Closer to God

I'm not as close to God when I'm alone,
as I am close to Him when I'm with you,
for with each other we are in His zone,
as we are all made in His image true.

"Whatever you do to each other here,"
Christ said to us, "You do it too to Me."
So what we do to anyone, it's clear,
we do to Christ, garbed in His mystery.

Because we're temples of the Holy Spirit,
I best should treat your body here with care,
I truly must respect it and revere it,
because God's Spirit's always living there.

O God, when we look in each other's eyes,
help us to clearly see You in disguise.

                       -- by Pete Voelz        7/09

Helpful Church

How does God’s Church help us from womb to tomb?
It stands the firmest in support of life,
instead of doom, it brings virtues to bloom,
for marriage, children, husband, love and wife.

Church helps the culture’s sacred parts increase,
so we do not desacralize the whole,
opposes violence and promotes the peace,
so we do not desensitize the soul.

Church keeps us looking up instead of down,
for healthy, realistic joy in youth,
forgiving sinners who in sin might drown,
to rigorously define God’s holy truth.

With sacramental grace to help us cope,
You build Your Church, Lord, filled with faith and hope.

                              -- by Pete Voelz       11/20/12

Following God

All nature follows God except for man,
all nature bows in vast obedience,
but we are free to vary from His plan,
though to obey does make a lot of sense.

The sunflower wakes and opens up in awe,
it follows God in following the sun,
the fawn partakes in following God's law,
and both obey to rest when day is done.

To help us follow Him, God gives us light,
to read my heart His writ of right and wrong;
from fallen earth we're supposed to rise to right,
and see the wrong as Satan's siren song.

O God, I pray that I obey You free,
so I'll be free for all eternity.

                            -- by Pete Voelz       9/07

See Christ

I see You in the ones that I admire,
those who impress and prove themselves to me,
but You live too in ones who don’t inspire,
Your living in them seems a mystery.

You live in, Lord, the least, the last, the lost,
though small, they’re still invited to the feast,
though poor, they still with love can pay the cost,
we do to You what we do to the least.

You don’t live there just ‘cause I see you there,
my lack of faith keeps me from seeing Your face,
made in Your image, it is Your face they bear,
I’ll see You when I earn Your light and grace.

O Christ, it’s my flaw that I don’t see You,
help me love more and see You shining through.

-- by Pete Voelz     12/28/12

No Lie Love

O Lord, I want to love You and not lie,
which means, as You have said, I must obey,
or at the least, You beckon me to try,
though what I do counts more than what I say.

But first before I love You, I must know
Who You are, Lord, and then in faith believe,
then serve You so Your love will overflow,
and so give back the gifts that I receive.

Which laws that I obey I cannot choose,
the law of love means that I must love all,
and so obey all laws and none refuse,
especially, Lord, to follow where You call.

O God, I'm ready now for Your commands,
to love with mind and heart, but also hands.

                             -- by Pete Voelz        4/06

Wanton Prayer

What is more permanent--my poem or prayer?
One has God's ear, but heard no other place;
a poem could be inspiring everywhere,
prompting some influence, if not the grace.

Prayer has an audience of One,
unless we count the Trinity as three,
and do the saints and angels count as none?
Of course, their only power is God's decree.

Could not a poem help one's eternal soul?
Yet what God can do with a prayer He hears!
And poems tossed wantonly die, on the whole;
prayers last forever, poems at best some years.

O God, take all my wanton poetry,
and turn it to a prayer from wanton me.

                                 -- by Pete Voelz       5/06

Why Not?

It’s not a question why should I love God,
it’s more a question why should I love not,
to not love God--not to love God--is odd,
when God has given me everything I’ve got.

Who is there who can say we should not love
a God Who gives us all the universe?
It’s Pascal’s wager I am thinking of--
better to love, to not love God is worse.

I love back One Who loves me infinitely,
Who takes my sins and says they’re all forgiven,
Who nothing for but love created me,
Who gives me for my love eternal heaven.

You left Your heaven to die for me, ‘tis true,
could I not love or, Lord, stop loving You?

                         -- by Pete Voelz       12/3/12

Self to Soul

My soul calls me: Why don't you come this way?
Why do I war against my very soul?
My soul tells me: You know I'm here to stay,
you know I'm right, let me have full control.

Why must my soul and I be so at war?
Why are we oft at odds in our direction?
Why does my soul so cut me to the core?
Why must I always stand to its inspection?

My soul is right when all is said and done.
I know that I must hear and heed it here.
My goal is more important than my fun,
more than I think, eternity is near.

Help me, O God, to make my soul my friend,
for You've put us together without end.

                       -- by Pete Voelz     8/10

Thanks, God

I thank You, God, for all the gifts You've given,
for my existence, self and soul and life,
for faith and Church and baptism, oh, and heaven,
for son and daughter, grandkids, loving wife,
for good folk, working father, caring mother,
for teachers, nuns and priests, for all my school,
for family and dear sister and dear brother,
for my good country and for those who rule.
I thank You for good friends from far and near,
O God, for all my needs that You fulfull,
for all my talents used in my career,
for all Your goodness, good laws, and good will.
You shower me with gifts both good and true,
so, Lord, I thank You most of all for You.

                                     -- by Pete Voelz

Slow-Motion God

God pulls and pushes me to Him by inches,
He knows I must take baby steps to walk,
He gives me little pain, just a few pinches,
He knows when He’s too hard on me, I balk.

Because I’m slow, God reels me in so slowly,
He pities me that I’m so dull and dumb,
He knows it will take long to make me holy,
I have a lot of sins to overcome.

Though I might crawl, God takes it all in stride,
my weakness, my unwillingness, my fear,
He pushes soft so’s not to hurt my pride,
your tortoise wins so long you persevere.

Lord, keep Your patient knocking on my heart,
and I’ll speed up my so slow-motion part.

                       -- by Pete Voelz       12/17/12

God's Greatest Strength

God’s greatest strength is love, so is it mine?
I see my body’s marvelously made,
but God’s made best the side that’s most divine,
He turns my lemon soul to lemonade.

For God is love, His best and brightest trait,
He tries to recreate that love in me,
yet to be love, it carries extra freight:
I cannot love unless I’m also free.

All-powerful love sets limits on God’s power,
if He used force, my freedom I would lose,
in me in order for His love to flower,
He has to sometimes let me evil choose.

The answer’s to put, Lord, my faith in You,
and right now freely choose to love You too.

                      -- by Pete Voelz       12/18/12

Friend Lucas

I have delivered you to God, my friend,
and He will know just what to do with you,
for now with His own life Your life will blend,
from now on just what He wants you will do.

Recall when last I looked into your eyes,
we knew not then that it would be the last,
your death completely caught me by surprise,
that all our friendship, friend, lay in the past.

You have no future now except with God,
no other future would we want to be,
no more complaints, no longer the facade,
you live in light for all eternity.

I helped you, now may you help me, my friend,
so that our life with God will never end.

                    -- by Pete Voelz       12/19/12

Love Will

Love’s a decision, not just how we feel,
if feelings fade, the will to love remains,
it’s the commitment love makes that is real,
so love grows stronger even when it rains.

Love’s not just savored for the moment then,
it should be no surprise that true love grows,
and feelings, though they go, can come again,
but true love, once it’s kindled, always glows.

