Dust

From dust we came
swirls in the wind
fleeting faces emerging
from a transient medium

from dust we came
pieced together
as a clay pot
teetering on the edge of a stand.
fragile
falling

from dust we came
we are not simply caretakers of the earth
we ARE the earth
it is contained in us
when we harm the earth
we harm none other than our selves
our very being

to dust we return
when i die
do not tarry
in returning me to
my natural form
and take those ashes
pieces of the earth that I am
and let me drift home.

Reflections on the Forest at night #2

From the hike on Mt. Jefferson:

Dim shapes loom in the blackness
ancient firs, pines, and spruce
forming the pillars that support the sky above us.

Underfoot the needles form a carpet
ushering you in to the palace
letting you know
you are welcome here.

There is a hush in the air
things are quiet
respectful
reverent
only brief murmurs can be heard in the silence

and then
with the sunrise
you enter the throne room
and see the king
rising above you


It seems far easier to recognize your place in the world when you're in the right context.

Reflections on the forest at night

I recently was able to climb Mt. Jefferson, a magnificent peak in the center of Oregon. In order to summit a peak such as this, you have to get an early start in the morning: in our case, we left the car a little before 4 am. I found the forest at night to be a unique and complex place.


In the forest at night
you feel small
trees stretch upwards
beyond sight
humbling your
conqueror's mentality.

In the forest at night
mystery reigns supreme
as your single headlamp
illuminates but a fraction
of what surrounds you

In the forest at night
distance and time become relative
in the dark
only the present matters
only your next step matters

and fear is an option
as it always is
fear could overtake you
in your steps as you walked
fear of being small
fear of the unknown
fear of being present.

so you choose
whether the forest at night
is a place you really want to be.

Addressing Justice

I'm beginning to question
this idea of a "just" God
The God that would reject from heaven
those that rejected compassion and mercy on earth.
Justice doesn't seem like the right word for that
bitterness seems a better description
What if justice instead
is a striving for shalom
justice isn't
"you get what's coming"
justice is grace.
A God that holds grudges?
No.
What if justice is such a revolutionary idea
we don't even understand it?
What if justice, by definition, contains
uncompromising forgiveness?
Unconditional grace?
Maybe we've defined justice poorly.
With little breadth.
little justice.
God's justice gets bigger.