Don't See

Don't see me,
Don't talk to me,
Leave me alone,
For I am not worthy
Of your attention,
God cannot love me.
But comes back
An answer,
You are always worthy
Of my love
For I am the One
Who created you
Just as you are.

Riot# - late 1960's

Come, you people, and see.
Come you rich
And all that have enough.
Come and see
Where the poor are.
Look at the breeding ground
Of anger and frustration.
Come and see
Poverty at its worst.
The people are crowded
Thousands in a small space.
The rats, huge and bold,
Walk across your feet
And sleep with the children.
No place to play,
No place to sleep,
Person piled on top of person
Up to the sky.
Impossible you say?
Where?  You ask.
Look at the cities -
Harlem, Watts, Chicago -
All the large cities -
New York, Los Angeles, Detroit.
This is where riots are born
In the slums of Cleveland and Newark
Where men and women
Have no chance to live,
No chance to work
And little happiness;
And anger boils out
And frustration takes its toll.
For many are unskilled
And jobs are hard to find.
Go down to the slums and see;
Be one of them for a day, a week,
And know what frustration is like,
And why all the angry people
Erupt in violence.
1967

Don't

Don't turn away,
Don't reject me,
See me as I am
And accept me.

Don't turn away,
Don't tell me
I am not right,
Just Just love me.

Don't lean away,
Lean toward me
And love me
Just as I am.

Raised Up

Raised up
Out of our brokeness,
Out of our sorrow,
Raised to joy.

Raised up
To find that God
Is standing near us,
Raised in life.

God Is

God is here,
Among us
And will never
Leave us alone.
God is here
And walks  with us
And loves us
Always!

Jesus - Following Him ¿

Are we really following Jesus? Do we really know what was in His mind through all the layers of history?   Do we know who Jesus was in that time?   Questions with no real answers.   Yet how  can we know much about the real Jesus  after all this time?   And would Jesus accept the religion that has grown up  in His name? What would He say about all of us?   Would He accept the religion and worship that has grown up around His name?

I am not trying to be a rebel or a heretic here,  these are just questions that have occurred to me recently.   What I am doing is seeking a deeper understanding of and relationship with God and the man we know as Jesus. What did He really know  and think about Himself?  I   wonder what He would think of  our priests and preachers and our tendency to be follow those people who preach division instead of unity.  What would He think of all our religions?   And would  He even approve of what we do in His name?   It strikes me that there is too little love in some of the denominations of what we call Christianity.  Are we really following Jesus if we do not love all people?   And what does the personality we call God have to say about the way we treat others in our world?  I  find myself wondering about such things.

Where do we go from here?   Can anyone find the answers to these and other questions people have about religion and Christianity?   I wait and wonder if our questions will ever be  answered.   And yet these questions need an answer.   The problem is, where do we find those  answers?  Can any answers even be found?   It has been too many years since  Jesus lived, so any answers will be suspect.

Yet we live in faith, trusting that what we have been told over the years is the truth.   Faith is the only thing we have to rely on.    What else is there when we can't question the source, Jesus?  We can never be sure if we rely on our own thoughts,  even if we say the idea is an answer to a prayer.   There have been  too many cults set up  because someone said they had the answers are  to everything.   Too many people believe what the person says without thinking it over and doing a lot of research.  So where do we go  from here?   How do we find the answers to our questions?  If we  really want to follow Jesus, how do we get to know the man and what He believed? Are we ready for the answers to our questions?

Are we following Jesus when we don't stop to help those we meet along the way?   What about not helping those who are different?   Do we know what Jesus wants of each of us?   Do we even follow the right path?  Does love rule our lives or are we selective about who we love?    Could any of us leave everything behind if that was our call?   Everything means family, friends and material goods.  Would we even hear that kind of call or  would we think it a false call?   Following Jesus does cost,  especially if the people we know and trust believe a different way and tell us we are crazy and will go to hell because we have come to believe different than they do.

Come and learn with me who this Jesus is.   Let us study what we have and see if we can find the  truth about Him.   For example did Jesus intend to start another religion?   Or did  He just intend to  reform the religion He knew?   By the time Jesus was born,  there was much wrong with Judaism, and the religious leaders of that time didn't  seem to be going the way their own books taught.  Or at least that's what I read in our part of the Bible.

Something else that has occurred to me, what if we are  all worshipping the same God in different ways,  ways that go with our culture? After all,  the basic principles of each of the major religions are very similar.  We are not as different from each other as we might think.  God is the creator of all,  why can't God be revealed to different people in different ways?   And if this is true,  we shouldn't be fighting each other.   Instead,  we should be gathering together, learning who each person is and how to live together in peace and love.

