Wellsprings of Rest
Poetry and other creative expressions
Supplication
By Jacob Dunbar
And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the propitiation for our sins...We love because He first loved us. (1John 4:10,19) This poem illustrates the journey of struggling between a sincere feeling of religious obligation and duty to God versus the freedom that comes from resting and abiding in the love of God. Some of the first part may feel a bit heavy, but please read to the end for the full effect. Part 1 All religions have their rules you must swallow Some sort of conduct that you must follow I fell in this trap and started acting shallow My heart like a tomb whitewashed dead and hollow Before I encountered your tender loving care I fell for the deadly do it yourself snare I cannot believe I used to pray this sad prayer The following prayer is filled with despair This prayer that I pray is for wisdom my Lord I ask for your grace for strength to endure Please fill me with might please give me the more On me would you please let your Spirit pour I ask for your Lordship to rest over me On me let the fear of you continue to be Help me to stay here on bended knee And to bow down my head to you willingly Give me wise counsel to direct my direction Teach me how to earn your affection Please don’t let me miss my election And screw up my life and face your rejection Give me understanding to walk in your ways The knowledge of your law all of my days Please God for these things today I do pray Let me hear only what you have to say I am walking along this narrow road Feeling like my head might explode Striving for perfection to fit the mold So I can live holy as I have been told Empower me to keep commands you have sent Lord I surrender, like a slave I consent When tragedy befalls me Lord make me content Help me to not weep wail and lament I am desperate for you Lord, I love you so much But to love my brother is still really tough I ask for compassion, I’m still really rough No matter how hard I try it’s never enough Teach me how to love my brother Help me to put myself after others If asked let me lay down my life for another All of these things I wish to discover Part 2 Your answer comes in a way unexpected I realize how badly I’ve been misdirected With religion and rules I’ve been injected I’ve been seeking approval to be respected You gently bend down and you whisper to me You gaze into my eyes so tenderly “My son all you need do is rest and receive To dwell in my love and only believe All that you ask for is found in my Son Just let yourself go, with Him you are one He’s finished the work, It really is done In your own strength this race cannot be run Everything is found in the Lord Jesus Christ All you need do in Him is abide Enjoying the beauty of being His bride So lay down yourself, please lay down your pride Love is something that cannot be taught My love for you can never be bought My love is something I freely allot Your striving self-effort have been all for naught You see, love can never be commanded Nor can it ever be demanded No wonder you’ve felt abandoned and stranded You’ve been seeking after what’s already granted The new commandment that has been given Has been twisted and dried up by religion Brought to nothing by human tradition And left my people in a beaten condition This commandment I give you ‘Abide in my love’ My love for you that comes down like a dove If you so believe in the commandment thereof You will have no problem giving others love My love for you I am always bestowing Like a waterfall that is always flowing Its never ending, never slowing Forever it keeps on going and going I do not force so you can put up a wall Or step out from under love’s waterfall You can choose to ignore My love’s enthrall Or anytime answer love’s clarion call If you let me I’ll show you the greatest romance A love that’s eternal beyond all expanse But it’s up to you to take this bold chance And join me in My celestial dance So what does it mean with Christ crucified What does it mean that your old self has died It’s really quite simple just be My bride In my steadfast love only hide and abide
In the secret place
By Jacob Dunbar
You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.” I don’t know the hits you’ve taken I don’t know the tears you’ve cried I don’t know how love’s been shaken All I know that you’re His bride For me to step into your bedroom Is out of bounds to say the least The path you take with your bridegroom How you enjoy your wedding feast I will not judge your consummation You are safe in your secret place You need not fear my invasion Enjoy your lover’s grace upon grace I will not say you are mistaken It’s not for me to correct and chide From only His touch will you awaken Feel free to run in Him and hide Only His love will bring your bloom Opinions guised as counsel have ceased It’s no man’s seed inside your womb But only that of the Great High Priest So give up any obligation Trade instead for His sweet embrace Ignore all scorn and insinuation Because you choose to seek His face
Follow the Leader
By Jacob Dunbar
