Marble Blue

The ground begins to race along

Creates a path to move upon

Tree limbs reach out to point the way

Stars guide by night, birds by day

Journey with me on this marble blue

Experience every sound; every hue

Let go of self, become the motion

Move with the tide, be an ocean

Drift and wander wherever you can

Ditch the calendar; scrap the plan

Sink into sleep, immersed in dream

Swirling with your brain jet-stream

Escape the boxes, tear down fences

Drop the façade and learned defenses

Rip away conformists glue

Realize you’re the only you

Side-step anything contrary

Remember it’s all temporary

Focus on the path before you

Lift up others, help them pull through

Forgive those who’ve deeply cut

Rise above the grudgers rut

Laugh and smile and cry and feel

Join me on this plane surreal

Step into a grander light

Soar on clouds above in flight

Float to Heaven on a chariot ride

With eternal joy you shall abide

By Royce Waxenfelter

8/11/23

Stressed?

When you’re a mess

Drowning in stress

Call out to Jesus

He has redeemed us

Exhausted and numb?

He has overcome

Exceptional blessing

Eliminate guessing

The Spirit of Truth

Is positive proof

Rely on the Lord

Relaxed and restored

Trust in the Maker

A mover and shaker

When you confide

God will provide

Burdens unloaded

Blessings bestowed

Uniquely gifted

Spiritually lifted

Set self aside

In Heaven abide

A kingdom renowned

Where joy abounds

Loosen life’s rope

With Heavenly hope 

 

By Royce Waxenfelter

10/28/19

Hell Draws Nigh

       Boughs they are swaying

       Horses are braying

       Clouds in the sky are swiftly not staying

There is a storm on the horizon 

Its time drawing nigh

I look deep in her eyes and

I say, “We’ve got to fly”

Away from impending doom

Away from all dread

Where peace overrules gloom

Like a comforting bed

       A tempest is turning

       Forests are burning

       I scarcely have time to deliver my warning

Flee from destruction

Head to high ground

Escape the abduction

Of the ravenous hound

There is a great surging wave

Dark clouds appear

Which souls will be saved

Which souls remain in fear

       Some scoff and shun me

       Some try to outrun me

       I run to my savior whose sacrifice won me

Why wait for disaster

Just to see if it’s real

Go instead to the Master

He will hear your appeal

Whisked away from eternal damnation

Removed from harm’s way

To a brand new creation

Heaven’s glorious array

Will you cringe, will you cry

Slowly open one eye

What is your plan now that Hell draws nigh?

By Royce Waxenfelter

8/4/23

Changed

Never used to bring my troubles 

To anyone but myself

Never used to read by Bible on the dusty shelf

Never used to need forgiveness

I’d just harbor all the bitter

And I’d spit it out like venom, didn’t want your help

But one day I broke down crying

Under the weight of my own problems

And I knew I needed something so much better than my plan

Since I felt like dying

I gave my life to Jesus

He must’ve have heard me knocking, and let me in

I used to want be rich

Have more money than my father

To never have to work another day in my life

But God changed my heart entirely

Now I live my life more quietly

I place value in the richness of relationship

There’s a liberty in dying

To selfish motivation

When you give desires to Jesus they return improved

There’s a freedom that’s inspiring

Underneath the fount of blessing

        All it takes is a confession, give up your sin

When I was younger I was stronger

I thought I would live forever

I wanted fame and fortune to lift me up

But it all just came up empty

Until I realized there’s plenty

Of joy to go around up in eternity

So I set my eyes on Heaven

And I call upon my savior

He gave his life that I may see eternity

Eternity in Heaven

A goal grounded in foundation

Of the only God who gave His life to save my soul

Now that God has changed me

All those dreams I had so early

Wouldn’t want them back

I don’t have what the world wants

And I don’t have fame or fortune

Now I have something so much better than my plan

There’s a better way of living

And I say this from experience

Of a man who’s tried it both ways and lived to tell the tale

There’s a life worth living today

All you have to do is to say

“Jesus I’ll follow you, I’ll give up my way.”

By Royce Waxenfelter

2.22.23

Note: to the tune of “Love Like This” by Ben Rector

Miserable Me

I’ve messed it up before, I’m going to mess it up again,

Repeat that bad behavior, never let myself win,

I wouldn’t chance a laugh, I wouldn’t dare to smile,

If you’re waiting for me to change it’s gonna be a while.

