To know his love is to know his peace. To know his love is to know unconditional acceptance. To know his love is to know endless mercy. To know his love is to know and understanding sacrifice. To know his love is to know eternal patience. To know his love is to accept his will for your life. To know his love is to learn from his words. To know his love is to follow his will. To know Gods love is to know many things. To know his love is to begin to understand how we should live each day.

A crown if Ivy adorns her brow with silver leaves as her bare feet wrapped dance along under the shade of an Oak tree. Acorns seem to fall around her as if nature showers her with a bounty of it's treasure. The flowers release their fragrance to perfume the air through which she sails effortlessly. Holding out her arms to the sun as if to embrace a lover, she bask in it's glorious golden rays as her chiffon dress shows transparent revealing a fairy like figure that sings with the birds and lets the cool wind wrap around her and comfort her to ecstasy as it caresses each inch of her body. She closes her eyes and becomes one with it all, as she feels natures embrace.

With torches and angry words they riot in our streets. They set fire to buildings and call our public servants Nazis! They cry about equality all the while the preach anarchy! They say they can fix it but they never do. They want you to be angry and hate where you live. If we were only more like other countries, just how great it would be. Their plans have been tried in cities and states in our land. The remnants of burnt out buildings and failed ideals litter the landscape of these places. A so called underclass frustrated and angry rage against the honest and hard working people. They think they can destroy what has been built and remake it in their own warped image. Despite the best efforts from without and within, America the idea still lives! So let the hate mongers rage and destroy where they live. You cannot burn down an idea, it has been tried again and again.

I fade into the ocean and let the surf crash over me. I let my form become immersed in the salty spray. The tide pulls back leaving me drenched in the salty brine. I step slowly and steady myself for the next ****** of the water as it is halted by the breach of the shore. Slowly I make my way, little by little being washed clean by the tide. The ebb and flow of the sea comforts me as I am deafened to all of the outside noise of my life. Then on a quiet dune I sit in the fading sun as I watch the tide recede and I long to go with it so that I might escape the mundane and troubled life that weighs me down.

In the sand I sink my toes. In the sand I feel alive. In the sand I gather warmth. In the sand I build my dreams. Though the castles I make will shift and fade. In the sand is where my life is made.

Rising on silver wakes that crash on rocky shores. A good ship under your feet an wind in your sails. Steering across the break and running head long into morning. Looking at the fading moon like a far away lover. Pushing out on a board into the swirling tide, catching the curl of a high cresting wave. Swishing this way and that as you ride under the pipe, pulling out until you have mastered the wave. All things are on one ocean, both are attempting to master the sea. A mistress who's wishes are fair or furious depending on her mood. A certain kind of soul is possessed of a person who takes joy on the open seas and lives to be riding the tides.

Pull the trigger here it click, pop, pop , pop, it goes three times quick. Life is cheap the price of a bullet. The streets have their own justice, it really isn't fun, living your life by the law of the gun. Bodies stack up my friends got to fall. No way to live your life no way at all. Dying on the sidewalk, dying is never fun. No way to live, by the law of the gun.

One day I saw a rock that did not fit anywhere. I picked up the rock and carried it with me everywhere. Many people laughed at me, but I really didn't care. I just held on to the rock, no matter what others said. Then one day a great rain came and many people had no place to stand. I simply stood up on the rock and watched the water pass me by. I will stand upon the rock that is Jesus, even when I die.

I lay down to sleep and I found myself on a cloud, I was looking down and I was proud. I saw men and women joining hand in hand. I saw the different races from across the lands. Each one was lending a hand and offering help where they could. The line of people stretched from horizon to horizon and made a rainbow. I suddenly awoke from my dream and realized the thing I had seen, if I take another person hand and we join together to help out and make a stand, then what I dreamed will be a reality. I saw a rainbow of hope that starts with me.

Into the abyss I go, caught up in the moment. Into a fantasy of a thousand dangers, I jump into the night. Sailing beneath the stars in silences, I am sheathed in the wind as I fall from heaven to the earth below. In sparse light drawn to my eyes by glasses filled with magic, I see others like me dangling from fragile strings as we plunge into harms way. In a mere few moments, I settle down with my feet planted firmly on the earth. Like a being from another world I slip into the darkness, looking at the strange and alien land before me. Joining up with my near kin, we plunge forward into hidden danger. While others sleep, we walk in the night. We are watchers , protectors, soldiers going over the edge in a euphoric rush of silence to what ever threat lies ahead.

