Skin God

Peter on Water

-- Alessandro Allori, Florence

Jesus went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
"Come," he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (Matthew 14:23-32))


It's Morning, Jesus

After the storm.
After the waves crashed.
After the water walk.
It's the morning after Peter almost made it.
It's also the morning after Peter almost drowned.
It's the morning after the rescue, the morning of resting on the beach.
I kiss the strong hand of Jesus
God has salt water on his hands.
I kiss the feet of Jesus
The God of the universe has sandy feet.







Amen

To Whom Shall I Go?

The Monastery at Conyers

It's Morning, Jesus

To whom shall I go, but you?
In you I find the purpose and end of all history.
In you I find the path that leads to all joy and bliss.
In you I find forgiveness and understanding for my sins.

In you I find correction and remedy for my wayward feet.
In you I find the answer to my broken heart.
In you I find the cleansing and redeeming of my soul.
There is no one else to whom I can go Lord
There is no one else who can save me
There is no one else who can strengthen me
There is no one else who can love me like you.
You are like no other.
You are God
And God alone.



Amen

"Into thy hands, I commit..."

It's Evening, Jesus

We are all in stages

Of taking hold and letting go

Of holding on as long as we can

Of delaying life, delaying death, delaying the inevitable.

But we all must let go

We all must dare.

Was Abraham the first trapeze artist

In the circus of faith?

When you told him to let go

And move to a place you would show him

Was he frightened, Lord?

I pray tonight for all who must let go

I pray for all who, wanting to hold on for security,

Miss the next portion of life you have for them.

I pray for all in transition

For all who have made that leap of faith

I pray that you, God, will make our church body like a net

That catches falling stars and gives a soft bounce to fallen dreamers

And I thank you, Jesus

That you let go of the handcuffs of humanity

That night in the garden

And took the leap into eternity

Where angels caught you

And ushered you in

to the presence of God.

Clear Enough

It's Morning, Jesus
You made me in your image
And all who come to worship today
Are made in the image of God
You have showered us all with love and grace
And made our bodies temples of your dwelling
I ask that as I preach your text today,
My people will know

That the Holy Spirit is present and willing to speak to them in scripture.
I know we only see through a glass darkly,
and that in the future, we will see you face to face.
Grant that I and the people with whom I explore your word
Will catch a glimpse of you
That convicts, converts, and connects us to your body.

Amen

Collegiate Angels

It's Morning, Jesus

I dwell in the shelter of your love

I thank you that you have kept me in my all ways.

As you are my refuge,

Be the refuge of my family

The refuge of my children

May they learn the way to you

Cherish the path that leads to your comfort

Acknowledge in their deeds the path of life.

As Hannah prepares to leave home

May she never leave You

Never lose the way

Never turn aside

Never be without the knowledge

Of her worth before you.

:He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,

abides under the shadow of the Almighty.
He shall say to the LORD,

"You are my refuge and my stronghold,

my God in whom I put my trust."
Because you have made the LORD your refuge,

and the Most High your habitation,
There shall no evil happen to you,

neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over you,

to keep you in all your ways. "

Spiritual Examination

Pond with Geese at Monastery of the Holy Spirit

It's Evening, Jesus

Examine me, Holy Spirit
Have I been patient?
Have I been kind?
Have I been said good things out of a pure heart?
Have I been guilty of an evil imagination?
Have I been rude or bitter,
jealous or envious?
Have I done you proud?
Forgive me, Lord my failure
And give me redemption through grace
And renewal through truth.
Revela to me the error of my ways
And the way out of them....
Which is Jesus Christ, my Lord.
Christ in me, the hope of glory.

Monastery of the Holy Spirit

It's Morning, Jesus

Lord, you know me better than I know myself.

Your Spirit pervades every moment of my life.

Thank you for the grace and love you shower on me.

Thank you for your constant, gentle invitation to let you into my life.

Forgive me for the times I have refused that invitation,

and closed myself off from you.

Help me in the day to come,

to recognise your presence in my life,

to open myself to you,

to let you work in me,

to your greater glory. Amen.

Father Bob 1923-2007

"A mighty prince has fallen in Israel."

The Monastery at Conyers

I thank you, Lord Jesus

That 27 years ago I found

This place of quiet.

And through your servant,

Father Bob

You imparted your truth

From Exodus.