When everything starts going well,

Whenever life starts to jive and gel,

I’ve got to set the dial back to terrible,

I am only happy when I am feeling miserable.

I’m only happy when I’m miserable

I lead my life disgusted

I steal so I get busted

Sit in the rain ‘til I am rusted

I’m only happy when I’m miserable

The pity party in my mind is full of doubt and loathing,

When I want to express myself, I put on my drab clothing,

When I see a glimpse hope I throw it in the grinder,

I grind it into pieces, I serve it as a reminder.

I don’t deserve pleasure or a day down at the beach,

Everything everyone else has is simply out of reach,

The day I get a raise is the day I’m going to quit,

If you try to cheer me up, I’m going to throw a fit.

I’m only happy when I’m miserable

Going to treat myself unkind

Put myself into a bind

Walk around like I am blind

I’m only happy when I’m miserable

They say misery loves company but they don’t know ‘bout me,

I’ll mope around all by myself ‘til you feel bad for me,

It doesn’t take a psychiatrist to see that I’m in danger,

Put me back inside those padded walls where I am not a stranger.

I’ll say what I need to, get back out into the fray,

The problems will keep coming back, that’s the part I play,

You should take me seriously, though I won’t consider you,

I’ll wallow in my misery ‘cause that’s just what I do.

I’m only happy when I’m miserable

Going to cry out an alarm

Maybe do myself some harm

Wrench and twist my own arm

I’m only happy when I’m miserable

By Royce Waxenfelter

7/24/23

An Ode to Buffalo Joe

Well I left Boston one sunny day about a quarter to ten

Didn’t know where I should go, wish I knew much more back then

I caught the greyhound goin’ west, I pulled my hat down low

Closed my eyes and when I woke up, there was snow on my window

I asked the driver “Where are we, man?” thinkin’ he should know

I reached down in, pulled my pockets out, there was nothin’ much to show

He just frowned, ushered me out and said ‘The streets of Buffalo”

Well the wind up there will blow straight through your body and your soul

I found shelter in an alley downtown underneath a cardboard box

Shivered all night, I could barely feel the toes within my socks

When mornin’ came I made up my mind to get out of Buffalo

I hitched a ride to Orchard Park where they was puttin’ on a show

Buffalo Bills they called themselves, I had seen them on TV

A history of passionate fans, now one of them was me

I snuck in behind a vendor cart, found my way out to the stands

Fans were stompin’ on the metal floor, they had mittens on their hands

Nearly got my eye poked out by a hat with pointed horns

I was lucky just to find a place to sit and watch the show

The big ‘ol man I sat beside introduced himself as Joe

I joked “Is that Cribbs or Ferguson?”, he said “DeLamielleure”

As gregarious and humble as any man I’d ever known

He told me of his playin’ days, of the hall of fame, and more

They won the game, the crowd went wild, the rest you don’t need to know

But I’ll never forget those frozen stands where I met Buffalo Joe

Buffalo Joe stood six foot three with muscles made of brick

Pavin’ the way for running backs, he’d bore holes three feet thick

With McKenzie on the other side they weighed half a thousand pounds

Shove ‘em back now Buffalo Joe, pathways for touchdowns

Go, go, Buffalo Joe, the perennial All-Pro

Number sixty-eight on his jersey, the number one guy I know

Go, go, Buffalo Joe, I’d like to thank you man

For bein’ kind, I hope you know I’ll always be a fan

By Royce Waxenfelter

6/2/23

Mapping Eternity

In a world full of places do you know where to go?

In a universe moving faster than blinks do you know what to know?

The stars are in place, or seemingly so

Do the steps you take determine where you go?

Less than a speck in a galaxy yet you want control

You do what you can, but is it all for show?

The sun blares and blisters

Wind generates twisters

Mountains explode and the cliffsides erode

Less than a blip in time yet you head down the road

Explorers on oceans used stars for navigation

Stars that have been moving since the dawn of creation

Yet the rate the stars travel is steady to gauge

So where will you end up in the next epic age?

Your body is here now, just for a while

So you do what you can, you conjure a smile

You try to find joy in every mile 

You laugh when you can, you try to have style

It’s still very fleeting and it doesn’t make sense

That all this was meant for life to be spent

In search of a journey with your feet in cement

Instead, what if Heaven determined the time that you spend?