We all breathe the same air. We all live under the same Sun. We are all of One race, the human race. We all eat we all sleep, and we all hope and dream. So what sets us apart, what causes us to be divided? Why does one person think they're entitled to more than another? Why do some have too much and some not enough? Why can't we set aside our differences, and realize we are the same. We all have needs and they must be met. We all want to be safe, but that hasn't happened yet. If we could simply speak one language, the language of caring for one another, then every stranger would be your sister and every stranger a brother. Until that day does come, we should continue to live apart. Divided yet coexisting, on the same planet we all call home.

Oh the shameful thing! Oh the blot on my pride. How can I face it? Such ugliness and it is not easily cleaned away. Oh the horror of it all, to face the blight of such a thing. Normal laundry will never get it out, I guess it will have to be dry cleaned.

You plant a seed in the ground or a story in the media. You water the seed and you blog about the news story. You fertilize the seed and you do the same with the news media. If you are lucky then both will grow. The stark difference is that unlike a political story, the flower will smell so much better and be worth looking at.

When I am filled with sadness, I call to the heavens. I ask for a down pour so that I can hide my tears. While some people sunny days, I like the rainy ones, it helps me to see the world more clearly. While sun gives warmth, the rain makes things clean. I love the way it is cold upon my skin. To stand barefoot in a muddy puddle and let it squish between my toes, reminds me of simple joys deep down in my soul. So when you want to see the sun and feel a warm and gentle breeze, please don't get upset if I want a rainy day just for me.

Just because something looks pleasant doesn't mean it is good for you. A pretty berry can be poison. A elegant person can be brutally cold and condescending, while a person of lesser stature may be warm in welcoming. They say do not judge a book by it's cover. Many persons hide what they truly are. Like a plant that appears to be a delicate flower, only to ensnare you once you have gotten to close, saying what ugliness truly is, often depends on what you define as beautiful for yourself.

Toss the pieces into the air and let the box fall away. Toil over the meaning of it all. Pull a piece from over there and take a piece from over there. Try to fit them together so that they make sense. One piece looks ok but doesn't fit quite right. Another does not fit the picture but fits perfectly. Struggle and obsesses until the pieces fall into place or until you lose your mind! This is the puzzle that we call life.

Wheels tracks and long guns covered by drab paint. Roaring with the sound of thunder as they clank along their way. Spewing forth fire and lead as they drive fear into the hearts of men. Across broken fields cut with furrows then fertilized with blood. Yet no crops are planted ,only The Souls of mortal men. See the Riders hidden Within told to go forth as Angry Men. Driven to wage war against their brother to cause grief and sorrow to father and mother. Now comes there fiery end as dragons breaths break. For Thunderbolt spiral down upon them as if to fall from Olympus Great Heights. So the iron cages of War become tombs and coffins for those that lie Within. So at lasts all that is left is death in burning fiery Graves of metal wrapped around the lives of the men that went forward in the iron horses of War.

Fleet afoot she dances in the grass, lightly touching down. Dressed in golden lace and adorned with hair the color of honey she laughs and leaps, barley leaving a mark on the earth, the sun is her partner embracing her all of the day long. Then as the days light slowly fades, she settles down like a delicate flower; finding her place and folding up her petals, she takes her rest. Waiting on the new day to dawn when she will once again as child of nature frolic spreading joy and laughter again.

The road is hard beneath your feet and the burdens are heavy. Let me lift your shoulder and walk with you. Let me bear your burden with you and help you move along. Let me show you that mercy is real and that love is not forgotten. Despite the obstacles we face, we shall move on together. We shall raise each other up and bear our burdens as friends who help lift up another.

As I look at the face of another person, I see my own reflection. I realize that we are both human and that the basic truth is that we are not different at all. So to be honest with myself is to admit that I should treat any other human just as I treat myself.

On ravens wings as dark as midnight you come. Sailing down from the celestial plain. Blacking out the light of the stars you stand over me. I shiver in anticipation of what is to come. You cover me with your wings and pull me into your embrace. All of the light fades as you pull my spirit from my body and we ascend into the ethos. High into the darkness we fly. I lose track of time as we enjoin ourselves. Then the sun breaks the horizon and I fall back to conciseness as you pull back into the shell of darkness where you dwell. Exhausted from my flight into the forbidden pleasures of your touch, I collapse into my body as I wait for you to come break my spirit again as you feed on my passion and desire for you.

