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"The Wounded Healer" - A Poem

The Wounded Healer I’ve got a cut that ain’t quite healed I’ve got bruises still swollen - black and blue I’ve got scars that you can’t see But I’ll share them each with you I’ve got a cut from whence power wields You’ve got a bruise that matches me I’ve got scars I didn’t ask for We’re both limping from what we received I ain’t got no snake oil to sell you Only an open heart and ear And if you’d care to sit a spell I’ll sit with you - I’ll stay right here Because a man once took his share of cuts They bruised him black and blue From his scars poured blood and water He knows how you feel too To hell with polished brass and boots Don’t join the grand parade Dip out of the ranks and come with me There’s a new army being made And not one of us keeps brisk pace - not a one We step to our slowest afar and afield Because there’s only one way you can serve with us You’ve got to have cuts that ain’t quite healed -By Nathan Lyke based on the book The Wounded Healer by Henri J. M. Nouwen
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Waiters

     I’m not a very good   waiter . No, I don’t mean the kind that brings out the food at a nice restaurant. Some of you have witnessed me nearly knocking over the lit baptismal candle during a ceremony by clipping the base with my size 16 shoes. Me delivering a platter of glassware and hot food is just plain asking for trouble. I’m talking about being a wait-er: someone who has trouble waiting. I often find myself  waiting  for the next thing in life to arrive. And by the time it does, I’m impatiently waiting for the next thing to happen. Waiting for warm days to finally arrive. Waiting for my kids' activities to wrap up for the season. Waiting for my mustache to grow in how I’d like it to look (as a living tribute to Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Doc Holliday in the 1993 film  Tombstone ). And by the time those things finally do arrive, I’m on to waiting for something else. As the saying goes, “the watched kettle never boils.” How about you? I once heard...
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So you want to be a preacher...

The first task of the preacher is to be loved as they are by Jesus Christ. Whether the preacher feels superbly saintly or seriously sinful, Jesus has already bought them with his own blood on the cross in as-is condition with no returns or exchanges. So they’d better get used to it. In case of emergency or dark nights of the soul, the preacher can look long and hard at themselves in the mirror and boldly say to the person staring back at them: “Hey buddy. You’re a child of God. You’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever. Full stop. Deal with it and get comfy because Jesus played for keeps with you.” The next task is for the preacher to approach the text and let the text approach them . Other voices should be consulted in text and conversation. Hunches that crop up should be investigated and rabbit trails should be explored. Then thoughts need to simmer with the Holy Spirit keeping things cooking. Now it’s time to cobble their thoughts together. Fi...
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