'08

Behold, the old has gone and the new has come. 
But I still feel the same. 
08. 
These are our numbers to claim, 
Engraved at the ends of our names. 
An end and a beginning are etched in our hearts. 
The ebb of time cannot weather the carvings 
Chiseled by the very hands of God. 

Tonight the air is even, 
Obstructing none of the galaxies that light our eyes 
           A glimpse of what He called "good" 
           Before our souls became dim. 
 
'08 is but 120 minutes old. 
Tonight, my prayers will shed their words and fade into 
The stage for the first dreams of this year.

Canvas Seas

Worlds apart become worlds collide
As my lives start to bleed across the lines
Unspokens borne out of one affair
Drip and drag their scarlet drops
That seep across these canvas seas
Echos of prayers blown continents far
Cords of distant narratives lacerate local hearts
Convolute my palette
Rend composure, coherency apart.

The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things

Are we ever "where we need to be?" On one hand, isn't it possible to be in G-d's will, and isn't that then "where we need to be?" But on the other hand, isn't the nature of sanctification the reality that we aren't where we need to be, and thus we are getting to that place we're supposed to be? The former allows us to live in shalom with what G-d has given (or not given) us. It facilitates the process of living in the present. However, the reality of the latter is like a thorn in the mind, heart and spirit. The realization that our thoughts and motives count just as heavily as our actions (Sermon on the mount), yet we are to act in accordance with what is right even when our motives and thoughts are rebellious remains, to me, a difficult anomaly.

This is ever the tension of our lives... acknowledging the legitimacy of our feelings without necessarily living by them. Struggling to live right even when our motives are questionable. Through all of these paradoxes runs a thread of attempted faithfulness, often faltering... a faithfulness that I pray is honored even when I cannot straighten or sweep out the depths of my intentions.

The Spirit prays for us when we do not have the words... but I think He also prays for us when our motives are muddled.

It's good to pray for someone other than number one.

I'm praying for you. Its truly a joy and a breath of fresh air, and I count it as a privilege.