Every morning I awake to a fresh new day A gift from God in every way It is early and I step my feet to old carpet Avoid the spots I know are bad so I can ignore them The water comes on oh yeah the shower leaks under the tile So I smile and reach out with open arms towards God hoping for a lift Cast all my anxieties on him When they cling …
Haiku Collection #2
The fear of the Lord
Not fear like terror or pain
Awe of your power
Poem: Sing Into The Dark
I am no singer My voice is rough-hewn Cut from untrained ears Practitioner of nill This voice deep of wood Found a song to sing Soothing the young and hard They from dark circumstance Tears like embered ash Fall and sizzle on cheeks Clenched teeth and red-faced The oil from pressed homes With my voice I scold With my voice I sooth With my voice I correct With my voice I love Strong arms lift pressure …
Dad Journal – Entry #1
Morning is my favorite time of the day. Most days I have to fight the idea that my mornings are regularly stolen from me. I have not had a quiet morning since we started fostering. The kids have a maddening habit of being impossible to remove from their beds during the school days but adorable up at 5:30 on the weekends to ask if they can play on their tablet or watch TV. Recently my …
In The Same Fashion, Father
What I see is people beginning to act out the aggression they have so woefully come to love. Microaggression aficionados tell us reality itself is terribly abrasive and we should all be wrapped in two-ply cocoons awaiting the judgement of decay I think we all know that this sounds ridiculous, or at the very least is, something that will never ever be solved by being constantly offended.
That Selfish Thread That Ruins
I desperately want to be pleased by the mud pies and murky waters of satiated cravings rather than the infinite Glory of God’s “well done my good and faithful servant.” My reward is Christ himself; my pleasure is his embrace and the fruits of his character and spirit. This is the only truly trustworthy metric for life success in fatherhood, career, and marriage.
So You Have Something To Give
Inspiration, clarity, something to keep you going. Human love is funny, you can give and give and eventually you have poured out everything you have and all that is left is the muddy silt at the bottom. The muddy silt of compliments and servitude with a veiled attitude of bitterness. Our love does not refill itself, in the same way, we don’t keep on going with boundless unstoppable energy without falling unconscious or needing to …
Sin-Eater
Jesus is the Sin Eater He is the sanctifier. The gnashing of his teeth was the crushing of death and his final cry “it is finished” gave way to The Way. His resurrection is our redemption. If we are called to take up his cross surely, our little ones will benefit from our redemption.
Compassion Fatigue
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”607″ img_size=”large” alignment=”right” style=”vc_box_circle_2″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Have you ever cared for someone deeply but felt that care erodes away at everything you might have given them. Deep-seated love gives way to a feeling of enviable annoyance and bitter resentment. Maybe the same things have been said with calm love but suddenly come out in frustrated yelling. Perhaps you have expectations that continually go unmet. Maybe the effort it would take to express your needs was consumed doing …
Those Fond Memories
I often sit and remember my son as a baby, one to two years old. Just full of wonder and whimsy. The thing that this does in me surprises me. I can feel my longing to see him. To see his smile again. Maybe to remind him that he is dearly loved. This is not something you have with your foster and adoptive children. You might have some very painful first memories. Like the time …