Dauntless: A New Kind of Book, and a New Poem!

I'm back to poetry, after being too busy to post any of them! I try to balance how many poems I post vs. other subjects and more traditional blogging, but any time God gives me a poem that I truly love, I want to share it! This particular one is entitled "Redemption's Song", and the inspiration is both drawn from my story world, and our own. It will be one of the poems in my small book of poems I'm going to publish, which will feature some of my favorite pieces over the past few years. 

The idea of actually publishing my poetry in book form is a fairly new concept for me, so this is bound to be a very intriguing journey. My poems aren't exactly considered 'normal' Christian works, not because I don't want to focus on the truth in God's Word, but I want to truly dig deep into the human heart and mind, and seek the truth from a far grittier lens. I feel that many people have either been hurt by the church, or their struggles largely misunderstood by Christians, and I don't want to add to that. I'm not condemning the church or saying that all Christians are like that, but I won't be in denial and foolishly state that such things don't occur. 

With that being said, I am titling my new book, "Dauntless: Musings of a Fierce Mind". It won't be terribly big, and I'm planning on placing a small description alongside each poem, where I will share my heart as to why I wrote each piece the way I did, and so on. There will be many poems in the book that I have not previously posted, and will follow a small themed narrative. Who knows, maybe I'll even add some art if Createspace will allow it! This will be a self-published work, and something I'm releasing solely of my own accord. I will be posting regular updates on Dauntless's publishing process, as well as sneak peeks regarding cover art and interior design. 

I truly hope that you will want to come along this journey with me, because I certainly can't wait to share my heart through the lovely art of written word! Without further ado, here is "Redemption's Song"!

Onward, we ride fearless into our destiny, 

So young, hearts burning oh so bright. 

Into the night so dark we cannot see,

Untouched by the wars and the blight...

Dauntless, we chase what we cannot find,

We strive to grasp the legends and the lies.

The stories and expectations in our minds,

Of a vile battle that we strive to despise, 

Fearful, when we face the realization,

That life fails to be a grand bed of roses. 

Then we encounter great trepidation, 

To fight that evil that so mightily opposes. 

Tested, we stand at the edge of the chasm, 

That our choices, for good or ill, will bring. 

Emotions and hearts a conflicted spasm,

As we try to hold to the truths of our King.

Questioning, we begin to feel the doubt, 

That creeps inside our ragged hearts. 

Desperate to fight it, we scream and shout, 

As we fight to dodge the enemy's darts. 

Learning, we long to see, to understand, 

What poisons our hearts and our souls. 

Can we ever bring healing to this land?

Can we discover the hidden loopholes?

Healing, as we limp forward with a prayer, 

That someday, our bodies and hearts will mend. 

Eyes fixed on the horizon, for a savior, 

To fix the bloodied errors we've penned.

A New Semester, New Beginnings!

Hello all! I apologize for the brief hiatus, as I was moving back to Liberty University for the fall semester (yay!), and after all the moving in, unpacking, finding my classes, etc, I'm finally back to writing!

Already, God has answered so many of my prayers, and has truly blessed this semester. And to think, it's only been about a week, and I've already stepped into an environment that fits me like a glove. The day I first set foot on this university, I had experienced an overwhelming grace. Once again, I feel that grace, and I'm so grateful for God's love and His wisdom, planting me exactly where He wanted me to be. 

I'll be the first to admit that last semester wasn't the best. Actually, it was the first real major challenge I have encountered in my three years of college. It was a time of trials and change, and even though it wasn't all bad, it certainly wasn't comfortable in any meaning of the word. Despite this, I truly believe that God was teaching me to trust Him, even when nothing made sense at all. In the midst of changing my major, struggling in a class, and feeling very alone; He slowed me His unfailing love. 

Now, I'm back at it again, and this time, I don't even have to worry about the future. God holds my future in His hands, and no matter what trials lay ahead, I know He is equipping me with the strength and knowledge to get through it. I'm sure that I will indeed face challenges ahead, and honestly that's okay, because I believe that trials will further shape me and help me grow stronger! 

Right now, I don't know exactly where I'm going, but I trust that God is directing my steps. I truly pray that everyone reading this finds hope through my testimony, because I'm not talking about myself to bring glory to my name. That belongs solely to God, and I am so thankful for all He has done, and all He will do. 

No matter where you are in life, or what you're fighting, don't ever stop pushing forward. Just when you think you've given your all, God is there to renew your strength! I've found that just when you feel like you're falling into a chasm of purposelessness, that is when God gives you wings like an eagle's, and teaches you to soar. 

