Chris Gribble

Be yourself - Everyone else is taken (Oscar Wilde)

A Poet’s Advice To Students – EE Cummins

by

A poet is somebody who feels, and who expresses his feeling through words.

This may sound easy. It isn’t.

A lot of people think or believe or know they feel – but that’s thinking or believing or knowing; not feeling. And poetry is feeling – not knowing or believing or thinking.

Almost anybody can learn to think or believe or know, but not a single human being can be taught to feel. Why? Because whenever you think or you believe or you know, you’re a lot of other people: but the moment you feel, you’re nobody-but-yourself.

To be nobody-but-yourself – in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else – means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.

As for expressing nobody-but-yourself in words, that means working just a little harder than anybody who isn’t a poet can possibly imagine. Why?

Because nothing is quite as easy as using words like somebody else. We all of us do exactly this nearly all of the time – and whenever we do it, we are not poets.

If, at the end of your first ten or fifteen years of fighting and working and feeling, you find you’ve written one line of one poem, you’ll be very lucky indeed.

And so my advice to all young people who wish to become poets is: do something easy, like learning how to blow up the world – unless you’re not only willing, but glad, to feel and work and fight till you die.

Does this sound dismal? It isn’t.

It’s the most wonderful life on earth.

Or so I feel.

Uncertainty and a Safe Space – Lessons from 1000 conversations

by

Uncertainty

Dante begins his Commedia with these lines:

In the middle of the road of my life
I awoke in the dark wood
Where the true way was wholly lost….

At the beginning of every decade of my adult life it seems that a significant shift has taken place that has led me into a period of deep uncertainty. A little over a decade ago I launched hopefully out of church ministry and worked for a while as a builder’s labourer. This was a period when there was uncertainty about many things in our life such as when our next paycheck would come, where we would live and what were we meant to do. Gradually the way became clearer and I settled into life in business starting a company and developing that business.

Then in my last major transition I identify closely with what Dante says about the true way being wholly lost. I had lost my way and couldn’t see any way forward. Uncertainty was about the only thing that I knew to be true. This uncertainty permeated every area of my life for example, I had difficulty making a decision about the most trivial of things. I would procrastinate and delay doing anything out of fear of making the wrong decision.

It was one of those periods that I best describe as dark, or as if a fog had come over my life that limited any hope of finding a way forward. I couldn’t see anyway to get myself out of it and its clammy tentacles infiltrated every part of my life. Although in many ways it was unpleasant I also recognise this was the beginning of a new conversation that allowed me to slowly emerge from this debilitating fog into a more hopeful life.

I have discovered in the 1000 conversations that I am not alone in this experience. Uncertainty is brought about by the realisation that our worlds are not quite right and even when things are going well there’s always that painful prick that is the knowledge that any certainty we may feel will not last. There is always the chance that there will be something around the corner that will take away any security that may have been created.

This would suggest that a significant part of life for many people is spent in what Richard Rohr describes as a liminal space. Richard Rohr maintains that this is where God is always leading us. It’s about holding the tension of uncertainty and the unknown and dealing with the fear and tension that comes from being in this place.

Uncertainty is the path to vulnerability. It’s the realisation as one writer expresses it, “that there is a God and you’re not it”. The truest outcome of being able to embrace uncertainty in our ourselves is to become more compassionate towards our vulnerability so we are better equipped to fully enter into community. The uncomfortableness of uncertainty is not our enemy rather it’s the voice that speaks most clearly to our need to begin a conversation with God. The psalmist expresses this again and again in his prayers to God and its essence is seen in Psalm Twenty-One.

My version of Psalm 21

My pilgrim journey starts with hope,
Recognising my heart’s desire,
Taking my first steps to eternity,
Sometimes the uncertain path,
Needs Eternity’s guidance,
With each faltering step,
Complete trust is given,
To the source of all my joy.

The archetypal stories that were used to understand the outcomes of the 1000 conversations focussed on the themes of loneliness and connectedness and the desired outcome of producing a deeper connection with God and a greater sense of community. The stories move from the crisis of loneliness to the integration of community and spiritual practices that lead someone to a deeper relationship with God. From this a more hopeful expression of work is described that gives the courage to continue on.

Brene Brown explains courage in the following quote, “Ordinary courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line”. In the understandings that were developed from some of my conversations where it is evident that the companioning conversation is one that requires significant courage for the person being companioned. The archetypal story first acknowledges that that some things are not right and this creates uncertainty in the way people go about their work, the way they relate to others and their store of hope that will keep them going. The first place is often that dark place where God can feel far away or some of the old ways of working are no longer producing the same results.

