Old Poems

I was looking around in the basement today and I found this cool collection of old pieces of writing that I wrote when I was younger. I found this collection of poems I had apparently written. Here are a few of them with more to come later:

Easter
Why do you laugh at such a man?
He tried and did all he can.
He tried to help you out,
But you just kicked him about.
He was innocent of any crime,
Sold to death for one thin dime.
On that day, you saw his face,
As he walked with a tiring pace.
And in his eyes all you saw,
Was just love without a flaw.
But you just sat there,
And gave him an angry stare.
You lifted up your fisted hand,
And on that face it did land.
You saw into his loving eyes,
But still cried that he dies.
He was marched to the place
Where the punishment he would taste.

His eyes were mercy overflowing,
But your anger blinded your knowing.
You could have said not even a word,
But that anger made you yell absured.
And on that death rack he hung.
As a hero who's song was unsung.
Each hit that drove the nail,
was each time your love would fail.
You mocked and laughed with hate,
Until his life was almost too late.
On the most grusome symbol he lay.
However, he saved oyu on that day.
But out of this came a light,
To give the weak: might.

But then the hate was taken away.
For you could see the love that day.
You realized your great sin
Was on each hand's pin.
That great denial,
You thought was beyond reconcile.
But on that cross, that man said.
With all his might, before he was dead,
"Father, mercy on those; please, forgive,
So that each one of them may live."

This story does not end.
For there was more to send.
After three days in the grave,
A road to salvation that did pave.
He gave you a great gift.
Made it so your life will lift.
And this great man is here today,
And will love you all the way.
Even if people beat you down
And you try to keep a frown,
This man will always love
and give you preace from above.


Untitled
Welcome, I am a robot.
My head is a silver pot.
When I walk out of bed,
I sometimes feel half dead.
My iron stomach starts to moan,
And then it starts to groan.
So when the stove gets fired,
And I am just too tired,
I just pop off my pot
And put it on the stove top.
Wtih my head cooking,
I throw eggs while not looking.
For you understan',
My eyes are on the pan.

Another benefit,
Is where I sit.
When there are no seats around,
And a seat is nowhere found,
I do something neat,
And use my head as a seat.

As you can see,
You're jealous of me.
Cause you don't own
A pot of your own.
And you will always cry,
And you will always sigh,
For this pot is the best,
And your organic head a pest.
So just say it now,
And give me a bow.
Robots are way way better
For they have a better header.

(Wow, I can totally see my Feel-er personality trait coming out in the next one)

The Misunderstood Man
Everyday I get pie-ed
Don't like to be denied.
Everyday I stand around,
My self-esteem is downed.
Still ...
People point with mocks
And at me, throw their socks.
I am so sad
This makes me mad.
I try to be funny
and very very punny.
I give them a smile
That stretched a mile.
But ...
People point with mocks
And at me throw their socks.
I am so sad
This makes me mad.
For I am a clown
And I cannot frown.
Please stop mistreating me
and don't take my glee.
Don't ...
Point with mocks
Or throw your socks
I am so sad
This makes me mad.
Clowns have feelings too,
Not just to amuse you.
So ...
Next time you see
A clown like me,
Say thank you,
And please don't boo.

It seems like I was a better writer in 8th grade than I am now! I feel so sorry for that clown. :*( .

SLT Journal Entry: scenery and Wildlife

Here are some pictures I drew sitting in front of the recreation hall. The top on is of the water front. On the water front, there is a pier where the Floating Bear arrives to transfer people to the other side. There is also a small beach where the children spend most of there time while we are in morning session learning about "leadership". Apparently, there are leeches that float around in the lake. As in the picture, Sunfish sail boats and kayaks sit along the beach. I did not sail. I needed to pass a swim test in order to take out a Sunfish. If you don't know, I cannot swim.
I drew a picture of my foot and the various activities that are available while at SLT. My foot formed blisters and they were pretty much constantly filthy.


This is a seagull. They basically are more prevalent in the U.P. of Michigan than humans. Notice the downward slant of this bird's eyebrows. The like to gather in large flocks and come frighteningly close to you while you are eating. At Mackinac Island, they really like to swoop down and poop on you. One seagull got me in the shoe.
Next time you see one of these, do NOT feed this animal. Feeding the seagull will only promote the creature's annoying behavior of squawking for food. Instead, feed it a rock, throw a rock at it, or put a stick of dynamite in a hot dog bun and give the "hot dog" to the seagull.

The only creature probably more prevalent than the seagull is the mayfly. For a few days during SLT these insects land on the windows and walls looking for a mate. Apparently, they spend the majority of their lives in the water as larvae. Then they emerge out of the water for a few days, mate, and finally die. These insects are relatively harmless however - maybe except for the occasionally mating on the arm. My guess is that I've probably eaten about 10 buh-gillion while I've slept. They're probably from Canada.