Regression: A Poem in the light of the Charlottesville Tragedy

I wrote this poem after the chaotic events of Charlottesville, Va, in an attempt to give word to the pain and anger I've felt regarding the situation. It may not be as encouraging or hopeful as most of my poems are, but I feel it gives voice to the frustrations of many, as well as the anger I've felt regarding the loss of life, and terror that this nightmare has caused. I pray that the truth will be revealed, and that the enemy's schemes will stumble and fall. When we the people become blinded by rage and hate, what good can we truly accomplish? May God help us see this. 

I'm treading on this type-rope of my life,

I confess my actions are sometimes wrong.

Like balancing my hopes on a razor sharp knife,

I promise you'll miss me when I'm gone.

Don't think twice, just justify your actions,

They were going to be wrong anyway.

Can't you see unity splitting into factions,

It isn't long until your whole plan caves.

What were you even trying to prove?

With this bloodied mass facade? 

Get 'em all in step, but can they move,

Under the masks of your traitorous parade?

Blinded, stumbling, singing allegiance, 

Crumbling, bleeding, losing hope.

Fighting for nothing despite their grievance,

All the while tying their own rope.

Darkness swallows the silent screams,

In the end, your actions fade to black.

Your vindictive plots are tearing at the seams,

Helpless, no one can ever mend the crack.

Your words, they cannot break me,

Even when a thousand fall beside. 

Regardless, I have already been set free,

From the sickness that tore me inside.

Your lies can only feed the sheep,

Who blindly follow deception.

What can wake them from their sleep?

Lost, in a war of vile inception.

I pray that light shall be shed,

On this scramble of hatred and rage.

For in vain, have the heroes bled?

Oh God, bring healing to this age! 

I'm treading on this type-rope of my life,

I confess my actions are sometimes wrong.

Like balancing my hopes on a razor sharp knife,

I promise you'll miss me when I'm gone.

A Nation Torn Asunder: A Call for Unity in the Church

When I heard that there was going to be a march in Charlottesville, VA, last Saturday, I had immediately begun to pray. For how could I not be driven to my knees in prayer? In the relatively few years that I have grown from blissful adolescence to spiritual and political awareness, my country has faced tremendous upheaval. I have watched this with a mix of apprehension and hope, hope only found in Christ as I have clung to God's Word through it all. 

I have already addressed my heart on the issue of race. If you haven't read my article pertaining to the subject, "A Christian's Look at Racial Tension in the United States", I implore you to do so. Just to provide a summary, I condemn racism at every level. There is no way that one can look down on another simply because of color, ethnicity, or creed. God has called us as Christians to love one another regardless, and to exude that love in the walks of our lives, wherever God takes us. 

The love of God was far from present in the minds of those who pillaged, raged, and mutilated last Saturday. No matter your political opinion regarding any of the groups involved, there is only one word I can use to describe the lot of them. Disgusting. It is very tempting for me to give into the anger I feel in my heart towards those who blindly would destroy, and kill, all for racial 'justice'. However, I myself refuse to give into the same anger that filled their hearts. For this is not a physical battle, but a spiritual one. 

You see, the city of Charlottesville is not a place that is foreign to me. In fact, it is where I was born. While I don't have many childhood memories of my early life there, considering that I was so young, the horrors of these events struck far too close to home. We always hear of unspeakable acts in the news, but we never expect, or desire, for such terrors to occur in our own lives. 

Saturday night, I left work completely unaware of what had occurred. I had left troubled, because even though I was unaware, my heart was already hurting. Do people have to die over a lie? Must we become so consumed by anger and hatred that we fail to recognize our humanity? What do events like this prove, other then our animalistic foolishness? 

I am fully aware of the debate regarding these statues, and I can understand the frustration of both sides. However, I cannot say that I agree with either of them. As a lover of history, I know that it is never simply black and white. There are stains that mark the record, and many pages are soaked through with blood. There have been atrocities committed that make my stomach churn in disgust. By the same token, there have been true acts of heroism, and undeniable times that God's providential hand has been seen. 

The problem is that many are uneducated in the truth of our country's history, and have been instead fed the lies of a wicked agenda. And that doesn't stop with the United States. I'm not going on a rampage of a political nature, but a spiritual one. Regardless of your views regarding politics, there is a time and a place for it in our natural world. It is critical that Christians are aware and vigilant regarding the state of our countries and nations, and prayer for our countries and our leaders is so, so important! 

