GLIMPSES

Let my lines be seed to the thoughts of others,
those who read
and ponder,
some true life to them revealed.

Each rhyme a window into heaven,
a moment of eternity brought to birth,
glimpsing that light,
but then return to earth.

THE NATIVITY

Once upon a time...new kingdom here on earth,
A new born Prince of Peace,
born His bride to save and bless,
To sit with him, a queen no less.

Herald Angels good news sing,
joy for all,
Redeemer King, the news they bring,
Their anthem sweet
calling shepherds to their feet.

Wise men, eyes open, glories see,
discover Him,
God's new born King.
Wondering, downward bend the knee

Men whose 'eyes had second birth',
Saw God's healing come to earth.

A story we too, now can sing,
Renewing all, delighting Him.

 

COMPANIONSHIP

No longer 'vacant miles' and 'empty years',
God come to walk with man.
A love that 'watches and that hears'
as we walk the way with Him.

LODESTAR

When I look back the way I've come,
the path, the dreams I've had,
the winding path unwinds before me.
Is there really a plan?

The constant lodestar
has always shone its light,
bringing hope and joy.

Who lit that star?
Who put it in my sight?
Whose constancy beamed upon my way?

It has the name of love,
the languages of all ages past,
and yet to come.

'There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless it is the Lord's purpose that will stand.'
Proverbs 19 vs 21

THE LANGUAGE OF GOD'S AGE

Why has love such beauty?

It is our native air,
born with an unquenchable thirst
for that which gives us meaning and drives away our fear.

It drives us forward, emptiness at bay, 

our stores of life and love replenished.

As we give yet forth again,

we find yet more to give,
and as we give
it comes to us again,
and in that joy we press on to give yet more.

THE ACHE OF LIFE

An ache in the heart of man,
he knows not where it's from,
nature groaning too.
From where will healing come?
Hope for life anew?

Some walked with the Son of Life,
saw redemption in His eyes,
heard it flowing from His lips,
speaking of life anew.

Life passed through death for life to come.
His friends no longer near,
the anger both of God and men,
desolation in His cry,
declaring yet for God from hell.

One has gone before to open up the way.
Life in the midst of death,
Joy in the midst of pain,
the healing come to man
and bring him home again.

'As the Father has sent me so send I you.'
John 20 vs 21

FAERIE LAND

We both Faerieland were seeking.

Recognising this, we joined hand to hand

To sustain and enchant the path we walk,

A walk to Faerieland.

SMILES

We are people from another world,
Our being more than dust.
Crown of creation, the breath of God,
His spirit sent to dwell in us.

God smiled when He created all,
'It is good' He said,
Delight in man called forth a joy,
As He walked and talked with us.

We turned from that smile to find our joy
in life apart from Him.
our smiles only for ourselves,
and so unseen by Him

Called to create, to bring Him joy,
to rule with joy o'er all
we sought to find a meaning still
but lost that which made our soul.

God warned of death, the loss of  soul,
that which was His own.
Deaf and blind to that which made us man.
we lost both life and throne.

No longer smiles, for man nor God.
A sadness, deep despair,
And then a note of hope, of life to come,
arose and filled the air.

Someone to redeem both world and man
Both precious in God's sight.
A plan before time began
but now brought to light.

Blood would be shed to cancel sin,
Remove the stains, the guilt, the shame
New man would rise to take his place.
A king to rule, renewing all,
Reflecting God by grace.

Ephesians 1

MEANING OF LIFE

The world not perfect yet,
Though maybe precious still,
Precious too, those who enrich it.
Using all their skill.

MADE TO REIGN

Each wedding royal, king and queen at the feast,
to rule God's creation, bringing praises to Him.
Praises from nature, each adding its theme.
An anthem of glory to bring to its King.

Godly fruit called forth, multiplying praise,
A fruit bringing joy,
abundance for Him, maker of all.
A garden to walk in with man without sin.

Man turned from his Maker, having thoughts of his own,
to rule as he pleased, even over his soul.
This never was his and died without Him
whose breath called forth life to rule over all.

Tree of Life now forbidden to nourish his soul.
Thrust out of the garden, no hope of return.
Was this the end, no hope at all?
Was God yet Redeemer and Maker as well?

Perhaps Redeemer the name He loves best,
Saviour of men, loving them yet.
A king who died so that slaves can now reign,
Reign by His side as glorified men.

Genesis 3

A STORY FOR THE WORLD

The world needs a story of an eternal kind,
to lift us from darkness,
the darkness of mind which threatens to undo us,
us and all mankind.