I introduce my version of Psalm 61 with a reference to Finisterre a cape in Spain that was believed in Roman times to be the end of the world, the word “Fisterra” in the local dialect means, “lands end”. The cape sticks out into a wild and rocky coastline and was known as the coast of death. It is known for it’s beautiful beaches that are often overlooked by treacherous cliffs.

It’s the conclusion of the pilgrimage of St James that is historically one of the most important Christian pilgrimages. Legend has it that the remains of St James the apostle’s remains were carried to northern Spain and buried.

The pilgrimage originally started from the pilgrim’s home. At the end of a pilgrimage they traditionally burn their clothes, discard worn boots, build crosses in gratitude and watch the sun set over the dramatic Atlantic coastline. These sacramental acts today are shared by thousands of people each year as they complete their pilgrimage.

I wanted to capture something of the uncertainty that is a part of every pilgrim’s journey by referring to this cape and the mythology of the unknown that lay beyond the horizon viewed from its shore. In the second stanza I refer to the searching that is lies at the heart of the pilgrim’s journey and the discovery of rest with God.

Finally there comes the discovery in uncertainty of a kinder voice. Sometimes what is heard can be the harsh reminder of where we don’t belong. In the final stanza is the understanding of the connection between our desire and our hearts. Allowing uncertainty to meet with a kinder voice that translates into a sure calling that directs the next step forward.

My version of Psalm 61

Finisterre was my end of the road,
My pilgrim path reached the end of this earth,
Its shoreline the beginning of the endless horizon,
Reaching out to unknown dangers,
Uncertainty halted my next step forward.

My searching found a safe harbour,
My uncertainty led me to God’s rest,
Providing everything needed to serve Him,
You will allow me to serve forever,
Every gift given full voice accompanied by love.

Today I commit my path to Love’s guidance,
Seeking out my heart’s deepest desire,
Knowing the gentle strength that is love’s calling,
Leading to a kinder voice that discovers life,
A sure calling that will never be dismayed.

Uncertainty is brought about because of the untrustworthiness that we know is in our own hearts and then sooner or later we experience in our friendships, family and work relationships. This uncertainty is the root of the relational breakdown that is evident in our human interactions.

Everyone has been let down by a broken promise and I wrote the poem Promise below as an exploration of what it meant for me. Continuing on with the pilgrim theme is the unknown and possibility for a broken promise to open into an abyss of despair.

Promise

Spoken and unspoken promises,
Stretched into an endless horizon,
A sure promise is the certainty,
Every promise will be broken,
Each one bears my heartache,
Understood more each day.

Every pilgrim’s journey,
Is only found by walking,
With an unknown destination,
That has the frightening prospect,
When the ground below,
Disappears into an eternal abyss.

Each step must be taken,
Into the uncertain promise,
Of what ground lies beneath,
The honest conversation begins,
With that first promise,
A first uncertain step,
Taken with the hope of knowing,
The trust within the promise,
Where the horizon beckons,
With a welcoming embrace,
The place where I always belong.

A safe place

The universality of uncertainty brings a desire for a safe place. We all try to create these places but sadly too often the wrong materials are chosen and what is yearned for is unfulfilled.

The companioning conversations that we had created a place where someone can safely be themselves and talk freely knowing that whatever they bring to the conversation will be valued. They are no longer in the world of outputs and deadlines; a space is created where the leader knows they are going to be heard.

The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
Rumi

Recently I was talking with someone who is battling the horrors that some of these visitors described by Rumi bring to life. Taken straight from Rumi’s poem they were depression, dark thoughts and shame. The effect on this person’s life is best described as violent because they have destroyed numerous relationships in his life.

As we were talking I was constantly searching for the question that would be most helpful for this person. He was stuck in a cycle of endless self doubt about where he truly belonged. It seemed that even the one person with integrity that he knew was still not trusted. This lack of trust was creating tension in the one relationship that I believed had any hope of being life giving for him.

I have been wondering what will be the shape of the next conversation that we have? As I spent time reflecting on this poem by Rumi I considered how gratefulness could be encouraged for this person. One of the symptoms of depression and anxiety is the lack of laughter in the sufferer’s life. I have asked myself if there is a way to help him meet them at the door laughing.

In Belgium is a small village called Geel that has a 700 year history of welcoming people with mental illness. It began with a tragic story of an Irish princess whose father’s madness made him want to marry her. She escaped to what is now Geel. But, her father found her and killed her. She became revered as a saint with a special mission to the mentally ill.

In the 14th century a church was built and then a little later a dormitory was added to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims. Once the numbers got too large for the dormitory local townspeople began accommodating them in their barns and homes. These people were welcomed and loved but also were put to work.

