Wednesday, December 31, 2008

seeing #1 (Isaiah 42:1)

seeing
is more than just
looking
or even
staring at something…or
someone.

everyday
we look at people
we never really
see.

we did that with You,
Lord.
didn’t we?

the Almighty One
ate with us
and we were too proud
to wash Your feet,
Lord.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

small things #1

small town.
small country.
baby boy.

called a king…
of what?
of the cosmos
He spoke into
being?
of the masses
for whom He would
die?
of earth’s kingdoms
powerful
offered Him by
satan?
of His Own country
now ruled by
tyrants?
of His Own home
town
where they would later
dismiss Him?
of the many
who would try to
force
Him to rule
for food…
and miracles?
of the 12 men
who followed Him?

did He ever claim
to be the king?
of anything?

no.

but He did accept both
worship
and
hatred
with equal grace.

so, was He
King?

is He?

He is king
of nothing bigger than our
hearts…
the cosmos is His
throne room…
the earth, His
footstool…
our hearts, His chosen
home.

the king of everything
seems
to want it that way.

Monday, December 29, 2008

conformed #3 (Romans 8:28-31)

shaped
by YaHWeH’s Spirit to be
like You, Lord,
why…
why are we surprised
when
there is a cost
to pay?

You purchased
our lives
at a much greater cost
than ever You
ask of us.

never
have You…
never
would You
ask us to die
without Your comfort…
without Your Presence...
would You,
Lord?

Sunday, December 28, 2008

conformed #2 (Romans 8:28-31)

looking
like You, Lord,
we lose
ourselves
our own will
our own freedom
so that
like You...
we will
please
our Abba-in-the-heavens
and
in pleasing Him,
fierce joy
like a flood rises
unstoppable
to drench & wash away
the blood we have
shed
for Your sake.

clean &
REALLY alive
we will rise in You,
Lord.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

conformed #1 (Romans 8:28-31)

it’s all about
conforming to You,
Lord…
about looking like You
when we’ve done all…
when we’ve said all
we can say in the
time
we live through.

UN-conformed to Your
image
we shrink to nothing
silently…
while we loudly
work
to convince ourselves
that we matter
just the way we are.

forgive
our blind insanity,
Lord.

Friday, December 26, 2008

the biggest mess of all

Emmanuel
God-is-with-us
is a name...
The Name of YaHWeH's
Way
His Truth
The only real Life.

the All-mighty One
somehow
stuffed into a baby-shape
a baby-size person
sleeping
crying
cooing
like all babies do.

how could this be,
Lord?
how much did
You love us?

that much?
really?

it is still
hard to believe.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

messier still

a good man...
joseph...
was presented
with his engaged wife
who claimed virginity
yet also
claimed a pregnancy.

even worse
an angel visit during
a dream
gave him more
to think about.

after thinking,
joseph believed
the impossible
and became
the YaHWeH-chosen stepfather
to YaHWeH's
only begotten Son.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

more of a mess

flat
in the dirt they lay...
facedown.

mighty scholars
before
the toddler-king
muttering...
shouting...
silent...
all in turn
again
and again
in worship.

why were they struck
dumb?
what did they
know
that we have overlooked,
Lord?

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

a mess

You
made a mess,
Lord,
when You first arrived.

scholars came to the
seat
of government
looking
for the new baby-king
promised of old...and
where better
to look?
or worse?

the leaders of government
had reached
their own finely
balanced peace...
so...
there was no room
for YaHWeH's Prince
and Keeper of the
Peace
in their plans...
and
too often in our own.

such a little baby...
such a big mess!

thank You,
Lord,
for making such a mess
in the midst of our mess...
since You
are the only thing that can
make all of life
work.

Monday, December 22, 2008

God's voice #2 (Matthew 4)

like You,
Jesus...
we often need the quiet
of the desert
to hear clearly the
heart-voice of
our Abba-in-the-heavens.

we need a retreat from the
hustle of a fast life
so
we recognize at once
the sound
of YaHWeH's Voice...
and
in hearing...
we know all other voices
to be less...

was that Your secret,
Lord,
when the Tempter came?
was his voice so much
less...
than YaHWeH's Voice?

i think so...

