Written To Spoken

A new day has arrived

Before the sun has risen

Changing the 

Darkness to light

Every moment is important

Finding steps forward

Going toward dreams

Hoping for joy

In each place along the way

Just

Knowing words

Left alone on paper

Manage to impress

Nobody unless they are read

Ongoing endeavour

Pursued

Quietly to offer thoughts for

Readers

Silent

Thoughts expressed

Until the silence is broken

Vacant space reverberating

With the spoken word

eXalting

Yet another conversation

Zeal for dialogue

Music With You, Lord

A voice raised in joy

Being accompanied by instruments

Changing notes form melody

Declaring joy, praise, love or pain

Engaging the whole being

For worship

Gear up to express

Hope in You, Lord

In the tiniest details

Just as much as the broadest

Knowing You, Lord, through Your Word

Listening to the Spirit within

Motivates expression through

New styles and 

Old--always with You as the focus

Potential for unity as we have

Quality together as the church

Realizing we are a body

Simple

To sing and make music

Unless we allow it to be encumbered when

Vanity steps in

With rules rather than heart

eXtend our unity

Yes, Lord

Zero in on one body in You

Visiting Friends

A task was left to us

By Rebekah and Jamie to bring some

Closure to the wedding by

Delivering a few of their thank you cards

Express and personal

From the parents own hands

Going around the city

Handing out photos of the couple that

Included their thanks

Just a few that Andrew and I

Know personally

Letting them know we still care for them as we

Move into 

New avenues in life that

Open new skills and

Personal

Quests with You, Lord

Reassigned

Service

To different cultures

Under Your one umbrella of church: the body of Christ

Vast breadth of cultures appear here as I

Walk by Buddhist temple to the west and Muslim high school to the east

eXcitement of cultures coming here--

Yet one afternoon together connecting with old friends

Zone of renewed friendship

Worship Culture

A church with two worship cultures

Became a church with one pastor

Complexity ensued as two

Different service times became reality

Endeavouring to work with one pastor

First solution made one culture second class and

Generated a serious test for loyalty in worship band culture

How to deal with swinging start times and 

Inability to travel with friends from the other service

Just because someone will consistently have to wait

Keeping young parents waiting every week for children

Lacking a friendly flow at one service

Momentum is lost every time flow is lost

No flow is caused by complexity

Ordained by the need for a solution

Perhaps change is needed now

Quest for unity requires flow in worship

Requirement for both services

So how do we

Tackle this lack of

Unity?

View the two cultures as one church

Weave the unity back in with a single start time

eXtend equal honour to each culture

Yet treat all as one church for ongoing

Zest in worship

Active Waiting

Active waiting

Brings the story to life: As metaphor

Could this show You

Desire of us active waiting?

Even as we wait

For life to develop to a point of bloom

Going forward

Has many threads

I can pursue even now

Just passively waiting

Keeps the mind and heart

Lost in limbo

Many options stand before me

Now

Only Your

Path draws me to balance action with waiting

Quiet

Relaxing which

Settles my heart is combined with

The active learning which

Undergirds my

View that life involves growth

Whether

eXcitement or peace are before me

Yielding to active waiting provides

Zest for today

Overcoming

Another day in history

Before I reached today

Challenges loomed in front of me

Defeated me when I had not begun

Everything that pulled my heart

Found a frown on the face close to mine

Growing deeper with time until--

Hope surged through me in spite of disapproval

I chose to follow the

Joy in my heart

Knowing You approved even if another did not

Lord, Your quiet voice

Motivates from within

Never

Overpowering, yet

Persisting

Quietly, consistently

Ruling my thoughts and my dreams

Showing me my talents and joys

Through long walks alone

Under Your watchful protection

Viewed through the eyes of hope

Walking became the gate to overcoming

eXactly in the fields I had dreamed

Your guidance, Lord, brought

Zest to the journey

Facing the Re-write

A novel lies

Before me

Covered with 

Detailed comments

Evaluating my narration

For elements that entice an audience.

Going forward with suggestions

Hoping to produce work

Inclined to draw a reader in to 

Join my characters on an adventure

Knowing safety while

Losing awareness of real time in

Motion and motivation that exists

Nowhere except in this imaginary world.

Open to whoever reads the story

Providing a

Question to 

Resolve.

