Monday, August 2, 2010

In the Beginning


The beater sped down the icy road in the gray bleakness of the winter afternoon. The occupants were to busy concentrating on the woman's screams of pain during each passing minute. " Ahhh! It hurts! Hurry!" she cried. "Im going as fast as I can!" the male bellowed back.

The further down the country road they traveled, the more the woman cried out in pain. She sat across the back seat; her legs, one on the seat, the other on the floor. She wore a small flowered sun dress, with a gray, wool, winter coat. She had a maroon stocking cap and fingerless gloves that were crocheted; a gift from her mother as an early birthday present. The couple had little money, and the car they were driving was an old 1948 Ford sedan, given to them by her husband's family. He was a farmer by trade. Cattle in the winter, hogs in the spring and corn in the summer. But times were tight, what with the Vietnam War escalating and all. It was 1962, and the U.S. was starting to strain financially. And it was hitting the farmers hard. They had to make due with what they had, and made it last.

"Ahhh!" she cried through clenched teeth. The labor pains were getting closer together, yet they were still 10 miles from the nearest hospital. " I cant make it!" she said. "Pull over. The baby is coming! John, Pull OVER!!!" With that, he found a path that led to a barn. The snow wasnt deep enough yet, but it was coming down. Coming down harder than before they left. He was able to make it to the barn, pull the car inside and shut the doors. The barn seemed to be well built, yet it was all by its self. John didnt know whose farm this was. He had gotten caught up in the pain of his laboring wife so much, he had forgotten how far they had driven.

John got his wife out of the back seat, and made a bed for her in a stall. Just in time too, because the baby came as soon as she laid down. John grabbed the blanket he had brought with them, and wrapped the child in it. It was a boy. They looked at each other. "Steven. His name is Steven." Dad looked at mom. Both had a tear in their eye. John had given little Steven to Mae to nurse.

As John stepped outside, to give thanks for the perfect child, he noticed the snow had stopped and the sky was clear. By this time, it was dark, and all the stars in the sky twinkled, as if to say "Congratulations!". If John was the swearing kind, he could have sworn he heard a choir singing, but instead, he chalked it up to the hinges on the barn doors. John closed the large door behind him, then leaned up against it. He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out his pipe, lit it and took a deep breath in. The puff of smoke rose straight into the air as he exhaled. In the middle of the smoke, he saw one bright star. Out of the whole night sky, which he had seen many of, working late into the night in the fields, he had never seen a star like this one before. He smoked his pipe a little more, gave his thanks again, then went in to check on mom and child.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

untitled

i dont know what to say
the words leave as quickly as they arrive
unspoken appologies
prayers not yet answered
this time is all for something
but i really dont know why
in time i will know the answer
in time i will know

such heartache and pain
to live a life
a life thats a reflection of You
and it pales compared to You
for You know what i am doing, and why
yet i still question
where and why is this relevant to me.
peace,
peace,
sleep my child, you must rest. for tomorrow you will show them Me. and I will show them you. open your heart once again, let Me live in you. dont close the door on Me.
rest now, for you must carry on dear child. you must endure, for I endured for you. always remember this though, you are loved by Me. even though you fall, even in your darkest moments where you feel alone, I am here next to you. holding your hand, my love. I am proud of you. sleep My child, go to sleep. dream of Me.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

what will i do?

what a day; im tired.
yet i have energy.
the car's headlights lead the way,
to the comfort i call home.
i can shut it all off,
tune it out,
forget about it.
but what is to come of those who cant find that comfort,peace,safety?
i truly hope and pray that God will bless them, the ones ive touched today.
as i trundle off to bed, i remind myself, tomorrow is a new day.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Lord please help me...

see, Lord,im tired. This world is too much for me. I want to give You all of me,but i feel that i fail. Help me to focus on You, my saviour, my redeemer. I know You love and adore me. I would give anything to hold Your hand and walk and talk with You. To sit and talk about Your creation, to "shoot the breeze". Just help me hold on dear Father. Help me to be strong for You.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

testing

this mobile thing on

Monday, May 3, 2010

Man+(earth),universe=God

Its happening. More and more physicists are coming to the conclusion that God created everything. Proof of this is in us. We are made up of the same particles that make up the earth. These same particles were created when our universe was formed. Those particles were created at the formation of the universe. When God created Adam, He made him from the dirt.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Desert 6

I trundled over to my work station and began my shift as usual. Thinking about the meeting John and I had, hmm. Should I go into the details of my "dreams"? "Steve,can you come here a second?". john was standing at his office door, waving me in. Now what? I thought. I walked over, he put his arm on my shoulder. ' I have a new employee i want you to meet. Sitting in the chair i was just in a few minutes ago was a slim man with dark hair and skin. "I would like you to me Najeeb." I about dropped to the floor! How could this be! The man stood up, and I dodnt recognize anything familiar about him other than his coloring. He stuck his hand out. "Hi" he said with a thick middle eastern accent. "Najeeb is going to be working in the processing division and he will be reporting to you for everything". "Uh, ok. Nice to meet you Najeeb" I said. john turned and directed us out back to the floor. "Steve, if he needs anything, you make sure he gets it.' John said, walking us back towards my station. I turned to Najeeb and asked him if we had met before. "No, I just came to U.S. 2 month ago from Pakistan.I dont see how we could have met." 'Wow, you speak English very well" I said. He smiled and nodded. But he had this grin on his face, you know the grin; I know something you dont kinda grin.This is gettin all too weird for me. Maybe I need another vacation.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Desert 5

The alarm clock was screaming at me to wake up. I rolled over and hit the snooze button, once, maybe twice. Finally, with regrets that I hadn’t gone to bed sooner than I did, I sat up. I rubbed my chin, and felt a beard. This is weird, I thought. I remember shaving yesterday. I went into the bathroom, and looked in the mirror. Wow! A full beard. When did I grow that? This couldn’t have happened overnight? I jumped in the shower, took care of the facial growth and got ready for work.