Today the same tradition of care and welcome is practised in the town. Odd behaviours are overlooked as people are able to find their home. They are no longer classified as a medical condition but welcomed into a community.

Geel is a great example of the transforming power of a loving community. It also speaks powerfully to the way that we approach some of the perceived enemies in our life. Rather than rejection and discarding these less desirable parts of ourselves, we can welcome them and know that even their disruption will bring some greater wholeness.

Thomas Merton the Trappist monk words, “In all of us there is a hidden wholeness”, hold a lot of truth for their situation. This wholeness is not born out of our perfections but comes from brokenness. The “pilgrims” who still come to the town of Geel are on a sacred journey where they have undergone a sometimes violent wrenching that has forced them to wander in search of a home. Their search for that home is what is sought by my friend suffering from depression and anxiety; for those who are wounded by work; in every one of us is a wholeness waiting to be found.

I loved the words of David in Psalm 90, where he talks about home. It was the place where he knew that his people fully belonged.

My version of Psalm 90

Home is that place where I fully belong,
Where all my uncertainty is safe,
Eternity is one more heartbeat away,
Each beat brings me closer to home,
Born from Eternity’s love,
This short life a warning of what awaits.

Reality means knowing love’s anger,
Truth leaves no room for excuses,
Our hearts are torn open before God,
Broken hearted we face our loving judge,
Attached to nothing except Eternity’s breath,
Each breath formed from love’s words.

Compassion is a certain knowing,
That belongs to those who have found home,
No more ceaseless wandering,
Looking for temporary trinkets,
Trust is discovered in God’s call to courage,
Life faced with honest connecting,
Calling his love my own.

This morning I am called to belong,
To love’s eternal gaze,
Seeking out my face,
I feel his soft eyes searching me out,
Finding me yearning for his loving look,
My voice longs to speak of being found,
Speaking Eternity’s words given to me.

“Compassion,” wrote historian Karen Armstrong in considering the proper meaning of the Golden Rule, “asks us to look into our own hearts, discover what gives us pain, and then refuse, under any circumstance whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else.” (From Brain Pickings)

Everything is waiting for you
Your great mistake is to act the drama
as if you were alone……
Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into
the conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots
have left their arrogant aloofness and
seen the good in you at last. All the birds
and creatures of the world are unutterably
themselves. Everything is waiting for you.
David Whyte

The creation of a safe place allows the sense of aloneness to be replaced by a meaningful conversation. As David Whyte writes in his poem we make a mistake when we try to navigate the workplace by ourselves. The value of the companion’s contribution to this is highlighted by Rachel Remen who says in My Grandfather’s Blessings, “presence is a much more powerful catalyst for change than analysis”.

My version of Psalm 62

Peace is such a beautiful place to find,
I have discovered true rest with my Father,
He has helped me withstand the personal attacks,
He will confront the lies that were told,
The lies that were intended to destroy me,
They were destruction veiled as truth,
I watched as my enemy took delight,
In seeing me hit rock bottom.

I know now how to take a true rest,
So that those lies no longer affect me,
Truth relies on God – not on my enemy,
I have learned to pour my heart out to God,
So that my ears hear only truth.
The great reversal is coming,
Where God sets it all right,
In the meantime I am learning what is important,
Rich or poor the end result is the same,
We must keep close to God,
Trust him above everything else,
This is the only safe place in this world,
Eternal love expressed with truth is the result.
My version of Psalm 4

I don’t care what other people say about what is important,
Money, success, career,
or anything that can distract,
From opening my life completely to you,
And being completely happy with what you provide.

I will be content,
I will sleep well,
Knowing – That I am safe in your care.

This Psalm’s last stanza has the sentence, “In peace I will lie down and sleep”.

I have always found that when I am anxious my sleep gets disrupted. When I was depressed the one thing that I desired above all else was to sleep through the night. I dreaded going to sleep because I realised that I would wake too soon. I knew that I would wake with the problems of the day ahead tossing around my head. I felt like there was never any rest.

When David says that in peace he will sleep I understand how important this is. To be able to say tonight because God is watching over me that it doesn’t matter what else is going on I will sleep is a statement about the blessing that comes with being right with God. I am no longer alone but held safe where I belong. .

Wounding and a deeper experience of God – Lessons from 1000 conversations

by

Prayer for sadness

May you see God’s light on the path ahead
When the road you walk is dark.
May you always hear,
Even in your hour of sorrow,
The gentle singing of the lark.
When times are hard may hardness
Never turn your heart to stone,
May you always remember
when the shadows fall—
You do not walk alone.

