Perhaps in shorter time
In lesser words or foolish rhyme
I could tell you i'm sorry, forgive me?
But i think that you might just shrug,
Snicker with some wicked glee,
And say, rather smug:
"Of Course.
I mean, that's how you always are,
Playing one way but not too far
Because behind my back
Where i have no eyes
You have another act
You go back to (again with lies).
Of course you would,
You impish Hud.
You act like all of them
The selfish men
While our hearts are taken, crushed,
Or more like mud properly mushed."
(The writer must take a break from prose and explore the idea that our current narrator indeed believes that their heart was originally, in fact, mud.)
So where are we now?
I ask with one raised brow,
If i'm sorry isn't good enough.
You seem to be content with sin,
My deeds have come from within,
And now your attitude has me mad enough to cuss.
Of course.
I do believe here lies wickedness,
A fashionable state of unforgiveness,
And so the devil plays upon
Both the broken and the proud.
"How?" you ask, but not too fast
For fear i may just smile playfully,
And leave you thinking, perhaps aghast...
But we'd both agree the ending ending most distastefully.
Of course.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Keep the watch, watchmen. We have only days until our demise.
"This began with hope
Passion and curiosity
Watching the soldiers march to war
Desiring to follow them to bloodshed
And oh how i waited until i was called
By name my Master sent me
With weapons drawn and eager hands,
i met my brothers upon the blood-spilled sand
Dear God the Horror
Seeing creation so defaced
Love had lost His voice
And Wisdom her place
They fought with ignorance and hatred
With poisoned darts we suffered venom
The darkness caused confusion in our hearts
Dear Father, where is Your voice?
i fear our demise without Your words.
The wounds dealt by the Enemy
To our flesh go unnumbered, to our soul without mercy
Tragedy and Betrayal glowed red with fire
Illuminated by our souls as we began burning alive
Our Father answers us; the fire brings the light
And from the darkness we saw not enemies needed to be slain
But hostages and children in need of rescue."
Passion and curiosity
Watching the soldiers march to war
Desiring to follow them to bloodshed
And oh how i waited until i was called
By name my Master sent me
With weapons drawn and eager hands,
i met my brothers upon the blood-spilled sand
Dear God the Horror
Seeing creation so defaced
Love had lost His voice
And Wisdom her place
They fought with ignorance and hatred
With poisoned darts we suffered venom
The darkness caused confusion in our hearts
Dear Father, where is Your voice?
i fear our demise without Your words.
The wounds dealt by the Enemy
To our flesh go unnumbered, to our soul without mercy
Tragedy and Betrayal glowed red with fire
Illuminated by our souls as we began burning alive
Our Father answers us; the fire brings the light
And from the darkness we saw not enemies needed to be slain
But hostages and children in need of rescue."
Welcome Home, 2008.
I wish i could describe it to you. There is a lot of grass and a lot of sun. that's the first thing you may notice. You may also remember that you haven't seen a gas station in almost 20 minutes, or any other signs of establishment. There are a few houses dotted through the fields and if you asked a local pastor who lived in them, he would reply, "Mostly retired folks and meth labs." The "Kids Across America" sign is not altogether enormous or eye-drawing; more curious may be the 13 foot cedar cross with a pair of basketball shoes slung around the neck across the road from the sign. Just through the gates is an humble building which serves as the welcome office. The road then parts: first it forks, then a few meters later it forks again. Other than the road parting, you will not see very much except trees, a soccer field, a baseball backstop, and possibly a few deer.
Turn to the left at the first fork and you will encounter KAA 1. A inner-city ministry for 10-12 year olds, it's just above a massive baby-sitting facility. Complete with a water slide and petting zoo, this place is blessed with a lot of happiness and a lot of frustration. It can be difficult working with children so young, explaining words like "salvation", "sin", and "redemption" to a generation who knows little more than money, drugs, greed, sex, and death. But the seed is planted here, and many young lives are given a chance by them being revealed the true meaning of living.
If you continue to the second fork and turn left there, you will soon find yourself at KAA 2. The second kamp houses 13-15 year olds, a age group of infinite frustration and an unimaginable depth of soul. Here you will find boys and girls struggling for their identity, struggling for their place in this massive world. To place them under command of college students is like setting water against fire, with respect being being the last thing on many kids' agenda. Working so hard to hold their own, aid and advice is often rejected out of misunderstanding and fear. The patience a counsellor must have in order to remain a spiritual mentor is only God-given; the flesh is a constant enemy in an atmosphere where it appears the only way to maintain control is by physical force and punishment. There is denial and disrespect to the utmost degree; almost a hatred for anyone who asks them to do something simple, a request or command could be argued with no reason other than "i don't want to."
