
to know that their love was received
and though he is gone
his voice somehow goes on
but then sometimes instead
a young man is found dead
and his story was not set to end
tears come and grief flares
of the truth hard to bear
and great stories get told
of when they were young
and life's fun had begun
and how they lived well
with jokes ready to tell
and gave it their all
how they were good at 'ball
and what they would say here and now
we say rest in peace
and can have a calm ease
to know that their love was received
and though he is gone
his voice somehow goes on
but then sometimes instead
a young man is found dead
and his story was not set to end
tears come and grief flares
of the truth hard to bear
a lost brother, son, and friend
we consider our ties
and break down the lies
that we could have done something more
the loss here is great
and feeling its weight
a wonder of what else is in store:
when again will we be this shaken?
who else will be taken?
you know if you've felt it before.
watch out
you could lose it
just cool it
relax
be mindful
be simple
be careful
stick to facts
forget it
it's nothing
and wonder
instead
you're trying
and wishing
you're being
your best
it can't be
it is, but
won't always
be
what is it
it's rare
and life-giving
and free
a friend
an ally
a truth
a light
it's worth it
it's giving
a reason
to fight
watch for the whispers
listen for the signs
give up your hopes for
the truth you can find
she screamed
January 28, 2014
She screamed full of terror,
full of loss and void of hope.
She screamed like drowning
and without a sign of rope.
She screamed four times strong
and then sputtered a line.
She wanted vengeance and justice;
she wanted a life for a life.
Her screams were not deep
or strong, though few.
Her screams were weak
and tired and hurting through.
Her soul did then break,
her breath fell all too short.
I wonder what they'll put
on their police report:
"There's nothing to be done,
her eyes no longer cry.
Her only, newest wish is
that she could quickly die."
She lost her child today,
one simple, awful, concrete fact.
There's almost no chance
that she'll ever get them back.
A woman's heart gave up today.
I listened to her screams.
I heard the most awful sound,
in four long, haunting streams.
full of loss and void of hope.
She screamed like drowning
and without a sign of rope.
She screamed four times strong
and then sputtered a line.
She wanted vengeance and justice;
she wanted a life for a life.
Her screams were not deep
or strong, though few.
Her screams were weak
and tired and hurting through.
Her soul did then break,
her breath fell all too short.
I wonder what they'll put
on their police report:
"There's nothing to be done,
her eyes no longer cry.
Her only, newest wish is
that she could quickly die."
She lost her child today,
one simple, awful, concrete fact.
There's almost no chance
that she'll ever get them back.
A woman's heart gave up today.
I listened to her screams.
I heard the most awful sound,
in four long, haunting streams.
run
October 17, 2013
sometimes it starts early: forgetting all of what's at stake
you earn it as their 'runner', each and every cent you make
and someone's always gotta pay.
run.
patterns quickly escalate and boys turn into men
you remember where you were and miss it now and again
and you want to make it back one day.
run.
places to see but no where to go
moved around Ontario
and home is very far away.
run.
he says it's been forever since he had an easy pace.
he starting running long ago and wants to quit this race
so i asked him not to quit today.
run.
tank
July 10, 2013
i met a young man recently who reminded me of just how complicated hurt can be.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
he's such a tank
and its not just a name
blackout fights
someone always hits the plane
watchful eyes, wry wit
and lying smile
brotherhood of family
family's been gone a while
watched as one who is helpless
seeing one's heart's greatest fear
begs and makes certain
no one takes what is most dear
he'll be strong forever
he'll only fight and win
together we're all better
for brothers there is no too great a sin
run riot for respect
give up no good thing
until there's nothing left
don't hesitate to swing
do best at being brave
carry life's former war
the world's a stage
and he's tallying the score
watch for him, he's scared
he's coated with justice's cloak
and don't get in his way
he says his "heart's all but been broke"
so wage freedom with your love
look past the wounding hands
see him with eyes of above
meet him where he stands
his voice will then get shaky
you'll hear his heart's true cry
he's telling you he's weary
you hear the reasons why
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
he's such a tank
and its not just a name
blackout fights
someone always hits the plane
watchful eyes, wry wit
and lying smile
brotherhood of family
family's been gone a while
watched as one who is helpless
seeing one's heart's greatest fear
begs and makes certain
no one takes what is most dear
he'll be strong forever
he'll only fight and win
together we're all better
for brothers there is no too great a sin
run riot for respect
give up no good thing
until there's nothing left
don't hesitate to swing
do best at being brave
carry life's former war
the world's a stage
and he's tallying the score
watch for him, he's scared
he's coated with justice's cloak
and don't get in his way
he says his "heart's all but been broke"
so wage freedom with your love
look past the wounding hands
see him with eyes of above
meet him where he stands
his voice will then get shaky
you'll hear his heart's true cry
he's telling you he's weary
you hear the reasons why
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons