Never Sleeps

While a pastor on the Fort Berthold Reservation I was honored with the Indian name, "NeverSleeps". It was primarily because I was often responding to particular needs in the middle of the night.

Even more relevant, the Lord Himself, Maker of all, "Never Sleeps".

Surely you know.
Surely you have heard.
The Lord is the God who lives forever,
who created all the world.
He does not become tired or need to rest.
No one can understand how great his wisdom is.

Isaiah 40:28

Welcome to every reader. I am a simple follower of Jesus. He is perfect, I often fall short.

Showing posts with label fence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fence. Show all posts

Saturday, April 16, 2022

So Rural and Plain

 
So Rural and Plain

(“How many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling!” Luke 13:34b)

The day was
fog and grainy photos.
There may have been a storm outside,
there may have been a crowd.
There may have been wheat in the fields,
there may have been a few who
drove on past without reviewing the
scent of new-mown grass.

The day spoke
hush and silent movies.
There may have been a flock of geese,
there may have been an eagle.
There may have been sparrows on the lawn,
there may have been rabbits
who mindfully paired up just inside
the neighbor’s fence.

The day slowed
climb and crescendo.
There may have been too much to listen to,
there may have been a marching band.
There may have been loaded picnic tables,
there may have been families
thinking the old ways were so much better
than all this fuss and nonsense.

The day stopped
clear and motionless.

While waiting for the next breath
something swept across the frequencies
of time and sound, of light and relativity--
a day to fill all days, a diorama,
a shadow-box hung on the walls of our
consciousness.
It was an invitation so rural and plain
we mostly ignored it. We went back to
our everyday, convinced that deity would
be above metaphors of poultry and feathers.

The day was…

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Freedom Lives in the Fence Slats

 Natural Wood Design Ideas Dog Fence

Freedom Lives in the Fence Slats

(“So if the son sets you free, you will be really free.” John 8:36)

Today all I hoped for was meaning
alongside my mistaken humanity.
I barely can proofread my own work,
let alone edit soft sell and
hardheaded opinions boiling over
on the page.

And yet,
words I meant as love
have squeezed some wounds I did
not anticipate. The rain fell like
a sandstorm instead.

Here I am, lonely again,
wishing words were more transparent.
But some dots and commas tripped
a person up again
and I must remove them before
the meaning is lost forever.

Freedom lives in the fence slats
that let us see the garden next door
cultivated by spotted hands breathing
the roses.

Freedom lives in the offenses
dropped like guns turned into
garden rakes. The hands dropped loosely
to the side, we advance only in
surrender and silence.

We hope that our folly will
be only a printer’s error in this
loose-leaf attempt at

Getting through the day.