Chris Gribble

Be yourself - Everyone else is taken (Oscar Wilde)

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Echoes

October 8, 2017 by Chris Gribble

In Greek mythology Echo sought a lover who could never respond to her love because of his self obsession. I wrote this poem as I reflected on the confusion that comes when in such a relationship. It’s hard to understand the confusion when in the middle of this type of relationship until it’s told to stop and then slowly clarity returns.
I hear this story again and again with people that I connect with. The pain that is caused because love when distorted by self obsession is always destructive. The best advice that I have discovered when in such is a situation is to stop engaging with this false love. This can feel like the hardest decision that is ever made. But, it’s the only way to make the madness stop.

Echoes

The mistake isn’t self love,
No,
The mistake is the golden rule,
Gone badly wrong,
Believing if more love is given,,
Then love would return,
It was never going to happen,
No,
Hardwired for a caricature of love,
A pale imitation of the real thing,
Confusing everyone,
The only conclusion to madness,
Is to stop.

Never start by questioning love,
It’s not at fault,
No,
When captured by our image,
Of what is believed to be true,
Paralysed by death’s source,
Discovered in self obsession,
Madness,
Makes a home with us,
Escape seems impossible,
Minutia,
Is used as a weapon,
Confusion,
Is the daily attack on reality.

Drawn to a false beauty,
Hollow words of promise,
Echo,
Falling on deaf ears,
Ears that don’t hear pain
Silence,
Is the response to emotion,
Too much is too intimidating,
Friendship,
Quickly forgotten,
Or, never really known,
Pretence,
Disguises the stage act,
But, it never lasts,
Echoes continuing,
Until the madness,
Is told that it must stop.

image credit: http://njdmythology.blogspot.com.au/

Filed Under: Poems

Another Version of Psalm 44

October 8, 2017 by Chris Gribble

Where is truth when I want it the most?
Each day I question God’s justice,
Why does he forget those who love him?
I hear amazing stories and wonder what I missed,
Where is my amazing story of victorious praise?
Why, God, when I pray do you not hear me?

God’s hand controls everything,
I know this and yet I am forgotten,
Waiting day and night for justice to be heard,
While stupidity continues to live unscathed,
His death words have no accountability,
Doing what he wants; leaving a destructive wake,
My life bears the scars of stupidity’s actions,
Humiliation is his shameful legacy,
Etched in his string of broken lives.

I will not forget God,
Even when scorn’s ugly grimace,
And, his unloving smile,
Leers at my heartache,
My broken life draws me to God’s heart,
Shared with His Beloved,
The lost love of trust,
Emerges out of the shattered mess,
His Beloved will awaken,
Unfailing love restoring life,
Always faithful to His promise.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

The entrepreneur’s lament

October 7, 2017 by Chris Gribble

I woke this morning,
Thinking this day can only
go from good to great,
Seeing my blue ocean of opportunity,
Stretching out beyond the red shoreline,
Swimming with the starfish,
Not a spider in sight
Totally belonging with my tribe,
The purple cow people,
Giving myself An “A” in creativity
For seeing the art of possibility,
Beginning my day with gratitude,
Knowing that this will help me escape,
The happiness trap,
And, not becoming one of the mighty fallen.

I went to my business coach,
Who gave a set of outcomes
I went to my mentor,
Who spoke timeless wisdom
I sat with my spiritual director,
For hours we explored higher callings,
But at the end of the day I say to myself,
There must be one business book,
That will point me to the answers,
That elude my restless quest for excellence.

The lean startup is always hungry for time,
My schedule only ever allowing,
Time for a four hour week,
I am not sure if I need 5 questions,
Or, to do nine things differently,
Maybe just ask “why?” more,
So that I can live meaningfully,
While still getting things done,
Using the power of two,
And, the lessons learned from,
One thousand repetitions,
The truth is not a myth,
The E-myth is really true,
Processes are the keys to freedom,
Formed by irrational humans,
And, the crazy decisions we make.

I went to my business coach,
Who gave a set of outcomes
I went to my mentor,
Who spoke timeless wisdom
I sat with my spiritual director,
For hours we explored higher callings,
But at the end of the day I say to myself,
There must be one business book,
That will point me to the answers,
That elude my restless quest for excellence.

