I can feel the season changing.
Seems God’s always rearranging,
And I wonder what new strange thing
He is doing in my life.
As I look towards tomorrow,
I am hoping I that I will grow
Moving forward as I follow
Leaving worrying and strife.

I have learned so much the hard way
When I try to do things halfway.
Still there’s really only His way,
If I want to do them right.
Can I use what I’ve been learning
To obey Him without turning
And to use what I’m discerning
To trust God without my sight?

Faith is following His guidance
As He leads me in this romance
With the loving grace that He grants
When I’m stumbling along.
As I move into the next phase
He is changing me in new ways,
Giving mercy to me always—
He reminds me I belong.

In His everlasting promise
I can take each step with calmness,
Knowing He will hold me harmless
In the refuge of His wings.
He’s my dwelling place and fortress.
I will trust in His great goodness
Through the seasons’ steady progress,
Though I don’t know what they’ll bring.

According to the words of Christ, in letters printed red,
We cannot call Him, “Lord,” unless we do what He has said.
So heed His warning, build on rock, and stand strong in the flood,
Or choose your own way and you’ll find you’ve built on sand instead.

If we will take the narrow road and follow God’s commands,
He guarantees eternity for those who take a stand.
Crowds of people think that God’s great mercy will prevail,
But Jesus paid the price that perfect goodness still demands.

For many who claim Jesus’ name, the words are meaningless.
When what “seems” right depends on us, no wonder we’re a mess.
Remember now, while there’s still time, to truly make Him Lord,
His heart of love keeps calling us to seek His holiness.

It’s trusting in His sacrifice that helps us find His light,
Though many times, we lose our way or stumble in the night.
This road that we must travel leaves us dusty, tired, and worn,
But grace still leads us home when we resolve to do what’s right.

(Luke 6:46-49)

Sing a song, a pretty song,
To tell the world you love Me.
Sing it strong; sing all day long,
Sing “just because” and freely.

With great sacrifice, You saved us, gave us,
A wellspring of hope, You lift us, gift us
With faithfulness and mercy, Lord
With generous compassion, Lord
You work within us by Your Spirit.

Sing a song, a pretty song,
To tell creation’s story.
Sing it strong; sing all day long,
This gift of life from Glory.

O Light of our lives, we raise You, praise You
Love from above, we meet You, greet You
With everything we have to give,
With never ending awe we live,
For Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Sing a song, a pretty song,
With all you have within you.
Sing it strong; sing all day long;
Faith, hope, and love will shine through.

Sometimes I feel as if I could juuuuust stretch my fingers out one more letter, I’d be able to feel the Holy Spirit flowing through me again… the way it used to be. It’s just like the passion I felt on Sunday morning that I had not felt in sooooo long. The part of me that is consumed with fire and eager pursuit of my Lord woke up and said, “Where have you been? What have you been doing? Let’s go! Quit fooling around and get on your feet, girl!!! We have things to do, places to go, people to see…” Then I left the meeting, got home, got back into my same old routine and thought, “Where did it go?” It was gone. The passion, the fire, the whatever-it-was-that-awoke, seemed to have faded away into a dull, get-through-the-day apathy.

I want fervor! I want zeal! Life seems so doggone overwhelming and I feel like if I could just have Holy Spirit energy, I’d be able to wade through the muck like it was clear water. I need His Word to enervate me again, so that when I read, I receive real life rather than some insipid sameness. So, I am reading again. I never really stopped, but I haven’t really focused on seeking Him in the text either. I looked for something I could use rather than something I could metabolize into my spirit-man. Sometimes it seemed like all I was doing was looking for something to give someone else and the essence of what it said passed right over me, slipped right through my fingers like sand.

The Word…His Word…Living Words of Life…I need so desperately. I’m tired of songs that say how desperate we are for God or how passionate we feel towards God when they’ve all faded into daily background music courtesy of radio. Some song that meant something when it was written has become a distant, faded work of art that’s been exposed to sunlight too long. The vivacity has faded to washed-out colors and sounds—or as Dave Grohl sings on the Foo Fighters’ song “Come Alive”…”every sound monotone, every color monochrome, life began to fade into the black…”

Scripture has its own rhythm and rolls to a different kind of music than we are used to in our pop culture. There are no verses or choruses or bridges—just a recitative with a swelling and fading choral background and orchestral accompaniment that accents or detracts from the vocals as the conductor chooses. The words clarify the intent of the composer. The underlying unheard music carries His heart. I want to know both the intent and the heart! I can no longer search the holy word only for others when I need His Bread of Life and Living Water for myself as well. Frankly, I just need His LIFE living in me, through me, for me.

The problem is that I’m so used to just living my life myself. I get myself out of bed, dressed for work, and to work. Then the day drags on, and finally lunch comes, and then finally, finally 5:00 is here and I can go home to the mundane chores and duties that await me…that overwhelm me by their very magnitude. I have so much stuff and nowhere to put it all! So I wade through the lesser tasks like dishes and laundry, help my husband with the checkbook sometimes, and procrastinate on anything I can. Where’s the LIFE in that? I go to bed wondering where the day went and where was God in my day. I can think of moments here and there, conversations that occur, and thoughts floating through my brain, but no consistent awareness of His presence.

Ah, Lord, I feel like Paul in Romans 7 where my bodily person fights against my spirit person. Save me, dear Jesus, from myself and set my heart ablaze for You once more.

Another long day stretches out in front of me. It seems I wait forever for God to move in some tangible way in my life. I can see small spurts of something every now and then… and then… I’m stuck in another standstill period. Things keep happening around me, so God is probably moving, but I don’t understand His silence where I need the answers. In the meantime, hope breathes shallowly, just enough to stay alive and not enough to help me move forward even one tiny step. The interminable waiting seems like its own force pushing against me, making me frustrated. If only I could just trust, this… suspension …would not be so difficult.

There, I went and did it without even realizing it.
I forgot myself again.
I got so bogged down with all the stuff of life,
My thoughts swirled in meaningless, overlapping circles.
Words flying this way and that in some
Mixed jumble of complete and utter nonsense
Until I sat down, let loose the wildness inside,
And set my pen free without agenda.
No trying to make something happen…
No forcing myself into predetermined structure…
No frustrated, half-done slips of something…
Just me rambling around in a muddle,
Content to stir things into nothingness,
So I can finally, finally relax and let loose
With grinning drivel.
Somehow that helps more than all the exercises
I could ever put my mind through.
The mental picture is priceless, too.
Imagine me at five years old
Stamping in a puddle in the parking lot
Till all the water is splashed out and
The puddle is gone.
That’s me now, stamping around in my brain
Till all the cohesion scatters into little droplets and
The forced, frustrating bits of thought are gone!
Releasing it all relieves the burden.
I do not have to do anything but sit, stare,
Type idiocy and see where it takes me.

Clarity sparkles like the sun glinting off the water.
Thoughts flow smoothly along
Following the light toward a definite goal,
(It all makes so much sense!)
Till vision takes shape, and words
Start falling into place one by one or
Sometimes phrases at a time…

My story unfolds itself into a comfortable couch.
Here I lie, feet up and reclined, listening
To the relaxed rumble of coherence turning
Chaos into logic, making sense out of nonsense.
Peace by pieces is settling inside me
Filling my soul with reminders of His goodness.

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!

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.