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

A Pixeled Tragedy

Everywhere to go

Yet nowhere to be

Everyone to meet

Yet no one to know

Hi’s and hellos

Yet not a simple how are you today

We accept the shade of what it truly means to be friends,

Sacrifice and effort

We are connected to every soul

Yet complete foreigners past the like

You see,

If I like enough posts

That means we are friends,

Right?

Hate and judgment

Without really knowing what they have said

Or really mean

Unfollow

Unfriend

A simple click

A simple shrug

A decision that won’t even be remembered past the hour

Is friendship really built on a click?

Or do the roots go much deeper?

To sacrifice

To give

To stand with when things aren’t quite right

To lift up when they have fallen down

To cry when their loved one is gone

To hold when the knife has left an empty soul

To challenge when they have gone one step too far

And to welcome them back as they return

A world rarely touched as we scroll on by

Something a pixeled box can’t fill

A frown

A tear

A sigh

A grin

A smile

A laugh

Or maybe a smirk

The twinkle in the eye

The trembling hands

A racing heart

A warm hug

A loving kiss

The beauty displayed in a simple face to face

Lost in the maze:

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“Glad I could connect with a lot of friends…

It was just the fix I needed”

This canvas you see

Of mountain tops

And the roaring seas

They are just the ones that look good

A carefully cultivated image

To please the masses

And receive the clicks

Yet it is the ones that go unshared

The goofy and hilarious,

That mean the most

But you won’t quite get those moments

Because…

You kind of had to be there

We capture all these moments to share with others

And fail to live in them ourselves

Is a moment worth sharing,

If you can’t even remember the moment yourself?

We spend all our time finding the right shot

The one that everyone will like

Yet fail to ask ourselves

Do I even like it?

We’re careful to cultivate a collage of moments

Without ever taking the time ponder them ourselves

We share so many experiences with others

Yet forget to share in experiences with others

I’ve traded intimacy for what is easy

Something that doesn’t cost me a thing

I’ve sought connection

But only if I can jump in and out at any moment

I’ve lost myself in this pixeled tragedy

And forfeited living

And accepted a shade of what it means to live

Crossing the Tracks

Caught within the track is an invisible world

The beggar,

The drummer,

The singer,

The poor,

The blind

All hidden from up above

Where life doesn’t blink

And man doesn’t stop

Not even to take a glance

For each one is going nowhere in a hurry

Everywhere to go but nowhere to be

 

In our attempt to cross over and reach the other side,

They have crossed over and reached right in and gripped the core of our souls

For societies outcast look at life through the brightest lenses

Seeing the beauty and purity in the gift of life

They bring an opportunity to leave the masquerade for the ballroom next door

 

On these tracks there’s pain

Pain in the eyes,

In the hanging head,

And in the slouched shoulders

Two rails block the way,

But they can’t derail the desire to be heard

The cries can be heard from over the way

“Is anyone out there?

Can anyone hear me?”

The conversation caries on

Not from man to man,

But from man to wind,

Which returns no sound

To jump to the other side and talk to this man is far too dangerous,

For you may get hurt

Or dirty

And besides, we are told not to cross

A perfect excuse to stay where we are at

 

Have we really crossed the tracks,

Or have we merely taken off the masks?