Hear the Crystal Blue

Hear the Crystal Blue

(“Lord, I cry out to you. I say, ‘You are my place of safety. You are everything I need in this life.’” Psalm 142:5)

Did you hear the crystal blue speak to you,
did you see the children smile? Did you
remember you were made
the same as the tiny feet that
run in the late day grass with footballs
as big as their heads?
Did you remember tripping in the
dew-soaked grass
wearing winter boots
and running to your dad like no one saw?
Do you catch your breath once the winter ices the air,
do you shiver when there is no winter at all?

I’ve been like a jumbo jet that lost
an engine and a wing
and discovered my trajectory has been seen
by far too many on the ground. Why did I spiral,
why the fire,
why didn’t the air support my desire to climb?
They close their eyes at the near collision of
the earth and my fuselage. I accuse myself of
crashing far before their barnstormed videos.

What they do not know is that the ocean welcomes us,
the waves wash over us,
the sea soaks us warm.
What they cannot hear are the lyrics to songs only
the dolphins have taught us.

Shall we trust each other when we have not trusted ourselves?
Let us fall, or swim, or sing, or slide down the face
of the next mountain we ascend. Let us send each other
songs
and repeat them, beginning to end until they bring
the same tears
or smiles
they brought the first time we ever
heard them.

I’m Holding a Worm

 

I’m Holding a Worm

(“The desire of a man is his kindness, and a poor man is better than a liar.” Proverbs 19:22)

Lay aside your baggage, the seats are free. The strange days
are opening upon the rivers and the seas. The damp air
wraps you like a London cloak and the
pines drip mist like honey from needle to root.

I walked by his door 60 feet from his porch
after mounting the hill where
douglas firs made their throne above town.
A little boy, 5 or 6, I did not know his name,
but waved and said “hi” because, well, I like the way
children lose their shyness at a distance. And
I have finally learned that
gifts and kindness reside in the voices of the young.
And he looked at me.
With eyes too far away to know their focus or color,
I still could see how his cheeks shone in the autumn brisk.
His mouth wound around his breath and he waved
hi
in return.
“I’m holding a worm,” he said.

Lay aside your doctrines, the gates are open. The strange days
speak like the river Jordan when Jesus went under. The damp air
is still chilly and cold and the skies are heavy. The road still
winds past they houses of children who pick up worms
and show them to strangers.

And late in this day I have learned,
whatever a child offers is a treasure; worm or hug,
fingerpainted dinosaurs or muddy pies;
they have offered the best, their own, their discovery,
their treasure.

The Eternal Value of Love

The Eternal Value of Love

“The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live forever.” 1 John 2:17

My first car is certainly recycled by now, its rusting exterior either melted and used elsewhere or degrading at the bottom of a landfill. Perhaps the rubber from the tires are now part of the asphalt I travel on with my new vehicle. That 1967 Volkswagen van was decorated with tie-dyed curtains and the spare tire cover was painted with an alpine scene. Since then I have gone through at least a dozen vehicles.

The Resurrection Puzzle

The Resurrection Puzzle

“They puzzled over that, wondering what on earth ‘rising from the dead’ meant.” Mark 9:10 (The Message)

Jesus had taken three disciples, Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. While they were with Him, his appearance changed, before their eyes. They saw the glory of God’s kingdom as even Jesus’ clothes shimmered, sparkling white, far whiter than any bleach could make them. While the disciples rubbed their eyes, mumbled without knowing what to say, Elijah and Moses appeared, talking with Jesus.

Peter blurted out, “Let’s build some shelters, quick! Three of them; one for You, Jesus and one for Moses, one for Elijah.” He actually had no idea what to say.

It all happened right before their eyes. This was no hallucination; the three disciples experience the same thing and heard the same words from God: “This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him.” (Mark 9:7) And then, as quickly as it had happened, it was over. The three men and Jesus stood alone high upon the mountain.

It is on the descent back that Jesus asked them to keep quiet about the experience. “Don’t tell a soul what you saw. After I rise from the dead, you’re free to talk.” Jesus was always cautious not to incite overly excitable crowds to try to crown Him an earthly king, or to revolt against the current rulers. But this is when the disciples really scratch their heads.

They believed in the rising from the dead, the just didn’t believe the Messiah would have to suffer and die. It is easy to forget that the first requirement for resurrection is death. Wouldn’t it be better if the Messiah appeared in kingly glory, marched right into Jerusalem and pulled the throne right out from under Herod, the present Jewish king?

Things weren’t much different then than they are now. Certainly Jesus could have whipped the crowds into a unified frenzy. Calling for Jerusalem to be inhabited only by Jews from now on, you could hear the crowd’s applause. “Believe me”, they hoped He would say, “We’re going to tear down the current scheme of things. Those career Pharisees and Sadducees need to be brought down to size!” Oh how Jesus could have played on mob mentality and led a revolt against the corrupt Jewish King and the ungodly occupying regime in Rome.

But Jesus would have none of that. This is a big reason the three disciples were so puzzled when Jesus talked about “rising from the dead.” Unfortunately, even his crucifixion, death and resurrection were not enough to rid the disciples of their desire for a political victory. Forty days after His resurrection, after spending time with them, and instructing them, Jesus prepares to ascend back to the Father.

Together for the last time the disciples ask, “Master, are you going to restore the kingdom of Israel now? Is this the time?”

“You don’t get to know the time,” Jesus responded. “That’s the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:6-8)

Eventually the disciples understood and began to share the Good News across the land. Though persecuted, sometimes imprisoned by their own people, other times attacked by Roman rulers, they continued to talk about Jesus who rose from the dead. They did not try to overthrow the current regimes because they were now members of a brand new kingdom: The Kingdom of God.

Is it possible we miss the same boat? Are we just as mistaken about how Jesus the Messiah runs His kingdom as they were? When Jesus rose from the dead, He did not summon His followers to march into Jerusalem to take down the government. Instead, He spent six weeks teaching His followers about the New Kingdom, exponentially different than any kingdoms on earth.

He pleads with us today, in the same way He did then. To state it as simply as possible, there are two primary “rules” of Jesus’ kingdom. Rule #1. Love God first, with every part of your being. Rule #2 is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself.

Stop and think about everything people are arguing about in today’s political environment. If you want to be a Jesus-follower, run every “cause” through these two filters, 1. Does this sound like truly loving God with all my being. 2. Does this sound like loving my neighbor as I love myself?

If anything, the resurrection of Jesus Christ demands we consider these questions. Come, Holy Spirit, create a new resolve among your people to love our God first and always, and to be known as people who sincerely love our neighbors, no matter their background. That is the way God’s Kingdom works!

Know the Fire

Know the Fire

(“Order the People of Israel to bring you virgin olive oil for light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually.” Leviticus 24:2)

Once the dust has cleared,
once the tables have turned,
once the night fog has lifted,
once the lessons have been learned

We may see the fire, we may see the fire,
we may feel the flame, and sing with every
citizen and alien, the light eternal
is climbing higher.

Once the guns have stopped,
once the arrows are sheathed,
once the cannons are silent,
once the truth has been believed

We may feel the fire, we may feel the fire,
we may see the flame, and dance at every
neighborhood and boundary, the light concentric
began the choir.

Don’t settle for less
when the deserts bloom.
Don’t keep up the battle
where war is entombed.
Wait for the valleys to rise,
watch for mountains to fall.
Lay down your armor, your shields,
your thrones and quarterly yields.
The day has arrived for divides
to learn from bridges and
home-light to be the newest general address.

We will know the fire, we will know the fire,
we will give the flame, and share with every
loyalist and objector, the existent light
is kindling desire.