A loving heart and mind together rule,
we love with our whole selves, not just a part,
our shallow feelings often play the fool,
a heart of whims is not the truest heart.

So, Lord, as I commit to loving You,
may I will too to love my loved ones true.

                     -- by Pete Voelz       12/19/12

Can't See God

How can I love a God I cannot see?
If You’re all beauty, Lord, let me see You.
O God, why can’t You show Yourself to me,
or let me touch or hear or sense You too?

Where are You, God? I look, You are not there,
in Scriptue You write words, then disappear,
though I can’t see, I do meet You in prayer,
and then by faith, in Eucharist You’re here.

“The Father’s seen, if you see Me,” Christ said,
“You do to Me what’s done to one of these.”
Here are two ways that to You I am led,
I get to see You, Lord, but by degrees.

I’m blind, and then I see You by surprise--
I look into a hungry child’s eyes.

-- by Pete Voelz       12/18/12

The Human Cry

O God, I have no place to turn but You,
for You alone can move the universe,
the more we know, the more we see it’s true,
yet not a soul of us do You coerce.

When tragedies occur, we can’t explain,
we know so much, yet drown in mystery,
for final answers, we but search in vain,
and we get little help from history.

In this world, Lord, what are we certain of?
Without You, we have nothing but our pride,
You made us, so we’re certain of Your love,
when all else crumbles, only You abide.

Of all the stories, Lord, Yours is the best,
so if we trust You most, we will be blest.

               -- by Pete Voelz       12/16/12

Love Connects

It's love connects the greatest to the small,
for only love can bridge a gap so far,
without God's love there'd be no bridge at all,
for what could fill the space from me to star?

Love makes God care for us and us for Him,
though we feel duty too and gratitude,
without His love, His care'd be but a whim,
with us bereft of Eucharistic food.

What is love that it fills a gap so wide?
How huge, how strong, how infinite must love be,
from God's love there is no place we can hide,
no light speed can match love's velocity.

O God, Your love's more than infinity,
I thank and love You for including me.

                             -- by Pete Voelz          09/05

Real Is God

Why is this world so real while God seems not?
The world did not make God, no, He made it.
It usually seems this world is all we've got
and that the here and now is all we'll get.

The physical part of us just seems so real,
and yet we know so well our soul inside;
material things affect the way we feel,
it's easy to make spiritual factors hide.

O God, Who made the stars and world and sun
and will make all them disappear so soon,
impress us that You are the only One,
there's more to heaven than just the sun and moon.

Show us, O Lord, the things that are more true,
so we may pay attention more to You.

                             -- by Pete Voelz        11/04

More Trust

O God, why can’t I put more trust in You?
I kinda sorta trust You off and on,
I do believe that all You say is true,
yet when I must, the trust is often gone.

You said, Lord, “Ask the Father in My name
and He will do it,” answering our prayer,
I find it hard to trust in all You claim,
and yet I do believe You really care.

I should put trust in One Who walks on water,
St. Peter did and found that he could stand
on water ‘til his trust began to totter,
yet he was saved when he reached for Your hand.

You trusted me, Lord, when You made me free,
let me trust You Who put Your trust in me.

                     -- by Pete Voelz       12/14/12

The God Chase

I play “Chase God” instead of “God Chase Me.”
I’m tired of--when He calls--I run for cover,
I think it’s more fun plumbing mystery,
to try to capture “This Tremendous Lover.”*

Brave David wrote his psalms and guarded sheep,
God said he was a man after His heart,
it’s boring playing God games on the cheap,
St. Trez vowed she’d not be a saint in part.**

In chasing God, I let Him take the lead,
with Him I will more likely reach our goal,
the challenge is to keep me up to speed,
to hang tough on the fast track of the soul.

Then, Lord, when I’m about to cede the chase,
You turn around and catch me with Your grace.

* Title of a book about God’s love 
  by Ven. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

** “I do not want to be a saint by halves.”--
St. Theresa (Trez in French) of Lisieux

               -- by Pete Voelz       12/8/12

Do I Know Christ?

How do I know that I know Jesus Christ?
'Tis no small matter for it's heaven's gate.
Do I believe in all He sacrificed,
that He left heaven to free my heavenly fate?

Do I know Christ if I do not know love?
Not for my friends, the pagans all do that,
but unknown ones I should be caring of,
my foes and all who share my habitat?

Do I know Christ if it's to Him I pray?
If I receive Him in His Eucharist,
if I attend His altar every day,
and it's His blood and body most I've kissed?

O Christ, I've not loosed sandals on Your feet,
but I still hope to know You when we meet.

                       -- by Pete Voelz       12/07

Our Solitude

Each day I crave some solitude with You,
a quiet time far from the world and noise,
we need to talk, I need to listen too,
and hear You out on all my woes and joys.

My conscience, God, gives us our solitude,
the place we hash it out--what’s right and wrong,
where nary friend nor enemy may intrude,
when You and I can learn to get along.

We wish to be up close and personal,
with You I feel I have to, Lord, keep pace,
so You can work in me Your miracle,
to make ours a relationship of grace.

Alone I hear what puts me, Lord, at ease,
Your quiet voice--a little whispering breeze.

                      -- by Pete Voelz       12/11/12

God's Not a Game

God’s not a toy, and faith is not a game,
the Church Christ founded’s not some ball or frisbee,
we treat God like His Holy Day and Name,
with humble due respect before His mystery.

We don’t judge God by standards we invent,
we don’t make Him jump through the hoops we make,
we don’t just heed the laws we don’t resent,
He sees right through a faith we try to fake.

I’m not some actor and life’s not a play,
faith’s a commitment, honest and sincere,
it takes God’s power to keep the enemy at bay,
I need to tell Him “Yes!”--right now, right here.

Let me react, not just with how I feel,
but to You, Lord, so loving, true and real.

-- by Pete Voelz       12/9/12

The Face of Love

If God is love, we have no face to love,
and God forbids an image of His face;
the Holy Spirit's pictured as a dove,
but for His face, the dove is out of place.

We need a face to light the love in us,
Christ came to us to show the face of God;
He came to earth to bring us happiness,
He is God's face, He shows us no facade.

"If you see me, the Father's face you see,"
He said to us, "for I and He are one;"
it matters not so much is mystery,
faith and His grace suffice when all is done.

O Christ, Your face of love's enough for me,
blest to believe though not much can I see.

                              -- by Pete Voelz       9/07

Dying to Live

Drawing his blood, they prep his gifts of hope,*
cutting the organs out before he dies,
soothing the grief of those who barely cope,
they keep the heart alive midst tears and cries.

Bringing the sacraments of sick and dying,
physical host of the Incarnate Christ,
the spiritual priest and nun bless the good-bying
before the organ gifts are sacrificed.

So long before, the donor sought to give
his body parts up to his final breath,
same as the priest’s gifts so the soul can live,
incarnate in him two ways conquering death.

That others live, the organs quick they sever,
the Last Rites seal the soul will live forever.

* Gift of Hope is the organization that facilitates
the donating of body organs to people needing
them, as I witnessed for a friend this week.

