The Long Way Up

O, elusive words return Let my passion for locutions come back Creativity: let it brightly burn And flaming flamboyance at once attack To string them yet again like pearls Inside my head a steady, spinning pool O, eloquence speak through me as an earl May my words adorn me like a jewel In time, perhaps, the torrent will Be ushered in; in future tense And anxious pen no longer still But mind and heart gain calming sense

Wow! . . . . . That was like... what? . . . . . Four months? . . . . .  Four months and no entry on this blog?!?!?! . . . . . So much has happened in that span of time. . . . . . A LOT! . . . . . But the most important of those happenings is a major occasion in my life: MY WEDDING! . . . . . Yup! You read that right! My wedding. I got married. Or more specifically, 'we' got married. And by 'we' I mean myself and my best friend of 18.5 years. . . . . . However, this isn't an article enumerating the sequence of events leading up to the wedding; neither is this a post about my thoughts and emotions about our 'perfect' wedding (more on that in another entry). Instead, this is me sharing the personal vows I wrote for my Bride, J. As an older adult, I have learned to be very circumspect when it comes to making promises to anyone around me, and I have also learned to carefully evaluate the cost of any pledge I deemed deserving of my commitment. This was my approach

Set Gather Talk Ponder Sturdy and dependable Making people understandable Eat Pray Chat And play Level-headed; plain Uncomplicated brain Draw Write Greet Fight No sides ever taken Ears ever awakened Scratches Spills Homework And bills Wisdom clearly unspoken Not a trivial token Biscuits Tea Bibles Congee Every consumption noted Though never getting bloated Movies Songs And some Sing-alongs Heard every word Cool kids and nerds Diapers Milk Pillows In silk Held up the sleeping Carried the weeping Letters Tears Blessings And fears Witness to lives lived out That's what it's about Solace Solitude Attributes Attitude Long-standing, standing strong Steady amidst the throng Constant, ever-silent still Force of nature; iron will Inclusive; no exceptions Straightforward; no pretensions Affording all equality Embracing anonymity Set Gather Talk Ponder . . . . . . . . . .

It will almost be a year now since I discovered The Chosen -- the first multi-season show on the life of Jesus and His followers -- and its precepts and posited theses still reverberate in my mind up to now, giving my brain some really substantial moral, existential, and spiritual ruminations. The series is simply wonderfully-produced . One of the show's elements that has gotten me completely impressed is the level of excellence displayed in the way its narrative structure is crafted: from its pacing, to its characterizations, all the way down to its dialogue, The Chosen's script is entertaining, engaging, thrilling, and thought-provoking. The series writers undeniably took a page from their ancient, world-famous source material. The first season is a great example of how adeptly Tyler Thompson, Ryan Swanson, and Dallas Jenkins made use of their writing proficiencies to tackle -- or, at the very least, present -- profound religious conundrums that many of us wrestle with on a

There’s like ten thousand mountains to cross And I haven’t even started climbing one All these musings lead to a far off place To a future that’s already been surely won Today feels lost in such a sluggish pace Clouds cooperate too well to set a mood One, an ambience of ominous blatant drabness Another, of veiled hope — depending on attitude Plateaus on hills flood the vision in my eyes A backdrop of grays enshroud the muted greens I’m looking far ahead, only as sight permits But that’s as far as I can traverse, or so it seems First step has been taken: too little, too late? A minuscule dot on the map, unnoticeably etched October winds blowing steadily — hoping southbound Filling out lines of eternity effortlessly sketched Finite, obscured, and oh so elucidated flesh Sitting atop the tower; thinking; perhaps abscond? Infinite, visible, and unmistakably, undeniably true Condescend, take control, penetrate soul and beyond

First would be your friendship true That saw my changes through and through Never holding back concern Cordial gestures, every turn Secondly, your deference Sincerely shown, though only friends Respected me for me; that's fresh The pious never could access Third would be your radiant smile To notice it, took quite a while But once I did, I could not cease Imagining your face with ease Fourthly, your benevolence In gracious gifts and opulence Dispensing blessings left and right You're shining forth the Father's light Fifth would be your love for words Your own or someone else's, heard With them you craft your special tales With theirs, your mind breathes in, exhales Sixthly, your desire for God He's seen along the path your trod His mercy, goodness forming you And from the old unveiling new Seventh, your simplicity Avoidance of complexity To make you laugh is such a breeze As are the tricks to get you pleased Eighth in line would be your charm You have a way; leaves

I have recently seen this worship set aired on Facebook Live where the song leader sang out a few ‘artistic and rhetorical phrases’ toward God and toward the audience: a common practice that worship ministers do apparently. This reminded me of the times when I had been a part of such worship sessions, where I myself have said certain pleasant, spiritual-sounding quips, which in hindsight were, at best, impulsive and, at worst, presumptuous; I guess our emotions can get the better of us sometimes (most of the time?), even in such a hallowed setting. As I continued to watch this band play and sing, I had to fight my own judgmental and self-righteous tendencies since I — as previously mentioned — have been in that position of being on a pulpit to sing songs to God and have gotten carried away with my words, releasing statements that now feel awkward, out of place, and even embarrassing. How many times must I have said and sung words, phrases, and sentences that were not inspired by the Ho

A heavy, sinister canopy covers the sky as distant rumblings of thunder reverberate through miles of tranquil dreariness. Overhead, clusters of stratus, cumulus, and nimbus clouds seem to intentionally congregate for the sole purpose of darkening the already somber midday. Strong gusts of cool wind dance to and fro above the pitch black mountain peaks, making occasional dives into the valley below it; they make ominous whistling sounds as they bounce off each other, adding to the natural orchestra of boisterous thunder and deafening silence. On the ground level, three men dressed in distinctively different black-themed outfits arduously trudge on the valley floor made up of dark charcoal soil and jagged gravel. As they slowly persist on the terrain, they notice the barrenness of the landscape: treeless slopes as far as the eye can see; several gradients of gray, ash, and lead decorate the sides of cliffs jutting out of the earth; no sign of any possible shelter from harsh elements; an

A father plays a major role in the lives of his children. An understatement? An overstatement? Well, whichever your preference, it's a true statement; one that has been poorly heeded, greatly ignored, or severely missed out. Anyone can biologically sire a child -- we got a lot of that going on these days; but to be a father in every sense of the word is, for sure, such a tall order, which is why many men -- for several varying and valid reasons -- opt out of their responsibilities. One such responsibility inherent to the paternal role is the privilege of representing the Heavenly Father to his children. This wouldn't be much of a stretch if men, to begin with, had an existing relationship with their Father in Heaven growing up, and have spent their season of singleness practicing being God-conscious in whatever form of relationship they had with other people. But sadly, that isn't the case most of the time. So, whatever a man learns during his bachelorhood he usually carrie