nakedpastor

Why, when I love more, am I loved less? Why, traveling deeper into the frontier, am I further forsaken by travelers? I try to understand. I want to know. But my mind refuses to acknowledge what it doesn’t already recognize. My heart, raised to be beholden, was reared tender to the touch. But there is something pulling, drawing my heart beyond itself. And my feet, one before the other, lead to an unknown land. As my eyes’ darkness falls, the light grows more intense. The heat of what calls me burns all that I cherish. Although I tremble, a certainty impresses itself. This indeed I must do.

This is a watercolor on Arches 140lb cp.; approximately 10″x22″ (25cm x 55cm). Getting ready for a gallery hop on Saturday. Someone suggested I do one of my birches paintings. So here it is.

This piece, called “Let There Be Day”, is done with oil pastel on Arches 88 paper. It measures 20″x30″ (51cm x 73cm).

i will wait

This is a song I wrote, based on some psalms, during a very dark time in my life. I don’t apologize for its melancholy mood. We’d just gone through a horrendous church-split where we lost half of our church and too many friends. It was a brutal time, very dark, and at times hopeless. All I had to cling to was promise. My friend Ellen is singing the lead. I join in on the last chorus. I’m doing all the instrumental. If there’s one thing I’d do different about this recording, besides its general quality, it would be to resolve the last chord. I left it hanging, in suspense, to represent the unfinished story of my life at the time. Here are the lyrics:

I WILL WAIT by David Hayward

from this dark and lonely place I call to you.
can you hear me from this distant land i’m in?

i will wait for you Lord,
to your promises i cling
i will wait for you
like i’m waiting
for the sun to shine

what if you o Lord would measure sin? i’d fall.
but with you forgiveness covers everything.

Carry Me

This is a song I wrote some years ago. It wasn’t intended to be country. But my band was playing around one day and came up with this rather Maritime Celtic rhythm and sound. It was rather popular when we first came out with it and was played on a local radio station frequently. I’m singing lead with Ellen singing background. Here are the lyrics:

Carry Me

he tends his flock like a shepherd of love
he gathers lambs in his strong tender arms
he bears them close to his passionate heart
gently and lovingly leads them along

he will protect me from all of my foes
he plants a place where his work safely grows
and i am assured that he reaps what he sows
so i will with fullness his love come to know

chorus:
carry me through the valley and the sea
carry me to the lofty mountain peaks
i long to be with you from now till the end
carry me homeward my shepherding friend

speak to me shepherd till i know your voice
clear from my hearing the challenging noise
of all my distractions and counterfeit joys
for knowing you fully is my perfect choice