As I was making my lunch, the phone rang. 9:45 at night, who could be calling me now? I looked at the caller ID, it was my boss calling from his cell phone. I answered. “Hey, could you do me a favor? “ he asked. “Sure John, what do you need?” He replied “Can you stop by my office before you start your shift? I have a few things I need to discuss with you.” Uh oh, I thought. I knew the beard was against policy, which confused me even more as to why I grew it. “Sure, Ill be leaving here in a few minutes. Is it about the beard?” I asked. “Beard? Um,no.” He sounded confused. “Ok, Ill see you when I get in.”

On my way, all kinds of things were going through my head as to the reason for this meeting. Yet, my mind kept coming back to Najeeb and the tribe I was with. Now, I hadn’t thought anything about this “dream” if you will, tonight, until now. I switched thoughts again to my tasks at work. As I got closer to the factory, I got this sinking feeling in my gut. Something wasn’t right.

John was sitting in his office, his back to the door and he was holding up a file, reading. “You wanted to see me?” I said after a light rap on the door frame. “Please, have a seat.” He said, standing up and motioning to a chair across from his desk. I plopped down in the leather cushioned chair. “Steve, I have been looking at your time off requests, and I am a little concerned”. Funny, I thought, I don’t remember requesting any time off. “OK, what’s wrong?” I asked. “It seems that your vacations you have been putting in for have been requested a week apart. Are there any problems you’re having at home?” Boy, was he reading my mind? “Well, I have been under a lot of stress lately, and not sleeping well lately, but other than that, no, not really. Why is this a concern to you?” He leaned in closer to me and looked me in the eye. “Look, you are the best employee we have had here in a long time. We want to keep you healthy and happy. Now, are you sure there isn’t anything else that is bothering you?” He looked at me as if I was holding something back. Little did he know!

‘Well, John, actually there is something that has been bothering me.” I paused, resettled in my chair, looked at my watch. Five minutes before shift change. “But I don’t have time to get into this right now. Can we talk later?” He nodded. “Sure Steve, no problem.” He said leaning back in his chair. “ Just remember that my door is open when you are ready.”

Monday, February 8, 2010

Desert 4

I dreamed I was standing in front of a huge crowd of these native people. A tall man stood next to me. He carried a staff that looked like a piece of thin driftwood. There was talking, whispering pointing, mainly at me. Who was this stranger standing in their midst? He raised his hand and the crowd grew silent. With a thunderous voice that seemed to echo through the desert he bellowed " Quiet. All you who come to hear, this is what I say. Standing before you is the One who will rescue us from the wrath of the Evil one." Me? Why am I chosen for this, I thought. He continued: " He is to guide us from this place, which was once a refuge, and now has become a target. He will lead us to safety forever more!" I scratched my head. Again, I still couldnt believe what I was doing here. It felt as though I knew I was going to do this, but what was I going to do? I still had no clue.

I was awoken by the little lady who poured my water for me. "Rise. Rise, for you are to see the elders once again. They request you." she said softly as she shook my shoulder. Still foggy from the dream, I struggled to make sense of where I was. I got up out of bed and made my way to the elders tent. I walked in, and they all stood up to greet me. "Please, come sit".

They asked me how my rest was. "It was fine, other than this strange dream I had." I replied. The head elder asked me to tell them more. As I was telling them of my dream they all nodded and hummed in agreement. As if they knew what I had dreamed. "Do you know of this dream's meaning?" I asked? One of the elders, who seemed more of like the tribe's "medicine man" if you will, spoke: "It is of things to come." So, wait a minute, I thought. "Am I now dreaming of future events?" I asked. "Yes. It is the way of the Chosen One." he said, nodding. "So, does this mean I am the One who will lead you to a place of safety?" I asked. The elders looked at me blankly. "He still does not believe" the medicine man said to the others. "No, it's not that I dont believe," I said, "I am just confused, thats all." They all nodded. "It will all make sense soon." he continued. "The Chosen One has come from another time, and this confuses him. He is to understand when it is time."

I walked out of the tent. I just dont understand. Other than the fact that I am to lead this group of people to a safe place, which I have no clue where, I still dont know why. Why me? Why am I the one who has been through all this? Maybe someone with a little more faith? But what faith? What god do they believe in? Are they even Christian? So many questions. I need more sleep. I will ask more questions when I wake up.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Wintertime

The night is bitter cold.
The fire; as it radiates, embers dance after announcing their departure.
My loves slumber, unaware of the bleak, moonless sky.
For they will arise, and relinquish the day.

It cuts to the core,
This frigid atmosphere,
And the darkness courses my every thread.

Hopes of a resplendent tomorrow,
Is warming my every thought,
And all too soon, will it be gone.

Gone.

For yet another day,
This darkness will visit me again.

As I anticipate the promise of a time renewed,
Coercing the acceleration of the seasons,
I long for these moments to flee.

But for now, I must bear,
The heavy cold that weighs me down.
Crushing me.

My eyes are heavier now,
Heavier than before.
And slumber, I must,
If tomorrow is to come.

And in my own dark, cold world,
I see the sky turning pale.

Sleep for tonight.

For tomorrow, there will be light.