He turns his face

After Psalm 67 

He turns his face

towards us, staring

directly into our eyes,

our souls, our hearts.

He gets in our faces,

placing his hands

on our heads, staring

and saying he loves us,

he cherishes us, he knows

all our faults, our sins,

and what matters

is his love for us,

once lost, now found.

 

Photograph by William Carlson via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Sunday Readings

 

Balrog on the Bridge: Cultivating the Courage of Gandalf – Clinton Manley at Desiring God.

 

“Sailing to Byzantium,” poem by William Butler Yeats – Joseph Bottum at Poems Ancient and Modern.

 

Helene Binet at St. Anne’s Limehouse – photographs at Spitalfields Life.

 

Blessing for Different Sounds – poem by David Whyte.

 

Two Owls – pome by Josiah Cox at First Things Magazine.

Sing a new / old song

After Psalm 67 

Sing a new song

sing a new song

   may you be gracious

 

Sing an old song

sing a new song

   may you bless us

 

Sing a new song

sing an old

   may your face shine

   shine upon us

 

It rises, a chorus

of praise, ringed

in gladness, in joy,

un expectation

of justice, of guidance,

of blessing and increase

 

We are blessed

so that those

around us

will see him.

 

Photograph by Austin Neill via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

The Latecomers – poem by Seamus Heaney at Kingdom Poets (D.S. Martin).

 

Life is Too Brief to Waste – Jon Bloom at Desiring God.

 

Why Church Membership Matters – Alistair Begg at Truth for Life.

 

What Does God Listen For? – Seth Lewis.

 

King Jan Sobieski of Poland and The Lord of the Rings – Dwight Longenecker at The Imaginative Conservative.