CHANCE?

I am just not good enough!

That’s what I tell myself.

Would I pass advice like this,

To anybody else?

Perhaps, I need to step back a bit,

And have a careful look.

Of all the words I’ve had to say,

Enough to write a book.

I’ve written of encouragement.

I’ve written about life.

I’ve written about my trust in God.

I’ve even written about my wife.

So, why is it so hard for me,

To just give me the chance?

I don’t treat others in this way.

I’m just caught in this dance.

One of my own making,

Or maybe, a trap I set for me.

False hope in believing,

But, my words did set me free.

In this, I must admit at last,

Not many years ago,

The words I wrote

They healed my heart.

God taught me to let go.

TAKE FLIGHT

When the world is against you,

Take flight.

When you’re at your wit’s end,

Take flight.

When you feel you’ve hit rock bottom…

When you think that no one cares…

There are angels watching all the time

To lighten your despair.

For His is not to forsake you,

No, His is to guide you to strength.

It is found from within…

Believe, and begin…

It all starts when you truly believe…

Take flight!

NAME GAMES

Callie wasn’t callous,

And Franklin wasn’t frank.

Susie wasn’t suspicious,

And Hank was just plain Hank.

Angie wasn’t anxious,

And Robert didn’t rob.

But every time I see ole Job

I want to call him job.

Ginger, wasn’t ginger,

And Brandon’s not a brand.

Hailey didn’t bring the storm.

This is getting out of hand.

So, what’s up with these names?

Tell me what you think?

I can’t help but play these games

And feel quite out of sync.

If I were to sit here

Typing all day long

I wonder just how many names

I could get into this song?

DEDICATION

With stealth-like efficiency

The blades slipped along.

Expertly, carving out designs.

Years of practice

To her belong.

This life of dedication

Selfless, in her quest.

While others played

Their sordid games

She aimed to be the best.

With the eyes of millions watching

Even as she did her part.

“I am skating for my country.

For my country

Is my heart!”

SPARK

What is in a little spark?

How much power it does yield?

Disappearing as quickly as it’s seen,

Or multiplied to wield.

To wield into a flame,

Causing pain and angst or death.

Such a little thing as this

Can stifle one’s last breath.

But, let’s not forget another way

A spark becomes a fire.

One of love and peace and hope

And deepest of desire.

So, if you happen thereupon

A spark and set it free.

Be cautious of its power.

Like our words – when they’re released.

BONDS

How is it that these bonds are strong,

When barely do they constrain?

A wiser man could untangle them

Again, and again, and again.

Perhaps I haven’t learned enough

To find my own way out.

From these bonds that tie me down

And sabotage my route.

I know the answer’s out there,

Not far beyond my reach.

Perhaps if I dive deep enough

I will find a way to breach.

And finally trod a path that’s true

To get me on my way.

Dismantling these bonds that tie me down

In this, to God, I pray.

A FIGHT WITH PRIDE

When the day is over

And you leave the world outside.

Wipe the turmoil from your shoes,

And with it leave your pride.

For, with pride often comes disgrace,

But in humility wisdom can be found.

So, step away from circumstance

To rock and solid ground.

Superior the power

You will find within His word.

The deeper you move into prayer

Far less are these lines blurred.

And clarity will aid you

When the battle starts again.

Another day, another fight.

But one – you now can win.

CHAINS

It was the key to our friendship from the very start.

She captured my eye…

She captured my heart.

And who would have guessed after all these years?

Relationships broken…

With plenty of tears.

But when we submitted and gave God the reigns,

He gave us each other…

And unlock our chains.

REPOSE

I watched them at the picnic table

With crayons in their hands.

And I wondered at the purest love

God had given to this man.

He never seems to let me go

When the world is tumbling down.

No, He gives me little scenes like this

To remind me where happiness is found.

Too often we are caught in webs

That we allow to tax our lives.

Instead of concentrating on being

Good parents, husbands and, wives.

My self-made preoccupation makes it difficult to see,

But then I watch those little faces

And, my worries are set free.