Snippet 1
Jules walked up to the desk with a heavy heart.
"How can I help you?"
"Your cheery smile is a good start. I'm here to see Mrs. Maldonado."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Maldonado has just drifted off to sleep and we think it's better for her to rest. If you want to wait we can let you know when she wakes up."
"Thank you, I'll be in the waiting room."
Again I'm confus'd, bewilder'd and torn;
I feel like a Sampson shaven and shorn.
Betrayed by my fears and wond'ring "What next?"
I'm taken, again, right back to this text;
"...My peace give I unto you," Jesus said,
"...Not as this world gives," His men Spirit-led.
They were radical and strange yet trusting,
Whereas I'm radic'lly strange, and doubting.
"...Faith like a mustard seed..." can move mountains;
Yet my shoulders carry the mountainous plains.
"My yoke is easy and my burden light,"
Sweet little life inside of mine
I pray to God your light will shine
I pray your days be fill'd with grace
And that you'll look upon His face
I pray His love you'll magnify
As you lift up His name on high
And sing a song of endless praise
May He alone fill up your days
I looked out at the vast sea before me. It was dark and foreboding, dangerous and cruel. My eyes traced the distant horizon, looking for anything—a leakage of light, a weak beam of the sun, a signal of hope. Straining, I saw nothing. The sea churned in a terrible, thunderous, and unearthly roar. It frightened me.
I turned and looked behind me. Surely there was a mistake. This is not how I had imagined my calling. But the road that snaked behind me, plain, unmistakable, and well-worn, was mine. My life’s journey—my calling—had led me here.
The gate that we enter is narrow
The passersby are few
The clouds above us are threatening
The fog is thickn’ing gloom
The brothers around us are fainting
Our blood is mixed with our sweat
The air is fraught with dark danger
The ground with pitfalls and snares.
But, hark! The cries of angels
Lo! The sound of song
Hear the voice of heavenly anthems
Ring out on higher ground.
Don’t give up, my brother
Stay strong, my sister dear
Though the war around is raging
Fight on to higher ground.
Looking back on days gone by
On carefree days of youth
On summer days of simple pleasures
And winter days of snow
Barefoot days in glorious pastures
Berry pails at my knee
Picking yellow wildflowers
Clenched in an eight-year-old fist.
Dreams filled my brunette head
With fantasy and tales
They swept me far to days ahead
Of my life that God would give.
Dreams of future, ambitious goals
I was certain I’d attain
Dreams of wealth and high applause
Respectful fear and awe.
The fully loaded car was running and music was playing. Sunbeams reflected off of the windshield while the light danced around patches of grime left behind by grasshoppers and pesky birds.
"Let it go...let it GOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"
I think Gretchen purposefully put a Disney soundtrack in before I picked up the kids. She knows how much I detest that stuff.
Greg waived at his sister in the rearview mirror and tried to tell himself that she wasn't smirking at him.
"Prankster."
"What'd you say, Uncle Greg?"
Screams wrenched the atmosphere.
When the Twins crushed and killed it was called unfair.
Was it "them" or us? Questions everywhere.
All I know is God was there.
A mighty tornado went twisting down;
Homes demolished in many a town.
Death allowed to reap what was sown.
I know He was there, they were not alone.
Our soldiers give their lives in brave fight.
We let our trust take a cowardly flight.
We say goodby yet cry, distraught, in fright.
We forget they are held in the hand of His might.
Lord, grant me the grace…
I smiled at my little girl and imagined what frame would fit best around this pose of hers. And then I stopped smiling. There were tears in her eyelashes. I looked closer and noticed the little pucker just below the left side of her lips that she always wore when she was sad or hurt. I wondered what was wrong. I forgot about the perfect frame and worried about my little daughter. I wondered if I should wake her up and ask what was wrong. Her mother would have known. But her mother wasn't here. I shook my head as I turned to go out the door and then I stopped.