| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/28/2006 3:06:58 PM | The Blood That Spills
The last hour was nigh to meet his fate
By powers of darkness consumed in hate
"Remove this cup" to his father he pled
As the red beads of sweat poured from his head
"But if it's your will I must face this lot
As prophets foretold, I forsake thee not"
Just a stone's throw away, his brothers slept
None at the watch as the enemies crept
Seized by nights cover betrayed by a kiss
Thirty shekels of silver for blood like this
Blasphemy spewing as tempers inflame
He stands there in silence to each false claim
The blameless one, must face this alone
Abandoned by brothers, left to his own
One comrade would cower accused by his foe's
Thrice he denies before the rooster crows
His master is beaten, mouth spilling red
Garments were torn as this sinless one bled
They clench his hair as they rip out his beard
Flesh torn from his face as swollen eyes teared
Passed through the courts his words put on trial
Messiah or not, he speaks no denial
The judge washes his hands, no wrong he sees
"Let the people choose to do as they please"
A murderer goes free when the men cry
It's God's child whom they wish to crucify
Tied to a post forty lashes less one
Flesh dangles in shreds before they are done
Led to a hall as soldiers encircle
Faintly he stands as they clothe him in purple
Head fitted with a crown of twisted thorns
Face drips with spat as the garrison scorns
The blows to his head beaten by a reed
Thorns puncture the skull as they watch him bleed
"Get up on your feet and take up this cross"
Centurions mock, his body they toss
Tree on his back escorted to the street
His battered frame falls, his strength in defeat
Another would bear by soldiers request
Dragging the cross to its final rest
The rusted nails sinking nine inches deep
The screams of anguish while the mothers weep
Mocking crowd gathers to watch his torment
Soldiers cast lots dividing each garment
His frail frame writhing in agony's stress
A body in shock, a heart in duress
He speaks these words after all he's been through
"Father forgive them, they know not what they do"
His mother broken lying in despair
As he suffocates struggling for air
She sees his life flash before her eyes
From virgin birth and the manger he lies
To boyhood days in the temple he yields
To young man's work, a carpenter he builds
The cold consumes, his life overtaken
Cries to his father are left forsaken
The sun grows dark over the whole land
Its face is blotched out by the father's hand
Cries for deliverance echo across time
Pleading his blood, the price of man's crime
From the anguished mariner lost at sea
To the soldiers wounds from metal debris
From a dad's tears for his child lying frail
To grieving widows when the towers fell
To all who felt lost in hopeless despair
Looking for answers and someone to care
With sacrificial blood that runs down the tree
The cries have been heard to set us all free
The earth trembles, the veil tears in two
The centurion weeps "surely its true"
The spirit given to father's embrace
Holy of holies has a new dwelling place
Oh where oh where is the sting of death
All fulfilled after he takes his last breath
Three days he rose, the stone rolled from the tomb
He walks with the living conquering doom
To the father's house he now must dwell
Until judgment day of angels who fell
It will be a day like the last great flood
The sun will grow dark and moon drip with blood
Then trumpets will sound and the clouds will roll
He will come like lightning for each elect soul | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/29/2006 3:05:34 AM | Knight In Black
The sages have spoken, bishops agreed
To death with one, the king has decreed
In the arena, they must face each other
Once comrades in war, brother to brother
Unbeknownst to the knight dressed in white
That his foe is of blood, whom he must fight
He appears a mystery, dressed in black
Concealing his eyes by turning his back
It has been many years they've been apart
From the days they fought with courageous heart
Separated in battle, left for dead
The black knight fallen as his comrades fled
Many years he went waywardly about
The ways of chivalry left in doubt
Feelings of betrayal, consumed with wrath
Wandering distant realms in errant path
Though bitter wounds would heal in their due course
The past can creep on a knight and his horse
Old comrades stumbled upon him one day
Startled in fear and what he might say
Each concerned he may report their cower
They struck up their swords to overpower
But their own blood would spill as each one fell
By the sword of judgment to the pitch of hell
Now the black knight must face the king's decree
Life's web has been spun by destiny
The king sets the stage by a brother's hand
Choosing White Knight to avenge the land
Mounted and ready to joust to the death
Each knight positions and takes a deep breath
The trumpet sounds and each horse dashes
On the mad brink of dust and ashes
Just before the last galloping dance
The black knight nods before yielding his lance
His helmet flies and wood splinters his chest
Fallen with honor as his eyes come to rest
The white knight lies prostrate to what he's done
Seeing blood betrayed the day he had run
In guilt and shame, he weeps and laments
To his brothers last, sacrificing moments | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/29/2006 5:51:28 AM | WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD
As snowflakes danced in glimmering moonlight
And we strolled together for half the night
You shared this wisdom that my soul gain sight
"In still winter's night listen for the call?
