Parents

Blessed am I for the parents I have
Honesty and integrity are their bones
Love is their blood
Support and Goodwill, their muscles
Joy, their skin
Their spirit, Jesus
Forever reliable, always caring
A better Mom and Dad one is hard pressed to find.

Fear

There is only one Lord who deserves my praise
Although others try to entice its to Him my hands raise
The enemy might try to stop me
But my Lord has set me free
The enemy might show his face to instil fear
Fear does come but I don't care
My God says, "be courageous for I am here."
Through my fear I fight, stand firm
Not by my power but by His strong arm
I rest knowing I am His come what may
The enemy can do nothing to my eternity for with Jesus I stay
I stay strong, standing courageous
Not without fear but with a love that's outrageous
A love that conquers fear for my God is I AM
The I AM who I AM greater than any man
Greater than any being or fear thrown my way
I know who I serve nothing can make me sway
With Him I'm all in, I'm not cautious
For if our God is for us, who can be against us?

Nostalgia

Childhood days have come and gone
Responsibility in place of playing
But as I remember and sit alone
Fondess is my only feeling
I do not miss those times
However fun they may have been
Whats past is past and past gives way
For something new to begin
I don't desire to relive days of old
It is the now I try to enjoy
Live my life in CAPITALS and BOLD
Excitement and adventure to deploy
Now I stand a man of twenty-six
The future out there promising more
Responsibility, possibility, all the unknown
But the world at my fingertips to explore

The Gospel

I sit and ponder upon which is unattainable but which has been made attainable, completely out of reach yet perfectly made reachable. How does one gain such inaccessibility but by accepting the fact that it is unattainable. Denying yourself of the liberties of your slavery and enslaving yourself in the freedom of the inaccessible. This conundrum seems so complex yet is so simple. From the world's perspective this seems foolishness, illogical, and oxymoronic. Yet through spiritual lenses this is lovely, wonderful, and perfect.

False Reality

These thoughts came about after lying in bed for 2 hours without being able to sleep. Here is a sample of what goes on in my head during those times. It will be useful for one to have a basic understanding of Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave' to read the following post... If Plato is right, and I believe to some extent he is, this world is but a shadow of reality. What we experience is a false mimicry of what is true. If this in itself is true then what Paul says in Philippians 1 makes complete and utter sense. “I desire to depart and to be with Christ which is better by far.” Who would rather die than live? Someone who knows that this life is not all there is to offer. Someone who knows that this life is in a state of brokenness that will not be mended fully until death or Christ's return. This desire should be that of every Christian, yet we desire what this world has to offer, even though what this world has is only a false mimicry of reality. I used to think 'I want to experience marriage before I die.' How foolish! Marriage in this world is imperfect and fallen. It is only a shadow of Christ's marriage to His bride, the Church. So in Heaven we experience true, pure marriage, unadulterated by sinful people, but lived out by the Sinless One and the Forgiven. I used to think, 'I want a family before I die.' What truer family could there be than being united with the Heavenly Father face to face? A father whose love surpasses anything fathomable here on earth. Then also we get to experience eternity with our brothers and sisters in Christ, a family so large that it would be near impossible to count. Some might want to see the world before they die. If this world holds as much beauty as it does with its lush rainforests, breathtaking scenery, massive mountains, beautiful waterfalls, and captivating sunsets, how much more would the true reality hold? These beauties being but a shadow of what is real, what mind blowing creation is there in the presence of the Holy One? Now, this is not to say we should seek death, that would be folly. Even Paul knows better, “It is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” We must stay here in order to advance the kingdom and guide others into the loving arms of Jesus. But we must not get caught up in this world, we must not get caught up in this life. We need to be Kingdom focused and know that there is something better, something greater in store, the true reality. The reality in which God dwells in, in my opinion, with our words could only be described as a physical form, but God's being is truly physical and what we perceive here on Earth as physical is but a false mimicry of that which is real. Now Jesus, I believe, has a physical form, yet his form is different than ours now. He has a heavenly, glorified body, one that is true form, ours being the false and fallen form. That said, in a sense, this life isn't real, what is real is God's country. We should live with this mindset. Much of what we face would seem more trivial. The kingdom would grow and we would live more selflessly... Just a thought.

Easter

It was the fruit of a tree that sin began,
It was death on a tree that caused the end
Of a separation that no one could mend
Except the Son of Man whom God did send.
God came to Earth clothed in humanity,
Lived to serve but some called insanity
To the words that he spoke, they were revolutionary,
They caused hearts to turn, they opened eyes to truly see
That God became man, and Jesus was He.
The Pharisees couldn't believe that this could be their messiah,
A humble man from Galilee, not a position any higher.
The life that Jesus lived is one we should exemplify,
The Gospel through our actions is how we can amplify
The name above all names for it is only because of His sacrifice
That we are able to live any of our lives.
For we were dead in our sins, not even able to breath,
Salvation was not an option, but Jesus went up on that tree,
Willingly He hung there, until He died for you and me.
You see, that cross was for us, that is what we deserve,
To hang there like a criminal, but salvation God did preserve
And He gives it freely to those who believe.
But even though Jesus died and there was no reprieve,
Death was not strong enough to hold Him to the grave,
In three days He came back to life, the road to salvation He paved.
The story of this weekend is the crux of our religion,
What we celebrate on Easter is the only path to get to heaven
Without it we're dead, no life, no freedom, no peace,
But with it, when God's gaze is upon us it's no longer our sin he sees
But His vision is full of Jesus, clean and spotless, no impurity,
Praise be to God that He allows us to share in His victory.
We have been freed from sin, free to love because He loves,
Free to serve because He served, free to live because HE LIVES!

My Dad's Retirement

I'm very proud to call, such a fine man my dad
I know the father you've been, is a gift that I've had
Your profession is not one of glamor, nor did it hold any fame
But it has been a profession, that I've been proud of all the same
I have always loved to say, that my father was a cop
It was something that my friends, could really never top
We never lived a flashy life, but you provided food and comfort
And when your kids stepped out of line, it was us you did exhort
A loving home, a healthy family, these are what we enjoyed
It was due to your selfless leading, these experiences were employed
You sit here tonight, with family and friends around
It's the eve of your retirement, and their support and love abound
You have worked so very hard, these past many years
You have now gotten to this place, and tonight there may be tears
But to me there lies a wonder, a wonder of your career
Much of it I'll never know, because your humility was sincere
I have never heard you brag, or boast at your success
I have only seen the benefits, on how your faithfulness has been blessed
You have always been a role model, whether in life, career, or deed
You raised your kids in love, and because of this we will succeed
You have been an officer of peace, and this is interesting to me
Because the bible speaks of peace, the Lord gives to those he set free
You my dad have been, a blessing from the Lord
You have helped give us a peaceful life, your family has been in accord
You're my pop, my dad, my father, my leader and my friend
To you this night we'll honor but, it's a new beginning, not the end.