Two old souls

  stuck in 

youthful bodies; 

   the two completely 

          opposite & the same

   at once;

    their futures intertwined

forever, 

    whether for good or bad,

no one knows.  

Best friends now, 

       but what of the future?  

Will they be partners

   

   in crime forever? 

        or 

will they become enemies? 

     

Their fates surely 

intertwined, 

 but who can 

tell the outcome? 

Spring

The warmth of sunlight

     

     on my skin;

flower petals falling 

     in my lap;

the hum of bees

     gathering pollen

to bring life & growth... 

Hold on, dear ones, 

     Spring is near.

Art is pure expression.

Art is pure expression-

Expression of one’s temperament,

personality, passions, mood,

knowledge, skill, worldview, etc.

Expression.

It can take any form-

from music, film, & photography,

to

writing & poetry

to

painting, sketching…

and the list goes on.

Art is not

something

you can fit in 

a box.

It’s not always something

you can put a label on,

describe, duplicate, or understand. 

It’s not always about

the 

end result.

It is about the journey,

The process.

It is an expression. 

 

  "I keep asking that the 

God of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the glorious Father, may give 

you the Spirit of wisdom and 

revelation, so that you may 

know him better.

   I pray also that the eyes

of your heart may be 

enlightened in order that you 

may know the hope to which 

he has called you, the riches

of his glorious inheritance

in the saints, and his 

incomparably great power

for us who believe. That 

power is like the working

of his mighty strength, 

which he exerted in 

Christ when he raised him 

from the dead and seated 

him at his right hand in 

the heavenly realms, far 

above all rule and authority, 

power and dominion, and 

every title that can be 

given, not only in the present

age, but also in the one to 

come..." 

    - Paul's letter to the Ephesians (1:15-23)   

Decisions...

The end of

   one chapter
 
 nears...


The beginning of

    something unknown

        dawns.


It is terrifying;

 and yet

I am fearless.


Do I persevere

   till the end?


Do I fasten myself

   to the mast

of a sinking ship?


       or


Do I jump ship?


Do I take a leap

    of faith?



Do I stay &

   risk compromising

my morals

     in the name

    of  "good intentions"


        or


Do I leave


      &


  thrive?

a shift...

 3:13am

A flicker of light;

   a moment of realization;

a glimpse of hope; 

   a quest for truth... 

Dear God I beg you... 

             Show yourself.

            Cast out doubt. 

                         Be big. 

                       Be loud.

truth 

  is

truth... 







hurt feelings

   are fleeting; 



lashing out

    in defense, 

foolish; 



  but

       for those

who will hear, 



truth applied

     &

wisdom 
         
         gained,






though often

    after

friendships 

            lost

   & 


bridges 

      burned, 



bring life


   &



will last 

       forever.

          "Do not be deceived:
God cannot be mocked.
A man reaps what he sows."

                      - Galatians 6:7  

A man reaps what he sows. A man reaps what he sows. A man reaps what he sows.  
A man ALWAYS reaps what he sows.
A man reaps what he sows.A man reaps what he sows. A man reaps what he sows.
ALWAYS.
A man reaps what he sows. A man reaps what he sows. A man reaps what he sows.
A man ALWAYS reaps MORE than he sows.
A man reaps what he sows. A man reaps what he sows. A man reaps what he sows.  
A man ALWAYS reaps much LATER than he sows.
A man reaps what he sows. A man reaps what he sows. A man reaps what he sows.

                                                                        


Jeremiah 1:17


      "Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them 
whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by 
them, or I will terrify you before them."

 





   Broken desperation,

willing submission,


  Once again,

I feel

   the weight

        of the world

on my shoulders.

truth

                                   

                                   No regrets;

                                      standing firm;

                                   at peace...

                                                          yet

                                               terrified

                                                     & sick
                                             
                                           to my stomach

                                           all at once.

                          

                                      Have I become merely

                                          a vessel used

                                     to speak truth

                                           into others lives?

                                      sacrificing myself

                                            for the

                                       greater good?


                                                Truth is often
                                    
                                                      met

                                             with hostility,

                                                      regardless of

                                                  the spirit

                                                         in which the truth

                                                was presented...



                                        so then,

                                     Your will be done, Lord.

                                          I will go

                                     where you lead,

                                            in fear and trembling,

                                         but

                                                  in

                                             p e a c e
 

                                                  &


                                              boldness.





                    Give me your strength, God,

         because I cannot do this on my own.

         I am completely drained, spent, and

         have no energy left to give.


        Amen.