Of the whistling wind and beaconing drawl
As it speaks its truth and hope for all
A time will come and troubles you shall face
Darkness will fall with no hand to embrace
But where angels tremble you may find grace"
Standing there in silent serenity
As you shared such words of lucidity
I did not know you spoke of eternity
I knew how much you loved me and cared
I knew of your woes and the cross you bared
But did not know these were our last nights shared
You lied there helpless, tears streamed from my eyes
Then gasped your last breath saying your goodbyes
As I watched you pass where a new world lies
Why did this have to be our last season?
Why does life strike with an act of treason?
And why did you leave without any reason?
It's winter again as I lied alone
My heart condensing and feeling like stone
Seeking the answers to questions unknown
Suddenly my heart hears these words that are said
As the wind whispers through the window thread
"You shall find me where angels fear to tread" | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/29/2006 6:45:35 AM | An Eagle In Flight
Seems like yesterday of that time ago
The ultra sound of life's precious tempo
Nurses back and forth, mother in a stew
As we waited anxiously to greet you
Your little head entering this new land
Followed with the stretch of each foot and hand
Those first visions of light and breaths of air
As I held you in my palms with tender care
That innocent soul when looking in your eyes
A treasured blessing far beyond the skies
Bringing you home to a room painted blue
The many mornings hearing you coo
Squeezing my finger, kicking those feet
Sitting quietly with Cheerio's to eat
Taking your first steps, walking without fear
How much you learned within that first year
I recall my days filled with stress and strain
Finding my chair before going insane
But then I felt your tug grasping on my knee
As you pulled upward climbing my body
Those little hands petting my face
Then biting my chin as you tightly embrace
Soon I forgot about my hellish day
Touched by your smile and your toddler play
How much you needed me and I needed you
Bringing me the world of a child's view
I remember the nights of roaring thunder
You ran to my bed as I curled you under
We pretended we were eagles high in flight
Far above the storm away from the fright
Softly gliding over the jet stream air
Though the storms raged we rested without care
In just a few minutes you fell asleep
As I felt like a sandwich left counting sheep
The many fond moments and memories
From go-cart races to climbing trees
Watching you swing across the monkey bars
To sleeping out among the moon and stars
Time stepped away and soon you were grown
An empty house with mom and I alone
Moments to memories like dusk to dawn
Crawling to walking then mature and gone
Cannot rewind the day we said goodbye
As you found your place under another sky
In the blistering sun three oceans away
Where the storms rage but the rain clouds stray
The many nights I could hear the thunder
But how you were I was left to wonder
Until I heard the knocking at the door
And then saw your mother curled up on the floor
My breath escaped me as numbness took hold
The world around suddenly growing cold
Frozen in time with my greatest fear
My heart drowning from agony's tear
Today I sit here by the fireplace
Looking at you dressed in honor and grace
Centered on the mantel in blue and white
Full of glory like an eagle in flight
The grandchildren asking about their dad
As I boast of your fame when you were a lad
The roar of the crowd when they spoke your name
After the touchdown that won the game
I spoke of the homerun at the last out
And your dominance in each wrestling bout
But most of all how much you love them
How you valued life and valued freedom
In the midst of battle how you stood brave
Saving your comrades with the life you gave
As you soar above the earth and sky
Over the storm where the eagles fly
Can you save me a place where I can rest
On the winds of grace where the eagles nest | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/29/2006 6:46:45 AM | Moans without a Verse
Burning up your smokes, chasing down your fears