Beyond universes, beyond suns and stars

Beyond hurt feelings and personal scars

But within your grasp if you give up control

Is a place where eternity is meant for your soul

A meaningful prize at the end of the rope

A surety gained, a realized hope

A wondrous glory is meant to be found

By those willing to follow Jesus’ words so profound

Not me you might say, Jesus isn’t for me

With so many paths, I’ll be the one to find one meant for me

While it’s true that the map you follow is for you to determine

Remember to consider failings with learnings

Place what you’ve learned like a coin in your purse

How does it measure against the vast universe

Think about space and time; realize it’s odd

To think that your concept is bigger than God

The map to eternity is open for you to read

The Bible is the God-given map that you need

To give meaning to this life for now and forever

To make sure your destination is worth the endeavor

In a world full of places do you know where to go?

In a universe moving faster than blinks do you know what to know?

By Royce Waxenfelter

05/22/23

Gone, So Long

I took a day to wonder why

The day you left, the life I cry

Well I went out to see the sun

There’s only grey, the light is gone

I thought about the time we had

The things we shared when things were bad

We had something deep, something true

But all that’s left is dismal blue

    You oo-oo-oo oo

    Are gone

    You oo-oo-oo oo

    So long

Like a snowflake in the wind you are gone

Like a leaf out on the river you float along

Like a cloud up in the sky you dissipate

Like water down the drain on a rainy day

I spent the morning with my old man

He told me there’s a bigger plan

I scoffed at him and bit my lip

It wasn’t him you gave the slip

Now each day feels like a year

As sadness fuels my lonely fear

It’s never ending, where are you

You’re not with me, that much is true

    You oo-oo-oo oo

    Are gone

    You oo-oo-oo oo

    So long

Someday I hope you realize

That I was meant to be your guy

Someday you’ll know my big regret

Until that day, I’ll be in debt

Will you listen to my plea

Why are you so sick of me

What did I do to seal my fate

To make you scrape me off your plate

    You oo-oo-oo oo

    Are gone

    You oo-oo-oo oo

    So long

Now I sit here all depressed

In my own home I’m like a guest

Nothing here is comforting

This empty couch, this empty ring

For now I have to just pretend

And wish I did much more to mend

I should have done things differently

Then maybe you’d be here with me

    But You oo-oo-oo oo

    Are gone

    You oo-oo-oo oo

    So long

Like a snowflake in the wind you are gone

Like a leaf out on the river you float along

Like a cloud up in the sky you dissipate

Like water down the drain on a rainy day

    You oo-oo-oo oo

    Are gone

    You oo-oo-oo oo

    So long

By Royce Waxenfelter

2/1/23

Fall Downfall

I stumble in for coffee, I spit on the ground

I humbly despise this New England town

I step outside and the colors fall down

All of God’s splendor are the leaves on the ground

I get what I need and drag myself home

I sit on the couch, I sit all alone

I escape to my phone to buy gems that aren’t real

But there’s no escaping the regret that I feel

    “Boston in the fall,” she said

    Her bucket list dream

    But we never made it

    As sad as it seems

I used to get high, an excuse to get low

My wife was patient, much more than you’d know

I’d lie and I’d promise “We’ll get there someday,

We’ll travel the world, we’ll see everything.”

