A White Pearl in a Sea of Blue

I saw today a marvelous thing

In the sky that is our ceiling.

In the early evening on this summer day,

While the sun still shown with its bright array,

In a sky, as blue as a mountain lake,

Appeared—as if for beauty’s sake—

A moon both full and luminous.

With its radiance it greeted us

And bathed the world, already bright,

With fresh rejuvenated light:

A luminescent mystery

Of Beauty and complexity.

With craters clear as mountains here,

So far away, it seemed so near.

But at the time I could not stop,

Forget my tasks, all worries drop;

No artist did I see to try

And paint the beauty of that sky;

But oh that this should be forgotten!

So paint I this with words here written.

The Gospel

Incredible! That God’s spirit should dwell in flesh,

That His son would come to dwell with us,

That from His throne and eternal home,

Christ came to give us righteousness.

Incredible! That as a man,

God experienced the world that we too see

And lived a life of bitter strife

And can relate to you and me.

Incredible! That the blind should see

That paralytics rose to walk,

The deaf were made to hear His voice,

The mute allowed to talk.

Incredible! That some refused

To accept the gift He offered them,

To trade man’s praise for God’s approval

And thus themselves condemned.

Incredible! That Christ should die,

That He who had the right to boast

Was humbled, willing to stand our hurls,

Though in charge of an angelic host.

Incredible! That on that tree,

Hanging far outside the gate,

The sin of you and me were His,

That He became the thing God hates.

Incredible! That, with His death,

The way to life was paved,

That death was slain upon that hill,

That through faith we are saved.

Incredible! That he rose again

To seize His throne in Heaven

And will return one glorious day

To bring His own to Heaven.

Don't Go

There is a moment in every TV show with a guy and a girl who have feelings for each other (and by that I mean every TV show) when one of them is having doubts. They have a conversation and the girl starts walking away. At that moment, my heart screams for the guy to break down and beg her not to leave. I dedicate this rap to that moment.

Can’t explain how I feel, not sure if it’s real

Or just a trick of the mind, making me blind

Is it time to rewind or just leave this behind

Go back to the start or is this where we part?

So I walk away, nothing left to say

But the feeling’s not right, something’s not ok

I can’t seem to win so I say to her

Turn around, my dear, I need to make this clear

I can’t be alone, I need you here

Please understand, I can’t stand on my own

Don’t go, you should know

I wrote this song to explain

I was wrong and how I came

To see how much I need you

She looks at me skeptically

Is this just a game? A con that I’m running

As I call out her name

She’s clearly unsure, but I’ve made up my mind

And somehow I find the words

Come back, my friend, this isn’t the end

There’s no problem I’ve made that we can’t mend

Please understand, I can’t stand on my own

Don’t go, you should know

That I’m crying inside at the thought of you gone

And my heart open wide and trampled on

Now that I know I need you

She starts to smile, that beautiful smile

That’s something I haven’t seen in a while

And I remember the first time she blew me away

With that smile I long for every day

And I realize she might be coming around

So one more time I compose a rhyme

And take a knee for this final plea

Come back to me, girl, can’t you see

My minds obsessed with you and me

I’m a broken man, don’t you understand?

Don’t go, don’t you know

You’re the reason I sing as I stand on this stage

Are you listening? I won’t turn the page

And go. I can’t move on without you

I can’t move at all without you

Perfect for Me

Dear God, Creator, Sovereign Lord,

I thank you for your gifts to me.

Of one gift now I’d like to write—

My precious family.

My dad’s a Godly, loving man,

Selfless and never vain.

He freely gives his time and energy

And seldom acts for personal gain.

My mother is precious, a wonderful mom,

Whom I have learned nearly everything from.

Her wisdom and guidance and friendship I've needed

And with her, many trials I have overcome.

Philip, the oldest of six,

Is the most considerate person I know—

Though I’m 12 years his junior I feel like his friend.

He was never too old for his bro.

Then there’s Callie, my friend,

Overflowing with love,

Hard working, inspiring, relatable, honest,

She falls down and gets up when push comes to shove.

Olivia, dear Olivia—

The most remarkable person I've met.

She’s a productive bundle of enthusiastic creativity.

Her rival I haven’t found yet.

For Peter, I have so much respect,

For the man he is and the things he has done,

For a stoic ability to put up with me,

For being a friend, role model, and paintball target all rolled into one.

This brings me to Aaron, the last of these gifts.

Being the youngest, his job isn’t easy,

But he does his best and works very hard.

His perseverance inspires me.

So, Lord, these gifts I bring to you

And thank you for each one.

This family loves and challenges me

And brings me joy and tons of fun.

Aaron insisted that I include a few lines about his muscles, so I wrote this bonus stanza for him:

A lump is forming on his arm.

His pecks are finally coming along.

His shoulders still could use some work.

His abs are actually somewhat strong.

Clearly Playing Favorites

My mother always compliments
My brother on his whistling skill
But never commends my shy attempts
To show how well I belch at will.

Pretty Awesome

Incredible isn't it—the satellite dish.
That we can watch upon a wish
Any variety of people and things
Fly before us on the glorious wings
Of today's technology.

Trustworthy Truths

All animals always act annoyingly allusive.
Sad solicitors supposedly sober simple slobs.
Amateur actors ardently allocate all and any actions.
Slimy salamanders sleep so soundly.
Alliteration always adds an awe-inspiring air.