Blood thick with toxins, wallowing in your tears
The measure of your life drowning in sorrow
Blaming the world as you curse tomorrow
Have you seen past the ripples in your glass
Every night you sit on your drunken ass
Yesterday gave you all that you ever need
But today you moan consumed in your greed
There she sleeps on a cold earthen floor
Many hungry nights in poverties war
Her hair tainted red and cheeks sunken in
Belly bloating out from her bones and skin
Cries from open sores, struggling to her feet
Groans for her mother seeking an ounce to eat
Her mother boils rocks to tame the child's hunger
But soon time will rest as her days get younger
Her crimped sister lies, days without a meal
Her frail tiny body now cold and still
Life born in vanity, six years of curse
Songs left unheard are moans without a verse
The twenty cent toke of burning misery
The two dollar swig of drowning memory
Is enough to fill her belly two days more
To give her some hope in starvations war | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/29/2006 6:47:25 AM | Thought:
So often we see on the evening news crying babies with distended bellies and flies covering their faces. I often wonder if we see it so often that we become de-sensitized to this horrific nightmare for nearly a billion people around the earth. We then hear about the con artists swindling for money for such causes or the food rotting in the harbors and we are deterred from helping this cause. Today, 40,000 people will die from malnutrition and starvation, mostly children. It is a slow death and is very difficult for us living with plenty to even imagine such suffering. When is the last time you went to bed hungry because you had nothing to eat? Many children go to bed hungry night after night after night. Today just 400 miles from the US in North Western Haiti, many women and children are starving to death in a land laid to waist by decades of agricultural rape and a government left in anarchy where criminals control the ports and food is distributed at a significant price through the black market.
My friend travels to Haiti 4 times a year and tells of the stories of woes when he returns. Women boil rocks to give the water to their children just as a means to give them a false sense of being fed. He tells of the many diseases that come from malnutrition as children’s hair falls out in clumps as multitudes come to his side waiting for him to reach in his bag for a morsel to eat. It’s difficult after one sees this kind of suffering to come back to the states and listen to the woes of a man who spent night after night in a bar and then moans and curses the day because he can’t pay his cable bill.
Poverty will always exist and starvation will be a social ill for many tomorrows to come. But it only takes one person to take the spare change from his/her pocket each day to keep a child fed for that same day. | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/29/2006 4:10:33 PM | Chapter 5
WOVEN CORDS
Not everything is pre-destined but I believe
that fate plays a part in our lives. Some opportunites
seem to unfold like a chest game. Sometimes we meet
people and we instantly have some type of connection
before words are even spoken. In my own experiences
many times I have met people and knew within
my inner soul that this person was meant to cross my path
whether for just a passing moment or to travel with for a time.
Is it coincidence? I believe I have been through too much, have
seen too much and have escaped too many storms to think that
it is all coincidence. There have been many times I have felt
deep down inside a force beyond this worlds understanding
tugging me in a direction that opposes what appears logical.
Sometimes it is a silent witness to a rendezvous with destiny
revealing pieces of the puzzle to our existence and purpose.
Sometimes it is someone else at that meeting place holding one
of the pieces . I have learned to place trust in this inner knowledge
and find courage even when it means traveling through a desert
or trusting in a stranger. Sometimes we must walk through the
desert to find our fate on the other side.
