The Common Writer

The one who has
A Masters of Divinity
Has mastered Divinity not
And the one who has
Mastered the pen
Eventually becomes a blot

For the writer’s words
Outlive the writer, yes
The page is their home to dwell
Made up of many letters
And old recycled characters
It’s really Time’s story to tell

-T. Michael W. Halcomb, Dec. 2010
Inspired by George Steiner’s “Uncommon Reader”

Is There A Difference? : A Poem On Duty & Double Standards

Is There A Difference?

Is there a difference?
I suppose that there is,
In the eyes of non-Christians
About how I should live.

Is there a difference?
I imagine there is,
In the mind’s eye of the doubter
Who tries to corner me in.

Is there a difference?
Yes, I see that there is,
They expect something more,
But only of me and not them.

Is there a difference?
Yes, of preconceived notions.
They question my hope when,
They show no devotion.

Is there a difference,
From my life and theirs?
Yes! It's like climbing the stairs
And bearing the world’s cares.

Is there a reason why,
I welcome the difference?
Why I stand at a distance
And shoulder the penance?

There is a difference,
You can get it from subtracting:
Take away the gospel,
Then see how I’m lacking.

For that is the difference,
The triumph in life,
The hope of my heart,
This gospel of light.

It postures me different,
It makes me stand tall,
It makes all the difference in the world,
To heed to this call.

--TMW Halcomb

Tendencies: A Spoken Word Confession

Tendencies

Some things
We just don’t like mentioned
Like when I
Turn my blind eye
To the world’s suffering
And why?
To remain a comfy closet Christian!

I convince myself
That I aint meant to meddle
In the middle
Of this mess
I’ll simply sit and settle
Relax and dismantle
While millions out there peddle

To this end
I just defend
How I’m con-de-scend
-ing
Yep, I con-serve
I’m mister right wing
That’s my think-ing
But am I not thieving?
And can you follow my reasoning?

Am I stealing from God?

When this hungry sister’s
Starving heart whispers
When this war torn land
Devastates this man
And…
I’m gone
Vanished…like footprints in the sand
Am I a man
Of God
Or a thief?
A selfish steward
Whose faith is putrid?

See
There’s a tendency
To keep
The heart from the head
And the head from the hands
So, personally
And socially
We can be
At the same time
Lazy
Yet unholy
And consequentially
Still act like we’re free…in Christ
But that’s a vice
A deadly sin
So, who are we kiddin’?

We need caught by a vision
To be men & women fishin’
We’re commissioned
To live in
Relation not religion
Our hearts cut like circumcision
And what I’m saying yo, it’s relevant
It might be obvious, like a room with an elephant
But we need sold on this truth & I be sellin’ it
From roof top to top, straight yellin’ it

Yep, it needs told
Needs believers who are bold
Who’ll march the tough roads
And someone who’ll hold
The young and the old
The rich and the po’
Cause you know
It’s hard to keep your hands warm
When the fire has no coal
But…
We know
That, what bread is to hunger
Jesus Christ is to the soul
So…

Let’s tally the score
And leave open the doors
Cause what’s done in here
Can’t be hidden no more
We need
Men & women of integrity
Good deeds for all the world to see
To be
Exemplary
And to simply
Do honest ministry
That’s the need of the century
In this age where they’re censuring
The voice that carries density
The voice of truth

See
Me
I’m seeking life after life
Where we win, not lose
But this truth
It’s been banned from the radios and the news
But since I
Since I
Regard the truth as sacred
I take the truth as truth
Cause there’s no other way to take it

So men
And women
Listen
We don’t need a revolution
No, what we need is a conclusion
Where we worship, serve and live like the saints

Instead of yawning in communion

--TMW Halcomb

Vengeance is Mine

Vengeance is Mine

“Vengeance is mine,” thus saith the cheated
“I’ll get you back,”
“Revenge is what is needed”

“Vengeance is mine,” thus saith the spurned
“You’ll get what’s coming,”
“Reprisal in return”

“Vengeance is mine,” thus saith the jealous
“What goes around comes around,”
“My fury is zealous”

