When the Words Come Hard

 

Dear God

You know right now

Well, the words come hard

And I guess that it’s ok

 

Because you never said it

You never said we wouldn’t suffer

In fact, you said the opposite

You said that we would share

 

We’d share in your suffering

For the sake of the cross

For the sake of your love

For the sake of the lost

 

But we are so fragile

And our hearts are so weak

We want these cups to pass

But it’s your will we seek

 

So, I ask that you’ll forgive me

When I sometimes lie here in my tears

When I am drowning in my sorrows

When I’m running from my fears

 

I thank you for all you’ve blessed me with

And I know down deep you’re in control

But it’s so easy to get distracted

And so easy to try and usurp your roll

 

So easy to become a prodigal

So easy to become a rebel soul

But I’m making my way back to you

To the only one who can make us whole

 

Dear Lord thank you for your Spirit

The one who voices our groanings

The one who interprets our tears

Who lovingly intercedes when we fall mute

 

Because of you I wake each day

And even when I have no words

Because of you I can still speak

So, thank you God for our Helper

 

Now when the words won’t come

I’ll rest silent and with confidence

Because even though I am weak

In your strength I am still heard

Won't Apologize

 

Yeah, I was born white

Lived my life as is

Won’t apologize

It’s who I am alright

 

You were born black

Or yellow, red or brown

Some have plenty

For some, there’s lack

 

What do you want

Me, to rewind time

Me, to give it all back

Don’t repeat Satan’s taunt

 

…That we’re not enough…

 

Sucking down worldly lies

God speaks to the deaf

Spirit whispers to the dumb

Something within dies

 

Division, the enemy’s word

Unity what Christ prayed for

And we the catalysts

Spirit on our hearts poured

 

Unity comes at a price

Prayer with our action

Talk being cheap

Are we warriors or mice

 

Forgiveness a costly gift

Christ our best example

Can we demand less

So our crosses we lift

 

What do you want from me

I am what God made

You, a precious creation too

Open your heart and see

 

I am no more and no less

We should be brothers

We should be sisters

This issue we must address

 

No walking away this time

Our Jesus prayed for this

The time is now my friend

Wouldn’t peace be sublime

 

A world where love reigns

Mercy our first thought

Kindness guiding our hands

As we walk life’s hardest lanes

 

Let’s love like our Lord

Let’s let go the past

Let’s cheer for each other

And put down this sword

 

Time is short can you feel it

Let’s be found being faithful

Turn our back on the world

Hearts ready when trumpets hit

 

For our Lord is coming soon

Creation’s call getting louder

Rocks and stones crying

Can you hear heaven’s tune

 

So I won’t apologize

And really neither should you

We exist as God made us

And for Him I will proselytize

 

Let us reason together

Finding common ground

Linking arms and moving forward

Then life’s storms we can weather

 

 

May We Be Found Ready

Dear Lord I know you’re near

You promised you would be

Near to the broken hearted

And you’ve never failed me

Though I would pass this cup

I know Earthly life has an end

It’s just a fact that I can’t deny

Life is a gift that you only lend

I’m afraid that like so many

I’m prone to take for granted

This precious gift you’ve given

Each of us a seed you’ve planted

All of us loved and valued

Each endowed with gifts

A lifetime to unwrap them

Living our purpose our soul lifts

And so I ask dear Lord

For an extra portion of grace

Pressed down and overflowing

So that we can finish this race

For our lives are so fragile

And good health does leave

We fight and struggle

But one day we all grieve

So when that day comes

And you call out our name

I pray we’ll be found ready

Hearts afire with Jesus’ flame

When our final breath we breathe

Whispering our last farewell

May an escort of angels carry us

To heaven where You dwell

Heavy

Dear Lord Jesus

My heart is weighed down

Can’t look away

For there is no “safe” town

Headlines scream for attention

Outcry rises above the spin

Same song, different verse

But still we fall to sin

We rant, and we rave

Make laws and pass bills

But hearts we can’t legislate

So still we swallow bitter pills

No solution comes to mind

And no relief is in sight

Some hide in their despair

No hope comes without light

Triggers and ammo

Carbon and steel

Inanimate objects

Just can’t feel

Who is really at fault?

Always blame to anoint

But it’s never that easy

Always another viewpoint

Try as we might

With longing we may strive

The solutions are elusive

Never seem to arrive

When our hope is in ruins

Each answer becomes a question mark

And each win turns to failure

How did the World become so dark?