To show you my love I offer you a rose a flower beyond compare. I offer only a single rose, a special rose very precious and rare. This rose was planted in a garden so many years ago, it was set among the thorns and it was thought that it would not bloom, but despite all of the things that tried to stifle it's growth, the rose took root and sprang forth to blossom in eternal beauty. So I offer this rose to anyone who will accept it, a single flower of beauty so rare. It was taken from the land of Sharon and cost nothing to give. All you need do is accept it and you may give it to another. So when my time has come and I live my last day, remember I will require no other flowers from you, for I have an eternal rose from Sharon and that one rose will do.

The sun rises and the shadows fade. I wind down slowly and find my grave. Through an endless pattern of light and dark, I carry my curse. Each day I find the crypt that I call a bed. I slumber and pray that I will not see death. Then as the sun travels it's arch, the shadows begin to fall again. I slowly rise from the place where I will likely be buried, no one comes to call anymore so there is no one to find me. I simply slip out of my crypt a pail lifeless form, like a shadow or a ghost of my former self. I walk into the pail street lights and find my way to some place. I live in the night because the daylight hurts me so. Onward I go in this hellish existence, until the sun comes up and I must flee from  the daylight once again.

Wrapped in ignorance I am held back from becoming a better person. Sitting with a heart that is blinded by intolerance I am fastened to the inability to relate to others. Imprisoned by a condition of my own making, the key of acceptance and love are all that can truly set me free.

I watched a storm rage on t.v. and saw people crying for help and in the midst of the turmoil, I saw a stranger swimming to save a child. Down on mission street I walked by a shelter and I looked in to see a woman leading the hopeless in prayer. The other day I saw a mother and child broken down on a deserted road. I stopped to help them change a tire and the woman said she had on money to pay me, so I gave her what I had. When I woke up this morning I looked in the mirror and suddenly it hit me, each time I saw love and kindness being given freely, I saw Jesus in you and me.

My eyes are fixed to the screen and I cannot look away. Virtual reality has taken over my life and I am part of the machine. I am immersed in the new world that disconnects us from our own. I live in a place where limits are only what my imagination can create. I was lured into the cyber jungle by the promise of infinite possibilities. I can reinvent myself with a touch of a button. I can walk on beams of light and talk with people I have never met, all in an artificial world that I can help create. So now I am lost in the maze and the web has entangled me. The electronic spiders wrap me in their strands of information. I am cocooned in bliss and lost to reality of what is around me. I am trapped in the web, but I don't think I want to leave.

A thing that should be filled with wonder, smiles and a safe place to dream. Toothless laughter at the most silly things. Crayon marks on the wall, mommy how big am I today? They grow up in such a hurry, and it ought not be that way. The life of a child should be simplicity and filled with hopes and dreams. It should last longer than 50 Summers it seems. Oh but alass imagination Fades away and problems come and take childhood away. So for the precious moments that last for a little while, let children be children and cherish the life of a child.

Life is a timeline fixed between two points. We move along it weaving in and out of many different directions. The failing of our conception is that there is always more of it. That our time will not run out. Many choose not to contemplate the matter, but it is the eternal question. What goes beyond the fixed point of our mortal time line. Philosophers and kings have sought the answer, but as of yet no mortal device can truly say. In many forms man turns to spiritual guidance to seek comfort in this arena, but in truth the mortal is an enemy to the metaphysical. Flesh cannot rationalize what it cannot explore with the 5 senses. To achieve the closure that we seek requires a leap of faith, which many of us are not able to make. Though some profess a belief in certain ideals, the cold hard truth stares us right in the face. Our mortal selves cannot truly rationalize what comes next.

Oh how she tried to impress. Oh how she fought to put the worm on the hook. With patients of a saint she fought the mosquitos and flies on a clear and sunny day. After all the plays and gallery openings, finally she agreed to do one thing I liked. Manicured nails and highlights in her hair, she endured wildlife hell on earth. Slinging her rod and reel in a wild flailing motion, I watched true beauty in rare form. Despite snagging herself with a wormy hook and pulling in a fish that nearly got the boat turned over. I would not trade our fishing date for anything, because now I know she truly loves me.

The sound of music fills the air, young nubile bodies are scantly clad. The aroma of sensuality is intoxicating. An aphrodisiac of pleasure awaits the senses. All thoughts turn to pleasure and forget restraint as you give into the temptations of the flesh. You become lost in the desires that you have restrained for so long and lose your inhibitions. Caught in the thrill of the here and now, you seek only pleasure and nothing else. Now you have succumb to the trap of earthly delights.

Flying airplanes at insane speeds. Dropping bombs on places you can't be sure that the enemy is. Getting shot down and tortured, that is if you survive the crash. Listening to the news and seeing the images that the government doesn't want you to know about. Hearing the enemy cry about your superior weapons as they nerve gas and slaughter their own people to make it look like you did it. Perhaps we should just stay home and sit this one out. War is really over rated.