The second level in the conversational hierarchy that emerged from my workplace onversations (for further detail on the background of this click here) is the expression of wounding and a desire for a deeper experience of God. Each of these have featured significantly in the more than 1000 conversations contributing to my investigation.

“If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

C.S Lewis once said, “pain is God’s megaphone.” These two understandings fitted closely with each other as wounding is the signal to many people that a deeper relationship with God is sought. Without the pain that is a part of living in the midst of brokenness most people would be deaf to God’s calling on their lives.

Wounding

My version of Psalm 127

Work for work’s sake is futile activity,
Slavery to an endless list of tasks,
Only to achieve a bigger paycheck is futile,
They are illusions of success,
Rest is important too,
It teaches us that God provides.

Parker Palmer in his book, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life, writes about the wounds that are caused by our institutions. For many people their experience of work is dealing with daily disappointments where wounds are inflicted by those who wield power unwisely.

One of the first realisations coming out of my conversationsis that for most people work is about violence. This is the conclusion Studs Terkel reached after interviewing scores of Americans for his book Working: Work is, by its very nature, about violence—to the spirit as well as to the body. It is about ulcers as well as accidents, about shouting matches as well as fistfights, about nervous breakdowns as well as kicking the dog around. It is, above all (or beneath all), about daily humiliations. To survive the day is triumph enough for the walking wounded among the great many of us

In my life’s most recent transformation the most difficult part of moving forward from my wounding is recognising the disappointment that lay behind that transformation. David Whyte says in his book, “Consolations”, courage is in embracing that disappointment. There is no pathway on this earth that doesn’t involve being let down in some way.

Parker Palmer writes about the need for our roles to be more deeply informed by the truth that is in our souls. His experience over many years of conducting Courage and Renewal groups is that leaders who are able to engage deeply with their identity and their organisational disappointments are best equipped to allow healing to be encouraged in their life. Being heard in a conversation is a way of encouraging healing through self reflection so that leaders are able to re-enter the daily conversations that must be had as a part of their role. Spiritual companioning conversations enable this pain to be voiced and heard; then provided a place where soul and role are reconnected.

Institutional betrayal is potent because it represents a profound and fundamental violation of trust in a necessary dependency relationship. In that sense, it is similar to abuse in close relationships such as what is expected in a marriage. This abuse is serious and its consequences are shattering for many people. Workplace statistics regarding the prevalence of bullying and abuse are horrifying and yet these numbers are a glimpse of the daily heartache that work is for many people.

I wrote the following psalm when considering the impact of violence in the workplace. For most people it isn’t a single act of abuse that destroys their soul. More often it’s the daily accumulation of barbs and jabs that end slowly suck the life out of any productive activity. They are the thousand pinpricks that slowly accumulate take away any passion that may be felt for the daily tasks needed to be done. Redemption is found when the gifts that are brought are celebrated by another. But, recovery is a healing process that is required because of the wounding inflicted.

Psalm 204 – When things go wrong

A thousand pinpricks are certain to kill,
Just as certain as a bullet to the head,
Each day can mounts with frustration,
Passion slowly curls up to die,
Lost in the mass of failures,
Notched up in the daily diary account.

Joy’s slow death has it’s own smell,
The putrid stench of contempt’s gaze,
That stares from its lofty throne,
I am lost in what cannot be changed,
Unless something changes in me,
Broken down, deserted for green fields,
That yield a thousand times more.

But Joy’s heart was opened wide,
To begin to restore my broken heart,
What went wrong will be set right,
As hearts combine in loving embrace,
Celebrating the meagre gifts offered,
From which something beautiful unfolds,
Promises from God are always kept,
Setting things right in Creation’s economy.

The struggle is necessary for hope to emerge. In this case it’s the recognition that the change must happen within me if I am able to navigate the work world. The difference is that when hope is found there is the joining of two hearts that are able to celebrate what is true and good in each other. It’s the beginning of a new conversation that begins from Joy’s open heart and searches for what is beautiful in the other person.

As Parker Psalmer relates this personal transformation to the North American seasons, he describes how the change from winter to summer requires the messiness of spring. It’s from this uncertainty that fresh shoots that are the signs of new life are able to emerge.

“In my own life, as winters turn into spring, I find it not only hard to cope with mud but also hard to credit the small harbingers of larger life to come, hard to hope until the outcome is secure. Spring teaches me to look more carefully for the green stems of possibility; for the intuitive hunch that may turn into a larger insight, for the glance or touch that may thaw a frozen relationship, for the stranger’s act of kindness that makes the world seem hospitable again.”
? Parker J. Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation

What is often missing is a place where an honest conversation can be had about winter’s darkness or the messiness of spring. Too often in many workplaces anything not regarded as positive affirmation of current management practices can quickly label the person as negative and they are put on the outer. The truth that is in the messiness is lost because the wounds are never given an opportunity to heal. Organisations are quick to banish and say that someone doesn’t belong if their wounds disrupt the image that they seek to present.

