It's the New Style
The following are some things I've written since I became a believer. Stark difference from those below written beforehand.
1.
Constructed from ashes;
Rebuilt by grace.
Yet the remnants of the former
Continually assert their place.
He gave me rebirth,
He opened my eyes.
Yet oft loosed is the old man
Which diverts from His prize.
But, lo! He still loves me.
And, lo! He forgives.
In the midst of my transgressions
I scream, "Christ lives!"
2. Time
30 years hence will be 3 score behind. Decades of memories rush in and out, yet one vision remains: a lone figure amidst the crowd. Will it always be? A long-ago dream of generations of little ones seems now so distant, so mythical. The desire remains, but the vision fades. 30 years hence will be 3 score behind.
I wrote this one in slam poetry fashion, just after I had turned 30 and had no prospects for a wife. My dreams of a family seemed to be passing me by. Thank God Anna was not far off!
3. Father
FATHER,
Show me the way to righteousness,
for all I see is me.
I run, fall, and I limp and crawl,
when all I need is thee.
I’ve gone so long on my own pow’r,
acting the part so well;
Th’moment’s clear, yes the time is here,
to say to th’world, “Farewell.”
“To be with me, deny yourself,”
You say as King of Kings.
“Live no more with yourself as lord
and loving worldy things.”
As I release the things I’ve loved,
I pick them up again.
Greed within yet draws me to sin,
and for the world I yen.
Yet when I think to where I’ve been,
I see that You’re the Way.
Counting loss, I lay down my dross,
and deny me as You say.
“Take up thy cross and follow me,”
you whisper to Your child.
How much more can You God implore?
I’ll surely be reviled.
“This thing I ask is for your good;
I know what’s best for thee.”
I will try since I’ve seen the lie
of craving all I see.
Yet as I think about its weight,
I fall to trembled knee.
Fighting dread, I lift up my head
and bend to lift my tree.
The weight is great, the cost is much,
“LORD, help me lift,” I plead.
With Your hand, You help me to stand,
and raise me tenderly.
“My yoke’s easy, my burden light,”
You say with truth and pow’r.
As I walk with my cross held tall,
it lightens ev’ry hour.
JESUS,
You gave me life, you gave me hope,
‘twas blind but now I see:
The path now clear, the Way is here,
the road to Calvary.
The joy supreme, the hope unreal
of knowing You this way.
You’ve made my life so bless’d and rife,
I praise You ev’ry day.
The hurts still come, the falls as well,
but past them now I see.
Your peace transcends my hopes and yens,
I follow You with glee.
You gave Your self so I might live;
You offered up Your soul.
One life You gave, a world You saved,
to You I owe my all.
Now as I walk through this dark world,
I need for You to lead:
Teach unto me Your righteousness,
until there is no me.
This may be my favorite thing I've written. It sums up my struggles in living out my faith, but catches as well the joy and promise in it.
1.
Constructed from ashes;
Rebuilt by grace.
Yet the remnants of the former
Continually assert their place.
He gave me rebirth,
He opened my eyes.
Yet oft loosed is the old man
Which diverts from His prize.
But, lo! He still loves me.
And, lo! He forgives.
In the midst of my transgressions
I scream, "Christ lives!"
2. Time
30 years hence will be 3 score behind. Decades of memories rush in and out, yet one vision remains: a lone figure amidst the crowd. Will it always be? A long-ago dream of generations of little ones seems now so distant, so mythical. The desire remains, but the vision fades. 30 years hence will be 3 score behind.
I wrote this one in slam poetry fashion, just after I had turned 30 and had no prospects for a wife. My dreams of a family seemed to be passing me by. Thank God Anna was not far off!
3. Father
FATHER,
Show me the way to righteousness,
for all I see is me.
I run, fall, and I limp and crawl,
when all I need is thee.
I’ve gone so long on my own pow’r,
acting the part so well;
Th’moment’s clear, yes the time is here,
to say to th’world, “Farewell.”
“To be with me, deny yourself,”
You say as King of Kings.
“Live no more with yourself as lord
and loving worldy things.”
As I release the things I’ve loved,
I pick them up again.
Greed within yet draws me to sin,
and for the world I yen.
Yet when I think to where I’ve been,
I see that You’re the Way.
Counting loss, I lay down my dross,
and deny me as You say.
“Take up thy cross and follow me,”
you whisper to Your child.
How much more can You God implore?
I’ll surely be reviled.
“This thing I ask is for your good;
I know what’s best for thee.”
I will try since I’ve seen the lie
of craving all I see.
Yet as I think about its weight,
I fall to trembled knee.
Fighting dread, I lift up my head
and bend to lift my tree.
The weight is great, the cost is much,
“LORD, help me lift,” I plead.
With Your hand, You help me to stand,
and raise me tenderly.
“My yoke’s easy, my burden light,”
You say with truth and pow’r.
As I walk with my cross held tall,
it lightens ev’ry hour.
JESUS,
You gave me life, you gave me hope,
‘twas blind but now I see:
The path now clear, the Way is here,
the road to Calvary.
The joy supreme, the hope unreal
of knowing You this way.
You’ve made my life so bless’d and rife,
I praise You ev’ry day.
The hurts still come, the falls as well,
but past them now I see.
Your peace transcends my hopes and yens,
I follow You with glee.
You gave Your self so I might live;
You offered up Your soul.
One life You gave, a world You saved,
to You I owe my all.
Now as I walk through this dark world,
I need for You to lead:
Teach unto me Your righteousness,
until there is no me.
This may be my favorite thing I've written. It sums up my struggles in living out my faith, but catches as well the joy and promise in it.
posted by Lane | 9:47 PM
2 Comments:
i appreciate the deep well that you are, lane - and how committed you are to articulating it.
and what a renaissance man you are; attorney, pastor, father, husband, baseball player, poet. :-)
beautiful. when is the last time you wrote?
there is a character in the tv series "heroes" that paints pictures and they turn out to be pictures of things that actually happen in the future. initially he paints these pictures only when he is high. later on he learns to do it sober.
as i was reading your stuff, i was reminded of that guy.
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