Can the answers ever be found?

Or is destruction all that’s left?

Families divided and fighting

Of our civility we’re bereft

So hard to see the sun sometimes

But, out of the weeping comes a song

And out of the silence comes a whisper

Prayers seeking for the peace we all long

And, if we pray, there is someone listening

To repentant hearts His ear turns

So my prayers have changed

Raised up to our maker as the World burns

No longer praying for leaders alone

My heart cry is for a changed nation

For the lost and longing

For despair reborn to elation

So Dear Lord Jesus

May the heartbroken find peace

May their joy one day return

And may their tears one day cease

Suffering & Redemption

If you could glimpse into my heart

If you could gaze into my soul

You’d grasp the truth of me

Understand sufferings’ role

You’d know that which I need

Not for you to dry my tears

But for your friendship

To endure throughout the years

To walk with me when I stumble

To sit with me when I weep

To hold my hand in silence

When the midnight watches I keep

It seems too much to ask

I fear it’s too much to bear

But this is the road I walk on

With a mind bent on despair

This smile hides its secrets

These eyes my heart’s cry

I understand your fear

Why you easily pass me by

For many it’s far too easy

Voicing their flippant two cents

Their talk show solutions

For my life long laments

Never really understood

My lack of contentment or peace

But I know I have a Savior

Whose mercies never cease

So, when this heart is empty

My dry bones crying for the rain

I remember to get on my knees

And enter His presence again

For my Savior knows my heart

It was He that fanned this flame

Set my heart ablaze for His kingdom

So that I’d never be the same

And if you hear this message

Truly listen to what I say

Then when your heart hurts too

At the cross your burdens lay

For its there in the cross’s shadow

We can let our burdens fall

No longer captive to the enemies lies

Redeemed we can now stand tall

Swan Song?

Thought leaving that darkness

Would lead to a better space

Maybe even a better day

But I’m still in the rat race

Thought I’d spread my wings

Find a new breeze to lift me

Thought my song would carry

Lift me up until I was free

But freedom hides a burden

It carries with it a cost

And I’m finding only lately

That I can’t ignore I’m lost

Can’t seem to catch my breath

Nor can I see past the peak

I’m unwilling to give up

But my courage developed a leak

Desperate to conquer this fear

Longing to finally win

Wishing for some victory

Where I’m conquering over sin

Living as a force for change

A positive influence in this life

Maybe an occasional hero

A force for peace and not of strife

Put my hand into the Savior’s

Must give up standing all alone

Strong only when sharing this yoke

Because for my failings He did atone

So when you see me today

Breathe out for me a prayer

Like you I’m occasionally fragile

Though I want to be a player

Facing down these fears

Rushing into battles fierce

Giving with all my heart

Through these walls to pierce

Knowing that in Christ

A reborn heart can truly give

Have the strength to thrive

In all things genuinely live

Where Would We Be?