The foundation of the conversational hierarchy developed is that a deeper space is desired. Once this is acknowledged in a conversation then the pain that comes from people’s wounding is able to become a voice that can understand what it is to have a deeper relationship with God. The opportunity that comes from this second level in the conversational hierarchy is to share with someone their wound and perhaps to shed a little of the gentle light of the soul on their pain. It’s the beginning of consolation, forgiveness and healing for the disappointment that comes with being let down by something that we sought to trust.

A deeper relationship with God is desired.

“There is in the soul a something in which God dwells, and there is in the soul a something in which the soul dwells in God.” Meister Eckhart

This search for a deeper relationship with God is often about reshaping our image of ourselves. As David Whyte puts it, “creation is waiting breathlessly for each of us to take our place…to begin the one journey only you can take…to occupy that one complexion of creation that no other element in creation can occupy.” Becoming found by God enables a person the opportunity to be seen in the most authentic place; in the most vulnerable way.

Creation begins with an imaginative act of God. Human life commenced with a series of divine creative acts followed by a conversation between God and humanity. This conversation has continued throughout history. When God created a person his conversation extended beyond declaring it is good, he started the relationship with a deeply intimate conversation that established a unique identity for each individual person. This conversation continued and developed in the Garden of Eden and beyond.

The tone changed after sin became something that needed to be confronted because of its impact on the conversation between God and humanity. This was the conversation that Adam and Eve didn’t want to have with God and they sought to avoid it. But, we are told that God sought them out and together they discovered the truth and then re established their relationship after trust had been lost.

This could have been the end of the conversation, lost trust could have doomed us to unfulfilled longings that could never be completed. However, this was not the end and humanity continues to have the privilege of having a conversation with God. Forgiveness is love’s purest expression of hope that is given as a gift to us.

In the following poem called, “Imagination” I sought to discover something about the source of that conversation and then the intimacy that I am able to have because I share with my Creator’s imagination.

Imagination

When Love created an eternal soul,
A smile announced his arrival,
Imagination’s beautiful idea fulfilled,
In the surprising gasp for breath,
Introducing life’s first cry.

In the landscape of a million conversations,
One voice creates a new piece of ground,
Creation’s busy activity paused.

Stopping to listen.

A moment dedicated to this life,
Finding a word that belonged to this person,
The word that sought out his special name,
That joined imagination with possibility,
Concluding with life’s final breath,
The smile completed by Love’s embrace.

In this poem I was also exploring the beauty of creation and the discovery of my place in the Creator’s heart. The thought that the creator of this world would stop to listen to me, that he would hear my voice and know me by name inspires me to explore more of this Creator. Imagination is the place where a deeper experience of God begins.

John’s gospel introduction to Christ begins with taking the reader back to the creation’s first creative acts. Today my life witnesses these acts that formed my life and breathes meaning into my creativity. I am a witness to God’s conversation with me, the one that knows my name; the conversation that is forgiving and the conversation that is fulfilled by Love’s embrace.

It begins with the creation story. It includes me in a holy community that says I belong. It introduces the lie that is deceptive and also the truth that can be found in the conversation we are invited to have with the Voice, Breath and Flesh.

John’s introduction to his gospel in my words.

This story originates with a small community who each desired to express their creativity. This community is made up of, a Voice, Breath and Flesh. I am one example of that creative expression. There are many others that are too numerous to mention in this brief introduction. My life is a testimony to the desire of that first group to share their creativity with their creation.

The Voice, the Breath and the Flesh realised that by myself I can only dimly make out a sense of who they are. This image is distorted by a lie. This lie is spread throughout the world and influences everything in the world. The good news is that the lie always has to give way to the Voice, Breath and Flesh.

Creation once was a complete unity then it was divided. How this came about is complex but the Voice continued to talk to his creation. He never stopped speaking the truth even though the lie was believed by most people.

Before I was born the Voice, Breath and Flesh began a plan to make truth absolutely clear. This plan required the Flesh to live with his creation so that everyone could see the lie clearly. His presence focussed the differences between the truth and the lie. It became obvious that people believed either one or the other.

The preparations for the Flesh living with us were carefully planned out. A man called John was specially prepared from birth to ensure that everyone knew who the Flesh in person really was. He knew the entire history of the Voice speaking and how deceiving the lie could be.