But I’d spend all my time in a world in my phone

The day my wife died she was virtually alone

A little too late and after withdrawal

I packed and I moved up to Boston that fall

    “Boston in the fall,” she said

    Her bucket list dream

    But we never made it

    As sad as it seems

I should have done right by her, but I put it off

Now whatever I try to do just isn’t enough

I just quit trying again and close all the blinds

Try to black out the colors engrained in my mind

I dream she is here with me, Boston in the fall

Her eyes full of jubilance, her spirit enthralled

Her hopeful exuberance, her gleeful call

My waking reality is my fall downfall

    “Boston in the fall,” she said

    Her bucket list dream

    But we never made it

    As sad as it seems

By Royce Waxenfelter

4/19/23

My Curb

I take a spot in the back of the line

This seedy bar, these seedy times

I look like a trucker after a long haul

A running back who dropped the ball

It’s the way I feel when you look past me

It’s the hurt of loathing that makes me flee

It’s the leprous syndrome you place on me

It’s what makes my gut turn inside of me

    Skip me over

    Pass me up

    Take my carcass to the dump

    Watch me shiver

    See my grit

    Throw me in the deepest pit

I wake beside my concrete curb

Hardened gum spells do not disturb

I must seem like a stammering slobbering fool

A rejected jester in a pile of drool

What I wouldn’t give to have a bed

A place to rest my weary head

Where I am seen and I am heard

Where I exist in every world

    Skip me over

    Pass me up

    Take my carcass to the dump

    Watch me shiver

    See my grit

    Throw me in the deepest pit

I eat outside the shelter door

Not a sneer original

Not a mocking stabbing curse

I haven’t heard to tell my worth

The hope is fake, the hope is nigh

It isn’t hope that gets me high

Hope is what you think you provide

When you pander to your giving side

    So skip me over

    Pass me up

    Take my carcass to the dump

    Watch me shiver

    See my grit

    Throw me in the deepest pit

I sleep beside my lonely curb

I mumble my unmeaningful blurb

I take the handouts every one

I’ve placed myself beneath your shun

I am a man without a home

A restless wandering forgotten soul

A grubby dirty cursed word

Growing fond of my very own curb

By Royce Waxenfelter

8/1/23

The Destiny of Mankind: Good or Evil?

    “This story has no moral this story has no end.

    This story just goes to show that there ain't no good in man.    

    He was her man and he's done her wrong.”

 

These are the last lines of the song ‘Frankie and Johnny’ made famous in 1929 by Jimmie Rodgers. The story in a nutshell? Man cheats on woman, woman shoots man. Inspired by true stories, it is said that the folk song was heard as far back as the American Civil War. The first recorded version was made in 1912 by Gene Greene.

The theme of love gone wrong is timeless. ‘Frankie and Johnny’ has been recorded by dozens of great artists including: 

• Elvis Presley

• Sam Cooke

• Bob Dylan

• Stevie Wonder

• Jack Johnson

• Doc Watson

• Pete Seeger

• Lena Horne

• Les Paul

• Burl Ives

• Van Morrison

• Taj Mahal

• Dinah Shore

• Leadbelly

• Fats Waller

The song comes to this conclusion: “there ain’t no good in man.” In other words, we WILL fail. Our destiny is evil.

I submit that the message poses a deeper question about the morality of man: if mankind inevitably chooses sin and, as the song reveals, sin begets sin, are we all doomed to this fate? Are we stuck in a cycle of imperfection and poor choices? If mankind is inherently evil is there any hope?

Let’s start answering those questions by focusing on the phrase: There ain’t no good in man.

The Bible, the commonly known baseline for wrong vs. right, 100% agrees with the songwriter’s conclusion in the following Bible verses:

 

“For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts- murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Matthew 15:19

“But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:8

“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good.” 2 Timothy 3:2

“People’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong.” Ecclesiastes 8:11B

The word sin is an archery term meaning “to miss the mark”. According to the Bible we have all therefore “missed the mark” of perfection and subsequently cannot rightly claim to be equal with God.

You may or may not be aware that God, as we read about God in the Bible, is perfect in every way: omniscient, omnipresent, omni powerful. All knowing, all being, all able. An eternal entity with the capability of knowing all, accurately judging good versus evil, and capable of carrying out punishment or reward based on those judgements. If you can’t do those things then you are not able to be a proper judge of who is good or evil. Humans simply don’t have the scope or ability. If you judge God rather than accepting His judgment for you, you do so in error, because you are only human.

Will mankind inevitably choose sin?

We all have sinned at some point. Even those who try will fail periodically when they lose sight of the goal. Others will continue to choose sin even when given the option not to.

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness instead of the light because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19

“He did evil because he had not set his sight on seeking the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 12:14

“Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your decrees.” Psalms 119.155

“But the way of the wicked is like a deep darkness; they do not know what makes then stumble.” Proverbs 4:19

“Haughty eyes and a proud heart – the unplowed field of the wicked – produce sin.” Proverbs 21:4

“The fool says in his heart “There is no God.” They are corrupt and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.” Psalms 14:1

Why do we sin? Can we avoid sin? Can we improve?

In our flesh, our base self, or own desires, we tend toward sin. Human beings are a fallen race. Our entire nature is corrupted by imperfection, and it can become such a deeply engrained yearning within that we instinctively choose based on personal desire rather than greater good. Even those who practice choosing to “be a good person”, and I count myself among those, can still choose incorrectly at times. We are NOT all knowing, all being, all able. We are at liberty to sin so, apart from God, we often do so. That said, the Bible makes the case that we have the option to NOT choose sin.

