Your Glory Intense

February 2, 2015February 2, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Oh Lord, Your glory shines bright;

So many who once believed now have taken flight.

The light is blinding from Your throne;

Those who weren’t stable, away have been blown.

Oh Lord, Your fire burns intense;

The judgments of Your purity now commence.

The heat is smoldering from Your breath;

The ones who only spoke of You now have found death.

Oh Father, Your presence weighs extreme;

So few remain to witness Your true means.

The depth is almost suffocating in reality;

Those who yearn for You disregard formality.

Oh Father, Your face pierces immense;

The conviction of Your righteousness all can sense.

The pain is diminishing in light of Your hand;

The ones who have refused can never see Your land.

Penned – MG – 8/8/03

Jennifer*

January 30, 2015January 27, 2015 / The WheatandTares

She had a way about her that made everyone feel loved.

She wasn’t an ordinary little girl. No, she was just a cut above.

Her laughter could warm the coldest of any hearts;

From her welcoming eyes, you’d never want to depart.

Now to the Promise Land, she’s gone far away,

Never to return or come again to play.

We all will miss her sweet little smile;

But if we’ll hold on, we’ll see her in just a little while.

She has been made complete by the Great Physician.

Her mind and her body, both now, in great remission.

She’s probably dancing on those streets of gold,

And most likely, hearing all His stories yet untold.

If you could see her at this very moment,

She might just be praying for your life’s atonement.

If you could hear her message as she calls out your name,

She might just be telling you to not remain the same.

“The Master is coming for you; I know it won’t be long.

Please, don’t wait forever, or you may sing a sad, sad song.

What a terrible disaster to live your whole life through,

And in the end, not give to Him your love which is so past due.”

Penned – MG – 9/20/03

*Wrote in tribute to a precious little girl I knew who lost her battle with cancer when she was only six years old…

Grace and Mercy

January 29, 2015January 27, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Bruised, shaking fists
Clenched, knuckle-white hands
Twisted face

Tightly closed-shut eyes
Letting in not a droplet of light
A life branded by pain
Where is the grace?
Where is the mercy?

A life cut short.
An unexplained sin.
A life-long disease.

The wounded, wound.
The pained cause pain.
The abused, abuse.

Oh, God, my heart grieves.
My eyes weep till tears are no more.
My knuckles are bloody from the pain.
Where is the grace?
Where is the mercy?

The flowers are denied their bloom.
The sun refuses to rise to give any warmth.
The wind will not send the breeze.

The world has turned gray.
The laughter is silent for miles.
The innocence has been hidden.
When will this pain end?
When will this grief hide?

This brokenness, a bloody mess.

These wounds and scars too deep to heal.
We clutch at life. No heartbeat is felt.
The air is toxic. No breath can be found.
Where is Your grace?
Where is Your mercy now?

It is found at the cross.
That bleeding, broken, wretched place. That is where Your grace abounds.
As You watched Your own Son die, You saw our sin. You saw our redemption.
It was there, Your grace and mercy from death began its prevention.

We only see what isn’t.
The grief. The emptiness. The death. We live with the loss.
The regret. The shame. The failure.
We see only the holes on the canvas of life.
Never realizing the void can be filled again with a joy that overflows, a love that is unconditional, a grace that is unending.

In the pain, knowledge is built.
In the sorrow, wisdom is rendered.
Emotions raw and undone.
Words broken and unsung.
How can we find this grace?
How can we receive this mercy?

Run into His loving arms.
Take His guiding hand to lead, to love.
Living breathless or breathless living.
Living fully or lifeless living.
More than alive or just less than dead.
We choose. We decide. We live life or death.

Penned – MG – 1/23/15

Ever Striving

January 27, 2015January 27, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

We work. We strive.
We sweat. We strain.
For what gain?
We toil for all these earthly things.
We forsake the precious for the temporal.
Eternity waits; yet, we strive.

We push. We pull.
We twist. We bend.
For what end?
We scrape to grasp the material.
We lose hold of the treasure for the momentary.
Eternity groans; yet, we strive.

When will we see?
These are as things shouldn’t be.
We abandon the truth for a lie.
We sell our souls only for what money can buy.
The sacred forgotten. The value has been lost.
We can’t even see it’s our very lives that it costs.

