There’s a rescue from the peace this world offers, sailing on this sea of suffering. This boat called love and understanding. The boarding pass is hope, a ragged ticket we have crumpled in clenched and sweaty hands. Hope that exceeds our understanding but recognizes being beloved. Knowing that despite all faults we are being beckoned to board, to plow through wave upon wave of desperation. Still with each stinging buffet of the cold, salt spray, we rely on a trust, a faith, that regardless of the pain and suffering in our weakened strength, we feel bouyed by the ship seaworthiness that keeps its unfailing course north. North to a distant coast beyond the gloomy horizon that has a lighthouse which eminates a beam that draws the ship. A light that burns with love and thirsts for weary souls. By Chris Clody 5/23/25.
Midnight blooms, Life amid death, Dew quenches the dryness, Dawn steals our breath, Spirit searches my very depth.
In the desert of my soul, The Lord has heard my cry, Hope shades the hot sands, Daring to defy, A lone cloud passes by.
Comforting my angst, Dispelling feelings of doom, The sun retreats into night, Moonlit faith consumes, As midnight blooms.
Chris Clody 4/11/25
Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Islamic State in Sinjar town, walk towards the Syrian border on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate in this August 11, 2014 file photo. The Islamic State, which had declared a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria, prompted tens of thousands of Yazidis and Christians to flee for their lives during their push to within a 30-minute drive of the Kurdish regional capital Arbil.
Set your mind forever free, Unshackled and wild, riding upon the rushing wind. Thoughts glide upon the cool breeze, Love floats undefiled, Detaching from the grasp of Adam’s sin.
Prayer becomes the faith we see, Innocent as a joyful child. Goosebumps rise from the skin, Chilled by eternal myst’ry. Love lifts the lips to smile, Finally healing the heart from within.
Following Christ will surely set you free… Faith, hope, and love is Heaven’s guarantee.
The seeds of grief, Are gifted to us all, Laying dormant for years, Until dampened by our tears.
Then life turns over a new leaf, Love braces itself before it falls, Deep into the soil without fear, Trusting a crack in the coffin appears, Sprouting new life to angel cheers.
Trusting sorrows will be stolen by a theif, A “God of Surprises” comes to call, The assumption of a body we hold dear, As the sprout breaks ground like a Roman spear, The soul and body unite into Heaven’s tier, Christ wipes away His good servant’s tears, A room prepared by the Lord soon appears, Lit by forgiveness over fear, Truly, grief is a gift is abundantly clear.
Charity must begin in thought, Just as God thought us into being, Lest faith journeys from head to heart. Lost are the religious Choking scripture of meaning, The intention of what God-breathed
“Repent! For the Kingdom of God is at hand!” The Christ of God walks the earth, One voice cries into the wilderness, At our crooked paths between head and heart. Water of repentance awaits His fire, To burn away our enmity, that hardens our heart. “Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!” A dove splits the air whilst a voice pervades the forerunner’s being, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” The Holy One emerges, Glistening. Waters of repentance, Transform, Like water into wine, The Dove finds its rest, “…and his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord…With righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.”
Resplendent is this new water, Drawing uncountable thirsts, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. The water I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life”
A carrot of eternal life, Draws weary minds, To look up in gratitude, And out in forgiveness. Mercy, compassion, unbound love, Toward YHWH through neighbor, Yet, whipped is the hopeful beast of Christ’s burden, Heavy are the tired legs that follow, Shorter is the straightened path, Narrowing from earthly attachment, Dripping sweat like blood, Agony defensless to a higher will. Joy overshadows this matter of time, Loving God to love neighbor, Despite pious thorns of rebuke, Aiming their arrows of judgment, Unaware their aiming at themselves. Prejudice, thick like fog, Lays heavy upon the earth, Blinding love from head to heart, Seeping deep into culture’s mind, “Passing Over” narrow paths, The insidious midst, Suddenly parts like a sea, Allowing comfortable and safe passage, Within a sweeping current of prideful priests, prophets, and kings, Righteous in condemnation, Scourging with scripture, Unclean! Unclean! Lepers shunned, Cloaking their Image in shame, Forcing them to wander, Alone, Into the fog. Hanging, Below the looming thickness, Where ground and midst separate, One can kneel and see, As if looking through cracked glass. Clear enough to make out, A thin trail of crumbs, Remnants of bread from before, Left for the meek, The poor,. The weary, The condemned, The unworthy, And the lonely. The hateful labels, etched upon them, Find new skin Stretching over inflections of hate, Growing cell by cell, Nourished in newfound viaticum.
Nourished and drawn, Placing all hopes and fears, In a rest to come, When death, The final torturous judgment, Will have no sting.
Bit by bit, Persevering in real food, Conforming in slow digestion, True mercy, True love, Towards True Life, Willing to exchange, Humiliation for pride, Carrying a new burden, Hewn of wood, Their Savior carried. The crooked road within head and heart, becomes clearer, Seen through a legacy, Bowing now to follow, Instead of later in judgment.
‘Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
O, paper souls, Trade for destiny, Ephemeral treasures, Becoming God’s enmity.
