At 11 years old I thought it would be a good idea
To go light up
Behind a park bench
With some old friends.
From that moment on,
I saw black and white.
I saw wrong and right.
I saw day and night.
From that moment on I went through my life
Doing whatever I liked,
Because I owned the night.
I was the Night.
All around me, I saw a bunch of golden people.
Golden people with golden lives.
Golden men with golden wives
Holding onto the end of their golden ropes,
With their golden eyes waiting
With an empty hope
For the road to rise up and meet them
But it never will.
Yes, I am broken.
I am dirt compared to those tokens.
But one thing I vow to never be
Is a dirt man spray painted with gold
Just like everyone around me.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Thursday, July 3, 2014
What I'm Learning From "Be Church"
People don’t need facts, they need to know why.
I could stop fifty people on the street and tell them all
about how Jesus died on the cross for all of our sins, and most of them would
probably walk away without thinking too much about it. I’m not saying things
like street evangelism don’t work, but what I am saying is that reaching this
world for the cause of Christ takes time.
We spend so much times developing things like the Romans
Road and other Gospel sharing tactics that we forget about the people we are
trying to reach.
When a new concept or idea comes my way, I find myself
asking, “What does this have to do with me?” As selfish as that may be, we need
to be concerned with our own well being when we are faced with a big life
decision. Why does a new relationship with Christ mean anything different?
Math was my least favorite subject until my junior year of
high school. When I looked at it, all I saw was a bunch of numbers with stupid
rules about why I could and couldn’t do things. It didn’t make any sense.
That’s why I hated it so much. I never took the time to see the fact that there
was so much under the surface. I began to appreciate the puzzle that was my
Algebra homework when I did more than just remember the little rules. With the
help of people who were far more educated than I on the subject, I developed a
deep appreciation of what math really is by asking one simple question: Why?
It’s the same thing when we’re trying to share the Gospel
with someone who has never heard it. Why does a man who lived two thousand
years ago have any impact on my life? Why do I need to be so concerned with
this Jesus guy?
Explaining the Gospel is crucial, but it’s not the only
crucial part of our duty as believers. We need to walk along side other people
and show them who Jesus is by the way we think, speak, and act. We need to
share the struggles of our own lives so the people around us can see God’s
faithfulness in our lives, and see that He really does change things.
We can’t stop at “God loves you.” We need to dig down deeper
in order to show people that He really is worth it.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Lacking Appreciation
It’s hard to see the kingdom of God when there is nothing
physically there.
I think a lot of people struggle with falling into the
temptations and benefits this world has to offer. At some point in our lives,
we chase constantly after a world that keeps breaking our hearts and never
brings us joy or any sense of self worth. I fall into this category often, and
thankfully I have friends who remind me that this world truly has nothing to
offer.
I have never really understood why so many Christians want
to follow things in this world when they know the joy Christ brings, and have
known it for their entire lives. Why would you trade something that holds you
together, gives you a purpose, and has an indescribable love for you and
everyone around you? Doing drugs or drinking too much makes you forget about
troubles, but they come right back when you sober up. Relationships can be
great for a multitude of things, but ultimately every single human being you
meet will let you down at some point. Distracting yourself with schoolwork or
even regular work only leaves you empty and stressed out. I know all of these
things because I have experienced them all on a personal level to varying
degrees.
I came to know Christ as my Savior a little over three years
ago, and since then my life has been a roller coaster ride. My friends have
told me that I have an advantage in this life because I know what it’s like to
live without Christ, so I can resist “worldly temptations” more easily. I have
to disagree with that. Just because I know and can remember what my life
without Christ looked like does not mean that I struggle any less than they do
daily. I think sometimes that factor helps me stay connected with God because I
know how empty it is without Him, but I still struggle.
I think it’s kind of comical that there are so many songs,
sermons, and books written of this subject so often. I think that I think it’s
funny because people who are constantly surrounded and loved by the body of
Christ have it better than most of the population and they don’t even realize
it. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves when I hear my friends complain about
their family or other people in their lives, because most of the people in
their lives love the Lord and are just trying to help them in their walk.