John was not afraid to speak the truth. He was very clear about who the Flesh was and the Flesh’s relationship with the Voice and with the Breath. It clearly was a huge commitment by the Voice, Breath and Flesh to separate for this time so that their creation could get a first hand account of the truth.

The gospel brings truth to the lies that are the most used weapon in workplaces. The lies inhibit the creativity that we are intended to share with the Voice, Breath and Flesh. The gospel brings the Flesh’s word to us and the truth that we are intended to hear.

Truth’s daily calling

Truth is the soul’s main labour,
Connecting heart and head and eternity,
Truth lived brings laughter and tears,
Truth understood is shared intimacy,
Embracing with none of love’s regrets,
The longed for hello,
Not the regretful goodbye,
Truth is not clinging to a failed understanding,
Truth is the soul’s daily work,
The creative heart work of the true human.

Ultimately we work not to just make an income, or to fill in an empty space in our day. We work because we are co-creators with God in the unfolding of the world. Our voice in this conversation is what creates a new piece of ground. In the midst of this creation Norvene Vest writes, “Vocation teaches us that each of us has a particular place, a particular set of talents, a particular responsibility that no one else can quite fulfill” (Vest).

In concluding this section I have included a prayer for forgiveness. This has the dual purpose of enabling wounding to begin healing and also it’s the starting point of a relationship with God. It provides the opportunity to step up to the next level of the conversational hierarchy – The creation of a safe place and uncertainty’s expression.

A prayer for forgiveness

Allow me to forgive,
For I am imprisoned by my bitterness.
Allow me to be forgiven,
For I am shamed that I have done another harm.
I earnestly pray that we may all forgive and be forgiven.
May we love and be loving.
May we strive to see the right, to do the right;
And to be generous with others as we would be with ourselves,
This day, this week, this life.
Amen

Another Version of Psalm Six

by

6

My doubts surround me today,
They make my will weak,
Caution holds me back,
When bold faith is my calling.

When I doubt most,
I despair of hope,
God have mercy on me,
See my heart’s desire,
Heal my cautious spirit.

When fear clutches my heart,
Tomorrow looms with terror,
I curl up wanting to die,
Disappointments are everywhere,
Overwhelmed by disloyalty,
I feel like giving up.

This morning I cry out to God,
I will find him in all I do,
God listens to my broken prayers,
My illogical words and groans,
The tears that I shed each night,
Everything is being set right,
Opposition lives with its own shame,
I am heard by God,
My fears transformed by courage.

Another version of Psalm 4

by

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

At the end of my day,
My troubles overwhelmed me,
I couldn’t think straight,
Everything felt like too much,
Even the smallest detail,
Felt like the final straw.

I want to know renewal tonight,
As I consider my broken heart,
I choose you Lord to protect,
When I can’t sleep,
When trust is the hardest task,
My enemies seem to succeed,
While I struggle with each day.

I will seek to trust you God,
You gave me new life,
My search is not for more blessing,
It is to know you deeply,
Surrounded by your peace,
Seeking to discover rest myself,
I pray for this tonight,
As I put my trust in you.

Psalm 203 – Saying yes to God

by

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA
KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

The burden of always saying yes,
Led to a daily list of failures,
That mounted up in accusations,
Each day an unscalable mountain,
Yes, was turned to death words,
That led to condemnation,
Of the impossibility of seeking to please.

I discover by going where I need to be,
But, learning to take the time to slow,
To hear what is lost in the wind,
Slowing to feel on my neck,
The sweet breath of God’s whisper,
That holy call to stay and be true,
To learn to wait before I do.

My first word today is to say, “No”,
To a thousand different questions,
That seek to bring complexity,
To what is the simple choice,
Of first saying yes to God.

A Reflection on Psalm 141

by

141

I desire a heart that belongs to God,
Hearing his words of daily appreciation,
His desires becoming my calling,
Our words combining to declare love’s triumph,
No room to harbour selfish inclinations,
Love is a single minded pursuit,
Of seeking the beauty that lies within.

A divided life is a disheartening lie,
That never pays its full due,
Its cost mounts with false promise,
Of a dividend that is never paid,
The false hope quickly fades to nothing,
Along with the the liar’s words,
Leading my dear enemy to his own destruction.

Word traps abound every day,
They seek to find a way to destroy,
Questions seeking to create doubt,
Becoming my dear enemy’s deepest regret,
As I hear God’s loving truth,
Expressed in the great reversal,
Where justice is fully understood by all,
My life lived in Grace’s abundance,
Life now lived as a daily adventure,
Intolerant of Lie’s deceits.

