Treetops Away

Treetops away,
Wonders of love,
We fly away
To the treetops above.

All is quiet;
All is still;
All is wonder;
All is as He wills.

Mystifying mirth—
Only the dreams,
Only the joys
Of life's glory now remain.

The sorrows,
The pains
Of a better tomorrow
Have all now waned.

What else is there
But to remain in bliss
Of a joy that sustains,
Of a lover's kiss.

Come to the treetops—
Let us never again leave.
Come to the treetops—
Let us never cease to be.

Litany of Love

Mercy, O Lord,
What mercy do You desire?
What love do You require?
What trust, what kindness,
What heart so blessed?

Love, O Lord,
What love do You find fitting?
What path to me are You committing?
What heart to love requiting?

Hope, O Lord,
What hope do You so give!
What Spring Eternal,
What Font of Every Blessing!

Faith, O Lord,
What faith do You desire!
Seeing beyond the bend,
We turn to You, our hearts transcendent!

Trust, O Lord,
What trust do we have in You!
We trust in Your Word
To perfect our love renewed.

Word, Thy Word,
What Word so greatly blessed!
Teach us, Thy Word,
To be love for one another;
Teach us to be love renewed!

Love Outpoured

Let me see you for who you are;
Let me know your passions;
Let me learn what means most to you.

Let me move in grace with you;
Let me grow more because of you;
Let me live for you.

Let me give all I have;
Let me speak to you with the love I have;
Let me care for you in good times and in bad.

Let me see the grace within you;
Let me see the faith in you;
Let me see the hope in you;
Let me see the love in you.

Let me love you.

On Bended Knee

On Bended Knee,
I come this day to pray.
On Bended Knee,
I come to give You praise.

On Bended Knee,
I find my true self.
On Bended Knee,
I find You alive this day.

On Bended Knee,
I am compelled to stay,
To remain in Your love,
To be one with You.

On Bended Knee,
I see the one true God,
One unadulterated, One free,
One forever able, One in whom to believe.

On Bended Knee,
I find His mercy outpoured,
His love, His truth,
His glory forevermore.

On Bended Knee,
I see His presence
With sight, with sound,
With true feeling—Our Lord.

On Bended Knee,
I am enveloped completely,
In totality of Truth,
In love and mercy outpoured.

On Bended Knee,
I surrender to You,
Completely without reserve,
Without any other need.

On Bended Knee,
I seek only YOU,
My Lord, My God,
My whole being; I pray.

On Bended Knee
I thank You
For a centering peace,
A peace centered on You.

On Bended Knee
I shall remain,
To love evermore
With a heart you made.

Lost

I want to be lost in You,
In Your spirit,
In Your beauty,
In Your love.

I want to wash in Your pools of compassion,
Completely in Your peace,
In Your grace,
In Your love.

I want to breathe in Your presence
Away from my vain thoughts,
Away from my senseless worries,
Away from my hatred.

I want to see Your glory,
In the brightness of day,
In the beauty that remains,
In Your love that sustains.

I want to lose myself
In the humbleness of this world,
In the daily toils,
In the little moments of love.

I want to feel the sufferings
In gentleness of heart,
In waiting for You—the One,
In waiting for the fullness of Your love.

I want to be free in Your love,
In Your fatherly care,
In waiting for Your gifts,
In the robes of Your care.

I want nothing but to be in You,
All the days of my life,
To find myself overshadowed by You,
In the completeness of Your love.

I want to lose myself,
In spirit, body, and soul,
In no other hope but Your own
To live out a life filled with Your love.

The Father's Robes

What senseless toil
Have we done,
We the lost, the wayward?
What suffering have we begun?

We wallow in senseless action
After senseless action.
We find ourselves lost;
We find ourselves without satisfaction.

We cast away our reborn state
To live in discord, disdain,
In a world man has made,
Not a city where angels trod.

But we turn to Him,
No matter our state,
To seek His grace,
To find our true place.

We wait, in our father's robes,
For the day where all are free—
Free from the bondage of sin,
Free to be with our gracious father—our God.

Waves

Waves of distress,
Waves of despair,
Waves of pride,
Waves of greed

Waves crash,
Waves slosh,
Waves clash,
They overpower the lost...

One after another,
The struggle continues—
Finding the peace
Amid the endless storm.

What do we make of the mess?
How do we find peace even there?
How do we fight the pain inside?
How do we answer these times of need?

Step out on the waves;
Step out to the One Who Saves;
Step out on the water.
He will not let you falter.

Trust in His voice;
Listen to His command.
See His love;
Follow His way.

See before you the choice;
Choose the Rock, not the sand,
To build your house—based on love.
His grace is enough for the Way.

Then, in His love,
Those waves of distress
Will turn to love,
Ones to lift you, come what may.

Today

Today we saw history transpire,
What men and women, now and to come,
Will find further words more eloquent than these
To speak and scribe to generations to be.

