not my road

farewells extended

still feel fragile and fleeting

how can a heart shattered

continue to break

eight nights remain

wrapped in African 

velvet darkness, wishing 

for a different end

to this story, knowing

it is not mine to write

He reminded me this morning

journal open, pen in hand

I have never set an easy road before you

will you ask for one now?

Or will you surrender to My plans?

When you pray 

"whatever - for the glory of Your Kingdom"

do you mean it?

When you say "anything"

is it your "anything" or Mine?

Your own ears will hear him.

    Right behind you a voice will say,

“This is the way you should go,”

    whether to the right or to the left.

Isaiah 30:21 NLT

just beyond

April soon will slip away

the rains retreat, to hide in a place

we will not know, umbrellas 

useless now, tightly furled

so too our season in Africa

tumbles towards its end

leaving bumps, scratches

bruises, time alone can heal

yet there, just beyond reach

not quite in focus, waits

an outburst of new

glory unfolding, certain

as life

I show you specified new things from this time forth, 

even hidden things [kept in reserve] which you have not known. 

They are created now [called into being by the prophetic word], 

and not long ago; and before today you have never heard of them, 

lest you should say, Behold, I knew them!

Isaiah 48:6-7 Amplified

bold in beauty

no crisis of identity

this flowers stands

singular, unafraid

no surrounding clusters

uncluttered, no need 

for comparison

bold in her beauty

wild, bright, free

proclaiming the glory

of her Creator

would I be as brave?

If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, 

most of them never even seen, 

don’t you think he’ll attend to you, 

take pride in you, do his best for you?

Luke 12:28 The Message

seeking first

a matter of trust

one day to the next

or moment by moment

as we begin our journey to Canada

in two weeks

we will be in flight

though I have felt mid-air

for months

what to drive

where to sleep

are not yet settled

leaving me tipsy

and grabbing hold

of the only One Who knows

seeking first, last

always

So above all, constantly chase after the realm of God’s kingdom

and the righteousness that proceeds from him. 

Then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly.

Matthew 6:33 The Passion Translation

Alive!

He is alive

and the world

is forever changed

 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said

Matthew 28:6a NIV

repost from 2015

as we wonder

the day in-between

deep despair

and sparkling glory

has an unexpected weight

this year, a living portrait

of the season we have inhabited

the past behind us

the future not yet reachable

we linger here

in wonder

as we wonder

never dimmed

Now from the sixth hour (noon) 

there was darkness over all the land 

until the ninth hour (three o’clock).

Matthew 27:45 Amplified

It is Friday

that Friday

darkness falls

yet there is light

that is never dimmed

that will not be overcome

that will rise from the grave

we are bearers, carriers

containers for that light

the empty place in which He dwells

thin as eggshells on the cusp of cracking

Sunday is coming

indeed a promise

there is indeed

a promise made

a covenant held

even if our minds

squint to see

God is no less 

God when we can't 

feel Him

as we struggle

to grasp what we

cannot know

but choose over

all, to believe

we watched the rainbow

fade, cameras

trying to capture

fleeting beauty

as the rains returned

fingers wide

the sorting, sifting

shifting perspective continues

and in the jumble, the crumbled

dreams, the ragged edges

tiny tasty bits, too precious

to discard 

where then, to hold 

these treasures 

found?

what release will be

required next?

my hands willed open

fingers spread wide

in a stubborn "yes"

Sunday begins

I can only lay myself 

down, nothing left 

but to cry Hosanna

save me

and He comes

and He comes

and He comes

the humble One

the holy One

the only One

hail to our King

so begins a week

of passion, purpose

pain and glory

and He comes

blessed is He

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him. 

And as they went, they kept shouting, Hosanna! 

Blessed is He and praise to Him Who comes in the name of the Lord, 

even the King of Israel!

John 12:13 Amplified

cracks in thin air

light, lace, life

cracks in thin air

something hushed

but stirring

past mingles with not yet

what was, is, will be

inhale spice melange, savoury

and sweet

here I feel old, connected

to something unknown

shadowed secrets

then touches now

in the breeze

shout life

vines, shoots, petals bright

new leaves and a million 

shades of green all

twisted, tangled into one

resounding

YES

thundering stronger

than any

no

in the midst of mourning

the passing of my youngest brother-in-law

I will shout praises to my God

and deny the enemy any taste of victory

Let us never forget

Love triumphs over all!

The Rwandan Genocide was 25 years ago.

Hard to believe time has passed so quickly

Today, April 7 has been set aside by the United Nations as the Day of Remembrance 

of the Victims of the Rwandan Genocide.

Please take a few moments to read this blog post by Compassion.

3 young Rwandans pursue peace after genocide

woven roads

do I need to follow

a trail, some crumbs

left behind

signposts, reminders

a way back, without

repeating, errors

missteps, sorrows

no

I need footprints

a new road woven

with the ancient paths

by the Master

wiggling my toes

into promises

not yet born

God’s Message yet again: 

“Go stand at the crossroads and look around. 

Ask for directions to the old road, The tried-and-true road. 

Then take it. Discover the right route for your souls. 

Jeremiah 6:16 The Message

fixed

my mind has wavered, troubled

and this welcome rebuke from my Lord

has settled me

when your eyes are fixed on Me

when your eyes are fixed on Me

peace falls

but where are you looking?

you fix your eyes on what is behind you

you fix your eyes on what waits ahead of you

and your thoughts swirl and sway

and anxiety has its way with you

you can choose, little one

perfect peace

fix your eyes on perfect love

fix your eyes on perfect glory

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace 

whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, 

because he commits himself to You, 

leans on You, and hopes confidently in You

Isaiah 26:3 Amplified