sweet anger (Proverbs 12:16)

it burns
so clean…
that we mistake
what
is burning.

we miss our
dying
even as we feel the
burst
of anger’s joy…

anger does have a joy
so sweet as to defy
description.

anger, Lord,
much of the time is a
drug
to us…but
to You anger is only a sad
reminder
of our brokenness
as we
burn
one another in melancholy
payment
of wrongs real
and imagined.

all past.

Jesus-ideas #2 (John 1:14)

just
thinking
about You, Jesus, is
safe.

on the other hand...

relationships aren’t so
safe.

spending time
with
You is far more difficult
than spending time
on
You, Lord.

as a subject of study…
or of songs...
or of work...
You are safe,
Lord…

however
as my Lord…and my
closer-than-a-brother-friend
You are NOT so safe…
since
with friends & brothers
there is give and
take.

a lot of listening goes into
connecting
with a Lord
&
a brother.

there really is no such thing as a
quick
relationship, is there,
Lord?

Jesus-ideas #1 (John 1:14)

we all like the
idea
of You,
Jesus…
maybe more than WHO
You were…and WHO
You are.

to relate to You
as Lord…
and
as brother
is much more difficult
than simply
thinking
about You.

tough things #4 (Deuteronomy 6)

it's so
tough
NOT to be God
that You decided we needed
lifelong
lessons on our
non-God-ness.

is that right,
Lord?

why do we SO
want
to be Your equal?

do we really wish on
ourselves
the power of
death?
life?

do we really wish the
power of time
was in our hands?

do we so want to
judge
the universe that we
forget
how little we
know?

are we really that insane,
Lord?

tough things #3 (Deuteronomy 6)

it's tough
NOT
to be God...

especially when
hatred
burns an anger-trail
inside us...a mile wide
and
we curse over
NOT
controlling the universe.

who
other than You,
Lord,
is worthy
of being God?

who, Lord?

tough things #2 (Deuteronomy 6)

it's tough
NOT
to be God.

but
even tougher
to be like Him,
as any parent
knows.

unlike You,
Lord...
we have no ability
to control
the lives of our children...

yet

like You...
we are often ignored by them
until
they run out of
something important.

tough things #1 (Deuteronomy 6)

it's tough
NOT
to be God...

any two-year-old
can tell you
this...along with
the rest of
us
when we are overwhelmed
with anger
or a greed
of any other kind.

who
can be trusted
to be God?

who, Lord?

anyone other than You,
Lord?