"I promise, that I will bring you up

and out of your affliction

to a land flowing with milk and honey."

Thank you God,

For Father Bob.

Thank you for the journey.

Thank you for his faithfulness

Thank you for his love

Thank you for the day he chose me

as one in whom to invest his counseling hours.

Virtual Blessing

Julia Enid Nehring

6 lbs 13 oz

7:06 p.m.

02.21.07

Now Lord
Bless this child named Julia
Whose lips and nose and eyes
Smeared with skin
You crafted first from dust.

Be more than love,
Be life
To nurture, guide and satisfy
This child
Whose earthly parents are borrowed in time
And whose lineage is read
In the pages of unwritten history

Speak to us again, of miracle.
For this is the miracle moment
When Before turned into After
And the futures timekeepers
Set again their clocks
To the rhythym of life.

Bless Grandma and Grandpa
And Greatgrands too
May Nick and Joanna
Be kept by you.

Amen

Monastic Battle

It's Evening, Jesus

I wanted to go into a deep place

of silence with you, Jesus
As into a cave
I wanted to get away

from email and ring tones and
news alerts
I wanted to be alone and listen in silence for your voice.
But when I got there, the noise inside me was violent.
I heard a hundred unheard voices screaming for my attention
And another hundred neglected thoughts battling for brain width
I felt, in that silence, an avalanche of undone to do’s slide off a thousand
To Do lists as unchecked, unappreciated, and unhappy.
I squirmed.
I cringed.
I hid.
But it was only for an hour or two.

I stuck it out. I stayed the course

in search of silence.
Then the mob left, as mobs always do,
It just dissapeared from the screen of my mind

Like the previews of coming attractions

It just flickered out ...
Like a television that lost its power.
So then, the silence was quieter,

not quiet
And my watch over my own soul began
As I heard you laugh in heaven
And say: “Well done!”

Is Now and Ever Shall Be

It’s Morning, Jesus

The world is charged with your grandeur.
My soul cries out to you
My soul waits for you.
Take away from me now
Any distractions that
Keep my mind from you.
Grant that in longing for you and
Looking at you
I may love you more.
You are my rock and my shield
And I take refuge in you
You are my strength in time of weakness
You are my comfort in time of sorrow.
Strengthen my faith in you Lord, Jesus.
You worked no deeds of power in your
Hometown, because of their unbelief.
Forbid it, Lord, that my lack of faith today
Might rob me of your power in me.
I want your words to bear fruit in me, Jesus
I want the life I see in you to be alive in me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

World without end

Amen

Far and Near

It's Morning, Jesus

You are high and lifted up,

Seated at the right hand of God the Father.

Glory to your name.

Your name is the name above all names.

At your name, every knee shall bow

And every tongue confess

That you are Lord.

This morning,

I make my confession.

You are God.

You are Holy.

There is none like you.

You are the Creator

Who is above the earth

Watching over the universe

The stars are your handiwork.

Yet the very hairs on my head are numbered

No sparrow falls to the ground

Without your knowledge of it.

So I walk in grace, today, Lord Jesus

I walk in Your presence.

I whisper, I sing, and I shout

Glory

Hallelujah

Holy, Holy Holy.

Amen

Here, There, Everywhere

And God said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

It's Morning, Jesus

And just as you were there with Elijah,
You are here with me.
I will be still and know.

Weasel's Sigh

It's Morning, Jesus

I'm thanking you.

I don't have to go it alone.
Even in this lonely place of prayer,
You fashion me for community.
Community is what you left behind, Lord
A small group, with you in the middle of it
Is what we must seek.

When you said, "It's finished"
You left behind a living, visible community
You committed the entire work of salvation to that community.
That community, created and re-created in you,
Sought to make explicit who you were and what you had done
First in their lives, and in their lives together by your Spirit.

Thank you for the household of God.
Make me able to commit to others in my community
Forgive in me any anger, hostility, pain of rejection, fear of authority,
That might ruin my experience of community with others and you.

Amen

Foot Noise

Exacavated from Qumran with the Dead Sea Scrolls

It's Morning, Jesus

As I pray this morning,

Grant me the stillness and the calm in which I can hear

and discern your gentle approach.
Oh that I may hear the quiet shuffling of your sandaled feet.
Amen
Thank you Ken

Single Trumpet

If you do not sing my praises,The rocks themselves will shout.(And the daffodils, too!)

