The Peaceable Kingdom

The world a rainbow
colors blending into light
transformed into peace.

The Shepherd

The Shepherd of love on our journey through life
is a guiding hand leading us to greener pastures.
We have only to hear his voice calling us by name.
He beckons us to follow, even to the cross.
For through the gate of Calvary
we enter the garden of resurrection
where Jesus stands, embracing us

his lost sheep

and saying to his Father,
“Abba,
Daddy,
Look what I found!”

The Jar

At noon I came
knowing the others would be gone
with their stares and snickers,
whispered voices behind cupped hands,
and some not.
Simply to draw water
for the tasks of the house.
THAT is why I came…
not knowing that a
living
flowing
Fountain
awaited me at the well
with not just enough to fill my jar
but to fill my heart, my whole being.
The shock of it all was
that this water was free.
I didn’t have to pay
in favors,
in sex,
in ridicule
in torment,
yet he gave me his Life
though he knew…
or perhaps BECAUSE he knew
my past and my present.
The long-awaited one was here,
I, the first to know…
No more did I need
the water which would never REALLY quench
the deep thirsts within.
No longer did I need to carry
that heavy jar
filled with guilt
and sadness
and betrayal.
I was free
my shackles washed over and broken
with the water that came from the Rock.
The stone which the builders rejected
became the cornerstone
of the well of my heart.

Emptiness Filled

The emptiest place in the human heart
is the space that’s lacking loving.
And the loneliest person that could ever be
is the one whose emptiest place
is a space
that others can’t see
but that cries out in pain
for a hug,
a smile,
a word.
And the saddest part of the heart of God
is the distance between
the love-starved in agony

and the touch of a hand
that would heal and fill
that EMPTIEST PLACE.