The Sovereign's Scribe

Am I the Sovereign's scribe 

Who imparts what I have heard

God's majestic voice

Despite my weak un-lofty words

Like an eloquent echo

God has charged all to proclaim

To reflect His radiance,

Tell of His glory and His grace

As revealed through creation and salvation,

Through the pillar of fire and cloud

At times God conveys ethereally   

Sometimes He roars like a lion, aloud 

Hear Emmanuel affirm, "Come follow behind"

Accept His magnificent invitation 

Then join in His fellowship of joy

Through communion and conversation 

---

September 22, 2016

Inspired by Seeing Beauty and Saying Beautifully by John Piper

In the Sculptor's Hands

You have shown me mercy

That You might hear me say

Own me, hone me

Until I, for You, shine 

O Sculptor of my soul

Take hold of me, define

In Your solid grip, transform me

To Your likeness, conform me

That I reflect Your brightness

Like the moon reflects the sun
Melt away the dross

As I look upon the cross, 

Upon Your Son

Purify me with Your piercing look

As I gaze intently in Your book

May I see Your vision, my mission

To not sit upon the shelf 

And be full of myself 

But to offer up my jar of clay

For Your purposes, not mine

Fill me, use me, O Sculptor divine 

---

September 17, 2016

Eternal Life

Life is like
A shimmering reflection
Of moon lit by the sun
We cannot fathom the waters' depths
Understand perfection,
Solid truth;
We are undone
Fractured, we see a fraction
As though through murky glass
One day we will behold
Crystal clear Living Water
When into Paradise we pass
When eternity explodes with expressions
Of unhindered praise
For our Eternal God,
The Ancient of Days
And then I'll know as I am known
No longer blind, but see
LIFE forever with my God
And He with me
---
September 13, 2016

Christ Crossed the Line

Christ crossed the line

Came from heaven to earth

To show us all 

What our lives are worth

He crossed the line 

Of gender and race

To offer thirsty souls

Mercy and grace

He crossed barriers of

Religion, society and mores

He crossed into personal lives

To renew and restore

For those caught in sin

He drew a line in the sand

Showed us we can be free

And with Him stand

If we come to the cross

Leave our shame 

And our sins in the dust

The Lover of our soul

Proves that He's worthy 

Of all of our trust

---

September 11, 2016
Inspired by John 4:6-42
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytcwDS6EpME

Days of Awe

The shofar's blasting,
"From bondage, be free"
Creation's groaning
In humility
This is a time
For deep reflection
Yahweh's King
Renewing His Creation
"We were whole and
We were broken
But,
We'll be whole again"
Mercy shines like
Golden forests
Transforming their trees
The winds of change are
Rustling through them,
Rustling through their leaves
"Rosh Hashanah,
Rosh Hashanah"
Awesome are these days,
"Rosh Hashanah,
Rosh Hashanah"
These are days of awe
---
September 2007

Let the Redeemed of the Lord Give Thanks

Let the redeemed of the Lord give thanks

For every good and perfect gift comes from His hands

Enter His gates with an offering of praise

Rejoice in Him and bless His name

For He has broken our chains and set us free

From sin and death; we share Christ’s victory

Come before Him with a jubilant, joyful song

Give thanks to God among the festive throng

Tell of His works and His wonders bestowed

Let praise to our gracious God overflow

For the thirsty soul He satisfies

Let us exalt Him and magnify

For He is a great God, the King of all Kings

Creator, Sustainer, all praise to Him bring

He is faithful to us and forever He’s true

With goodness and mercy He daily pursues

Serve Him with gladness, shout to Him with psalms

Remember how He, the raging storm has calmed

Boast in the Lord, who delivers and provides

Give thanks to the Lord, lift His name upon high

---

October 4, 2014 
Listen on Sound Cloud

We Bring Our Praise to You

Creator God,
We bring our praise to You
The only wise God,
We bring our praise to You

For from You and through You
And for You are all things
Messiah, God of peace,
To You our praise we bring

You are God over all
You are the only one
Glory to Your name forever
Through Jesus Christ, Your Son

Amen.
---
September 4, 2016
(Inspired by Paul's prayers in Romans)

Daughters of Ishmael

Daughters of Ishmael,
God sees you
In your submission,
Bound
He commiserates
With you
As conflict
And hostility surround
May our gracious
And merciful LORD,
Who met with Hagar
By a refreshing spring,
Quench
Your deepest thirst now,
No matter
Where you've been,
Or where you thought
You were going
---
August 28, 2016
Inspired by Genesis 16

In Him is Life and Light

In the beginning was the Word

God said, "Let there be light"

He called each star by name

To their places in the night

Through Him all things were made

The heavens and the earth

In Him is Life and Light

All He made was of good worth

In God's image He created us

To be good stewards of His garden

As rebellion slithered in

Our hearts began to harden

God graciously attended to 

His now fallen creation

With blood and sacrifice 

He worked, for our restoration

He spoke to us through priests

And prophets and the law

Then the glory of the Father, 

We bore witness to and saw

When the Word became flesh 

And dwelt among us

In His gracious and true Son, 

Christ Jesus

Behold, the Lamb of God

Proclaims, "Come and see"

He calls us each by name

Into a new identity

To shine and reflect 

The light of our King

And with the morning stars

Rejoice in Him, and sing

---

August 24, 2016

People Need the Lord

People need the knowledge of salvation

Through the forgiveness of their sins

By the tender mercy  of our God

Who longs to welcome them in 

And guide them away 
From death and darkness 

Into the path of peace 

Where His life and light will bless 

So the rescued and redeemed 

Of the Most High God

Can serve Him with holiness,

Righteousness and reverent awe 
---
July 16, 2016
Inspired by Zechariah's Song in Luke 1:68-79

Endless Praise Belongs to You

You are the Alpha and Omega

Beginning and the End

You are Creator, Deliverer

Emmanuel and Friend

You are a good and gracious God

Our Heavenly Father; Hallelujah!

