It's a public testimony of faith in baptism We embrace our faith with optimism As we join hands in this great conversation Walking every step toward our destination
Doing the hard work going on in the inside The core of this is the trauma we cannot hide Authentically vulnerable pushing against our secrets We must live each moment with losing to regret
Grace brings us the self that we consciously wear Through each of the moments, we focused with care As we take these events in to be reflective And then living these out in our perspective
It's important to get the story straight But the things we live through are not our fate Holding onto those memories that we deeply feel Brings the flooded moments as if these were still real
In all moments in the well, the temperature is the same Though unchanged throughout a life lived without blame It's hard to live a true life disconnected from community Regardless of the burdens of life's pressing proximity
As individuals, we must carry our loads of responsibility But in God's community and grace, we find our capability That we are designed to live in life's full relation Life is not meant to be lived in the darkness of isolation
Generational gaps fill out life with that is understood In the perspective of what comes if only we truly would Live our lives filled with the relationship of community Sorting out our perspectives and building up God's family
No longer playing by false rules but exposed by the truth Cherished though humbled by our growth since our youth Giving ourselves away in that fullest of significance We become God's creatures in our truest magnificence
It's a relationship filled with true wonder within the grace As we soberly live within the beauty of God's loving embrace True repentance brings about that critical restoration These are the intentional steps in reaching our destination
Life must be lived in righteous step with the Creator This helps make us ever more mindful of our behaviors Sometimes we live right; other sometimes we live wrong But the places we find are right where we truly belong
Focused on the inside, we stride toward our maturity Learning about ourselves; growing with greater certainty Vibrantly authentic in all that we come to do and say There is no autopilot in our living out each day
The same can be said in prayer in its own way Preciously different in each moment of our days Holy, righteous, and beloved in God's blessed sight We must live God's love fully shown in the light
It's a grace matter that anchors and in turn, saves As we live unpacked until we reach our graves There's a deep dive into and past perceived reality That carves and shapes our truest identity
“The butterfly flitting from flower to flower ever remains mine, I lose the one that is netted by me.” -Rabindranath Tagore, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator, composer, Nobel laureate (7 May 1861-1941)
There's a moving declaration of love Dedicated to the beauty of Mother Ocean It is as pristine as the heavens above This water planet deserves our devotion
Jacques Cousteau was like a father to us all Sharing underwater images for us to recall We too, joined as divers under the rolling sea Dreaming as we did of every possibility
The largest and smallest citizens of this sea Are caught in their moments of sheerest beauty Like all the tropics, Fiji's coral is its heart With pulsations of life that are the ocean's start
These oasis-like heavens keep the oceans alive Without their splendor, life would not survive Looking as if plants made up from limestone These reefs consist of colonial animals, never alone
Skeletons built on skeletons built on each other One part structural firmament and waving leaves together Act to form the basis of the ocean's lungs and hearts Swaying and weaving to feed in layers that won't depart
We are caught up in the beauty of the dolphin's majesty And often swim by the smaller lives that also have dignity Small worms and mollusks that share in the plankton That drifts by wandering as it does, constantly moving on and on
Though we think of clams as tiny, some grow to 500 pounds Simply by filtering its food from the waters that surround Survival for all is to eat and eat and escape being ate The strategies are infinitely tested in avoiding that fate
Symbiotic partners such as the clownfish and the sea anemone Form natural alliances in the struggle against common enemies Some dream of one day building human cities under the sea But nothing will ever compare to the natural reefs' majesty
Nudibranchs and flatworms travel inch after inch, so slowly But as humble as they are, they live lives full of dignity While branded coral shrimp live off the scraps from cleaning Proving that all life has its form, function, and meaning
The evidence seen all around, given and living in prevalence Shows that life in the sea is a matter of ecological balance To change even one variable in even one or any direction Is to endanger all life unless there is a course correction
The crown of thorns is shaped as if a thorny sort of star It leaves a wounded reef covered in its life-sucking scars Gone are the triton's horns to the shelves, collecting dust It was the keeper of balance in its part of nature's trust
And now life out of balance is proving to have its cost It must be turned around before all of known life is lost This is the vain price that the oceans undeservedly pay For mankind's selfish pleasure and for our moments of play
“The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions … if by decency and propriety of conduct they appear to merit the enjoyment.” – George Washington (1783)
The bread is the body taken The cup received is of faith unshaken The love given bring us peace Through the forgiveness that brings release
Unshaken for a thousand generations May we walk in and know holy veneration Rejoicing in knowing we are forgiven By the love that He has given
God's children walk together as if family Receiving in blessing all that is holy Comforted in the grace shown As we live in the faith grown
This then is a song of worship and praise May the sweetness of its melody fill our days With His holiness giving light along the way Giving truth and justice to each passing day
“The dividing line in America right now isn’t between rich and poor, black and white, or even Democrat and Republican. It’s between those who are fundamentally pro-American and those who are anti-American.” – Vivek Ramaswamy
“The virtues of men are of more consequence to society than their abilities; and for this reason, the heart should be cultivated with more assiduity than the head.” – Noah Webster (1788)
Today is the day set aside by Congress to raise the United States and our leaders in our prayers. Of course, some of us, keep these items in our daily prayers. But today especially, please lift up the Republic of the United States in thought and prayer as your conscience justly dictates:
The Theme for this year is:
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Some of the events happening across the nation can be found here:
Heading out of Australia to escape this Aussie winter. First stop Japan, then UK/Ireland and if work doesn't call me back, onto Chicago. I will make it up as I go along
