hope

i'm wide awake
it’s the middle of the night
and i reach for the light
on the bedside table

something has taken me
and won’t let me be
i am restless and unable
to know why it’s gripping me

but i consider that my suffering
is not worth comparing to the coming glory
so i wait in expectation
although i’m subject to frustration
i wait for redemption
and for this hope to come to me

i’m wide awake
it’s the middle of my life
what plan do you have for me
hope that is seen is no hope at all
but don’t leave me hopeless in spite of it all
just give me a clear call
and a mind that is fixed on the joy set before me

for when i consider my suffering
it is not worth comparing to the coming glory
so i wait in expectation
although i’m subject to frustration
i wait for redemption
and for this hope to come to me

let them know you

Let them know hunger

let then know thirst

let them know pain

heartache and disease

Let them know about

things such as these

Let them know murder

anger and pride

jealousy and

hate for mankind

Let them know this

deep inside

Let them know heartache

loss and tragedy

life without meaning

and emptiness inside

Let them know despair

and feel crippled from their pride

So that they may seek you

in the midst of the pain

So they may reach out

and find that you remain

never far from us

loving each the same

So that they might know you

instead of all the fear

and that they might reach out

to find that you were always near

Close to the brokenhearted

you come closer and appear

Close to the brokenhearted

you come closer and appear

new day

I awake refreshed
as the sun strikes across my face
sitting up I feel the warmth
and I am filled with awe at your embrace
though the night is not far behind me
and the darkness that it brought
eclipsing all the goodness
that resides within my heart
but the morning dew is resting
on green blades broken in the dark
as a reminder that your love for me will never part

formless and void

Like the earth I am without form

needing substance to give me shape

needing something to fill me

and sustain me beyond what I can provide.

I remain shapeless until shape is given to me

yet I conform to whatever consumes me

for I am consumer and I am consumed.

The contortions that bend me in all directions

and mold me into something recognizable

leave me sore and lifeless

and I desire to be left formless.

This is where you found me.

At the end of my striving,

at the end of my contrived methods to be

something useful,

something noticeable,

something with purpose,

you found me.

I was groaning inwardly,

tired from trying to be that which I was not intended to be.

You found me and spoke life into my body,

birthed a thousand desires into my heart

and set a new song aflame in my soul.

Now I desire to be conformed to your image alone.

distant day

I sit in the car as the morning arrives
hollow and empty deep down inside
Notebook and pen rest there on the dash
within my reach, within my grasp
Camera beside me on the passenger seat
full of photos and memories now out of reach
and just like a photo I’m stuck in the past
longing for things that never would last

And I am not here
I’m a million miles away
in the shadows, in the movements,
in the memories of a distant day

Sun pours through the wind shield
sprays light on a distant field
Mountains cast shadows in irregular patterns
a hawk circles overhead and turns
Grass weeds sway in rhythm with the wind
taking it all in I try to comprehend
and just like the sun I feel you reaching in
warming my heart with the love that you send

And I am not here
I’m a million miles away
in the sunlight, in the clear skies,
in the longing for a distant day

piano

You brought me this piano when I was only nine

and when I touched the keys upon it my face began to shine

now I can’t thank you enough for the stories I would find

when I played that new piano and escaped inside my mind

You gave me an instrument that sent songs into my heart

yet when I think back on it I find it played a bigger part

the piano wasn’t ornate it had no would carving design

and the bench was nothing special, but for me it did just fine

the piano would not be welcome in concert halls or places well refined

it was just a simple sturdy upright that I would learn to play in time

And it put a new song in my heart

and in the darkness the melody was a shard

bringing hope when life was hard

and I would find it’s not the flashy things that shine

it’s what’s inside that resonates more loudly over time

Twenty five years later with my hand upon familiar keys

I close my eyes in hope to find some peace

I walk into a melody and I am lifted

I walk into a melody and life is sifted

complications erased

dissatisfactions have no trace

chords untangle inside my mind

and I think back to another time

when you gave me this piano and my face begins to shine

It put a new song in my heart

and in the darkness the melody was a shard

bringing hope when life was hard

and I would find it’s not the flashy things that shine

it’s what’s inside that resonates more loudly over time

llama wool

Llama wool is used to make many colorful fabrics in Peru.  First, the dies are extracted from a cactus plant and stored in large containers.  Next the wool is placed inside of the containers and then hung out to dry when enough of the dye has been absorbed.  The wool is now ready to be used in making the colorful fabrics such as hats, socks, sweaters, bags and toys.

broken people

Broken people in these seats
Broken people at your feet
Tears flowing down
where words are not yet found
In this moment, in this place
we sense love in your embrace

cusco

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, Cusco is picturesque.

savage wolves

Savage wolves are running with white teeth showing.
Saliva mixes in their mouths and drips from their tongues.
Paws beat rhythmically against the ground with increasing weight.
Breaking through brush they appear dimly under a moonlit sky.
Increasing in speed with new found freedom,
they run hard through the field approaching the prey.
Letting grunts and snorts be heard, they desire only one thing.

A bleating cry rises up from an ewe like a flare in the sky.
More bleating is heard and now scampering signals incoming danger.
Those who run away from the heard will surely be devoured.

But alas, there is another stirring in the brush!
A new shadow is spreading, covering the heads of the sheep.
Sharp facial features traced by the moonlight emerge from a hood.
A strong, sturdy staff is gripped in a hand as if to be used as a club.
The shepherd strikes out to defend his sheep
and no one will snatch them out of his hand!

miraflores

Founded in 1857, Miraflores is Lima's prosperous commercial hub, boasting shopping zones, theaters, art galleries, flowery parks, craft markets, cinemas and the city's highest concentration of cafés.

The roof terrace at Larcamor shopping center has a reflecting pool and spectacular views of the coast.