I took my oath when I was just a boy. At 18 I swore to protect and defend. I gave up my life to become part of something greater. I went willingly into the heart of the storm. Through grueling weeks of training I endured. Becoming more than myself, but a unified team. Through blood sweat and sacrifice I was molded into a warrior, a protector and a servant of the greater good. I fought for the rights of those who could not defend themselves, I stood so that those with whom I disagree could be free to say what they feel. I ask no quarter nor would I give any, to who ever would threaten the freedom I so dearly loved. I did these things not for self, but for the greater love of country and to give you something for which I was gladly willing to die. That is the freedom that you enjoy because of those like me.

Time comes for all things. For everything there is a season. Life ebbs and flows through times of peace and times of turmoil. Sometimes we must endure long spells of trial to enter into a place of rest. In all things, there is hope. Even in the darkest hours, light can be found. Focus on what you can do and let the rest be left to tomorrow. Look to accomplish your best and in due season, you shall see goals accomplished and good things come to pass.

I looked at my familiar life and though what about a change. I wondered how it would feel to wake up in a strange place. So I looked around and found someone who was willing to exchange. I went to live in their world and became a stranger for a day. When I woke up my first morning in someone else's house, I found that things were out of place and it took a while to get around. From making my morning meal to walking out into the street. All things were unfamiliar but I began to find my way. I saw an old woman with groceries, trying to get out of a car. I smiled and held the door for her and she waved and went on her way. Though I didn't speak her language, I communicated just fine. She understood the language of kindness and responded in kind. As I walked through the streets and shop exploring as I went, I began to feel at home with my surroundings and the people that I met. while their culture was different from my own and it took time to communicate. I was well received and shown the kindness and respect that I was able to give. As the sun went down and I retired to my bed, images and sounds were rushing through my head. As the next morning came and I woke to a different sunrise. I was no longer a stranger and my surroundings felt familiar. I was willing to open up and learn about other people and a new place so I was only a stranger for a day.

Nightmares run through my mind. Evil demons haunt me and fierce dragons taunt me. I am more puzzled than frightened. I sit idly in the corner and watch the terrors unfold. My mind races with images of earthly and other worldly horrors. I simply go limp and succumb to the stress of such things. They want to use my soul for a playground, as my mind is preoccupied. The gate to my inner self is locked and I forgot where I put the key. So I will sit idly staring at the monsters that live in my head and wait for the abiding darkness to get bored and go looking for another place to live.

Tall live Oak trees tower over the landscape. Willow trees reach out and touch the ground with it's limbs. Children run in between the branches at play. A warm breeze blows across the fields that are ripe with corn and cotton. People sit by a river bank with a hook in the water watching the deep dark water flow by. Families gather to cook out and share stories as generations pass on from one to the next. The sun rises and sets gently as the day passes with ease of life. The heart of the summer brings out the best of life in the south.

Sheets of paper lay on a desk and a pen lays beside them. Letters that needed to be written, that now never will. Weeds grow in a garden, but they will not be pulled up. Dust has collected on a window seal, but it will not be wiped off. Many a mundane thing shall be left undone. Time has become short and what seemed important no longer is. In a worn-out pair of shoes, I have Journeys that I must make. I'm not sure that I will finish them, I do not know how much time it will take. Instead of sitting idly in a rocking chair, I now must hurry up. The sun will soon be setting, and I'm not sure that's time enough. To reconcile certain things, to mend fences and quell strife. The things for which I thought there was enough time, now may just be part of an unfinished Life.

What I want for Christmas cannot be put under a tree. The thing I most desire is something that cannot be wrapped with a bow. What I truly want is something more precious than silver or gold. The gift for which I ask, is to be allowed to see, the smiles on the faces of those that I can help you see. No treasure could be greater than to give another hope. Nothing is more precious, that making children smile. To bring joy to others makes it all worth while. So if heaven will pay attention, and by mercy hear my plea, then to let me be of help to another is what I wish my Christmas gift could be.

Executions take place in the street. The gun has replaced the gavel and the person who pulls the trigger is the judge and jury. No longer are all innocent in the eyes of the law. Judgement occurs in a split second and the trial is held on the nightly news. The after the fact review is of no comfort at all. Families are ripped apart and no amount of money can give back shattered lives. It makes you wonder where did justice go?