“Do good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.” Amos 5:14

“Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?” Jeremiah 4:14

“Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.” Proverbs 12:20

“Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.” Romans 12:17

“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” James 1:21

“My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalms 73.26

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalms 119:11

“The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless but is the ruin of those who do evil.” Proverbs 10.29

This last verse begs the question: Who are “the blameless”?

Who is worthy of Heaven?

If, as the Bible says, the human heart is deceptive and evil, how can any human be seen as blameless, upright, or righteous? How can unworthy, imperfect beings become worthy of achieving a Heaven which requires perfection?

We can be seen as blameless by God due to the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross. When we accept that sacrifice, we accept God’s perfection and wear it like a spotless robe. God forgives our sins because Christ covered those sins when he died on the cross in place of our sins; in place of you and me.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”” 1 Corinthians 15.54

 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

How does one “accept” God? 

It begins with sincerely seeking to truly know God… then finding and accepting God.

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29

“’For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 29:11-14A

“First seek the counsel of the Lord.” 1 Kings 22:5B

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

This is why those saved / redeemed by Jesus Christ can say…

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalms 28:7

“My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.” Psalms 7:10

“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness.” Isaiah 61:10A

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossoans:13-14

“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe.” Psalms 107:2

Summary

A challenge: Stop living with the conception that you cannot change. Your destiny does not have to be terrible or evil. It is true that on your own, you cannot overcome your sin nature; apart from God’s intercession you are bound to sin and failure. However, a transformation takes place with God welcomed in your heart, ruling your heart. When you are sincerely seeking to do things God’s way instead of your own way, the decisions you make will begin to hit the mark rather than missing it. Try this: For each decision you make, take a moment to check with the truth within you, AKA the Holy Spirit. 

“This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” 1 John 3:19-24

Jesus said: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26

The Bible is the Word of God, the guideline for doing good, the owner’s manual for living a blessed life. It takes practice to aim so high, and you will miss when you take your eyes off God, but the more you practice doing God’s will rather than your own, the more it will become natural to you. Like muscle memory, but of the spirit. Exercise your spiritual muscles. Sculpt and refine.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

“The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.” Psalms 37:31

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

Remember that when you miss the mark, God is willing and able to forgive, all you need to do is let him know you messed up and ask for forgiveness. 

“Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

Set your eyes again on living the lifestyle Jesus displayed for us: love, seek truth, sacrifice, forgive. Above all, love.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’. This is the first and greatest commandment.”” Matthew 26:36-38

In conclusion: There ain’t no good in man, but there IS good in God.

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”2 Corinthians 13:14

By Royce Waxenfelter 

1/25/23

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Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_and_Johnny_(song)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNq532Cyhu0

https://www.biblegateway.com/

Lost and Found

In the guise of finding myself
I set out to lose my soul
Instead of standing on solid rock
I went on a raucous roll

The risk was thrilling

The adventures were daring

In pursuit of my joy

I actually stopped caring

About what I knew truth to be

And the notion of Heaven

I puffed myself up

Like a loaf made with leaven

I grew rotten and stale

And lost my direction

And the lies I’d believed in

Were lacking discretion

I ended up lonely

And circling the drain

I was angry with God

Filled with disdain

God the good shepherd

Instead showed me kindness

He sought me to love me

To remove self-wrought blindness

Under His watch and care

I am safe, I’m at peace

Where my knowledge of hope

Is bound to increase 

I once tried to find myself

And ended up lost

But God paid the price for me

Found at a great cost.

By Royce Waxenfelter 

12/15/22

The Weight of Hate

There are times when you are wronged

Taken away from where you once belonged

It can sit in your stomach like a rotten meal

And ruin your days, diminish what’s real

The bitterness takes away your joy

Constantly eats away your soul

Twists and turns your story

Takes you away from former glory

You may feel that you’re about to break

Under the weight of hate

It may be justified

But have you ever tried

Forgiveness 

Forgiveness is the only way to right the wrongs

Bring you back where you belong

Fill you back up like a satisfying meal

Put back into focus what matters, what’s real

Forgiveness will restore your joy

And replenish your soul

It will renew your story

Return you to former glory

You may feel that you’re about to break

Under the weight of hate

It may be justified

But have you ever tried

Forgiveness 

By Royce Waxenfelter 

10/4/22