                       -- by Pete Voelz       12/6/12

Outside God

The whole world stands inside of God save us,
we stand outside of God because we're free,
yet we are only part way out and thus
obey we must in order just to be.

Our free part's there not to deny God's law,
that gives all other things their rightful place,
but to let us choose to hold God in awe,
and on our own accept His gift of grace.

How much of us resides outside His sway?
Barely enough to let us cut the cord;
we are just free enough to choose to pray
and humbly take the blessings of the Lord.

A tiny speck of faith God asks of me
to go inside for all eternity.

                        -- by Pete Voelz        11/05

At Sea with God

O God, I cannot fathom Where You’re at,
Your ways are sunk in so much mystery,
My Ark I strand upon Mt. Ararat,
when I should dive down deep into Your sea.

Alone it seems I launch my tiny craft,
tossed by a tempest or the smallest squall,
yet it’s Your rigging steers me fore-and-aft,
I need but set my sail to where You call.

In prayer You strengthen me, but not by force,
to trust in You and cruise by my free will.
“But He Who has the steerage of my course,
direct my sail,”* as my heart I keep still.

So well You tell how my soul I might save,
to know Your love below and above the wave.

* Prayer of Romeo that night as he assesses,
unknowing but trusting, his meeting Juliet.

                              -- by Pete Voelz       12/6/12

Tainted All

All things are tainted by our sins and flaws,
as God’s grace blesses all the things we face,
and just as all are bound by His great laws,
our misdeeds too are tainted by His grace.

With no free will, the rock obeys the rules,
the flower has life but has no wish to stray,
the lion moves by instinct, unlike fools
who use their freedom most to disobey.

Our fallen world is no fault of our own,
yet we still have a tainted fallen choice
to fall to all temptation as we're prone
or rise to grace with all our strength and voice.

O God, I freely pray my prayers You heed,
so Your grace more than taints my every deed.

                             -- by Pete Voelz      3/06

Three Friends

(Dedicated to my friend Lucas Goerner--RIP.)

If A’s good friends with B and B with C,
then aren’t both A and C, Lord, good friends too?
So as we’re good friends, Lord, as he’s with me,
then is not he a good friend, Lord, with You?

So if to You, O Lord, for him I pray,
will You not see Him too as Your good friend?
And if we three friends do not drift away,
will You not then befriend him to the end?

So long I pray we friends will stay the race,
so long our friendship three will never cease,
I pray we rate with You our state of grace,
and pray You share with us Your life and peace.

Befriend us, Lord, in this our hour of need,
so we can follow where, O Lord, You lead.

-- by Pete Voelz       12/4/12

Miracle Prayer

My prayer can help the pain that's more than pain,
for prayer can bring the power of God to bear;
more likely than our yen to pray for rain,
a prayer for spiritual cure can prompt God's care.

We all are doctors when it comes to souls,
just as church is a sinner's hospital,
the power of prayer lets us take the controls,
and prayer just takes a quiet interval.

To help prayer even more it would be nice
to put a bit of body on the line,
and add to words a little sacrifice,
and give our humble thoughts a little spine.

O Christ, You said, "Ask and you shall receive,"
to give us miracle power, I believe.

                                      -- by Pete Voelz

The Fog of Faith

God keeps me in a fog so I can’t know
all about Him, so He’s still mystery,
He does not want His soul too much to show,
that Him we figure out like history.

God partly shows Himself in His Creation,
but can’t reveal Himself to us too much,
He tells more--like His Son--through Revelation,
Someone like Him to see and hear and touch.

For all this information, God still hides,
compared to all He is, still pretty slim,
for final proof, only our faith abides,
our puny minds just can’t know all of Him.

It’s not mean God wants to leave us bereft,
to know Him, faith’s the only thing that’s left.

-- by Pete Voelz       12/2/12

Love's Show

If God is love, then what does God's love show?
If God is love, then what does God's love say?
See His love in creation on the go,
hear His words rescue us in our dismay.

But God's love showed the most when He made man,
the innocence of children everywhere,
and spoke best when His Word God-man began,
and offered all of us His heaven to share.

It shows best when His love in us we see
 returned to Him and others every day,
to get our love, He had to make us free,
to show His love or throw it all away.

O God, You show and say Your love so well,
I hope to go to heaven's great show and tell.

                                      -- by Pete Voelz

God's For Me First

O God of sun and stars, You’re never there,
Your heart of love does not beat far away,
for giant galaxies You little care,
as You have said, they’ll all be gone some day.

Instead of stars, You care for sinful me,
I am worth more than any galaxy,
the spiritual world’s more real than what I see,
with You my soul will live eternally.

Like Your mind, mine should aim itself to stay
fixed on You and the heavenly goal we share,
attentive to the eternal words You say
that join my own soul’s precious part in prayer.

Just as You, Lord, love me much more than space,
may I tend to Your great celestial grace.

                          -- by Pete Voelz       11/30/12

The Waiting God

God doesn't wait for us to wait for Him,
He's all reved up and always prepped to go;
on top of all our needs and in the swim,
all ready, He buts waits for us to show.

All up to speed, God knows us inside out,
with bated breath, He teeters on the brink;
which way to go He hasn't any doubt,
He prompts, but we must be the first to blink.

Why do I pause, why do I hesitate?
I seem to be afraid of false alarms;
He's out of sight, out of my mind I wait,
I, faithless, fear to leap into His arms.

O God, hear now what I've so often prayed:
let me recall You said, "Be not afraid."

                         -- by Pete Voelz       1/06

We Are Here

O Lord, let me join You five minutes a day,
so that Our Father may both of us see,
to help me pray in this unfailing way,
and have Our Father always answer me.

Let me, O Christ, have all my sins forgiven,
when You and I together are with Him,
and with the Spirit enjoy a taste of heaven,
that by my sins and self seems rather slim.

O Jesus, may we just say, "We are here,"
 as You and I stand near Our Father's throne,
for with You there I know I need not fear
to be refused as when I stand alone.

O Lord Divine, I want You by my side,
where I hope to eternally abide.

                              -- by Pete Voelz      3/09

Meek Strength

Why is great God so meek before His creatures,
when He could easily make mincemeat of us?
Why are we made in image of His features,
except to prove again how He must love us?

We learn in school that meekness is not weakness,
how weak’s the Spirit hovering above us?
Somehow His love is mirrored in His meekness,
just as our meekness leads Him more to love us.

Our meekness shows we’re strong when we are humble,
a humble God shows He is worthy of us,
we can show humble meekness when we stumble,
to meekly take His cross He had to love us.

O Lord, to take Your meekness to such length,
Your meek humility must have much strength.

                           -- by Pete Voelz       11/25/12

My At-My-Mercy God

God at my mercy offers me His all,
He’s placed Himself there free for love of me,
He made me free to freely make the call,
He freely offers heaven almost free.

 God freely makes Himself available,
attentive to my prayer, always awake,
prepared to make another miracle,
Who even willed to die just for my sake.

What shall I do with my attentive Lord,
my Shepherd Who hands me the food I eat?
Do I desire not His great reward?
Shall I get off my duff and on my feet?

O at-my-mercy God, I’ll show to You
the mercy that I hope You’ll show me too.