"But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant." (Matthew 23:8-11) Part 1 Seven-headed atrocity Hierarchal authority Rejection of Lordship Usurpation of headship Achievement of position Muster up ambition Building up my name For glory and for fame Come under my covering Hand over every offering Submit to my rule Even when I’m cruel Call me father call me teacher Look to me I am your preacher Blind obedience Hideous deviance Rule over one another Have to have that cover Someone to submit To the counterfeit Thrive on guilt and shame Playing every game Control, manipulation Don’t break the stipulations Culture of dogmatism Kept in line by despotism Take away security Exploit all immaturity Hold on to the traditional Unconditionally conditional Guise this as our family No questions please, That’s blasphemy! Turned into a drone Make another clone Come into our clique Growing brick by brick Patriarchal colony Gender inequality Women less than men Think differently you sin Husbands over wives Marriages struggling to survive Two-headed monster Intermediary imposter Not what was intended When He descended and ascended Sent His Spirit back to lead Into all truth He decreed Part 2 One body with one head Jesus risen from the dead Not to be served but to care For the broken and the bare Left His seat far above Fully demonstrating love Picture of humility Laid down His nobility Not leading by control But by wooing every soul Lifts up on wings like eagles Servant of all people Laid Himself upon the altar Reconciles to The Father Come boldly to His throne Fully reap what He has sown Radiance of His goodness Gives all who call eternal sureness Submerged fully in His zeal Not the shadow but the real One flock with one Shepherd All the captives are unfettered Perfect love expels all fear Confidently now draw near No longer any condemnation He revealed the great salvation Image of the invisible Absolutely unconditional He freely gives affection Not by natural selection His love is egalitarian And all are one in Him Each person is unique Created with mystique One and true Father gives all people equal honor Mountains low valleys high The Kingdom draws nigh One Lord and One King Restoring everything No longer male or female In the Kingdom equal scale Over, through, and in all He demolished every wall The first and the last His enduring love is steadfast The beginning and the end Seeking not servants but friends
Abandonment
By Cynthia Dunbar
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— (Philippians 3:7-9) Lord, forgive me for failing to see what is deception and what's reality. I've spent my time pursuing you but with the goal of reaching some breakthrough. Thinking that by seeking your face you'll somehow enable me to win this race. Missing entirely the ultimate goal, that you are desiring to enrapture my soul. Abandonment is an end to itself, not merely a means of pursuing wealth. We don't seek you as a means to an end, for you alone are the end you send. You fill our hearts beyond comprehension, til all else fails in comparison. No goal, no purpose, no pursuit is higher than to find and be found in you, OUR HEARTS DESIRE!
Toil or rest
By Jacob Dunbar
Part 1 Toil "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread..." (Genesis 3:19) Toil and strive Work to provide On overdrive Tired and dried Feeding my pride Have to survive Word misapplied I dive and I dive Into my work So family can eat Lost all my perk But all’s nice and neat Outside conceit Feel like a jerk But inside downbeat Into the murk Deeper I go Angst and unrest Feeling so low Doing my best! Overly stressed Much I do owe Completely depressed Covered in woe Enclosed in doubt Fell into a well Shout and I shout Yell and I yell Trapped in a cell Have to break out Heaven or hell Caught in a drought Cursed is the land Thistles and thorns Trust in my hand Body is worn Depleted and torn Can’t hardly stand Sweat and worn Too much demand Part 2 Rest "For we who have believed enter that rest" (Hebrews 4:3) Believe and trust He died to provide Faithful and just In Him do I hide His grace applied He paid the price Fully supplied Complete sacrifice Live by believing Believe for a living Work in receiving Faith in His giving Lord of provision Done with my grieving Out of my prison Continue perceiving Birds of the air Lilies of the field Knows every hair Treasure concealed He bought the field I am his heir Finances healed Seems so unfair Smothered in favor Undeserved blessing He paid the waiver Done with my stressing Disarmed my slaver His love expressing He does not waver Grace so caressing I am so blessed Milk and honey He gave His best Beaten and bloody Why worry for money Cease being stressed Cloudy to sunny Enter His rest
Denomenationalism
By Jacob Dunbar
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:4-6) Thousands and thousands This way and that way Do this and do that My way or the highway Obey obey obey they say This standard that standard Do everything right they say Prayers seem unanswered Bantered battered and scattered Us and them you and him Shattered beliefs Torn from limb to limb This command that command Conformity disunity Selfish gain moral abstain Join our community Is this the way the truth and the light And what’s good all that is right The measure we measure is perfect indeed No one could meet it so He did the deed One standard is all that we need Not obligation or duty But believe believe The Son absolutely No more fighting and cruelty One Lord and One Hope One Spirit to guide Not Mr. pastor or pope Denomination a slippery slope Believe in the Son He is all in all He said, “It is done” And to Him we will run The one who gives freely The Servant of all The one who is HE He is the way the truth and the light He is what’s good all that is right He is the measure so perfect indeed Not a guideline for living but love do we heed
Dance Monkey Dance
By Jacob Dunbar