Psalm 202 – In praise of work

by

202

I sleep well each night,
Waking to expectation,
Knowing my plans belong to God,
Starting with creation’s imagination,
Continuing through each human life,
Gifted to our world’s loving desire,
To seek what can be given,
To the one to whom we all belong.

Each creative act I perform,
Was given by creation’s loving impulse,
I know that work is created from love,
From which each step forward is born,
Love is what sheds light on understanding,
The gift given of human thought,
That searches out our deepest desires,
To transform my uncertainty,

Psalm 201 – The gift of work

by

201

The Gift of Work

My day begins celebrating God’s gifts,
He loves the way that I was formed,
I hear his daily nod of approval,
When my plans begin with prayer,
Listening to his desires,
Work becomes my daily offering,
Of creation’s gift of creativity.

Shared with my creator’s image,
Is the gift of my daily effort,
Creator’s gifts discovering human heart,
Transforming routine drudgery,
To daily moments of pleasure,
That seek the best of life’s fullness,
My craft found in my Creator,
As together we share each day.

A Reflection on Psalm 146

by

146

My life began with God celebrating,
Here is another child of mine,
The day I turned my face to his,
And, said, “I can’t do this by myself”,
Knowing my plans didn’t work,
Darkness gave way to light,
My soul’s transformation began.

I’ve seen the nothing path,
That collects everything on the way,
Building up their piles of manure,
Thinking they have created a treasure,
Forgetting that it soon returns,
To where it began.

My God pours out love day after day,
He never stops looking to show it,
He searches for the broken hearted child,
Those who have felt life’s blows,
Beaten mercilessly by the pursuit of more,
Those who have missed out,
Because of the ravenous greed of self,
Those who cannot see a way forward,
Blinded by the liar’s orchestrated darkness,
God’s love brings freedom,
From the weight of the loveless liar,
Despair turns to celebration,
An awesome shout of hope,
Erupts from God’s heart,
Bringing new life to today.

A Reflection on Psalm 145

by

145

God’s abundant love flows into my life,
There is no end to His possibility,
His favour has no favourites,
My failures can belong to him,
And, I can seek out his plans,
Crafted for my life alone.

I love to think about these things,
My days are full of praise,
There is more and more to know,
About the ways God loves his children,
I am the least of all people,
Yet, I live like a king,
Given a life of abundance,
In which my deepest desires are filled.

One word from me,
The briefest prayer,
Is all it takes,
To galvanise heaven’s armies,
To come to my help.

I live as a much loved child,
Indulged by Truth,
No longer troubled by hate’s lies,
They do not belong to God’s child,
I hear the lies but am protected by God,
My mouth voicing only God’s words,
Encouraging others to join the chorus,
That shouts out his eternal praise anthem.

A Reflection on Psalm 144

by

144

God prepares me for each day’s troubles,
When my dear enemy hounded me each day,
The smell of blood in his nostrils,
I turned to God and sought safety,
My deepest failure became my sword,
Safety was found in my brokeness,
The battle tide turned as God showed up.

I witnessed God’s awesome power,
I found new strength to see me through,
My dear enemy shaking his puny fist,
Angry words making his wisdom foolishness,
Tripping up on his own confused lying,
It all became perfectly clear to me,
My voice found the right words again,
So that truth could be heard,
The darkness quickly giving way to light.

Now each day brings new promises,
There is no limit to God’s abundance,
I will seek him with all my heart,
And, enjoy the life that comes from God,
This is the truth that I have found,
The lies have no power at all,
Disarmed completely by love,
Peace is found in God’s rest.

A Reflection on Psalm 143

by

143

Mercy is my heart’s cry today,
This morning your gift is its sweet words,
I allow only these words to fill me,
My dear enemy spews constant hate,
His cold eyes that have dark souls,
Drawing me into their emptiness,
Wanting to see me cling to false hope,
I feel the pain of disappointment,
The desert of loneliness,
When what was important,
Was too easily discarded for a trinket.

I have searched with God for answers,
I turned my face to his,
Looking into his loving eyes,
Discovering more and more of his love,
Life is lived in an oasis of calm,
Trusting God for my daily needs,
My path protected by his strong hand,
Nothing can change my choices now,
His will is etched in my memory,
Reminding me of what comes first.

My dear enemy’s words are drying up,
His accusations easily cast aside,
They belong to him,
Even though he wants me to quiver,
Fear is not my first response,
Soon he will know the great silence,
When God’s voice will ring in his ears,
His words will be his retribution,
God’s will is setting all things right.

I remain a humble listening ear,
Trusting in God’s words to me,
With me in each step forward,
Surrounded by unfailing love.