Surrounded

I'm surrounded by love!
Everywhere I look.
There is Gox loving me!

Beloved

Remember: there is Somebody who calls us ALL beloved!
Come now, all people
And meet the One
Who calls
All of us beloved.

2
Come my brothers
And my sisters,
Walk side by side
With me.
Come and talk
With me,
For you also
Are a child of God
Just like me.
So let us sit
Side by side
And eat together
And let the world know
God's love is
Within us all.

3
Come, all people,
Leave all your
Hurts and pain
Behind you
And walk
With the One
Who calls you
Beloved.

4
Come and know
That it does not matter
How different
You may be,
There is Somebody
Who calls you
Beloved.

5
Come, hear
The good news
That God
Is always near you
And calls you
Beloved.

A Child Of God

A Child Of God
By Jerry Browning

Chorus:
I'm a child of God - You made me like You want me
And You want like You made me,
Not for others to deceive,
I'm a child of God - and in my heart I hear You
I'll never have to leave You, if I live what I believe.

Someone will turn the Master's words to music
Someone will paint a sudden burst of spring
Each life is given a gift to share with others
But some will turn away and never see a thing.

Chorus :

So when the time has come to meet the Maker
And I'm taken from the pastures where I feed,
Will I be true? Did I live the life You gave me
Or a life some other mortal made me lead?

Chorus :

A Person

A person sat in a darkened room, thinking.  Then began to speak aloud to no one, for no one else was there:  “I seem to be alone, too different from others to be accepted by anyone else.  It seems that no one cares enough about me to come around to see how I am.  There is no one to love me AS I AM!  Yet I will not go away, nor leave this life until it is time.  And I wonder where God is in all this.”

Came an answer immediately; a voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere:  “I am your GOD, and I AM here, near you.  I will not leave you, for I love you.   You are one of my beloved children, and I love ALL my children, and I love them all AS THEY ARE right now.   I am the One who made you and all others AS THEY ARE right now, and I do not turn any away.  Come, walk with me, beloved.  Stay always near me and do not despair.  And by the way, there are many who care about you.”  

Dwelling closer to God, how does one do that?  How does a person get closer to the Divine, to pure love?   What path does one follow?  Follow the path given to you and learn to trust that God will always there nearby to lead you and to always love you.   However, unless you listen carefully for the voice of God, the path that is yours alone can be hard to find.   We have to learn to hear with the inner ears, the ears of the soul.  And then, day by day, we will be lead to dwell closer to God.  The possibility is there for all people.  

In reading over my writings, one theme is there over and over again, God’s love for all people no matter who they are.   But how do you get that across to those who have been told too many times that they are not loved?  How do we reach out to them and what words do we use?  How do we put together a sentence so that they will understand that God loves them, too?  One way is to listen for God’s voice and then we will know what to say and how to say it.  

God is Working

See the rugged,
Snow- capped mountains
Reaching for the sky.
See the deep, green valleys
Laying far beneath
See the rolling plains and prairies
Stretching onward mile by mile
See all the signs and know;
God is working – here.

See the trees growing upward
See the green grass beneath.
See the glowing flowers
With all the colors
Of the rainbow.
Look all around you now
And know that again:
God is working – here.

See the small streams
And the wide rivers
Flowing onward to the sea.
See the wider sea
And the restless waves
Beating on the shoreline.
See all this and remember:
God is working – here.

See the people gather,
Young and old, short and tall.
See them in all colors
And all persuasions
Mixing freely all around.
See all of this
And always remember:
God is working – here.

Feel the wind a blowing
Wherever it will
See the rain coming down
Always upon one and all.
See the bright sun shine
Every day, even through the clouds.
Look around you day by day
And know that always and ever:
God is working – here.

In the Middle of the Evergreens

In The Middle Of The Evergreens
By Jerry Browning

The mountain shines in the morning sun where the breeze blows soft and clean
Like a carpet spread at the feet of God, it was with evergreens
All the people came just to see itts beauty and wonder at the scene they'd seen
But halfway up in the middle of the mountain grew a solitary maple tree

And the people said, “It's the world's Creator Who has sculpted such a wondrous scene,
How the mountain grows from the floor of the meadow and it's covered with evergreens. “

Chores :
And God made love and God made beauty,  if only the whole world had seen
That God's the One Who planted the maple in the middle of the evergreens.

When the autumn came and breeze grew chilly and mountain seemed alone and cold,
Then the lonely maple made its presence known turning scarlet and red and gold
All the people there in the mountain’s shadow said it looked so out of place
All the men who come say the evergreens are what gives it its style and grace

So they climbed together to the maple tree and in the shadow of the evening sun
They began their destruction of the mighty maple, in the black of night the deed was done ;
Now no one comes to see the mountain in its overcoat of evergreens
For it looks just like all the ones around it, just a common ordinary scene.