Justice and beauty flee,
lives lashed by sudden chaos.
Change we neither choose nor understand,
a chaos of its own.

Oh for a calm voice and steadying hand,
like He who stilled the sea,
commanding with compassion,
bringing order out of chaos,
working only for our good.

God has always been thus.
It is our eyes that are blind,
our ears deaf to hear Him,
our hearts dull to love of an eternal kind.

We do not heed His story,
Whose death brings joy anew; His rising, life eternal:
A heart new to love Him, a spirit new to serve
in a world which now can flourish.
through the beauty of man's soul.

'He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.'

VOICES

We all hear voices,
Voices from another room.
Another home we knew once well,
When God dwelt among His own.

Now far from home,
Through choice of our own,
Fugitives, forever seeking
The home once lost, lost to us all.

The mark of Cain, a killer of men.
Angry with God,
Bringing works of his hands,
Thorns and weeds held at bay.
But no pleasure from God who sought death of a life,
The lamb yet to come.

What voices we hear?
Beauty and justice, drawing us near.
The life of the Spirit, the love of true man,
Calling us back to begin once again.

New man in Christ, always part of God's plan,
At home forever, reigning with Him.

KINGDOM CLOTHES

God delights to clothe with beauty
That which He has called to life.
Profusion of colours, forms of fashion,
Each appropriate to its place.

Be not found naked,
Naked as Adam, who hid from God.
Whom God then clothed by His provision,
A life for a cover to hide men's shame.

We learn in life to put on raiment, children clothed with shining light,
Putting on Christ, garments of grace,
to fit us for the holy place.

COVERINGS

Naked with shame, O  be not found,
No need for He has killed the lamb,
Our bloody flesh to cover.

A bride clothed with white,
Prepared for the wedding,
The feast of God's Son,
Who Himself is the Lamb.

THE WORDS OF JESUS.

Metaphors many, no idle words.
Take time to pause, to heed those words.
Reasoned words, vibrant words,
Speaking life into our soul,
To tell His Story, the Father's Son.
Redeemer, Saviour,Shepherd, Man
Priest and King on our behalf.
Prophetic words,
Life-renewing, creating words.

Dance to these words, life-giving and true.
The dance at the feast prepared for the Son,
Bridegroom and Prince.
Calling us home to feast as His own.

PIECES OF A PUZZLE

Many themes from Scripture flow,
God speaking to our every need,
He alone the picture sees
Of that puzzle, still in pieces.

Each piece a glory speaks,
A glory yet to be revealed,
A fitting whole.

Glory to Him who forms us yet,
More glory than mere words can tell.

BEAUTY

Beauty that is fitting,

Even grass decked with flowers.

Beauty that is fading,

It lasts not many hours.

Beauty that is fair,

Bringing life and joy to all.

Some beauty lives forever,

The beauty of the soul,
The soul born of love, God's eternal goal.

EMMANUEL

Fruit, not from this life, we now bear for Him.
Attesting to that union
With the crucified, yet risen King.

Indwelt by His spirit, glory yet to come,
Yet also God on earth,
A haven once again.

GOD'S STORY

O man seek not your glory,
Seek it alone in Him
Who made you for His story, to rescue all from sin.

To rescue from all sin, and find a home in Him,
The beauty of the ages
Come to dwell within.

HOME IN A GARDEN

God made a garden, a fitting home for man.

The crown of His creation,

To rule on earth for Him.

A garden he should care for, to keep it fitting yet.

A steward in God’s place, bringing praise and grace.

At home in this creation, he sought godhead for himself.

Denying God the glory, the glory of obedience,

Bringing pleasure to His maker,

Bringing sin and death instead.

A home he was denied, taken from the Garden,

Cast out to weeds and thorns,

A sense of loss o’er took him.

He ever seeks that garden, that happiness he had.

A yearning for that home, a hunger for that beauty

Which eludes at every turn.

But wilful, turns from God and seeks it in himself.

Seeks it in creation

Turning nature into god.

A sense of man’s true greatness draws him ever on.

But seeing only ruins, ruins brought by sin,

Always turning from that greatness,

Denying it to others, he never finds a home

God longs to bring him home,

Promised it in love to those He holds most dear.

A paradise of glory,

A room within His home.

God yet draws us near, eager to redeem.

Restore a cosmos full of joy, joy and peace in Him,

True Son of God yet man, who died to make all new

And fullfil God’s victory plan.

Now a vale of tears and joy,

At home, yet always travelling,

At home in God who loves us.

