Being Right

In being right

I have been wrong;

in being wrong

I have been right.

What?

Insisting I am right

without listening,

without regarding relationship,

without considering the whole picture,

without love,

is wrong.

Realizing that I am wrong,

and taking action by repenting,

apologizing, submitting,

desiring to learn, to grow,

to love,

is right.

~ae

“And when I came to you, brethren,

I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom,

proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 

For I determined to know nothing among you

except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 

I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,

and my message and my preaching

were not in persuasive words of wisdom,

but in demonstration of the Spirit of power,

so that

your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men,

but on the power of God.” 

~I Corinthians 2:1-5

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,

but do not have love,

I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” 

~I Corinthians 13:1

For God Only

My soul 

waits in 

silence for 

God only.

There lay my daughter’s art project;

a cookie sheet with an assortment of makeshift tools;

a screw, a pocket knife, a pencil,

a pair of nail clippers, a large tack, paints,

and a coffee mug containing

a few art brushes soaking in murky water.

Etched onto the face of a slab

of dried plaster of Paris,

accompanied by a few simple flowers

and gentle swirls,

these words speak a simple truth.

But… it is broken.

A few inches off the bottom,
including the petals of one flower,

have been portioned off

and remain separate.

Attempts have been made

to fit the jagged edges together

with various adhesives,

but to no avail.

As I try to grasp the depth

of the meaning of these words,

my heart is sad that

such a lovely piece of art

with so moving a phrase

is wasted.

Suddenly,

more profound to me

than its beauty and creative simplicity

is the fact that it is broken.

It is only when I am broken

that my soul may truly enter

into the purest silence;

that of waiting

for God only.

“My soul waits in silence for God only.”

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul..."

~ Psalm 23:1-3

My Pity Party... Wanna Come?

If you’ve ached from your head to your toes’s

and your symptoms cried for diagnosis

and you sniffed and you coughed

‘til your glasses fell off,

then you went to get scripts for some doses.

And you vowed to take each pill with care

so the doctor won’t give you that stare;

then you found a nice spot

and drank fluids a lot

and pretended that dishes weren’t there.

After all that, your brain's in a fog

and your only companion’s the dog

and you’ve nothing to do

that appeals to you.

So, just write something lame on your blog.

Halls of Fame

Walking through the halls

of the elderly care facility,

the endless rhythmic sounds

of oxygen cannulas,

droning televisions,

nurse call buttons

sought to lull my senses.

Yet my eyes could not avoid

the abundance of brokenness, frailty,

shadows of those who once were whole, 

vibrant, capable people

making significant and generous

contributions to society.

I struggled,

longing to be encouraged,

to see beauty

amid eyes that are dim,

hands that are bent,

minds that are disconnected.

My daughter came around the corner

with lilting step and charming smile,

her hours of work in the Alzheimer’s wing completed.

On the drive home,

she delighted in sharing stories

of the talkative advances of one who was normally quiet,

of the benefits of singing to the residents while she puts them to bed,

of the sweet little lady that actually noticed her new shoes…

In a flood of realization, it became clear;

my eyes are dim,

my hands are bent,

my mind is disconnected.

In anguish, I cry out to You, Lord;

please give me Your eyes to see,

Your hands to serve,

Your mind to be understanding.

~ae

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the Father of mercies 

and God of all comfort, 

Who comforts us in all our affliction 

so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction 

with the comfort 

with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  

~II Corinthians 1:3,4

Ode to Millie

Oh, the joy of driving Millie

Highways paved or roads of dirt

Dancin’ rattlin’ cruisin’ filly

Dually with a hula skirt

Miles went by without a worry

Whether heat or ice or snow

Travelin’ slow or in a hurry

Jumped in Millie’n off we’d go

Crank a tune and she would hum it

Dieseled up to keep the pace

Wide expanse or mountain summit

Fit right in a compact space

Haulin’ gear for each vacation

Haulin’ kids and balls and stuff

Drywall, lumber, insulation,

Always held more than enough

Millie, you’re the best, I figure

Been more fun than I could tell

Not a rig better or bigger

‘Nless I had a CDL

~ae

A Bit of Dust

A bit of dust thinks it’s pretty big

until a shoe steps on it.

A shoe thinks it’s pretty big

until a foot can’t squeeze into it.

A foot thinks it’s pretty big

until it walks a mile.

A mile thinks it’s pretty big

until it climbs a mountain.

A mountain thinks it’s pretty big

until a cloud forms above it.

A cloud thinks it’s pretty big

until it rains.

A raindrop thinks it’s pretty big

until a bit of dust soaks it up.

~ae

“Then the Lord God formed man 

of dust from the ground, 

and breathed into his nostrils 

the breath of life; 

and man became 

a living being.”  

~Genesis 2:7

Shadows...

   A close friend offered a challenge to me the other day... to sit on my front porch for a while and just observe God's creation and see what He wanted to show me... that was it!  And so I did just that for nearly 45 minutes until the chilling wind became a bit much for my bones.  
   As I sat encompassed within the afternoon shadow of my home, it overwhelmed me in a deeper, more meaningful way, revealing yet another dimension of God's Word.

I would like to encourage you 

to accept the same challenge...  

to taste and see 

a glimpse of God's glory; 

"Be still and know that I am God." 

~Psalm 46:10

Shadows...

lengthening,

a silhouette imitating that which is real,

encompassing and consuming

every rock or weed or uneven surface

without deference.

Shadows...

always inching, ever moving

while counterparts stands firm;

never content to stand,

yet completely unaffected

by breeze or rain or storm.

Shadows...

appearing to have two dimensions,

yet alone, occupy no space,

immeasurable in thickness,

weighing nothing.

Shadows...

tasteless, odorless, soundless,

yet can be felt;

illusive wholeness,

yet obvious

to the eyes, the skin, the soul.

Shadows...

offering a darkened chill

or pleasant relief from oppressive heat;

always, proffering assurance

of protection, of safety,

of rest.

Shadows...

enhancing the beauty of what is real

by contrast

defining depth of contour,

richness of color,

fullness of authenticity.

~ae

“He who dwells 

in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord,

“My refuge and my fortress,

My God, in whom I trust!”

~Psalm 91:1,2