Is it...?

light/dark

chaos/serenity

calm/restlessness

fluid/firm

contradiction/truth

uncertain/unwavering

fascinating/frightening

strong/weak

life/death

safe/dangerous

beautiful/lethal

destruction/restoration

Is this a riddle waiting to be solved?

Is it some strange form of poetry, written with some hidden meaning, unknown even to its creator? 

Is it a game? 

or


Is it real life? A conundrum that is waiting, wishing, and desperately hoping to be figured out... 

 An artist 
     
        and 
       
           a poet 

               walk into a coffee shop...
    


    Community. Accountability. Honesty. 
    Challenges. Encouragement. Scripture. 
    Renewal. Life. Truth.

God, give me...


      The boldness of Paul,

the faith of a child,

       the wisdom of Solomon,

the humility of Christ,

      and the eagerness

  & awe of Mary, the sister
 
       of Martha.


For Your glory,


               M

Do I run? 

As fast as my legs

will carry me?

or

Do I stay? 

taking a huge risk

 and thus 

be forced to become 

one of 

great discipline? 

The hugeness of it all 

terrifies me. 

Darkness seems as light,

 but, oh, how beautiful 

the light! 

The light  will 

pierce the darkness. 

Two forces colliding;

outcome uncertain... 

Will it end 

in destruction,

or

could it bring

rebirth?

Only God knows. 

God, give me strength.

The more I learn 

about God, 

the more I realize

how much I have yet

to learn...

and the more I realize 

that there are some 

things I will never

understand.... 

and it's okay.

I am one

to ask hard questions... 

one who refuses

to accept

things at face value,

before searching it out

on my own 

&

finding it to be 

true...

and yet... 

the more I search, 

the more I find that

God is infinitely bigger

than any of us

will ever fathom, 

and that we, 

as humans, 

CANNOT

fully comprehend

the hugeness of Him... 

His nature... 

His love... 

I cringe when I encounter

"scholarly" & "religious" 

men and women, who think 

they know everything

there is 

to know

about God. 

They've heard all the 

stories... 

Sang all the songs... 

They've "arrived"... 

It is these people,

who stop 

searching,

stop 

seeking, 

stop 

learning... 

They become complacent... 

Jesus referred to it

as "lukewarm"... 

He called them 

white-washed tombs... 

He said that it is better 

to be

HOT or COLD

rather 

than being

lukewarm.

It is the most dangerous 

place to be, and the evil one

know this... 

he knows

that he doesn't need to 

waste time on 

lukewarm Christians

because 

they've already

dug themselves into a hole.  

They become hardened 

to His Spirit... 

They forget

the hugeness of God... 

They forget the awe 

they once felt 

towards Christ.  

They begin to put God

in a box... 

and twist Scripture

for their own purposes... 

How very sad this is to me! 

& 

How infuriating! 

Their complacency & hypocrisy, 

& 

judgmental hearts

are what drives people 

away from the church, 

and as a result, 

from God.  

 As Gandhi said, 

  "I like your Christ. 

I do not like your Christians.

Your Christians are so unlike 

your Christ." 

Our lives are 

to point to Christ

&

bring others to Him; 

not to drive them 

away... 

"Anyone, then, who knows 

the good he ought to do

and doesn't do it, sins." 

- James 4:17

"But the wisdom

that comes from heaven

is first of all pure; 

then peace-loving, 

considerate, 

submissive, 

full of mercy & good fruit, 

impartial & sincere.

Peacemakers who sow 

in peace

raise a harvest 

of righteousness."

- James 3:17-18

The truth will set you free...

              It gets hard when you

get close to Christ... 

there is an inner battle

   that others 

never experience... 

 

 Your perspective changes... 

You see things for what

                                       they truly are...

which is both a blessing

and a curse...

there is a distance

that develops

between you and those

around you.

                      Speaking truth

                                    often results

                               in 

                          backs turned,

                                        noses raised,

                                   disapproving glances, 

                                                    attempts at rationalization... 

                                      Because of this new 

                                               perspective, 

                                                   it becomes a constant struggle

                                    to find the balance

                                             between speaking the truth

                                            in the face of injustice, 

                                               pettiness, & childishness... 

                                     

                                     complacent lives

                                          &

                                                               cold, hardened 

                                                                  hearts...

                                            and realizing that you 

will never

                                      learn how 

to pick your battles,

                                      but must rely on Him 

to lead

                              you 

to those

                                                      to whom 

he wants to speak

                                   and give you the words

                     to say... 

                             and

                    accept the fact

                                        that family & friends may 

                                           never understand or accept

                                                   your identity 

and 

purpose

in Christ.

"Only in his hometown, 

among his relatives and in

his own house is a prophet

without honor." 

-Mark 6:4-

For Your Glory,

I remain

Yours.

M