However frustrating it could be for a kid to argue so much, there is always an option: lose patience which resulted in a loss of respect, or maintain a patience and love which commanded a respect and in the end let the kid know you loved them. It is impossible for a counsellor to be in God's presence and say they love Him yet still get angry with kids and lose their patience. It simply does not fit together. It is evident who is in God and who is not by only watching the fruit that is born of them.
Continue going straight through the second fork and you will encounter the third and final Kids Across America kamp (at least until next summer!), KAA 3. Here you will find 15-17 year olds, young men and women who are preparing and being prepared for life in a whole new way than they are used to. Here you will find more respect and more maturity than KAA 2, but the same resistance from some due to 15+ years of conditioning from the worlds they live in. Yet many of these children of God thirst to know Him having realised that there is a better way to live than what they may be used to. God takes young adults and turns them into servants, transforms and constructs hearts and minds which will serve Him and long for Him. The staff you see will be full of honesty, life, love, and accountability. Many will charge you up on issues you may have never thought of for many years, charge you up on lifestyles you assumed "are agreeable and passable to this world." They will remind you we are only in this world, but not of it. They will remind you that the word "Christian" is a lifestyle, not just an experience. They will remind you that there is a God, and He is truly our Greatest Love.
These three kamps, while in separate location, will convey one message to you: God is God. God is Love. He is an infinitely indescribable Being who has sent His only Son to die for us, in that His death we may put to death our flesh and also be resurrected along with Him. There is new life, far beyond the one this world has to offer us, far beyond the one our flesh will be satisfied with. You will know the Name come to die, come to save us all. You will hear your name called. You will breath His air, feel His presence. Finally, you will realise that there is nothing special about this place in location or decor, except that God is glorified by the people there. Upon reaching this conclusion, you will know that the "feeling" is not limited to hear, but available to everyone everywhere. All it takes is a little faith.
Turn to the left at the first fork and you will encounter KAA 1. A inner-city ministry for 10-12 year olds, it's just above a massive baby-sitting facility. Complete with a water slide and petting zoo, this place is blessed with a lot of happiness and a lot of frustration. It can be difficult working with children so young, explaining words like "salvation", "sin", and "redemption" to a generation who knows little more than money, drugs, greed, sex, and death. But the seed is planted here, and many young lives are given a chance by them being revealed the true meaning of living.
If you continue to the second fork and turn left there, you will soon find yourself at KAA 2. The second kamp houses 13-15 year olds, a age group of infinite frustration and an unimaginable depth of soul. Here you will find boys and girls struggling for their identity, struggling for their place in this massive world. To place them under command of college students is like setting water against fire, with respect being being the last thing on many kids' agenda. Working so hard to hold their own, aid and advice is often rejected out of misunderstanding and fear. The patience a counsellor must have in order to remain a spiritual mentor is only God-given; the flesh is a constant enemy in an atmosphere where it appears the only way to maintain control is by physical force and punishment. There is denial and disrespect to the utmost degree; almost a hatred for anyone who asks them to do something simple, a request or command could be argued with no reason other than "i don't want to."
However frustrating it could be for a kid to argue so much, there is always an option: lose patience which resulted in a loss of respect, or maintain a patience and love which commanded a respect and in the end let the kid know you loved them. It is impossible for a counsellor to be in God's presence and say they love Him yet still get angry with kids and lose their patience. It simply does not fit together. It is evident who is in God and who is not by only watching the fruit that is born of them.
Continue going straight through the second fork and you will encounter the third and final Kids Across America kamp (at least until next summer!), KAA 3. Here you will find 15-17 year olds, young men and women who are preparing and being prepared for life in a whole new way than they are used to. Here you will find more respect and more maturity than KAA 2, but the same resistance from some due to 15+ years of conditioning from the worlds they live in. Yet many of these children of God thirst to know Him having realised that there is a better way to live than what they may be used to. God takes young adults and turns them into servants, transforms and constructs hearts and minds which will serve Him and long for Him. The staff you see will be full of honesty, life, love, and accountability. Many will charge you up on issues you may have never thought of for many years, charge you up on lifestyles you assumed "are agreeable and passable to this world." They will remind you we are only in this world, but not of it. They will remind you that the word "Christian" is a lifestyle, not just an experience. They will remind you that there is a God, and He is truly our Greatest Love.
These three kamps, while in separate location, will convey one message to you: God is God. God is Love. He is an infinitely indescribable Being who has sent His only Son to die for us, in that His death we may put to death our flesh and also be resurrected along with Him. There is new life, far beyond the one this world has to offer us, far beyond the one our flesh will be satisfied with. You will know the Name come to die, come to save us all. You will hear your name called. You will breath His air, feel His presence. Finally, you will realise that there is nothing special about this place in location or decor, except that God is glorified by the people there. Upon reaching this conclusion, you will know that the "feeling" is not limited to hear, but available to everyone everywhere. All it takes is a little faith.
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