'So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. ' (Hebrews 4:9-10) Part 1 Dance monkey dance Leave nothing here to chance Hold tightly to those reigns Find comfort in my chains Destroy all happenstance Live by brawn and brains No gain without the pains Look unto the ants Make sure that I advance Praise the one who strains To the victor goes the spoil No glory without the toil Work harder and I win Stay fit and super thin Tightly wound into a coil Time and time again avoid the deadly sin Rest makes all things spoil thistles in the soil When did this begin So tired and so weary My life is dull and dreary By the sweat of my face I keep up this pace Leisure makes me leery To win I run the race Have to earn my place No time to be so cheery Eyes stay glazed and bleary No one here gives grace Nothing comes for free Everything has a fee God only helps those Who provide their own clothes live by practicality The lazy take repose For as the saying goes I have to face reality And eat the same tree That Adam and Eve chose Burnt and heavy laden Forlorn and God-forsaken I hear a voice say, “come” Where did that come from? I must have been mistaken Feel alone and numb Again I hear, “come.” My wits are quickly shaken My heart begins to waken And grow warm like drinking rum Part 2 The voice softly whispers Calm like gentle rivers Yet sharper than an arrow Dividing joint from marrow A voice I know delivers “I am the path so narrow, I will plough and harrow I am the greatest giver You will never shiver Look unto the sparrow I will never leave you Nor will I forsake you I have always been here Come to me and draw near I know what you have been through No longer need you fear My love is like a spear Piercing what you knew The lies that cloud your view and make you dull, austere In me there is repose For your soul and woes I am meek and humble Rest from all your trouble Lie down in green meadows Your life was once a jumble But I will take your struggle Gloom for joy transposed Beauty from ashes I compose And make glory from your trouble My life is yours to live All things I freely give I am the Lord Almighty The one who gives so freely I have no hidden motive” His face gleams so brightly Electrifies excites me With a new perspective Day by day I now live Peace down in my psyche His love is so tender Washing me in splendor How did I once miss this Every word is pure bliss To His love I now surrender And fall into His kisses Could sit here and just listen To my love, my mentor He is now my center Taste and see, He is delicious
Overcomers
By Cynthia Dunbar
But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. (1 Corinthians 6:17) And we are all parts of HIs body, flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. (Ephesians 5:30) Lord…I give you My heart With every good and seemingly bad part I give you the hope and the love that I feel I give you the hurt and the pain that's so real I give you the fear and the disbelief. I give you the sorrow, the hate and the grief I will not deny, nor cover and hide the emotions I've buried so down deep inside I give them to you all wrapped up in a bow to shine light and dispel through the truth you bestow. For you never bring heartache or sorrow or pain, but give beauty for ashes till a sweetness remains For joy comes from the journey and from just looking back how you kept me from falling and withstood the attacks For recalling the arrows and dark night of the soul Clearly highlights our power over the spirits of Sheol. So I'll revel and cherish and fully embrace there can be no real darkness when I gaze on your face. So come hell or high water and the world's loud demand, I’ll not whimper or falter for my God holds my hand.
Divine Union
By Jacob Dunbar
But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. (1 Corinthians 6:17) And we are all parts of HIs body, flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. (Ephesians 5:30) Great Love intertwined deep into the vine Two now become one and I am undone Joined with the plumb line created to shine Immersed in the Son to Father I run His flame invading Spirit pervading Serene sweet embrace fixed into His face Presence unfading Swimming and wading Hemmed in by His grace forget time and space Attempt to convey and not to downplay More than a tether gone with bad weather So hard to portray this union today God and transgressor Molded together Like a youth to play with two parts of clay Rolled into a ball with much more enthrall Forever to stay a single array So Big with so small just once and for all Indivisible, inexplicable Unbreakable bond how can I respond Irresistible life so mystical Remarkably fond affection beyond God manifested Son tried and tested One pierce of His side gave birth to His bride His body now vested Father attested The Christ Crucified brought back all who died He gave and He gave rose up from the grave After the great thresh made all men afresh Walked out of His cave produced a shockwave The Spirit to flesh Divine and man mesh Come into fusion no more illusion Maker the potter lamb to the slaughter Bought from reclusion His attribution Now living water from sons and daughters To water the land so they taste His hand And come coalesce the Son to confess No more to be banned in Him do we stand The Father and Son with them we are One
Fullness of Joy
By Jacob Dunbar
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore Psalm 16:11 Oh to sit here in your embrace The magnificent splendor of seeing your face The attacks of shame the past disgrace Melt away as I see and taste All else fades when I look up at you There’s no better sight no better view There is nothing to say nothing to do You love me so much and I love you too David said to taste and see But words can’t express what you mean to me This is my calling to be filled with glee Wrapped in your arms for eternity Fullness of joy can’t even express To be in your presence Your holiness No more fear no more stress Total contentment completely blessed No greater love has been manifest Sins removed far as east from the west No more striving completely at rest Known and loved I lean back in your chest
