Easter Hope Amid the Headlines

Scott Peterson is Not Scott Free
But Jesus Died So He One Day Might Be

Dead man walking.
Scott’s not talking.
Neither are his wife and son.
They got death
before his sentence.
Lives were lost, but justice won.

From his prison
where he’s livin’
Scott can see the very bay
where he dumped
that precious cargo
on that cold December day.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy
on this man we love to hate.
Every day
he’ll die by inches
till a future lethal date.

From Your cross You
had a clear view
of that bay where sin can hide.
You saw all our deadly motives,
greed and lust and hate and pride.

And Your vision
of derision
wasn’t just a casual glance.
What You focused on You shouldered
in atonement’s bloody dance.

We’re forgiven,
men and women.
Though once guilty, we’re scott free.
But the good news of Good Friday
isn’t just for you and me.

So I’m sayin’
let’s be prayin’
men like Scott awaiting death
will have claimed the life Christ offers
when they draw their final breath.

Mother Liberty is Weeping
Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor and Your Brain-damaged

They disengaged her breathing tube
and want Terri to die
while in a harbor Mother stands
and cannot help but cry.

She holds a torch above her head.
It lights her tear-stained face.
Her flame burns brightly beaconing
the values we embrace.

We treasure life and liberty
and welcome those who seek
to celebrate the worth of all,
the strong, impaired and weak.

Our country claims that freedom is
for everyone who breathes
including those as yet unborn
those unnamed hes and shes.

The right to live is God-ordained
no matter what some say.
But somewhere somehow black and white
have blurred to godless gray.

Who pulled the tube and said “Enough?”
I know it wasn’t God.
And so I weep with Liberty
though some may call me odd.

A Purpose Driven Death (and Life)
Why Good Friday Depends on Great Sunday

His was a purpose driven life.
He had no wealth. He had no wife.
He didn’t write a must-read book.
He lacked a photogenic look.
Compared with how we judge success,
he didn’t score too high.

And though he didn’t know much fame,
this man stayed true to why he came.
He hung with those considered lost
and then he hung upon a cross.
Because mankind is evil-prone,
this kind man chose to die.

Still Jesus’ aim was not fulfilled
when Friday came and he was killed.
To prove his love can make us new,
he had a bit more work to do.
His purpose driven life would fail
if Death had the last word.

But there was much more to be said
by one who spoke although quite dead.
And he whose words first birthed the world
escaped the grave, its clothes unfurled,
to show that what he’d come to do
was definitely done.

What Simon says and Michael doesn’t

Beware of What Simon Says
Life lessons in self-esteem from the American Idol craze.

Paula and Randy are candid (yet kind).
But American Idol wanna-bees
are often stung by the waspy words
that Simon says.
He’s mean-spirited. He’s heartless.
And furthermore, he’s often wrong.
But he’s not alone.
When you try your hardest,
you too have critics
who will attempt to steal your joy
and rob you of your self-esteem.
They will undermine your dreams
if you let them.
But as Carole King reminded us
back when we idolized her,
“Don’t you let them!”
Remember, you’ve got a Friend
Who loves you more than you know
and loves you as you are.
In the end, it’s not your critics who count.
It’s a panel of One
from Whom your gifts have come.

Michael’s Drumline
You’ve never heard Tom-Toms like this.

You could call it Michael’s Drumline
near a ranch named Neverland.
where the legal Tom-Toms square-off
making noise.
There is Sneddon and there’s Mesereau
aware of Jackson’s jazz
and the trap set for
unknowing little boys.

It’s a Tom-Tom competition
quite complete with many snares.
These are rhythms you will never
hear again.
There are prosecution rimshots
and the roll of Mike’s defense
as the lawyers do their best to
claim a win.

Why Jesus would be a guest on The Ellen Degeneres Show

Oh, by the way I heard that Mel
was on the Ellen Show.
Their passions are not quite the same.
He’s hetero you know.

A Gibson girl this host is not.
We all know Ellen’s gay.
And Mel’s a bloody Jesus chap
who claims the narrow way.

But lest you judge the actor’s choice
for being Ellen’s guest,
consider what you know of Christ.
Let that be Prudent’s test.

This rabbi ate with prostitutes.
He hung with the maligned
while those self-righteous holy types
were hateful and unkind.

Though criticized, the rabbi loved
to mix with those who sinned.
In fact the Good Book clearly states
he was the sinners’ friend.

The bottom line? I think J.C.
would sit at Ellen’s side.
The passion of the Christ was love
and that is why he died.

The joys of capturing a killer and stealing home

Lessons from a Wichita Church
What the capture of the BTK killer means to ministers. 

It might seem like all is kosher
as you take care of your flock.
But be cautious of those members
when their walk belies their talk. 

You don’t know to whom you’re preaching.
One might be a fugitive
whose been wanted for three decades
running free as through a sieve. 

In your flock there may be secrets
in the hearts of ewes and rams.
One who loves to call you shepherd
might be someone on the lam. 

Don’t take chances with youth workers.
Better do those background checks.
There are wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing
who will prey on kids for sex. 

It could be that some you’ve baptized
have not paid a legal debt.
Even though they’re splashed with water
their facade may be all wet. 

Even Jesus had a Judas
who pretended all was right.
But this scoundrel had a secret
that eventually came to light. 

What seems normal can be deadly.
Sad to say, we must beware.
For among repentant sinners
evil people rig their snare. 

So the moral of this poem
is to be alert and wise.
Do not let some baa-a-ad imposter
pull the wool over your eyes.

The Other March Madness
Examining the indescribable lure of spring training.

The smell of spring is all about.
White-chalked infields, grassy outs.

Bats with pitch. Well-oiled gloves.
The scent of March is what I love.

Players rested (game to play)
practice where it’s warm all day.

Fans in shorts seek autographs,
shag foul balls, tell jokes and laugh.

Scarfing peanuts, spitting seeds,
gauging pitchers’ fastballs’ speed.

Chasing down a homerun ball.
Peering through a chain-link wall.

Watching walk-ons try their luck.
Buying hotdogs for a buck.

Getting psyched for Opening Day
when my team will swing away.

Call it crazy. Say I’m mad.
Baseball fever is no fad.

Jose, Can You See?
Why Canseco’s confessions aren’t believable even if they’re true.

Jose, can you see
how your book’s been received?
Because of your antics,
your words aren’t believed.

Your motive for writing
is highly suspect.
No wonder those slandered
are prone to object.

And even if most
of what you claim is true,
a lack of integrity
undermines you.

It seems you owe taxes.
You’ve cheated on wives.
You’ve broken probation.
You’ve juiced up and lied.

Your word has no merit.
You’re viewed as a joke.
Your lost reputation
has gone up in smoke.

And so here’s the lesson
we’d best not avoid.
A life marked by scandal
is worse than steroids.

A reflection of the Incarnation in South Asia

Former Oval Officers
wept where tidals waved.
Bush and Clinton watched in horror
while their courage caved.

What they saw exceeded all
that they thought they’d see.
Tragic sights beyond belief.
Countless refugees.

Homeless orphaned babies cling
to those who reach out.
Parents robbed of children lost
wander (dazed) about.

Treeless landscapes raped by force
hide its buried dead
while those victims still alive
pray for daily bread.

Thank you, God, for George and Bill.
They left comfort zones
so to taste the bitterness
of those damned, alone.

And that smacks of what You did
when in Christ you came.
Visiting our ravaged world,
you embraced our shame.