Sunday, December 21, 2008

God's voice #1

YaHWeH’s voice,
His calling
takes many forms…

many times it looks just like a
paycheck…
at other times
we hear Him call to us in
the voice of
a stranger…
a loved one…
a little one…
and
always in the voice of
the one who
hurts…
the little ones with
no power,
no prestige…

it is in these helpless
places
in these over-looked
hearts
that You call most loudly
to us...
am i right,
Lord?

Saturday, December 20, 2008

sacrifice #3

future joy
is what drives a person
into true
sacrifice

fierce joy
sustains each person
giving a true
sacrifice

full joy
is the pay-off
to each person
engaged in true
sacrifice

just like You, Lord,
when the joy in front of You
pulled You toward the
Darkest Dark…
You did NOT flinch…
nor
did You stop
until You had poured out all
of Yourself
for us all…

to enter into this
joy-of-sacrifice is to look
a lot more like You
than we do now,
Lord...
am i right?

Friday, December 19, 2008

sacrifice #2

conformed to the image of
His Son…
this is YaHWeH’s goal
for all of us…
for each of us…

to be like
the Son of YaHWeH
Who gave Himself
up
for us all…
Who endured everything
for us…

if He did all this
for us…just
to please His Abba…
why do we think
we can ever
NOT
sacrifice ourselves
for our brothers?
for our sisters?

how
could we even think this would
please You,
Lord…
in the slightest?

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

sacrifice #1

sacrifice
is NOT loss…
it is choice...

a voluntary choice
to give up ourselves
on behalf of another…
just like You did, Lord

the only loss
in this transaction
is a loss of
pride
and
self-importance…
each of which are brothers of death…

so in a sense,
death is diminished
each time we make
even the slightest sacrifice
in Your Name...
for anyone...

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

insanity # 2

choosing to run
our own lives is
insane
because this means
we must
make EVERYTHING happen
right…
we must therefore
worry about EVERYTHING…
we must take
responsibility for
EVERYTHING…

being a god
is very difficult work…
especially for each of us
who less than You are...
isn’t it,
Lord?

Monday, December 15, 2008

insanity #1

all of life
comes down to one
question
in several forms:
who is sovereign?
whose will gets done?
who runs the universe…
You or me,
Lord?

does
insanity
begin when we
choose
to become god
and take responsibility
for things only You
can do, Lord?

i think so…

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Mercy # 12

to withhold mercy
is to choose to become
a false god…for then
we see power as
an absolute NEED…
and
showing mercy
is to abdicate
power & to renounce
our NEED for it.

being the God-of–all-gods
is something that You
do not NEED,
Lord.
since if you did have this
NEED…
mercy would never have been
born.
ever.

You simply ARE God.

what is it that You
ARE
that we do not
get?

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Mercy # 11

choosing revenge
over mercy
is something that even You
have not chosen
to do,
Lord.

what is it that You
know
that we do not?

Friday, December 12, 2008

Mercy # 10

there is always a cost
attached
to mercy...

mercy given
costs the giver
any pleasure
that might be gotten thru
revenge...

mercy withheld
costs the withholder
any chance of
looking like You,
Lord.

is it possible to follow
You
without bleeding out mercy
everywhere?

is this why
it is so difficult to
follow You
for very long at all,
Lord?

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Mercy (& Faith) #9 (Luke 8:9-14)

mercy
notices
the small things...
the little people...

mercy
honors the weak
people...
the over-looked
ones
by shouting
forgiveness into the
face of blind
hatred & contempt

mercy believes
that You notice
all this...
am i right,
Lord?

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Mercy (& Faith) #8 (Luke 8:9-14)

mercy
can breed faith
in those who
receive it...but
not always.

yet...mercy
never grows without
faith
to sink its
roots into...

is this why
You told us
that if we show mercy
we will receive it
from you, Lord?

is this why
You taught us to pray
"forgive us our sins
in the same way
we forgive those
who sin against us,"
Lord?

