WEARY (RVD)

SUNDAY MORNING

THE VERY LAST THING I FEEL LIKE DOING

IS GETTING OUT OF BED.

MY ENTIRE BODY HURTS.

WHAT'S NEW?

BUT IN ORDER TO CONTINUE,
I MUST PUSH THROUGH.

MY SPIRIT MUST BE FED.

AND AS THE GOOD BOOK SAYS,

WE MUST NOT GIVE UP ON GATHERING TOGETHER,

(I'M PARAPHRASING HERE.)

BECAUSE OF MY BACK INJURIES,

IT NORMALLY TAKES ME ABOUT TWO HOURS

TO GET READY.

I HAVE TO WEAR STYLISH CLOTHES,

AGE-APPROPRIATE, OF COURSE,

MAKE-UP JUST RIGHT,

HAIR PERFECT,

AND CAN I GET MY BOOTS ON
WITHOUT MAKING THIS USELESS BACK WORSE?

OR MAYBE

I SHOULD JUST STAY IN MY PJs

AND WATCH TV ALL DAY INSTEAD.

BUT HOW IS THAT GOING TO HELP THE HURTS

THAT I'M FEELING,

THE SCARS THAT HAVE BEEN FORMED?

LIFE ISN'T LIKE THEY SHOW IT

ON THOSE SILLY PROGRAMS.

LIFE IS FULL OF UPS AND DOWNS,

NOT TO MENTION THE DETOURS THAT ABOUND.

AND THIS IS ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW.

WHY DO YOU THINK I'VE SAT ON THAT

WHITE PICKET FENCE

TOO MANY TIMES?

'CUZ I'M TIRED OF ALL OF THESE STORMS.

GOD IS WITH ME

AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN

THROUGH THE THICK AND THIN.

I KNOW THAT I AM THE ONE THAT WALKS AWAY FROM HIM.

SO HOWEVER GOD CHOOSES TO USE

THESE WORDS THAT FLOW STRAIGHT FROM

MY PITIFUL BROKEN HEART,

I WILL CONTINUE THE FIGHT

TO THE VERY END.

GALATIANS 6:9

LET US NOT BECOME WEARY IN DOING GOOD, FOR AT THE PROPER TIME WE WILL REAP A HARVEST IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP.

THANK YOU, JESUS

WAKING UP THIS MORNING,

I UNCOMFORTABLY WAITED
FOR THE USUAL PAINS AND ACHES

TO SETTLE IN.

I WAS HAPPILY SURPRISED AT HOW WELL I HAD SLEPT,

CONSIDERING

THE DAY BEFORE

I HAD SPENT OVER 24 HOURS

 IN ONE OF THE ONLY OPEN LOCAL

EMERGENCY ROOMS.

I HONESTLY THOUGHT I WOULD BE HURTING MUCH MORE THAN THIS.

DON'T GET ME WRONG.

I KNOW THAT JESUS DOESN'T CHANGE.

I AM THE ONE THAT HAS STEPPED AWAY
SO MANY TIMES,
TOO MANY TO COUNT.

I KNOW FOR A FACT

THAT JESUS CAN HEAL ME.
FOR EXAMPLE:

FOR SIX MONTHS I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION

FROM THE DOCTOR'S REPORT

THAT I HAD LYMPHOMA.

BUT IT ENDED UP BEING SOMETHING

VERY SMALL,

NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT AT ALL.

SO I WISH TO GIVE MY LORD JESUS

ALL OF THE GLORY

FOR MAKING ME FEEL BETTER

ON THIS,
HIS DAY.

AND, MY SWEET LORD,

I ASK THAT ALL OF MY NEW FRIENDS

BE BLESSED

AND, ABOVE ALL US,

KNOW THAT THEY ARE LOVED

AND MISSED.

PSALM 16:7

I WILL PRAISE THE LORD, WHO COUNSELS ME;

EVEN AT NIGHT, MY HEART INSTRUCTS ME.

70 X 7

WHY SHOULD I CONTINUOUSLY TRY

TO BE YOUR FRIEND,

TO LET YOU INTO

MY HEART,

THE SECRET PARTS OF ME

WHEN ALL YOU HAVE DONE

IS THREATENED AND HURT ME?

GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON,

AND YES

I WILL GIVE YOU A CHANCE.

70 X 7

IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST A NUMBER.

I TURN THE OTHER CHEEK,

AND THAT ONE GETS SLAPPED TOO.

BOTH CHEEKS ARE BRUISED

FROM ALL OF YOUR SLAPPING.

DENY IT IF YOU WANT,

BUT MY LORD KNOWS THE TRUTH

AND HE IS KEEPING AN ACCOUNTING.

IF THAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU SHAKE IN YOUR BOOTS,

THEN SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOU.

MATTHEW 18:21-23

AND PETER CAME TO JESUS AND ASKED, "LORD, HOW MANY TIMES AM I TO FORGIVE MY BROTHER OR SISTER WHO SINS AGAINST ME? UP TO SEVEN TIMES?  JESUS ANSWERED, "I TELL YOU, NOT 7 TIMES BUT 77 TIMES."

TUMBLEWEED (RVD)

LORD,

TODAY

I JUST WANT SO MUCH

TO RUN AWAY,

FIND A DARK COZY CAVE,

A PLACE WHERE NO ONE CAN FIND ME

EXCEPT FOR YOU,

OF COURSE.

PLEASE DON'T BE MISTAKEN,

BUT THIS IS NOT A GAME

 OF HIDE AND SEEK.

I'M NOT TRYING TO BE DRAMATIC,

BUT IT'S LIFE AND DEATH.

