Love refuses...

Love refuses to change its course,

though it finds no path to travel on.
Love holds fast to all its hopes,
though all its cause for hope is gone.

Love sits beside an empty chair,
though endless hours pass, alone it waits.
Love seeks a train that never comes,
though past the time they close the gates.

Love checks the post day after day,
though emptiness is all it finds.
Love finally seals the lover's fate.
It locks her doors and shuts her blinds.

Joseph Weilenbeck 05/05/2018

Limousine moments...

The moments stretched
Like limousines
In funeral procession.
Each long and dark,
Appearing the same.
But, riding in each one,
A different memory.
Some familiar and often seen.
Some seen but once,
Then never again.
Like family gathered
To say good-bye,
Some better known than others,
But all present out of love.

They passed one after another,
Carrying their flowers
For his resting place.
Each pausing briefly
To be certain
I took notice.
Then, in tears,
Each departed—
Leaving a flower.
To dry, but remain.
To be treasured
As its color fades.
And kept
Forever.

Joseph Weilenbeck 2001
Written in 2001, remembering the night I sat with my father while he gently passed away.

If it were that I were...

If it were
That I were
Invisible and mute,
My apparent non-existence
Would be far more complete.

Thoughts and dreams
And feelings,
Now hidden in my heart,
Never could I dare to force
Reluctant ears to greet.

My state
Would then be clear,
And so, my torment less—
A mere living apparition,
Perhaps not meant to be.

Confirmed
By absence of response.
Condemned to the extant silence.
One to approach, but never touch—
To surmise, but never see.

Joseph Weilenbeck 2001

Another day...

‘Tis sad indeed what I do ponder
As I approach the front door yonder.
“However will this day I squander?”
Is the thought that comes to me.

A product of the others wasted,
All gone by with nothing tasted
But the hours and minutes basted
Pursuing vain security.

Each empty day portends a ‘morrow
Doomed to end in bitter sorrow
For the time that I did borrow
With no return provided me.

Days that end in anguished night
In a tunnel with no distant light,
Just regret for adding to the blight
That dims life’s brilliant tapestry.

All labor of my mind and hand
Sold to the world’s delusive plan
That stole this sinful, careless man
From all that he was meant to be.

O world, why do I seek thy favor,
Denying that which I most savor,
Not to taste the sweetest flavor
Of the life God planned for me?

But as I, this day, traverse the door,
My God, my Father, I implore...
Let me not waste just one day more
Walking with my back to Thee.

Recast my life Thy perfect way.
Rule all I think and do and say.
Thy will be done through me each day.
From now until eternity.

Joseph Weilenbeck 1996

Love is not love...

Love is not love
that turns away
when storms and darkness
claim the day...
Or, that covers its eyes
when faced with pain,
or that turns and runs
when comes the rain.

For love does not count
its gain or loss
when its object is found
in the tempest tossed...
Nor build up walls
to behind them hide,
leaving its object
on the other side.

No, love is not love
that sits and waits
when its object is passing
through trouble's gates...
For love must run swift
to its object's side
and, by nothing on earth
let its path be denied.

Joseph Weilenbeck 2018

Time and hope to dream...

Author's Note: This is not "how I think", but it is often "what I feel". It is the bold imprint that clinical depression has embroidered upon the fabric of my life. I can sometimes look past it; but even then, it remains in my field of view. It beckons me to embrace it.

Time and hope to dream...

by Joseph Weilenbeck

Remembering forgotten places
Recalling unfamiliar faces
Grasping at the fading traces
of life's last and least remains
of tears and laughter, joy and pain
of moments not to be again.
Wondering what life can mean
When you've lost all time and hope to dream.

When yesterdays surpass tomorrows
When joys are beaten back by sorrows
And you're out of chances you can borrow
from days too short, and nights too long
with strength too scarce to carry on
until, at last, your soul gives up its song.
When the path ahead is short and mean
And you've lost all time and hope to dream.

Joseph Weilenbeck 2017

Love's last seasons...

Of love, what remains when time has removed...
   What the body desired
      and Spring once inspired?
   When days yet to find
      lag days left behind?
   Of love, what will last
      once its Summer has passed?
Will love then deny what love once had proved?