I got impregnated twice while at SLT. The first time came as a huge surprise. One day, I noticed a huge bump on my forearm. It's hard to describe the emotions going through my mind, but they were a mixture between joy and anxiety. I wondered what kinda of creature lay under my skin. My appetite grew. I was eating for two now. I started craving all sorts of different winged foods that I did not normally eat.
The second time, the back of my right arm grew abnormally large. My knuckles eventually disappeared beneath my inflamed hand. I must have been carrying twins or something. Occationally, my hand would itch. I was the proud father of two strapping young mayflies. They eventually found mates and died.

There was also a porcupine name Oscar that hung around the campus for a while. There is even a song written by the Tri State Trio in honor of our beloved spiky friend. (More on the Tri State Trio here). He seemed very ill though. He couldn't climb trees and he would slowly avoid people in a very lethargic manner. I probably shouldn't have feed him all those ice cream sandwiches. I'm just joking, I ate them all for myself. Muahhahahahahahaha! Yes, my precious delicious goodies. Yes, all for me and none for all. Well, we eventually put him in a trash can and set him off in the woods to die peacefully if not violently. Awww, I kinda miss that cute, sick animal. I just want to rub my face against his jagged and sharp quills.

True Love

I think that one misconception of love is that people think love is a feeling. I think that to some degree - a very small one - love is that feeling in the heart, but I think most of that comes from a surge of hormones through the body. Love, for the most part, is not a "feeling". I believe that love is best exemplified through the conscious actions of the will. In order to truly love someone, they have to be willing to demonstrate it through self-sacrificial living. Also, many times I fall into the trap of wanting to naturally love someone. That our actions should be the natural outpouring of what we feel towards that person. I think that this kind of thinking can produce a lot of misconceptions of love. The first being that loving people that you love is easy. Through the example of Jesus, we come to realize that true love is hard to practice. The call to love one another is also the call to take up one's cross. Sometimes we have to "force" ourselves to exemplify love to those around us. After understanding the meaning and implications of love, we begin to realize that loving someone is contrary to our earthy nature. The world has perverted love and has made it into an impulsive feeling - rash and selfish. The only possible means of loving someone comes from the example and transforming power of Christ. We love because he loved us first. Sometimes we have to love someone not because we feel like loving them but simply because Jesus demands that of us. He asks us to love our enemies to return enmity with Christ's love. That is so contrary to human nature, to love those that hate you and that you hate. Now that's radical. Annoyed by your roommate? love him. Do you have enmity toward your parents? love them. Did someone betray your trust and break your heart? love them. Man, it sends chillls down the spine doesn't it?
Now I'm certainly not saying love means being taking advantage of. Love is being Christ to others. whether that means rebuking or even being taken advantage of, love places the self below all others. The fact that love demands such a surrendering makes practicing love so hard for me. I love being selfish. It's so much easier to do.
I think that for a long time I thought that life was easy for Jesus. That loving the prostitutes, tax collectors, and lepers was easy. Now, I'm realizing that Jesus lived the most difficult life in all history. I'm sure that loving those that society hated and even loving those that hated him was extremely hard. Accepting the cross was hard. We are called to do likewise. Thankfully not by ourselves, but through the power of the only person who was able to do such things, Jesus Christ.
What is true love? Ture love is choosing to exempify the self-sacrificial life of Christ even when you don't feel like loving someone and when the world tells you differently. Love is being Christ to others even if you don't feel like it. I think that true Christianity is best exemplified through suffering. Just look at the world around you - the church at large. God moves during persecution. The richness of worship arrives when worship is hard. The fullness of love arrives when loving is difficult. The refinement of Christians arrives when being christian is difficult. Sacrifice simply isn't sacrifice until it cost something, until our hearts ache because we realise God demands our entire lives. I cringe as I write this because of the implications of what I am saying. Instead of seeking the path of least resistance, the fullness of Christ can sometimes only be experienced through the most difficult path.
I praise God. The Christian life is hard, but God is there to sustain. The Christian life is difficult, but it is the best and only life to live. God demands all because he wishes to give us all. God, give me the strength to love when I don't feel like it. Slowly change me so that my nature will become as yours. Kill me, so that you can live in me. That eventually, I will love as you love. Amen.

The Return Home

It's kinda weird returning home to a much quieter and emptier house. My return home meal consisted of a bunch of double stuffed Oreos, a microwaved piece of pizza, and a can of lukewarm coke. Kinda depressing isn't it? Well it feels that way. I'm experiencing what they call re-entry syndrome. Where the body and mind are both weak and prone to spiritual attack. In fact, I can feel a lot of spiritual attack coming on already. I just want to roll up into a cacoon and never emerge. However, I long to see many beloved friends and family to see how God has been working in their lives and share about what God has been teaching me at the UP of Michigan.

What I came back with:
1. A wealth of equiping for God's kingdom
2. Renewed vision and encouragement
3. A big realization of my pride, shame, and selfishness
4. A fuller perspective on God's kingdom and where I stand in that
5. Fond memorizes and cherished relationships
6. A nice farmer's tan
7. A piece of drift wood
8. A whole lot of dirty laundry
9. A whole lot of things I still have to deal with
10. A call to live a much risker life for God

In depth stuff and maybe some pictures later.