I have more than one obsession,
There are actually four,
They are the temptations,
Every leader must fight against,
These four obsessions are reduced to,
Three imperatives of being the boss,
What have I been thinking all this time?
I should be ashamed for not
Engaging in deep work….
Getting rid of distractions,
Results, results, results,
Influencer, rework, Servant leader,
Anyone can do this,
Just be an intelligent entrepreneur,
And make your ideas happen.

Filed Under: Poems

Another Version of Psalm 43

October 7, 2017 by Chris Gribble

The long wait for truth is now over,
God is taking back what belongs to him,
The painful path of a friendship lost,
Grieving it’s unrealised hopes and dreams,
Disloyalty is discovered by wisdom,
Sadness the price of a broken heart.

The reminders of friendship’s failure,
Are my guide along Wisdom’s path,
The valley of brokenness,
Is leading me to God’s sacred promise,
The beauty of the mountaintop,
Is discovered in hopeful longing breaths,
Each gasp a reminder of life given to me,
My lament transformed into praise,
Breaking through the despair,
Bringing light to each new day.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

Strip mined business

October 7, 2017 by Chris Gribble

I have been fortunate to have worked for nearly 40 years in a range of workplaces. Some have been good and some have nearly destroyed me. I talked with someone yesterday and was reminded again of the true cost when a business or organisation sees people as objects from which they can extricate value. Strip mining them for the commodity they seek and neglecting everything else. And, leaving behind an environmental catastrophe.
This poem touches on some of those themes and the ways in which we cover up and justify such behaviour.

Strip mined business

Row upon row
Stripped bare of any potential,
Leaving nothing,
Then moving on quickly,
Ready to plough a new furrow,
Destruction hidden in a survey,
That says everything is ok?

The value scraped off,
Doesn’t show,
The contamination seeping,
deep below the surface,
Unseen but,
the source of life,
Is poisoned,
Slowly creating death,
Beginning as true believers,
Ending as disillusioned castoffs.

Rape is a crime,
But, strip mining makes money,
So we continue to do it,
Raping again and again,
The tally growing with our success,
But, excusing everything, saying,
the economy made me do it,
Broken hopes cast off,
Because they didn’t believe enough,
In the meantime we all wait,
For when the full price will be paid.

Filed Under: Poems

Another Version of Psalm 42

October 6, 2017 by Chris Gribble

My soul cried out for mercy,
Dreaming of a restful night,
Surrounded by vindictive accusations,
Everyone mocking me and blaming God,

The good time friend quickly faded,
Lost in his fruitless search for satisfaction,
I was never enough to satisfy his painful wounds,
My heart broke the day I was made nothing,
Cast aside with a feeble justifying lie.

In the distant corner of a forgetful heart,
I glimpsed the memory of better days,
Love always brings new life,
Eternity is the language of hope,
All this returned to me,
I soak it up day after day,
I never tire of Love’s kind words of truth,
Nothing became His greatest treasure,
The lies was transformed by truth.

My sadness is now understood,
Disappointment’s harsh words softened by hope,
Remembering each day His mercies,
Grieving tears replaced by laughter’s praise,
My joy found in Eternity’s approving touch,
Praise is the day’s beginning and end.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

The Pause

October 6, 2017 by Chris Gribble

The pause is my slap in the face,
To the demands from my idols,
That are always crying, “Me first!”
Their greedy selfish ambitions,
Climbing over each other,
Only caring for themselves,
Murderously pushing each other down.
Always trying to win at any cost,
The pause takes me to humility,
Declaring to the world,
I no longer believe I am God.

The pause stops my selfish ascent,
It brings trust to the fore,
When I am too scared to stop,
And, I want to bury myself in work,
Just because it says, “I am first!”
I can spend all day worrying about
My growing pile of unread information,
Making me live in fear In case I miss out,
The pause says I am no longer afraid,
Knowing this day will bring enough activity,
If I remember to pause for long enough,
To know when it’s time to stop,
Remembering why I was created.

Filed Under: Poems

Another Version of Psalm 41

October 5, 2017 by Chris Gribble

Kindness knows the gentle words,
Learned from Hope’s holy whisper,
Seeking out what belongs to eternity,
Saving beauty for eternal appreciation,
All opposition is stopped in its tracks,
Life emerges from the desert of desolation.

