Captivity

invisible prisoner

he came to set captives free

free from bars that may go unseen

bars that are true for all 

they are strong

and hold undefinable things inside of me

bars that go unseen

yet weigh on the heart 

Christ came to set us free

the hope of freedom one day

what about now

the making new

setting free

working through his Spirit

the active present tenses

now i must believe

he has destroyed these bars

I'm in them

not remembering

or believing this 

help me Jesus

the gate is open

I only see bars

change my heart

I'm no longer a captive

to this mind

in me

its my hearts process of birth

there has been this idea of me

being grown and nurtured

and has been formed in me

i'm ready for this to be met

i'm ready for people to meet

this thing that is real

which can define itself

that has been forming

and greatly contributing to me

i denied its existence

yet its crowning with hope

please don't be misunderstood

help me be me

you've been formed

beautifully and uniquely

you've known this part of me

thank you for caring for this neglected place

thank you for preserving 

that which i forgot 

and tried to kill off

you are the giver of true life

birth in me that which is true

and continue this process

i wait in expectation

the other side of the world

out the window

rests lush plants and life

you feel this place all over

its quiet and sticky

yet their are many lives

nobody is known

they bow and look down

education is the cure all

pride and respect maintained

a whole different world exists

that inside of a person

their likes and dislikes

their joys and pain

their dreams and sorrows

but pride and tradition

maintain and preserve order 

when hearts are woken

and questions raised

maintain what is

it is you who can

and who will

wake us from our sleep

all cannot be maintained

when our hearts

are revealed

when we are exposed

and the inside is seen

you maintain

you bring new order

and a new way of life

him

as we sit amongst the grass

that brings life to this earth

as we connect on the concrete

that has been a place

a stop on the journey

for so many

you see

is it in the gentleness of a voice

or the abruptness of laughter

the touch in your present state

or simply in our eyes

or is it spelled all over my face

he is more able then I

I because of him

pieces of me

despite these you see him

do you know what you see?

him who is able and greater

he reveals himself in our frames 

see him not me

he alone is good

stillness

Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he 

has brought desolations on the earth. 

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spears;

he burns the chariots with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God.  

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!"

The Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalm 46:8-11

reflections. . . 

 be still my child. . . still as a sleeping baby. . . a tree untouched by the wind. . . 

be still as the distractions melt away. . . as the tensions of the mind find ease. . . 

Is it easier to know when I am still?

Stillness reflects a posture of humility- being still with open hands as releasing all things to him who is able and trustworthy. Recognizing that he is God. He will be exalted among the nations and in the earth.  It is God who moves and allows us to rest and be still in him. 

Does stillness bring perspective?

people leave

their on a journey

they stop for whatever

and my heart grows fond

i forget they leave

it is ok to be sad

in my grief

i'm reminded

some plant

some water

and God grows

they leave

i'm sad

i miss them when they are gone

man made

that which never was

brings sadness

i made it what i wanted

and it left me sad

the perceived world 

leaves one end

reality

desperate for what i wanted

left sad by the way things are

show me what is real

as to spare this sadness

over things i wished were

bring to light

that which is real

and far beyond what i perceive

a picture

as a little girl i shiver

arms wrapped tightly around my legs

tears flooding my eyes as i lay my head down

the light breaks forth

am i seeing things?

i've tried to make this happen before

i've tried to light the way out of this place

exhausted by my efforts to keep the flame going

i retract, sit, cry, and wait

thinking that hope is gone

the darkness is thick and heavy

the ray of light seems small

can i trust it?

will it lead out of this place?

what will happen?

will it hurt?

will it be better?

does hope exist in this light?

oddly comforted by the darkness i remain

faintly remembering the promises of light

step out and risk the goodness of the light

to be released into light

to break free of this dark place

which entangles gently

the tangles unknown will be exposed through light

i've seen the goodness

but i don't trust it now

i slowly get up

stiffened by time and deeply effected by this place

i crawl towards the hope of light

will it remain?

exhausted i come 

in need of much

guide and release me from this place

even when i don't trust

tears

if tears were pearls i would lack

yet on that day i would be greatly adorned

if my tears had words what would they say?

would they express all that i wish

or expose the hurt that runs deep in my soul?

frustrated at my lack of total persuasion

i weep

desiring to know and believe without a moments lapse

i weep with eyes looking into mine bearing my pain

love abounds

in the darkest moments when hurt is all i feel

love abounds

when i remember the way it felt once

love abounds

i know, i trust, i forget, yet you remain

frustrated perhaps by a need that will always exist

everyday there is an offer, to come to this place

when these things connect tears form

crying out in a way that is deep and raw

you surround me in this place

expressing my heart in a way that only tears can

i weep

but your love always abounds

(a poem about the place i feel like God is bringing me through.  a place that is uncomfortable and challenges much of me and what i know, but desiring to engage this place to grow in my understanding of his unfailing love.  Praise Jesus for his continual grace in my life.  His patience in my small scope of understanding and his desire to bring me past this and into a place of restoration and deeper understanding.  A place where I can know his love more and live resting in this understanding.)