Penned -MG – 1/23/15

The Battle Rages

January 26, 2015January 27, 2015 / The WheatandTares

There is a war down deep within.
It is a battlefield of purity and sin.
A struggle for what can be and what forever has been.
The one we feed the most is the one who will always win.

Everyday, this battle rages.
It has continued throughout the ages.
Through sin it has promised, death, its only wages.
Proven again and again throughout history’s pages.

A flesh-filled life gives in to every whim
It holds you in its grasp as your light slowly dims.
The lamp of salvation burns, the wick is always trim.
Hope fills the void, joy overflows the life that once was grim.

A life of peace, to you, He longs to bring.
Hope, love and joy in abundance, He has these things.
He takes away the pain. He heals those life stings.
Your name is called, throughout eternity it rings.

Away from heartache and brokenness it is you He tries to lure.
To the end, he wants to take you if, faithfully, you’ll endure.
Every ill thought and lifeless promise, he longs to allure.
Your precious heart, when freely given, always, He makes pure.

Choices to choose come like a tidal wave.
The easy and popular, the flesh always craves
To choose long-lasting peace, your heart must be brave.
It is your soul He wants, for eternity, to save.

Penned – MG – 1/23/15

Your Rest

January 23, 2015January 20, 2015 / The WheatandTares

Sometimes, I’m consumed by the cares of this world.

Many times, the weight of this life becomes suffocating.

My thoughts and imagination, around my head, they swirl.

But then, I see a glimpse of Your face, and it’s intoxicating.

The stress and strife, they weaken in light of Your grace.

Your yoke is easy and Your burdens are light, just as You said.

The worries of my soul are lifted as I come into Your holy place.

Your grace is so sufficient, and my neediness is fed.

Thank You for Your comfort and for Your peace.

You’ve done all You promised; how could I ever forget?

I praise You for Your rest and much needed release.

Thanks for Your provisions and the plans for me You’ve set.

You are holy and so worthy of all my praise.

Thank You for Your love and for saving me from me.

I will worship and adore You for the rest of my days.

Of all my passions and desires, I pray the most You will be.

Penned – MG – 8/19/03

Draw Nigh To Him

January 22, 2015January 20, 2015 / The WheatandTares

Life is so very, very seared;

Be sure not to let it pass you on by.

Jesus promised that He would always be near,

But first, unto Him, you must draw nigh.

His love for you is very, very deep;

Sometimes, it can almost seem intoxicating.

Yet, He is such a gentleman, merciful and meek;

His love is never made to be suffocating.

This world is so very, very impure;

It will always turn your ’round and ’round.

He longs to give you a hope and a future;

He wants to free you from these chains you are bound.

His time is so very, very uncertain;

We cannot know the hour or the day.

Turn to Him before they draw a curtain;

Surrender your heart or be eternally swayed.

Penned – MG – 10/31/03

The Depth of Your Love

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 / The WheatandTares

The trees sway to sing of Your praise.

The birds fly amidst Your grace.

The clouds swirl and form under Your glory.

Even the smallest weed stretches up to honor Your name.

Your love forever amazes my inmost being.

Your admiration for this land and its creatures.

You created us for Your worship and exaltation,

And yet, our selfishness wars against Your very nature.

The depth of Your grace, my soul cannot fathom.

The expanse of Your forgiveness, my heart can’t comprehend.

The height of Your patience, my mind cannot see.

Even this inward flesh, I seem unable to bend.

Oh God, consume this humanness of which I live.

Burn a fire inside by Your holiness and by Your grace.

Melt away all the pride, the hatred and the insolence.

Even then, can I possibly hope to look upon Your face?

Penned – MG – 4/25/01

You Still Love Me

January 19, 2015January 16, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 4 Comments

I fail You time and time again
I bite
I claw
I fight my way to the win
And I continue to fail to see
What it is You’re showing me

You still love me

I nail you there over and over again
I hate
I lust
I struggle to succeed in the sin
And I constantly miss the target
What You’re urging me to forget

You still love me

I crucify the very One who gives me life
I deny the Son who has broken my strife
I refuse comfort, protection, a guide
For the very sake of my own pride

You still love me

You loved me before time began
You will love me still until time stands
Your grace finds me in the depths
Your mercy reaches me in the rock clef

You still love me

Why?

My soul cries

You are My child

My heart cannot deny

You still love me

Penned – MG – 1/15/15