It's Morning, Jesus

And out of the cold ground of sleep
I rise to cry glory!
Hallelujah to the King.
Who is the king of glory?
It is the Lord!
Lift up your heads you stems of flowers,
Open up, you blossoms of spring
Cry Glory
Blow the trumpet of hallelujah
That the King of Glory may come in.

(Psalm 24:7-10 MGA)
Middle Georgia Adaptation

Before the Angels Came

Steps leading to the gas chambers at Auschwitz

It's Morning, Jesus

Why didn't you just pray triumphal prayers?
Why didn't you just name it and claim it....the victory I mean.
Why didn't you just rebuke Satan and get the heck on with it,

You know, the crucifixion and all.
Why didn't you just string together all the promises?
I know you knew them.
Why didn't you just pray the promises

And pray them into your brain
Until your brain understood them,
And believed them

And acted out of them
And made them as part of you?
Why did you role around in the dirt
And lean upon that rock?
Come on Lord, you were the rock,
Weren't you?
Why did you even wrestle with God
And ask for the cup to be taken away?
I know it made you real, Lord
I know it made you like us.
But is real what you want?

The Ladder

It’s Morning, Jesus

And every morning, before dawn
While it was still dark
You climbed the ladder of prayer.
That’s what Luke said.
He said you got up and left the whole bunch of them
And went to a place he called “lonely”,
Out there under the stars
You prayed.
So I climb with you, Jesus
I get on the ladder of prayer this morning
And tell my feet I’m headed up
I tell my hands to get a grip on those handrails
That lead to heaven
I tell my eyes to look up
I tell my body to step up
And sometimes, Lord
I look up, and the trip is over
You come down.
And sometimes I look up
And my prayer is an explosion
Of light and glory in the sky.
And sometimes…
No light, no fireworks, no thrill.
But still I remember you, Jesus
And I remember
That your desire that I pray
Is greater than my desire to pray.
So, here I am Lord,
Sitting again at your feet.
Ready to wait, to climb, to sit still, to sing,
Ready to just be with you.

Amen

Middle Biker

It's Morning Jesus

You have knit her together in her mother's womb.

She is fearfully and wonderfully made.

She's my middle child

But she is the first of her kind in your creation

You made her unique

To stand alone

She is not second or third or fourth

But in all of time she is original.

Thank you for Chelsea.

Amen

Rooted in the Sky

It's Morning, Jesus

When I am old
I will still give you glory.
Faithfully I will stand
Where you have planted me.

Spiritual Hygienics

It’s Morning, Jesus

I have showered my body
shampooed by hair
shaved my beard
brushed my teeth
cleansed my face

Why would I go out
Into this world
With my soul unwashed?
Slow me down, Jesus
In the early morning before dawn,
You got up,
Went to a lonely place
And there you prayed.

Bone Witness

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep

to fall upon Adam,

and he slept:

and he took one of his ribs,

and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

And with the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man,

made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

And Adam said,

This is now bone of my bones,

and flesh of my flesh:

she shall be called Woman,

because she was taken out of Man.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,

and shall cleave unto his wife:

and they shall be one flesh.

Thirsty

(Click on Picture)

It's Morning, Jesus

Sunday morning.

Drain my cup, Lord, drain my cup.
Make it dry and dusty
The fill my cup Lord, fill my cup,
Fill it overflowing.
Let it be your waters I am pouring.

Make me nothing, Lord
Make me nothing.
Then shape my broken spirit into something
That will be acceptable in thy sight
O Lord my strength and my redeemer.

Amen.

Disinfected Life

Click on Picture

It's Morning, Jesus

Wash me, and I shall be clean.

Straw Soul

It's Morning, Jesus

If I do not wait before you, my Lord
And understand and receive your will for me today
Whose will shall I follow?
Shall it be the critical will of some nagging, inner voice
Whose identity is muggled
And whose speech is the dark, scratchy collection of vinyl memories?

If I do not listen for your voice, today, my Lord
To which voice shall I pay attention?
The voice of complaint?
The voice of worry?