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Mercy #7

mercy
honors desperation
along with the faith
born in that dark crucible.

we fool ourselves when we see
faith & mercy
as being born in a palace
worthy of heaven’s
glory…

in Your heart You carried
all mercy
so when You heard:
“Remember me,
when You come into
Your kingdom,”
You recognized the
desperate faith
that was beginning to grow
in the dying thief.

You did remember him…
isn’t that right,
Lord?

is he with You now?

Monday, December 8, 2008

Mercy #6 (Luke 8:9-14)

mercy
burns huge mountains of
faith
like a jet burns fuel
on take-off…

You told us
to withhold revenge
to deal in kindness
to bend our own backs
so that others might be served…

THEN You showed us
how to do mercy
by the life You led…
by the blood You shed…
even
in the anger You showed.

always You depended on
Your Abba’s protection
even
when He withheld it.

what is it that You
know that we don't,
Lord?

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Mercy #5 (Luke 8:9-14)

to offer mercy
takes enormous
faith…

to dole out forgiveness…
to NOT
punish those who
deserve it
requires a reckless faith...
kinda like stepping out
of the boat onto the
water...
to meet You.

is it true that
we meet You
each time
we walk toward mercy,
Lord?

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Mercy #4 (Luke 8:9-14)

receiving mercy
means that we must trust
the one
who
offers it.

to give mercy
by definition means
that we must offer
to an untrustworthy person
the precious gift
of the one thing they
do not deserve...
a clean start...
a re-do...
a reboot.

is that why
there is so little
real mercy given out...
and received,
Lord?

Friday, December 5, 2008

Mercy #3 (Luke 8:9-14)

what makes
mercy
so hard to receive
is that
we know what we
deserve…
we can’t believe that any
sane person
would forgive us for free…
with no strings
attached

there MUST be a catch…
right?

are we really
that mis-trusting,
Lord?

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Mercy #2 (Luke 8:9-14)

what makes
mercy
so hard to give out
is that it can
only
go to those
who do not deserve it
and
those who will most likely not
appreciate it.

isn’t that right,
Lord?

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Mercy #1 (Luke 8:9-14)

mercy
is what we need…

mercy
is what we are afraid
to ask for
feeling we might
be turned down

mercy
is very hard to give out
since
you usually get nothing
in return…

isn’t that right,
Lord?

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Self Rescue #1 (Psalm 49:7)

we love to believe
we have
the power
the control
the intelligence to
solve
our own life
like some puzzle
struggling on its own
to come together.

but
who has
ever
been rescued from
any real danger
by their own effort
without You working
it out first,
Lord?

Monday, December 1, 2008

Fraud (Luke 13:10-22)

we are indeed frauds,
Lord,
when we stand in judgment
against
Your Grace
Your Patience
Your Mercy.

You give us all
a lot of room
to live in...
You give us enough
room to damn ourselves
should we choose to do so...

for us to deny this
to others
is a fraud of
the highest magnitude.

forgive my own fraud, Lord...
teach me how to live
defrauding
no one of mercy.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Poured Out (Ps. 22; Romans 8; John 15:20)

You were poured out,
Lord,
on an apathetic planet
by the God of All Mercy.

You
gave up all Your rights
as YaHWeH’s Son…
as YaHWeH-in-the-flesh…
to make a way
for us to be made
into a shape that looks
like You.
inside & out.

why then
are we surprised at
the pain that comes…even
shedding our own blood
as we follow
You?

Saturday, November 29, 2008

He Asks (John 1 & 15)

Always
He asks.
He never demands...and
though some may doubt this,
even Hell's gate
is entered by our choice.

Always
He waits.
He never twists our arm
behind our back
to make us cry,
"Uncle!"

Always
He knows what's best.
He never lets us go
too far
for grace to catch us
later on...unless
we refuse to stop destroying
those He loves...
those He is bent on saving.

this is our God...
the God of All Power!
the God of All Grace!
the God of All Mercy!

