Forever

I will
forever
be at your side.

At your back
protecting you.
At your front
leading you.

I will surround you
with My grace and goodness.

I will
forever
be the one who counsels you,
encourages you,
guides you,
who shows you
the paths of righteousness
for My name's sake.

I will
forever
be your advocate,
the one who justifies you,
heals you,
delivers you
out of whatever darkness you have walked into,
willingly
or not.

I will
forever
be your comforter,
the one who cherishes you,
nurtures you,
loves you with a fierce and jealous love.

I will
forever
be the one who encircles you,
delights in you,
sings over you
with tears of laughter and joy inexpressible.

I will

forever

be your Savior,

your King,

your Lord,

your God.

Let me know

Let my life count for something.
Let
my
life
count
for
something.

Let it count
in the passage of time,
in the sight of history.

Let someone be sad
at my passing.
Let someone have joy
in my living.

Let someone imagine me
with fondness,
and feel an empty space
when I'm not there.

Let someone think of me
at first light
and close of day.

Let me know
I matter,
that my life
is significant.

That I am not a mistake,
a random act of nature,
a cluster of cells
created to decay,
and disappear
without meaning.

Let me know I am loved
that someone would stand up for me,
protect me from an enemy,
lay down their life for me.

Let me know that I'm worth it,
that I have value
and purpose
and eternal destiny.

Let me know.
Somebody.
Let me know.

Second Coming

Coming to you live
from the Mount of Olives
in Jerusalem.
World Media has gathered
over the last few hours,
after images streamed from
an Israeli news team
showed a bizarre cloud formation
hurling lightening and fire,
destroying camera drones.
Countries continue to log in.
Media saturation
through every available channel.
No one on the planet
is missing this.
Oh my God, light filled beings
hundreds, no thousands
stream through a portal.
Oh my God, I can't believe
what I'm seeing.
Swords, shields,
banners,wings.
Our army,navy,air-force
are all on high alert.
Will human weapons
match this alien invasion?
A figure.
It looks human.
Male.
He's coming
towards the earth.

Oh

my

God.

Bernard

Hirawani, fearless warrior
who promoted good relations
between Maori and European,
stares at me
impassively from behind the glass.
His feathered cloak and mustache
delicately worked in pencil grey.

Captain James Cook hangs on
the other side of the door,
equally serious
understanding the weight of historical responsibility.

Bernard, with his red rimmed clear blue eyes and white mustache,
greets me explaining, with slight apology,
that he is the youngest resident.
Still in his sixties
he served at sea.
They had desperate times
and he treated a fellow sailor's broken leg
by cutting it right off.

He showed me the clock in his room
then a second in the corridor.
"One, two, three, four, five, six.
They are exactly the same,"
he said in hushed tones,
as if personally responsible
for this extraordinary occurrence.

I examined his artwork flanking the door,
and showed him his name
inscribed at the base of the pictures.
"They must have given them to me,"
he replied nodding.

He told me he was sorry
his wife was not able to stay with him.
She had to live somewhere else.
The room was small.
There was only space for one bed.

Bernard.
Polite.
Dignified.
Gentle.
Possibly a sailor.
Definitely an artist.
I will never forget our meeting.

Fifty Two

Fifty two weeks
stretch out in front of me.

Fifty two divinely measured,
units of order and grace,
willing me forward
with a manageable end in sight.

Fifty two opportunities
to make seven days
count for something.
To bless another,
to help create
tangible atmospheres
of goodness and hope.
To lay hold of promises
still unseen in the spirit.

Fifty two carefully
sequenced weeks
first created
by the Creator
as He spoke the world
into existence
and then took time
to appreciate His handiwork.

Fifty two times
to begin afresh
at the start of the week.
To leave the
unfinished
frustrated
disappointment
of the week before
and turn
hope into substance.

I have fifty two weeks.
So do you.