If I do not align my heart with your heart today, my Lord
Whose heart shall I follow?
Shall I run and walk and dance to the beat of this culture?
Shall the excitement of my day come from t.v. commercials?
Who will tell me what to want?
Who will define real joy?
Who and what will set the standard of success
If I do not sit with you, my Lord
And hear your voice, know your will,

and become attuned to your heart?

Epitaph

It's Morning, Jesus

If I am not silent this morning, Lord
Who will be?

The mother sitting up with coughing child?
The street sweeper pushing against ice and snow in furious race

with rising sun and morning traffic?

If I am not still before you, Lord
Who will be?
The airplane pilot who races to the coast

with a hundred passengers?
The stock broker who wakes to see

the cost of oil in China?

If I do not enter solitude with you, Lord, who will?
The Father who rises to catch the downtown commute
And rides the clattering track with newspaper rattlers?

Shall the dead in graveyards be the only still ones

before you this morning?
Shall the deaf and blind,

the crippled and old

be the only one’s bringing offerings of
stillness and quietude?

No.
Today I will carve out a place

in busy, healthy time
To give you glory.

You are the spiritual commerce I first seek
You are the first exercise of able mind and body
To you I give heart and soul and mind
While they are fresh and somewhat young

All else can wait.
I wait in strength
Before you.

Stolen Glory

It's Morning, Jesus

I repent of all the times I have wanted to hurry you up
I have leaned upon your door bell,

Blown my horn,

Banged upon the gate,
Furitively pressed the button on the spiritual elevator.

I have tried to steal in a rush

What you gladly would have given me
in patience.

Sacred Rhythms

It's Morning, Jesus

Help me be in touch with you all day

May the ebb and flow of my walk through his day
Be like the sacred rhythm of the sea

Reaching to you.

Broken Hallelujah

Twisted Glory

A tree gives glory to God by being a tree.
If it tries to be anything else, it does not give glory to God.
---T. Merton

It’s Morning, Jesus

The earth is yours, and everything that is in it.
All things belong to you and are of you.
Nothing is without your handiwork.
Nothing, except man, is without tribute to your glory.


A tree cannot deny its creator.
By divine direction, it reaches to the sky.


Water cannot resist your plan, O God,
But by your plan it falls as raindrops from the heavens.
It collects in streams, creeks and rivers
And empties into the sea.

Only man can deny you as creator
Only man can refuse obeisance before you.
Only man can grieve you.

I receive your Holy Spirit now Lord.
To live in a way that will not grieve you.
Because your Spirit dwells in me
I am able to claim my inheritance.


Against the winds of any ones anger,
I will lift my arms to you.
Against the dark forces of others expectations
I will claim my sonship,
For as many as are led
By your Spirit are you sons, Lord.
Your Spirit gives me power to be your witness
And to speak your word with boldness.

Walk it Out

It's Morning, Jesus

I begin this day with deliberate pace.
Give me sacred rhythms to interrupt the frenetic moments of my life.
Help me stop chasing the antelope, and join the turtle and the snail
In my walk of life.
And help me persevere in my steady pace.
For it was by perseverance that the snail made it to the ark.
So said Noah. So said You.

Found!

It's Morning Jesus

"I sought my soul, and the soul I could not see.
I sought my God and God eluded me.
I sought my neighbor and found all three."—anonymous poem

Tired

It's Morning, Jesus

The world wakes up
with different kinds of glory
with different kinds of disappointments

She did not win the lottery
His plans did not turn out as he imagined
We did not give you our best
They spent their energy on the evening
And left nothing for the morning

So the sunrise was not seen
And the baptism did not wash the sleep from our eyes
Or the yawns from their faces

The magi came to a crowded brain
And a barn
And our applause for you was thin
And they wanted no encore.

Forgive us, Jesus
For how we spend our souls
And invest our spirit
In ourselves
Until physically exhausted
We fall into the pew
And ask for your embrace
With no strength left to embrace you.

Amen

Missing Lyrics

Picasso: Blue Guitarist (Click)

You are not a god created by human hands

You are not a god dependent on any mortal man

You are not a god in need of anything we can give

By Your plan, that's just the way it is

You are God alone

From before time began

You were on Your throne

Your are God alone

And right now

In the good times and bad

You are on Your throne

You are God Alone

You're the only God Whose power none can contend

You're the only God

Whose name and praise will never end

You're the only God

Who's worthy of everything we can give

You are God And thats just the way it is

Donkey Prayer

It's Morning, Jesus



I am stubborn, Lord
You know this about me.
I am hard headed.
I am dumb.
I am always trying
To get back to the barn.



