“Come,” he says. . . “Come. . .”
An act as simple as turning a door knob,
yet like the knob opens the door to something new,
unseen, different from where you are standing
– so does this invitation from Christ:
“Come. . . .”

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” ~ Matthew 11: 28-30

Low Bends the Reed

Low bends the frozen reed,
like a heart unmoved
by a mother’s plea
faith, let it break not beneath
the weight, she cries
bent over the Mercy Seat

thawed and bruised,
like a heart wounded
to waking
by a mother’s plea
 faith, let it break not
to loss, she cries
bent over her Father’s feet

thin and reedy it faces
the sun, reaching
by its own heart’s plea
break this heart open
to love thee well
a mother’s child
cries at the Mercy Seat

“A bruised reed he will not break.” ~ Isaiah 42:3, ESV
                                                                 ~ March 26, 2015

 A Rich Man’s Love

Unconditional Love
is a rich man’s love –
a man rich in
family traditions, 
faith, hope, 
and a Mary Poppins-Bag-kind-of-heart
that is deep enough to fill with love
for as many people,
not as it can hold
for the Mary Poppins bag is bottomless,
but for as many people
the mind chooses to love.
It is priceless!
  ~ July 1, 2011

Filling Saltshakers

I’ve been filling the saltshakers
– pepper shakers, too.
Wiping off fingerprints
and dusty build-up,
Crazy Gluing bunny ears,
digging into cabinets,
match-making pairs
lost to each other,
finding peace despite
one snow-woman shaker
found in a what-not box
given when my mother moved to warmth
and wholeness
cannot be reunited with her pepper-shaker snow man.

I’ve been filling saltshakers
after growing where I was planted for a season
in impoverished soil
because He called me to it
this planting in uncomfortable places
until right timing,
His big and little hands of timing when He would
pull the roots of myself loose,
shake out the soil,
and carry me
to a new place,
a refreshing place.

As He pulls me,
shakes me,
moves me
to a different way
to live the daily,
I’ve been left wordless,
silent,
awed by His faithfulness
His plan
His protection
in this journey
to this place where
filling saltshakers
is so much more than
filling saltshakers.

Salt: seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and as a unit of exchange. Salt symbolizes permanence, loyalty, durability, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification.

“a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak.”
~ Ecc 3:7, NIV

  ~ January 25, 2015

I’ve had lots of questions the last few weeks about what my new book Hope to the Hungry Sparrow is about. It’s about encouragement in the challenges. Why poetry? Because poetry allows the writer to say indirectly things that sometimes cannot be said directly to our friends, our family members, maybe even to ourselves. Sometimes it tempers a scalding hot topic into something that can go down deep and warm the soul. Sometimes ideas talked about indirectly have more of a chance to reach the heart and mind than ideas spoken directly and rebuffed before they’ve had a chance to slip into the soul. I’ve been asked which poem is my favorite. I have a top five to ten, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you the #1 favorite. I think the best response would be to say, “Read and tell me which is your favorite.”

“I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
    all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
    his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
.    love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message

In the Old Testament, God repeatedly, quietly and loudly, tells his children, “You have forgotten me!”  (Jeremiah 3:32, Ezekiel 22:12, to name a few). It’s a heart cry from a father to a child who has forgotten all the love, all the saving, helping, little and big blessings – and it leaves me stunned when I realize our Father, the creator of the universe, who knows things I cannot begin to fathom, who authors storylines that leave me amazed, delights in all of us so much, He cries out, “Remember Me.”

While every day is a Remember God Day, I am inviting you to join me on Monday mornings to come by and remember what God has done for you, for your family. Maybe God sent a cardinal darting out in front of you, as if to tell you, “I’m here,” or broke a child’s fever after you laid it all down at His feet in a 2 a.m. bedside vigil. Maybe He stood with you in the wait of a prayer sent out, or brought someone you loved to Christ. Maybe He healed your broken heart, gave your courage, or you gave Him your dreams as a love offering only to have Him give them back in an unimaginable way. Maybe God helped you survive to bedtime after a crazy Monday, or forgive yourself for missing it with your kiddos –– Whatever it is, let’s Remember Him. . . in a “Remember Me Monday” love letter.

“My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
Of your salvation all the day long,
Though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord”
~ Psalm 71:15-16.

Let us delight in Him by telling the  stories of what He’s done!  If you wrote a blog post remembering what He’s done for you, join the linky. If you didn’t but still want to praise Him for what He’s done – write it in the comment section. Then visit a comment before or after yours! One of the beautiful things about the blogging community is the relationships it builds!

Rules?  Write long or short, a list or a story, include photos or not. Just Remember Him and what He has done, and let the gratitude of your heart guide you. Let’s make Monday so Rejoice, that the goodness of God spills into the rest of the week! (Link opens Mondays at 6 a.m.)

Places I’m Linking at This Week:
  Instaencouragements, Legacy Link-Up, 
Let’s Have Coffee Wednesday 
Recharge Wednesday, Scripture & a Snapshot
Grace&Truth, Sweet Tea & Friends
The Good, The Random, The Fun