Broken Silence 2

Broken Silence
by: R.A. Slater
01/15/11

How quiet it was
This golden silence
That spoke magnitudes
If I had the ear to hear
But that is nearing its end
As you have promised
To break this spell
I've been under
That mortals call Writer's Block
Many do not understand
The terror of this
Faced with blank page
Equally blank mind
I could not have written
Anything but drivel
Though I did try
In vain it was
But the silence is ending
Thoughts and words and pictures
Flow through my mind without end
What sweet relief
As we meet again
This wonderful creativity
Some mortals do not understand
Because they have not had the joy
Of the broken silence
Because they never had the Voice
Whispering in their ear
In the first place

Geode

Geode
by: R.A. Slater
01/12/11

It's all I have to give
A single beating heart
Full of hopes and dreams
Innocent in spite of it all

As You had created me
A spark in Your imagination
Not just another cog in Your design
But a rare and sparkling gem

Hidden beneath a scarred surface
Scorned and mocked by the world
For its lack of apparent beauty
It is a rare treasure

For this heart that beats within
Was formed in the secret place
Weaved together at Your delight
Beats for You above all else

My heart has been Yours
From the very beginning
Every dream and every hope
Putty in Your hands

Beautiful is what I am
Not because of what is outside
This beauty shines from within
Facets polished by Your hand

How I delight You!
In ways others can't see
I am Your daughter
And Oh, how You love me!

Who You Are

Who You Are
by: R.A. Slater
01/06/11

You are great
In all You do
I need Your strength
To see me through
You are awesome
In Your power
The waves toss high
Knocking me down
But You lift me up again
You are the lifter
Of all the downtrodden
Of which I know I am
Ground down to dust
You shine Your light
Across my path
For I need Your help
To stay the course
There is none that compare
To the splendor of Your glory
You are God and none can compare
It is Your help that stays my course
Because that is Who You are

O Lord, O God

O Lord, O God
by: R.A. Slater
date unknown, early FB years.

How it did please You
When I broke forth from my pew
Though to man I did look absurd
You shook Your head at my human embarrassment
Knowing I could not see
Just how You did view me
The pureness of heart, the absolute glee
The freedom to dance, the courage to sing
All of heaven did cheer
As I Your child did discover
That I too could draw near
And dance into Your heart
Where forever I do belong
My hands did wave, and my heart did soar
O Lord, O God - how can this be?
How is it that this freedom has departed from me?
When did their standard come in
To be first above Yours?
As though others are my judge and jury
And You the referee!
How prideful can I be
To worry how my equals judge me
When You alone hold eternity?
How foolish I know I am
To look back on that moment, and all that have followed
And see the flaws, and the mistakes - through the eyes of Man
When none of that did You see
But the beauty of eyes fixed on You
And a heart that at that moment did feel
Every drop of love that You did shed for me
If only I could never forget
The pit that You did draw me out of
And the prison You set me free from
O Lord, O God, can I ever get back
The joy and the innocence that I have so foolishly lost?
Will I ever be so carefree
As that day when it was
That I first did break free?
Please create in me a newness of life
A newness of joy and peace
And renew the Spirit that You have placed within me
Mold me and make me
A woman after Your heart alone
Knowing that no matter what
You will always love me
Even as You convict and make new
This heart that had once forsaken You
I hear in my heart Your gentle voice
Telling me of the sureness of Your forgiveness
And of promises yet to be seen
Whispers of faith untold
And of greater promises to unfold
More dances to be danced, more songs to be sung
Greater joy to be had, a deeper peace to be known
Heaven's heights will become known
And Jesus, Your face I will see
Smiling and laughing with me
O Lord, O God, my heart does leap!

Let the Storm Rage

Let the Storm Rage
by: R.A. Slater
date unknown, but it's from the same batch I just found, so it's old.

Let the storm rage
I am planted on a firm foundation.
Let the lightning strike and the thunder crash
For I know my Shelter will protect.
Let the waves wash over me
I shall not drown.
Let the winds blow
They may knock me down, but they will not blow me away.
Though I may quake and fail
His promises will endure.
He has promised to pick me up
When I fall down.
Though my heart shall fail and my soul faint
He has promised never to leave nor forsake.
Though my steps falter and wander
He is still there.
Though I cannot see Him
I know He holds me through the storm.
And when the tempest is through
I shall see things anew.
My eyes He will dry
And my heart He will revive.
He shall straighten my path
And light my way.
And when tomorrow brings a new storm
I will not fear.
I will trust Him
For I know no other way.