Deserted by those who should have cared,
Mercy never entered their thoughts,
Gathering a full quiver of hate,
Ready to send the next flurry of death,
Rumour has no friends only seeking to destroy,
Its putrid breath spitting its vile word vomit.

My heart has returned to what is most loved,
Desiring God’s nod of approval each day,
Friendship always will show its true heart,
I know who treasures my soul,
The truth is clear its actions leave no doubt,
Fickle friends colours fly defeatedly,
I begin each day with the approval of Eternity,
Our praise joined shouting a joyous celebration.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

Mystic Eyes

October 5, 2017 by Chris Gribble

Most of my life is lived around conversations. Increasingly I desire to see things differently and hope that this will shape my conversation. I desire a different conversation to the one that I have grown used to. I don’t want to settle for the busy conversations that centre around what we do. Or, to ask someone to do something for me. This poem was a settling of some of those thoughts.

Mystic eyes

Eyes that see through the heart of prayer,
Change everything,
Nothing escapes
Everything is transformed from ordinary
to a prayer of hope,
Every sunrise is first a prayer,
Each sunset a benediction.
In between, each step
brings forward new prayers,
In each word spoken,
Understanding life as a poem
That caresses the conversation,
With words that connect the heart,
to what is spoken.
Mystic eyes look closer
Searching out the truth in another,
Bringing a question to be unanswered,
Allowing prayer to do its work,
Not forcing unwanted graces,
Willing to wait with someone,
Seeing only the poem,
That lives in this conversation.

Grace, open your heart to me,
Look kindly on me now,
Give me the eyes of a mystic,
Today.

Filed Under: Poems

Another Version of Psalm 40

October 4, 2017 by Chris Gribble

The long dark night that saw no end,
Stretched in an interminable restless waiting,
Sleepless night followed sleepless night,
Caught in the trap of Despair’s hopeless lament,
When my blackest night started at the day’s dawn,
God heard my pitiful cry and Love reached down,
I glimpsed for a moment a shimmer of light,
It transformed my uncertain next step,
Into the bold stride of a sure direction.

Night has lost its terrorising power over me,
My pleasure begins from my soul,
My “Anam Cara” is found and cherished,
My soul is captured by the joy of his welcome,
I can’t stop talking about this found friend,
Loyalty that stretches into eternity’s horizon,
This is my certainty, giving new words of praise.

The wasted effort of Hate’s angry words,
Are put aside for the promise of loyalty,
The short lived delight of endless deception,
Fade into the background when belonging is found,
Hate’s victory shout will become a pitiful whimper,
Eternity will remind them of their deceitful choices.

My lost nights were the beginning of hope,
The sobs of despair transformed into laughter,
My life is a testimony to loyalty’s transformation,
Poverty is turned into an abundance of trust,
My broken heart found where it belongs,
Captured by the words of truth and life,
And, Eternity’s never ending shouts of praise.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

Another Version of Psalm 39

October 3, 2017 by Chris Gribble

The long silence is over,
The time is here to stand for truth,
Life is too short to waste a moment,
Lost in rushing around full of futile activity,
Forgetting what Eternity will always remember.

I want my life to be different,
Not wasted on piles of cheap trinkets,
A legacy of obedience to God will be my hope,
Stupidity can do what He wants,
Mocking words will not deter me from loyalty,
I will reap my reward of faithfulness,
And, face the consequences of forgetting you.

My saddest moments came when I forgot,
When I made this life everything,
You took everything so I would remember,
Now, I seek God in my daily prayer,
Knowing that my brief time here,
Is the beginning of a smile that ends with eternity.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

Another Version of Psalm 38

October 2, 2017 by Chris Gribble

When every thought was captured by fear,
I thought my life was completely worthless,
Day after day darkness chased away hope,
The sick feeling of inconsolable failure,
Churned constantly in my head, never resting,
Sleepless nights followed worry filled days,
Until the day my heart truly broke,
Lying on the floor frozen, broken, nowhere to go.

Everyone tired of my constant lament,
There was no one and no hope left for me,
I was left with my pain,
Made even worse by Contempt’s deceit,
Lie after lie filled with false promise,
Seeking to capture me and drag me down,
False hope followed his arrogant word vomit.

