Why awarding Oscars to pretenders is counter intuitive

No, Oscar wasn’t grouchy.
He brought smiles all around.
That little golden statue means first prize.
And those who earned his company
have won a friend for life.
But, strangely, Oscar’s friendship’s based on lies.

Yes, acting is pretending.What he does or what she says
has been scripted as a way to make believe.
Ain’t it funny how we honor
those who do not tell the truth,
those who live a life of pretense to achieve?

And we aren’t all that differentfudging facts to earn some praise.
We have learned to hide true feelings through the years.
We wore masks before we had to (masquerading all along)
in a veiled attempt to win applause and cheers.

Lord, have mercy. Please forgive usfor relying on a script.
We are weary of pretending what we’re not.
Give us courage to be honest
and risk being who we are.
Surely there are those who need just what we’ve got.

Resolutions for Earth Day

On God’s green earth on which we live
we’re called to do our part and give
attention to what robs God’s world
of dignity and health.

On God’s green earth where trash compounds
let’s treat our world like holy ground.
Remove the litter others leave.
Recycle when you can.

On God’s green earth that we call home,
we can’t behave like we’re alone.
We share this place with plants and birds,
with animals and fish.

On God’s green earth where oceans rise
and rivers flow beneath the skies,
we’d best protect to them while we can.
Our water fuels our lives.

On God’s green earth where climate change
can cause our weather to be strange,
we can’t afford to close our eyes
and blindly just pretend.

On God’s green earth, the trees stand tall
and beg for mercy. After all,
if we clear cut and chop at will
we will in time regret.

On God’s green earth we have a choice
to hear our Great Creator’s voice
or close our ears to what God says
and reap what we have sown.

On God’s green earth there is still time.
You do your part and I’ll do mine.
Let’s take responsibility
and do the best we can.

On God’s green earth, I do resolve
that I will be a means to solve
the problems that have plagued our globe.
The planet that we love.

A call for changes in law enforcement

Another death. A cop to blame.
An unarmed black man. Say his name!
What simmered all last summer long
is at the boiling point.

When law enforcement apprehends,
the outcome (way too often) tends
to find the victim victimized
by over-reaching force.

They simply must discover ways
to cuff offenders (or to tase)
instead of shooting for the kill
when killing’s not deserved.

Recounting a rather remarkable life

The Prince is dead!
Long live his memory!
A Royal refugee.
A Greek Adonis.
A Queen’s consort.
A house husband
in the House of Windsor.

A complicated companion
in a complex institution
deemed outdated by many.
This great-grandson
of Queen Victoria
and great-grandfather
to an American prince
will be remembered as one
who married a princess
once upon a time
a very long time ago.

By God’s grace,
may she live happily ever after.
Long live the Queen!
God save the Queen!
God comfort the Queen!

Cataloging the timeless volumes we cherish

While Sheltering in Grace
amid Streams in the Desert,
I hear Jesus Calling.
“Come Away My Beloved,” He says.
And so I do.
We gather in The Upper Room
where we are nourished by Our Daily Bread.

My Utmost for His Highest
is all that matters to me.
I know that by spending Time with Him
I will be Experiencing God.
It inspires me to Live in Grace and Walk in Love.
And through it all I discover 
The Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life
includes Cold Tangerines.

Morning and Evening
The Pursuit of God beckons me
with Daily Light.
The Confessions of St. Augustine
as well as Devotions by John Donne
offer me Spiritual Friendship.
As I walk among The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi
I look Unto the Hills.
Though shrouded by The Cloud of Unknowing
I sense Revelations of Divine Love.

In the Wisdom of the Desert I find
A Testament of Devotion.
It is A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life
providing me with A Simple Way to Pray.
By Practicing The Presence of God
I discover The Sacrament of the Present Moment.
In The Healing Light
I glimpse The Imitation of Christ.

Through Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians
Jesus Always invites me to share Life Together
in an Interior Castle.
And among the countless volumes of this devotional library,  
I am immersed in The Life of God in the Soul of Man.