"Thankful in Missouri"

Wind chimes
A fire pit
And a four-year-old
Running around the pool

"Pastor-man"

Pastor-man, pastor-man
Does whatever a pastor can
Says a prayer, with great faith
Preaches truth, such as grace
Amen!
Here comes the pastor-man

Does he sin? He's human
He's got the Lamb's redeemer-blood
Can he still speak to us?
(Word of God is Jesus)
Yes sir!
He's just a pastor, man

Pastor-man, pastor-man
Servant leadership: pastors can
We're the church, building not
Teaching us, what we ought
Amen!
He is the pastor, man

---

adapted from "Particle Man"
They Might Be Giants (1990)

"Good Company"

Admirable
Faithful
Strong
Beautiful
Funny
Dedicated
Prayerful

"Houston"

Hospitals
Oil
Universities
Shipping
Traffic
Open-hearted
Neighbors

"The Other Path"

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less frosty
And then regretted my choice,
For unlike the difference
His made for him, mine
Led me to terrible snare

You see, I encountered something there,
Brown and fuzzy and cute
As a button; but it liked
Not my scent and let loose a cry
And behind me,
Reared up, roared up unseen mama bear

I could not retreat to make the
Other choice, for fear gripped
My heart, wobbled my knees,
And stole my voice

He called it a yellow wood
Here too because my pee had pooled
Naught else but to utter a prayer:
"O Lord, I've nothing left
And soiled my underwear;
Perhaps an angel could come
And give a bigger scare?"

Time slowed and, rather than life flashing,
I found myself foolishly laughing
It occurred to me then, that were I
The cub, mama's fierce growl
Would invite me to cheer,
Inspire real hope,
Mangle my man-smell fear

She charged at him now
And I thought of her, "Wow!
She's got my back
And there's nothing I lack"
So I curled back up,
Returned to my nap:
Visions of honey
And dreams of fish,
Knowing that Mama
Had granted my wish

"Mosquitoes"

We're going to step outside
Where mosquitoes will surely bite
They really make you itch,
And with a lot of might,
They hold on really tight
It's hard to put them in sight
But if you slap
     and do it just right
You'll be free
     at least until tomorrow night


(with help from my three sons)

"Holes In My Grief"

All thro' this ordeal
You have carried me
Held me tight
Despite my squirming

And now
You have poked holes in my grief
Hope shines and refreshes
But what is that hope?
I thought I had accepted
I thought I had moved on
But now I understand
That I was blind
That I was suffocating
You shine and You breathe into me

Other lights I brought
But they dimmed
I changed the batteries
But again they dimmed

Your light is true
Your light lasts
And needs no recharging

You have poked holes in my grief
Now I can breathe
And I long to see
With great clarity
What lies on the other side

"Grandma And The Reindeer"

Reindeer got run over by my grandma
Driving home on Texas 32
You can say there's no danger on highways
But as for me and Rudolph, we believe

---

adapted from "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"
Elmo Shropshire and Patsy Trigg (1979)

"A New Wardrobe"

Our old clothes are stained rags,
Filled with holes, torn from snags,
Hung from bones since we were born,
Totally tattered and overly worn

But a new wardrobe has been bought,
Paid for with blood—that of the Begot,
Hung from a cross all beaten and bruised
To give us the following, each garment new:

Patience is our pants (both start with letter P)
Our shirt? Think sober of self, a.k.a. humility
Walk in forgiveness (how else shall bitterness lose?)
—Makes sense that it's our socks and shoes

A kindness coat gives an impression that lingers
Mercy and meekness: mittens for fidgeting fingers
I made these pairings, most off the top of my head,
But God stitched them with love, a most powerful thread

"An Epitaph For Fajitas"

Here lies T. R. Castor
She bought food for a meeting,
Overestimated how many were eating
The credit card, our boss had passed her
Now she's buried in this pasture

"$19.99"

I was surfing when I found this
Forgive me if you’ve seen before
But I have to share this info
I’m pretty sure this one’s a score

This guy was all charming
To those in studio audience
Showing off a product’s best features
Testifying, trying to convince

‘Cause he says, “Another thirty minutes,
Deal is over, oops out of time!”
So right now I’m gonna buy it ‘cause it’s $19.99

I was clicking when he added,
“This is awesome, but wait, there’s more!
Act now, we’ll double offer!
Deals like this aren’t in the stores”

Stuff is all around me
But my shelf is not yet full
Time to instant gratify
“Credit by phone or go online, use PayPal”

‘Cause he said, “Another twenty minutes,
Deal is over, oops out of time!”
So right now I’m gonna buy it ‘cause it’s $19.99

---

adapted from "1999"
Prince (1982)