But, I have left hate behind,
His attempts to deceive bounce off me,
My confidence is in God’s mercy,
Forgiveness is the sweet release from failure,
God’s gift to me, when failure bound my life,
When I felt furthest from God; my life a disaster,
I saw my deceitful heart and it’s loneliness,
This is where God found me and brought hope,
At my worst moment within an inch of death,
God reached down and with a gentle touch,
Carried me to the home of the beloved,
Abandoned by hate, brought into Love’s presence,
Help is close by, Fear is waiting for his final defeat.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

Another Version of Psalm 37 (Part two)

October 1, 2017 by Chris Gribble

Mercy was my last hope,
Turning the tables on despair,
I live for each moment spent with Grace,
Knowing that He gives abundantly,
Never holding back any of His mercies,
My endless list of failures,
Grace brings back to zero,
The shame of not being good enough,
Transformed by generous overflowing love.

My face yearns for Hope’s eyes,
Warm and inviting me to trust again,
Selfish ambition was the hopeless path,
Taking me to the depths of depression,
That black pit of despair,
That wanted to take away any goodness,
Life is intended for blessing,
Receiving my promised gifts from God,
Not creating my small kingdoms.

The rewards of selfishness are coming,
Full of themselves today,
And, crumpled in a heap tomorrow,
Grand houses offer little safety,
Compared to my home with Eternity,
Today, I take refuge with God,
Honest trust is my sincere desire,
Praise emerges from my small seed of hope,
Safety found from my glimpse of Eternity’s life.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

Another version of Psalm 37 (Part One)

September 30, 2017 by Chris Gribble

Deceit’s path is clearly laid out,
Leading to the pit of despair,
Full of nothing,
His word has no substance.
Loyalty is his weapon,
Wielding trust for his purpose,
His path goes nowhere,
He stands on the precipice,
The yawning abyss is his destination.

Honesty will wait for God,
Trusting his words,
I wait each day for Eternity to speak,
Knowing my dear enemy’s sleepless nights,
Are his constant reminder of what is lost,
The trophy gained will be his millstone,
As he clutches at worthless hope,
Ending with the angry words,
From a life lived in dissatisfied greed.

My anger is gone,
Not wasted on discarded loyalty,
Truth belongs to eternity,
And, I belong to eternal truth,
All the hate filled words snarled at me,
Are gathered up by Mercy,
He gives them back to Hate,
They become Hate’s own judgement,
Shattering his wall of arrogant pride,
Justice arrives to God’s beloved,
Wait, it’s not far away, loyalty’s gift is coming,
Restoring love is yearning to complete His work.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

John 4 – The woman at the well

September 29, 2017 by Chris Gribble

“Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?”

How will I be surprised today?

When does a “yes” or a “no” become not enough?
Simple judgements hiding my true troubles,
The veil of hatred creating the needed distance,
That builds walls that separate and divide.
I don’t want to live a half hearted life that covers up
What is really a deeper sickness inside
Caught from not enough love
And, too much judgement.

Life cocooned in safe routines
Forgets that grace is always surprising,
Interrupting my safe plans for the day
Often making uncomfortable demands,
Bringing the annoyance of having
an inconvenient conversation.

I want someone who knows how sick I really am,
Who can love enough to look me in the eye,
Not jump to the simple conclusion
Yes or no is not enough,
I don’t want to live life,
hiding behind the easy condemnations,
But, I want a heart that can ask me for a favour,
Spend time with me and hear my sorry story,
Who finds me a friend worth dying for.

“Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked. They couldn’t believe he was talking with that kind of a woman.”

Filed Under: John's Gospel, Poems

Another version of Psalm 36

September 29, 2017 by Chris Gribble

Conceit’s sleepless nights are his reminder,
Of the truth that he wants to forget,
Believing his lies begun from malice,
Forgetting that Truth is not easily deceived,
Foolish conceit believes his own deceit,
Pride will be his sure foundation for destruction.

God’s love is found in every kind word,
Words that reach out to every open heart,
Providing a way to know where to tread,
When my heart is seeking a place to belong,
Surrounded by the taunts of hate’s vicious lies,
I search for the honest hope of faithfulness,
His life giving words of heartfelt care,
Given in an ever flowing stream.