A Reflection on Psalm 142

by

142

My daily list of pain mounts up,
They become the deepest pit of hurts,
My life is lived in agony,
While my dear enemy gloats,
He only seeks my downfall,
That is his main intention,
For his selfish seeking to feel better,
Disloyalty is my daily reminder,
Of how fickle friendship can be.

I won’t depend on anyone now,
Except my God’s love,
Too many disappointments have come,
These seek to overwhelm me,
The powerful destruction of divided attention,
Is what slowly destroys love’s desire.

My heart longs for a shared intentions,
The love of God above all things,
Lost in the maze of endless distraction,
But, I am brought home by trust in God,
Despairing of any loyalty,
My cry for help is heard,
Instead of pain I seek out the goodness,
That my God has given me.

A Reflection on Psalm 139

by

139

My life was completely torn open,
Every part of my shame shared with the world,
All of my failures written on my forehead,
Every word I spoke echoed my mistakes,
No part hidden from God.

I sought to hide myself from God,
Thinking I could cover up my failures,
Stupidity replaced common sense,
As I sought to rely on my own salvation,
But God knows me inside out,
From the moment I drew breath he was there,
No part of me goes unloved,
My failures, my shame, my mistakes,
Even my greatest stupidity,
Every part is known and then loved.

God confidence means that I will not cower,
The attacks against me born from hatred of God,
Their time is up and I am speaking out now,
My focus on God’s love sorts the lies very easily,
They stand out like a gaping wound,
That cannot be hidden from sight.

Today I begin with an open heart,
Broken open with no unseen parts,
Tested by Love’s’ piercing eyes,
Seeking out anything not begun by love,
Even my deepest thoughts,
Will be examined by Love,
Love will lead me to my daily choices,
The light to Eternity’s gifts.

A Reflection on Psalm 138

by

138

When I was inundated with angry words,
My God was with me,
Even though I gave up on myself,
He saw new possibilities,
Transformation was on his mind,
Born from despair, destruction and betrayal.

Doubt was completely dispelled,
About who won this fight,
My broken heart a witness to eternity’s love,
That sought out my every weakness,
Nothing was hidden from His gaze,
My deepest humiliation transformed by hope.

My life is completed by thankfulness,
Eternity’s faithfulness in my deepest darkness,
Demonstrating who is in charge,
Love creates the great reversal,
Of the winner in the world’s clamour for more,
No one will escape love’s call,
Reaching out and restoring the broken,
The world a witness to love’s final truth.

A reflection on Psalm 90

by

90

Home is that place where I fully belong,
Where all my uncertainty is safe,
Eternity is one more heartbeat away,
Each beat brings me closer to home,
Born from Eternity’s love,
This short life a warning of what awaits.

Reality means knowing love’s anger,
Truth leaves no room for excuses,
Our hearts are torn open before God,
Broken hearted we face our loving judge,
Attached to nothing except Eternity’s breath,
Each breath formed from love’s words.

Compassion is a certain knowing,
That belongs to those who have found home,
No more ceaseless wondering,
Looking for temporary trinkets,
Trust is discovered in God’s call to courage,
Life faced with honest connecting,
Calling his love my own.

This morning I am called to belong,
To love’s eternal gaze,
Seeking out my face,
I feel his soft eyes searching me out,
Finding me yearning for his loving look,
My voice longs to speak of being found,
Speaking Eternity’s words given to me.

Reflection on Psalm 41

by

41

Enough is enough,
I will no longer cower,
Scared of lies and malicious intent,
My loyalty repaid with contempt,
This is not the life that God has for me.

I am ready God,
To walk with my head high,
To face hatred and stare it down,
I have heard my dear enemy’s voice,
Let the destructive hate words,
Eloquently put together but bathed in malice
Spoken with their foul smelling voice,
Be collected and be discarded with their faeces,

My enemy spends too much time in destruction,
I choose to seek honesty,
Honesty is about God’s truth,
Spoken as a love song,
My enemy is confounded,
Because my heart continues to sing
Praise that reaches my Source,
Sung with the breath of Eternity.

A reflection on Psalm 126

by

126

I tasted the promised life,
Making my home there,
Wanting to be noticed by my friends,
Thinking that this was God’s plan,
I forgot my God,
His reminder was quick and effective,
He broke down my self constructed walls,
A divine breath took it all,
Not even the foundations remained.

Now I am prosperous again,
I don’t want to forget why,
To get everything I needed to give it all away,
Riches begin to abound,
Fresh hope courses through my veins,
I delight in every gift,
My God gives to me,
Daily reminders of his faithfulness.