Sunday, July 11, 2010
A Quarry To Blast
There's a place for you here
Where the dusty, cracked cups
Turn to fountains and burst
Where the cracks in your soul
Beam with light once they're filled
Because no one's alive
'Till they're freed from death first
Life's a quarry to blast
Living and dying to be born at last
Calling all hearts:
If a bell's born to ring
Then a person is born
For the very same thing
So head for the streets
There are stories to tell
There are leaks to keep leaking
From life-giving wells
Life's a quarry to blast
Living and dying to be born at last
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Exposition of Beauty Through Tragedy
True tragedies surface, but take time to tell
And IF there is anything thriving in strife
If MUST be true life
Since dust clouds get thin like a wrinkle gets deep
I squint with impatience and scan the great heap
And not to conclude here, it's too thick to tell
But it LOOKS like hell
I ran through the cloud with my hopes draining dry
Through dust I saw devils and dreaded I'd die
Trees tilted, woods wilted; destruction had won
I wanted to run
Through tears I kept looking and calling in vain
A few friends showed up, so I had to explain
That all of the beauty we built to belong...
We built it all wrong
We circled and prayed with our eyes open wide
At last, we prayed true. We had nothing to hide.
The beauty we hid with the acts that we posed
At last were exposed
Saturday, May 15, 2010
**Aaron Weiss**
our Lord was born to a manger bed
that all whose wells run dry
could drink of his supply
to keep him warm, the sheep drew near
so grateful for His coming here
come with news of grace
come to take my place
the donkey whispered in his ear
"child, in 30-some-odd years
you'll ride someone who looks like me
untriumphantly"
the cardinals warbled a joyful song
he'll make right what man made wrong
bringing low the hills
that the valleys might be filled
then "child", asked the birds
"well, aren't they lovely words we sing?"
the tiny baby layed there
without saying anything
at a distance stood a mangy goat
with the crooked teeth and a matted coat
weary eyes and worn
chipped and twisted horns
thinking "maybe I'll make friends someday
with the cows and the hens in the rambouillet
but for now, I'll keep away
I've got nothing smart to say"
there's a sign on the barn
in the cabbage town
"when the rain picks up
and the sun goes down
sinners, come inside
with no money, come and buy
no clever talk, nor a gift to bring
requires our lowly, lovely king
come now empty handed, you don't need anything"
and the night was cool
and clear as glass
with the sneaking snake in the garden grass
deep cried out to deep
the disciples fast asleep
and the snake perked up
when he heard You ask
"if you're willing that
this cup might pass
we could find our way back home
maybe start a family all our own"
"but does not the Father guide the Son?
not my will, but yours be done.
what else here to do?
what else me, but You?"
and the snake who'd held the world
a stick, a carrot and a string
was crushed beneath the foot
of your not wanting anything
Saturday, May 8, 2010
The Lyrics of Jon Foreman
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Sun and Rain (We BLOOM)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Packaged and Sold
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The Healing
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Poet and The Painter
Upon my heart
Like canvass
Noun and verb
This sacred art
My hands, I think
Could be Your ink
Dear Painter,
Paint my mind
One solid hue
Like poems
Each brush stroke
A hint of You
My pride must hush
To be Your brush
And Your poetry
Is Your grace in me...
My death, Your potpourri
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Saturday Poet Feature
This man just flat out knows how to put words together. I've been reading a bunch of his stuff lately and each poem seems to have its own subtle word trend that is just aimed at sounding awesome. Here's one of his more famous poems, but honestly, if you look this guy up you will find a lot more good stuff like this.
Ars Poetica | ||
by Archibald MacLeish | ||
A poem should be palpable and mute |
Monday, April 19, 2010
Skin and Bones - an acoustic song
This drink, the glass is full to me
The state to be
To think that brokenness is less
I’m fine, I guess
As world reflections make a pair, the
Son of man is his own era
Everything is bound by what it owns
I’ll kick my shoes off and with
Purpose dive and paddle in
To breathe Your will like oxygen
I hear the world, it has no song to sing
So from it, I don’t need a thing
I fight the fear to turn and
Run away from all I know
And never turn a cheek
My will so weak
The way I went abandonment
Would be a simple task
The echo masked
As world reflections make a pair, the
Son of man is his own era
Everything is bound by what it owns
I’ll kick my shoes off and with
Purpose dive and paddle in
To breathe Your will like oxygen
I hear the world, it has no song to sing
So from it, I don’t need a…
Thing to decorate this skin and bones
I’m quenched, communion fills alone
I’ll stick to the breath I received when I came into the world
As world reflections make a pair, the
Son of man is his own era
Everything is bound by what it owns
So I’ll just live with skin and bones
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Saturday Feature
He is a singer/songwriter from North Carolina. You’ve probably heard a rendition or two of one of his more popular songs, “How He Loves” but this guy is a wealth of poetic worship. I love his stuff. Here are the lyrics to his song “Skeleton Bones.”
Peel back our ribs again
and stand inside of our chest.
We just wanna' love you
We just wanna' love you
Peel back the veil of time
And let us see You with our naked eyes
We just wanna' love you
We just wanna' love you
We want your blood to flow inside our body
We want your wind inside our lungs
We just wanna' love you
We just wanna' love you
Skeleton bones stand at the sound of eternity
On the lips of the found
And gravestones roll
To the rhythm of the sound of you
Skeleton bones stand at the sound of eternity
On the lips of the found
So separate those doors
And let the son of resurrection in.
