The Trackless Path

Let go of everything you know And everything you think. There are no formulas Except to Hear Him.

The railroad man goes on and on, On and on goes the railroad man, From place to place  And on and on  He goes Without stopping. And without a home goes the railroad man The railroad man goes on without a home, Because his home is every place. Yes, every place is home to the railroad man. Can you understand it? Probably not. Because you’re not like that, Are you? But that doesn’t matter.  Because t...

It rained and rained last night, Great sheets of rain, nonstop. I am from the west, I am not used to that.  But I’ll adjust. I love how wet it is, and wonder, Will that last? The love of wetness, For a while at least. But for now It is so nice after so many years Of the mountain desert.

There is a little town and wholesome Where they’ve sworn off technology, And people love each other and God. I like it there. And if it weren’t for the call to wander, I might just stay. All the same, I wonder If I might just make it my home base, For a while at least, until it moves. Sure. Why not. I cannot find a better place, And though I have not forsaken my cell phone, I doubt that I will fin...

Reputation is nothing, For it is almost always tarnished In the service of transcendent good. So let them drag it through the mud, And content yourself  With the approval of immortals.

The factory man goes to work each day To spite the fact that he knows it’s not enough, For the factory man is a family man. He wasn’t “smart enough” To refrain. And so he’s rich at home And poor when it comes to the bank. All the same, he keeps on going to work each day. And one by one the bottles pass his way. And he counts them and checks for mistakes, Day by day. The factory man. And that’s the...

The Giant of the Great Rock Face Sits nestled in between the tribes of the North And the tribes of the South As an ever-present reminder That war is not the way. And of a Sunday, The people of the surrounding towns Come and picnic in his shade.

I am stopped along my path - a place to wait.  A place to organize and ponder, to reflect. And the rain beats down. And I wonder, What will the summer bring? I once thought that I could plan my life. But, more and more, I relinquish my hold. I surrender to the road, to the path that leads my soul From place to place. And I don’t know what it means or where it goes. But somehow I trust the thing th...

There are potted flowers at the entrance of the supermarket An early sign of hopeful spring. And someone Is asked whether she still breeds the kind of pups That he once bought many years ago. She does not, “But call me,” she says. “Alexander has a dog that he’s thought of giving up.” And he says he will. And all along the upper half of the wall, there runs, Like a ribbon, the route of old Highway...

Two things seem disconnected But are inseparably bound, Your creative work And your means of livelihood. The first is the way you serve the world, And the second is the way  The world repays you  For your generosity.

He walks away in silence. He does not say a word at leaving. And ruin follows in His wake, Precious ruin. And it will claim all those Who wanted Him in the first place.

To refuse to be a victim And to refuse to victimize, It is a mystery for the man Who finds that he is worn out in the fighting. And how is it done? By walking away, And by not needing the things that they provide. Can you find safety without the need to enforce any laws? And can you find freedom without the need for an army? I have. And it follows me like the dome of heaven.

He’s going away to war And I am walking away from war. And that’s ok. Good men go to war. Me too. I war within myself For the principles  That will free me from the need to go to war. It is the last frontier, It is the war  That, when men, finally, are willing to fight it, Will end all wars.

I stop for the night and park In the middle of a grassy field  Beside a stream. And nobody sees. Or at least nobody notices. And it feels as if it was made just for me, Just for this night. I am amazed at the way The world opens up for heaven When we believe and keep moving on Toward the thing we know is right.

I wrote a poem the other day  That was full of worldly wisdom. It was advice for how to prosper In this world so wily and unpredictable. But after I did, I felt discouraged and tired. I put the poem away and broke with my own advice. I decided that perhaps better advice Would be to follow Jesus Out of the world And into the road of sacrifice  That leads to renunciation. And I know that many of you...

Christ, just like Silence and Truth, Is available to each irrespective Of religion or lack thereof. So that He can be had For the reach.

Christ may be the only way that the world will change. It is not the idea of Christ, but the very Spirit of Christ that changes. It enters into the heart and offers new choices  When it appears that war is the only way. And it seems to me that it is found most readily In the experience of total silence And the hearing of genuine praise.

I took home a baby bird that I found on the ground. Because I forgot all of the things they told me When I was a boy at school, Like don’t take home baby birds. Look for a nest.  It’s mother can take care of it better than you can. Oops. But now it’s here. It cheeps in my living quarters. Tried to feed it. No luck yet. And I think to myself, I am not good at this. I should have remembered what I l...

When Christ reigns, it makes things personal. When the letters rule, it's one size fits all, And who wants that? 

Far more than obedience to the creed Is obedience to the still small voice.

Don’t move around too much. And be careful not to be lured By that which costs too much Of your precious time and means,  Especially by that which invites to MORE When MORE is obviously too much Or comes laden with complexities and waste.

Right here, without reaching out for more, Except in the listening for The next word That leads on to the New and more abundant Life Where everything is provided right here And without reaching out for more.

Looking back in the rearview mirror of life, I see the past diminish out of sight. And looking into the future  Of the promise that’s decreed, I see the hope of restoration of all that Which I have lost in choosing not to fight.

“I ordain that it be slippery for 100 years,” he said. And then I woke up from the dream.  For a long time, I mourned  Over this decree. But now, I see That it is a relief to know That it will roll out in waves. So that, I can notice my progress and say Not bad for the first five years. Let’s see  If I can hold on to the new life For a little longer next time. And all of it so that My children’s c...

He’s only sixteen,  And completely unprepared for life. So was I. I had no idea what it was like. But that’s ok. He’ll live it anyway. And so have I. Surely he’ll break up and flounder. And maybe he’ll get “right”. I don’t know if I’ve ever done that. But that’s ok. I live it anyway. And he will too. And it is the best we have to give. And when we love each other, that’s still something.