A Daunting Departure

The lumber of the boardwalk, gray with age and wear, seems representative of the feet that now plod along them beneath me. Firm and clean when first hewn from their natural state, now battered and creaking with every step, oh the stories these boards could tell were they not mute! Before me lay a short path of timbers, sewn together by rusty hardware that seems unfit for the task. Beneath them are the silent enemies, the barnacles that slowly destroy this marriage of land and sea. It seems no matter where we walk, time, pressure and the elements turn like parasites against their host.

As gaze turns from the rooted to the horizon, the steps before me, though few, seem long. A shoreline of well-wishers and friends fill my ears with shouts of camaraderie and pleas to stay. Each syllable weighs on my every footstep, making progress seem daunting. How long the boardwalk seems when so precious are the ones we leave behind!

My lungs filled with the salty sea air of purpose and determination, I remain driven to make the walk toward the mission ship of exploration, bound for inestimable distances with unknown ports of call. Navigation left to the heavenly host, I trust only in the Holy Spirit to fill my sails and drive me to His will and purpose for my life. With such a skipper as the Lord Jesus Christ, how can I fear shipwreck or loss at sea?

Wish us well, darling comrades, and pray us onward to what lies ahead. May we always be joined together by mutual love for Christ and full submission to His Lordship. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Distraction

I wrote this poem in April, but never posted it here. Lately, I have felt distracted from my ministerial purpose, and I dug it up. I thought I would share it here.

Distraction
Those without hope scurry frantically
In the blinding fog of distraction,
Desperately fumbling for assurance,
Some anchor on which they can rely,
A firm place on which to lean.
-
These are the true deceptions of Evil:
To distract and confuse,
Then to disguise and impose,
Until the wayward seeker misplaces trust,
And the illusion gives way.
-
The fall of Man
Came not from a stumbling block,
But from a faulty post
On which his hopes were hitched.
-
The Light of God never dims.
His glory does not flicker.
So, it is in the eye of man himself
Where Evil finds his playground.
-
Satan’s fate was sealed in stone
When that of Christ’s tomb was rolled away.
Now the only blows he can strike
Are the souls he can distract
From their mission as ambassadors
For their redeemer king.
_______________________

This kind of went with it:

Faith…
is the assurance that what was promised is true.

Hope…
is the ability to see the Promise through the distraction.

When faith is absent, doubt gives way to fear.

In the absence of hope there is despair.

Add to your faith…
…hope.