One thing within this life we live, will never change its way,


For me and all that walk this earth, each morn will bring new day

The night will swallow up the sun, the day ahead will shine,


Most often, therein, twice between, the sky lights up like wine

Yet many times the color cannot seem to find it’s way,


We search upon horizons for God’s paintbrush, yet it’s gray

Within those moments, often days or weeks, we can lose sight,


We try with all we have, to no avail, to find the light

It is inside those trials that come our way we all should find,


That we must sometimes wait, be still, and calm our heart and mind

For there is ONE who has a greater plan than we could EVER hatch,


He knows when we’re within the gray, He’s promised those who’d fall he’d catch

He constantly reminds us all, within His Word, the gift of Life,


That if we place our trust in Him, we’d turn to grace what’s meant for strife

So when that sky does come to pass, where you‘re caught in the colorless,


Just close your eyes, open your ears, still your tongue and hear him bless,

In spite of what our feelings say, the Lord is always walking near,


In fact if we would listen, stilled, He says His voice we’ll always hear

Instead we often find ourselves, within a squall of spite and mire,


Through serving, first, our own free will, we feed our sinful hearts desire

Then we sit and wonder ‘WHY, must I, so often, have such trials?’,


“I am, indeed, good people, Lord, I’ve served your cause for countless miles”

While all this time, He’s been right there, He’s told us how to gain true peace,


He laid it all before our feet, “Just follow ME, my Love wont cease”

“Just read my word, obey my Son, get on your knees and pray for strength,

Have I not promised you my child, abide and I’ll go any length”

“My Son has suffered so, for you, He bore great pain that you would not,


For He is LOVE, amongst much else, He paid the price for Sin, the lot”

“So if you wonder where I’ve been, within the times you’ve suffered so,


Just look upon my Son’s great stripes, He took them so your Light could Glow”

“You were not made to live within, the valleys that will come at times,


The Savior He will carry you, He’ll take your hand and out you’ll climb”

“I know that often evil comes through others, by no cause of you,


Those moments are no different, child, because in them you’ll need me, too”

“I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, I’ve written this upon your heart,


NO MAN comes to Him but by ME, so in this truth my point will start”

“Remind that liar of his place, he has no power over US,

I’ve made you more than conquerors, so armor up and in Me, Trust”

“So many went before you, child, like some of twelve in Philippi,


They suffered great but stood firm still, on Me they kept a watchful eye”

“Be not anxious for one thing, Pray with thanks throughout your lives,


Think nobly, right, be pure for me, for Holiness my servant strives”

“If you can face each trial this way, despite what brought it forth to bear,


My paintbrush still can guide your way, My Love can conquer any snare”

“So make this note upon your heart, please everyone you meet, do tell,


I AM THE SAVIOR IN ALL TIMES, THROUGH STORMS AND SUNNY DAYS, AS WELL!”

A poem, by Mark William Moorman for my Lord and Brethren

When looking at this hawk, above, I know, immediately, that I’m much different from him. He’s not blessed with the ability to reason, like I am. He’s not an emotional creature, deciding, in the midst of a crisis, “I think I just wont hunt today, I’m really depressed. I really didn’t deserve to lose my mate to disease. You know, I’m not sure that I can go on.” YES, these pains are very real for us, and they should be paid attention to by our brethren. We’re sometimes very emotionally fragile, needing of comfort, and Our Brethren should be there to share a portion of that grief. That’s one of the points herein, regarding how different we are from that beautiful bird. And, actually, this very hawk, in the picture that I’ve taken from my backyard, DID lose his mate. [On a tangent, it’s interesting that, while someone might look at a person within their life, to some capacity or another, and backbite, saying, “How can they even eat after what‘s happened to them?”-as if we have any right to judge the heart of ANY man due to how he deals with circumstance…….in fact, the phrase “pull the plank from thine own eye” comes to mind to some extent- when, in reality, all we have to do is consider what travesties are going on, all around us, daily, and according to that train of thought, we should never eat or smile again.] While the Hawk, surely, instinctively misses it’s mate, it obviously doesn’t manifest grief, that is almost inconsolable at times, as we do.

The fact is, EVERYONE is different, in one way or anther. We all deal with catastrophe’s unique from one another, to some degree. We all treat those that the Lord has placed in our lives differently, to some extent. And yet, we are ALL sinners, saved by grace, when it comes to the Body of believers. The Hawk, while he hunts, eats and cleans himself, during the very day of his loss, will NEVER take a mate again once she dies. It’s true; Most often, quite a few of the MANY species of birds have one mate for life, and they will never take on another. Equally as often, I think, we, as believers, will take a trial and hold on to it’s initial or ongoing effect on our emotions with us for MILES of our journey. I digress to say, of course, the Hawk is much different than us in the eyes of the Lord. Yet, The Birds of the Air are used in the bible many times, including by Jesus...... Matthew 6:26 says, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

I find birds to be one of the most fascinating creations on earth. Of course, a large portion of my interest is spawned by a desire to one day fly. What person hasn’t had that thought?(Sorry to all of those who have a fear of heights…yet even many of those that I know who have that fear, when asked, “would you like to fly of your own ability?”, say ‘YES, that would be so cool’). The word’s “BIRD/S”, alone, are mentioned in the bible 97 times in the NIV. Eagles and Sparrows, amongst others are mentioned in many instances on top of the 97.

When thinking about what the Lord was trying to tell me, pertaining to my poem and the picture that He provided for me to take, a specific verse came to mind. Many of you who know me, personally, are aware that these are two of my favorite verses in the entire Bible…..