A certain John, Who made clear the way, This path’s priority, This game culture will not play.
A remnant few, The border walkers, Standing within the breach, Not false charity crawlers.
“False charity?”, Impossibly real, Preserving the poor, Hand-outs to grovel and kneel.
For those with mouths, Who query influence, To choose equity, New borders of confluence.
“How long Lord?!”, Is not the question, Our Image answers, Countering such bleak banter.
To be holy, Feed the hungry, Clothe the naked, Justice blooms between borders.
Christian deafness, To sarcasm’s plea,
“The poor you will always have”, Has Truth set you free?
Does love thy neighbor, Manifest today? Fruit of our labors? Or is this Christian wordplay?
Honoring lips, Singing and praying, Comfortably numb, Priest, Prophet, and King -sleeping.
Awaken priests! You! Border Walkers! Stand within the breach, Become doers not talkers!
Proclaim prophets! Announce my commands! Love God and neighbor, Speak mercy and feed my lambs!
Governing Kings! Gather my people! Amass resources, Distribute to the needful.
Friends, Let’s gather in urgency, Spread a table for all people, To reach out in divergency, And pray to fly with wings of eagles.
Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God, Teach me true generosity. Teach me to serve you as you deserve. To give without counting the cost, To fight heedless of wounds, To labor without seeking rest, To sacrifice myself without thought of any reward Save the knowledge that I have done your will. ** Amen.
Lord, for your love, I will joyfully extend, a thousand acts of love, in song, in prayer, and through the littlest, hopefully invisible, acts of kindness.
You have gently, ever so patiently, tuned me around, and convinced me, to never run away from Mercy.
No longer, will my judgment, shadow upon another, and abuse Your life-giving Light. Gone are the days of deluded coronas, pious halos seen by the needful, eclipsing the glare of the sun.
Now everything I see, churning within Your splendid creation, is at one with me. I am whole, quickened by Your touch, instantly, and deeply realizing, This Holy One You sent, Who plunged into my baptism, my legacy of torrents, frothing in unmoored bias, opposing me to Image-bearers, pulled me away, from a life of pitiful explanations Within these murky waters, that merciful glow, emanating, from the pierced hand You sent, in gratitude I grasped, and despite the pull and push of slippery currents, that gentle, yet powerful hand of rescue, has never let me go.
For it is He, the ineffable Truth, allows me to squeeze into my palm, not by reason, but by an alien peace, known only by my heart, yet, unknown, to the world I see.
I am ever grateful, moment-by-moment surprised, beholden to debt, in love, madly betrothed, naked and unashamed, willing to communicate, the majestic finery, and the abundant life, availing in the Kingdom, before my eyes. Be it friend or foe, family or stranger, I extend my hand, my heart, my hope in Your faithfulness, to draw them near, expressing out stale airs of judgment, so that only love remains.
O Blood and Water, which gushed from the heart of Jesus, as a font of mercy for us, I trust in You!
Endure these commands of my authentic love, Detach from delusions of tranquility, Gospel persecution awaits like fist to glove, Oppressing hearts in love of my charity, Yes… this world hates you because it hated me first, The servant is no greater than his master’s thirst.
These things done to you on account of my name, Fearlessly enter the slaughter uncoerced, Be brave in the one who sent me in his claim, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, But the one who kills your soul eternally.
For all souls the Father gives me I will keep, Each will be raised into my eternity, Where I’ll wipe away every tear you now weep.
Abide in my love and entrust your life to me, For all who’ll enter Heaven does so through me.
Forgiveness is alive!
Heaven is real,
existing beyond time,
dancing bodies now healed,
smiling souls sing harmonies,
in joy to the Truth revealed.
The Artist paints living colors,
Cardinals fly from canvases,
swooping to earth with hope,
inviting awaking eyes to see,
grief through faith’s Church,
captured in nets from forgiving seas.
Butterflies of every color,
flutter from tips of a brush,
dance with joy among petals,
flowers burst within strokes of sun,
blooming in artistic delight,
paperwings hop upon nectar’s fun,
heavy eyes marvel at this playful sight.
There…
Trinity at play before the hopeful,
wooing her children to Mercy’s womb,
always beside them to reach beyond,
beyond birds, butterflies, and tombs,
to be released from the net into Heaven’s pond.
Everlasting are You Lord Almighty,
Uncreated and undefined,
Lowly are we Your still waters,
Jesus, Our Savior, turn us into wine.
Father of Forgiveness, Mercy, and Peace,
Giver of faith and Son you sent,
Shining Your Star upon the birth of Truth,
Alighting on lost souls in New Advent.
Good Shepherd, Deliverer, Firstborn Son,
Light of all! Son of the Most High!
Radiate Your radical love through us,
Present us clean before the Father’s Eyes.
Holy Spirit, Breath of The Almighty,
Spirit of the fear of the Lord,
Everlasting Kiss and comfort to our souls,
Unite Our Christ to the Father’s restore.
O Faith! O Hope! O Sweet Charity!
Become our clarion call,
Lift all eyes to your glorious kingdom,
Jesus, you’re our everything! Our all in all!
Endure these commands of my authentic love,
Christopher Clody 