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The Godward Life

This Is Me, Finally

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I have set my weapons down,
The long range guns and
My favorite dagger
Useful in hand-to-hand combat.
I have stripped off my armor,
Even the chainmail.
And now I’m simply down to my many masks,
All of which I place before you now,
I think.
I have checked all my pockets to see if there are any hiding,
And come up empty,
So this is it.
This is me.
Finally.
Vulnerable.
No more pretending
Or posturing.
No more swagger
Or insincere jocularity.
I won’t even pretend to be smart,
Which we both know is an ongoing sham
And which you have patiently tolerated long enough.
 
This is me now,
Holding in my open hand
A fragile seed
Called my heart.
It’s yours
With all the rest of me
And the baggage piled at your feet.
 
 
 

Inspired by Psalm 131

As You Love Yourself…

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God boiled down all the laws down to two: first, Love God; second, love others as you love yourself. That’s all fine and good, true to the core, but I’ve never honestly learned how to live out the last four words: “…as you love yourself.” Sometimes I love myself too much. Most of the time, I don’t love myself at all. This isn’t a ground-breaking confession, it’s just the simple truth common to us all. Could it be that one of the longest, hardest battles is learning how to love myself as God loves me? Here’s a beautiful reminder from one of my favorite singers, Andrew Peterson. May it help you live a better story this week.

Bright Fire

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Sing to me, O my troubadour. 
Let your songs echo in the halls
Of my loneliness, even my shame,
So that I may sing them back and, 
Perhaps, learn them by heart. 
 
Perhaps.
The world will behold my song and stand
Because this heart is full 
And these eyes long to see your face.
 
Graced is the man who locks eyes with you.
He shall walk on water, though it swells.
He will not loiter with the proud,
Nor relish the shim-sham dance of the damned.
 
Your works, O Lord, are astonishing!
You are composer, conductor, star. 
You are a kaleidoscope of love.
You are my horizon and my here.
You are the moon to the tides of my heart.
 
You gather glory, a bright fire,
And light up this dreary day to day.
You come singing a song of healing
In my valley of dry bones, great God!
 
This is the glad refrain of my dreams;
This, the theme of my sojourner songs.

“Bright Fire” by Ben Palpant

Inspired by Psalm 40

Death And All His Friends Ran Naked

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This is my story.
This is me:
I searched the ground.
I searched the sky. 
I shook the bottle over my dry lips.
I mumbled his name like a drunkard
And stumbled in the alley of bewilderment.
He leaned his ear into my cry.
He heard my shuffling and my sobs
And came.
 
The voices now are gone;
Death and all his friends ran naked.
We watched them flee across the plains.
Unspin their lies, O Lord!
Wipe their names from every stone, leaf, and heart.
My heart. 
 
Sweet Jesus! Your gaze is upon me.
Tenderly.
Gladly.
Firmly.
Now.
This poor man staggered under shame,
But you heard my cry and came.
Now you walk so close,
I hear your breathing.
I bless your name endlessly!
Your praise eternally echoes
In the cavern of my mouth. 
Come, what other boast do I have
Than in my strong deliverer?
And who else will take up this praise
Than the contrite and humbled heart?
Humbled.
This is me.
This is my story.

“Death And All His Friends Ran Naked,” by Ben Palpant

A poetic rendering of Psalm 34

We Run In Abundant Fields

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You, Lord, are the good shepherd.
In you, we lack no good thing.
We rest in lush, green pastures,
And are led beside calm waters.
You revive the tired soul.
You guide us so carefully
Because your name is at stake.
 
Even when we stagger, blind,
In the valley of dismay,
We will fear no evil thing,
For our shoulders touch your own.
 
Your stick and staff comfort us.
You’ve set the table for us
Even with our foes looming now.
You have called us priests and kings.
We run in abundant fields.
 
We are convinced of this fact:
Divine generosity,
Profound expressions of love,
Follow us all day and night.
And we will wake to the song
You sing in your own house,
Familiar as friends now,
Because your home is our home
…forever.
“We Run In Abundant Fields” by Ben Palpant
a rendering of Psalm 23