I feel a tug against my soul,
A force that pulls me in,
A force that breaks the stranglehold
Of guilt and shame and sin.
I feel a love I don’t deserve,
A love that knows no bounds,
That lived and died and rose to serve
The lost He came and found.
I feel a pull compelling me,
Out from my comfort zone,
His still […]
Archive for the 'Poetry' Category
On my lunch break, I read some more of N.T. Wright’s Suprised by Hope, which I am thoroughly enjoying.
And he quoted two stanzas from this amazing poem by John Updike.
Make no mistake: if He rose at all
it was as His body;
if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules
reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church […]
…this little blog of mine had its humble beginnings. Here is the first post from June 22nd of last year:
I remember one Sunday night after teaching, I saw a brother kneeling silently while the band was playing and the congregation was singing. After a few songs, I knelt beside him, put my arm around him, […]
Someone once gave me a cd of a conference where Graham Cooke preached. He used a hauntingly catchy phrase. He said that the Holy Spirit is “relentlessly kind.” And that phrase is so full of truth. The Spirit of the living God works in ways that we may not choose, but that He knows we […]
This morning, I was praying for some things and was struck once again by my lack of intimate fellowship with my Redeemer. I said, “How do you put up with me, Lord?” He quickly reminded me that He loves me and is well-pleased with me through the merits and life and death and resurrection and intercession of Jesus, His Son […]
Beneath the shadow of your grace,
My soul hath found a safe repose.
A secure and sought-after space,
Where hide the despised and displaced,
And welcome are the oppressed, opposed.
Beneath the shadow of your grace,
My heart hath found its quarry lost.
And here love covers my disgrace,
My shame is gone without a trace,
And mercy melts my icy frost.
Beneath the shadow […]
Wisdom comes from making mistakes.
Compassion comes from hurts and heartaches.
Forgiveness comes when we learn to forgive.
And in dying to self, we learn to live.
Healing comes from deep, cutting wounds.
Resurrection comes from cold, dark tombs.
Anticipation comes when all hope is gone.
The darkest night precedes the dawn.
Love comes from those others reject.
Esteem comes from those the world […]
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all…”
(I Cor. 5.14 NIV)
Christ’s Spirit indwells us,
And His love compels us,
To go and love with the love we are shown.
As salt and as light,
To inflame and ignite,
The passions of those estranged and alone.
And when we obey,
These frail jars of clay
Are overflowing with […]
Grace without measure,
Mercy ever-flowing,
Love beyond pleasure,
Rising up and growing,
Neither ceasing nor slowing.
Peace deep in my soul,
Beyond comprehension,
Rest when I lose control,
When I sense life’s tension
Breeding apprehension.
When caught in this strife,
I have a thread of hope,
The promise of eternal life,
That goes beyond the scope
Of this life’s slippery slope.
Jesus, you alone
Meet me where I am,
You redeem and […]
Etched deeply into my heart of stone,
A love that cannot be erased,
Though sin may mar and deface,
Your mercy will still atone,
Your mercy will still atone.
Implanted in my heart’s tilled earth,
A divine fruit-bearing seed,
To supplant the native weed,
And bring a harvest of rebirth,
And bring a harvest of rebirth.
Birthed into my slumbering soul,
New life-breath will revive,
Awakened, astir […]