Today we saw a voice inspired,
A realization of what all men of goodwill can become,
A changing of guard, a call to a new generation,
A resounding message that all are meant to be free.

Today from our nation's seat
We still find a country surrounded by storms,
By a mess no man or woman can ignore,
A mess by those same men who to us implore.

Today we received a new call of responsibility,
Of what and of whom we should be.
But all men are fallible; all men fail.
All men fail because we are free.

Today begins our nation's new chapter,
One to be filled with tears but also still laughter.
We have much still to do, to be
In this home of the brave, land of the free.

Today will be tomorrow's yesterday,
And though this still will be true,
We will find a way to our own hearts be true,
To live, to prosper, to never cease to be.

Today we live in a land imperfect,
In a union we have yet to perfect,
But we all should not forget the least among us,
Of those whom we cannot even see.

Today we were on a mountaintop,
But here is not a place we can stop.
Still there is much more to do, so much to renew;
Still more remains until we can with one voice agree:

That today will be like the tomorrow
Where all men are indeed created equal,
Where all have the rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness,
Where all created will truly and forever be free.

House of Prayer

What town is this,
Shuttered and closed?
What town is this
Whom Fate hast shoaled?

Are not its buildings aging?
Are not its streets degrading?
What of its stores, stations, and salons of old?
What of the gin that is no more?

What happened to the town of old,
Along these tracks through field and pasture?
What happened to its once graced stature?
Was this not all once foretold?

Its history is only outlined at best,
Known for an outlaw's birthplace,
Nothing more, nothing less.
But aren't there more stories than this bit of lore?

Aren't there tales of faithful families and more?
What do these boards speak to
And these bricks have to tell?
Are not these hallowed grounds known so well?

The façades may be worn
And the buildings forlorn,
But these streets do hold more,
Much more than I can explore.

Down the main street we shall go,
Past the worn storefronts of old,
Past the post office much newer,
And water tower found in glimmer.

No, something much greater still stands this day,
Something of grandeur that shall never cease to stay,
Something to show the remaining the Way—
A house of prayer, a place of peace.

What is this I hear,
In this town so worn?
Is not a chorus raising,
A community of believers still praising?

How can they praise where opulence has faded,
Where like the creeks' waters have now dissipated?
How can they so gloriously sing
To a God whom they prayed but have not received?

Look closer, my friends; look closer indeed.
See all the joy this night, in word and in deed!
It too is much greater than any building or wonder,
For naught is a city that has so much wonder!

What place is there,
What place of peace!
What place is there,
What house of prayer!

What miracles hast He worked!
What miracles unseen!
Surely there are more,
Much more than are believed!

It is once again Christmas night,
The town restored in colored lights,
But it's inside where the joy is at last,
Where blessings are found—delights of the past!

Generations gather together;
One after another they gather,
Generation after generation of families,
To praise a God who has blest them with His favor.

In chorus raising,
Voices are praising
Their Creator blessed
With songs of praise.

For it's in the past times of struggle
And in the past times of pain
That they remember always the small joys,
The little things that take their breath away.

And still they praise,
For it's the little joys they still seek there.
For where only a dying town once stood,
Now shines a House of Prayer.

O Love in Exile

Place to place I wander
Each day looking from face to face,
Each more beautiful than the next,
But still I find not your face.

Night to night I sit and ponder
Through a darkened mirror of wonder.
What grace of God have I rejected today?
What mercy of God have I spurned this day?

Surely this exile is mine, not His?
Surely this exile is worth the love of His?
How can it be, my heart's reason is still without me,
My love's destination has not yet stirred a heart ready to be?

O Love in Exile, my dearest love,
What piece am I still missing?
What have I yet not given?
What have I yet not found?

O Love in Exile, my separated love,
What else must I give,
What else than my love, my life, my heart?
What else can I do, have I not done this from the start?

O Love in Exile, my saddened love,
Cry not this cold and dreary night.
We two are near, so very near
In the peace of the night.

O Love in Exile, my guiding love,
Be patient too in His mercy and His love.
Peace and blessings, my exiled love;
Stay in His heart, live in Him renewed.

Live in peace for our love will be renewed,
My Love in Exile, my love, my everything, my you.
You are closer than we either can speak,
So close are those whom we seek.

Your heart and mine will find the other soon,
Of this there is no doubt,
For His mercy and His love guide us
And with our two loves remaining, His will win out.

Voices in the Dark

Deep within my troubled soul
I hear whispers of doubt,
Of old feelings once let out,
Instead of joy in reaching my goal.

Relapsed in my longing search,
My heart quivers with fear.
I want to love even more,
But how can I love what is not here?

The voices in the dark
Grow louder and louder
As my heart continues to flounder
In a cycle that leaves its mark.

The voices call out,
The past calls to me...

What of the praise,
What of the clout?
Is this even you?
Is this what you're all about?

