Trusting in the Shadow

Trusting in the Shadow

“But I keep praying to you, Lord, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation.” Psalm 69:13

A university student was seen with a large "K" printed on his T- shirt. When someone asked him what the "K" stood for, he said, "Confused." "But," the questioner replied, "you don't spell "confused" with a "K." The student answered, "You don't know how confused I am."

Take for Granted

Take for Granted

(“So the people were in two minds about him—some of them wanted to arrest him, but so far no one laid hands on him.” John 7:43, 44)

Mold him, decided; confusion, misguided.
The books are words end to front proving nothing new,
exchanging cartoons for truth, in the hunt for the real Jesus,
the appealing Jesus, the Jesus I can put my hands upon,
get a grip upon, make up my mind about, prove I was
right about.

Scold him, united; behold him, shortsighted.
The portraits, a Caucasian and renaissance man,
handsome and well-tanned, hair well-curled and not
a single eyebrow misplaced. Paint me a modern
Arab for my Christ and you will be closer.

Last night I lingered between two opinions
(I will not share their content here, for they may have
a significant effect upon my future)
but they pulled me two ways, hyper-extending my
dreams and my shoulders. If I were bolder I would
come down on one side or the other, and spend my
final few decades painting life the way I’ve seen it
instead of fitting it into a majority-vote opinion
that is sure to keep me comfortably provided for.

There are simply some things my contemporaries
take for granted
that have always caused me
to squirm in my seat just a little bit.
Why have I never asked what the squirming is for? 

When the Path is a Puzzle

“Back on the road, they set out for Jerusalem. Jesus had a head start on them, and they were following, puzzled and not just a little afraid. He took the Twelve and began again to go over what to expect next.” Mark 10:32

It must have been a dizzying three years for Jesus’ disciples. Within a typical week they might have heard him teach the most amazing concepts about God, turning their preconceptions about religion upside down; seen him heal, raise the dead, along with other miraculous signs; and witnessed the attacks by the religious ruling class on His authority and Jesus’ deft replies.