Be happy with the people that are in your life who are
teaching you how to live a Godly life. Cherish those influences, because you
don’t know if they’ll always be there, and you don’t know how much they are
truly teaching you until you look at the things you learned from them as they
were teaching you.
“One day we’ll touch the face of our God, and our sorrows
will disappear.”
That is a day I wish I could slap onto my calendar and count
down to. Unfortunately I have no control over when that day will do. None of us
do. As much as we like to think we have control over our lives, we are
mistaken, because there’s someone watching over us all the time playing out our
lives just the way He planned it before we were born. He sees us when we’re
sleeping, and he knows when we’re awake, and he’s one hundred times better than
Santa Claus.
This world is just a valley of ashes spray painted gold to
make it look pleasing. On the outside it looks good, but when you dig down deep
into it you won’t find anything you’re looking for
Friday, February 21, 2014
What is Next
I’m always wishing for the next step, now more than ever
before
Who would have guessed that the next step
Would be right outside my door?
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Just A Little Bit of Water
Yes, Lady Macbeth,
A little bit of water will wash that sin away.
But I'm afraid to say
That's not all it will take.
You see, I've tried to disguise my lies
By washing them down the drain
But they just get recycled
Into some other form of pain.
So if water won't wash me clean, what will?
And yes, Macbeth,
I think you must have been right
Because after last night
I'm not quite sure if I'll ever be okay.
I've been trying to swallow this thought
That I haven't lived life like I ought,
Chasing fate into the open gates,
Into the blood red ocean
Where I will float on
Into what I hoped would never be.
A little bit of water will wash that sin away.
But I'm afraid to say
That's not all it will take.
You see, I've tried to disguise my lies
By washing them down the drain
But they just get recycled
Into some other form of pain.
So if water won't wash me clean, what will?
And yes, Macbeth,
I think you must have been right
Because after last night
I'm not quite sure if I'll ever be okay.
I've been trying to swallow this thought
That I haven't lived life like I ought,
Chasing fate into the open gates,
Into the blood red ocean
Where I will float on
Into what I hoped would never be.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
My Heart has a Sixth Sense
My heart has a sixth sense
That will shatter my world
And
Recompense
The world around me.
It is certainly astounding
That it can feel something that surrounds me
That my eyes can rarely see.
I want them to be opened.
I want them to believe.
I just need to find the key
That will set these captives
Free.
That will shatter my world
And
Recompense
The world around me.
It is certainly astounding
That it can feel something that surrounds me
That my eyes can rarely see.
I want them to be opened.
I want them to believe.
I just need to find the key
That will set these captives
Free.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Perched Atop a Fallen Log
Perched atop a fallen log
With the brisk autumn air kissing her face,
She sits still
Dreaming of what she soon will be
And what she has become.
The birds remind her of where she came from.
They bring back the freedom of frolicking
Down freshly blazed paths that carry her
To her place of refuge.
In that place her thoughts flowed freely
And any fetter locked around her heart was set free.
The trees remind her of where she is going.
From a young sapling with nothing to bring
To a strong shelter for the weak and needy,
Roots set deep into the ground
To stand against any Storm
That may knock it down.
And even when it is knocked down,
It grows back stronger than the first time around,
Growing closer to the Light as it gets taller and stronger.
She is inspired.
She will be free.
She will be strong.
The Light will make her everything
She needs to be
With the brisk autumn air kissing her face,
She sits still
Dreaming of what she soon will be
And what she has become.
The birds remind her of where she came from.
They bring back the freedom of frolicking
Down freshly blazed paths that carry her
To her place of refuge.
In that place her thoughts flowed freely
And any fetter locked around her heart was set free.
The trees remind her of where she is going.
From a young sapling with nothing to bring
To a strong shelter for the weak and needy,
Roots set deep into the ground
To stand against any Storm
That may knock it down.
And even when it is knocked down,
It grows back stronger than the first time around,
Growing closer to the Light as it gets taller and stronger.
She is inspired.
She will be free.
She will be strong.
The Light will make her everything
She needs to be
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