                  -- by Pete Voelz       11/26/12

The Thought of God

The thought of God makes me feel weak and little,
and yet I thrill to feel Him strong in me,
I know God made us to stand in the middle
and there to choose to be or not to be.

When we glance at Great God how small we seem,
and yet He helps us conquer all the earth,
our powers of work and prayer are not some dream,
but prove the bone and spirit that tell our worth.

With hope we prep ourselves to live forever,
why shouldn't we be great, stamped with His face?
Through faith our rejoined bones will disjoin never,
and like her too, we’ll be so full of grace.

Why do we dawdle through this chance God gave us,
when it's the means by which He means to save us?

                                    -- by Pete Voelz       11/05  

Word or Miracle

God gives us miracles for we are weak,
His words should be enough for us to see,
and to believe, He only needs to speak,
not have to show things to make us agree.

But we are fallen creatures of the earth,
a cracked and broken world we suffer here,
where only things we sense have any worth,
and words need deeds in order to be clear.

Reason alone and Revelation true,
and God's own gentle voice prompting inside,
and all Creation giving God His due,
need sensual proof for our faith to abide.

To all these, Lord, You add a miracle,
enough to keep my senses sensible.

                  -- by Pete Voelz        12/09

God and Satan

How much do God and Satan intermix?
Can love and fornication intertwine?
Does God allow the devil’s bag of tricks,
to give our sins a sense of the divine?

Why does God let my spiritual pain exist
so I in church still mortal sins embrace?
How can God see His Son in Eucharist
become a sacrilege instead of grace?

How can a loving God allow our pain
or let the devil drag some souls to hell?
Unfree, I cannot love or heaven gain,
no choice, no sin, no guilt, no Adam fell.

If You and Satan took my liberty,
You would destroy, Lord, my humanity.

                -- by Pete Voelz       11/20/12

The Birds Sing

The birds sing, Lord, they do not mind who hears,
their self-expression is enough reward;
they toss songs off, no care if there are ears,
they pelt the blithe and bored with sweet accord.

The birds rejoice, when dawn begins to rise
to stretch her rosy fingers in the sky;*
they sing with joy, as if to rhapsodize
the honey bee, the rose, the butterfly.

God's gift to us, is just to hear their song
so we end up rejoicing at the dawn;
with each new trill, we're called to sing along
and hope anew before the day is gone.

When His birds sing, God is not deaf and blind
and so like us will not be far behind.

* A favorite saying in Virgil’s Aeneid.

                            -- by Pete Voelz         7/05

The Hidden God

I raise my rose to peel away God's soul,
secluded in its petals and its heart,
does its rare beauty issue from the whole
or from some inner secret of its art?

What kind of an imagination draped
the shaded crimson colors on its form,
whose sense of symmetry serenely shaped
the velvet petals cuddled soft and warm?

God seems to hide some precious part of Him
beneath a flower's exuberance and style,
our genius can't create one whit the whim
that splashed a million blossoms mile by mile.

If He concocts His blooms with so much fuss,
how much more must He hide Himself in us.

                      -- by Pete Voelz          6/05

To Humble Be

It does not hurt a bit to humble be,
don't let my pride, O God, stand in the way,
it does not hurt to fall upon my knee,
and ask You, Lord, to help me as I pray.

To curb my pride is not a harmful thing,
I know I can't do everything alone,
I can't imagine what the Lord can bring,
it doesn't hurt to get Him on the phone.

The Lord commands I worship Him as God,
it's true He made me free to have my pride,
for creatures to bow low is not so odd,
so long as it reflects the truth inside.

Pray, God, You make me humble if You please,
because it's hard to stumble on my knees.

                    -- by Pete Voelz          6/08  

No Far Love

God’s far and yet I never see Him far,
my love is not for One Who’s far away,
I won’t wait to meet God in Kandahar,
when I can meet Him here at Mass today.

O Lord, I know I am not worthy of
a heaven that lasts for an eternity,
and yet You think I’m worthy of Your love,
and so You shower love on little me.

Love brings You close, and I am closer still
when with my love I too reach out to You,
less with my mind, but freely with my will
when I in faith believe Your love is true.

I know why You will let me see Your face,
because I choose to take Your gift of grace.

                     -- by Pete Voelz      11/18/12

Light Love

I treat God light and so I treat love light,
when love’s why God created all creation,
I can’t create a thing with all my might,
yet love too is my greatest inspiration.

God’s people, children, marriage, love and sex--
what do I know of how or why they started?
I know each one can make me clear the decks,
and cure me quick of acting too hard-hearted.

I see that all together they make sense,
pop culture trashes them because it’s free to,
I think I should treat each with reverence,
or soon someone will start mistreating me too.

I know, O Lord, all these are good and true,
because, O God of love, they come from You.

                           -- by Pete Voelz      11/18/12

Love Is God

Since God is love, then all true love is His,
by loving, I take part in the divine,
true love gives me a taste of Who God is,
and in some way by love I make God mine.

I can’t create love nor can I invent it,
true love must reach me from some other place,
I cannot buy it, borrow it or rent it,
such beauty has to be a gift of grace.

All love is shrouded in His mystery,
we wonder at a thing so wonderful,
why does God share Himself with little me,
so natural--love, yet still a miracle.

Lord, let me not play lightly with Your love,
I’ll only understand when we’re above.

                  -- by Pete Voelz       11/17/12

Love Lies

To lie of love turns love into a sin,
most when I try to trade a lie for love,
no end can justify the lie I’m in,
just break the heart I take advantage of.

As God is love, His love I can’t abuse,
since God is truth, I cannot live a lie,
like love and truth, a friend I cannot use
and hope by lies myself to justify.

I search for truth, not just my selfish pleasure,
I look for love, but love won’t be deceived,
God gives me truth and His love without measure,
true love does not want lies to be believed.

As love and truth, Lord, can’t support a lie,
let me love only truly ‘til I die.

                    -- by Pete Voelz       11/16/12

God Father-Son

I wonder if He called His Father “Dad,”
the language for a father by a son,
or what kind of relationship They had
when He found out He was the only one.

Were there locutions so the two could talk,
so both could come to know each other well?
Did Son have visions on His desert walk,
so He’d see heaven where They both would dwell?

And when His Father told Him He must die,
with bloody sweat, He begged Him in His prayer,
to drink this chalice, Father dear, must I,
to prove My love, this cross I have to bear?

You love us, Christ, so great, but greater still
You loved Your Father, so You did His will.

                    -- by Pete Voelz       11/15/12

God Wants Me

God wants me here because He loves me so,
how disappointed He must be in me,
but heaven is the place I want to go,
and He's the only God I want to see.

What does He see in me He loves so much?
God is so warm, up close and personal,
inside and out He is the One I touch,
truly His love for me's a miracle.

And yet for Him so natural is His love,
God is love, I'm just too dumb to perceive it,
I'm far below, He seems too far above,
yet love so near that I must love or leave it.

You box me in, Your love I can't deny,
but still, O loving Lord, I wonder why.

                          -- by Pete Voelz        6/09

God's Smile

I can’t imagine God without a smile,
He is above the anger of the book,
so honest, open, gentle, without guile,
in heaven a smiling God is how He’ll look.

The anger He shows in His revelation
belies the loving teaching of His Word,
somehow it seems to me an aberration,
forever He’ll not be an Angry Bird.

