New poem: It begins with me

As part of our afternoon together as wider leaders, we talked honestly about how we want more people to come to us, learn who Jesus is and join our church family.

Sharing Jesus with our friends can often seem daunting, scary and like we're not up to the task. The truth is, this makes it all abhout us. WE provide the words, WE drum up the confidence, WE have the answers. The truth is, we don't. We have Jesus. He has the answers to the questions our friends have. Sharing Jesus with our friends doesn't begin with me, it begins with Him. As our Father, this is what he'd say:

It begins with me

It begins with me,
Your father, lover, redeemer, friend,
It begins with hope
It begins in dust
It begins with time-worn knees
And upturned hands
It begins with humble hearts
And hungry hearts
It begins with honesty
About your sin and shame
About my forgiveness and love
About the penance you owed
About the cost I paid
So you could call me father
And I call you my child
It begins with knowing me
It begins with spending time with me
Talking to me, chatting to me,
Yelling at me, crying with me
For I weep with you
And laugh with you
I hear each whispered word
your unspoken, burning desires
Are known to me
So share them
I know the things that trouble you
So bring them to me
I know the worries that plague you
So lay them at my feet
I know that you are weak
Will you let me give you strength?
The life I have given you
And continue to give to you
Is to bring you alive!
It is not a dreary list of things to do
And rules to keep you back
But a living relationship
With your one, true father
One who listens to each word
One who understands your hurts
One who experienced your pain
One who loves for you
More than your mind and heart can comprehend
It begins with you and me
So come
Come to me
My sweet and lovely child
My special and well loved one
Come with all your heart has in it
With all that fills your mind
And know me
Know your father and know joy
Deep, all encompassing satisfaction
As you remember His grace is sufficient for you
So come,
Knowing he is enough for you
Know me

And make me known.

TheWeeScottie

New poem: Walk with me

A new poem which came out of an afternoon our church's wider leaders spent together looking forward to the next year and where we'd like to be as a church. I was remremindour lives are paths we walk. God asks us to walk with him.

Walk with me

Come, fall in step
Slip your hand into mine
Let me show you new ways
Don't worry where you're going
I know the way
The countryside is new to you
But it's familiar to me
It'll be bumpy at times
So hold on tight
I won't let go
You'll get worried if you step off the path
But I'll be here if you do
Waiting for you to come back to me
I'll never get tired
So you can lean on me
When you struggle walking,
I'll carry you
When you feel like running,
I'll run with you
When you stumble and fall,
I'll clean your cuts and grazes,
I'll bandage you up and help you continue
It's not an easy path
But it's direct
Straight to the finish line
And my backpack is light
You don't need to carry that baggage you used to
So join me on the path,
Take my hand
And find out where I want to take you.

TheWeeScottie

Silent city

Silent city
all bound in black and green
dark and twisting streets
never veering
always steering
straight for home
Towering skyscrapers reach
high into the dust-filled sky
reaching ever upwards, high
But never finding their metallic roof
the dome that holds their cries inside
their whispers quiet as dead men's lies
all ears and yet all held aloof.

Look closer still and small cars burst
and race their worth
along those highways
created, birthed
on silicone dreams
and electric whims
They race along
faster than a thought
for each a message, vital held
must make delivery or else hold up
the very city's vital breath
and maybe bring an unseen process
to untimely death.

This silent city calmly sleeps
beneath its metal canopy
beneath the dusty hiding space
within the darkness of my desk
awaiting, silent as the night
a finger's press to bring to life.

TheWeeScottie

We lift up one voice

New poem which came out of sung worship this morning at Westpoint. We all lift up one voice, each one from a different place and life, but we lift up one voice together; and God hears it. Every time.

We lift up one voice

To you we lift up one voice

One bold, strong and confident voice

One weak, cold and hesitant voice

One tear-racked, heart-felt voice

One hurting, dry and empty voice

One shuddering and faltering voice,

One joyful, light and airy voice

One deadened, mute and word-lost voice

One freshened, bright-eyed, wonderous voice

One calm, knowing and assured voice

One hardened, slow and doubting voice

One honest, sad, defeated voice

One fresh reminded, grace-touched voice

One world-forgetting, son-seeing voice

One dark-dispersed hope restored voice

One past-forgotten, adopted voice

One voice that shouts

One voice that whispers

One voice that cries

One voice that silently mouths

Together, we lift up one voice

Because he hears

Because he listens

Because he cares

Because we are His

New poem: Evening stars

New poem: Evening stars

Evening stars up there tonight

Winking in your twinkling light

For by shapes in clever ways

Night by night, up there you stay

Constellations ages old,

Galaxies so vast and bold,

Uncharted cosmos, deepest space,

Up I look and see your face

Some nights the clouds drift over you

A downy quilt which hides from view

Your comforting and quieting light

Hides your beauty from my sight

But though I can't see you sometimes,

I just remember, then remind

This mind that so quickly forgets

Those evening stars are patient yet

For when the clouds are blown away

Those evening stars will fresh display

Their dark and shadow piercing light

Refocusing my clouded sight

Evening stars, my night time friends,

Help me see when day's light ends.