The Heart of Christmas

The Heart of Christmas
by: R.A. Slater
date unknown, maybe Christmas 2002...I forget which Christmas poem I wrote for FB first.

The sound reverberated throughout heaven...
Such a small sound, so simple and quiet...
Yet the sound of mankind's first act of rebellion,
Was the sound of their doom.

Heaven whispered...
"What will He do now?"
"Will He destroy them and start over?"
"What is their fate now?"

But His heart could not be changed.
These were His creation
Made by His hands, by His breath they lived...
He could not destroy them - they were His own.

He had given them the ability to make their own decisions
For what kind of worship is it, if it is forced and mindless?
They had chosen the wrong way, sin had crept in and been given room
But now He would offer them another choice.

Into the Garden He went
At His regular time
And Man's absence was keeny felt as He cried out,
"Where are you?"

His heart continued to break
He gave them chances to confess their wrong
Instead they passed the blaim
And never took responsibility for their own actions

Judgment came and the curse was pronounced
But not before the unexpected Promise was spoken - the promise of a Savior
Another choice that if they took
Would reconcile them to His presence

It was the longing ache of God's heart
That gave us the Virgin Birth
Christ born in a manger
The long awaited promise became flesh

Jesus lived His life upon this earth
He walked among us and He was one of us
Fully Man and fully God
And it was His love that led Him to the Cross

His love for a wayward people
Many who wandered aimlessly through this life
Some who had no names and were invisible
Many who were the worthless scum of society

People whom the manifest presence of God
Was just a story told of the past from time out of mind
All of these He died for...to show them their great worth
That the God who created them wanted them back

The heart of Christmas
Is the heart of the Cross
It is the heart of the Creator
Desperate for His creation

For it is the name of Jesus, the name above all names
That reconciles us to His presence
He is the One who gives us life and hope
Where before there was death and despair

Do not turn away from the reason for this season
Do not hide yourselves in fear or pride
Do not attempt heaven on your own power
Do not look askance as if there were strings attached

We are the created, and we rebelled against our Creator
And instead of destroying us absolutely
He has given us a second choice
To accept the Christmas gift of the Cross

His only desire is to have us restored!
To be back in His presence, never to leave!
He longs for us with a passion
Far greater than we long for Him

Can't you hear Him calling?
"Where are you?" He cries out...
He knows our names as surely as He knew Adam's
"Where are you...I love you..."

The Christmas Miracle

The Christmas Miracle
by: R.A. Slater
Christmas 2001

Our God is a God of miracles
From the opening words of the Bible, He makes this very clear
He spoke - and the universe came into existence
He spoke - and the world was formed
He spoke - and this world was filled with plants and animals
With His hands He formed the first man
And the first breath that was breathed was the breath of God.

He could have stopped after that last day of creation - but He didn't
He could have stuck with the small everyday miracles
The ones of keeping the world in its orbit and the rising of the sun
But our God does not do that
With only 100 years warning, the earth was covered with flood waters
An act of judgement, yes - but no small miracle
With a thought our one language became many languages
Fire fell on Sodom and Gomorrah and a woman was turned into a pillar of salt
The miracle of Isaac is well known
Israel saw miracle after miracle in the desert - and still they turned away
Water parting and enemies defeated and the sun standing still
All this and more to show the mighty hand of God

And yet the thought of the Christmas Miracle
Far exceeds anything He'd done before
How could God pour Himself into a human shell?
Our bodies are so fragile, so unprotected from accident - a baby more so
Prone to illness and infirmity
Muddy clay was expected to hold the Son of God
The most amazing part of the Christ Child being born
Is that He was born to die

Some would like to seperate Christmas and Easter as two different miracles
They happened on opposite ends of His life here on Earth
And even happened at different times of the year
But aren't they one and the same?
A miracle spanning 33 years?
The effects of which we are still seeing today?
For His purpose even at birth was the cross
He walked this earth as one of us
He spoke to us, taught us, tried to reach our stubborn hearts
There was no other way to bring us home
Than for Him to hang on the cross