Where would we be

Or where would we turn

If we were left on our own

Would we watch our world burn

How would we live

How could we win

If those who educate us

Only focused on our sin

Some are given a great gift

Both a blessing and cross to bear

For some it is only a living

For others, a path to provide care

We cannot always clearly see

Through the mists of time

The results of our actions now

The prevention of a future crime

Trampled hearts expressed

In tears and silent screams

All could be prevented

By supporting people’s dreams

Our fulfilled futures reside

Where passions and dreams converge

When hopes and longings are trampled

Hearts songs become a funeral dirge

Let your hands be quick to service

And your hearts be ready to love

Put others needs before your own

So your efforts are blessed from above

This world doesn’t need another judge

Certainly not another hanging tree

Share the gifts of Jesus’ redemptive love

So in His sacrifice the hopeless are set free

Playing For the Wrong Audience

One could spare their thoughts

And spend far too much time

Weighing the value of emptiness

And this society soaked in crime

Facebook, Instagram

Snapchat, and Twitter

Just so much hot air

And mind numbing litter

We’re all so convinced

There’s an audience out there

Needing our two cents

But truth is they don’t care

So when I empty out my heart

And it bleeds out for all to see

My thoughts fly into vacuum

Lost in the cold so far from me

The meaning vanishes without context

The point missed by all but a few

We all long for a listener

Someone to care for our heart so blue

But we’re barking up the wrong tree

And looking for love where it’s not

No commitment and an open mic

Just the right place for a soul to rot

So many shares

So many likes and views

We value the wrong things

Wonder why we lost our muse

Comes a time where we wake

Open our eyes from longest sleep

Realize all that we’ve missed

Having dug a hole so very deep

Yet a voice of hope still whispers

Behind life’s distractions deafening

Shrinking hearts recognize the sound

And strengthened there comes a reckoning

We stop addressing our every critic

No more throw pearls to swine

Set aside unaccountable podium

Realize that we’re just fine

You see we’re all wonderfully made

Each a unique and valuable soul

And yes, we have something to offer

Because our Creator gives us each a role

So turn a blind eye to the naysayer

A deaf ear to the stealer of dreams

Commit every day to your Maker

And overcome our enemy’s schemes

Weeping for America

Every chance I get

I’m drowning in my falling tears

Can’t stop myself

Weeping even as the sky clears

The storm clouds boil

And my fears rage

Enemy screams and devours

Can’t seem to turn this page

Want to lift my eyes

Long to see the sun rise

Raise my voice in praise

But I’m distracted by deceiver’s lies

Watch the black and blue fall

Neither deserved this end

Wonder how this could’ve been different?

Crying to You as these knees bend

My hands bound by uncertainty

Know that I’m not a divine entity

And my answers are shallow

Weakened by my humanity

So in my impotence

I reach for the only one

That intimately peers into my soul

And mends this flesh and bone

On the horizon and coming into view

For beautiful America, Is this the end of days?

We’ve lost our way

Deeply divided and lost in hatred’s haze

And yet, there’s a quiet whisper

Echoing in His children’s prayerful pleas

Adopted children all singing a lovely chorus

Bringing hardest hearts to their knees

And you might ask what song they sing?

But you need a heart change to hear it

A desperate transformation is needed

There’s no need to fear it!

No reason to rage against brothers and sisters

Who like you long for freedom and peace

Trying to win the wrong battles again

We should instead ask for rain on this fleece

Yeah, the answers are just not easy

But we can have answers just the same

Our Lord and Savior longs to free us

Our chains melted away in eternal flame

Dear America rise up from your slumber

Adopted sons and daughters wake

Hear the battle cry of your Savior

Take up the chant for your future’s sake

There’s no more to say

And because calling’s crystal clear

Love one another as yourself

And there’ll be nothing left to fear

Again I cry out from the rooftops

America! There’s just one thing to do

Let your haughtiness turn to bent knees

Pledge your lives to the only God that loves you

Fragile Heart in a Mad World

Tissue paper heart

So easily torn

Fragile from the start

How would I survive?

Just when I thought

And knew I understood

The rug got pulled

Face planted for all to see

I lived to please

Sought to make my peace

Avoided rocking the boat

Would my messes never cease?