Chorus :

Creation

How wonderful
Is your world, oh God!
You have created
So much beauty
In all that
Surrounds us
And your hands
Created
And you are
Still creating!

Go to Pray

And I will go
Away to pray
And find the path
That God would
Have me walk along.

Away from people
I would go
To find out
For myself
Who I am.

The Little Church in the Storefront

The Little Church in the Storefront
By Jerry Browning

Following dreams just never led to a place where I could be free
All the desire within my heart didn't do a thing for me
And the void within my soul I filled in the bedrooms and the bars
But the darkened secrets in the night didn't take me very far
Burdened with all the emptyness, I was preparing to seek an end
Suddenly a hand reaced out, it was the beckoning of a friend
He told me he had found a place where the weary could find some peace
Then he took me to a part of town that long ago had been a busy street.

CHORUS :
We sang about the Victory in Jesus and we sang about Amazing Grace
We joined our hands and raised them high and the tears flowed down my face
I've stood in great cathedrals with their ivory and gold
But the little church in the storefront seemed like the throne of God to me.

Something was different in the people there, there was a peace I had never seen
Watching their eyes and smiles and love was a whole new scene for me
I'd grown up in secret world where I always had to hide
But with each smile and with each hug I began to feel that peace inside
There is serenity in my soul now that I I found I am free to be
The little church is a loving home, not some abandoned memory
Anywhere the Spirit lives, where two or more shall pray
The children of a loving God will always find their way to.

CHORUS :

Marginalized

Forced out to the margjns,
Ignored by other people,
And I don't know
What is being said.

Living on the margins,
And the others
Do not see me
Or care what happens.

Pulled back from the margins
By the others there
Into the center
Because there I belong.

Reach Out

Reach out
To the lepers
Of our day.
Let them know
That God loves
Even them.

Reach out
To the outsider
And let
Them know
That always
They are welcome.

Reach out
In God's name
And help all
Of those
Considered to be
Unclean.

Who Am I

Who am I
This person?
What is my identity?
I am an individual,
A person
Who matters,
But who am I?
No one can tell me
Anything about me.
God's child
And a special person
Is who I am.

Treasures

Where are your treasures?
Are they things of earth or of heaven?
Can we see God in everything around us?
Do we see the who need help?  Or are we we blind to them all?

Riches

I may have little money and few things that belong to me,  but i find I have riches beyond measure,  blessings beyond my ability to count .  I have many friends who care for me and God who loves and blesses me and gives me riches beyond measure, blessings beyond count.

I may not have much
Of what others
Seem to want,
But in looking
At what I do have,
I have riches
Beyond measure
And blessings
Beyond count.
There is no way
To list them all
Because there are
Too many of
Riches beyond measure
And blessings
Beyond count.

Be Still

Be stil and listen
For God will speak to you
In the stillness.

Be still and stop
The nervous fighting
And hear God speaking.

Be still and know
That God is near
And always loves you.

Christmas all year

When was Jesus born into our world, really?  So many accommodations were made that the real date has been lost if it was ever know.  But does that really matter?  It is the spirit,  the joy that matters and remembering to treat others with respect.
The real truth of it all is that we  celebrate God came into our lives to dwell with us. And love is near whether we know it or not.  And there is the celebration, God loves ALL people no who or where they are!

Despair

In despair
I look around
But it seems
No one is there.
But then
I reach out
And find
That there are
Many others ready
To help me.

And God Speaks :

Tear down all
Of your walls
Of fear and suspicion
And build places
Where hope and love
Can dwell.
Then open the doors
And let all others in
That they might find
Peace and love
For themselves.

Don't

Don't ignore me,
I am here
And I am human,
Just like you!

Don't ignore me,
I am alive
And I have needs
Just like you.

Don't pretend
That I do not exist
Or that God
Did not make me.

Don't ignore me
Just love me
As I am
This day.

Freedom

God works in history to set all people free but we tend to turn away because so much freedom like God gives us scares us.   But in this freedom, we are free to be who we really are and there is no one who can turn us away from God's love. Radical Christianity is about radical compassion and acceptance of people where they are.

And in a vision, I saw people who were singing praises as they gathered around the throne. All kinds of people were there, some of them were surprised by who was there. But when they asked, they were told, "They are my children and I love them too as they are."

God is There

Psalm 23
God is with me,
There to protect
And to show me
Which way to go.
In good times
Or in the bad,
God is there
And will not
Leave me alone.

