High Above the Fray

(Picture courtesy of Sam Segar.  www.freeimages.com)

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." --James 1:17

To be swallowed whole in wonder-thought -

Gazing deep and free.

Ancient light pierces night,

Upon a starry sea.

To tread upon a scented path -

High above the fray.

A rolling sea to infinity,

Sun melting clouds away.

To hear a crystal voice raise clear -

Lifting hearts and souls...

To Love's strong beams and deeper dreams,

Where God's laughter rolls.

To sleep on downy warmth and touch -

Embraced by little hands.

A cherub sweet, a house complete...

A gift greater than our plans.

To sink into cerulean eyes -

Falling higher up and deeper in.

A fearless heart. The wisest part...

Wrapped-up in beautiful skin.

The sun sets true on the African plain -

A deep bass booms into the world.

Front row seats as calling meets,

And God's plan is ever unfurled.

Today, we'll struggle and we'll dance -

And we'll run out of time.

But I won't let go for I know,

These riches are divine.  

Less doing. More being.

True Confessions

(picture courtesy of Chris Collins/www.freeimages.com)

"Be still and know that I am God."  -- Psalm 46:10

I have not been very good lately at keeping the Sabbath.

I have not been very good lately at writing.

This is painful for me to admit because I know the importance of both.  I know that if I don't take time to take a break, I am tired and stressed and no good to anyone for the rest of the week.  If I don't take time to write, my very full life begins to seem very empty.

It hasn't always been this way...

My wife and I used to be very good about Sabbath-keeping. This was before family, at least before the two-footed kind.  Our dogs always insisted we stop.  They were always eager to go to the Mines of Spain Recreational area on the edge of town, take a romp in the woods, and be free. My wife and I had an opportunity to reconnect with one another,  with God, and we were free to dream big dreams.  Because we were in school, there was always writing to be done.

Soon, however, our lives became fuller and fuller, the way that all lives tend to do, like a hard-to-reach mosquito. Now, instead of dogs leading us into the wild, we are being led to baseball games, and band practice, and careers.  Sometimes our family of five feels like stowaways on a ship.  We are excited about the destination, we love the things that we are doing, but sometimes we forget to enjoy the journey. We forget to stop and look out at this vast sea and be reminded of the One who placed us here together.

My hope is that summer will yield a moment or two to breathe deep and be still, maybe even write a little.

And in these mercurial moments of summertime stillness, my deepest dream is to reconnect with God.  Over the years, I have learned all the right answers. I have been blessed with a beautiful family, a healthy marriage, and a second shot at life itself, but in the last two years, I have let the gift of a full life come between me and the author of life. Writing it all down, these true confessions, is (hopefully) the first step towards reconnecting to the One who first loved me.

Now, off to baseball practice...