He gets upset about the way we sin,
with freedom comes rejection of His grace,
with God there’ll be no more the sin we’re in,
no cause to change the smile on His face.

Your feelings, Lord, are such a mystery,
and yet I bet You’ll always smile on me.

                   -- by Pete Voelz       11/10/12

Blest Crumbs

If You love me, then You must help me more,
You give me crumbs because I am a crumb,
I need more than You’ve given heretofore,
some crumbs to last until Thy Kingdom come.

Am I a crumb because a smoldering wick,
because my faith’s a bruised and bent down reed?*
So little of Your grace crumbs seem to stick,
is it my fault that I am so in need?

Or do You want me to be crumb-like here,
so You can show Your great power through my weakness?
Your fortitude can conquer all my fear,
I’m strong because of, not despite, my meekness.

Your Gospel, Lord, my childlike eyes can see,
and even read it in poor poetry.

* “A bruised reed He will not break, a
smoldering wick He will not quench.”
-- Matt. 12:20

                    -- by Pete Voelz       11/12/12

Love or be Loved

To love or to be loved, which gift is more? *
‘Tis better to give, we’re taught, than to receive.
“To be or not to be” we’ve heard before,
the active over passive, we believe.

Our active God does not sit idly by,
He gifts me love, but love needs to be free,
His love I must approve or else deny
by sharing it the way that He loves me.

God gives me my ability to love,
and with it my own liberty to choose,
a Godly power I can’t be careless of,
I use His gift of love for Him or lose.

O Lord, You are Your gift to love so true,
in sharing it, I give it back toYou.

* “O Divine Master, grant that I may not so
much seek . . . to be loved as to love . . .”
-- St. Francis of Assisi Prayer for Peace

-- by Pete Voelz       11/11/12

Equal Gifts

What gifts, God, do I have to equal Yours?
You gave me life, I have a life to give,
You show me love so long Your love endures,
You let me love so long I have to live.

You give me friends, and You are my best friend,
Your love for me, You order me to share,
as much I love myself unto the end,
so for my neighbor You ask me to care.

I love myself, how can I do that best?
To get what I want most--to go to heaven,
and then with me, to gather all the rest,
their souls as gifts to join the gift I’m given.

If you give me my life and Your love too,
I’ll multiply my soul and love for You.

                    -- by Pete Voelz       11/9/12

Love's Victims

God is a victim of the love He is,*
He can’t help leaning on His weakest reed,
He can’t help loving this littlest lamb of His,
He can’t help helping in his hour of need.

God makes me too a victim of His love,
I no more can resist than even He,
though He is God, He’s still a victim of
this irresistable power of love for me.

God’s free to love or not like You and I,
but when I choose love, freedom can’t resist,
nor can I flee His love, nor can I fly
from His great gift of love in Eucharist.

As victim of Your love, Lord, I can’t flee
from sharing love as You’ve commanded me.

* 1 John 4:16 -- “God is love . . .”

                   -- by Pete Voelz       11/8/12

Warm and Close

How can I warm up to Almighty God?
How can I close in on the Trinity?
Yet, Lord Who made me, wouldn't it be odd
if You were not now warm and close to me?

With You inside me there's no space between
us two for me to hide or stand away;
on One so close it wouldn't hurt to lean,
to One so warm it wouldn't hurt to pray.

My Father wants obedience for love,
dear Jesus wants me to see Him in others,
the Spirit asks I aim for what's above
and not just vainly focus on my druthers.

Being close to God has little mystery,
and coolness melts with warm humility.

                           -- by Pete Voelz      1/06

God Luck

How lucky we are to possess God's luck,
how little we appreciate our good fortune;
could evil not potentially run amok,
could we not be much worse off with our portion?

God made a world so beautiful, good and true,
He set His rational natural laws in order;
no matter how much sin we may pursue,
God always holds the bad within a border.

There is a reason for our lucky lot,
God is Himself so logical and caring;
it's no fun fancying evils we have not,
we'd rather bear those ills we share unsparing.

Should we not pinch ourselves we were created
by our good God, though unappreciated?

                             -- by Pete Voelz          7/05

So What

When my soul came to go, I left my diet
and exercise for body dear now dead,
my voice, my words, my messages now quiet,
my messy files, my plans, my past all shed.

I left behind each colleague, loving friend,
my lifelong love and dearest darling wife,
fun with my son and daughter came to end,
grandchildren's joy, the future of my life.

My library I left, my bank account,
from fondest memories I was bereft,
my thoughts, my cares, all that was paramount,
 with everything now gone, so what was left?

I was so busy with, oh, so many a thing,
so what now matters? Only what I bring.

                               -- by Pete Voelz        7/05

The Space of Grace

God gives me strength but also lets me be,
sometimes I pray, He showers me with grace,
yet not so much I am no longer free,
along with help, He always gives me space.

God grants support to give my will some spine,
He wants to guide and yet not to control,
He knows the choice, but wants it to be mine,
we both do battle for my fickle soul.

I want what's right, my body drags me back,
it seems to want a life that's all its own,
God's only there to help take up the slack,
He wants the true me, not some godly clone.

God made me real, which means He made me free,
He leaves my fate and choices up to me.

                                          -- by Pete Voelz

Wrong or Right

Sometimes I'm wrong, and it is not a sin,
sometimes I'm right, and yet there is no grace,
sometimes it seems a person cannot win,
the right and wrong can just be out of place.

The mind of God is not the mind of men,
the strongest law is still the law of love,
but it is love according to God's plan,
love ultimately guided from above.

The moral and the spiritual are tight,
and that is how they almost always stay,
but sometimes it is wrong to turn out right,
sometimes the right thing just gets in the way.

O God, Your rightness and Your love are one,
light as a feather, though it weighs a ton.

                            -- by Pete Voelz           11/09

'Tis God Alone

'Tis God alone tells what life's all about,
who else knows really why we come and go?
Where we are from no one has figured out,
where we end up no one for sure can know.

In the great scheme of things, we're pretty small,
just who we truly are few know or care,
let's face it, we don't really count at all,
without God in our life, there's nothing there.

But God gave us our minds to reason to
how He created us and how we grow,
then He revealed to us what all is true,
and why He did--because He loves us so.

Since I can't take with me all that I own,
O God, let me most value You alone.

                          -- by Pete Voelz     7/05

Unboring God

Does God get bored with me when I am bored?
When I get tired of asking Him again,
of praying half-sincerely, “O my Lord,
please help me overcome the same old sin”?

I do desire His mercy miracle,
He always knows what I’m desirous of,
though I feel so, like, hypocritical,
He cuts through all my jitters with His love.

Why am I bored with such a caring God?
I pray and He’s already seen my goal,
He’s pierced my bored disinterested facade,
and bored deep in my infinitely precious soul.

Since, Lord, You’re never bored with me, it’s true,
I choose to be more interested in You.

                           -- by Pete Voelz       11/2/12

pmvoelz.blogspot.com

Trust Rest

O Jesus, rest my heart, in You I trust,
Your peace in life I also do accept,
instead of rage, I take the things I must,
let me rejoice where heretofore I’ve wept.

More than I ever will, You ate the pain,
You trusted in Your Father’s will above,
let all Your care for me not be in vain,
instead of stone, we have a God of love.