Isaiah 56:1-8
God is there for me
And for all people
From all nations
Who come together
In love and fellowship,
Loving one another.
Many are called
From other places
To be here
Where God is,
Where love is.

Matt 28:18-20
As God is there for us,
We are called
To go out to the world
And tell all people
Of the love of God
Shown us in Jesus.

Acts 2:1-4
And God's Spirit
Descends on me,
Leading me to go
And tell the world
Of the love
That is there for them.

Acts 10:9-15
The message
That I was given
Is this:
God's Love
Is for all people
And no one
Will be turned away.
All people are loved
And all are God's!

When

When

Having troubles,
Praying for help
And there seems
No answer?
Think when
Not if!

Need a healing
For your spirit
And you don't feel
God hears?
Think when,
Not if!

Looking for someone
Who really cares
That you exist?
Think now,
Not never
And think God!

Jesus is There

The care taken
For the person
Who needs help;
Jesus is there.

The hand held out
To help the one
With an unsteady step;
Jesus is there.

The love given
To the stranger
In your midst;
Jesus is there.

Light

Light
   For Roland Smith
Psalm 27:1
The light of God
Is always with me,
Therefore I don’t need
To be afraid of anything,
For God is my strength
And my light.

Isaiah 60:1-3
Stand up and see,
The light of God
Is come to you.
Let it shine
Through the darkness
And all people
Will come to it.

Matt 1:4-9
And the light
Has come to us
To break up
The darkness,
And all people
Can come
To dwell in that light.

I John 1:5-7
God is our light.
If we dwell with God,
There is no darkness
Anywhere near us.
If we walk
In the light,
Jesus is with us,
For He is the light,
There for all
Who would walk
With Him.

The Light

It was dark, oh so dark,
No light could there be seen.
Then like magic, a light,
A glimmering, as a candle small
Glowed there in the dark
And grew each passing day.
The dark did try to put it out,
But could not do it;
For it was the light of the world
That shone there.
Still it shines and stronger grows
As more and more
The people come to it
And worship God as the source,
The source of light and life.
        Written 1964
        Printed 1996
    National Library of
Poetry:                        
“Memories of
Tomorrow”

Seasons

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Everything
Has its season,
The time
That is right .
Let us stop
And learn
To wait for
The proper time
For our lives
And learning
How to love.

I Cor 13:4-7
See what love is
And learn
How to show
All others around you
The love that God
Has for all.

I Cor 13:8-13
Whatever else
May be around
Will pass away
But love always
Will be there for all.
The best and greatest
Thing to do
Is to learn how
To really love
As God does.

The Darkness

Darkness lies around me
And seems too tbick
For me to find my way.
But as I turn and look,
A spot of light is there
In the distance.
I walk along toward the light
And as I walk I find
That God is there,
Ready to hold my hand
And guide me
Home.

Somebody

Somebody called me "Beloved."  As I woke from sleep, I heard the word clearly, as if there was someone there in the room with me.  I turned and looked around, but there was nobody there, not in the room nor anywhere near where I was.  Yet I had heard it plain, somebody called me "Beloved."

I lay for a moment in my bed confused, for I had heard the word beloved.  Where had it come from if no one was near me?  Yet I had heard it, somebody called me "Beloved."  I could not for the time understand what had happened, for I was still half asleep, and not really aware.  As I finally woke completely, I decided that I had been dreaming, but could not remember the rest of the dream.  Just that word, Beloved.  It echoed in my ears, and stayed in my brain, and would not go away that somebody had called me "Beloved."

As I considered what had happened, I realized that there was One who could have been there, even in my dreams.  One who is always there for me, even when I do not realize it.  And through the rest of my days, I shall not forget that there is a Somebody who calls me "Beloved."





God is talking:
          Say to all the people for me; you are my beloved children, I created you the way that you are, let no one tell you any different.  I have always known you, and I do not, will not turn any away.  So come to Me, and dwell with Me, for no matter what anybody says, I love you.  Come now, Beloved!

Beloved

Remember: there is Somebody who calls us ALL beloved!
Come now, all people
And meet the One
Who calls
All of us beloved.

2
Come my brothers
And my sisters,
Walk side by side
With me.
Come and talk
With me,
For you also
Are a child of God
Just like me.
So let us sit
Side by side
And eat together
And let the world know
God's love is
Within us all.

3
Come, all people,
Leave all your
Hurts and pain
Behind you
And walk
With the One
Who calls you
Beloved.

4
Come and know
That it does not matter
How different
You may be,
There is Somebody
Who calls you
Beloved.

5
Come, hear
The good news
That God
Is always near you
And calls you
Beloved.