reflections

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
matthew 5:3

I was recently on a solitude retreat and I read this verse. I have never before thought and weighed the words of Jesus in this passage. When i think and reflect on the word poor i think of dependency, great need, and recognition of that which cannot be provided in themselves. Blessed, Jesus says, are those that are poor in spirit. The poor in spirit are those that are desperate. Those that have searched the ways of their own heart and seen their great inability mend the wonunds. In their own Spirit they see their poverty. They are unable to satisfy their great need for Jesus. Recognizing their need to be rescued from their sin and destitute without the mercy and grace offered through Jesus Christ. They will receive the kingdom of God. Those that see their poverty and desperation for Jesus to come and make whole that which is broken and in need of much. It is necessary of me to see how desperate I am before our Savior- this is a posture of humility that God desires in his kingdom.

In the kingdom of God the greatest is:

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

matthew 18:4

"Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great."

luke 9:48

"If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."
mark 9:35

In my flesh I rebel against this idea of being in need. But it is through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ that the blind are made to see. This is a posture and an attitude that I desire to recognize constantly in my own life. In a culture where the least are overlooked it is an incredible idea to wrap my mind around that Jesus desire us to see our great need and poverty for a Savior and those that are last will be first. It is in this that we will grow into the love of God and our lives will be forever change because of this truth. I pray that God would constantly remind me of my need and praise him for the mercy that he has provided throught Jesus.

pieces

it seemed to happen as i was sitting there
her tears quickly replaced her words
every tear that fell echoed on the hallow earth
she is tired, frustrated, and without hope
she gave up everything for this life
this life and relationship that she thought would be different
it was all at once that her heart and her wounds were exposed
it was broken before me the pain was bare
unable to pretend the wounds were not there
silence
i desired to speak and make it well
silence fell upon me
but what my heart felt is unspeakable
i saw her preciousness, her woundedness
her desire for hope
her questions wondering if life would ever be different
the pieces of her heart said it all
i found silence
knowing my words and offerings would not do
silence
thinking of the restoration that she hopes for

kingdom eyes

Children wading in water that was running from the trash mountain in efforts to clean their treasures. Homes established with cardboard and the floor of the earth. Age 40 is all that is expected if life isn't stolen by disease or disaster first. Families trying to survive on that which they could spare from the mountain of garbage. No running water and no electricity. Squatting around the filth and waste in hopes of having a life that is better. Seeking freedom from this financially broken place to provide and survive as a family.

The beauty of the park is unspeakable. If you looked closely at night in the bushes you would find homes. Going to bed in fear of attack, flood, or being ticketed for being in this place. Waking up to every rat scurrying and branch snapping with fear gripping their hearts. Some sell, most buy, yet others live and breath in this place with no addiction to hide behind. Wondering where your next meal will come from or what to do when the big rain storm hits. This is the idea of ultimate "freedom" for many.

We're fenced in, gated around, and hiding in our homes. The scars and defects of this life are painted over. This is a dream for so many people to be protected by this place. Needs of people are easily tucked behind walls and shoved behind closed doors. You work hard, provide the best you can for your family, and live this life that is expected of you thinking that this is the only way. Things seem good and very ideal, yet the issues beneath the surface are undefined and ignored as if they don't exist.

These places seem so different at first glance. The lifestyles, issues, diseases, context, culture, and realities of these places are very unique. One thing that I was challenged with when I first came to this city (SF) was to see with eyes that were not my own. To see what Jesus sees on these streets and in the park and to have kingdom eyes. It is hard to remove the lens that have defined my eyes for so long but slowly God is stripping them from me and allowing me to see so much more then those things that I have listed and described. It is easy to see one place and claim that it is easier and more attractive to be in then another. Going from once place to another it is easy and I may be quick to judge that which is on the outside and seems to define a place. Whether I am in North Dakota, San Francisco, or the Philippines. I see my sin in this and I am praying that God would continue to bring me from this place and give me kingdom eyes. While I was back home for a couple of weeks I prayed that God would give me eyes to see beyond that which is on the surface. That he would give me eyes that gaze upon his kingdom and this world from that perspective. I think that themes are a good thing and I see a few that have come up this year thus far in my learning. One is needs. We all have them and many of them are different then the next persons, yet there is one that is true and consistent that dwells under the surface and the circumstances of the place we live in. The same struggles, addictions, pains, sorrows, joys, hurts, and fears can exist in all of these places that seem so different when we look from the outside. I love diversity and the adventure of discovering, being a part of, and experiencing a new place. However I feel like the more I think and process the places that I have been one thing is the same wherever I go. People need Jesus. We are all dealing with and working through pain and junk in our lives. We are all in need of a Savior that can redeem us from this place and ourselves. This need is played out differently in people's lives, but it is there and God desires to break through these places. I pray that God would continue to shape my heart and to refocus my eyes to see his hand in these places and to be attentive to his kingdom as he brings it more into focus in the places I live.