The Prisoner

The prisoner is the prison guard

He locks himself in with the keys in his hand

The cell becomes home for this prison man

Whose head becomes burdened

By the heart of the guard

Oh how he yearns to break free,

Free from the lies,

The lies of the guard who locks the door each night

The prison man gets a taste of the light

Shining oh so bright,

Just outside of his cell

Each day he breaths in the freshness of air

And the freedom dwelling there

Penetrating his soul

He has hope for another day

But just as he feels the breeze in his nose

Just as the sun peaks over the ridge

His joy is snatched as he fits in the cell,

Into the dark cell once more

The cycle continues

Each day and each night

The hope of the day fades to the fear of the night.

Remember This

Remember this

We will all stand before the Throne one day

Whether in fulfillment of our hope

or in shock of its reality

Nothing will cover us

but the Cross

Which we spat on

or clung to

 

You may say,

“Look what I have done

Look at how I have kept the laws,

the creed

God will accept me now”

 

NO!

 

Remember this

Your works are like quicksand,

the appearance of solid ground,

with a hollowness at its core

Works done in the flesh will stand in opposition to your salvation

works to wipe off the guilty stain,

a mirage that the destination lies within our own grasp,

an infinite pit from which you will never climb out

These acts will return void

a dead heart cannot bring itself to life

Yet the work of broken man will bring glory to Lord

for it was the Spirit that stirred,

the heart of the already righteous,

the Spirit shaping the clay

 

Remember this

Grace cannot be earned

but received,

from the one who declares guilty or free

 

Remember this

Receive now the very presence of God

the power to mold the clay

and to awaken our dead lives

 

Remember this

We will serve a lord one way or another

One who provides freedom

Or one who brings slavery,

clothed as freedom

 

Remember this

Forgiveness is powerful

Joy is contagious

Hope is sharper than a knife

Peace comes from the grace we were given

 

Remember this

The enemy prowls around,

looking to pounce on the weak

Stand firm in the One who awoke your soul

Stand in the freedom you have received

Don’t fall for the seductiveness of bondage

Watch out for those who would call you into bondage

to earn righteousness apart from the Gift

Resist the urge of those who would place themselves as the gate keepers

Embrace now the One who carries your burdens,

in whom the yoke is easy

 

Remember this

Freedom is found on your knees

with palms raised to the sky

and control surrendered

Freedom found in death

Salvation in the Savior

The Alien in the Pews

Take a glance right next to you

There may be an alien in the pews

Who just last night jammed down pills

Not knowing if he would wake this morning

 

Or maybe the individual sitting right in front

See the blood on the shirt right there

The tears of the soul crying out

On behalf of the scared,

Emotional mute

Too overcome by shame and guilt

 

Remember the young man you said hello to,

Well he hid in the bathroom to avoid that very moment

A swell of tension,

And of knots

 

The person behind you

Well he is ashamed of his choices

Of innocence now gone

A vanished purity

Wondering if he’s still accepted in these four walls

 

The young women who showed up after the first song

And left before the last one

She can’t stand to face another being

Even herself

Ashamed of who she is

Yet slowly dying without knowing the Cure

 

They are all aliens in the pews

Who we don’t even know

They have the same looks,

And they wear the same clothes

They are searching,

Wondering,

And hoping to experience the Lamb

Who was slain for them

 

Will we usher in the broken

To meet the one who can make them whole

Who has washed us white as snow

And will do the same for them

Will we greet them with the pearl we have found?

Or just bury it in our own little holes

 

Will we act as the gateway

Picking and choosing the work of grace

Or will we put on display the work of the Potter?

Pain’s Desire

Pain desires company

Not so others feel the same agony

But so its cries are heard,

Its wounds felt,

And its path seen

 

A hope rests in this comfort,

Hope of shattered glass being made whole again

Yet we abandon those who hurt the most,

Those who “look” just fine,

Yet are bleeding to their death

 

We fail to inquire how a soul may be doing

In order to hide from the stain of their bleeding heart

And the gunk we may find there

 

We remain comfortable

Looking right past a hurting world

And in doing so we lock up Hope in a box,

The only Hope that matters,

The only Hope that can turn those shatters into a whole,

The only Hope which can drag one out

From the darkness he’s in.

Fulfilled in the Mystery

I’ve traveled to the edge of fear

Where hope seems lost

Joy turns to sorrow

And life seems like death…

 

The tug to step over was so strong

But a hand reached out,

Pulling my soul out from these depths

The hand of the Father

Who found me

And saved me

Long ago

 

He walked each step down this path

Hurting with every single one

Wishing I would just look around

And see Him standing there

With a lamp lighting the way home

Where supper was ready

Warm clothes were set out

A cozy fire to curl up by

And a pillow to lay my weary head on

 

“Lord, I’m sorry I have brought you this far

For your glory deserves holiness

Not this stain you have received

But you oh Lord find something in me

A relationship to be had.

Why you continue to pursue me,

An imperfect being,

I will never know.

Why you would give up your own,

I cannot fathom.

Why you suffered,

I cannot understand.

Why you took on shame,

I cannot grasp.

Why you took my stain,

Is a mystery.

Yet you have done it all

Out of your love for me.

