A Work In Progress

"Habitual praise-a perpetually sacred acknowledgment of the Giver of every good thing.  A relentless embracing of good and a discarding of bad with an awareness of the one who in the beginning spoke those life affirming words.  When good is found and we embrace it with abandon, we embrace the Giver of it......this is the Praise Habit.  Finding God moment by revolutionary moment, in the sacred and the mundane, in the valley and on the hill, in triumph and tragedy, and living praise erupting because of it.  This is what we were made for." -David Crowder, "Praise Habit: Finding God In Sunsets and Sushi"

This is what I'm developing: my thoughts on worship.  More will be soon to come.  And bear/bare with me, I'm not a Bible scholar or preacher.

A Quote by Pope

"That on weak wings, from far, pursues your flights, glows while he reads, but trembles as he writes." -Alexander Pope, "An Essay On Criticism"

A Real Life Fairytale In Three Parts

"An Allusion of Hope"
[a real life fairytale in three parts]

I.

"I am ready to embark on this adventure entitled Hope.
Along the way, I look forward to falling asleep
In the passenger seat while you drive towards tomorrow.
I trust you to lead us safely to where our crossed paths will end
And we can continue on hand in hand
Over the rainbow and straight on till morning.
And when I click my heels together three times
You are there, holding my hand.
And when I pinch myself to wake from this dream,
It hurts really bad because I am not dreaming at all.
And you are there, laughing at me because you think it's cute when I act like this,
But then you kiss my arm where I pinched myself because it really did hurt."

II.

"As we travel along on this journey called Hope,
We'll sing along to the songs with the lyrics that now have real meaning.
And passers-by will look and laugh
But our worlds will be captive in the space of our minds
Where we are dancing, chest to chest,
Surrounded by others but only aware of the spotlighted ring that makes up our embrace.
And we one, two, three step to the music until the clock strikes twelve
And the gong of the clock tower brings us back to the twists and the turns of the 
road we are driving down."

III.

"As Hope presses on, I dwell on a dream that I've dreamt for so long

That has had my heart wishing for a reality that reaches far beyond any fairytale.
Your kiss has not only sparked my senses but has opened my eyes and rescued me from
My thoughts that have kept me from stirring from this unwanted slumber.
Now I rest in your arms and enjoy the ride through this whole new world that you 
are showing me;
One where the colors are brighter,
The smells are sweeter,
And the petals of a rose never leave their stem no matter how much time passes.
Because days no longer have meaning
Since our tale is as old as time
And knowing you has given me Hope
For a happy ending, with a firework-lit,
Star-studded scan up to the night sky."

"Time Will Tell"

"Time Will Tell"

"There are times, 
When I look up,
And I find that I never want to look down again.
To fly over the buildings
And the trees
And the streets that seem to lead me only to where I have always been.

Sometimes I want to spin...
And spin...
And spin without ceasing.
As if on a swing
Or a merry-go-round;
A time when your world extends only as far as your arms can reach.

And then there was a time
When I glanced out my window
And thought the moon to be unusually large,
And close to me.

I quickly learned, however, that it was only a street lamp
And my hopes of leaving this world,
If only for a moment,
Were struck down once again.

And I landed 
With a crash

And a slight burn,

Back
Into
Reality."

"Better Than The Books"

"Better Than The Books"

"I want to be winked at
From across the room.
To be kissed on the forehead.
To be hugged so intensely that enjoyment is inevitable.

I want to see bright eyes
And a smile
Behind the hand that cups my chin.
I want to feel adored.

I want to be rescued.
I want time spent with me to be precious.
I want conversation without words.
I want life to be better than the books I read.

I want goals met,
Travels taken,
And dreams dreamt...
Together.

I want rocks,
Pictures,
Stars,
And poetry.

I want the overwhelming truth
Of what I feel
To be evident also
In your eyes."

"A Couple Of Shoes"

"A Couple Of Shoes"

"Head bent; she looks at her hands.

Folded; tightly clasped in her lap.

Her nerves begin to bead in her palms.

Try, as she might, not to see the truth

She looks in his eyes.

Void of a 'yes' or a 'no'

Her stone face shows no turn to his proposal.

Only from the color and the clenching

Of her fists

Can I assume...

but he, unnoticed, goes not.

On the edge of his seat

Ready to run after

Or beg,

Whichever is needed.

Both shoes I have filled:

Wary heart;

Wanting nothing-but to give

But unable to release.

Unrestrained, ecstatic love;

Wanting all

Always giving more.

After all is said and done,

I'd rather go barefoot."

A Poem About Nothing

I was asked, by a friend, to write a poem about nothing.  So I did.

"Sometimes Nothing Means Everything"

"Nothing is wrong,"
I lie through my teeth.
And by nothing, I mean everything.

"Nothing is there,"
I tell those who ask.
And by nothing, I mean my world.

"Nothing happened,"
I cringe, as I hold back the truth in my eyes.
And by nothing, I mean nothing I'll admit to you,

For fear of shame,
Heartache,
And acceptance of the nothing I've buried for so long.

Sometimes nothing can mean everything.

So when I tell you, "Nothing's wrong,"
I'm lying; everything's wrong.
And all I want, is for you to see it in my eyes.

When I tell everyone that, "Nothing's there,"
I'm lying; everything's there,
In your hands, my world.

When I tell you, "Nothing happened,"
I'm lying; everything happened,
All at once.

And when I say, "Everything's fine,"
I'm lying.
Nothing is ever fine.