Seeking

To see new found characters

Uncover the person who

Violated the call to respect life

With all dignity and love. Who instead

eXalted

Yet once more the cult of self--a

Zone that rejects the light of life.

Stages in an Adventure

A process began when I

Began to write a mystery

Challenge to put a story on paper

Delineate characters and action chapter after chapter

Endeavour to create a novel

Fascinating

Goal brought me into contact with a writing contest

Home can still be where

I work

Just as pastor's wife and homeschool mom

Knew me as a homebody

Looking for future employment

My personality

Needs a home setting

On my way to that now as I

Practice writing each morning

Quest to improve

Rhetoric

So many words on paper bring me now

To the editing component

Unknown levels to be delved

Vision to complete led the

Way through the contest--an

eXtravaganza--that I lost--

Yet I have

Zeroed in on a contract to publish

Gord and Denise

Anniversary time again!

Brings another year to

Celebrate

Doing life together!

Energy expended

For boys raised,

Goals for education reached,

Home renovations accomplished--

In the spirit of working as one and yet two

Just

Knowing 

Love is part of the relationship.

Memories bring

New

Opportunities to

Present 

Quiet

Reflection of lives

Savoured

Together

United as family

Vibrant in life

Watchful for each other

eXciting day--

Yes--a new year

Zeroes in to begin.

ABCs Moving In

ABC books have long been favourites--

Before I ever wrote ABC poems

Catching a structure that helps form my thoughts

Demanding more than just a few syllables

Excavating my memories

For gold . . . or coal

Going longer than Haiku or Cinquain

Homing in on the underpinnings

Inside

Just searching for You, Lord

Knowing You

Live inside

Makes my world secure

New excavations daily lead to new discoveries of You

Open my heart, open my eyes--open my mind

Personal

Quiet

Retreat from the chaos outside into the 

Security of You

Tangled emotions can rest

Under the reality of 

Vindication through repentance 

Wherever I am

eXtreme living water wells up

Yielding life everlasting--the

Zenith

Early Morning

An early morning with paper and pencil

Before me

Considering what to write about

Doing the brain clearing

Exercise of writing of everything and nothing

For twenty minutes before

Getting ready to tackle a topic or two.

Home is a relaxing place to write each day

In the atmosphere of my office

Just arranged for me

Knowing the door is closed

Leaving me free to concentrate.

My thoughts

Needed for consideration

Open to words that are

Perhaps--shaped

Quite

Ruthlessly (or gently)

Seeking a kernel of

Truth to express onto the page

Under my window that 

Views the tree providing shelter and . . .

Whenever it

eXtends its reach into my thoughts

Yielding inspiration Ay to

Zed.

Birds

A flurry of wings off in the

Bushes as we walk by--

Chickadees

Darting through the greenery

Ever searching

For food.

Great egrets wading in the river before flying

High into the trees--stark white against more green.

Into the sounds of mourning doves and blue jays

Just walking along the paved path

Knowing we are surrounded by wild birds

Looking for food and shelter.

Mother and father sparrow feeding their young

Now and throughout the summer

Out of reach of the neighbourhood cat

Perched on the roof of our car

Quietly watching the busy birds.

Robins on the ground

Searching for worms

Turning heads sharply to hear the movement

Underground

Value in the calmness of 

Watching the birds

eXactly where they live--even the

Yellow goldfinch

Zeroing in on a feast of thistle seeds.

Carl (Happy Birthday)

A baby brother entered the scene

Back in the days when life was simpler

Carl was his name

Danger was his game--

Even with signed permission in a letter

For dirt bike rides through the  fields.

Getting out with friends

He avoided three older sisters

Intent on the world as he saw it

Just following his path.

Karl and Carl hung out when  they were young, but

Life always included friends

Motorcycles grew until

Now a Harley Davidson

On the road gets him around.

Past days in the fields

Questing adventure

Readied him for

Solo trips to work and group

Trips with Monique

Until life is simply an adventure

Veering toward the sunset

With Monique at his side

eXalting just as much in the freedom of the road

Yes--she has her own motorcycle--

Zooming down the highway together.