If love was then love, that love time will save.
   Love that Fall cannot steal,
     nor Winter repeal.
   For the true lover's heart
     will not let it depart.
   It will not be removed
     but then even more proved...
Till the lover's tears fall on a snow-covered grave.

Joseph Weilenbeck 2018

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ...

Too often, in the church, we live as if we are members of an exclusive club - taking care of only our own, and associating only with those who have qualified for membership. Too often, we have separated ourselves into communities and congregations by race, national origin, or economic status - shunning those who are not like us. Too often, we have failed to reach across religious, denominational, or ethnic lines to share the love and good news of Our God and Savior. Too often, we have been content just to enjoy the religious and social fellowship of our own congregations - and failed to notice or respond to the needs of the entire community around us. And, too often, we have allowed church attendance to be the beginning and end of our walk and work as Christians. There is so much more that God could do with us and through us, if we would give Him the entirety of our hearts, our lives, and our talents - and, if we would look beyond ourselves and our congregations to care for and about all those whom God has created and given His Son to save.

                                                                        * * *
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ...
by Joseph Weilenbeck

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Are we doing all we can with this life?
Or, are we seeking and praying just for our own,
And leaving all those not just like us alone?

And is Jesus asking, "Where is My church?
Why are Mine walking by, while others lie hurt?
Why do so many gather on My day in pride,
And when the service is over, leave Me locked up inside?

"Oh, you whom I love, this is not what I said.
I've given you life, but you walk as still dead.
You can't take My love and not give it away,
Nor bask in My riches while others decay.

"Oh, you whom I've purchased, please don't come alone.
Help all you know hear Me, I'll make them a home.
And while they still labor with you on this earth,
Love them and serve them for all that you're worth.

"For, children, I love every sinner, you see.
And each one I want to be forever with Me.
Not one is at all less deserving than you.
And, if I give you My love, then you must love them too.

"No matter their country or color of skin,
I died for each one; I paid for their sin.
With those you call least, that is where I will be.
And, until you see them, you know you cannot see Me.

"Oh, you whom I love, I beg you reach out your hand.
Share My hope with all of them; that is My plan.
My Word and My Spirit will show you the way.
Just turn from your darkness; turn to My light of day."

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
How will we answer our dear Savior tonight?
Will we love, seek, and serve Him beyond just our own,
That none whom He loves will be left, by us, alone?

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Let God's Spirit reign within us tonight.
Let us be humble and just, and let us walk in His ways
And, by His grace, love all His children all of our days.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ...


Joseph Weilenbeck 2018

The Rosary can change your life...

(This video and song are not the work of this author. See the credits below.)

If you do not know how to pray the Rosary, click on the link below...

How to Pray the Rosary

Credits:  This video is from the YouTube channel of  Steve Silvia.
The song is sung by Robert and Robin Kochis.

And Jesus weeps with all of the mothers...

Something to think about...

As so many mothers weep for their missing and murdered daughters, I am certain that Our Lord weeps with them, and for them.  I am appalled by the numbers, which are staggering.  I am appalled by the degree to which we have allowed this to happen. And now, I weep and pray with the mothers, and fathers, and siblings, and children...

"Jesus wept."

Gospel of John, chapter 11, verse 35

Turn my eyes...

When we wake up in the morning and head into the bathroom, we may think we look just fine - that is, until we turn on the lights and look into the mirror. Then we can see how we really look. Our hair is pushed this way and that. Our eyes are puffy with dark circles underneath.  Our face is wrinkled from the creases on the pillow case. And, we may even find the remains of a bit of drool (yuk!) descending from the corner of our mouth.  We thought we looked pretty good, until we turned on the light. 

And so it is with our souls. We can feel pretty good about ourselves. After all, we don't commit any of those "big sins". We think that our soul, our heart, our spiritual life all look pretty good. Again, only until we turn on the Light and look into the mirror. In this case, that light is Christ. He is the light that illuminates our lives.  Christ is also the perfect standard that we are called to imitate - the mirror to which we turn, to clearly see how we look spiritually.  We are called to look like Christ in our hearts, in our souls, and in our lives.  

This hymn, which I wrote over a decade ago, is a prayer that Our Lord would help us turn our eyes and our hearts toward Him, and so help us see all those parts of us and our lives that still need to be conformed to His image. 

