Twisted Heart

You say you love me, and my heart twists in a knot.

Butterflies fly and my head is light.

My mind wants to believe, but my heart has been deceived.

So, I pray your words are true while I doubt their veracity.

I find myself desperate for your affections, yet shielding my emotions.

I hear myself reply to your promises with longings of my own,

Yet, I don’t trust you to be faithful.

I don’t trust you to be true.

Why does my heart twist and turn and refuse to accept yours?

Why does my heart twist and turn your words to mean ill-will to mine?

Oh God, forgive my betrayal.

Please, forgive my unbelief.

You are my Creator, my Source, my eternal King.

You are the mender of my heart, untwist this vile thing.

Return me to my first love, and purify my soul to sing.

Penned – MG – 6/13/22

The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

Jeremiah 17:9

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Psalm 51:7-12

Finding Time to Breathe

Will it ever let up?

Will it ever relent?

Time keeps ticking.

Life keeps moving.

There is no release.

There is no reprieve.

Normal is never returning.

Yet, was it ever here to begin?

What was will never again be.

So, why are you surprised?

Why are you dismayed?

It has always been as it is now.

Sometimes, stronger.

Sometimes, lesser.

But never really much contrast.

Never really much disparity, indeed.

So, why must you fight it?

Why must you rage?

All you can do is open your eyes and let wisdom reside.

All you can do is exhale and find time again to breathe.

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:3-5

Pride

The struggle for privacy

Fear or Conceit

No matter what causes you to hide, the result is always wounding pride.

The concealment of shame is revealed in the blame, and it’s exposed in the rain.

The seething, veiled anger causes pointed fingers, refusal to linger.

The struggle for privacy

Terror or Pain

No matter the attempt to shield, the answer is never to yield.

The removal of truth is shown forth in the uncouth, and like pulling an eye tooth.

The reeling emotions causes rare demotions, and inner commotions.

The struggled for privacy

Real or Fake

No matter the desire to perform, the reply is always to conform.

The hiding of faith is displayed in scaiths, and expressed in the haith.

The disclosure of reality causes exposure of brutality and the coming finality.

Pride

Pended – MG – 4/5/22

Pride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

Friday Fun Day

Sometimes, you just gotta keep drivin’.

It might be chaotic, but eventually you’ll be arrivin’.

Life can be hard, and life can be insane.

You might go up, down, but never the same.

Sometimes, you need to stop looking at the maze.

And start focusing on the days.

There are precious ones all around you.

You’ve zoned in only on your groove.

Open your eyes to see the beauty.

Open your ears to hear beyond your duty.

Soon an embrace will be too late.

And all you’ll have to hold is your death crate.

Enjoy those Friday Fun Days while you can!

Whimsical Wednesday

Sometimes, things don’t turn out like they should.

Sometimes, your dreams change or disappear.

Sometimes, the aspirations of yesterday get middles in the chaos of today.

Yet, there is still Hope, and it can find a way.

Just take a moment to breathe.

Just take a second to relax

Just step back from all the confusion and deeply exhale.

Just remember, there is a God who can shelter you in the gale.

Penned 7/7/20 MG

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

Do Something

George Floyd Memorial
Minneapolis, MN

So many words are spewed about

So many syllables are given out

This one says you should say that

That one says you should use this format

So many demand justice and revenge

So many scream inequality must end

This one brings a torch and a brick

That one brings a hand that constricts

How does this violence bring harmony to souls?

How does this hatred bring peace to console?

Can’t you see the only answer is unified prayer?

Can’t you see the only action is our hearts stripped bare?

May we search deep within for the sin that lies dormant.

May we recognize the enemy of the cross is our torment.

Our battle is never because of my skin color or yours or because of a simple nod.

Our battle is always with the one who steals, kills and destroys the children of God.

Penned – MG – 6/10/20

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Do Something

George Floyd Memorial
Minneapolis, MN

So many words are spewed about

So many syllables are given out

This one says you should say that

That one says you should use this format

So many demand justice and revenge

So many scream inequality must end

This one brings a torch and a brick

That one brings a hand that constricts

How does this violence bring harmony to souls?

How does this hatred bring peace to console?

Can’t you see the only answer is unified prayer?

Can’t you see the only action is our hearts stripped bare?

May we search deep within for the sin that lies dormant.

May we recognize the enemy of the cross is our torment.

Our battle is never because of my skin color or yours or because of a simple nod.

Our battle is always with the one who steals, kills and destroys the children of God.

Penned – MG – 6/10/20

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Waterfall Thoughts

You rush here and there

Never seeing

Never hearing

Never understanding

You race like the cascading waterfall

Never resting

Never seeking

Never breathing

You tumble down with no regard

Never thinking

Never feeling

Never caring

You crash on the rocks of turmoil

Never weeping

Never laughing

Always pretending

The pools of serenity whisked away

Never stopping

Never pausing

Always escaping

The waterfall never ends.

Penned – MG – 5/23/20

Rest in Knowing

When the winds blow harder, the sails fill up; yet, the boat doesn’t crack.

When the waves threaten to burst forth, the tiller is set; yet, the keel doesn’t buckle.

When the thunder rolls and the rains pour in, the sails don’t shatter, the mast never weakens.

When the storms of life threaten to overtake the heart of your ship, make sure your anchor is secure.

There is only One who can carry you through the hardships, the hurricanes and even the shipwrecks.

He is the Only One who is an eternal safe harbor.

Penned – MG – 4/16/20

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies. The pangs of death surrounded me,
And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” Psalm 18:2-6

The Fight of Seduction

The sound of your voice still rattles in my head.

The effects are slowly but surely becoming dead.

The triggers you brought always through my heart were shot.

But now, your deceitful lies have all been quickly caught.

The murmur of your tongue is fading from my mind.

The impact of your facade dissipates like scattered grind.

One look, one word, no matter the hour, I’m still taken back.

Yet, I fight and I claw to resist the seducing hatred that only brings me lack.

Oh, how I wish to cry, to scream, to vent out to all the world.

I want to demand justice and deny your pleasantries that swirled.

I fight my own daggers, realizing bitterness is not the answer.

Gall cannot bring life, my bones it will eat like a cancer.

So, I walk away, never seeking retribution or the slightest reconstruction.

I will wait for time to tell and truth to shine before my souls gives to abduction.

I cannot be free from the memories that bring pain, but I can sing.

I can praise my God for His goodness and grace, for the life He will bring.

Penned – MG – 3/1/20