Today I sifted through some nostalgic papers and photos my mom kept when she was still alive on this earth. I came across this ode to the Creator, written by my uncle Dave, who also wrote the hit song “Wildflower.” This is one of those rare poems that deserves to be relished; ever so slowly, like a hot drink on a windy night as rain batters the window.
The Beneficiary
By Dave Richardson
Will I ever be entitled to the knowledge that you hold?
For I thirst and I am starving in my mind,
And though I am secure within the future of my soul,
There are histories my heart has yet to find.
How did it all begin, from the void you live within?
Through eternities where none but you exist,
From an endless parallel You joined the lines of Cause and Will,
Creating life from out of the abyss.
You alone have been where time itself cannot survive,
And I long to see beyond the edge of space,
I’d like to look at Heaven through the vision in your eyes,
Or look upon the wisdom on your face.
When did you decide that it was time to cut the key,
That unlocked all the darkness to the light?
Did you breathe upon some spark floating through infinity,
To set the skies on fire in the night?
There are birds with eyes of fire lighting diamonds in the sky,
As the blaze above continues to expand,
With ever changing hues in reds and greens and blues,
In perfection from the Artist’s gentle hand.
I am mortal. Life will end, but I shall live to live again,
If I am favored whatsoever in your sight,
Give me time enough to live to enjoy the gifts you give,
And finally, let me shine within your light.
Let my shadow fly through your vast and endless sky,
That I might see the future and the past,
And when this captive life is through, I will come to realize
That my spirit and my soul are free at last.
By Guest Contributor Sharon Toews What does it mean to experience “the renewal of your mind.” Typically I have thought of this in terms of purification or beginning to desire the things of God instead of the things of this world. I believe these are both common and valid interpretations, but I feel like I understood a fresh aspect of this verse today. Our minds naturally function according to the rationality of this world and tangible reality. But we are exhorted: “Do not be conformed to this world,” or, as noted in my Bible as another possible translation, “to this age.” We are called not to be conformed to this world, this age, this blip of finiteness suspended amidst an unfathomable eternity beyond the confines of time and space and our feeble understanding of “reality.” When we accept Christ, we are set free from previous worldly notions of what is possible, realistic, and logical. Indeed our whole being is being renewed and reoriented, and yet there is
Read More03-22-07
The simplicity of lines
dulled to extravagance
Is the majesty of humanness.
But He has nothing to dull,
and does not progress.
His infinite Majesty far outweighs
This tragic artistry.
12-18-06
I could have forged my doubt into art;
fire and coal and burning
and…
hammering.
And I could have waved for help
like an intellect
compelled to sell for spirit
-coping wanderer, flame of fire-
forging fortitude;
a long stayed winter of steam
rising for clean…
air. And it was still.
and Abraham’s stars spoke –
their brightness through time
woke my appetite
lost…
Finally,
I am no poet.
I am no god.
I am a slave led into the wilderness.
And I’m glad.
The fire here is brighter.
Here’s my imperative:
If you would dare to live that epic narrative that is your life,
Than your task is to grasp with every last gasp of breath in your lungs for that one rung that’s hung just above what’s comfortable and comforting.
Confront the thing that’s keeping you thinking you can sit on your butt
and watch life come to you.
‘Cus the only way to place in this race is to make yourself reach for each single inch.
It’s the difference between sitting in indifference and living with intention.
Did I mention you gotta run even when nobody’s lookin’?
That’s the way they can say you can make or break the game in the off season. Read More
