The Great Composer
With a word He creates,
beautiful creation bursting forth
from a thundering and melodous voice
— lifegiving sound.
Then, with divine noise as its parent,
creation makes tune
to honor the One who made it
— creation sings.
Waves crash like cymbals,
birds chirp like flutes,
leaves rustle like tamborines
— hear a great song.
With beauty and power He composes,
delightful creation songs are bron
by the composer who creates composing ones.
The Shores Dock
Where wood meets water
many begin to gather
to gaze, to stare, to wonder
at the One who is our Father
The feeble wood made strong by nails
has become a battleground that prevails
to fight, to conquer, to win
through Christ over our sin
Gummy Worms Bible Study
Gummy worms on the floor,
the Scriptures open,
prayer flowing from hearts and lips,
a beautiful moment of communion,
of drawing near
Silly and sweet things meet,
softening our hearts to receive
gracious correction and lovely transformation
from our playful Father
who delights in us
So bring the gummy worms,
take out the Scriptures,
share all the sticky places with God
joyfully commune with the One
who draws near to you
We Raise These Ebenezers
May the things of this store,
Father,
become blessings,
become ebenezers,
for moments of coming to you
here at camp
Let these “stones of help”
remind
of your power, protection, and
provision;
you have rescued us
from deep depths
O God,
raise these ebenezers;
make these items holy
and glorifying
reminders
of your great name
*Written while working retail at camp
Turning Over Tables
Jesus turned over tables in the Temple, calling for return. Now we are the Temple of the Spirit of our God, so may we invite this turning over tables, this clearing and cleaning out in our own souls.
*Read: Mark 11:15-19, Isaiah 56:7-8, Matthew 21:12-17, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Sitting in Hughes Auditorium
Heads bowed
Striving ceased
Laying before the throne
O Father,
We behold You
This moment made sacred
By Thy Spirit
That dwells in us
Oh, how sweet this revival
But God,
This building is not
Your temple
Lord,
Your temple
Is now me
How humbled I am
That you delight
Delight to dwell
To dwell in me
Reading Revelation
I open Your mighty Word
and flip the pages with eagerness,
but then,
I stop…
there is one book left
that I have tried
time
and
time
again.
Confusion, doubt, and fear creep in,
but then,
I hear
a tender whisper:
“This is my Word, too,”
so I press on
into confusion, doubt, and fear
and read.
Oh what beauty!
I see You Lord!
You are in control,
and You desire,
and delight,
in my worship.
Your Word challenges me,
and reminds me,
worship is war.
Worship is war.
So who,
or what,
am I worshipping?
I cling to the throne
where flashes of lightning,
rumblings,
and peals of thunder
come from.
The One on this throne
is in control.
And, my God, that is You.
Keeping Up With
What if we stopped trying
to keep up with people
and started keeping
in step with the Spirit
*Read: Galatians 5:25
For His Gaze
May His gaze
Be the only one
We dance for,
Travel for,
Praise for,
Post for,
Work for,
Rest for,
Create for,
Worship for,
Live for
It Is Finished
When a million little tasks need completion,
and I feel overwhelmed,
I think to Christ,
who has completed the ultimate task.
In Him,
all things are completed.
I can rest.
Forgive Me
Forgive me when I have
Lifted up lesser things,
Hurried throughout my day,
Lived for other’s gaze,
Forgotten Your faithfulness,
Stored up earthly treasures,
Claimed Your power as my own,
Planned out my days,
Said “no” to Your voice,
Depended on my own strength,
Etc….
Scripture, the Lord’s Words
Full of power,
and spoken in tenderness,
they pierce my soul,
the Words of the Lord.
Holding holy ways,
teaching truth,
I bow down to be molded,
not to mold them to I.
Promising rest
and life eternal,
I look for such things,
finding them within the Writer.
Awe
I’ve learned this:
I cannot be in awe if I am
hurried.
So heart,
slow down.
The Shepherd will lead you.
Heart,
if you are unhurried,
you can be graciously interrupted
by awe.
Awe:
It lightens your heart with
wonder;
you are a child again,
experiencing things as if it were
the first time.
Jesus,
may your name
cause me to fall to my knees
in awe.
Created By A Creator For Creating
Our God is a creator, clearly seen within the first few words of Scripture. He brings beauty out of chaos through the thundering of His voice. He speaks: things are made, with a complex, lovely design. We speak: things are not made, aside from mere breath-filled words. It is with our hands, hands that our Creator designed, that we make. We create from a place of being created.
Where Do I Go From Here?
Lord,
I want to do Your will
I want to live an interruptible life
Where people can call at random
And receive Your gentle love
And Your wise counsel
But God,
This culture is career-driven
This culture encourages a busy life
Where obligations control
And take lots of time
And lots of energy
Lord God,
Where do I go from here?
Post Baptism Poem
She smiles,
she dances,
she glows!
Christ beaming
in her,
through her,
for the world to see!
She radiates,
she praises,
she worships!
Spirit filling
all of her,
leading her
in personal transformation!
She jumps,
she shouts,
she shines!
Father shepherding
the steps of her,
the life of her,
towards joyous eternity!
*Written after baptizing a sweet friend