I love trees.

Silent witnesses of truth
They are deeply rooted in the nourishing earth
They grow peacefully
Stretching up to heaven.
With the seasons they remind me
That bleak winters are followed by spring.
The deeper their roots, the higher they reach
The storms rage and they sing to you
Without the faithfulness of trees to be
What you are growing them to be
I would die.
With the seasons they remind me
That rich harvests are followed by cold winters
That reveal their limbs stretched out
Reaching high to praise you.

Let me be rooted deeply.
Let my life bear peaceful witness to you.
May I praise you in every season
According to your will.
Amen.

Way of the Fire

Sometimes, you can put forth a ton of effort and end up saying what someone else has already expressed beautifully. I was going to try to find the words for what this week has brought, and remembered this wonderful song by Jill Phillips that does a much better job than I could. So, I leave you with these words and the understanding that last week I took another first step and He is faithful:

The water rose above my head
The next thing I remember I was carried down the stream
Left me washed up on that shore
But the power of the flood still burned inside of me
It’s the way of the fire
It’s the way of the fire
I took the first step without fear
I didn’t see the danger of what the stream could do
Then I felt the undertow
Of all the things I asked for coming true
It’s the way of the fire
(Just one step into the flame)
It’s the way of the fire
(He starts consuming everything)
And it’s all gonna’ burn
(I’m refined and strengthened by)
The way of the fire
I don’t know how long I have been
Lying in the stillness staring up at blue
But I hear the voice within
Say “Come back in the water”, and I do
And the river’s rise is a scary thing
But it always runs downstream
The way of the fire

I Saw My Soul on the Curb Today

I see his face
Haggard and dull
Dirty and done
I bet he smells
He doesn't care
He's given up
His cardboard sign
Says
Hungry.

I glance and wait
Anxious to pass
Green and go
Out of sight and mind
No eye contact
To taint my
Polished
World.

-Me



And also, some profound words from the love of my life:

It's amazing how you don't realize how much you are worth until you can admit that you're not worth anything
-Austin Brown