ann kiemel

"let me be singing when the evening
comes...sing like never before...worship Your
Holy Name...worship Your holy day...:

so many things can happen from when
we open our eyes in the morning, until evening
begins to tip-toe into the atmosphere, and we realize
the day is winding down. good surprises. happy lunches
with friends. thirty minutes of shopping that unfolds a
bargain we weren't even hoping for.

then, of course, there's the argument that broke
out in a split-second disagreement. the accident.
the bill in the mail that we've hoped not to receive.
or, for me, it is sitting in my group in celebrate recovery,
and someone is talking about a friend she is contemplating
walking away from.

is she talking about me?
we've been so close. for so long.
why? could it be me? and pain begins
to run down my throat. down the back of my
neck. piercing my heart like a small, sharp knife.

i had made it to celebrate recovery.
with so many friends i love.
hugs and "hi! ann" and warmth moving
around our table. love and security.
i thought.

now, i don't know.
the warmth is gone.
the pain is escalating.
my brain is expanding and pounding
and thinking almost as fast as a super
train going 80 miles an hour.
am i that friend?
what happened?

and then...
Jesus draws me in.
wraps me in His shimmering warmth,
and talks to me. we are friends. Jesus and i.
just as you and Jesus are.

"i am the Lord..they shall not be ashamed who wait
for Me. blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. You
will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed
on You, because he trusts in You....my soul, wait silently
for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is
my Rock,and my salvation. He is my defense..." isaiah, jeremiah

oh, Lord,
"let me be singing when the evening comes....
sing like never before. worship Your Holy Name...
worship...He is higher than we ever can imagine,
and closer than our eyes can ever see...magnificent...
You are magnificent..." 10,000 reasons

help us to sing, Lord.
help us to sing.
not because it is easy....this thing called 'life'.
but if we sing of You, we remember
that You promise to NEVER leave us or
forsake us. never. ever. ever.
glorious God, i'm with You.


the stage and an audience where brock's band played