O Jesus, You are God, You trusted Him,
so how can helpless I not trust the same?
Against Your powerful tide I cannot swim,
to not rest in Your peace--O what a shame!

O Jesus, let my trust in You increase,
so my sore heart rests in Your gentle peace.

               -- by Pete Voelz       11/1/12

Why Love Christ

O Christ, why do I think I love You so?
Is it Your miracles that I admire,
 is it the ones You do for me I know,
or ones You work in hearts that You inspire?

Is it that You respond to all my prayer,
that You are willing to forgive my sin,
Your spiritual power also shows You care,
Your miracles in both ways show You’ll win?

Am I impressed, Christ, from Your Trinity,
You flood me with Your mercy, infinite love,
You suffered, died, and conquered death for me,
I’m grateful thus for all of the above?

O Christ, besides all that for me You do,
You are my God, so truly I love You.

                -- by Pete Voelz       10/29/12

God's Happy Thought

God comes to me--is that a happy thought?
There’s no surprise--He’s come to me before--
He once created me--so I’ve been taught,
and He loves and sustains me to the core.

I’m happy that His love I can’t resist,
but happier He comes to me in full,
His fullness in His happy Eucharist
is His amazing awesome miracle.

He hosts me with His Body and His Blood,
He guests me His soul and divinity,
with His great grace and strength my soul He floods,
with power He works His miracles in me.

O happy thought, Lord, turned to happy deed,
You heal this broken oft-unhappy reed.

                        -- by Pete Voelz       10/30/12

Miracle Prayers

The answers to our prayers are miracles,
albiet little miracles at best,
a subtle normalcy that God annuls
or small creative change at His request.
 
For most of them God doesn't override
the intricate design of nature's law,
as mastermind and providential guide,
He speaks and all of nature bides in awe.

Why does my prayer thus make God so respond,
my great God Father putting in the fix,
could He but be of me so really fond,
engaging in celestial politics?

However done, of them I am aware,
and grateful for the miracle of prayer.

                           -- by Pete Voelz      12/04

Attentive God

Who is this God Who's at my beck and call?
I can't see Him and yet I know He's there,
I sense His voice but don't hear Him at all,
though in no place, He hovers everywhere.

Him I touch not, yet somehow I can feel
His constant presence and concern inside,
invisible yet spiritually He's real,
His gentle pressure serving as a guide.

I feel much better when I go His way,
He shows me, then I feel bad when I balk,
others point out I feel the same as they,
it's nice He is the topic of our talk.

O God, Who's so attentive, loving, true,
help me give more attentiveness to You.

-- by Pete Voelz         11/05

God's Tug of War

If God is Love, what means does He use most
to work His way with us about this Love?
And in the end, who will most likely boast
to win this war between below-above?

Before our eyes of faith a tug of war
is waged within the world and in our hearts,
and we decide which side we’re working for--
our angels or their demon counterparts.

Of course, this war Almighty God will win,
His version of this Love triumph at last,
the devil’s false facade of Love as sin,
will lose, and like all else be but the past.

God uses grace to draw us to His way,
once graced by Love, we will forever stay.

               -- by Pete Voelz       9/10/12

Faith in Prayer

O God, I put my faith in You and prayer,
but I doubt sometimes if my faith's well placed,
when foes oppose me seeming everywhere
and I feel my prayer strategy's outpaced.

I must work as if all depends on me,
I pray as if it all depends on You;*
I trust in You this strategy will be
the one that works to make my work come true.

Yet I know life's ambiguous at best,
in this world I sense sometimes I must fail,
I pray You, God, will help me stand the  test,
and prove that prayer will rescue me so frail.

O God, I do believe despite the tears
through prayer You help the one who perseveres.

* St. Augustine

                                -- by Pete Voelz            9/05

Great Kind God

Can God Who fixed the universe so fine,
exploding infinite space so fast so far,
forget this tiny beggarly heart of mine,
destined for heaven, far greater than a star?

Would God Who made each particle so small,
and keeps a million molecules in mind,
ignore the most important part of all,
and plan to treat this little man unkind?

Shall God remember not this human soul,
shaped in His image true right from the start,
divine spark formed for an eternal goal,
His Godly life and highest work of art?

This personal, loving God gives me such care
that I know He, dear friend, is truly there.

                         -- by Pete Voelz       5/04

Make Up God

O God, why do I feel I’ve let You down,
less for my bad than what I haven’t done?
What little I have done to win the crown!
Yet If I put my trust in You, I’ve won.

Less what I do, more for my attitude,
You lead me, Lord, on to Your victory;
more for my love, my praise and gratitude,
my imperfections You make up for me.

This fallen world, this broken servant, I,
both make me stumble in my foolish race;
my fears and flaws that make me want to cry,
You make up for with Your most awesome grace.

“I make up for no fool, be not afraid,
but for,” You say, “this precious jewel I made.”

                         -- by Pete Voelz       10/24/12

Same God Opposite

God’s voice is thunder and a whispering breeze,
He’s loud to say we can’t escape Him here,
but we must listen, busy or at ease,
to understand His quiet message clear.

God hurts sometimes, but with a loving pain,
He pushes, pulls us, yanks us, gives a shove,
with suffering He tests us to our gain,
for even when He hurts us, He is love.

God’s far away, but asks if He can dwell
inside of us as deep as deep can be,
He offers us a heaven or a hell,
we choose from here to His eternity.

In voice, in hurt, inside us, near or far,
O God of love, it’s always Love You are.

                  -- by Pete Voelz       10/22/12

Selfish Love

Love’s selfish when I think, since God is love,
I will love more so I’ll be more like God,
for true love’s always blest by heaven above,
and to be true, love cannot be facade.

Love’s most unselfish when we put God first,
God lives in all so we help all in need,
not to love God in others is the worst,
like Good Samaritans, we love by deed.

God orders us to love, we must obey,
to face Him first, then see Him in their face,
to be unselfish with them that I pray,
so He will be more generous with His grace.

I’ll be unselfish, Lord, with them and You,
if selfish I share more in Your love too.

                            -- by Pete Voelz      1/11

Sinner or Saint

What’s different in a sinner from a saint--
that one ends up in hell, the other heaven?
To know that I’m a sinner makes me faint,
to turn to God, I get my sins forgiven.

St. Bernadette said who a sinner is,
not one who sins, but one who loves to sin;
we all fail, yet who hates the sin that’s his
is saintly trying not to sin again.

The saint is one who’s raised good and believes,
who finds his faith and sacraments and grace,
who opens up his heart and so receives
the grace to risk to look Christ in the face.

God offers grace to all, but I must dare
to use God’s grace in faith, good works and prayer.

                   -- by Pete Voelz       10/16/12

How Long, How Care

How long did it take You to make the sun?
It must have taken long to make a tree,
a wren, a rose, to make the river run;
how long You spun the soul of one like me.

How much care did You take to make the moon?
How much to program time and gravity?
How much to craft a hazy afternoon?
How much attune a lazy loon like me?

And how much care You put into us two,
You thought of us before there was a there,
You loved me long before I ever knew,
how slow I came to know how much You care.

It did not take You long in making me,
this one You love from-to eternity.