A bride adorned for glory, a bride for Son of Man.

A groom who yet awaits us, drawing ever near.

Oh man seek not your glory, the way to sin and death.

Paradise awaits you. Look only up to Him.

A foretaste of that glory, a haven once again.

God dwelling with His people, forever home with Him.

KENDA

Thud, thud, thud goes your tail,
a plume of black fur,
waving in the air like some giant feather duster,
a sign of bounteous happiness,
a dog's life, bringing joy to all.

NARRATIVES

Celebration and joy as heaven interlocks with earth.
We, taken up into God's story,
His, coming down to earth,
down to earth in His Son, the only ever Living One.
The only one where King and Bride live for ever side by side.

Emanuel, God with us.

MASTERPIECE

Emanuel, King in residence with His people,
so heaven will rule on earth,
so light will shine on all,
creation restored.

What is man?

Apprentices of a loving Craftsman,
those in whom He greatly delights,
sharing His pain and sorrow as He looks on broken earth,
sharing His joy to see His masterpiece restored,
daily little 'Christs' bringing life and love to all its parts.

And God said 'it is good, very good'.

Proverbs 8

GENTLE SERVANT

Heaven touches earth with every gentle touch,
'I see you' it says.'You matter.
God's image here on earth.

What of our feet He washed, even greater gentle touch?
The Servant of His people, down on bended knee.
The service of a servant at a feast that spoke of joy.
Coming joy inspired His service, despising coming shame.
That of the Suffering Servant, God's rescue to proclaim.

The Last Supper, as described by John.

HEAVEN COME TO EARTH

God's joy has always reached down to man.
Without our fall how would we know?
He creates out of joy
and re-creates with even more.

'Joy of heaven to earth come down',
the angels'chorus of peace,goodwill.
The heart of God's pleasure and that of His Son
to redeem His children and bring them home.

Small wonder He calls us to rejoice
and fills our stores with love divine,
redeeming man our calling too.
a rescue plan to make all new.

Luke 2 vs 14

WORDS

Words must drive men forth from their caves
and so to the market place of ideas.
Some choose to return to their cave.
Others take a ship to far-off places.

THE DANCE

Man is God's poem in whom he delights,
now fallen, distorted by sin.
What of the dance, the rejoicing of joy?
Is it only death and decay?

No wait.
There's Another, the Lord of the Dance,
One in whom He delights and loves well.
Born to restore the form of God's poem
through death but that of His own.

Life out of death, like spring in the bud,
a new dance for all with all joy.
A new garment for those who will dance with the Lord,
the King who has come for His own.

Zephaniah 3 vs 17

ETERNAL LIFE

I am no quiet muse of a dispassionate kind,
an unfeeling spectator of men's lives,
but one who speaks to hold aloft
a torch,
that other eyes may light upon the truth,
the Way to life of an eternal kind.

HEROES

We hear of heroes passing through,
dumb men who cannot see
nor hear acclaim.
If blood be shed to curb that blood be shed,
for whose blood do they die?
For what traverse that stony land so far away,
where death lies wait at every step they take?

Their camp so different
to our pastures green and quilted luxury.
Where are their thoughts,
their bodies settling in the dust,
perhaps to sleep awhile?

What waits the morning?
To be that dust in one short day?

LOVE OF FRIENDSHIP

I tip-toe softly round the solace of another's touch,
which breathes new life into my love,
and seek new words of joy
as 'golden apples in a frame of silver set'.

But quiet, quiet it is not to be,
That love so dear to woman's heart.
It wears another garb by name of friend,
and bears yet fruit that all may see
the life love brings.

THE MAZE OF LIFE

Pondering into poetry set,
emotions free to flow.
Using reason yet,
to reach the higher peaks,
to gaze upon the maze below.

CRAFTING A NEW LIFE

Plucked, an over-ripe apple from the tree
Fit only to sit quietly on the side-lines of life,
A spectator
Musing over past failings
It was a sad sight.

But not for long. A sign from heaven,
A thought from the past took root.
A voice
For one who loves to speak.
Life returned, I lifted my head.

Hard work followed, a new skill acquired.
Those who thought my speech too quiet,
A surprise
A soothing voice to reach the many.

I spread my wings, took flight,
A new course to follow.
A joy,
For those who had less light,
A 'Silver Lining' for tomorrow.

LIVING WORDS

The thoughts of men lie hidden,
known only to themselves.
They need a voice, a word
to drive them forth for all to know,
to stand or fall,
to live or die,
maybe ever more to lie
in memory of some noble deed.