Without a Doubt

Cousin Shawn is gone and I

Wish I knew his end.

Late at night, he drove alone,

Texting to a friend.

Left a party, headed home …  

What went on before?

Drinking? Drugs? Or neither one?

How can I be sure?

Yet one day he’d prayed that God
Would forgive his past.

Had he meant those words? Had Shawn

 Come to Christ at last?

Questions chase each other down

Streets as dark as sin;

Doubting shrouds my mind as I

   Face this fear within.

But I know that God is good—

Judging is His role.

 I can trust that He will be

Fair to every soul.

Cousin Shawn is gone and yet

Time keeps ticking on. …

I will live my life for Christ,

Though my friend is gone.

Better Than Good Intentions

The thought is the seed;

The fruit is the deed.

O Lord, help me heed

The Spirit, the need—

And never the weed.

On Fire

A moonless night, an orange glow,

Sirens wail in mourning ...

A haven, now debris and ash,

Sends a needful warning—

All earthly things shall someday burn.

When temporal treasures fade away

Leaving mortals reeling,

Christ beckons us to look above—

Firmly He’s revealing

What kind of people we should be.

Pursuing peace upon the earth

Brings enduring pleasure;

Affection set on heaven’s shore

Leads to lasting treasure,

For heaven’s wealth shall never fade.

Sweet Heat

Between the green of spring

And white of winter—

A subtle splinter

Of time—God’s trees revive.

This time of sweetness starts

When maples waken.

Then sap is taken

And heated on a stove.

The heat refines, but sap

Should cook no hotter.

I watch the water

Escape in clouds of steam.

The steam and scum arise;

The dregs keep sinking.

This starts me thinking

About the dross in me. …

 

A sweetened syrup can

Come after fire.

And God’s desire?

To make me pure and sweet.