Isaiah 40:30-31; 30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint………

This verse is so beautiful to me, that….Often, when I really think, deeply, of all the ways this scripture ministers to me, I shed a tear. It is SUCH AN INCREDIBLE PROMISE! In fact, He’s proven it to me, many times. Even still- knowing how many times the Lord has rescued me from my own ignorance and self abuse…..KNOWING that He loves me and stands by me, in spite of my often irreverent and faithless attitude….Knowing that HE CAN do ALL THINGS for and through a person who believes on Him- I OFTEN, not only forget, but sometimes, I’ve even blamed him for the valleys that I’ve been in. I’ve found myself in situations like the poem that I’ve written above…. So bent on measuring the Lord through my circumstances, (when I should be in some ways like the Hawk-Knowing by some invisible instinct that the Lord WILL feed me, WILL protect me, WILL comfort me and give me what I need, and knowing that I need to eat and move forward)- that I COMPLETELY miss opportunities, grace, blessings of strength, comfort and even, sometimes, peace within the Storm. God’s Grace and MIGHT are in NO WAY measurable by Mankind. Sure, we can try to imagine, attempting to wrap our minds around it through some example that we’re familiar with. But, even that is futile, much like our attempts to measure His Love by our circumstance.

A large purpose or message in the Isaiah verses above is SO SIMPLE, yet I’ve often overlooked it. JESUS’ GRACE, WRITTEN WORD, STEADFASTNESS, LOVE, PATIENCE, CONVICTION AND ABILITIES ARE, WELL, ALWAYS AVAILABLE! He cleans up my prayers, making them presentable for the Lord. He cleans up my act, making ME presentable to the Father, by NO MEANS OR ACTIONS OF MY OWN! He gives me strength, when I’m CLEARLY being weak or double minded, in spite of the fact that I don’t deserve it. Not only is He ABLE, but He UNDERSTANDS! Even though He’s perfect, blameless, Holy, unlike EVERY one of us, he also knows that we WILL have pain, disappointment, discouragements, grief, anger, sorrow and fear as well. He knows EVERY HAIR on our head and every step that we’ll make. He knows how we’re going to deal with every trial that comes our way. He knows that we’ll often take blessings, incredible testimonies of conquering over seemingly impossible circumstances, due to HIS INTERSESSION, and forget all about them(How many times have you been in a trial, maybe something no where near as serious as some of the other things He’s delivered you from, and yet, still, you’ve made an even bigger deal out of it…..as if “OH NO, I’m doomed”?)…….We ALL have. I know this because “No man is righteous, NOT ONE!” Yes, even then, Jesus smiles, every time we finally GET IT! Imagine, just for one minute, if you had the knowledge of what everyone was going to do to you, before they did it…..Can any of us say, at least initially, that we woudn’t shun that person before they could hurt us? Knowing this, about Jesus, HOW COULD WE POSSIBLY THINK we could measure his Grace, ability or otherwise? He knows, already, what we’re going to do to basically shun Him, even spit on what He’s offering us……..yet HE LOVES US ANYWAY! If I can have even a tiny portion of that grace, AMEN!

The Lord never intended for us to be fallen or ill. He never intended for us to have to deal with the constant barrage of horrible things that we do to each other. But, since we have, HE GAVE US THE WORD, Jesus Christ! Again, WOWWWW, what Grace!

Of course, there is another thing that the Lord decided from the very beginning, Man was never meant to be alone, either….. So, He gave us each other as well…..

Ecclesiastes 4:8; There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is meaningless— a miserable business!

Genesis 2:18; The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."…….

This is a huge issue in my life, as I’m sure it is for many of those who might read this. I personally spent 16 years of my life, from 16-32, involved in relationships with 4 different women. Each of these relationships were around 4 years, each, more or less. Two of these relationships were marriages. Reflecting upon that LARGE chunk of my life, I came to realize something, when I was around 32 years old. I saw, clearly, that I was looking to fill that void of not having an “other” to walk through life with me. However, if I’d taken the Word, which my mother had read to me every morning for years as a child, more seriously, applying it to these relationships……Had I taken a look at my motives, from the very beginning of these relationships, by looking to the Word to search my heart……I DEFINITELY would have made some different decisions, looking back. Well, “Don’t cry over spilt milk”, or, “What’s done is done”, would fit here, very well, true. But, ONLY in the aspect of not living in regret. Because, if I throw out reflection along with regret, I’M IN TROUBLE! So, upon reflection, I decided to stay single, until the person that He intended is CLEARLY evident to me. I value the chances at love that others have offered me, in the 8 years that I’ve been single(only 2). I cherish that anyone thought me worthy. I apologize, to them and the Lord, if I caused them to slip or fall. I pray forgiveness in this, WITH FERVOR, to both them and the Lord. Sustaining from intercourse is NOT “literal” celibacy. As a man seweth, so shall he reap", EVEN WITH HIS EYES....Lust and Adultery are BOTH SIN, and they are both Adultery, in the eyes of the Lord, Amen? Again, I cannot dwell in regret. Rather, I must reflect, apply and repent(DO NOT REPEAT) for what I’ve done, in any way, to offend the Lord or hinder the walk of another. How does any of this pertain to the message of my letter?…My point in mentioning this subject is simple….Even in the midst of MY iniquity, I found myself blaming the Lord, in one way or another, saying, “WHY ME? Why do I have to wait so long?”, or, “Why are you letting them hurt me, Lord, fix them”. I’m not exactly sure how long I will have to wait, but I WILL wait.1. Because, HE KNOWS BEST! PERIOD, and 2. Because, upon that same gift from God, reflection, I can CLEARLY see why I’ve had to wait thus far, whether it’s as long as I’d like or not. I took what He blessed me with, the privilege of having a mate, and, well, blew it! Am I totally responsible for my former relationships not working out? Of course not. However, I am, DEFINITELY, partly responsible…….whether through choosing them in the first place or by my actions.