Oh let us adore the
Son of Glory drenched in love
Open up your gates before him
Crown Him, stand Him up
{hear the song here}
Thursday, April 15, 2010
The Final Breath
my final breath
new life to be
The new life stills my lungs
it's ecstasy
it's old to younge
I'm hearing voices of
unspoken tounges
that speak in love
The dancing will begin
we'll dance above
forgiven sin
This is the start for me
with servant grin
new life to be
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
I Dreamed a Future War - a poem
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Cloudburst
Cracked lips, my sunburned sense is gone
My sense is gone
Desert wand'rings steal my spirit like a thief
Will we ever find relief?
We're praying for the clouds to burst again
We're praying for the clouds to burst again
Gray cloud, the dark drowns dry and then
Sweet dreams of moisture on my skin
The hope within
To driest drain, Shekinah rain
RAIN DOWN
My cracks of drought, Your river's route
RAIN DOWN
My living hells, Your drinking wells
RAIN DOWN
My dusty throat is struggling just to say...
We're praying for the clouds to burst again
We're praying for the clouds to burst again
It's pouring, now we're fin'lly clean within
It's pouring, now we're fin'lly clean within
Friday, April 9, 2010
Cobbler of the Cracked Sole pt. 2
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Cobbler of the Cracked Sole - an acoustic song
I was enslaved
And depraved
Killed and graved my first season
Here’s my depiction
Of eviction
And the friction of self-treason
I scraped and clawed
And fought the fight, enforced the law
Only to get arrested
The chains dispensed in
Legalistic lies and phony facts had fenced in
My freedom
But I still stand
For I stand with You
Cobbler of the cracked sole
I sat for hours
As the powers
Grew their flowers out my ear holes
Geranium lies
Filled my eyes,
I despised thieving pride's tolls
The more I paid
The more the mess was mis-confessed
The actor’s mask adds pressure
The twisted ties of
Traps and trust and lust and all that that implies is
So stunning
But I still stand
For I stand with you
Cobbler of the cracked sole
(there is a spoken word portion at the end of this song. I'll post it separately since that portion is a poem all its own.)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
To the Dry - a poem
To the dry
To the thirsty
To the cracked lips
Let your breath be moist
Let your skin be brightened
Let your bloodshot eyes find rest
A cup of mercy has been poured out over you
The pits of your life are now living wells
The sharp stones are now fountains
The cracks are now deep streams
Be clean and be refreshed
Be satisfied forever
Be finally alive
Saturday, April 3, 2010
"The New Justice" -an Easter poem
There’s fire in my heart tonight
My veins are glowing bright
This passion is the good disease
I’m strengthened on my knees
All justice has been redefined
It is no longer blind
The justice pays for all the wrong
And puts the right to song
I’ve no redeeming gift to bring
The cross was mine, but held a King
The debt that my own filth enticed
Was paid by Jesus Christ
Amen.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
lyrics to the new ep- Track 4 (The Sound of Your Song)
Like blankets
On winter nights
On winter nights
Your grace gives
Songs to sing
My "widows mite"
My "widows mite"
Night skies of candles are lit in Your name
Each filled with songs of Your love in the flame
Yet the sound of Your song could shake the UNIVERSE
The sound of Your song
Your water
Has found me
In desert times
In desert times
Your crimson
Hands washed me
Of all my crimes
Of all my crimes
Halle, Hallelujah
This is, this is why I was made
And the sound of Your song WILL shake.
lyrics to the new ep- Track 3 (Hatch)
Standing steeple strong and straight legged
Empires have the earth pegged
Self-regard cuts loose
Mirrors hold life like a reaper
Blandly chilled and cheaper
Find the care to muse,
“This is who we are,
Who are we?”
Now the lights glow
Great crescendo
Souls are hatching
From the hardest questions
Ask, receive, and
Open both hands
This is one land
Where we will not need a thing
Darkness drops and drags, defeated
Ignorance retreated
From the simplest muse
We ask, “Why are we?”
Reflections mock me
Empires turn into graveyards
Developments turn into embarrassments
Open spaces turn to cobwebs
I heard that forever happened yesterday
then…
You caught my eye.
lyrics to the new ep- Track 2 (Drop Your Nets)
Too many lectures that read not actions, but captions
I've learned the apathy of the generations
Deep rooted spectators, we just don't know our jobs, so
Let's lay all our nets and scream,
"We were made to see things unseen."
I feel the weight on my heals right through my sandals
Chains cast the shadow for shade. The truth is I’m useless
I’m having trouble enough trying to handle
This call to arms when my arms are so thin. Then again…
Our grace in this dance holds poise
Grace is not of ourselves, rejoice
in our song as we
Lay down all our nets and scream,
“We were made to see things unseen.”
Lay me down, I will stay right where you want me to
Pick me up, and I will go. Oh Lord, you know I’ll go
Break me to the ground so I’ll be face to face with all the one’s that I’ve
Stepped on, passed by
Missed their mute cries
Come on people, we have eyes to dry
This is the call for disciples nets to fall down
This is the broken up soil, its time to seed it
This is the call for disciples nets to fall down
This is a vein full of love, its time to bleed it
lyrics to the new ep- Track 1 (Barefoot)
out my throat and aimed at seekers
I have crazy things to shout
shouting whispers from the Keeper
Because the burning bush is still burning bright
Because the darling of the universe speaks light (to the ones who are willing to take off their shoes!)
Life is found on barefoot feet
feet with soles of dirt and soil
Life is not the earth's elite
leading kings is not so royal
Because the burning bush has just one request
Because the pride of men can't withstand the test (of the ones who are willing to take off their shoes!)
So I'll take a stand
Against myself
Beneath myself
To find myself
I'll take the hand
That lives to save
That loves to save
That died to save
now, i'm barefoot.