You are I AM, Jesus, King of Kings

Living Water and the Messiah

Your Name is above all names

Only Begotten Son, Prince of Peace

You are Redeemer, our Refuge and Rock

You are Saviour and Shepherd of Your sheep

You are the Truth, the Unchangeable One

The Vine, the Word of God, the Way

You are Wonderful Counsellor

And worthy of all of our praise

Abba Father, Ancient of Days, 

Bread of Heaven, Breath of Life

Christ, Desire of Nations,

Everlasting Father, Faithful and True...

You are the LORD God Almighty

Endless praise belongs to You

---

June 29, 2016

Endless Summer

Released from the confines
Of schedules and shoulds,
We'll indulge in the freedom
Of all that is good
We'll have time to savour
Not just taste and see
The blessings of God
For all eternity
When joy is unending
No curfews will clank
Ever on our lips will be
Sweet praise and thanks
To the One who redeemed us
For oh so much more
To join in the circle
Of adored and adore
Where the lamb will
Lay down with the lion
And all children will play
In peaceful Zion
---
June 22, 2016
Inspired by:
https://briarcroft.wordpress.com/2016/06/22/waking-on-a-june-morning/

Humankind

Yes, we are human

But how often are we kind

Blind to our differences

Keeping this in mind 

That we have a common genesis
In God's image we are made

Made for good works

The love of God to display

It's more than being genial 

Or showing consideration 

It's about giving just to bless

Without selfish motivation 

Sometimes just a word or two

Will garner a warm glow -

The feeling we receive 
When kindness we bestow

---
June 18, 2016

The PrOphET

Reflective soul and scribe,
She holds a mirror up, describes
The world that she sees
And how things ought to be
With brevity, she relates,
Expounds, disseminates,
Transforms information
To cause consideration,
Sifts gems for the gleaming,
Prods her audience to find meaning,
See themselves within another's shoes
To be inspired, to be moved,
To feel connection
Through her purposeful reflections
---
August 14, 2011

Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace (by Francis of Assisi)

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I 

May not so much seek

To be consoled 

As to console,

To be understood 

As to understand,

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.“

What is the World Coming To?

What is the world coming to?

The soon return of Jesus Christ 

Take to heart what you hear

For the time is surely near

Behold, He is coming with the clouds

Each and every eye will see 

Even those who saw His flesh torn

All peoples on earth will mourn

Christ is the First and Last

The Living One, Almighty Lord

Who died, but conquered death

He holds the keys to hell and death

Consider how far you have fallen

Repent and live a life of love

The one who is victorious 

Will taste life eternal, glorious 

Though you are afflicted and poor,

God says that you are rich

So fear not persecution and strife

Your faithfulness will bring you life

God knows the evil where you dwell

Yet you do not renounce your faith 

Keep pure and seek the reward 

Bestowed on new creations in the Lord

God knows your deeds of faith

How you serve with love and persevere 

He who searches hearts and minds, sees

And will repay according to your deeds

Be watchful; your deeds are not complete

Remember what you've received and heard

Live unstained, worthy to wear white 

As one whose name's in the Book of Life

Keep God's Word, don't deny His name

Patiently endure and God will hold you 

Through the time of test and tribulation 

That will come upon every nation 

The One who is Faithful and True

Disciplines those that He loves

For those wretched, poor, naked and blind

He covers shame, makes gold refined 

Behold, Christ is patiently waiting

For you to invite Him in
For fellowship, communion divine 

And to reign at the King of King's side 

Whoever has ears, let them hear

What the Spirit says to His Bride 

For the Holy One walks among us 

Incline your heart unto Jesus 

---

6,16,16

Based on Revelation 1, 2 & 3

Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary

Each ordinary day

God has ordained

With faithful mercies new

The sun rises in the east

God brings the light in view

Out of chaos, there is order

A regular routine 

In our daily habits we can praise

The One who inhabits 

Our ordinary days

As we determine

To serve Him,

To invest the time He grants 

We reap an inordinate amount

Of reasons to give thanks

As we dedicate each day,

Consecrate our customs

He prepares us as priests

To take our daily bread,

Savour every bite as feast

---

May 21, 2016

Inspired by:

http://blog.stevebell.com/2016/05/introduction-to-ordinarytide/

You Are My Song

You sing over me and You inhabit

Your people's praise

I sing of Your mercies

For they are new every day

You are my Deliverer,

My tower strong

You are my strength,

You are my song

Triumphant One

You are my salvation

Your glorious Son,

My firm foundation

You put a new song in my mouth, 

Your law within my heart

A hymn of praise arises

For how wonderful You are

I declare Your faithfulness
Your righteousness proclaim
I rejoice and am glad
For You, oh God, are great

---

May 13, 2016

Inspired by:

http://www.gwensmith.net/my-song/

and Psalm 40

Psalm 23 v. 2016

The Lord is my Shepherd
I have all that I need
He causes me to rest
And delighted be
The tumult of my heart
He quiets, as He leads me
He disciples me in trusted paths
For He is Faithful and True
Though the vale be dark
With Him, I walk through
Your perfect love casts fear aside
I will trust completely in You
You rescued me when I wandered off
You carried me back to Your fold
To Your mighty outstretched hand
I will lean on and take hold
You invite me to dine
Great honour You bestow
You heal my wounds
My heart overflows
With praise for Your goodness,
Mercy and pursuing love
I will ever sing Your praises
In Your dwelling above
---
May 10, 2016

Waves of Mercy

Fearing calamity

They prodded Christ to waken

Their faith in Him surged