                      -- by Pete Voelz        12/08

God in the Void

I think of everything but God
from ant to asteroid,
and then I think of God, how odd
to stare into the void.

For if, O God, I try to see
You there beyond a star,
much further than infinity,
I know You really are.

And if I look at all of space,
so far beyond the sky,
I still can't recognize Your face
or see the reason why.

For us God made the universe,
it wasn't on a whim,
He hopes we use it in reverse
to praise and worship Him.

O God, as far away You are,
You still are close to me,
more than my world or any star,
You shape my destiny.

You are the God that I adore,
together or apart,
I want to love You ever more
and give You my heart.

God is a million miles away,
my closest caring Friend,
Who'll be tomorrow as today
a partner to the end.

     -- by Pete Voelz      8/08

Turning God's Stones

With You I want to leave no stone unturned
to know You, love You, praise You in a poem,
to leave no part, O Lord, of You unlearned,
so all of You will find in me a home.

How can I know even a part of You,
unless to me Yourself You first reveal?
How can I know if anything is true
about You or’s just something that I feel?

I see You some in nature, Scripture, Church,
inside myself, in people who are near,
there’s so much more of You I need to search,
like open up my heart right now, right here.

Let me, God, leave no inspiration spurned,
so I’ll leave not one stone of You unturned.

                      -- by Pete Voelz       10/17/12

Good Hurt

I take my hurt and offer it to Thee,
all worries, pain and suffering I feel,
O God, Who offered all Your hurt for me,
so both my body and my soul can heal.

I could just gripe and suffer and complain,
or for my sins my hurt I can embrace,
for You're especially with me in my pain,
Who gives me hurt gives me His greater grace.

You died for me and set the standard high,
You ask me now Your suffering to share,
if I accept, and for You hurt and die,
You'll give me heaven, my gift helps bring me there.

I pray You, Jesus, bless the hurt I'm due,
for offered up, it leads me close to You.

                             -- by Pete Voelz       7/09

Our Best Miracles

Christ proved He’s God with each great miracle,
but those are just the miracles we can see,
His unseen signs are greater than the physical,
to heal a soul lasts for eternity.

Christ’s miracles indeed are wonderful,
but spiritual ones are wondrous as can be,
God knows that we admire the sensible,
but mending souls to save them is the key.

When my prayer heals a soul, it’s beautiful,
more than my body, I hope Christ cures me,
we’re glad they save lives at the hospital,
but we can save eternal lives for free.

How prayer saves souls, Lord, is a mystery,
help us do our best miracles spiritually.

                  -- by Pete Voelz       10/15/12

(I dedicate this poem today to my friend Mary Ann Pearman.)

God Sick of Me?

Does Christ get sick of me because I ask
too much from Him Who’s given me so much?
I seek His help whenever I have a task,
whose sure success somehow I cannot touch.

I knock on Jesus’s door repeatedly
because He said, “Ask and you shall receive,
seek and you’ll find,” He has encouraged me,
“Knock and it shall be opened,” I believe.

“I am the way, the truth, the life,” He said,
and too, “My Kingdom’s like a mustard seed,”
that soon into a giant bush will spread,
as my small prayer will soon fill up my need.

O Christ, You won’t get sick of me, it’s true,
so long I don’t get sick of asking You.

                     -- by Pete Voelz     10/9/12

God's Leader

God wants to make a leader out of me,
He’s asking me to be a true disciple,
He wants to bring my eyes of faith to see,
not just to hear His words, but them recycle.

God pours His wine into my wineskin new,
He offers me His own amazing grace,
He sends His Spirit to guide me what to do,
He runs with me to help me lead the race.

Christ teaches me and tells me how to pray,
He sends me out to make a miracle,
He promises to prompt me what to say,
to work in souls some wonders spiritual.

You show example’s the best way that leads,
so childlike, Lord, I follow planting seeds.

                    -- by Pete Voelz       10/13/12

Foursquare God

The whole of life with God comes down foursquare,
first there is God, and second there is me,
third, that for me God’s love is always there,
the fourth is hard--my love for God is free.

God is a given, for He created all,
and He made me so I’m a given too,
as God loves all, He loves me though I’m small,
but me love God--how do I know I do?

God orders me to love Him so I must,
to love Him means that I obey His law,
and it will pay to love the God I trust,
how can’t I love the God I hold in awe?

The fourth may be the hardest, but I choose
to love God free, or the first three I lose.

                 -- by Pete Voelz       10/12/12

Intrusive God

Of several billion people, only I
look outward while they all are looking in,
with my eyes only I can see the sky,
there’s only one myself under my skin.

The center of the universe is me,
‘til there intrudes a power--almost a curse,
intrusive God arrives intrusively,
unsettling my own comfortable universe.

I know He comes with great intrusive love,
but why on my routines must He intrude?
God wants me with forever Him above,
where I’ll feel overwhelming gratitude.

Should I reject You, all Your love and grace,
just ‘cause, intrusive God, You’re in my face?

                 -- by Pete Voelz       10/10/12

God Guest

I want You, God, for You my heart is restless,
more than just having Your Spirit inside of me,
without You really here, my soul seems guestless--
“My heart is restless ‘til it rests in Thee.”*

I don’t think I could take Almighty God,
despite my Father with His infinite love,
and I don’t think it’s anything but odd
to bide His Spirit looking like a dove.

No, Jesus, it is You I can’t resist,
the human You Who looks like me the most,
if You can’t show that now, Your Eucharist
can substitute, not as my guest, but host.

O personal Christ, both physical and spiritual,
You bless me with this daily miracle.

*St. Augustine

                     -- by Pete Voelz       10/10/12

Blind Flowers

The sinner sees the snowbell like the saint,
the Christian and the pagan share the sage,
all children touch the painted daisy's paint,
all people love azaleas in old age.

The shell-flower shows its cups to everyone,
the sun rose rises sweetly to all eyes,
and none would spoil the featherfoil's fun,
or shun a tan as sunflowers scan the skies.

Each one can taste the bunchberry dogwood's beauty,
we all recall the cherry laurel's charm,
as we know well, the sneezeweed's never snooty,
and bluebell's sound us equal their alarm.

Do we know better than the innocent flowers
who'll rise or fall with all our clever powers?

                        -- by Pete Voelz           4/05

Graceful Poems

A poem is just a cheaper kind of prayer,
composed with grace, it may not have much grace,
though it be full of grace with grace to spare,
for my soul's grace no one but God can trace.

Grace does not come in beauty, beat or rhyme,
but for a sigh within a soul sincere,
the more I give to God my work and time,
the more he pours His grace upon me here.

My prayer is words, true, drenched with faith and love,
meant for, sent to an audience of One,
Who has the power to send a showering of
His saving and amazing graceful Son.

O God, I pray give grace today to me
for graceful prayers posing as poetry.

                             -- by Pete Voelz        11/08

Fearing Death

Do I fear death because it is the end,
the night that stops the pleasure of my day,
the last of loving family, loyal friend,
the final going, much to my dismay?

Do I fear death because there might be pain,
the suffering that accompanies the leaving,
the discomfort that goes against the grain,
the cost, the mess, the burden to the grieving?