To Reality
By Jacob Dunbar
'as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.' (2 Corinthians 4:18) Please take me into your Kingdom You can even pick me up by my hair I know in the world, I’m a pilgrim Only one of seven billion But what they think I really don’t care I know they will call me crazy And will even try and admit me And say “stop being so lazy Just come back into slavery You can’t be alive and carefree” But take me into the substance Into what is actually real Even against my reluctance The life of truth and abundance The world has lost its appeal I want what is true and eternal What no person has seen or heard I know I will be called abnormal Even judged by what is external I have to know the Living Word Please take me out of the natural There are so many things to explore I don’t want what they call practical Or even what they say is factual Because I know there is so much more Please take me into your heart To find my life I have lost it I know this is only the start From this world I long to depart To your love I completely submit If the veil has already been torn And death has been abolished If I have been completely reborn Why would I embrace death’s scorn And rebuild what has been demolished Enoch walked with God hand in hand And through his faith he even skipped death He clearly saw the heavenly land Before the Father He did stand Without taking a final last breath Death is not our point of entry It’s not the door by which we enter It is not some kind of sentry And not God’s complementary It is a defeated tormentor It is a vile and conquered foe Through Christ we are victorious He gave to death its final blow And took back the keys long ago Christ’s life is meritorious Let the Lamb receive His reward I will value His death on the cross I will honor my Christ, my Lord And believe in ALL He restored In all the things that were once lost All of heaven is here and now Jesus rose up from the dead To corruption he did not allow He put to shame that sacred cow And gave his flesh to be our bread So I partake of the bread of life I feast on His body so broken I denounce the belief so rife In order to now be His wife About this I am boldly outspoken
Rebellion
By Jacob Dunbar
or although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (1 Corinthians 8:5-6) Rebellion is not what you have been told What is taught today to keep you controlled Hierarchy of men is what we’ve been sold But One is faithful over God’s household Rebellion may not be quite what you think The state of the church is quite in a stink Usurpers abound This ship will soon sink The Kingdom of God is right on the brink Rebellion is taught to keep you under Bound in chains as they pillage and plunder The blindest guides they stumble and blunder Obey my rule lest you feel my thunder Here is the story of the first rebellion An angel who left his proper dwelling In what God gave him he was excelling Because of this his head started swelling Bow down to me he said to his equals Now he has become the face of evil All he does now is deceive the peoples And keeps them walking on pins and needles Cast down from his place he has been displaced He’s built a kingdom of nothing but waste To fire and destruction he will be chased The memory of him will be erased Avoid the trap to rule over others Looking down on your sisters and brothers Attempting to take what is another’s What belongs to the one and true Father Do not get sucked into this rancid trail Or make yourself lord or magnify baal Rejecting God’s Lordship-fall off the rail Like Korah’s rebellion another sad tale There once was a man appointed to lead His name was Moses destined to succeed But another arose driven by greed His name was Korah sprung up like a weed Poor Korah denied God’s chosen servant His mind was made up with no deterrent misguided by the slippery serpent He washed away with a massive current This is a lesson for us to now learn Something we absolutely must discern Selfish ambition causes most to spurn And reject God’s Leader with no concern There is now a man appointed to lead His name is Jesus destined to succeed But others arise driven by greed Their false reign cut off much like a weed These men now deny God’s chosen true King God’s chosen servant His only offspring The kingdoms they build amount to nothing They are blown away undone before spring If it were better for Jesus to leave The Father’s promise we now do receive Though you cannot see him only believe Don’t bow to men who will only deceive The Holy Spirit is Lord over all Indwelling each saint our crown and enthrall Don’t follow Apollos don’t follow Paul Don’t look to men for the haughty will fall He is your teacher He is your true guide Don’t listen to those led away by pride Brothers and sisters we sit side by side There is just one King who is qualified
Screwtape foiled
By Cynthia Dunbar
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4) I do not understand. This was a flawless plan, to wreck and devastate, to fill their hearts with hate. They're love...it makes me sick. Their trust is just too thick. They've walked away unscathed. In HIS grace they seem to bathe. Our hopes are now all dashed. Through faith they were all smashed. Their lives had been upturned. Yet their God they would not spurn. Their unwavering belief Is such a crafty thief Who steals our victory And never let's us be. It always finds a door to bring healing and restore. I do not understand! They just never leave HIS hand!!!