And this is what you said, and why you said it:



Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle.

Chicken Devotion

It's Morning, Jesus

And this is what you said:

"I would gather you together underneath my wing, as a hen gathers her brood, and you would not let me."

A Groggy Prayer

It's Morning, Jesus

It's morning and feels like evening

Somebody is playing a pinball machine in my head
It's bing and bung, and bing again...
and this coffee is not helping

I have all these images
in my head.

I looked for my glasses so I could read your word
And I already had them on.

So, let me lay it out before you, Jesus
Lay it down

My kaleidoscope is running over...
That's what it is...

I see shoe boxes, dogs, broken backs, funeral homes, budgets, sermons,, to-do lists, coffee cups,
computers, broken finger nails, church signs, dirty dishes, elders, guitars, drums, teeth whitener.

I'll just sit here with you awhile, Lord.
You see it all, in order.
I'll just sit with you.
I don't even have to figure it out right now.

"In the early morning before dawn,
Jesus went off to a lonely place, and there he prayed."

Is that what you did, Lord?
Was your kaleidoscope sometimes full, too, of images competing for the light?
Did you twist the kaleidoscope of prayer til all had fallen in place?
Did you carry your own noise to the silence?
How long were you still before it became clear?

Did you see, sometimes all at once, fish nets, donkeys, water pots, brides, stars, sticks of wood, dusty roads, loaves of bread, sunrises?

Were your eyes a little blurry when you wept over Jerusalem? Did the city and the people and the things going in and out look like a kaleidoscope through your wet eyes?

So I'll sit with you, awhile, Jesus.

Take Out Banquet

(Click on Picture)

It's Morning, Jesus

Forgive me, when I am prodigal from the riches of community
Forgive me Lord, when my work is so busy, my little niche so important
that I don't see you.
I ask where you are, and you are all around me.
I ask for your presence, and you are already there.
I ask for your support, and everything I have already is your support, your expression of love, tokens of your care and provision for me.

Forgive my prodigality, Lord.
Forgive me for not sitting at the banquet table because I do not have time

It's Not About Me

It's Morning, Jesus


I love you as ruler of the world,
Shepherd of the sheep,
Savior of my soul
Ruler of my world
Hallowed by thy name, not mine
Thy Kingdom come, not mine
Thy will be done, not mine
On earth, as it is in heaven.

Always a Child

It's morning, Jesus.

I have seen your glory this morning.
Even though the sun has not yet risen
The darkness outside has not hidden you.

I have inwardly sung to you this morning.
Even though my wife and children are asleep and I keep quiet
The silence has not muffled my song to you.

I have turned the corner of prayer this morning.
Even though I found it difficult to pray
Your desire that I pray to you was greater than my desire to pray.

I finally made it through and climbed onto your lap

like the child I am


Today I will measure all things by your Word.
I will find the sharp sword that says "It is written"
And with it take up the power of no and the hallelujah of yes.

Amen.

Blink

It's Morning, Jesus

Before the sun rises
Before my brain kicks in
Before the caffeine does it's work
I will bring every thought in subjection to you
I will lay every little trickle of thought
at your feet.

Before I get angry at the news cast
Before I get upset with the weather report
Before I worry about global warming
Before I listen to the body count in Iraq
Before I hear the insults of the politicians
Before my ears are pounded by a thousand commercials
I will bring my mind to rest at your feet

Will you take my brain, today, Jesus?
Will you take all that grey matter where thoughts are formed
and reactions are produced and help me think your thoughts?


Here is my brain
Here are my eyes
Here are my ears
I begin today
By looking at you.

Amen

Exasperated Swan

It's Morning, Jesus

I pray Lord Jesus that at this years end
You will lift the veil of mileage
And open our struggling eyelids.
In old age, we are not old,
We are young.
We advance, one step at a time
Toward eternity with you.
You give us the image of eagle’s wings
Yet we hang our heads like exasperated swans
We are wise enough now to discern
The frozen soot and the faded spark
Open us to the influence of exhilaration
From above
That we might harness the life from below
And know its fullness.
It is through the secular that we travel to the sacred.
That is why we follow you.