Friday, November 28, 2008

Near #2

in You, Lord,
The One-Broken-For-Us...
YaHweH himself came near
at the cross-moment of history
by
accepting Your act of
obedience
as the Sin-Breaker
clearing the path to
His mercy
once & for
all time...
all people...

even though YaHWeH withheld
His help to You,
choosing to help us instead...
still
You obeyed Him thru death...
You refused to listen to
the damning crowd...
You remembered Your Abba's
Voice saying,
"This is My Well-loved Son!"
"He pleases Me!"

and listening
to Him,
You blazed the path
to life
to love
to wholeness
for every one of us!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Near

You were near,
Lord,
coming to us as
Emmanuel on two legs
walking through our
hearts…
sometimes quietly and
other times in thunder
but
always carefully
with an eye & a strong heart
to save us
from ourselves.

You were never nearer
to us
than when You laid Yourself
down
on the rough wood to
bleed out the way
for us…and
no one seemed near You
with any help
when You most needed it.

You are
The One-broken-for-us…
only a mother can understand
how near that is...
how near You are.

Monday, November 17, 2008

life as dialogue #2

to see our lives
as a monologue
causes us to miss ALL of You,
Lord.

since
we live in Your gigantic story
which we
call “history”…
&
every story worth telling is...
dialogue

and
every time we call on You
we find You
already to be listening
&
at work
for the very best
all around us…

what is it that You
see in us,
Lord?

Sunday, November 16, 2008

God-portrait #1

are grace & mercy
always
bleeding & busted up
down here?

do they never raise
their voices in the
street
or lead loud
demonstrations?

are they always so centered on
faithful obedience to
YaHWeH?

do they,
like You,
NEVER give up
when it comes to
bringing in justice like
a flood?

looking at You,
i think so...

(see Isaiah 42:1-7)

Saturday, November 15, 2008

when God is silent

Isn't it just fun being
in a place where ONLY Jesus knows
what's going on?

and like He's asleep
in the back of the boat?

and like the waves are coming in
over the side of the boat?

and....

Lord, save us!
we’re drowning…
don’t You care
what happens to us?

and…

Friday, November 14, 2008

worship by grenade (Iraq)

is not worship
focusing on the real worth
of something?
of someone?

a man
falls on a live grenade
saving
his friends lives
&
losing
his own.

what greater love?
what deeper worship
is there than this,
Lord?

is love
worship?

does real love
always
lead to ultimate worship,
Lord?

You should know.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

disciples made

Lord,
what is it about
making disciples?

why
was it so vital
to You?

why was this Your main
YaHWeH-driven-task
before Your cross-work?
before You killed death's
power?

is it indeed true
that whenever we make
disciples
they make us more-discipled as well?

did You learn that
by Your experience
down here among us?
amid our failures?

was that part of what You meant
when You prayed,
"for their sakes...
I sanctify Myself..."
was it?

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

lazy hearts

our hearts...
our eyes...
our ears...
gratefully take in
the constant offerings
our culture displays
for food
for life
for joy
for to not-think.

why, Lord, are
we
so lazy?
so easily misled?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

a king

Lord, we need
a king.

we want one so
desperately that we
have learned to make one
from nothing.

why, Lord, does not this
in itself
cause in us
a deep dread of kings?

are we truly so
stupid?
so lazy?

Monday, November 10, 2008

over-blessed

Lord,
each & all
we are over-blessed.

too many
to count...
to adequately notice...
to respond to...
Your grace-gifts flow
over
around & thru
us.

why then
are we discouraged
so often?
so long?
so much?

do we love
misery that much?
are we so easily
deceived as to the true
shape
of our lives?

Sunday, November 9, 2008

lies we believe

Lord,
we believe a man
asking for our vote
can save us
where You could not...

we believe a group
wanting power
from us & over us
can save us
where You could not...

we believe a relationship
with another broken person
like us
can save us
where You could not...

why are we
so continuously
so gullible?

Saturday, November 8, 2008

lost grace

Lord,
every four years
men fight
with words.

they un-grace Your world
so that they might win
power
to re-make it
in their own image.

they dis-grace one another
so that they might win
power
over the others of us.

can they not see
that it is Your hand which raises up one king
while deposing another?

