The transgressions of youth and social media follow us
If ever there was any doubt…
“Be sure your sins will find you out.”
Behavior back in high school
can derail your grown-up dreams.
An Instagram or Facebook post
can turn your resume to toast.
And photos taken just for fun
can rob you of a job.
The choices that we freely make
can turn the tide and leave a wake.
We can’t undo what we have done.
We reap what we have sown.
A timely question
Excuse me. May I be so bold
to ask about your past?
In high school did you drink beer with your friends?
Did you do some things you now regret
that no one would suspect?
If so, how can you judge another’s sins?
And what about your current life?
What secrets do you hide?
What would the FBI reveal as true?
Would your best friends and your colleagues
be appalled at what they find?
So, who are you to judge what others do?
Perhaps this is the perfect time
to look into the mirror
acknowledging you aren’t who others think.
You have the means to change your ways
and claim God’s cleansing grace
that charts our lives in pencil not with ink.
An amazing comeback for a disgraced golfer
Tiger Tiger burning bright
in the forest of delight.
Woods of metal, shafts of steel
vibrate with the joy you feel.
As you prowl the comeback trail
stalking fairways to prevail,
does your hunger fuel your fear
that your prey might disappear?
Tiger, Tiger, can you hear
those who love you as they cheer?
Can you hear God cheering, too?
Grace means we can start anew.
Attempting to make sense of a senseless claim
Bert and Ernie are not gay.
No matter what some writers say.
They’re best of friends who love striped shirts.
Don’t read between the lines.
For fifty years this Muppet pair
have modeled what it means to care.
Although quite different, they are proof
that opposites attract.
They pave the way on Sesame Street
to show us what is kind and sweet.
And though they sometimes bicker,
these good buddies give and take.
Why must you make them poster kids
for same-sex causes? God forbid!
Don’t rewrite history just to make
these puppets speak for you.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/18/entertainment/bert-and-ernie-not-gay/index.html
Asking God to calm the storm
Florence, Katrina,
Andrew, Camille,
Harvey and Sandy (and more)
have ransacked our lives
with abusive intent
and left (in their wake) untold horror.
Their fast, spinning winds
and their strong, surging surf
have relentlessly heartlessly wrenched
the calm peace of mind
from these poor stressed-out souls
as they leave hapless victims all drenched.
O God, for the victims
of hurricanes’ wrath,
I pray for Your presence to calm.
Please rescue the missing
and heal those who grieve
with Your life-giving long-lasting balm.
My Rhymes and Reasons 