Personally, I do not agree with the tearing down of historical monuments. Does that make me a white supremacist? Most certainly not. I hold no false illusions of racial grandeur, and I wholeheartedly condemn their actions. I simply cannot agree that by tearing down our history, we can somehow create a better future. For what will the destruction of these statues truly incite? It is but another manifestation of a spiritual problem that has lasted through the ages. Will we stop at statues? Or next, will we desire to burn the history books? Will we, enraged and blinded, seek to jail those who disagree with us? In that perspective, what makes us any better then those of times past? This is not a  'slippery slope' argument, I'm not saying these things to elicit fear. It is simply the observation of one who loves to study history, and all too well sees the patterns that run throughout it.

What we also must realize is that this sort of terror will not stop at Charlottesville. Almost every day, I hear of horrific terror attacks across the globe. Whether it be London, Paris, Berlin, Egypt, etc...those are but examples of places outside America that have experienced such horrors. Now, while all the places listed above have experienced different sorts of mayhem with different causes and reasons; it all boils down to the same problem. 

Friends, there is a sickness in our world. It cannot be cured by medicine, and it cannot be combated by human methods. It can only be countered by God's Word, and the only way we can ever hope to see the tide turn is by we, the Church, laying aside our differences and standing in unity. It is not my heart to sound so overly preachy that my words fail to sound practical, but when we recognize that we are standing in the middle of a spiritual battle, it changes one's perspective.   

If we, the Church, cannot stand in unity and in prayer, what can we ever truly accomplish? If we continue to snap at each other and wound our fellow believers with our words and actions, there will never be any fruitful progress. When we choose to lay down our pride and recognize our faults, then we will have a chance to bring about something good. I pray that we do this, because it's something that I myself am certainty trying to do in my own life. If we cannot start with our own hearts, we can never be used by God to bring healing to the broken. 

True revival begins within our own hearts, before spreading to another's. Instead of pointing fingers of accusation at those we deem faulty, perhaps it would be a good idea to look at the log in our own eye before glaring down at the speck in someone else's. 

Destiny: A Poem

I'm finally back from the obscurity of the working world with a new poem! As summer is drawing to a close, I realized that I must prepare to return to school (three weeks away, yikes!), so needless to say, I'm keeping myself busy. Despite all the craziness, I'm developing my book of poems, and I almost have enough to publish it! I'm very excited to share them with you, for these poems have definitely been a God-given inspiration, and I refuse to keep them to myself. Enjoy!

We speak our words with lofty goals,

And yet we fail to grasp the truth.

Of the binds that hold captive our souls,

And the hate that steals away our youth.

We struggle to fight against our fears,

And in asserted false bravery we strive,

To make use of our many shed tears,

And combat the fear that eats us alive.

Why can't we break through the fear?
How come the struggle is so strong?

Can we ever find the courage to see,

That we've been wrong, all along?

Why can't we hear the still small voice,

That whispers tirelessly in our ear?

That fear, though mighty, is a choice,

And cannot stand when victory is near.

Dauntless, the voice whispers,

Hope springs up from within. 

Even though we are but sinners,

Someone took away our sin.

Don't you hear the earnest call?

Can't you feel your heart leap?

That God was with you through it all,

Awakening your deadened heart from it's sleep?

Through it all, He's stood beside you,

Always caught you when you fell.

Traded your rags for something new,

And swept you from the gates of hell.

Through it all, I see now in your eyes,

The vast colors of the rainbow.

And the glory of the starry skies,

Hope setting your precious heart aglow.

With a fire unlike any before,

A passion set to conquer.

And a heart yearning for more,

Always growing stronger.

For what purpose? I wonder,

Have I been created so fierce?

In a world that despises thunder,

And the lies that it will pierce?

People hurriedly bow their heads,

But not to send an earnest prayer.

Their tongues rip others to shreds,

Claiming to be their own savior.

Blinded from the light,

We struggle for meaning.

They glorify the night,

What lies are we believing?

Every heart yearns for something real,

Deep down, we all long to see,

Are our broken hearts to scarred to feel?

We cry out to know who we're meant to be.

We cry for justice, yet we only deserve the penalty,

Of the lives we have damaged, the dreams we have destroyed.

Hopeless, we scramble to escape the verdict that seems our destiny,

Always running from the truth we desperately want to avoid.

Is this our fate? Or is there another way,

To brush off this dust and live unafraid?

Is it possible for brokenness to be made new?

Is there a chance that we can be brave?

Through it all, God never abandoned you,

He never left you on your own to drown.

Through it all, He always remains true,

And placed on your unworthy head, a crown.

Through it all, He redeemed you,

And never regretted his salvation.

To His Word, He will always remain true,

For He is the Lord of all Creation.