Psalms In The Heart

I looked at a friend one morning, And a donkey was all I could see. His stubborn ways, His rough edges, Everything that bothered me. I carried those thoughts through the day, Like stones inside a sack. Each step grew heavier, Each prayer grew weaker, And the light would not come back. Then a whisper rose within me: "Why are you counting flaws? Did you come to judge My children, Or to draw yourself toward the Cause?" So I looked again at the friend. This time I searched for his aim. Past all the noise, Past all the habits, And found a spark of flame. I saw him fighting for connection. I saw him rise after every fall. I saw his heart reaching upward, Though I had never seen it at all. Then something changed between us. The distance began to depart. The faults that seemed so massive Could no longer fill my heart. For the Creator hides in the connection, Not in what separates me and you. And when I prayed for my friend to find Him, I found that He was there too. Now when I see a ...

The heart aches, the body shakes Foreign thoughts fill my head The air is hot, blowing a lot Trying to hear what the Creator said The heart pleads, dropping to my knees As the ego won't let me rest The eyes strain, thoughts constrained As I reach for my vest I step outside beneath the sky Searching where the answers hide The world keeps moving all around While storms are raging deep inside Every road I've walked before Leads me to the very same place A man can't win this fight alone Without a higher strength and grace Chorus When my heart can no longer stand And my feet sink deep in the sand I whisper softly through the night "Creator, help me hold the Light" When the will to receive takes control And darkness settles on my soul I raise my eyes and do my part As You rebuild my shattered heart The wind still blows, the desert knows How many tears have touched the ground Yet every fall becomes a call Where hidden mercy can be found So I'll keep walking, ...

We lifted a prayer without a sound, For friends whose faces were not around. Not asking for comfort, not asking for gain, Only that our hearts be joined again. Days passed quietly, one by one, Never knowing what the Creator had done. Yet deep within His hidden plan, He guided each step of every man. Then suddenly joy filled the room, Replacing distance, removing gloom. Jean returned with an open heart, And Oscar came to take his part. No one can measure the gift we received, Or the prayer that the Creator conceived. For what seemed lost was never gone, It simply waited to be drawn. Now the ten feels warmer, stronger, whole, As gratitude rises from every soul. Not for numbers, not for pride, But for the love the Creator placed inside. So today our hearts together sing, To the One who arranges everything. With thanks beyond what words can say, For gathering His friends this day. The vessel grows, the bond runs deep, Through every promise we strive to keep. And with grateful hearts we cle...

A farmer plants a seed in spring, Though no green leaf is there. He waters earth he cannot trust, Yet tends it with his care. A sailor leaves the harbor shore, Though storms may fill the sea. He follows stars he cannot hold, Believing what will be. A father works from dawn till dusk, His hands are worn and sore. He cannot see tomorrow's bread, Yet knocks on duty's door. So walks the soul upon the path, When darkness fills the eyes. Not knowing where the next step lands, Yet turning toward the skies. And righteousness is not a crown, Nor something one can claim. It is the heart that justifies The One behind the game. To say, "Whatever comes today, I still will hold the line. Your wisdom sees what I cannot, Your purpose is divine." Then peace arrives without a sound, Like evening after rain. Not because every problem's gone, Or life is free from pain. But because the heart has learned at last What all the sages knew: The hand that asks, the faith that grows, And the...

When I Think of the Creator When I think of the Creator, He won't let me sleep Through it all, Torah and Mitzvot I keep Never forgetting where I belong My heart keeps singing the same old song The world grows quiet, the night grows deep Yet thoughts of connection I gladly keep For somewhere beyond what these eyes can see A path of love is calling me The ego whispers, "Rest awhile" But the point in the heart won't reconcile It longs to rise, it longs to start To join the friends with one common heart Each friend a candle, each prayer a flame Though we are many, the goal's the same To build a vessel strong and true Where love of others can break through So if I wander or lose my way The Ten reminds me where I must stay And every longing, every tear Becomes a call for the Creator to hear For when I think of the Creator above I feel His answer through the friends' love And sleepless nights no longer seem wrong For that's exactly where I belong.

  The Flow Chart I spent my life with grease-stained hands, Following lines no man commands. A truck rolls in, the engine dies, The answer's never in the cries. Check the fuel and check the spark, Follow the path through light and dark. A dead battery won't start a ride, No matter how much pride's inside. A broken wire, a cracked fuel line, Each fault revealed one step at a time. Then Rav would speak, and I would see, The same damn chart inside of me. Friend rejects friend, the ego roars, So check the heart before the doors. Can't find love? Then check your pride. Can't see truth? The self's inside. If connection fails, don't blame the ten, Go back and trace the chart again. Annul. Include. Enliven. Pray. The pathway's always been that way. The mechanic and the sage agree: Every repair starts honestly. And when the vessel's torn apart, The Creator works... through every part.