Dwelling Place

August 1, 2020
I've wanted to know my wife for almost a decade
And on the twenty-second of May we got engaged
But now I'm afraid cuz I ain't getting paid
Cuz Corona only pays if you're a viral rage
And now I'm sittin on my bed puttin pen to the page
Wonderin when I'll ever feel free from this cage
Cuz depression's been stressin and my mind has strayed
Into various means of ending all this constant pain
Jesus, You there? Lift these clouds full of rain
Grant me strength for this day and tomorrow I'll pray
For strength all over again-please increase my faith
Released "Live by Faith," but I'm living in shame
Filled with doubts and despair-need a check for my brain
Cuz it's been so dark-no Adam West batarang
More Zack Snyder Batman DC dark mistake
It's getting harder and harder to focus-Jesus, send grace

My LORD, my Refuge and my Fortress
My God-in You I place my trust
Even when I don't-I know that I must
Be my Savior-protect me from the dust
Our LORD, our Refuge and our Fortress
Our God-in You we place our trust
Give us faith, LORD-help us to dwell
Safely with You-safe from fear of hell
So I flip again in my Bible to Psalm ninety-one
The one I shared with my grandma just before her time was done
And what I find inside is that God's already won
Against viruses and Satan and my fears about income
In verses one and two the psalmist explains his hope in life
It's in the arms of God-the One who rules on high
Which means I must reorient my eyes while in this time
Cuz if we want to live by faith-on Christ must fix our eyes
In verses three through thirteen the psalmist talks to us
Cuz he wants to help us make God our place of trust
And in this time of chaos and fear at every turn
If we don't seek rest in God, our spirits they will yearn
And depression will ensue if we fail to submit to Him
Cuz your heart knows what you need-your brain wants you to sin
So seek hard after Jesus-trusting Him alone
Stop living in fear, staying home-trust the Living Stone
Look at verse 10-no plague will haunt your tent
This is God's Word to us-social distancing is nonsense
We can't trust God and obey while isolating selfishly
Look at Proverbs eighteen-one if you disagree with me
And if He's strong enough to save your soul from hell
His wrath-a virus is as harmless as a seashell
"But don't test God like Satan did," you yell
And, well, I agree, but living life, obeying God-no Nobel
From you, but I don't care--I seek to honor God
He makes us victorious when our faith is on the Rock
In verses fourteen through sixteen the psalmist speaks for God
Making promises to those whose faith is rooted solid
This ain't a game of charades-it is life or death
Trust Him with every last ounce of your breath
God will not let you down-in fact, accomplished mission
In verse sixteen it will give you twenty-twenty vision
My LORD, my Refuge and my Fortress
My God-in You I place my trust
Even when I don't-I know that I must
Be my Savior-protect me from the dust
Our LORD, our Refuge and our Fortress
Our God-in You we place our trust
Give us faith, LORD-help us to dwell
Safely with You-safe from fear of hell
September 10, 2020
Still not subbing cuz the school district's afraid
Of a virus much less fatal than AIDS
But God brought me a job-isn't it great
I mean, I try to give thanks but my brain is insane
Thinking up more gruesome ways of ending this pain
Makes me afraid-need true rest for my brain
Need to love my fiancée for many more decades
Need to live in Love-helping others find grace despite shame
Need to honor the Lord, grateful each day
But it's hard when my job is so mundane
Pushing buttons, cutting boxes-is my mind even activated
See me bawling my eyes out in the arms of my fiancée
"My love, I need to support you, but I'm so afraid
That if I stay in this place I'll give up the race" (Blow off my face)
She pulls me tight--"I need you alive more than I need you paid"
So I'm quitting after fourteen days-stepping out in faith (Again)
My LORD, my Refuge and my Fortress
My God-in You I place my trust
Even when I don't-I know that I must
Be my Savior-protect me from the dust
Our LORD, our Refuge and our Fortress
Our God-in You we place our trust
Give us faith, LORD-help us to dwell
Safely with You-safe from fear of hell
My LORD, my Refuge and my Fortress
My God-in You I place my trust
Even when I don't-I know that I must
Be my Savior-protect me from the dust
Our LORD, our Refuge and our Fortress
Our God-in You we place our trust
Give us faith, LORD-help us to dwell
Safely with You-safe from fear of hell