pinks

the glory of pink, bright

bold or muted

shedding joy, without

conscious thought

contagious, breaking 

the pain of the day

shouting life

life

life

budding new

beauty lives in the fading

as edges begin the slow 

curl, hiding brown decay

full glory has passed

but here, waiting

life is budding fresh

as the cycle continues

so too must I trust

the new thing

that will outshine the old

while my frayed edges

crumble in the breeze

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

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

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

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

watch and believe

I savour nothing more than 
the Lord's words spoken to me 
in the early morning hours
priceless life to me

I use everything from the greatest to the smallest
I transform tears into glory
did I not turn blood into salvation?
How much more can I transform all things?

Only watch and believe
be strong in the waiting
have I not already commanded you
strong and courageous

I Am in the stillness
when you think I Am not moving

Know and believe

Moses told the people, Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest.
Exodus 14:13-14

rainless storm

rain threatened all afternoon

skies darkened in layers

the wind grew fierce

reversing waves, chasing

water away from shore

later, when stillness fell

sun blazed beneath the clouds

teach me to wait

for the promise of glory

lake life

we are surrounded

hemmed in

hushed by His creation

every wave

shimmer on still water

sun streams

and clouds rolling in

reflect His glory

we breathe Him in

true life

such fruit

backyard banana flower

all my eyes can see

is beyond extraordinary

how He creates with love

skill and humour

that which pleases and delights

my desire is to be such fruit

in His hands

From Ashes to Glory

You have journeyed with me

through the span of time

from Ash Wednesday

to Resurrection Sunday

I have compiled the daily psalms

into one volume, now available as 

From Ashes to Glory

come find the holy with me

psalm 46

psalm 46

the silence of waiting 

is deafening, here

in the in-between

almost afraid to breathe

are You Who You said You Are?

will I stand alone now, forever

the loss of Your presence, fresh

raw, my heart torn wide

the future veiled, I see

only memories, grasping nothing

hope slips fast away

morning will come

the promise of Your glory

but for now, faith trembles

psalm 45

psalm 45

so dark this day

we feel the weight

thousands of years

and each year new

the gift given 

from despair 

and abounding love

an impossible choice 

was set before You

and You selected death

to give us life

so dark this day

where glory dwells

psalm 36

psalm 36

stretch

You asked of me

expand, spread-out

amplify, but to do so

I need reach the end of 

my self, the box that 

holds me, step out 

of me and in to You

where there are no borders

no limits, just bridges

that magnify Your glory

psalm 34

psalm 34

I cannot tell a story more profound 

than stars, a single blade of grass

a lilac breasted roller

painted by Your hand

all designed in perfection

for Your pleasure

I ponder bones, flesh, blood 

coursing through vessel highways

mechanics beyond human ability

eyes of sea green, topaz

aquamarine, variety for beauty’s sake

and glory shines

psalm 30

psalm 30

there is a direct line, connection 

between my hand and heart

when I lift one, the other elevates 

there is a direct line, connection

between thanksgiving and contentment

when I drop one, the other falls

but shall I bless Your name

for selfish gain

forgive me when praise

has been for reasons

other than Your worth-ship

please receive me 

with no false intent, that I may be

awestruck by holiness

silenced by glory

psalm 29

psalm 29

the morning sun

the evening stars

mid-day rain refreshing

You are

all I can imagine

and beyond

You have shattered every box

we ever thought could hold You

higher, wider, deeper

I come knocking, devastate me

with Your beauty

consume me with Your glory

leave me broken

and yet whole, in You

psalm 28

psalm 28

all that I have, piles of nothing

all that I am, dust

all that I need, You

as You I magnify

and You I glorify

You will satisfy

all that I am