Sometimes we may have to place trust in someone
else to supply us water in order to survive. | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/29/2006 4:14:00 PM | Existence
The quest to understand our existence
Comes with much skepticism and resistance
Made gray by false doctrines and tradition
Failing to dissect divine rendition
Challenging other's beliefs with one's doubt
Questioning the faith which they speak about
Is only rooted in faith of their own
When they attempt to define the unknown
Does happenstance truly explain life's birth
And infinite intelligence here on earth?
From nothing how did planets and stars disperse
Forming the great revolving universe
The moon and sun holding earth in grace
Sustaining life by keeping it in place
Precise planning beneath the atmosphere
Synchronizing wonder and biosphere
Each component has a purposeful life
Upset the balance, catastrophic strife
Examining living creation
And the intelligent information
In only the simplest of media's
Equal one million encyclopedias
What force created this intellect?
Can something nonliving devise and erect?
Can such energy have no profound mind,
Evolve from nothing to a living kind,
Having an advanced chain but missing each link,
Having no course in oblivious brink?
Or is our course from a super power
With personal choice to design and dower?
Like a Swiss artisan in watch making
Carefully crafting time in the ticking
And would such a spiritual deity
Attempt contact in human entity?
On this day what logic do you conceive?
As for me it's absolute what to believe. | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/30/2006 3:03:58 AM | Human Frailty
When the fiercest storms of life are still blowing
It is true love that stands in the suffering
Our love must be given with no conditions
To understand its beauty and affections.
Not in fear being impulsive and reckless
But sacrificing self with care and tenderness
Being wise and foreshadowing each consequence
Letting love endure to the end with patience
Will we weather the storms being confident?
Or be blind by pride, foolish and arrogant?
Do we guard against selfish desire and envy?
Not quickly provoked to anger and jealousy?
Can we forgive others when they laugh and jeer?
Can we seek truth if it is our darkest fear?
Will we wish evil upon our enemy?
Or seek peace while respecting all equally?
Will we lead for others not for our own sake?
Can we see in the storm what is real or fake?
Love is a continual task not to abort.
In human frailty we all have fallen short. | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/31/2006 3:03:52 AM | Thought:
Conditional love always degenerates into a pan-scale love. Soon its not a matter of "what can I give" but "What is in this for me" This type of demanding love from the other robs them from the very oxygen of their soul. In their survival they reciprocate the same demand and one day you both wake up and have falen out of love. Love is not a demand but must be given freely. And forgiveness and trust are the most difficult elements to give. | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/31/2006 3:08:41 AM | In Passing
Upon mountain peaks above rolling hills
Those good thoughts with a celestial feel
Only moments standing, viewing from the crest
Another valley for another quest
The plummet down much easier task
Half-way down a stranger I stop and ask
"How is the weather down in the valley"
"Rained for days, unknown inches to tally
Oh the miles I tread I'm growing weary
Is the peak worth it, I'm feeling leery"
"The summit's heavenly you must continue
And coming down is a refreshing view"
As my foot stepped in hers and hers in mine
We were about to tread the others line
Each of us sharing the same spot in life
But different perspectives dealing with strife
One facing floods but feelings of relief
Other facing blue skies feelings of grief
Each must continue or something is lost
Whether up or down we must bare the cost. | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/31/2006 3:09:13 AM | STANDING IN FAITH
Standing in crossroads of life, too many options to make
In which direction to go or what vehicle to take
Deluge of tears in the valley, mountains overshadow
But find comfort in rod and staff and flood's become shallow
Let go of misleading words that have us peering at our face
Everyday we fall short but get up and finish the race
The wisdom from another should impart confirmation
To what the wind already spoke that gave the revelation
Self-made guilt, self-fulfilling prophecy, left downtrodden
Holding on after confessing, doubting that it's forgotten
Some problems root like dandelions, they can't be mowed down
Choosing these quick fixes, come morning long ugly stems abound
We are at constant life long war with the carnal mind
But with each morning sun to rise, new mercies to find
Get out of the dark cave where mold rapidly increases
Expose oneself in the light where it's existence ceases
Mighty warriors are not born but made by life's afflictions
Roots to stand firm, fit to survive larger tribulations
Its faith providing us with assurance of things hoped for
Belief of things not yet seen to opportunities door
Everyday we face trouble but there are blessings in disguise
If we look at the glass half full making choices for the wise | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 3/31/2006 3:09:56 AM | Woven Cords
The will inside our lives is free to choose
But errant without vision much to lose
Our lives like a rope strung through the bends
Pulled and twisted and knotted at the ends
In this quest of life the fibers run thin
We'll fray and break without intervention
But vigor's found as we move forward
When lives interlock like a woven cord
Might of these strands much stronger together
Coiled tight to guide through valleys of nether
When one weaves left another pulls in balance
Spun with the other destined not chance
When reflecting on life and its history
Notice how our worlds weave in mystery
Set on a course as the morning star inspires
Paths intertwine as our journey transpires
Souls touching souls, as our words seem to blend
Rendezvous in time, destined to be a friend
Is this all in coincidental strands
Or some braided thread of a master's hands?
