March 29th

Guzoo

There is a very amazing zoo in town.

march 25

the morning is new

the morning is new

what is it that makes me listen

to you

when you tell me to do things

i don't want to do

I am not a bird

and i will never 

know the sea

intimately

how did you 

breathe

this life

this consciousness into me?

March 23

look up
the sky

it once was filled with snow

swirling in our frozen faces

now we sit in open spaces

every night

I swear 

I swear

that i will be with you forever

the motel lights flickered when you

said 

the words

the words

they crumble in my mind

my icy boots would stumble 

on the glowing streets.

in july we'll know everything

it seems naive don't you think

but it's crazier not to believe

the water tastes like chlorine

in this small town where it never rains

and I dream of tambourines

Soteriology

should i go back

and take the

bark canoe

from your

black beach

and sail it out

to sea

or should I fold

my paper napkin

at dinner

and just pretend

to float over

many oceans

have you heard of hades,

is that why you're here?

or have you heard of

North Korea and the

grey mush they serve with tea?

it makes me sick and I feel

my stomach churn to know that

what we need is a white crop

sense of urgency

March 21st

If you've started

please continue

keep me in your ways

If I've done wrong

in your own eyes

please forgive me by and by

If you guide me

I will follow

and take refuge in your arms

The ruthless man will pass away

in a blooming orchard on a hill

I know that you've been waiting for a while

I was young and now I'm old

I've never seen your brothers begging

scrounging change and sleeping on the street

Soon we'll lie in the land

tall swaying grass and sunny sand

keep the law of God in your heart

We've gotta plough and sow the seeds

praise the Lord and

lift Him on high

Wait for the Lord

and keep in his way.

March 20th

Did you come from the chaos of darkness?

were you bathed in the void

or born in the river?

did the water send you

or were you already teaming with life?

March 15th

you can tell by the wind

that isn't so cold,

the sagging slack line,

brown feathers floating-

we'll be ready soon

to leave the orchard

to roll back in the

smell of spring

to be caught in the

waiting

to catch the end of a smile

and cash in our dreams

for the dream of hope.

March 13 (haiku)

Suddenly the snow
Appears on my windowsill.
Change can happen fast.

march 12th

John 1:1-5

I wanted to think more about this verse.

It's hard to create things in a day.

march 11

it's too easy to go back to the

gates of the garden

it's too simple to get lost in

the honey flowing like rivers

we were all there when it happened

and still we are here

trying in vain to go back.

March 10th

Thank you for the sun
The return of long golden
Streets of wheat to walk upon
We yawn out our excitement
Waking moon rises too
I hear the northern lights came south
It seems everything is alive tonight.

March 9th

The truth in the story

I realize no one can write,

after reading you

the maker of words

who chose to weave them

and leave them loose

in our hands.

March 3rd

Baptism

My mind curves more than the Clarkfork on high

12 months ago I was ready to die

but something in the water

changed my mind.

Go Further

February 23rd

One morning at Camp Bighorn, in Montana the leaders of our morning chapel instructed us to seek solitude and communion with the Lord. The sky was leaking snow when I walked to the river. At first my thoughts jumped as I made my way across the highway. "I'm listening, I'm listening" I repeated to regain my focus. I stopped when I reached the shore. I noticed a rock peeking out of the river that seemed a few hops out of my reach. “I’m listening" I thought. I thought about being still. The river moved past me and even the mountains were breathing but my eyes clung to the rock poking up out of the current.

"Go further", the thought was not my own. The God I'd been listening for was speaking. I looked at the rock, it seemed that I would slip and fall into the shallow river on my way there. I imagined explaining to my peers how I had managed to fall into such a low river, my soaking shoes and dripping denim leaving a trail of questions. "Go further" I heard. After a few moments of hesitation, I leapt over to the rock and balanced there in awe of my small accomplishment.

God was giving me a larger instruction when he said, "Go further". He did not say, "Go out farther to that rock" he simply said, "Go further". He also confronted me with the immediate challenge, to see if there was any action behind my trust. He gave me a glimpse of going further in my faith. God turned a small encounter into a profound lesson.