Stepping off of a mountain top and letting the glider sail. Feeling the nothingness of the wind as it lifts you up. Into the blue sky and beyond the clouds, through the haze and veil of the atmosphere you go. Taking a moment to contemplate all that you are and coming to realize that you are only a small part of something much greater. As you sail onwards looking at the earth down below, you come to realize that time has come to a stand still. As the clouds pass by, all things slow down, and for just a moment, you see what true peace can be.

Writhing in my bed wrapped in satin sheets, my lover fills me from head to toe. A vision that cannot be seen, but my body reacts just the same, giving and receiving pleasure. I exist in a state of grace, yet not of holy union. I am filled with images of your body and the heat of your touch. A fire burns inside of me that must be quenched, and only you can douse the burning embers. So come now and satiate my appetite for the pleasures of the flesh, if only in my dreams, give me rapture and let my passions be released.

One part that does one thing. That is all that I am. A single piece of a divine puzzle that makes the bigger picture come into focus. Giving a glass of water in the masters name, is assurance of a reward. Planting a single seed, can feed the hungry souls of many. One tree can bear much fruit. To be of the body is to be of worth to Christ. To be of the body, is to have everlasting life. To be of the body, is to work for it's good. Even the smallest deed, is done for the masters glory.

Let my life be a book that others can read. Let it reflect the goodness and not the ill of my being. Let my path be one of teaching and of listening. Let me seek knowledge as precious gems. Let my deeds show a better way of living, and let my resolve to stand firm in my convictions with aggression as my last recourse, be evident in my philosophies. Let kindness be my way of dealing with ill treatment and let me show love when others show prejudice. In the end let my life be the living word that I speak to others who wish to know who I am and what I believe.

In a quiet place surrounded by tall fences in view of inviting shade trees, I sit down with my hands deep in the dark earth arranging a bed of flowers. Each one is different and yet in some ways the same. Each has it's own color and fragrance, yet all need water, love and sunlight. Weeds must be plucked up so that the flowers may blossom. All of the plants bring me joy but it requires work to help them grow. Some flowers are only for decoration and others have a special use. They may bear herbs for cooking or be used to make someone well. As in my garden so it is in life. People need encouragement and care in order to develop and grow. If we each take care of others as I do my garden, then all people could live in harmony and what a beautiful place the world would be.

When the crowds have abandoned you and friends have turned their back on you. When your family has no answers for you and the knowledge of man has failed, there is a place where help can be found. In the words of wisdom not given of the souls of me, but from one who understands what you are going through. Christ will be there and he will understand, for what ever you think you are going through, you are not alone. He was there before you and knows what it takes when the world is not enough.

Your skin is pure as the snow covering a mountain valley. Your eyes shine like two stars in the heavens. Your hair flows like the Lilies of the Field in the Wind. Each foot step you take is as gentle as a hummingbird's wings. You are far more than human your soul must be divine. So how shall I a mere mortal love you? When it is so obvious that the host of Heaven would gladly call you their own, and yet you have cast your gaze on an imperfect creatures such as I.

Feeling euphoria then falling like a rain drop, going back and forth unable to stop. Wanting to feel warmth like basking in the summer sun. Conflicted inside, feeling as if you are turned inside out. Love is a drug that I cannot do without. You are my addiction, I suffer withdrawal when you leave me.    There is no substitute for the way I become intoxicated when I am with you.

The world is filled with chaos and there is apathy. Brotherly love seems to have been forgotten as we fight amongst ourselves. Though all seems to be lost, there is yet another way. It was set into motion before time began. The fall of heavenly beings made it a necessity. God knew man would fall so he came up with a plan. A way of salvation, through the sacrifice of the son of man. Gods one begotten would pay the price, for all of our sins, he would be sacrificed. So when you see the world in turmoil, just open God's word and understand. Despite all of the doubt and confusion, God has a plan.

In the still of the night someone cries out in anguish and someone  answer the call. A person is trapped in a burning house and they rush in with no thought at all. Their own safety is of no concern, a life in on the line. The code of honor that drives them, will not let them rest, until those who are in peril are safe. Bullets fly all around and they rush in, No one can know what they feel unless you walk a mile in their shoes. From endless nights keeping watch no matter what the uniform they wear, those who rise to duty's call do so without fear. So when one falls by the wayside, all of us are the poorer for it. To protect and serve is their creed, regardless of the circumstances.

I can't save the world because it doesn't want to be saved. I can help as many as well accept it. On the journey that I call life, I must simply do the best that I can and help any who will receive kindness. While I alone cannot save the world, perhaps if I help enough people I will plant the seeds of Hope in many hearts and that will grow and spread until one has become many and together we can save the world.