Just like our reflection in the bathroom mirror, the closer we get and the brighter the light, the worse we look (I hate that!).  Likewise, the closer we are drawn to Christ, the more our sins and spiritual failings are revealed to us. The difference, however, is that although we may be stuck with certain less than perfect aspects of our physical appearance, our souls and our lives can be transformed completely by walking ever increasingly in the light of Christ. 

* * * 

Turn my eyes...
by Joseph Weilenbeck

Lord, I ask You, turn my eyes
Toward Your holy looking glass.
And do not let them turn away.
To Your mirror’s image, hold them fast.

Lord, I ask You, help me see
All that You mean for me to be.
Shine Your light on every sin –
Each way of man I’m walking in.

Search my heart, and search my mind.
Convict me of all that You find.
Abolish every sinful way.
All pride and self, I beg You slay.

Lord, transform my very being.
Let me become all You were seeing,
When You, before I drew a breath,
Ordained my days from birth to death.

Grant my place in Your sure plan.
On higher ground, take me to stand.
Your Holy Spirit, my heart fill.
Let all my life be in Your will.

Until I see my last sunrise,
And close, for good, these feeble eyes.
Till I behold You on the throne,
Lord, keep them fixed on You alone.

Lord, I ask You, turn my eyes
Toward Your holy looking glass.
And do not let them turn away.
To Your mirror’s image, hold them fast.

 Joseph Weilenbeck 2005

My Via Dolarosa

Author's note:  Written as a hymn several years ago, this is a reminder that we are not alone in our struggles and suffering in this life on earth. 

The street that Jesus walked on His way to the cross has been named the Via Dolarosa, which means “way of sorrows”. We, too, walk a way of sorrows as we go through life – sometimes the product of circumstances, and sometimes the direct result of our own sins or mistakes. In either case, we can feel overwhelmed by our sorrows. But we have One whom we can follow, who will then walk with us, and who has borne so much more than we will ever have to bear.

* * *

My Via Dolarosa
by Joseph Weilenbeck

O Lord, walk with me on my Via Dolarosa.
Let my every step be taken in Your will.
Correct me and reprove me.
Let Your Holy Spirit move me
Past my sorrows, Your sweet purpose to fulfill.

Though my faulty steps will oft’ cause me to stumble,
There are two truths to be counted with each fall –
My sin which does corrupt,
And my Lord who lifts me up,
For You are faithful to be with me through it all.
   
Lord, in weakness, I may pity all I suffer,
And, in shame or sorrow, mourn my every loss.
But the pain I might endure
Cannot compare with that You bore
When, long ago, You took my sins upon the cross.
   
O Lord, walk with me on my Via Dolarosa.
And, in my sorrows, may all others clearly see
There is not so great a pain
That You cannot sustain
The life You purchased when You walked that street for me.

O Lord, walk with me on my Via Dolarosa.


Joseph Weilenbeck 2005

The horizon of what use to be...

Author's note: Whether it's the years or illness, I don't know. But, I find myself recalling brief moments long past - moments of no great significance - moments more simple than profound. Moments marked by things like the look of the sky, the feel of the air, the fragrance of the trees, or the feeling of vastness looking out across the desert. I can almost recall the sights, the sounds, the feeling. Almost, but not quite. And I am saddened, for each time those moments come, their stay is shorter and their clarity less. I fear that soon they will be lost forever.

* * * 

The horizon of what use to be...
 by Joseph Weilenbeck

The moments dance
before my eyes
then teasing,
run and hide where I can't see.
So, I search
and when I find
that very spot,
I look behind.
But all that I see hiding there is me.

No moments to treasure.
No moments of pleasure.
No moments lived, to be lived again.
Just the last half of a memory,
of a time and place that use to be,
on a road that cannot lead from now to then.

So, I wait in silence
patiently
for the if and when
of another one to pass.
I hold my net
and when it's time,
I take a swing
but all I find
is a prayer to God that it won't be my last.

No treasure to catch.
No pleasure to match
those moments real that now in shadows hide.
Just the taillights of a memory
on the horizon of what use to be
fading into darkness on the other side. 