Can't you live in the light?
Can't you be happy with what you've got?
Must you keep fighting what was?
Must you try to live with what you cannot live without?

No, another voice speaks out.
It raises a clamor beyond doubt...

Stand up and fight,
Fight for what is right.
Stand up to the night,
The voices, the darkness.
Fight for what is right.

These voices of the night,
They will not succeed...
The One's love is all I need.

Stand up and fight,
Fight for the heart's might.
Stand up to the evil,
The trouble, the feeble.
Fight for what is right.

These voices of darkness,
They will surely die...
Evil's ways denied.

Surely, I will fight
These hours of the night.
Surely, I will love
These days before us all.

Never give in,
Never give up.
This is where we begin.
This is where we shine.

Fight beyond fight,
Live beyond life,
Give all of yourself,
And never die again.

New Wine

What was once
Is no more;
What is to come
Will shine once more.

What was once—
Reserves of man's toil.
What is to come—
Blessings from Heaven's soil.

What was once,
Dead and rotting,
Turns from an age that was
To an age of new being.

What is to come
Was not what it seemed,
Mere water merely gleamed—
New wine instead, sight unseen.

Brim after brim,
What sight unseen!
Are we to know
The blessings now seen?

Go forth, you witnesses,
Go forth to the world.
Taste what is made new—
Vintage, O Vintage Renewed!

Go forth, you witnesses,
Go forth to the loveless
Show them what has been lacking—
Vintage, O Vintage Untarnished!

Woman, O Woman,
What have you done?
His glory, His passion
Have all now begun!

Woman, O Woman,
What is this to mean,
Pondering and pondering
All that you've seen?

Word after word,
What sight believed!
Are we to believe
The blessings now conceived?

O vintage press,
O womb of the Divine,
What handmaid eternally blessed,
What vessel of new wine!

"Whatever He tells you"
This is what we shall do.
"Whatever He tells you"
That we shall do with you.

Guests, O guests,
What have we seen!
God's blessings, God's mercy,
God's reflection now seen!

Guests, O guests,
What gifts have been given!
Turn to Him, O Vintage Renewed,
Live in Him and Him in you!

O vessels once broken, be now renewed.
Live in Him and Him in you!
Fill to the brim your hearts made new.
Be with Him; be now renewed!

In Veiled Courts

In veiled courts
With hearts afire
I stand with measured breath.

In veiled courts
Through the countless days
I wait with a weak heart.

In veiled courts
With the warmth of light
I stand alone in piercing silence.

In veiled courts
Through which a silent wind blows
I wait upon a single heart unknown.

Veiled courts with flickers of light,
Veiled courts with a grace of might,
Veiled courts with veiled sight

I await the day, in veiled courts,
Of a heart that I am worthy to love.
I await the hour, in veiled courts,
For the fullness of God's compassion—my other self.

Each day I wait,
Each day upon the other;
Each day I wait,
I await my other half—the Other.

In veiled courts
Doth my heart so wait
For a love, a life, a heart.
O Lord, doth my heart wait
For a love that won't break.

Give me the power;
Give me the grace
To wait in veiled courts,
To run the blessed race.

Pace within my heart
The sorrows of the night
With the joys of the day
In veiled courts as I wait.

In veiled courts I wait;
I wait on her beautiful face.
In veiled courts I wait;
I wait on her glorifying grace.

In veiled courts, there I wait
For His mercy, His creation, His beauty.
I wait on this all here in His place.
In veiled courts, there I wait.

Fingerprints of the Divine

From nothing, something
Spark, discovery, revelation.

From darkness, light
Immensity, explosion, expansion.

From death, life
Dust to being, matter to understanding.

From slavery, freedom
Chaos to determinism, determinism to relativity.

From suffering, salvation
Pain to joy, sacrifice to success, unknowing to knowing.

From chaos, understanding
Testing and probing, experimenting and seeking...

Thread by thread,
Weave by weave,
The Tapestry of Knowledge,
The Tapestry of Wisdom
Become interwoven.

Fingerprint by fingerprint,
Discovery by discovery,
The minutia of the moment,
The sweeping vista of time
Into one are sewn.

Truth discovers Beauty;
Beauty unveils Truth.
No matter our route,
No matter our origin,
Now, only now, does life begin.

Hearts Renewed

I can’t, I can’t, I can’t
Leave my love right now.
I must, I must, I must
Live without it somehow.

I will, I will, I will
Let grace in my heart to dwell.
I shall, I shall, I shall
Love you always with a heart compelled.

Always, always, always
Will my heart so greatly burn
With fiery love for you
No matter the time of your return.

Complete, complete, complete
Is my love for you
Even though, my dearest love
You still know not my name.

My love, my love, my love
Return to my restless heart,
Give grace a place, a space, to start,
Let us then nevermore be the same.

Live in me and I in you;
Let us, our hearts renewed,
Live as one and not as two.
Live with me, our hearts renewed.