You are not a failure When that girl in the third row Argues continually with you About EVERYTHING Because she's never been told "no" in her life And had it really mean something And because every time she goes home to her mama And tells her about her day, You somehow become the villain in the story. You are not a failure When that boy you sat right up front Because he needed the extra attention and focus Puts his head down and sleeps Or explodes into a rage Or just sits there and refuses to do anything Because of something you sense going on behind the scenes But which you can do nothing about. You are not a failure When those girls in the back Whisper and giggle together While glancing at you And then say loudly how much they hate your class And wish they could transfer out. You are not a failure When that girl you love so much Cannot see the value in herself But can only find it in a boy Who is just a little older than her And seems to tr

In poetry and parables, I speak more than just one Word The gift wrapping of mysteries In parables and poetry In parables and poetry I can give you eyes to see Read it once, come back again See it anew, alright, begin In poetry and parables, I with language frame the world Within, find healing for the soul For with My Word I've made you whole The dark storm rises, chopping fright Obscurity casts out the light And fear causes trembling from within But I have come to conquer sin The depths of longing swallow deep But I have promises to keep And I can raise a thousand sheep And find just one alone, asleep The heights of ecstasy can enthrall Leave you feeling ten feet tall With heart wide open you can see Your way home and back to Me. The depths of sorrow pull you down You gasp for air, so sure you'll drown But if you stop and look around You'll see I've always kept you safe and sound The poetry of life is grand I know, I shaped it with m

Sparkle, shine, oh star of Mine Steadily light the way A star in the night is the promise of light The certainty of a new day Steady on, celestial one Let anointed trumpets blow Hear, oh ears, the resounding of years Let all the people know There is hope in the darkness There is rest in the breeze There is peace in the comfort of home There is truth in the speaking And silence in ease But My light shall carry you on Whether traipsing through sand Or rocky, hard ground And in walking on water, too There is something surer than what you have found Much deeper than what you can do Reality's strong under illusory earth What you see is not really what is But close tight your eyes and see with your heart A Truth that just cannot be missed There is peace in the battle  There's rest in the storm I've comforted, "Peace, be still!"  Take your eyes off the water The swirling harsh swarm I'm still sleeping,

To see beyond the surface Is one of the greatest gifts To delve the depths and scale the heights Of what you think there is To go beyond all knowledge And conventional wisdom Then bring to life what's in your sight To show Yahweh's Kingdom He makes beauty from the ashes But it takes some special eyes To see beauty in the ashes And in the darkness, light There is glory in completion But that glory comes by faith For only through redemption Can we learn to emulate That once we see what He saw Once we know what He's known all along We can be the Kingdom We can manifest right from wrong And once we've got a promise We shall keep and hold it tight For we see beyond the surface And bring the day out from the night. 

Into the world my mind is thrown Beyond all reaches that I've known I cannot fathom the depths below As my experiences show The miles stretch out in endless array Before me now, a brand new day I cannot think, I cannot say Sometimes I even forget the way Yet the Way leads forward, onward And I will stand atop the strong Word Provision, purpose, on the long road Guide me gently, tear down strongholds A greater truth is kept in promises Given, made, and unabandoned I receive, yet I must keep The promises made unto me With my troth I pledge me willing To keep the promise to me entrusted And through interminable nature, thrilling I shall rise and stand above this. In quiet trust I stand now, waiting Though my heart is sorely aching The hope I have, steady unshaken That I have never been forsaken The promise spoken in the Word The Promise I have seen and heard My aching heart is again stirred And I keep going undeterred. Draw me up, in courage arm me