Joseph Weilenbeck  2018

I Will Be With You

Author's note: I wrote this several years ago after speaking with a friend who was facing the imminent death of her husband. As we spoke and prayed, I wanted so much to find words that would ease her pain, and offer her hope in the midst of her grief. I went home, and stayed up all night struggling with the same question: what could I say that would help? In fact, I ended up spending several nights doing just the same. As I read from Scripture on the last of those long nights, I was reminded of the obvious.  My words don't hold the answer.  My words have no power to help.  When our needs are deep and profound, only God's words can offer true hope, consolation, and comfort.  As that fact reclaimed its rightful place in my mind, I was reading from the book of Isaiah.  When I finished reading, I put my Bible aside, and wrote this song. What I could not conceive over several days, God gave me in a matter of minutes. 

The song is inspired by Isaiah, Chapter 43, Verses 2 and 3, and draws upon many other verses from throughout Scripture.

I now offer this song, and my prayers, for those grieving and suffering 
in Santa Fe, Texas as a result of today's shooting. May God be with you
and comfort you.

* * * 

        I Will Be With You
            by Joseph Weilenbeck

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you.
When the rivers overflow,
I will bring you through.
When you walk through the fire,
You will not be harmed.
I will keep you
Sure and safe
In My arms.

For I am your God
And My word is true.
I will guard your heart
When troubles come to you.

Be at peace and know
You can trust in My plan.
And always,
I will hold you in My hand.

When all your strength is gone,
I will carry you.
When you’re alone, afraid, and numb,
I will be there too.
When each tear leaves your eye,
I will hear it fall.
I love you.
I’ll be with you
Through it all.

For I am your God.
I will be with you.
Whatever trials you face,
I will see you through.

Though darkness may come,
By Me, you shall stand.
And always,
I will hold you in My hand.

Even now,
      I am holding you
                   In My hand.


Joseph Weilenbeck 2005

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God,  the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.        ~Isaiah 43:2, 3 (ESV)

We’re just driftin’...

We're just driftin'...
by Joseph Weilenbeck

I’m afraid that we’re just driftin’

Just driftin’ you and me.

We think we’re headed for the harbor

When in fact we’re all just driftin’ out to sea.

I once knew a man

Who took himself a wife.

They made a vow that they would cherish one another

Every moment of their life.

They both worked their jobs

Long hours every day.

Now they come home late at night

And go to bed without a single word to say.

They don’t know that they’ve been driftin’.

They’re just as blind as they could be.

They thought they’d anchored in safe harbor

When in fact they were just driftin’ out to sea.

And like them we’re all driftin’

Just driftin’ you and me.

We all think we’ll make the harbor

But it seems we just keep driftin’ out to sea.

They once had a boy

They had such great joy at his birth.

Filled with every hope and promise

They thought that he would surely change this earth.

He did all of his homework.

Passed his tests and got his grades.

Now he hides inside in a room and tries

Just livin’ through his pipe and spoon and blades.

Cause all the time he’s just been driftin’

As far away as he could be.

They thought he’d sail into the harbor

But instead he slowly drifted out to sea.

Like him I fear that we’re all driftin’

Yes we’re driftin’ you and me.

Though our demons may be different

The truth is we’re still driftin’ out to sea.

I once knew a pastor

Could preach to reach the dead.

He longed to save all those who’d listen

To the words he said.

He built himself a church

To be a shelter from the storm.

But when the doors were closed and locked

He could not find a single soul to keep him warm.

He found he’d just been driftin’

Though he thought he had the key.

He tried to point the way to harbor

But instead his eyes were fixed upon the sea.

In our own way we’re all just driftin’

Just driftin’ you and me.

Each day no closer to the harbor

But each day we’re so much farther out to sea.

Now we say we have a Savior

Went to the cross that we’d be saved.

We say He died for all our sins

But just the same we go on sinnin’ every day.

Each week we go to church

Where we bow and sing and pray.

We think we’re on our way to Heaven

When in fact we’re all just travelin’ our own way.

We even read the Holy Book

Read some chapters every day.

We say we’re changin’ in our hearts

But we know mostly we’re just learnin’ words to say.

We close our eyes and keep on driftin’.

We’re just driftin’ aimlessly.

And lest we turn back to the harbor

Very soon we’ll be forever lost at sea.

But all the same we go on driftin’

We just keep driftin’ you and me.

The harbor’s faded far behind

While you and me, we just keep driftin’ out to sea.

 -- Joseph Weilenbeck June 17, 2012 

Acknowledgement: The message and rhythm of this poem are inspired by 

the words and rhythm of  Paul Simon's "Slip Slidin' Away"