Some I met were cruel

And others’ kindness was never ending

Some devoured my hope and joy

Others gave strength from knees bending

Love’s emissaries walked beside

Gave my lost heart a hand up

I may never know their sacrifice

Courage gifted helps me stand up

And standing I face the future

All its uncertainty weighing heavy

Each step bearing me ever closer

Yet fear threatens to break heart’s levy

And a glance from my knees

Awakens again this strength

Unexplainable to the atheist heart

Forward motion on narrow path’s length

Rewards await the courageous few

Lonely souls by peace renewed

Grateful for loving Samaritan’s gifts

Grace and mercy in my heart imbued

With these gifts from hands received

This heart reborn and beating strong

With my gaze on eternal shores I set sail

A wind from heaven to bear me along

So this paper heart is fragile true

And hope is often hard to see

But if I’m led by Savior’s hand

Then my future lies in blessed eternity

Hearts of Darkness

There you revel and rage

Hidden from our view

And often in plain sight

Camouflaged await your queue

And here we are

The remarkable and the mundane

Going about our routines

Both on the good and bad falls the rain

And though we don’t know you

You find hate for us still

Not satisfied oppressing your own

Our sense of safety you’d kill

And so you plot with your small minds

And you weave a web of lies

Ensnare outcasts, the rebels, and the cruel

Ignore your own countrymen’s cries

Arrogant and small-minded you smirk

And sell your eternity for worthless Jihad

Unknowing pawns of the great serpent

Abuse of power your lightning rod

Raise your bloodied fists in empty victory

You waste prayers on empty space

Under your jackboots we’re trampled

In fear we cower sheltered in place

Still there is something you don’t get

Your naïve belief in misguided cause

Can’t fathom that the joke’s on you

Can’t see you’re caught in great lion’s jaws

So hard to pity the bullies of this world

To feel care for those darkened souls

And yet you are the deceived and lost

It’s for you judgement’s bell tolls

Some will never forgive you

Most will never forget

You’ll not find many merciful

For some anger’s sun will never set

And yet there are those called

By the one and truly King

To rise above our earthly pains

And to pray despite the sting

For He has dealt a victory

By our great enemy’s defeat

Our eternity signed and sealed

Transgressions erased at His mercy seat

Though you are our enemy

And we’re right to feel our anger burn

We’re called to pray for you just the same

And pray one day your hearts will turn

That He’ll speak to you in dreams and visions

And God’s Son will meet you there

That the bitter chains of your slavery

One day you’ll no longer bear

So for now you rage and fight

Wage war over false prophet’s lies

And stumbling in your hypocrisy

From you goodness takes wing and flies

As for me and my house

We’ll continue to follow the Lord

But until you utter repentance  

God’s great wrath for you is stored 

Why I’ll Never Be P.C.

Ask for my opinion

Then say how do I dare

Ask me to state my beliefs

And dismiss me with haughty stare

Some have said of me

I suffer not fools

Can’t say I don’t disagree

I just blame their gene pools

I know one day I may regret

This unfiltered way of mine

And though I can be gentle too

A sharp pen strengthens my spine

Some ask me to hide this true face

And though I get it I cannot do it

In the face of intellectual idiocy

I must admit this fire is lit

So if I sometimes offend you

I hope you’ll meet me in the middle

And find it sometimes refreshing

That I’ll never feed you a riddle

So pardon me for saying it

Soon free speech will die

Those like me will be swept away

For being unable to accept a lie

And you’ll exist in false unity

In a fantasy world of glass

Transparent as a gravestone

With freedom six feet under the grass

From my grave I’ll not weep

For my soul’s not bound there

But if you without Christ fall asleep

You’ll wake beyond and find you care  

So if this spurs an angry thought

And you feel you’d like to talk

Let’s meet somewhere with open hearts

And take an impactful walk

Don’t dismiss what you don’t understand

Is something you always ask of me

But for once the tables are turned

I hope open minded you’ll be

For you see the One I follow

Says that for those who truly seek

He is not afraid of your doubt

Nor will He fail to speak

He’ll break through the ice

And melt your heart of stone

His truth will set you free

From this prison of flesh and bone

And the chains that have held you

Invisible and yet still so real

Like blindness will fall away

And your life they’ll no longer steal

So if you never listened to me

Never even once before

May you hear me just this one time

I pray you open up your heart’s door

Ignore my imperfect words for once

But hear the not so P.C. message this one time

The one who knocks on your heart’s door

Offers you eternal peace that’s sublime

One day I hope you’ll forgive me

My persistence you’ll understand

That if I’m convinced of the truth

I have to preach it throughout the land

Just a Gun and its Thoughts

Like most creations

I was born from thought

From need unto design

From creativity was I wrought

To ease their toil and labor

I came from human need

Never could’ve imagined

My role in an evil deed

For once created I lie here

Sometimes in a musty case

Or belted in a holster

Sometimes I start a race

Sometime in my history

Like Cain and Abel of old

I was forced to commit a murder

Hefted like a rock in passion so bold

Was not asked for my opinion

Nor given any choice

As I’m an inanimate object

God never granted me a voice

No way to wander nor explore

I cannot I choose my owner

Sometimes I stand for the law

And other times for a stoner

The liberals think I embody evil

But Constitution grants a right you see

Those would be owners want a choice

Just a chance to take or leave me

And so I lie here until I’m taken up

No actions made when not in hand

Some say that if I was unattainable

All would be far safer in this land

Some wonder if I were unmade

Beaten down from sword to plow

That violence would be of the past

And peace could be ushered in now

But though I am this lowly thing

And my thoughts are just my own

I wonder at the shortsightedness

That history’s always shown

For some, they always follow

Intelligent thoughts so far away

In breezes of popular thought

Their white flags wave and sway

Blaming all on unfeeling metal

As if we could choose our use

They plot to keep us from the sane

And in so doing tighten the noose

You see they’ve never been correct

It’s not at all about what I condone

It’s always been about a human’s heart

I assure you I’ve never acted alone

So when you next see those tears

The hot stains on victim’s face

Don’t be fooled that it’s my fault

Nobody does evil like the human race