Choices lie before me
Which path will I choose?
Will I choose a path of faith, hope and love?
Will I take the time to listen?
Will I discern the gravity pulling me?
Will I feel the ancient forces of good and evil?
Will I choose the good?
Will I ask for wisdom in the choosing?
That is my hope
That is my prayer
I’m still learning
I’m still growing
© 2013 Julie Clark
Abraham
Pleaded for mercy
For a city full of brokenness
I hear voices today
Calling for judgment
Jesus said:
Don’t pull up the weeds
Wait
Wait for the end
When everything is ready
Otherwise
You will pull up the wheat
With the weeds
Who is wheat?
Who is weed?
We don’t know
Time will tell
Things change
People change
There is always hope
Lets stop judging
Or we will be judged
Maybe
When we judge
We are pulling up wheat
After his resurrection
Jesus said:
You follow me
Don’t worry about anyone else
Perhaps
If we concerned ourselves
With ourselves
In this way
There would be
Less strife and judgment
More love
And peace on earth
© 2013 Julie Clark
Found a red ribbon today
While sweeping under the rug
Because my vacuum is in the shop
Due to too many dry pine needles
Because we only had fifteen minutes
To pick out a Christmas Tree
Before Home Depot closed
And we managed to get a very dry old tree.
The red ribbon reminds me
Of my search for the Path
That brings meaning into my life
And I for one can’t live without it
Because without meaning I have no hope
And I am not giving that up for sure.
As I write this
I am recovering from a bonk on the head
That I am calling
“My ski accident”
Even though I was only in my skis for less than 30 seconds
Before the playing pup buckled me on the back of my knees
And down I went hard.
I am wondering if anyone can relate
To any of this
Or am I as loony as feel?
© 2013 Julie Clark
I am the traveler
On a journey
You are the gate
To the path, the way
That leads to life
You are the light
That shines in the dark
Illuminating my way
You are my strength
When the road is steep
And my hope grows dim
You are my shade
When the sun bears down
You are the song
The birds are singing
To cheer my heart
When it becomes heavy
My companion
When I need to talk
My GPS
When I lose my way
You are the strong love
That keeps fear away
When wild things
Rage and roar
The sword that flashes
When danger nears
You are the fresh water
In the stream
When I grow thirsty
You are my home
At last
That I am forever
Longing for.
© 2012 Julie Clark
It is dark and gloomy outside,
And inside for some of us.
This is my third Christmas back,
And I think I am finally getting it, about all the Christmas lights.
We need light!
We crave light!
It reminds us that there is hope,
That we will not be consumed.
It is our stand against this encroaching darkness.
Yet, somehow this darkness is our teacher.
Slow down, relax, build a fire, eat some soup, sleep,
Give way to this season of life.
Waiting is not giving up, it is an inside growing and maturing.
It is where hope gives birth to faith.
I am reminded of another search for light.
It’s about a people walking in darkness who saw a great light.
It’s about a star pointing the way on a very dark night in a very dark time.
This light is still shining and making a home in us,
Until, we are a City on a Hill,
Shining brightly and giving light for all to see.
I am also reminded to look for the light in others.
It is there!
We are all image bearers of God.
We all have light sides and dark sides.
Can we search, as in a treasure hunt, for the diamonds in others?
When all around is so dark,
It is time to shine for others who are struggling in their battles with the darkness.
It is time to lend a little more light to them.
Use our good deeds: our hands, our feet, our ears,
Our words of encouragement, and even our money.
Whichever way we shine the best.
© 2011 Julie Clark
There are wings
That make us light
As their feathers
Lifting us upward
Like a ballerina’s
Leap
Only we can keep going
And dance and fly
And dip and soar
All with our feet
Off the ground
There are sacred words
That can do the same
Lift our souls up
And through
Dark barriers
Promises
Pulling us forward
To hope
And forgotten dreams
When all seems lost
© 2011 Julie Clark
Moving
Helps me move
From lethargy and depression
To hope
Then joy
So move it
Work it out
Walk it out
Mow it out
Throw it out
Kick it out
Swing it out
Run it out
Speak it out
Shout it out
Then add some beats and
Dance it out
Lift my hands and
Sing it out
Just move it on out!
© 2011 Julie Clark
I know it is officially here
I see the date on my calendar
I have been awakening to the song of birds outside my window with the first light
Blue Jays have begun a nest in my vines
Blossoms blooming finally
The weather has inched up 10 degrees, maybe
But the rain keeps coming here in the Northwest
A few extra sun breaks to keep our hopes up
I still wrap myself up in scarf and warm jacket when I go out
So I plastered a picture of last year’s tulips and bright blue wallpaper on my blog
To cheer me up and remind me
Spring comes every year
Hope is still alive
Even after the hardest, coldest darkest years
Winter will not always be
Frozen, bleak darkness
Will give way again
Slowly, slowly
To buds and blossoms
Songbirds and new life
Light will push back the darkness
Hope is renewed
© 2011 Julie Clark
Another Christmas Season is here
There is something contagious in the air
Anticipation, excitement, preparation
Makes you want to decorate your house inside and out with lights and color
Get out the flour and start baking cookies
Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside
Some of the lights and decorations, however, start having another effect on me
Makes me nervous, like maybe these people are out of control!
The goal seems to be put out as many lights as possible on every eave and tree, along with Santa, reindeer, snowmen and candy canes
You have to understand
I haven’t lived in this country for several years
I notice differences, changes, and extremes
They aren’t subtle for me
How deep are those warm fuzzies anyways?
Do they last?
I don’t think there were a lot of warm fuzzies on that first bleak Christmas in the stinky stable
Animals don’t smell like cinnamon and spice
So what are we really looking for?
Faith, hope and love run deep and stick to the ribs, lasting long past the season
But, they cost much more than lights and tinsel
They are worth the price
That manger baby thought so when he later gave his life for them
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