We fail
All the time
In every place
In every way
Right or left
Up or down
Inside or out
If not in deed
Surely
In thought
He is unfailing
All the time
In every place
In every way
Right and left
Up and down
Inside and out
Even if it seems
He does not succeed
But suffers loss
Call to mind
The seed
Planted at
The cross.
RWOz2
He stretched
S p a c e
Like a curtain
And seeded
The well of gravity
But when we
Preferred the mire
He fashioned wood
To cradle us
In the fold of purity
If we would.
RWOz2
You are profound
I am shallow
Even more
A very callow fellow
So what was it
That you saw in me
While You hung there
Upon that tree?
You are profound
I am not
Drawn to the sound
I had not sought
Invited in
The only loss my sin
To be left on the shore
And plied no more.
RWOz2
Hear Hear
Raise up a cheer
For this day
When John is King
Let all within this hallowed hall
His praises gladly sing
With an eye that’s clear
Undaunted
He trains his lens on one
And all
He was there at the ready
At our every beck and call
No one ever charged
“Where were you when it counted?”
Though some may doubt
His royalty
Or dispute the rank thereof
Why twas only yesterday
While we were in the pharmacy
When the man behind the counter
turned and said,
“Your prints, John!”
RWOz2
With joy
For You we wait
Knowing
What pleases You
Is faith.
Faith, that fragile herb
Springs forth at Your Word
Bowing its head down
Straining to hear the sound
Of Your glory under Heaven
And round
The rock of truth
It clings
And midst the clods
Blooms and sings
Your praises under Heaven
Though as neat
As a mustard seed
By it You meet
Our mountain of need
And make our joy
Complete
Under
Heaven.
RWOz2
A little something I wrote quite some time ago, but nonetheless still true.
Not many know you like I do
That sweet knowledge is mine alone
For like a pocket to a shirt
So my heart on yours is sewn
True, I sometimes forget about ketchup
And syrup and such
When I pour them on
You turn and chide me
– But never too much
For it’s when I think
(Without thinking)
That the one I like best
Likes what I like too
So, please, don’t be insulted
When I bracket the things
I like with you
Not many see the treasure
That is by my side each day
Few, indeed, know the pleasure
Of your impish teasing way.
Thirty-seven years of age
And sixteen of them with me
Three kids, two homes, four cars
An apartment on an alley
So it should be with a life
That is shared
Only we two can remember
As we celebrate together
On this joyous day in December.
RWOz2
Were we to see
The fruits
Of our
Obedience
Even
A glimpse
The tiniest
What behind
The veil
Is marked
By radiance
Our eyes here
Would swim
With tears
Of joy
That are endless.
RWOz2
Measure once, measure twice
Only to have it right
Will suffice
He who transformed
A rock
To water
And water
To wine
Come transform my heart
To wholly seek You
Let me not wander
Nor ever wonder
About Your love for me
Let me run, let me run
To the side of the Builder’s Son
There is none, there is none
Like unto the Holy One.
RWOz2
In the days of lonely sorrow
Down dark stretches of tomorrow
Set your mind on things above
Forever Him
Forever love
Hemmed in by troubles large and small
Pressed and squeezed past any recall
Look to Heaven’s sweet release
Forever Him
Forever peace
Hung in tangled webs of madness
Look up from dead-ends of sadness
Choose instead His praise employ
Forever Him
Forever joy.
RWOz2
Anéanti, anéanti
The flesh invites destruction
Anéanti, anéanti
The flesh has earned destruction.
One is either deceived or
One further step
Confused
When wickedness,
Sweet to the taste
Is hidden under the tongue
But you can trace it back to a moral choice
As to why you won’t leave the things you love
The things that will destroy you.
RWOz2
