For the Daughter of Zion: Prelude to Perfection / Masterpiece

for the artist, my dear sister

Before the dawn of time
Before He rolled out the massive canvas of space
Before there was a rhyme
Before there was such thing as reason
Before ever there was a place called "Earth"
Back before your conception
You were a concept and vision
In His great mind
Divine inspiration
When you were conceived He stepped to
The canvas that was to be you
When you were born, He dipped the brush
Patient as eternity, He has no rush
Selah.

I heard you struggle
Find it hard to understand
The way life plays out
All the things you have planned
Have a way of getting mixed up
Then things need fixed up
So before you get fed up
Sister, lift your head up
Now there is a rhyme and reason and a scheme
Though for now it remains unseen
See your life is like a picture
But more than just a framed fixture
Truth is this glorious adventure
Is more like symphonic overtures
But lets get back to the picture
Of a portrait
Sistine Chapel is really more like it
Think of grandeur, scope and size
Think of more than meets the eyes
Its more detail than you realized
More beauty than you recognize

Now the Painter is His glorious design
Made you the brush that colors every line
And He holds you in His hand
With loving skill so grand
You can't even understand
Every detail He has planned
Right now
See you are finite
Try as you may will all your might
Life will always be a commotion
Like the waves upon the ocean
Always ceaselessly in motion
Se be guided by devotion
To Him
Recognize you must
His hand only can you trust
He will give you all you need
To follow Him in word and deed
All the gifts, grace to succeed
In dosage daily indeed
So if you feel you're running dry
No need to worry and this is why
He will always keep your brush filled
With the colors His wisdom has willed
So your life will be instilled
With His life
Design fulfilled
So if you don't know where today's line goes
You can be sure the Painter knows
He will give you strength to complete
Guiding grace to keep it neat
Life and color, shapely and sweet
Signed "Well Done" before the judgment seat

Abba

Father, Holy 
High heavenly above 
Yet you stoop 
And whisper 
"It is you that I love." 

Redeemer 
Bought back from death 
I stand 
You stand beside me 
And hold my hand 

Protector 
You never sleep 
And I 
Softly slumber safe 
While watch you keep 

Friend, of 
Sinners, lowly like me 
You never 
Will ever 
Abandon me 

My Rock, You 
Faithful have proved 
I stand in 
Your shadow 
"I will not be moved." 

P.S. I love you.

Originally published  December 19, 2008

For the Daughter of Zion: Morning

for Dana

You missed a lovely morning 
The silver sun shone through the trees 
And made the branches sparkle softly 
Frosted by the morning breeze 

You missed a lovely morning 
The sky was clear and icy blue 
The cool, clean air was so refreshing 
Cleansing and enlivening too 

You missed a lovely morning 
But I, I missed you 
And in my thoughts and prayers you rested 
All that lovely morning through

Originally published January 29, 2009

Exile

Sometimes it seems this world and all it holds 
Is some foreign, antiquated system 
The numbers don’t add up while the logic 
Seems to be out of rhythm 
The reasons for, reasons against 
Seem so contrived and childish 
And for a world that will make sense 
I long for, I often wish 

I am not home here 
I am an exile 
I do not belong here Just for a little while 

I fail to understand, I fail to comprehend 
Why people rush after the trivial 
Things are not made to last anymore 
They are no longer meaningful 
They fall apart as soon as 
They make it off the line 
If you want your heart to break 
Just don’t break mine 

My heart is in a place that seems like 
It is many miles from here 
A perfect place, a paradise beyond words 
Where everything will be made clear 
But that is still tomorrow's dream 
And until I may go home 
I walk this world of confusion 
But never walk alone 

Take my hand, and let me tell you 
Of a perfect world beyond the blue 
Take my hand, and let me show 
You the place where I long to go 
Take my hand, let me walk beside Let’s make it to the other side 

Originally published March 21, 2009

Shadow of His Wings

a psalm


Because you are my help, I sing 
In the shadow of Your wings
In the darkest nights I am safe
My soul finds rest in You alone
You are my Rock, my Cornerstone
And I, I will never be moved

I will never have cause to fear
So long as You are near
And You never will leave me
And I will glorify Your name
And I will glorify Your name
Because You are always the same

You are my soul's Salvation
Never will I be shaken
Your love is better than life
Overwhelmed I realize
Your faithfulness reaches the skies
Be exalted above the heavens

Because You are my help I sing
In the shadow of Your wings
You are my Rock and my salvation
And I will glorify Your name
And I will glorify Your name
Because You are always the same

Never changing, strong and sure
In Your love, my soul's secure
Every storm I can endure
Safe in Your loving arms
My soul cries out when it is weak
You hold me close and gently speak
How much You love me
How strong You are
How You shelter me
In the shadow of Your wings

Because You are my help I sing
In the shadow of Your wings
You are my Rock and my salvation
And I will glorify Your name
And I will glorify Your name
Because You are always the same


Originally published March 30, 2009

Trust

Death's valley yawns before me 
I, fearful, face the night again 
Knowing the trials and the pains 
Against which I have no security 

It's bitter and black inside 
The vale. The wind is piercing cold 
In vain I seek a hand to hold 
Search for a place to hide 

And none I see. I cast 
Myself to the ground and weep 
And drift into a troubled sleep 
Wishing the shadows would past 

Then You came and woke me 
You told me again of Your love 
Around I'd looked but above 
You were watching faithfully 

Forgive my pride and selfishness 
For fearing, cowering, doubting 
Now Your hand I'm trusting 
To carry me through the abyss 

Today I'll trust and tomorrow 
I will lift Your name high 
For You are there to hear my cry 
To carry me through pain and sorrow 

Father, like a child, 
I lift my hand to You. 
The storm is strong, the waves are wild, 
But I know You'll see me through.


Originally published January 1, 2009

Jump

I find myself on the edge 
Of a deep and mysterious ravine 
That cuts its way through the earth 
Filled with shadows and shapes unseen 

And I staring down 
As this chasm before me lies 
Search for a way to cross 
But none meets my eyes 

Around I turn to retrace my path 
And to my terror find 
The path impassable myself unable 
To return to what I left behind 

Again to the rift my eyes 
Shift and deeply gaze 
Upon the sundry shadows vainly trying 
To pierce that awful haze 

Alone I stand high up 
On this deadly precipice 
Behind me are untraceable paths 
Before me, the abyss 

Uncertain hesitant still 
I face a seeming suicide 
Yet knowing my path lies forward 
I must reach the other side 

No steps backward 
And fewer through the ravine 
Yet I find myself pressed onward 
By Someone unseen 

But oh the shadows! 
"Fear not" says the Voice 
And on the ledge I realize 
I have but one choice 

To jump 
And with a prayer 
I leave my ledge behind 
And leap into the air 

I fall, but wait 
Can falling be so free? 
I fly 
And the Voice speaks to me 

"You need not fear I shall 
Protect you when you land 
Fear not precious child 
I hold you in my hand" 

And where we shall go 
I know not but I know this 
He carried me in safety 
Across the dread abyss 

I shall not fall 
I'll safely land 
For He holds me close 
I'm in His hand


Originally published April 12, 2009