A view from the clifftops overlooking a pier containging shops and a seafood restaurant.

A modern sculpture stands near the coastline.

This bridge is a gateway to the coast for those driving down Avenido O. Benavides.

Inaugurated on February 14, 1993, Parque del Amor is devoted to the old Peruvian custom of courting in public gardens.

picture of you

Complexity, diversity, unity and harmony

it all seems to come to me when I think of you

it all stands out to me when I'm with your people

like ceramic tiles of many hues

we make up the picture of you

haiti faces

A boy from the village plays with an old bicycle rim.

A girl poses in the shade at the pavilion where others have come for medical assistance.

A cute little boy carries goods on his head.

A girl watches from the nearby bleachers.

A boy hangs from the rafters.

arm

After the accident on my bicycle my arm was hurting. Movement was restricted and my hand was swollen. The x-rays showed that no bones were broken, but the x-rays could not reveal the pain that I was feeling. The medication that I was given caused me to be dizzy and I vomited once. The following days revealed to me just how difficult it would be to live with only one arm. I was unable to do the most menial tasks such as remove a lid from a tube of toothpaste or tie my shoe laces tight enough to stay together. Turning a door knob would send sharp pangs throughout my entire arm. It was miserable and I was humbled by my limitations.

The sling on my arm was a constant reminder of those limitations, but it also reminded me of that the Lord takes pity on the weak and needy (Psalm 72:13). After all He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27). That is why Paul said “I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Also, David was not the first born heir to the throne and he had the least worldly experience being the youngest of his clan, but God looked at his heart rather than his accomplishments. David’s heart would stand up to a giant and show forth God’s greatness through utter dependence. David’s heart would also be humiliated when confronted by the prophet Nathan and rely upon the strength that God provides to bring restoration (Psalm 51:10-12). This is the kind of heart that God desires for “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart [He] will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

My arm is doing much better this week and I’m sure that I will soon forget about the pain that once plagued me, but I hope that I continue to be dependent upon God as though I can’t do anything without him.

bringing life

Come and blow the dust from my pages
turning to places where sun has not yellowed
revealing stages of past ages
now merging into the present

Come and smear the oil on the leather
restoring that which was once hard
brining life to that which binds
the mystery deep within

haiti landscapes

The sky and ocean are bathed in sunlight.

Two trees at sunrise.

A view through the trees.

At the beach.

Early morning hills.

unkempt hair

Hey there man with your unkempt hair
What brought you here where people stare
and unkind words linger in the air
Did you swallow hard when you entered that door
Did you think you’d find what you’re looking for

Well I've got two hands and I've got two feet
and I'll walk to you so that we can meet
and I've got this heart beating in my chest
so I'll extend to you my best
cause life is hard and could get worse
if you leave tonight with any more remorse

partly cloudy

Sun setting through the window
shimmers golden hues through the sky and streets
Wet pavement reflects the beauty
while beads of water swell and then streak
Silhouetted trees and street lights contrast the brilliance complete
Wonder still exists in the everyday ordinary things

breakfast nachos

Sometimes scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage, bacon, and salsa area served with a few tortilla chips sprinkled on top and called "migas," but I prefer to put the tortilla chips in first with the ingredients added on top to make breakfast nachos!

dogs and pigs

A dog is a dog
it will return to its vomit
A pig is a pig
it will return to the mud
An unregenerate man is unregenerate
he will return to his sin

Morality and good works
are not enough to amend
the soul that is condemned
Feast no more at the vomit on the floor
rise up out of your mud
come to the one who will atone with his blood

continental gin building

This past weekend I visited the Continental Gin Building for an Open Studios event where twenty three artists had the doors to the studios open for guests to view or purchase their works. Walking through the building at dusk with golden light pouring through the windows, I felt like I had been transported to another time.

joy and strength

Wind rips across the water suspending a seagull in mid flight
climbs up the hill to where I sit and scatters the pages of my notes
Warm sun reflected in the water now blinding in my eye
beaming down upon my skin making me warm inside
I have joy in the sun and feel strength with the wind
a dichotomy of things living deep within

shadows

Photographs are limited in their perspective. They focus on a single subject and present views that extend to the edges of the frame only. Like a photograph my view in life is limited. I can only see so much. The shadows in these photographs point to something beyond the edge of the frame. They serve as a reminder that there is something more.

ending and beginning

Sun setting
golden window pane
remorse growing
unable to explain
the day is ending
unable to refrain

Stars glowing
in the night time air
hollow feeling
rises without care
empty longing
that I can’t repair

Morning calling
to my night time eyes
rain is coming
falling from the sky
a new beginning
that I can’t deny

industrial images

Sometimes photography is the quest for beauty in the ordinary.

galleria

The Galleria Mall in Dallas was opened in 1982 and has remained a successful enterprise for almost thirty years.

A canvas mobile along the main corridor screens and reflects the sun.

Circular lights above a common gathering space.

Escalators move people from one level to the next near the ice skating rink.

A wall display at one of the many department stores.

Strong vertical elements combined with skylights focus the attention upwards at appropriate intervals for access to the retail outlets.

solace

There is a solace I have found
I wear it like an evening gown
it glows and glitters
and shows your worth
the fabric comes from virgin birth

It covers completely
from head to ground
and protects from dangers
all around

It always goes with me
so that I might remain
it never forgets me
like a chorus refrain

gourdough's

Last weekend's trip to Austin yielded some excellent eateries. One of which was Gourdough's, famously known for their exotic donuts.

The tag line says it all.

The menu provides both savory and sweet donuts.

I tried the Flying Pig (bacon with maple syrup icing) and the Porkey (Canadian bacon, cream cheese and jalepeño jelly).

One last picture of the afternoon indulgence.