When the Road is Hard to Walk

I thought the music slipped away,
Its brightest notes had lost their way.
Through grief and hurt, through loss and pain,
I wondered if I’d sing again.

The stage had changed, the road grew steep,
Some wounds were buried far too deep.
The songs remained, yet in my heart,
I feared my gift had come apart.

Then God, so faithful, strong and true,
Sent encouragement shining through.
A voice of kindness, warm and clear,
Arrived exactly when I needed to hear.

A teacher spoke with simple grace,
Yet hope returned and filled that place.
She saw a gift I could not see,
And breathed new life inside of me.

She did not know the storms I’d faced,
The tears, the doubts I had embraced.
Yet through her words, God helped me see
The purpose still remaining in me.

A calling does not fade with time.
A gift still shines though shadows climb.
And when the road is hard to walk,
God often sends the ones who talk.

So if your dreams seem far away,
And disappointment clouds your day,
Remember this when hope feels dim:
The gift was given first by Him.

Thank you for the part you played.
Your words reached deep and gently stayed.
You reminded me what I forgot.

Keep singing.
Keep serving.
Keep believing.

Never stop.

Weeping and Breathing

 Weeping and breathing.

That is the rhythm of dawn.

Tears on the pillow.

Night still hanging on.

I wake up heavy.

Heart out of tune.

Grief in the silence.

Too early for noon.

Weeping and breathing.

Air in my chest.

Trying to settle

What will not rest.

Memory hits me.

Sharp as the light.

Love does not vanish

Just because it’s night.

Weeping and breathing.

Tremble and sigh.

Asking the ceiling

Why, God, why.

If I did not love

I would not ache.

If it meant nothing

Nothing would break.

Weeping and breathing.

Holding the line.

Grief is the cost

Of loving what’s mine.

So I rise with the sorrow.

I stand with the sting.

A cracked hallelujah

Is still something I sing.

Weeping and breathing.

Tear by tear.

If I am still breathing

Then I am still here.

If You Want the Holy Spirit

 by James Bobik

If You Want the Holy Spirit

If you seek the Spirit, know what He brings.

He uncovers the secrets beneath your wings.

He reveals the hidden you never displayed.

He pulls out the parts you thought you had laid

deep in the shadows, safely concealed.

He brings to the surface what you never revealed.

He comforts your soul but corrects you inside.

He brings holy pressure you cannot divide.

He shows every motive you pushed out of sight.

He shines on the places you kept from the light.

He reaches the corners you hoped to ignore.

When He enters the room, you stand at the door

facing truth you avoided for years or more.

Do not seek Him for image or role.

Do not chase titles to cover your soul.

Follow Him knowing He turns you around.

He shifts every habit you keep on the ground.

If you want the Spirit, be ready for fire.

He calls out the depth of your real desire.

He breaks every pattern you tried to defend.

He transforms the journey you tried to pretend.

He lifts you, refines you, and tests what you trust.

He shakes every structure you built out of dust.

He changes your life from the root to the core.

If you walk with the Spirit, He leaves you no more

the person you were, or the mask that you wore.

If You Want a Church, You Better Be Ready for Real People

If you say you want a church then you need to understand something simple. People do not walk in perfect. They walk in hurt. They walk in confused. They walk in angry. They walk in broken. They walk in messed up from life, family, trauma, addiction, betrayal, and every mistake they ever made.

If you want a church then you better be ready for all of that.

You cannot claim to love Jesus and then freeze when someone walks in who is lost. You cannot claim you want to change the world and then get nervous when the world shows up at your door. You cannot pray for growth and then complain when the people who show up are nothing like you expected.

The lost do not need your opinions.

The broken do not need your judgment.

The stray do not need your conditions.

They need honesty.

They need patience.

They need someone who will not look away.

If you plant a church but only want clean people, you do not want a church. You want a club. If you say you want revival but cannot handle someone who smells, cries, shakes, vents, swears, or drags their past in with them, then you are not ready for revival. The real work is not on a stage. The real work is in the mess.

The hurting need people who listen.

The wandering need direction.

The angry need someone to stay steady.

This is the cost.

This is the assignment.

This is what real church looks like.

If you want a church, expect the lost to show up first.

If you want a church, expect the broken to sit in the front.

If you want a church, expect the stray to test your patience.

And if you cannot handle that, then do not pretend you want to reach people.

Because the ones God sends will not fit your preference. They will fit your calling.

This is the work.

You asked for it.

Now step up and live it.