The Joy of Glory

Discovering endless joy in the boundless glory of God…

Tag: poem

Belly of This Fish

*During Lent various members of Shades Valley Community Church are writing reflection poems as we journey through the book of Jonah. The following  poem was written by Danny Delgado and inspired by Jonah 2:1-10.

At my lowest point you find me –
Though I’ve been brought to this low by my own accord.

As Paul says, who will save me from this death?
Because we all know I chose to lay my head in this desert.

For it has been your heart of grace that has angered me,
And it has been your heart of grace that has saved me.

See…there is no end to your love.
No ceiling and no floor.
How can I choose who deserves your grace?
No one has before.

But see…like a good father you met me here.
In the place I’m enslaved, full of fear.

See no one can out run your pursuit.
None can wish.
Whether it’s the heat of the fire,
Or the belly of the fish.

Yet still there you hear my cry and rescue.
Grace is a person.
It’s you.

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Chains Shall He Break

*I wrote the following poem as a Christmas gift to the body of believers I serve as pastor. We spent this season going through the book of Philemon…seeing how it is that Christ came to break the spiritual chains of sin and the physical chains of slavery and oppression.  I pray that it fills your heart with the hope, love, joy, and peace of Christ as you celebrate his first Advent and anticipate his second Advent.

All alone within my cell
Four cold walls
Dark and pale

Chains about my hands a feet
Release a dream
Sought in sleep

Amidst the dark joy had been choked
Within my heart
I knew not hope

Then in the night there came a cry
A newborn babe
God come nigh

Divine in flesh the Godhead see
Born is the one
The peasant king

His incarnation wrought with light
Breaking chains
Dispelling night

My prison gone, it’s walls collapsed
By grace through faith
Freed from the past

Christ, he came to break our chains
Call us his own
Give us his name

His birth brought life unto the dead
For death he’s beaten
In our stead

Born to die that we might rise
By faith receive
Eternal life

He gave himself, manger to cross
Suffered for all
A seeming loss

But now he lives forevermore
Risen, ascended
Christ our Lord

He’ll come again in power to reign
A second advent
We proclaim

When we see him, we’ll be complete
Redemption finished
Forever free

Receive him now, yourself forsake
Your life shall he save
Your chains shall he break

A Year Ago Today

A Year Ago Today… my third child Talitha was born. What gift can a father give to one whose existence is a gift to him? I give you my heart little one… and a small expression of the joy that filled it on May 20th, 2013.

A Year Ago Today (For Talitha)

10541_10100885639164368_537370369_nA year ago today
Your mother woke me from my sleep
She told me you were on your way
And that brought me to my feet

We hurried from the house
I cranked the van and closed the door
Your mother climbed into the back
I pressed the pedal to the floor

1374177_10101076839527308_22319920_nA year ago today
I broke about 100 laws
Lakeshore was my racetrack
And I, a rebel with a cause

I gave stop signs no heed
Red lights looked green to me
As we rushed along to Brookwood
Like a cop to a crime scene

10313437_10101434521205358_2269208210684613729_nA year ago today
We skipped the hospital red tape
No paper work for us
No line, no stall, no wait

They took us to a room
The nurses rushed around like mad
Your mother could barley say a word
The pains were coming on so bad

310272_10100871534989248_1925503268_nA year ago today
The doctor barely came in time
He caught you, and they cleaned you
Then they told me you were mine

You wrapped your tiny fingers
Around my man-sized thumb
So small, so fragile, still I could see
You looked exactly like your mom

10341404_10101432787819078_3931128330214472219_nA year ago today
In my heart, you cut out a place
You made it yours, yes yours alone
To fill, to keep, to grace

I’m always yours, your always mine
No matter what you say
You have my love from that time forth
A year ago today

 

*Here is a blog I wrote last year about the unique experience of Talitha’s birth: click here
*Below is a short video I made last year when Talitha was born…

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