“Vengeance is mine,” thus saith the politician
“I’ll make you pay,”
“Here comes retribution”

“Vengeance is mine,” thus saith the defeated
“You’ll see how it feels,”
“You’ll get mistreated”

“Vengeance is mine,” thus saith the tough
“I’ll settle the score,”
“Until I’ve wounded you enough”

“Vengeance is mine,” thus saith the leader
“We’ll devastate your nation,”
“On destruction you’ll teeter”

“Vengeance is mine,” thus saith the writer
“I’ll smear your reputation,”
“And your hope will expire”

“Vengeance is mine,” thus saith the ungodly
“Retaliation is a must,”
“My justice is upon thee”

“Vengeance is mine,” thus saith the religious
“An eye for an eye,”
“My resolve is your sentence”

“Vengeance is mine,” thus saith the wicked
“Punishment is deserved,”
“Pain must be inflicted”

“Vengeance is mine,” thus saith everyone
“No pardon or freedom,”
“No mercy for anyone”

“No! Vengeance is mine,” thus saith the Lord
“In me, you’ve been forgiven,”
“So don't hate but forgive forevermore”

--TMW Halcomb

An Ode to Scripture

An Ode to Scripture

Spanning time, spanning ages
Glorious gospel, careful sages
First was spoken, then in ink
Rolled in scrolls, Christian think

Holy Messiah’s, story is bound
Foolish wisdom, easy profound
Stumbling block, trips the mind
Age to Age, this bloody spine

Peace in papyri, Christly tale
Revelatory, Life unveiled
A Martyr’s memoir, open door
Ask or knock, see the Savior

Preserved book, letters and psalms
Parabolic insights, heavenly songs
Truth instilled, inside and out
Holy leaflets, Jesus’ account

Stripped and pealed, beaten blue
Attacked and ridiculed, even eschewed
Rejected writing, much bashed Bible
Overlooked God, who’s so reliable

Trustworthy texts, despite the laughs
OT, NT, time in halves
Salvation history, two in one
Testaments of hope, transgression undone

Wisdom of believers, written out loud
Sacred parchment, history’s shroud
Keys of life, commands so pure
Love in words, eternal yore

Servanthood perspective, first and last
Author of life, the kingdom’s cast
A history of His Story, being told
Book of Life, being unrolled

Resurrection reflex, inspired index
Guide out of regress, celebrated codex
Ready for remix, a map to change
Trinity’s treasure, no longer estranged

Journal of Justice, touching lives
Transforming hearts, clearing up eyes
How about this, you try to read
And find true life, in this ancient reed

--TMW Halcomb

These Rocks Cry Out

Below are a couple of items: 1) Some photographs taken by my wife and myself while in Turkey and Greece, and 2) A poem I penned while I was touring the ancient sites. The poem, as you'll see, goes right along with the photos. Enjoy, if you can, let me know what you think.

These Rocks Cry Out

These rocks cry out
These stones they preach
Amid pillars and temples
Amid old stony streets

These rocks cry out
These statues shout and call
Through ages and ages
Through rises and falls

These rocks cry out
These inscriptions they speak
Of people and places
Of scriptural accuracy

These rocks cry out
These monuments give shape
To the story of Christ
To biblical faith

These rocks cry out
These boulders they beckon
A search for the truth
A look that is second

These rocks cry out
These busts they teach
Of the earliest Christians
Of Turkey and Greece

These rocks cry out
These sculptures profess
That much hasn’t changed
That faith’s still duress

These rocks cry out
These engravings have told
Still Jesus lives on
Still hearts are stone cold

These rocks cry out
Yet people still ignore
That clarion call
That Jesus is Lord

--TMW Halcomb

Photo 1: The Erastus Inscription in Corinth
Photo 2: A small, 4th cent. basillica in Sardis
Photo 3: Part of the Gallio Inscription (in Delphi)
Photo 4: Columns from Trajan's temple in Pergamum
Photo 5: A Road & workshops in ancient Sardis (the gym is to the left and the synagogue is near the back, top of the photo)

(c) T Michael W Halcomb