I wonder what he will look like?

  I wonder what he will look like,

 the Antichrist?

Obviously no horns,

 that would be way too unsubtle.

 Tall or short,
 dark haired or fair,
 stocky or slim?

 Will he be gently spoken or a stirring orator?

 Will he be ever so handsome,

  or merely striking enough to command the attention of the masses?

 Will he be able to sing and dance?

 Will he have the common touch, being able to kiss
  a baby on the head in the street without seeming cheesy?

  Will he laugh and love and have a family who truly cares for him?

  Will he be a peacemaker on the earth,
  one who can bring seeming solutions to mankind's problems?

  Will he be respected by world leadership,
  a man for our times?

  One who can make a positive difference to the global financial crisis?

  Will we fall for his deception?

  Will we know him when he appears?

Belonging

Do we need to keep playing pretend,

with assumptions

received by head

but not by heart?

Do we need to keep doing
the right things for the wrong reasons,

trapped by expectations
to fulfill religious obligation?

Theory theology,
safely disconnected from life,

in case any sparks of faith
might set alight
a gospel glow
so unpretentious
Jesus would enjoy it.

We stick with opinions
bitterly fought for,

rather than beliefs
written with
love stained ink
on hearts honest and raw,
longing for grace and truth.

Truth truer than true
can only be found
away from practiced performance
of religious rite.

This is relationship reality,

sons and daughters

belonging to our Father,

co heirs with Christ.

No higher purpose or agenda
than belonging
in eternal family.

The beginning and the end
of the journey,

the Father's love for us.

If only we would receive it,

and turn forever

towards belonging.

Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus

Come Lord Jesus

This world is crying

dying

lying down with the devil

standing up against what is right.

Cursing and worse,

spitting and screaming at the face of God.

He is an outcast of society again.

It has moved to higher philosophy

where man has become god,

and we have already seen where

that has taken us.

And yet they still persist

in their persistent endeavor

to prove themselves right

and God wrong.

And the songs sung

will condemn this generation 

in future days.

There may not be many more

generations or days.

We are dazed by the corruption,

by the incessant clamor

of the tiny screen

we hold in our hand,

nursing our treasure.

What will we do without it?

Do we know what to do,

what to say,

do we need to see ourselves in

the dark reflection to know.

Know ourselves

Know others

Know God

Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus.

Walking with a limp

I walk with a limp,

because of what I have done,

and what others have done to me.

I have wrestled with God,

not face to face
as Jacob did,

but from time to time
over the years.

I have wrestled with
the aching questions,

the need to comprehend

myself and others
more than I do.

I have wrestled with God
about my frailty,

and He knows the depths of it.

I have wrestled with
wanting more than I now see,

something of the supernatural
that seems beyond my reach,

but is evidently there.

I wrestle for a while,

and then let go,

and walk away
consumed by my own lack.

I walk with a limp,

but I still choose to walk.

Northland Christmas Holiday

Green bush pushing

vivid blue

sky and sea

mirroring and expanding

a continuous color palette

thick and mysterious

in the depths

against rocks

where purple and white jellyfish

float aimlessly in communities

with stragglers

left stranded

on the high tide mark

soft and slippery underfoot.

A pair of orange beaked and eyed,

black plumed birds

defend their nest

with bold attack

towards intruders.

Sticks deter them
but their shrieking complaint

is not silenced
until we leave their territory.

The incoming tide
over hot pale sand
creates warm shallows.

Out further the ocean currents
are cold and unforgiving.

The tiny boat bounces over

the wind tipped waves

back to the sweep of beach.

Place of blessed earth

and rest

and re-creation.

What to give in the Christmas season

What shall I give in the Christmas season?

What do my loved ones need?

They need me to be close,

and if distance separates us,

to know that my love reaches them there.

They need me to hug them,
more than once,

to feel safe
and that all will be well.

They need me to tell them
I love them,

not when I want,
but when they need to hear
those words of life and blessing.

They need me to slow down
long enough,

so I am not just a blur
at their visions edge,
but vitally present and real.

They need me to listen
to tales of favorite things,

and oft told stories
enriched by the telling.

They need me to laugh
at their jokes,

affirm what they share,
and smile with true understanding.

Most of all they need me to
reflect to them
the unconditional love, grace and mercy
I receive from my heavenly Saviour,
whose birth we remember on Christmas Day.

Tide

It is hard

to feel frenetic

on a beach,

with pale, warm grains

between your toes,

and the intermittent breeze

that gently ruffles your hair

on its way past.

I sit on the snake of sand

found between

Pohutukawa blossoms

ready to burst

into crimson Christmas,

and the light chased blue

of the beckoning sea.

I listen

to the unchanging rhythm

of waves meeting shore,

dutifully keeping

within God ordained boundaries.

Mankind would do well

to do the same.