Friday, November 7, 2008

daughters

they laugh their way
into our hearts, Lord...
the daughters You
thought up.

they weep their way
even deeper.

we laugh and weep
because they do.

blessed & amazed
all the way.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

finding ourselves 3 (Mark 10:17ff)

Lord,
when he came to You
young & rich...
we all envied him.

when he left
he was sad because
he was too rich
to follow You
into Life...
and
we felt ourselves poorer
than he was
even more than before.

why then did You begin
to teach us about entering
the YaHWeH-kingdom?

did You fear that we
might follow him
into his new half-life?

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

finding ourselves 2 (Mark 10:17ff)

Lord,
can we ever find ourselves
outside relationship?

are we ever so lost
as when we seek
ourselves
in a plan? a program?

the rich young man
who came to You
was that lost.

You offered him
not a plan…but
Yourself as the Life-Way.

he was very sad…

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

finding ourselves 1 (Mark 10:17ff)

Lord,
is finding ourselves
ever as complicated
as we think?
or so simple?

like the rich young man
we look for a sure way…
something that cannot fail…

that is what fear
does to us.

yet
all the time
our identity lies
hidden in plain view…inside
You!

Monday, November 3, 2008

an echo from Isaiah 6

Lord,
when isaiah saw
an echo
of an echo
of Your glory
it broke him
in half.

even seeing only a
shadow-echo of Your worth
isaiah was convinced only of
being unworthy...
without hope.

yet You stepped out
from behind Your glory-echo
to make him ready
for a one-on-one
with You...
You then
talked with him...
listened to him...
accepting both his suggestion
and
a partnership with him
to save Your people.

how can we
ever doubt your
passion for saving us?

Sunday, November 2, 2008

God of Jacob 4 (Psalm 46:7 & 11)

Lord,

the psalmist calls You
"The All-Mighty God"
in one breath
and
with the next, he installs
You as
"The God of Jacob."

You rule the cosmos
yet
You find the liars & cheats
and
go head-to-head with them
until
they beg You for
a grace
a mercy
a blessing.

we are all liars & cheats
whenever we think
our plans are best...
we all need
some time wrestling with You
so we
can lose...
so we
can beg You to bless us...
so You
can leave us a reminder
of just Who
won the fight!

You did!
You won the fight
to bless us...
You won the fight
to save us...

Saturday, November 1, 2008

God of Jacob 3 (Psalm 46:11)

Lord,
did the psalmist see You
as the Only One
Whose grace & mercy
could not be
outrun...
unless a person
runs all the way into
Hell?

You, Lord, are our
fortress...
the only safe place
in all the cosmos.

Friday, October 31, 2008

God of Jacob 2 (Psalm 46)

Lord,
did the psalmist use this
shorter Name of Yours
to remind himself
that You are the God Who
seeks out
even the liars & cheats?

did he see You as the
God Who wrestles with us
when all our plans
have come to an unpleasant
end?

Who then lets us
beat Him...just so
He can bless us?

Thursday, October 30, 2008

God of Jacob (Psalm 46)

Lord,
You fought jacob
so he would come
to the end of
himself.

then at self's end
he found You to be
a merciful God
Who would keep His
promises
to a liar...His
covenant
with a cheat.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

hard grace

Lord,
we miss the mark
when we think Your grace
soft.

no part of Your death-cross
was soft, neither were our sins
that stained it
with Your life-blood.

love & grace
in our languages are
soft words.

is that why we misunderstand
them so completely?

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

my fear

Lord,
my fear is nothing
more...or
less
than self-idolatry.

my fears enthrone me
in Your place, Lord.

faith occurs
whenever i choose to
de-throne myself.

freely...

expectantly...

repeatedly.

Monday, October 27, 2008

false gods

Lord,
why do we shout
so loudly for the politicians
who promise so much
to us in lawyer-words?

are we so desperate
for any good news
but Yours?

are we so desperate
for any god
but You?

Sunday, October 26, 2008

this is love

Lord,
Your best friend (John)
said,
"this is love...
not that WE loved Him...
but that He loved us...
and gave His Son...
for us."

is love ever
anything less
than giving away what
we most prize?

is what we call
love
nothing less than a reflection of
You, Lord?

