___________
Live, exploring the questions; trusting you will live into God’s answers.
___________
concept from Michelle DeRusha’s book, Spiritual Misfit.
trusting, tried & true
03 Jan 2026 3 Comments
in triolet Tags: celebrate, Christmas Eve, faith, joy, Maggie, prayer, trust
oh JOY, joy, joy threefold
we celebrate this day
as year is growing old
oh joy, JOY, joy threefold
may our own faith be bold
God hears us when we pray
oh joy, joy, JOY threefold
we celebrate this day!
Much to celebrate this season with Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. Our family also celebrates three milestones for our newest granddaughter, Maggie Mae: healthy birth (Nov. 28), successful heart surgery (Dec. 12), and homecoming (Dec. 24)! Thank you for your prayers.
Charlie Kirk (9-10-25)
20 Sep 2025 6 Comments
in haibun Tags: Charlie Kirk, faith, freedom, martyr
It’s time to ask tough questions (Charlie did). What dangerous lies twist an assassin’s mind to violence? Do we have the moral fortitude to collectively stand against existential threats? Do we tolerate everything or speak truth in love?
Our country, founded on freedom of religion and freedom of speech, stands to lose both. We have witnessed the public death of a Christian martyr whose name means “free man” and “strong church.” May the church repent of apathy and arise with bold faith.
mournful bagpipes play
strong voice of reason silenced
his widow forgives
trapped?
02 Jun 2025 29 Comments
in quadrille Tags: cloud, depression, faith, helpless, midnight, mood
Lillian hosts dVerse poets pub where she’s serving quadrilles till sunrise.
dark cloud
gathers
over house,
heavy weight
of self-pity
settles in;
crawls into
bed with
depression to
brood sombre
mood;
unsettling
helpless inhabitants
who desire respite
but cannot
escape
shadow of
“woe-is-poor-me”
midnight feeling
…unless
faith dawns
miraculous
at sunrise.
on the mountain
07 Dec 2023 27 Comments
in scripture Tags: Abraham, altar, covenant, faith, sacrifice
son of the promise
carries bundle of kindling
for required sacrifice
his faithful father
bears heavier burden
of patriarchal love
a fire burning hot
in his chest rises to this
high pinnacle of trust
son willingly lays life
down, to be bound; back
arched on rough dry wood
wide eyes close tight
as boy draws a final breath,
bares his throat to the knife
trembling hand halts midair
when angel calls out
“Abraham, STOP!”
Look, the Lord provides
substitute ram for the altar;
its blood is shed instead
as a foreshadow of Christ,
when Father’s promised Son
comes as our Lamb of sacrifice
God’s covenant renewal
inspires radical obedience
which results in greater blessing.
____________
I first wrote this in 2020 for our church candlelight service of Lessons & Carols.
dogged obedience for crumbs
26 Nov 2023 8 Comments
in lament, question poem, scripture Tags: doubt, faith, questions, sovereignty, suffering
Lord, sometimes we just don’t understand
the mysterious ways you treat your children:
Abraham asked to sacrifice son of promise
Joseph jailed in Egypt for misjudged morals
Moses not allowed to enter promised land
Hosea told to marry an unfaithful prostitute
Zechariah murdered inside temple courts.
life can seem cruel and unfair in its dealings
as some people struggle disproportionately
do you stop your ears and turn your back?
sometimes your children suffer through no
sin of their own but because of others’ lies
we expect justice to prevail but if it doesn’t
can we believe you are sovereign over all?
try hard to quiet our questions and doubts
but sometimes we voice laments out loud
and, like Job, dare interrogate God of the
universe; human clay complains to potter.
we fall at your feet, cry hot tears, and rise
with hope in our hearts to bear burden of
doubt until your holy kingdom fully comes!
his promise
24 Jun 2022 Leave a comment
in american sentence Tags: faith, grace, love, promise, rainbow
by grace alone
15 Nov 2020 Leave a comment
in quadrille Tags: faith, freedom, Mayflower, Puritans, worship
Mayflower II on the Open Seas by Montague Dawson
boatload of faith
puritans flee persecution
embark for freedom to worship
bible believers,
soldiers, profit seekers
travel together in tight quarters
illness on board
violent storms at sea
God’s providence holds fast
birth of child on
vast ocean of hope
blessing for future colony
Another quadrille about the pilgrims; written second but prequels my first…
play for keeps
11 Nov 2019 2 Comments
in quadrille Tags: confidence, faith, heart, life, memories, smile
keep the best memories
let unpleasant ones go
keep faith in truth
turn from all false-ness
keep forward movement
stop procrastination now
keep expressing your heart
ignore rude criticism
keep head held high
don’t lose confidence
keep smiling at life
watch life smile back!
____________________________
Too late to link but inspired by Kim at dVerse to write quadrille (44 words) on “keep”.
bah humbug!
02 Apr 2018 11 Comments
in haibun Tags: faith, humanity, proud, selfish, violent
As I grow older, my faith in humanity slowly shrivels. Man’s heart is selfish, proud, and violent. It’s been that way since the beginning but we all want to believe differently. We so desperately want to think better of ourselves and our loved ones but we too can go “there” (whatever evil direction “there” may be). I’ve been hurt most often and most deeply by the one I thought loved me most (or, at least, that I loved most). And I have hurt those I claim to love. Our love and compassion are so limited but our capacity for anger and hatred so large. Man feeds on violence: Rome had its gladiator entertainment, there has been war and genocide throughout human history, our “civilized” society kills the innocent in the womb and produces individuals that go on shooting rampages. I’m sure a hundred years from now, if mankind survives itself, people will look back and consider us “barbaric”.
blood red tulip buds
bulbs split, leaf swords thrust upward
blossoms burst open
Mish asks us to write about “faith” in broad sense for haibun Monday at dVerse Poets.
falling UP
11 Sep 2017 2 Comments
in rhyming verse Tags: faith, fear, God, guilt, Jesus, mission, reconcile
This simple poem reads like original McGuffey Reader style!
“TRY one small Bite,”
hissed snake to Eve;
By APPetite,
they were DeceiveD.
It was our FALL
when parents fell;
As rebels ALL
were Doomed to heLL.
Adam hid from God
in Guilt and Shame;
His Son walked sod,
JESUS, his Name.
His Mission here:
Be Reconciled,
relieve our FEAR,
make me God’s Child
By FAITH we can
know Love, hold Peace
and from our bond-
AGE find Release !
a poem in my pocket 
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