 

When the darkness was all around

You were there

Lighting my every way

I can see it now

You never left my side,

I just never looked to see your presence

 

You take me on journeys,

Both joyful and hard,

My life is not about me,

Only you:

For your love to shine like the brightest star

For your hope to break through every cloud

For your joy to cover all sadness

For your glory to shake all around

 

You are God and I am not

You are good,

Both in the light and in the gray

 

Whatever brings you glory,

Lord, I will do it

Whether joy or pain, I will walk in it

I can say this now,

But Lord…

Give me strength to live this out”

 

“You don’t belong there”

A voice comes from the shadows

“Don’t listen to that other man

He does not know you

He does not want you

And in the time of need,

He will be gone.

Come on back…”

 

“My child,

He seeks to deceive you,”

The Father cries out

“For my love for you continues on

I will walk this journey with you

I will connect your broken pieces

And make you new

Believe in me.”

 

Here I stand

At the edge of faith and fear

The choice is mine

To step out upon the water of faith

Or return to the land of fear once more

 

With a single step I’m gone

Into the water away from the shore,

The foundation I’ve known

Where shackles lined the way

 

The water is daunting

So long and so wide

I have no vest

I have no boat

To save me now

Faith is my guide

Faith has overcome the fear

I cannot deny the call of the Father

Calling me on

Away from that foundation I have known far too long

I will die following this call

Yet I choose this path

Because He is enough now

 

I’ve found my end

And His beginning.

I Am Sorry I Watched You Die

I’m sorry I didn’t answer your cries

That you were beginning to live a lie

Trying to blend in

While hollowing out on the inside

 

I’m sorry I watched the fear creep into your eyes

Your desperate pleas haunt my sleep

Your wild grasps for something to hold onto

For someone to hold you

I live with the effects every single day

The numbing permeates everything

 

I’m sorry I watched you die

I saw you fight each and every lie

One by one

You stood your ground

For quite some time

Yet it became too much

To bear on your own

And there I sat

Watching you die

My Prayer

Dear Lord,

 

Here is my soul

With its dreams

And doubts

Here is my present

And my future

I lay my life in surrender

At your feet

 

My old life died

And was buried with You

Yet in the same way

I arose with you

And was given new life

For which fear no longer has reign over

 

Because of this I can now say

You are in control

Nothing is wasted on you

Nothing I do is outside of your strength

Or your sovereignty

Your flock won’t escape your gaze

 

I step in assurance

That you, oh Lord, care for me

 

Fear will come knocking

Yet I know the winds of doubt will not topple me

For my anchor is in you

My rock and fortress

Though suffering may have a temporary hold

Its days are numbered

And its fate has been sealed

The future will unfold under Your sovereignty

Not a pebble is out of place

For you see my every step

Sustaining me through the valley

And smiling with me at the top

 

You see my dreams

And promise something far better

A part in Your story

That all will know Christ

And Him crucified

 

Here I am

My life is yours

My Savior

My Lord

I Bow

Here I bow

As the rain pours

With my knees to the ground

Calling on your name

 

Here I bow

With my dreams on the floor

With fears on my sleeve

With the joys you have given

With the mountain I just climbed

 

Here I bow

In full surrender

With my allegiance yours

My King and Lord

 

In your hands all else passes away

Let the Tender Hands

Darkness.

Hurt.

Pain.

Some will be forgotten

Some will be buried,

Buried down in the cavern of the soul

They seem lost somewhere down there

As if they will never see the light of day

Where they will fester

And pester the soul

And eat a hole

Right to the core

Now laid bare

For a soul to come and care

 

So along comes a lion,

A wolf in sheep’s clothing

Preaching hope and freedom

From the pain piled deep down inside

He plants a thought

Mistaking gashes for mending

And fancying a blade

As the aid,

The tool of his healing

 

I bought this thought

For freedom is what I sought

To carry me away

From the burden I carry

I grabbed the blade

By now the damage has been done

The marks do not fade

It’s hard to look away

 

Back comes the lion

Now taunting his prey

Who bought his hope

And his lies

Now they just fade to

Fear.

Guilt.

Shame.

 

A voice calls out

“Where are you going?”

“I’m hiding

For I am afraid of what you may say

Just look at my scars

Oh, how I stained your masterpiece.”

 

“Who told you that?

Child of mine, I see no stain

I still see my masterpiece

Whom I breathed into life.”

 

“But I lost

The crafty one has won,

Just look what I have done!”

 

“Don’t you see

That from his mouth

Comes the words of judgment

Whose chains were broken long ago

He did not win because you are in need of grace

I have won,

For by grace I made the way.”

 

“Won’t others see my scars?”

 

“They may, but I don’t.”

 

“Won’t they see me differently?”

 

“They may, but I don’t.”

 

“Have you heard my mouth and what it has said?

Have you seen my eyes and what they have seen?

Have you seen my hands and what they have done?

If you did you wouldn’t want this soul!”

 

“I love you,

Don’t ever forget this

I love you,

Scars and all.”

 

“You may, but I can’t.”

 

We all find ourselves with scars of our own

Some large

Some small

Some out in the open

And still some hidden far from the light

 

We run, run, and run some more

To go far away from the pain we bear

But farther down this hole we go

There, guilt and shame will swallow us whole

 

Turn and open up those wounds

To let the light of grace come in

As the arms of hope wrap around

Let the tender hands cleanse you now

And hold you now,

And forevermore.