SO PLEASE 

I NEED

TO GET FAR FAR AWAY

FROM THOSE WHO WANT TO THROW STONES,

AS IF ANY OF US HAS A RIGHT TO JUDGE.

BY THE WAY, A LOT OF THOSE SHARP ROCKS

HIT HOME.

CAN'T YOU SEE THE LARGE BRUISES ON MY BONES?

I NEED TO BREATH.

I NEED TO KEEP MY MIND ON YOU.

I WANT TO STAY

ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW

ALL THE WAY TO YOU,

MY KING,

SO I MAY GENTLY PLACE

MY THROWN AT YOUR FEET.

THIS IS MY LIFE'S AMBITION.

SO PLEASE KEEP ME IN YOUR ARMS

AND NEVER LET ME WONDER AWAY AGAIN,

DESPITE THE PAIN

AND THE TUMBLEWEEDS
THAT I WAS SURE WOULD TUMBLE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME
IN THIS CRAZY STORM.
IT TOOK A WHILE,
BUT I FINALLY KNOW
THAT MY GOD IS HOLDING THEM BACK.

2 CORINTHIANS 12:17-19

....FOR WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG

HE HEARD ME

WOULD I ASK YOU TO

WALK A WALK

THAT HAS BEEN WALKED BEFORE?

WOULD I ASK YOU TO

GO FORWARD

IF I HAD NOT ALREADY PAID THE PRICE 
AND BEEN THERE BEFORE?

AND

HAVEN'T I ASKED YOU

TO GO TO FOREIGN LANDS?

I'VE TOLD YOU ALREADY

THAT YOU WON'T BE COMFORTABLE

NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO

INTO ENEMY TERRITORY.

YOU HAVE MY STRENGTH.

YOU ARE NOT IN THE LEAST PART WEAK.

YES I KNOW YOU'RE BODY HURTS.

YES I HEAR YOUR CRIES,

YES I COLLECT YOUR TEARS IN A BOTTLE.

BUT YOU HAVE TO KNOW

AFTER STUDYING MY WORD

THAT I ALSO HEAR THE CRIES OF THE UNLOVED.

AFTER ALL, I HEARD YOURS
WHEN YOU WERE BUT FIVE.

MATTHEW 28:18-20

THEN JESUS CAME AND SPOKE TO THEM, SAYING,

"ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME IN HEAVEN AND EARTH." GO THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON AND OF THE HOLY GHOST.  

STAND (RVD)

MY BODY,

AS I HAVE SAID

SO VERY MANY TIMES BEFORE

IS BROKEN.

NOT JUST MY PHYSICALITY,

BUT MY HEART AS WELL.

BUT NO ONE BUT MY LORD MAY TOUCH MY SOUL.

I BELONG

TO THE ONE AND ONLY KING.

THE SON,

THE HEIR,

THE LAMB.

MY EARTHLY FATHER LET ME DOWN
OVER
AND OVER AGAIN,
TO NO ONE ELSE'S SURPRISE.

BUT DADDY DEAR

HAS ALWAYS BEEN NEAR.

YES,

I AM A SINNER.

WE WERE ALL BORN INTO SIN

THANKS TO EVE AND ADAM.

THE PROBLEM IS THIS, YOU SEE:
MY ONCE STRONG BODY
(I COULD SWIM, NON-STOP, TWO AND A HALF MILES,
NO LIE.)

SEEMS
TO NEED

TO GIVE UP THE GHOST
SO TO SPEAK

MUCH SOONER THAN I REQUIRE.

NOT THAT I'M AT DEATH'S DOOR,
OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT,
GOD FORBID.

IT'S JUST CERTAIN
HIGHLY REQUIRED
PARTS

HAVE BEEN QUITE INJURED,
HAVING TO USE THIS WHEELCHAIR
I'VE NICKNAMED 'THE THORN'.

BUT DON'T FEEL SORRY FOR ME IE*,

BECAUSE AS MY BODY DEPRECIATES,

MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY LORD

GROWS.

WHEN ALL THIS BODILY HARM STARTED,

I WAS GIVEN TWO CHOICES:

STAY BITTER AND TORN AND BROKEN,

OR BE HEALED IN MY SOUL

AND TAKE THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW.

IT HASN'T BEEN EASY,

IT'S NOT ALWAYS HARD,

I HAVE DAYS OF PEACE

AND DAYS OF WAR.

AND I'VE LOST A FEW FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES

ALONG THE WAY.
APPARENTLY, I HAVE TOO MUCH DRAMA IN MY LIFE.

BUT,

NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCE,

I BELONG TO YOU, LORD,

AND HERE UPON YOUR ROCK I WILL
FAITHFULLY STAND.

PROVERBS 10:25

WHEN THE STORM HAS SWEPT BY,

THE WICKED ARE GONE,

BUT THE RIGHTEOUS STAND FOREVER.

IE - ABBREVIATION FOR THE INLAND EMPIRE

Scars

Feeling ill this morning

what's new?

My broken body,

my broken soul

I know God can heal it all.

But when, Lord,

will you stretch out your mighty hand

and make me whole?

Have I done something to make you mad?

I am

very quick

to say I'm sorry

and admit 

I'm not the best Christian.

There is much room for improvement

in every room

of my heart.

And those old scars

still need to be healed.

Have I been too ashamed

to let you see

those things I try so very hard to hide?

I've lost friends

over revealing them.

Will I lose you, too?

Well,

you already dwell in there,

you're cleaning the dusty corners,

so I suppose not.

I am yours.

PROVERBS 4:23

ABOVE ALL ELSE,

GUARD YOUR HEART,

FOR EVERYTHING FLOWS THROUGH IT.