Some people just pass with random messages
But others provide doors to new passages
Many times we don't know we hold a key
Unless we share it with someone we see
Taking time to comfort another's strife
Just those few moments may alter their life
Sowing such seeds before the day is done
Something more will rise with the morning sun
Power, wealth and beauty like a passing wave
But a strong cord long spoken from the grave | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 4/1/2006 4:38:28 AM | OUTSIDE THE BOX
Chapter 6
Many see this world in only 3 dimensions and
place all their trust based only in what their five senses reveal.
Even time in itself is viewed through the day and hour. A person
unable to respect time and create visions outside the box will soon
perish. We must learn to believe in what we can't necessarily see
and act upon this faith. Learn from our past and the history of
others. Let it not be an inhibitor by the fears it may have created,
respect the caution signals it has taught, and don't dwell upon
what cannot be changed. As we travel in the vehicle of the
present take the time to consume every flavor of its essence.
It will never be seen again. Tomorrow is an endless journey.
We will experience both triumph and tragedy.
In both walk with humbleness and let not the heart
crumble. Savor life and know that death is only a new beginning. | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 4/1/2006 4:39:10 AM | Love
Whoever is loyal
To what is noble, just, and pure
Who stands in storms
With honor, truth and patience to endure
Seeking a good report
And choosing to be generous
Holding in highest regard
What's lovely, kind and virtuous
Maintaining self-control,
Not quick to anger and envy
Not shunning another's wisdom
To walk arrogantly
Brave and confidant
Yet humble with little indignation
These are the solid elements
Of true loves foundation
For if you choose to build
A castle on these principles
It shall stand midst fierce storms and floods
Or when earth quakes and ripples | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 4/1/2006 4:39:39 AM | Mighty Warrior
The test of our faith from life's obstacles
Like seasons of time running in cycles
We can choose to endure and grow robust
Or surrender and wither back to dust
If one runs with footmen and grows weary
Then how can one race with the cavalry
If one stumbles and falls on the open ground
How will one swim the currents of the sound?