Flying Solo

A fear of flying solo

Brings a person down to nothing

Certain she needs more communication--

Decisions are impossible without a permanent team

Ever needing reassurance 

Finds her lost and alone and in the end unable to work

Going alone is part of life

Helplessness is rejected

In pursuit of the dream in the heart

Just fly solo

Knowing that others will eventually join the team

Live now and

Move toward the goal enjoying life

Now truly is key

Operate in the moment--even when that includes flying solo

Possibilities explode when

Questions don't demand

Results different from reality

Seek the goal

Then enjoy the path that is actually 

Underway

Viewing the results

With love and

eXcitement

Yet allowing others to add

Zest when they are ready

Preacher

A man on fire--preaching Your word, Lord

Before a small group of people

Coming to this small town just

Days after the funeral of a friend

Entering again the world of presenting You

For others to hear

Going into Your word

Holding forth that truth

In Your name

Just as Your Spirit

Keeps

Leading him:

Ministry 

Now renewing as it

Opens in a new location to 

Present You to a new group of people seeking

Quality from Your word as we

Seek Your kingdom now

Through life today so that we

Understand truth balanced with love: the gospel

Vindicates all

Who will believe the

eXistence of God in human flesh as Saviour

Yes--

Zero in on the essential gospel truth

My Story

A young woman at Hope Baptist Church

Began a Precept Upon Precept Bible study

Calling for those wishing to grow

Deep in God's word

Even as she 

Focused on this one church

God showed her the world coming to the city

Hope for a source of thriving

In this new land

Just flooded her heart

Knowing from family history the

Lack of thriving language barriers

Make--the dream deepened into a

New hope

On the way through a school: Hope Bible Institute

Pointedly aimed at thriving

Questing to grow Lordship and language

Resting in an ongoing routine of study with a

Simple study method even as it

Takes people deep

Understanding words and ideas

Viewed through the Bible

Wanting to see

eXcitement in eyes as abundance--

Yes--abundance thrives in a growing

Zest for life

Moving Forward

A little girl from Brockville

Became a young woman in Windsor

Creating a home

Designed for two

Everything just right

For life together

Going to work and enjoying

Home

In the walkup

Just a few minute stroll from the river

Knowing

Life is

Moving forward for them.

Now is the time for training

Opening doors to careers

Perceiving this will be

Quite a life as family

Running a home

Seeking the future

Together as a 

Unit of two

Voicing plans

Who, what, where, when--why?

eXcitement of 

Youth expressed in a 

Zest for life as one in God

Writing a Novel

An adventure in writing

Began with the scribbling of a novel filled with a 

Cast of characters

Developed to tell a story that was

Entered into a writing contest

For Canadians

Growing to be writers

Hoping to publish their work

Indeed

Joy

Knowing someone is

Looking at

My work to evaluate it--

Not a winner this time but

On to the next step: editing

Processing the thoughts

Quizzing the choice of words

Reflecting the picture in the mind

So that the 

Tale is easy to 

Understand

Visualize it in my thoughts

When reading does it generate

eXcitement?

Yes, do the characters live with 

Zest?

At The Well

A walk outside the town

Brought me to the well where a stranger sat

Calling out he asked me for water

Despite the fact that his people don't speak to my people

Exceptions are noticed

Friends raise their eyebrows

Goals are questioned

He spoke of living water

I rejoiced at the thought of never coming to the well again

Jesus

Knew I needed

Living water overflowing

My world had shrunk over time

Nobody welcomed me

Only me and yet suddenly

Person to person my

Questions were answered

Reality altered

Suddenly I wanted everyone 

To know this life giving truth

Unknown to them was life overflowing

Value beyond the ordinary of the village

Why keep this to myself?

eXcitement sent me back to tell everyone

You can have living water too!

Zero to life in one conversation

An Early Morning Prayer

An ABC in which to contain my life

Before it explodes into disarray

Coming downstairs for a time to write

Day after day by early light

Ending my sleep with a pencil in hand

Free to explore my thoughts

Grief or elation paper will accept

Hope from experience remembered

Inner

Joy

Knows

Love

Memories

Need expression and an

Opportunity to see

Patterns . . . that reveal God as an active character

Questions and narratives

Reveal my 

Story

Tangled up with Jesus'

Up to the window my eyes travel to

View the tree, the sunrise, the storm--my thoughts

Whenever the words onto paper pause

Xray elements of my delight, frustration, curiosity

You, Lord, are central in each stage--Ay to

Zed my heart is drawn back to You