Where My God is

BY TABITHA TAPIJA

When people see the meek,

And ask me where my God is

I say “for them He speaks”

 

When people see the weak,

And ask me where my God is

I say “It’s them He seeks”

 

When people see the hungry,

And ask me where my God is

I say that “they are in His grace”

 

When people see the poor,

And ask me where my God is

I say “helping them through heaven’s door”

 

When people see evil in every place,

And ask me where my God is

I say “for them He prays”

 

When people see others left to die alone,

And ask me where my God is

I say “waiting to take them home”

 

When people look anywhere,

And ask me where my God is

I say “everywhere”

 

When people look and can’t see,

And ask me where my God is

I say “you don’t have to see to believe”

 

A Double Life

BY TABITHA TAPIJA

I want to scream in the middle of a crowd!

I want to be crazy,

I want to be loud!
Yet I am timid,

Yet I am quiet.

I act like I’m “normal”.

I hope they buy it.

 

I want to be wild,

I want to act insane!

I want to sing on the rooftops,

And start dancing in the rain.

Yet my voice is caught,

I just can’t let go.

Yet I hear the rain fall,

But I watch from the window.

 

I want to tell you how you make my heart flutter.

How you always take my breath away,

How you always make me stutter,

And brighten up my day.

Yet you’re just another person I wear my mask around.

Just another plastic person,

For the fake identity I have found.

 

I want to tell everyone the secrets I have,

Locked in my brain

To share all my emotions

To stop hiding my pain

Yet I sit in the dark and ignore your calls

Yet I deny all your help for all of my falls.

 

I want to be MYSELF!

Nobody else!

 

Yet I look in the mirror,

And gasp at what I see

The person in my reflection

Looks nothing like me

 

Fenced In

Photo by Andy Jones

SUN RAYS IN A STORM

Photo by Bethany Steinmann

 

Looking Upwards

Photo by Andy Jones

An ants perspective

Photo by Bethany Steinmann

Advent

We are all lost in what has gone wrong

Hoping for the day to come when

It will all be put right

We've been here so long

It's like we've been here forever

What does it look like

When things are put right?

What does it feel like

To be full of right instead of wrong?

Will the day ever come for us

When we know what's right?

Will we always be stuck here?

All we can hope for

Is for things to be put right.

- Lydia Rentschler

Christmas

So long we have anticipated it

Now we can see it coming through

It seemed like forever

But now it's here.

Now we can celebrate

The Kingdom has come

Filling the earth with the peace and joy

Of love and life.

Now we can all see

Just let your eyes be opened.

Feel the peace of the Spirit in your souls.

All the other are no more,

Just celebrate.

It is all new and now all we can do

Is celebrate.

- Lydia Rentschler

Crimson

I scream for the mercy

Lost in shadow and obscurity.

Things lost forever that cannot be found

Things of past and present

Things that are as precious

As life itself

But are veiled in a midst

That seems to ever increase.

O God,

My Jesus,

Help me fight this blackness

That intends to swallow me

And take me from your presence.

Wrap me in your ever loving embrace.

Don't leave me tonight.

Give me strength to go on.

Without you I'm blind.

Help me tonight.

Help me tonight.

Thank you,

O Father.

Thank you.

- Ian Gardner