Such beauty
in air, soft as dust,
filtering in fingers
through maple green.
The limestone path
calmly curves
and crunches
beneath my shoes
as I strive to
stay in each moment
as it whispers;
in each breath
as it leaves my lungs
and returns again,
as if on a tether.
A yellow-black
tiger swallowtail
flicks its way to and fro
up a golden beam,
in and out of shadow green
and ferns quiver.
Such senseless beauty
lavished upon us,
spilling over
earth's altar
even amidst the charred remains
of bombed out cities,
twisted limbs,
hearts shattered
and innocence obliterated.
That such ugliness
and such beauty
should be siblings of the same
Father and not
cancel each other out
but co-exist,
contrasting and complementing
each other
stuns me anew
with every inhalation.
Sunday, July 16, 2017
"God's Goodness" Stories of the Kingdom - Tim Knipp (Luke 11)
Good and evil exist -
there is no avoiding
this.
Prayers fail,
hurt happens
and we wonder
if God cares.
The ancient question
of God's essential nature
bumps against
our inner eyelids
too often
to be ignored.
So, how should we pray?
There are formulas
to follow,
principles to adhere to -
enough to make one's head spin.
But is it about me
and what I need to do?
Or is it about
the God I pray to?
Who is He anyway?
He is a worthy father
who provides
and forgives.
He outshines
your best friend,
who will gladly
give you
whatever you need.
His father love
exceeds that of
the best earthly father
who would lay down
his life for his child.
This is who you address
your concerns to
in this world
of shadows.
Paint your picture
of God
not by the brokenness
and empty blackness
that assuredly exists,
but by a knowledge
of His essential goodness,
holding tightly
to His hand
at the very rim
of the precipice.
there is no avoiding
this.
Prayers fail,
hurt happens
and we wonder
if God cares.
The ancient question
of God's essential nature
bumps against
our inner eyelids
too often
to be ignored.
So, how should we pray?
There are formulas
to follow,
principles to adhere to -
enough to make one's head spin.
But is it about me
and what I need to do?
Or is it about
the God I pray to?
Who is He anyway?
He is a worthy father
who provides
and forgives.
He outshines
your best friend,
who will gladly
give you
whatever you need.
His father love
exceeds that of
the best earthly father
who would lay down
his life for his child.
This is who you address
your concerns to
in this world
of shadows.
Paint your picture
of God
not by the brokenness
and empty blackness
that assuredly exists,
but by a knowledge
of His essential goodness,
holding tightly
to His hand
at the very rim
of the precipice.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
"What do you want?" Stories of the Kingdom - Tim Knipp (Matt. 13:44-46)
An object of desire,
worth risk
and sacrifice
makes for a good story
and a good life.
What is my desire?
What do I most want -
the deep down motivating
chords
I tremble to...?
In a corrupt country,
sharply divided,
one downtrodden,
stepped upon peasant
finds a winning ticket,
buried.
Covering his bets,
he pools his resources
(meager and precious though they be)
to purchase the location
so no questions will
be asked.
The treasure is worth
any sacrifice.
On the other side of town,
a pearl merchant,
a connoisseur of glowing orbs,
stumbles
upon perfection.
Breathless with delight,
he jettisons his entire wealth
to own
that one
precious
gem.
Whether earnestly sought
or chanced upon,
God's kingdom
is like these:
a treasure
of infinite worth.
And He who offers
this incredible gift
sees me -
broken and flawed -
as a treasure
worth sacrificing
His all
to win.
If I listen closely,
I can hear
a thrumming
in the air
and my
heart stirs.
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