There are stars! There are stars!
So, I stare with the eyes of a child-
Forever awed by the sparkling lights
In the wide open blackness above me.
The oh-so-familiar shapes whisper wonder
Into my soul as I track them across the sky.
Some I can name and some I cannot, but
I don’t care… I just like looking.
The early morning moon beckons me to
Stop, to watch, to wait for sunrise
Until earth’s own star beams brightly
In the endless deep blue overhead.
Something inside me still searches, though,
For pale moon and fading starlight.
I cannot wait for the marvel of
A clear night sky to return, because…
There are stars! There are stars!
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Hope lies through death’s door-
Death to self, death to dreams,
Death to ambition’s striving efforts.
Hope hides in the heart
(Though despair thinks it has won),
Then blossoms like a rose with
The scent of love, the color of faith.
Hope brings new light to blind belief
Till all the darkness vanishes and
Clarity of purpose stiffens resolve.
But… One must be willing
To walk through death’s door,
To step from the finite into the infinite…
He was my friend.
Somehow, I always expected to see him again.
Walking through the halls, talking on the phone,
Coming to see me and make me a little less alone
At this big giant desk in a big empty room.
He’d say, “Hello, sunshine!” just to make me smile,
Or sometimes he just came and stood and stared in silence
And we could ‘not talk’ just as well as talk.
Gravelly voice, beard, glasses, and a head full of stuff-
Computer trivia, interesting stories, and
He sure did have a sense of humor about him!
But he was ready to get down to business, when
I mentioned my schoolwork or problems popped up.
His phone would ring… it seemed it always rang.
Someone always needed him right then “yesterday,”
And off he would go around the floor or onto the elevator.
I’ll never put mints out on my counter again without
Thinking of Jeff-he was my primary customer.
He loved his family and his pets in simple ways.
He was always ready with pictures of Darby or Hannah.
He honored his religion with his heart, and
He was his own person at the same time-
Very definitely himself and nobody else
From Waffle House coffee to motorcycles and dogs.
He was an integral part of Finance and
He was my friend.
Listen to the wind.
Listen to it sing,
Roaring through the trees,
Or just a gentle breeze.
Its voice is strong and sure
With melodies so pure
The angels sing along
With harmonies in song.
Listen to the stream.
Listen to it dream,
Rushing through the rocks
So sweetly as it talks,
Telling all it knows
While the water flows,
Pouring out its story
For Creator’s glory.
Listen to the flame.
Hear its loud refrain,
Crackling with glee,
Singing wild and free.
The burning purifies
As wood hums through its cries
Freed in suffering,
Creator’s praises ring.
Words are not enough;
Songs can barely touch;
The essence of Your presence in this place.
We can only kneel
Knowing You are real,
Reaching down to touch us by Your grace.
By your blood You came
To cover all our shame,
Calling us to turn our hearts to You.
Resurrection life
Conquers death and strife,
Giving us a chance to start anew.
Father make us one
Through Your holy Son.
Fill us with Your Spirit and Your love.
Set our hearts aflame
With praises to Your name
Blazing bright with with passion from above.
Farewell is never easy when the way has been so long,
But paths diverge and friends must part as time moves ever on.
We pause for just a moment to remember what has passed-
Hard work, good times, sweet sorrows, too, are memories that will last.
But time is inescapable, so forward we must go.
The next step isn’t easy, but tomorrow we will know
There’s joy in every journey even when the way seems dark.
Each time we meet along the path brings lightness to our heart.
Farewell is never easy and it makes my heart feel sad.
Good journey, friend, and may you find more friends to make you glad.
Creator God of chaotic splendor speaks
And angels rush to do his bidding.
They sweep the clouds into glorious formations
While the rain beats a steady rhythm.
Lightning spikes across the horizon.
The distant thunder builds a solid foundation
Creeping softly in through the storm
Till it rages and roars with passionate voice…
Shouting the majestic presence of Lord Sabaoth!
And the rain keeps falling obediently over thirsty land…
A land blind and deaf to the symphony,
Just longing for some peace to cover it…
Missing the display of God’s majesty in the sky above.
Lord of Hosts,
Shake us awake
Make us aware
Of Your glory in the surrounding storm.
Show us Your light
Speak with Your might
To our desperate hearts.
Shatter the deafness and blindness
That we can rejoice with passion
In Your chaotic splendor.
Focus on You?
Clutter obfuscates every effort-
From fragments of failures
To clashing communication lines
Clouding my concentration.
You…
Seem so obvious and easy,
Then circumstances trip me.
Sin entangles me.
Emotions choke the life out of me,
But…
You…
Are LIFE-
Living Water,
Bread of Life,
Holy Hope eradicating despair,
Sustenance feeding my Faith.
You…
King of Kings and Lord of Lords,
God of all creation,
Including my… self.
You…
You help me
Focus on You!
I wonder sometimes if I will find calm again,
Some stillness in the middle of turmoil.
I am used to being tossed and buffeted about.
I find peace on the inside when all outside
Says there should be none,
Then the unexpected pierces my heart again
In the old places of pain and
I am shredded where I can least bear it.
Still, some part of me cannot be shaken.
When I grieve most deeply,
I think of Job, who lost everything,
Yet still declared with faith,
“I know that my redeemer lives…” and
I, too, know that my redeemer lives.
With Peter, I ask the Lord, “To whom shall I go?
You have the words of eternal life.”
So, in my deepest pain I choose to trust Him.
His purposes matter. His will prevails.
His Comforter enfolds me in His arms,
Letting me weep and rage with hurt until
I am filled again with His love, His peace…
His mercy that will never give me
More than He can help me to bear.