Upon this One that was born outside of sin and was sinless in every way
Was poured every manner of sin and foulness that did not belong to Him
So that you and I could be free from sin and live in victory
Heaven's glory He left for us
And the One who was blameless
Upon Him the Father could not look
So that upon us He could look - and see no sin
My freedom and yours was bought at a price
Blood that poured down from hands and feet and side
Was actually poured out from Christ's own love
And all this started in manger
With a baby born from above
This salvation I have received
Heaven's own bright, morning star
Is the Christmas miracle

A Love Letter To God

A Love Letter To God
by: R.A. Slater
06/11/01

My love is not enough, it is not deep enough nor real enough
When compared to the love of My God, my Jesus who died for me

It is no longer enough to say the words, "I love you."
And only mean it on the surface level
For I mean to love You with all that I am,
With a true love that runs to the deepest, most secret hidden part of me
I want to love You with an all encompassing love
That far exeeds anything I've ever experienced.
I want to love You far deeper than any love
I've ever claimed to have.
I want to fall in love with You, My God and King
Head over heals, helplessly in love with You.
I want to wake up eagerly, looking for Your smile
Anticipating Your presence in my day.
I want to fall asleep reluctantly, still immersed in Your presence
Immersed in the glory and the power of my God.
I want to dance with You, not only in wild delight
At the joyful remembrance of Your deliverance of me.
But also the slow intimante dance,
That belongs to lovers.
Where there is no shame or hindrances,
Only the sure acceptance of unconditional love.
Where there is no fear of abandonment,
Only the security that comes from promises kept.
I want You in every part of my life,
For You are the One that gave life to me.
I want to come to know You,
As deeply as You know me.
I want to swim deeper in the love You have for me,
And abandon my fear of drowning...
To lose myself along the way,
And be completely one with You,
Where words are no longer necessary,
And the only song there is -
- Is our hearts beating as one...

Between Me and Thee

Between Me and Thee
by: R.A. Slater
07/11/01

The spectators of this 'sport' look on and laugh
All they see is a spectacle of a woman
The super spiritual look sown their noses in keen disapproval
They declare it is nothing but an expression of the flesh by just one look
Still others look on in wonder
As they cannot see why I dance
They do not hear the song in the silence
And they do not hear the beat of the angels' wings
They cannot feel my joy at His very presence
They do not share in my jubilee
They do not realize the price that has been paid for my freedom
They do not know of my recent victories
They are content to sit and wonder as others laugh
Unwilling to listen to the testimonies I tell
"Crazy!" They all claim. "Foolishness!"
"It is the flesh!" They do declare. "She is delirious!"
"Why dance when there is no music?"

If only they were to walk a mile in my shoes
They would wonder no more
If only they could hear the music
Then they would dance with the angels
If only they knew the pain they unwittingly inflict
For they do not know who overhears their whispers
Let the mockers mock, let the pharisees scold
Let the wonderers wonder, let the watchers watch
For one day they too shall be judged
And they will learn what I already know
That Man's opinion is jaded
And not important in Eternity's eyes
That worship is between the worshipper and the One worshipped
Between the Father and me, between them and Him
For in the Last Day we will stand on our own
We are accountable for our actions alone
No longer can we claim that another distracted us
Or held us back from this treasure or that
For in the end, we are our own distraction
And we hold ourselves back

Pearls and Pebbles

Pearls and Pebbles
by R.A. SLater
11/20/10
Sound Bites Series #10

Pearls and pebbles
Such are these poems
Tiny, but not insignifigant
Your Words to me
Are precious to me
Like the pebbles I gathered as a child
Unique and beautiful
Kept in a jar
For safe keeping
Displayed here for the world to see
Praises strung together
Like pearls on a string
For Your adornmant
So that all might know
The wonder of You

Obsession

Obsession
by: R.A. Slater
07-22-10

I can't help myself
As I stand beneath
Your glorious canopy
Stretching as far as the eye can see
In every direction
I am obsessed with Your heavens
Billowing clouds in cotton hues
Golden rays of bloodshot sunsets
Starlit glimmers in the dark of night
Oh but looking is not enough
I must set these visions for all eternity
Picture after picture I snap
To keep the rembrances
Of Your glory
Close at hand
One never being enough
Always needing just one more
One more moment frozen in time
Memory forever in my hand