Category Archives: Ozarks

fearless

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When an angel appears to me,
I’m pretty sure I will have questions.

I will say
What do you mean?
What are you saying?
And then I’m pretty sure
I will lose my voice
like Zechariah.
I will be left mute
until it comes to pass.

Or like Jacob,
I will wrestle my angel
until I am left with a limp
and maybe a name change
and hopefully a blessing.

But when that angel shows up
and says
Fear not,
I want to be fear-less.
I want to live my life
and fear not whatever comes.

Today, I will pray for
that
ferocity of fearlessness
and be ready to roar
Yes!
whenever that angel shows her face.

Second Sunday of Advent

restore

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I come from a family
not afraid of a little paint stripper
or paint.

My grandmother would paint old furniture
bright colors, red, fuschia, robin egg blue,
then make slip covers out of drop cloths or
old tablecloths.

Us kids would come home to Mom in the carport
in her work shirt and shorts, rubber gloved,
scraping old varnish into a metal coffee can.
Her style more conservative, dark stain or
antiqued paint, to mimic walnut or pecan.
Then to the fabric store for a remnant of expensive
upholstery fabric marked down to pennies,
to cover the seats with matching pillows.

Restoring perfectly serviceable objects into
something brighter,
more colorful,
new.

Restore me, I pray,
into something more perfectly serviceable,
something brighter,
more colorful,
new.

First Week of Advent

destination

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I like maps.
Gas station paper maps
that are folded in some odd origami
that once undone
can never quite be folded that way again.

I like atlases and old surveyors maps
with the keys to the different hash marks and dot dot dots
in neat little boxes in the corners of the page.

Pictures of newly discovered countries
when the earth was flat
and there were sea monsters
and undiscovered riches to be found.

Destinations, all to find a destination,
to trace our path, the turning point,
the crossroad to get us to that future place.

Take me to that ancient path,
set before me the way,
lead me to my destination,
where once lost,
I am found.

First Week of Advent

renew

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To breathe new life into

That is a definition of the word
renew

Breathe new life into my life
establish new ways of seeing
feeling
living
loving

Breathe into me that new green leaf
let the sap rise again
into these old bones
into this old way of being

Breathe new life
let it quicken
into compassion
generosity
hospitality

Breathe into me
O breath of Life
Fill me with life anew.

First Week of Advent

*hymn, Breathe on Me, Breath of God
Edwin Hatch, 1878

moment

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wait a moment
take a breath
wait a moment
see this moment as the entrance into your future
a point in time

a moment
hold this moment in your hand
fill it with silence, with calm,
all is calm, all is bright
a point in time

make a bright entrance into your future
in silence, in calm
this moment
fill it with breath
and move forward

First Week of Advent