Suddenly I see us
Traipsing in,
Blankets, flotsam of ourselves
Trailing behind us
We are like children
Dazed and shellshocked
By the dust of a falling world
Still crashing down
Behind us
But we are Here Now
And as we wipe the tears and soot
From our brand-new-eyes–
We recognize
This strong family
Resemblance in a sea/a star
Filled sky full of Light.
Pretend you are in a boat
Rescued (just barely?)
From a raging sea
Pretend you are cold, bereft, shot through by shock
Broken and gasping
For air
You wonder first
That you are
Alive at all is a miracle
A miracle
Blanket put around your shoulders
Will you ever be free?
Of the cold in your bones to your heart
Love speaks softly
Invading the darkness
Light as a feather
Down for warmth
Waterproof like the sleekwinged
Waterborne bird
You will fly
You will live
You will soar
Blanket of love
Salvation comes from salvage
Salve
Latin for to save
Redeem
Draw from deep water
Back to life again
Like the Once-dead Man rising
Again from the deep
Dragging us with Him
Back to life
What if I lost you?
What if you were not there?
What if one moment I saw you
And then blink
You
Were
Gone?
I ask myself these questions
With every beat of my heart
Knowing I have walked down these lonely roads before
Looking for the babygirlchild
Woman
I lost that day
no replacements found.
To me the New Testament is about Love. It should be called the love testament, the love contract, the love promise.
We are stuck in our mess! for thousands of years, centuries, decades, hours and minutes. Waiting for hope. Holding onto the idea of it. And then along comes this Guy! Different from the rest because He is safe. Safe like a shelter in the storm. Safe like a mother’s kiss. Safer than these things.
The Song of Solomon says that “love is as strong as death, but when Jesus shows up Love becomes stronger than death.
And who does He love?
You.
Imagine a box
A brightly colored box
Like a present/
Like a gift
Something inside of it
Calling you to life
Christmas morning and all your birthdays
It was the birthdays that got me
The little girl alone in the hospital with army issue socks?
Tragic.
Life is tragic.
But we can all use socks…
You taught me to love
And risk myself
be brave child,
You whispered
Open the box.
Treasure inside.
I promise.
When I was a very little girl I thought religion was an insurance policy. I figured God was too busy for personal communication but that church and prayer were our way of joining his club.
I had a stuffed animal named Mouse who was my best friend. I could not imagine life without Mouse. Mouse was a great friend and I could say anything to Mouse. In fact, I worried a great deal about Mouse not going to heaven. I knew that faded bags of foam padding and chintz were not eternal. It was a rough dilemma.
When I was 10 I went to a charismatic prayer group at one of the Catholic churches. I was used to formal prayer but this was wilder–singing, hand raising, speaking in tongues. I did not know what to do.
So I closed my eyes and said, “God, I don’t even know if You are real or not, but if You are, show me.”
I immediately felt an intense love. It was like He had put a blanket of love around my shoulders. Not only was He very real–He loved me!!”. That was a life changing moment.
The rest has been a beautiful love story–perfect on His side, deeply flawed on mine.
I tell people Jesus loves them because He does but also because He has saved my life. I am crazy about Him. I want everyone to get to know Him–the God who is Love.
And Mouse? Well, mouse was always really Jesus
In disguise<3
Blue night
Bright moon
Luminous face
(smiling he says, like this..)
Unspoken splendor
Scattered across the slope of earth
Like a silvery veil
Pulled across the lawn at an evening
Wedding
Between us
And eternity
There stands only
Time
Like the face of a clock
Luminous but broken
Dragging it’s hands slowly
Across the face of it
Looking for someone in the night
Looking for Someone in the light
Carrying Light 