an easy death

at the end
of 33 years of following Your Abba
thru
the tangle of our sin-shattered world
our mangled lives
our broken bodies
our over-powered spirits
always giving in...to Your Abba's leading...
in word
in deed
in heart
after the dark-of-night-struggle
     with the enormous bulk of our sin-load...
after never really considering DIS-obeying
     Your Abba's lead...
after begging
     for another way
     for any other alternative...
the dying
was easy...
until the dark descended like a midnight
on Your heart & ours.
at noon.
then
the heart that always listened first
before speaking...
the soul that always watched Your Abba
for a clue before acting...
pushed thru the DARKest DARK
to offer up Your Own Spirit
to Your for--the-first-time-ever silent Abba
breaking 
the DARK.
our sin.
death.
into pieces.

our hosanna-prayer-hopes
came true.
real.
forevermore.

conformed #5 (Luke 1 & Romans 8)

young…
unremarkable she was…
the young girl
who was the YaHWeH-chosen
to carry His Own Son
into our lives.

presented
with an impossible
visitor
who carried an unmistakable,
unthinkable
message…
all she could say was,
“YaHWeH’s will
is my desire…
let it be so in me.”

she showed us
Your heart in advance,
Lord.

didn’t she?

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.

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.

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?