Your friend, john, seemed to think so...

has there ever been a person
anywhere
who has ever loved
anyone
with a love all their own?

Saturday, October 25, 2008

false choices

Lord,
why is it that i hesitate
so long between being or doing?

everyone says that being needs to come first.
that is everyone except those
who
most value getting things done.

when faced with You, Lord, it is easy
to just turn around & do the
opposite
of whatever it is we are doing
now.

doers start be-ing...
be-ers start do-ing...

do we miss the point?

what was it that You kept saying?
something like,
"follow me?"

is the choosing to do...or be...
less than choosing to
listen...
to follow You, Lord?

Friday, October 24, 2008

options

Lord,
You have given us
a choice…which
is not the same as
an option…which we so often
attempt to make You
out to be.

we do have a choice
to follow You…or
not…
but
when we include You
as a pleasant optional add-on
to our life…
we miss the point.

to follow You
means
that we no longer take
any option
any choice
any journey
any conversation
which excludes You.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

two deaths...

Lord,
You showed us that
life is found ALWAYS
in relationship.

You taught us that
death is ALWAYS found
in putting ourselves ahead
of others.

then
You demonstrated that
a death can also be
found
in putting others ahead
of oneself.

in You,
we found that these two deaths are
NOT equal or similar at all…
one kills us forever…
the other death
is the only door leading to
authentic LIFE.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

shooting star

Lord,
are all my troubles
like the shooting star
i saw this morning?

is their brightness
that so captures my attention
due to them hitting
the thick blanket of grace
with which You
have surrounded me?

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

All In (from Isaiah 42:1-11)

Lord,
You were "all in"
while you lived
among us...there was
nothing left
that You did not put into play.

You came to bring about
YaHWeH's Own justice on earth.

Like a woman in labor…
a man going into battle,
You were totally
committed
to life...
to YaHWeH...
to us.

Why then is it so easy for us to
live with a half-heart
wondering
why we then end up with
a half-life?

Monday, October 20, 2008

Hammer

Lord,
Your words
are a hammer
battering our
slow hearts...our
lazy souls...our
prideful wills...

like the blacksmith's
hammer,
Your words...when
we hear them
push us to where we
otherwise
could not
would not
go...
into LIFE.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Precious

Lord,
why is it that those You say
You love the most...
have
the biggest jobs?
pay
the biggest price?
endure
the most pain?

but then,
Your Own Abba called You:
"My well-loved Son"
just before He asked You to
willingly pick up all
our debts
and pay them for us.

does He indeed love us
so much?

Saturday, October 18, 2008

LIFE AS DIALOGUE

to see our lives
as a monologue where
we talk…
we act…
we live…is
to miss the deepest things
in life, Lord.

for You are
NEVER satisfied
with only one voice
speaking…even
when it is Your Own.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Abba's Passion

Lord,
Your Abba renews His passion
to save
to forgive
to give gifts
every morning even as He
renews our sight
with the sun's first light.

fresh mercy
fresh love
fresh life
each day as dawn breaks
a NEW gift
from the hand
and center of the heart of
our Heavenly Abba.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

The Killer App

love is the "killer app"...
or at least so says
Yahoo's Chief Solutions Officer.

Lord,
long before Yahoo had an
identity,
You knew this to be
literally true...

is that why
You did what You did?

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

PASSION

no passion
in human life can
remain the same…it
must
be reborn each day
or
it will die.

Lord,
is that why
You
renew your passion
to show mercy to us
each morning?

as an example to us
of the cost
of love?
of kindness?

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Better

God,
i wonder why does it
seem
that everyday You treat me
better
than You treated
Your Son
on His very best
day?

Monday, October 13, 2008

LISTENING

Lord,
we listen most
to those
we most intend
to hear
to obey
to act as if they matter.

is that why it is so hard
to hear You
sometimes?

Friday, October 10, 2008

Evading Grace

A successful effort
at this
takes a whole lifetime
of concerted effort.

Hell
is the only way out
of Your grace, Lord.