Do I fear death because my sins still haunt me,
the punishment I haven't paid yet here,
facing some cruel devil who'll taunt me,
my lack of faith that foils forever fear?

Yet unlike fear, O Lord, my faith is true:
death brings eternal happiness with You.

                        -- by Pete Voelz           7/09

Heart to Heart

"Cor ad cor loquitur," John Newman wrote,
this is our best relationship with Christ,
joined at the heart to One Who seems remote,
to us by words the Word of God enticed.
 
Christ gave Himself to us in Eucharist,
so in all ways He could stay with us here,
in food and love that we could not resist,
Whom we, Isaiah-like, delight to fear.

Heart speaks to heart, but not in words alone,
there is a power that motivates our love,
God gives to love a language all its own,
to bring us near the One we're thinking of.

O Jesus, come and help me humbly start
to speak to You in our own heart-to-heart.

                          -- by Pete Voelz         8/07

Humble God

What is this love except obedience?
Obedience takes great humility,
no more of this just sitting on the fence,
we freely stand with Him Who made us free.

And what do we obey but His commands?
We trust the One Who’s perfect in His trust,
He holds us in the hollow of His hands,
we freely choose to follow what we must.

His first and greatest order is to love,
for God is love, and we who love, obey,
when we love, we obey Who reigns above,
in loving God, there are no shades of gray.

Lord, help me, weak in love, to so love You,
I need not Your command, to love You true.

                  -- by Pete Voelz       10/5/12

The Gap of God

The gap between God’s heaven and my soul
is only bridged by His tremendous love,
how can I make God’s Paradise my goal,
to lift, unworthy I, my eyes above?

My sins are Scarlet, said Isaiah once,
they cause a great celestial gap to grow,
lept only by His Hound of Heaven who hunts
with mercy great so they’ll no longer show.

How perfect all appear in Paradise,
the problem is to get from here to there,
though no perfection’s clear before our eyes,
a perfect God lurks near me everywhere.

Your presence, mercy, love, Lord, fill the gap,
that’s gone when You close hold me on Your lap.

                       -- by Pete Voelz       10/4/12

Stronger than God

God wrestles with the devil in my heart,
and I’m there too, alas, the referee;
God bets on me, but I must do my part,
I choose who wins; for this, God made me free.

God battles with the devil for my soul,
the combat is as bloody as can be;
God’s mighty, but, alas, I’m in control,
I do decide at last my destiny.

God struggles in my conscience, just we two,
we’re face to face, there’s no place I can flee;
He’s on my side, but I choose what to do,
though He wars fierce, the outcome’s up to me.

Lord, though You’re strong, my freedom’s stronger yet,
for I must finally fight to win the bet.

                        -- by Pete Voelz       10/3/12

Tricky God

An infinite God has possibilities--
endess to choose, a giant bag of tricks,
the millions with their million destinies,
His time and power to throw into the mix.

A crafty God, see what He’s done already--
billions of stars, and He has just begun,
it’s clear He can’t be charged with being petty,
how can He care for such a little one?

Tricks, games and foolishness He’s not above,
for pain and death and hate He has left space,
the God of mystery answers all with love,
His friendship, favor, strength summed up in grace.

O Lord, though small as all the world can see,
how fortunate Your favor falls on me.

                       -- by Pete Voelz       10/2/12

Soul Count

I'd like to have a thousand souls in tow
when I shall cross the finish line at last,
some strangers I've encountered, some I know,
from all that I have prayed for in the past.

If not, at least a hundred I have met,
whom I have loved and cared for in my wake,
to all who've cared for me I am in debt,
I hope the ones who've loved me I can take.

If I could bring but ten or so to You,
my wife and parents, sister, brother, please,
my son and daughter and their children too,
a few friends, loved ones and their families.

Actually, Lord, for all eternity,
I would be glad if You saved little me.

                      -- by Pete Voelz         8/10

How Can One Not

How can one not love God when God's so good?
All goodness comes from God so He's the best,
goodness is hard--to do the things we should,
yet when we're good, it's God Who's most impressed.
 
How can one not love God Who is all true?
God knows what's true since He knows everything,
I too want truth, to know it through and through,
I like to know what's really happening.

How can one not love God so beautiful?
All beauty has its start in His perfection,
our beauteous work is not some miracle,
but just in us the work of His reflection.

With truth, Lord, good and beauty all in You,
I'd like to have a little of them too.

                              -- by Pete Voelz       6/07

Night Visitor

Mere words cannot describe the way I feel,
when I first think of God as He appears,
and with an overwhelming wave so real,
He comes to comfort me and quell my fears.

Like when the night clouds part, the moon breaks through,
to flood our vision with her stunning light,
God's presence all at once breaks into view,
abruptly ending all the dark of night.

His dawning scatters all our worries dark,
my troubled thoughts of all my problems cease,
my battery of faith begins to spark,
as comforted, I sense His calming peace.

I'm grateful, God, You brighten and console
the dark discomfort of my burdened soul.

                                -- by Pete Voelz        11/07

How to Choose

God gives me moral choices all day long,
I’m forced to choose between what’s bad and good,
I must decide to do things right or wrong,
I’m supposed to try to do the things I should.

My morals I revere or I disdain,
I have a choice because God made me free,
my choices give me spiritual loss or gain,
so I choose free my eternal destiny.

I pray to God to help me choose my fate,
the devil lures me while God offers me grace,
to get His strength I must cooperate,
my prayers show my desire to win the race.

I must be still, O Lord, to hear Your voice,
then to respond or not is my great choice.

             -- by Pete Voelz       9/28/12

God's Answer

God is the balm for every broken heart,
the solvent to each knotty problem's pain,
the antidote of any poisonous dart,
the elixir for all good done in vain.

God is the gift that fills each empty soul,
that heals the wounds of sin's infirmities,
the tonic fortitude for self-control,
the miracle cure of spiritual disease.

God warms the frost of frigid apathy,
He thaws the selfishness of icy greed,
He melts the chill of glacial gluttony,
He cools the flame of lust's volcanic need.

God's remedies work better than our aid,
with mercy deep for every debt unpaid.

                     -- by Pete Voelz     8/10

Body and Soul

The more I adore my body, the less my soul,
yet when I keep my body in its place,
and have its members under my control,
the more my soul has access to Your grace.

Your grace, Lord, is Your power great in me,
it’s You I must, with body and soul, adore,
then I--both body and soul--am truly free,
and we will truly love each other more.

The worship of my body leads to sin,
I’m supposed to give them both together to You,
my soul and body must be joined to win,
if we’re to have us joined in heaven too.

They’ll be there--physical and spiritual,
one me in my eternal miracle.

                     -- by Pete Voelz       9/26/12

My God War

I am the battleground of good and ill,

I’m the geography of peace and war,

the fight goes on within my heart and will,

rarely reduced to just an either-or.

I know what’s right and wrong in my own mind,

I hear temptation’s call from many voices,

My feckless will is weak, but I’m not blind,

It’s dark, but basically I see my choices.

The demon’s on one side, God’s law is there,

My pleasure or salvation—what’s my goal?

I’m tempted to not even reach for prayer,

God’s biased in this struggle for my soul.

And yet, O Lord, I know I have an ace,

If I just cast a glance upon Your face.

                      -- by Pete Voelz       9/25/12