The Greatest Game

O God, Yours is the greatest game of all,
where pitcher, umpire, coach and fans are You,
a game we all have played in since the Fall,
where You’re both quarterback and defense too.
Your game’s more serious than any sport,
good as they are, they’re mostly just distraction,
our game’s lifelong, the whole world is our court,
we more than play, so grave we take the action.
For hungry Satan is our adversary,
You’re on our side, it is our game to lose,
our team is strong with angels, saints and Mary,
our victory or defeat we’re free to choose.
Thank God, Lord, You’re our captain and our goal,
our trophy is our own immortal soul.

                             -- by Pete Voelz      1/31/12

God Pick-up

O God, pick up the pieces of my soul,
shattered from sudden impact with my sin,
scattered by loss of care and self-control,
spattered by spots of broken discipline.
O Lord, becalm the grief winds in my heart,
the raging storm of sorrow buffeting me,
temptation's thunder driving us apart,
dark clouds of doubt that roil my spiritual sea.
O Christ, forgive the wrongs that have offended
the God Who took my sins for all His own,
and welcome back with those same arms extended
the one who hung You on a cross for throne.
God Jesus, grant me grace good to repent
my soul's sins so I can be heaven-sent.

                                  -- by Pete Voelz     8/10

Normal God

It's normal that our good God is all good,
and when we die we'll find this natural,
all God's perfection will be understood,
His goodness will not seem some miracle.
That God's there will be normal as can be,
and that He loves us won't seem strange at all,
our loveableness will be no mystery,
that we and God each other will enthrall.
That God is timeless won't seem one bit weird,
the past and future won't exist apart,
we'll see God clear without His old man's beard,
we'll fall in love with Him with all our heart.
O God, since wonders like these will come true,
I trust I can put all my trust in You.

                                   -- by Pete Voelz      9/10

When the Trumpet Flower Sings

At that great hour the trumpet flower will sing
joined by each man and fly and animal,
to Gabriel's tones the shouting stones will ring
for all to hear like some great miracle.
This crossvine flower, like us, needs our support,
its tendrills tossed upon some crisscrossed frame,
so that its call on high can all exhort
and waken some to save them from their shame.
Like golden horns the yellow-orange flowers flare,
while seedpods strain to use sun, rain and clay,
we need to sow and gently grow with care
and not be ruined and so be pruned away.
Like nature's growth, to welcome both the king
and towers of trumpet flowers, we'll jump and sing.

                            -- by Pete Voelz           2003

Sweet Magic Wand

I too can do the miracles of God,
or have at least for some of them a share,
though for my part He often has to prod
to get me to contribute through a prayer.
God's world is spiritual and so is ours,
what matters most takes place there in that space,
He gives us physical and spiritual powers,
we co-create good things here by His grace.
Our spiritual prayer works in His spiritual realm,
His supernatural powers can change things here,
where He prefers we join Him at the helm
to make sweet “magic” miracles appear.
With You in prayer let me, Lord, sweetly bond,
and wave my prayer like some sweet magic wand.

                                       -- by Pete Voelz        6/09

Trust and Pity

I've not much left except for trust and pity,
my faith tells me God's worthy of my trust,
I've messed my life up 'til it's grim and gritty,
there's only hope to reach for, so I must.
Since God is God, I can trust Him completely,
His word is good, His promises come true,
He's real and free and deals with me discreetly,
and sometimes works a miracle or two.
God's mercy flows from infinite compassion,
it makes Him soon forget and so forgive,
I never doubt His mercy out of fashion,
He's sworn to pity me long as I live.
O God, because You keep such faith in me,
though pitiful, I put my trust in Thee.

                            -- by Pete Voelz      5/09

Old New Friends

I dream of meeting friends from long ago,
and catching them with joy and by surprise,
and as we toss our greetings to and fro,
we fondly look into each other's eyes.
Yet You, O God, have planned things much more sweet,
and much more real than just some fantasy,
for millions of old and new friends I'll meet
with greatest joy for all eternity.
My dreams are thin, my fantasies untrue,
how real Your mansions we help build in prayer,
instead of dreams, I should live up to You,
so I'm more worthy, Lord, when we meet there.
O God, by grace my best and oldest friend,
we will with joy meet face-to-face no end.

                                    -- by Pete Voelz      5/09