I wrote a poem that reflects my personal journey into organic church life that I thought I would share. If it can be used to encourage anyone please share it. I appreciate what you guys are doing for the movement we have found ourselves in. This is an incredible and sometimes painful journey as we release those who don’t want to come along.
I am a man.
I am not a woman,
Or more romantic I would be.
My emotions would tend to lead me,
But compassion would abound.
I am not a child,
Or innocence would be my guide.
My attitude would cry out loud,
But my imagination would surely thrive.
I am not a tree,
Or more stable I would seem.
My conversation would be quite bland,
But my cover would sooth the burned.
No, I am a man.
This is a simple journey
Full of such complexity.
I live my life as an open book;
Therefore, I find much scorn.
Some wonder why they waste their time,
Believe me I think the same.
However, I seem to find great friends,
To share this journey with.
My simple little story
Is not one of extravagance.
I have no tales of chivalry
Or adventures that bring fame.
In fact, I often find myself
Just blending in with ordinary.
I don't have wealth or accolades;
The world I have not traveled.
So, you see, I am just a man.
As ordinary as my life may be,
There is more than you see.
For beneath the surface lies a war that's waged,
That causes so much pain.
It is a war of liberation from
The bondage that I'm in.
The Enemy is so very real,
And the battles are intense.
At times the ground that's gained in battle,
Seems quick to slip away.
But when I'm down I realize
That Jesus is my triumphant victory!
That' right this battle that I'm always in,
I do not fight alone.
Instead, my God, my Savior Christ
Gives me the strength I need.
I'm not a man alone.
Not lonely do I find my life
In the One I worship and serve,
He gives to me a company
Of friends to do life with.
We join together in our fight
For truth and liberty.
Our forces are much stronger when
We stand in unity.
But stop, and listen, hear these words
For strange they must appear.
The battle that we fight the most
Is freedom from our past.
The guilt, the shame and shallowness
And burdens of misdeeds,
Religious rules and rites with creeds
The damage they have caused.
To move beyond our religious pride
And find the One who died,
Is the battle that we all must face
Until the end of time.
He died to set us free from guilt
And the systems that blind our eyes.
Yet all too often we recreate them
And in His place they then reside.
So the call I hear to all today.
Is give our idols up.
Cut down the systems that do detract
From the Holy One we serve.
But, then again, I am but a man...
© 2008 Jeff Rhodes - Posted on April 8, 2008 at his blog http://jeffrhodes.wordpress.com/2008/04/08/broken-but-not-done/