Justice will find a place to stay,
Not a ramshackle shack falling down,
But, a mansion built as a home for all truth,
Love’s trustworthy heart gushes with endearing care,
Victory belongs to those in Eternity’s care.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

Breathe

September 28, 2017 by Chris Gribble

I must take time to breathe
so what is natural can be understood,
I must make space in my life
so I can appreciate the life in each breath ,
I must breath deeply filling my lungs,
so I remember to live fully,
I must wait and watch carefully
so I can witness God’s breath,
I must stop, ceasing all busy activity
so I can feel another’s breath,
I must celebrate each breath I take
so others can join with me,
I must learn to love another’s breath,
so together we can share in hopeful dreams,
I must appreciate each neglected breath
So the gift of life can renew my soul.

Filed Under: Poems

Another Version of Psalm 35

September 28, 2017 by Chris Gribble

The empty eyes of betrayed trust,
Reflected the loss of kindness’ heart,
Contempt’s glare at loyalty,
Chased my thoughts day after day,
His desire to tear down what was loved,
Hatred born from greed’s insatiable lust,
His life spent gathering dusty treasures,
Gone in an instant never satisfying,
What was taken is just a puff of smoke.

Treachery reaps its reward,
What is received is never enough,
Mercy is never far away,
From the hope born in loving words,
The glare of betrayal replaced by kind trust,
The put downs of arrogance forgotten for love,
Pursued by destruction’s hunger for more,
His blood lust bringing him quickly undone.

My joy is found in my sadness,
What was lost through hate is found in God,
When love turns His face to a selfish heart,
God’s piercing glare of justice,
Will seek him out and all excuses will be lost,
The easy trophies won over the broken,
Will become his badges of shame.

Mercy has stayed with me during my dark nights,
His work completing my healing with tenderness,
Blessings arriving each day are reminders of trust,
Loyalty will be repaid by Eternity’s friendship,
Sharing forever the joy of sacred trust.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

Another Version of Psalm 34

September 27, 2017 by Chris Gribble

I’ve found the source of praise,
Praise that knows my name,
Speaking the endearing words of hope to me,
Faithfulness chases my every thought,
Flowing into shouts of loyal encouragement.

My darkest sins were my prison,
They gathered around gloating at my distress,
Surrounded, I looked for an escape,
My cries for help were heard by God,
He took me from death’s door,
And, brought me to the heart of mercy.

I know the bitterness of betrayed trust,
And the sweetness of loyal friendship,
They both belong to my pilgrim’s path,
The sweetness tastes all the better,
When betrayal is transformed by God’s loyalty,
What was lost is replaced by fresh hope,
Life’s choice of destruction or transformation,
Brings me to the God’s loving heart,
Desiring to obey him first in everything.

God hasn ‘t missed a thing in my life,
He chose the broken path so I could understand,
That my sleepless nights of worry,
When I thought I had done nothing right,
Were really the Liar’s condemnation,
His accusations belonged to him, not me,
Transformation is my witness to my forgiveness,
Condemnation is nullified by Mercy’s grace.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

Another Version of Psalm 33

September 26, 2017 by Chris Gribble

Today starts with a burst of praise,
Whatever I have will be used for praise,
My words will seek out beauty,
Comprehending daily the awe of belonging,
The trustworthy heart of my Creator,
Joins with my song of praise,
Together our praise is heard around the world.

All of creation’s wonders started with a word,
Out of Love’s mind sprung a conversation,
Seeking to bring words of loyalty and truth,
The daily wonder of Eternity’s heart,
Broken open in love for everyone to share,
My failures are the beginning of hope,
Life is transformed by Eternity’s mercy.

Short term grandiose plans born from conceit,
Fade in an instant, their legacy gone in second,
A fleeting victory is forgotten by death’s finality,
The conceited promises of Arrogance,
Are known for their lying heart,
Truth will have the final word,
Love’s whisper will become a victory shout.

Loyalty is found in Holiness,
Protection found in eternal trust,
Lies are defeated by loving truth,
My daily gladness spoken each day,
In the conversation between love and faith,
And, my beautiful discovery of Eternity’s embrace.

Filed Under: Psalms, Psalms Version Two

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