If each time one's faced with adversity
They give up to wallow in their pity
Then when the tempest whirls with its fury
The winds will snatch their souls in a flurry
But to seize the challenge of grizzly strife
Sharpening the skills in the walk of life
Mighty warriors emerge prepared for war
Grasping victory at last trumpets roar | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 4/1/2006 4:40:41 AM | Rainy Days
Rainy days are meant to replenish
Soak the earth that greener days flourish
Listen to the raindrops touch the earth
Its a new season time of rebirth
Things we put off running to and fro
Can be addressed when showers flow
Time to reflect and ponder our course
Time to amend ways showing remorse
Time to forgive and keep friendships ablaze
Then watch the seeds sprout on these rainy days | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 4/1/2006 4:41:07 AM | To See The World
Before my years on this earth have unfurled
It is my life's desire to see the world
Walk through the Scottish castle corridors
Listen when the African lion roars
Watch Hawaiian volcanic lava flow
Climb the Swiss Alps and taste the mountain snow
Stand atop the temple of the Aztecs
Explore the deep seas and sunken shipwrecks
Race the rapids along the Snake River
Tread through caves of an Alaskan glacier
See the kookaburra and kangaroo
And then sail along the Andaman blue
Life is so very short to see it all
Where's the time for our days to become dull
Yet people lie on their couch, life's too hard
Not even exploring their own back yard. | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 4/1/2006 4:41:39 AM | Life's but a Vapor
Life's but a vapor from dawn's early dew
Vanishing quickly before morning's through
Choose today wisely what dreams to pursue
Make it an adventurous rendezvous
Tomorrow's flowers are seeds of today
Becoming dried weeds or gorgeous bouquet
We can be clouds without rain blown away
Or mornings pour and afternoon's sun ray
Though tomorrow is today's mystery
Today will be tomorrow's history
Either written by yesterday's misery
Or composed by today's victory | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 4/1/2006 4:42:20 AM | Counsel
Counsel within the heart of people
Is like the deep sea,
But listen with understanding
And they will speak more free
The haunting pain within their soul
Will be shared discreetly
But in trust hold thy tongue
That their words be held secretly
Encourage
As iron in stone
Sharpens iron of a two edged sword
A friend should sharpen a friend's trust
And confidence in the Lord
For when the Serpent attacks
This friend shall stand brave with you
Both risking death with honor
Enduring the battle through | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 4/1/2006 4:43:00 AM | Send The Hurt Below
Though trials assail
And dangers converge
Though friends should all fail
And enemies merge
There is a safe haven
Whatever occurs
The promise that's given
As faith delivers
Stand in valor and great might
With all strength endued
Shield yourself for the fight
Wisdom that foe's are subdued
Find forgiveness to employ
Letting the past go
Turn angry drops to joy
And send the hurt below | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 4/1/2006 4:43:47 AM | Equipped In Armor
Comrades fitted for battle,
Firmly to stand
A belt of truth to shine
When deceits at hand
Breastplates of honor,
Righteousness and good name
A shield of principle
To quench arrows of flame
A helmet to save
From the serpent's breath
The shoes of readiness
To escape from death
Alert for the enemy
Who lurks this hour
Thrust thy divine sword
When he tries to devour
Beware
Beware the fury of the patient sage
He tarries for reason but soon to engage
Though society created a new stage
Where deviation and perversion assuage
Be ready to fight the war which they wage
For one day a new dawn will come to age
Where justice prevails and truth will rage
When the good will stand and turn this page | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 4/1/2006 4:44:23 AM | Paradigm Shift
Though it's good practice to use common sense
And to learn from other's experience
Will we understand the signs of the time
And recognize a shifting paradigm?
Sometimes we need to think outside the box
For there may be a hidden paradox
Not everything appear as it seems
And common roads may not obtain ones dreams
But if we choose a new route to embark
As Columbus did sailing in the dark
We may just find another world at sea
And life as we know it changed abruptly | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 4/1/2006 4:44:50 AM | Walking in Truth
Though the earth and moon and every star
Pass from existence in time yet to be
The truth will remain and never alter
From time's beginning through eternity
A heart that desires and walks in this truth
Will find favor over this earthly domain
When it prays and reaches the heavens
Will move the mountains and command the rain | |
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| Journey to the Center of the Soul
Posted: 4/1/2006 4:45:43 AM | THE UNTAMED TONGUE
Chapter 7
Why is it that we come to the
enlightenment of what is right yet we choose to gravitate
to a gray world fading to black? I believe it all begins with
the power of words. What we speak comes from the matters
of the heart. We either spread life or death.
What we choose to listen to will become the water to our soul.
Whether that water is pristine or bitter is up to your choosing.
But know this that the tongue has been responsible for every
war ever fought on this earth. | |
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