Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Dear Friend...

Dear Friend

I miss talking to you the way we used to
I am sorry so many things end up in the way
Could you come over tonight
And share a little dinner with us?
We'd all love to spend a little time with you.
It will be chaos as usual, but
You know there's always a place for you
At the table.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Where is God?

...
Where is God?

Is God in the orange-y sun that rose through the trees this morning?
Is God in the sparrow chirping from somewhere inside the juniper?
Is God in the smile I exchange with a stranger?
Is God in the snow that whirls off the railbed, as a train goes by?
Is God below the ice of the swamp, amongst the muck, sleeping turtles and cattail roots?

Yes, God is there.
Creation shines with God.

I'm giving up being angry

I'm giving up being angry
I'm giving up yelling, I swear
I'm giving up all the grouching...

...You CUT your sister's HAIR!?!

Sunday, January 28, 2007

A Penny for a Stranger

A penny for a stranger
A child so far away
A morsel for a stranger
So she can run and play
A little bit of sharing
A very tiny bit
A little bit of sharing
And love along with it

Saturday, January 27, 2007

I spoke to my father today

I spoke to my father today
He's been gone many a year

I spoke to my father today
He whispered in my ear

I spoke to my son today
He laughed and smiled at me

I spoke to my son today
He is so much like me

I'm very like my father
And my son is much like me

And I try to honor that
Be as good as I can be

Because my son is watching
In so many ways

and because the two of us
Have just so many days

It may be tomorrow
Next month or years away

But some day I'll only whisper to him
Like my father did today.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Baaa!

Meow!
Maybe she is lonely, I hold her.
Meow!
Maybe her litterbox needs changing.
Meow!
Maybe she is hungry, I feed her.
Meow!
She doesn't know what she needs, does she?
Meow!

Wah!
Maybe she is lonely, I hold her.
Wah!
Maybe her diaper needs changing.
Wah!
Maybe she is hungry, I feed her.
Wah!
She doesn't know what she needs, does she?
Wah!

Lord!
Maybe I'm lonely, hold me.
Lord!
Maybe my life needs changing.
Lord!
I am hungry, please feed me.
Lord!
I'm worried.
Lord!
I don't know what I need, do I?
Lord!

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Lost Prayer

I lost a prayer today.
I wrote it for us,
I thought about it,
I prayed it,
It was beautiful and encouraging.
You would have loved it.
And then I accidentally deleted it.
I felt quite bad for a moment or two,
But then I remembered where all lost prayers go.

God probablly has it on his fridge right now.
And is showing it off to 'Ol Leaky-Palms and Casper-With-A-Halo.
Saying: 'locust-boy did this one!'
'Not at all bad for a beginner, eh?'

Silly me, of course it wasn't lost,
It was PRAYED.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Dreams of Heaven?

I dreampt I was a child at a picnic
There were lots of people,
Lots of other children there.
And everyone was friends.
The grass was green.
There were stout oaks standing about, and picnic tables.

I say they were Oaks, because I know that they were Oaks, but as they were quite tall and straight, and as I was only small, I just remember their trunks, and the way their roots were kneaded into the ground.

The place was a graveyard, but without many tombs or graves, mostly it was grass, moss, trees and occasional picnic tables.

There was a mausoleum near where some of us were playing. The mood was happy. There was a feeling that this was a very big outdoor party, with friends everywhere, like, wherever you went, you would meet more friends, some old friends, some new friends, and some forgotten friends you would remember once you spoke to them.

An older man who was also a friend was arriving, walking towards us, coming up alongside the mausoleum, between it and an old oak with a tall straight trunk that I was playing next to at that moment.

There was a kind of cloud or mist near his right side, at his right hand, or around his arm, or by his elbow. We laughed and said that it was his 'little ghost', and ran to greet him, as he came to us, smiling.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

We Didn't Fall - We Climbed

Do we believe the creation myth?
That life is hard because of Eve?
That we have sin from Adam?
Is this what we believe?

Or did life squirm, vie and fight?
Did it get better bit by bit?
And among our distant ancestors,
Are there creatures we'd call 'It'?

Weren't ancient creatures
Beloved of God
Even those
Which looked quite odd?

Didn't they struggle to improve?
Up the ladder, strive to move?

Do we not all struggle still
Encourage good
Inhibit ill?

We ARE made of mud,
Of reddish clay,
God has worked us,
God works today

Upon the void God bent his will
He made things new,
He makes them still

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Thursday, January 18, 2007

Provisioning For Charity

Carry a little extra
To share with those you meet

A bit of cash, a bit of oil
A few sticks of jerked meat.

You can use it in extremis
Or share with those who need.

It is good if in the cupboard
There's enough a guest to feed.

And it's no good unless you spend it,
Don't account for where it went.

Just pull it out and give it,
Your healthy soul investment.

Friday, January 12, 2007

Touching God

Sometimes we have moments that take us out of our mundane world.

Moments of grace, of vision, of love, of a sense of something more...

Perhaps moments when we sense our unity with others, with the world, the infinite.

Moments when we see, feel, or touch part of God

We often think of the infinite as being out there, as something only God can grasp, create, or manipulate, acting in movements of creation, love, grace, redemption, and the like.

But we can and do enter into the infinite labors of God. Think about the infinite effects of loving, raising a child, helping a stranger, adopting a stray, being a true love, working daily to feed and clothe your family, and helping others.

When you entangle your life with another, when you show love, you manipulate the infinite. The impact on those you interact with is infinite, and the changes you create directly and indirectly affect everything else.

God is love, and where true love is, God himself is there.

Grasp the Infinite; Show your Love

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Thursday, January 11, 2007

A Workday Prayer

Dear Lord
Guide me
Lead me in your righteousness
Help me to be productive
Help me to be helpful
Help me to enter into your labors
Help me to use the gifts I receive well,
And think of them as less mine and more yours
Make me a good steward of your love
Dear Lord
Guide me

Thursday, January 4, 2007

Be, Hear, See, and Act

...
Be Present.
Be Calm.
Be Awake.
Be Obsevant.
Be Strong.
Be Friendly.
Be Kind.
Be Yourself.

Hear the voices around you.
Don't speak before you have to.
Listen.
Give Time and Space for Sharing.
Ask questions.
Listen to answers.
Encourage sharing.

See the faces and things around you.
Take time to understand.
Wait.
Watch.
Think.

Act to help.
Lend a hand.
Speak humbly.
Share.
Direct, if needed.
Work ahead of trouble.

Be Present.
Be Calm.
Be Awake.
Be Obsevant.
Be Strong.
Be Friendly.
Be Kind.
Be Yourself.