Hymns from the Dungeon

Hope-bound faith is when you boast of what God can do

even if the world’s been throwing its bombs at you.

 

The One and The Only

His hand hath made this noble work which stands

His glorious handiwork not made by hands.

Who spake all things from nothing; and with ease

Can speak all things to nothing, if he please.

Whose little finger at his pleasure can

Out mete ten thousand worlds with half a span:

Whose might almighty can by half a looks

Root up the rocks and rock the hills by the roots.

~ Edward Taylor (poet)~

 

All For You

Thank you, God for everything…
The big things and the small,
For “every good gift comes from God,”
The Giver of them all.

And all too often we accept
Without any thanks or praise,
The gifts God sends as blessings
Each day in many ways.

And so at this Thanksgiving time,
We offer up a prayer,
To thank You, God, for giving us
A lot more than our share.

First, thank You for the little things
That often come our way,
The things we take for granted,
But don’t mention when we pray.

The unexpected courtesy,
The thoughtful, kindly deed,
A hand reached out to help us
In the time of sudden need.

Oh, make us more aware, dear God,
Of little daily graces
That come to us with “sweet surprise”
From never-dreamed-of places.
 
Then, thank You for the “miracles”
We are much too blind to see,
And give us new awareness
Of our many gifts from Thee.

And help us to remember
That the key to life and living,
Is to make each prayer a prayer of thanks
And every day Thanksgiving.

~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
    but to your name goes all the glory
    for your unfailing love and faithfulness.”

—Psalm 115:1 (NLT)

 

When I Found Myself Wanting

I’m a long way from home

Brown barked neighbors replaced by grey stone

I’ve got all I need in my purse

I’ve gained freedom from my curse

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

I walk the winding dirt road

Towards my pasture where I lay my load

This is my life, I do to it whatever I want

No more cages and thorns, I recant

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Happiness, happiness, happiness, that’s what I need

Not crosses, not nails, not persecution after a good deed

Sex, booze, coke; rock the party on

I’m my king; I’m my lord; I’m my don

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

I wake up to the golden sun

I’m no different; I’m still the wild, crazy son

I check my green bag, found bare leather

Quiet filled the houses as I pass hither

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

I settle beside filthy swine

Carousing and reveling as they dine

I share with their dirty chow

My crown falls in humbled bow

Because of my wanting and desiring

I have become my undoing

No more cages? Bah! I am my prison

No more thorns? Bah! I am my double-edged weapon

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

I walked headlong to my curse

My life only became much worse

Life for a lie, that’s what I gained

Searching for happiness was all but vain

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

I come upon a hill far from hidden

It seemed familiar, by nostalgia was I bitten

A lone figure, gloriously waited on a throne

He didn’t budge, didn’t cast the first stone

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

He threw away his radiant crown

Stripped all his royalty and regality down

He stumbled, was bruised and bled as he ran to me

Hoisted me up to his shoulders as if I was once again a baby

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Upon his back I see the world anew

And although I still sin, I’ll never meet my fiery due

Compared to his overwhelming grace, my wrongs are but a few

He’ll always be there, ready to run towards me and to you too.

 

A Letter from the Hotel

I once was a man, well to-do and content.

I had great friends for whom my time was well spent.

I had a power that would send people seething in envy.

But then again, I never realized that to me my life was only lent.

♦ ♦ ♦

I reveled in the streets as if no one was there.

I laughed and was merry as if I had no care.

I got what I want, even if others were hurt.

I thought, “This is the life!” until I fell for a snare.

 ♦ ♦ ♦

I fell and fell hard with the Spectre on my back.

It didn’t let me go, never gave me any slack.

I cried out, begging for a second chance.

But still the car crashed into a tree off the road’s track.

White-masked men said I do not have any hope.

I lost too much blood; my body can no longer cope.

Is this all true? Am I really leaving the world?

Before I knew it, darkness entangled me like a rope.

♦ ♦ ♦

Flames burst into power as I found myself weeping.

Loneliness and Fear were embracing me; fruits of anguish were they reaping.

How could I have let life fly past me by?

I found out too late that it was Elyon whom I should have been worshipping.

♦ ♦ ♦

I am still a man, however, am suffering because of time stupidly spent.

I have no friends here; all are crying in torment.

Only he has power and I am experiencing his wrath.

But then again, you are still living, so don’t waste your life that’s only for rent.

♦ ♦ ♦

“This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son.

So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.” 

— 1 John 5:11-12 (MSG)

 

A Sea of Glasses

All peoples are like an assortment of mugs and cups.

Some are big. Some are small. Some are wide as the others are tall.

Some are colorful. Some are plain. Some are unique as they portray terrain.

But whoever they are, whatever the race, whatever the tongue, from whatever place,

We are all empty glasses, waiting to be filled.

 

AbanDONT

When the good becomes bad and the storm is over yonder

We think that God abandoned us and thoughts alike we ponder

But we forget that it’s never God who goes and walks away

So when we feel alone sometimes it’s because we chose to stray

“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” 

– GOD –

 

feeling lonely?

God is…

Our Friend,
Our companion,
through GOOD times and BAD
our Lord, our Savior,
though HAPPY and SAD,
beside me you stand,
beside me you walk,
you’re there to listen,
you’re there to comfort,
with love, and care,
with pain and tears,
I know you’ll be there,
throughout the years!

 

A Taste of Perspective…

A taste of perspective makes life beyond compare.

Bitterness complicates simplicity;
sweetness brightens the day named, “Gloomy”;
while tasteless runs through numbness
and numbness turns into dumbness.

A matter of choice, a taste of perspective…
make sure to pay a worthwhile fare.

 

Paradox of Expectations

Expectations, a critical part of our human mislead.

Failure we reap, though success as its seed.

Abuse blooms forward though love it is that has been sown.

Killed as a criminal, vindicated, yet stainless as the barren snow.

“Where is the Justice? The brush that paints life fair?”

But why do you complain, contrast, or compare?

When the beauty of grace has made life most unfair.

 

to MY future YOU

This letter I write to MY future YOU.

Whoever you would be, and whatever you would do

Whatever you would look like, I would serenely take you part

As color to my dull life, and blood to my sleeping heart,

As long as God gave you, I would not care about who you are.

Though [with] the infinite possibilities, you would be the only shining star.

Running as fast as we can with the same goal set in our individual hearts,

Meeting each other in the middle with the words, “till death do us part”.