Excerpt:
“I opened another forwarded email from a friend, and to my horror it was news about one more pair of high profile ministers getting divorced! I ran to my phone and called the friend who had sent the email. ‘What happened?! When did this happen?’ I asked her as I was completely caught off guard and flustered at the same time. ‘I don’t get it, I just don’t get it. They can’t get a divorce. What about the thousands of people in their congregation, what about them? What about their kids?’ I asked. . . .”

(c) shari mcgriff 2007

says the big red, white and blue

          or the new shade of green for money

workers forced to live

          in cement buildings

paying rent for a bucket and a bowl

no vacation, no day of rest

7 days a week is the slave trade

But that’s on the other side

           of the water

here, where the flag flies

no full-time

no benefits

dragging towns into economic wastelands

for               do more for less

do more for less

they do more work, more labor

for less pay, less insurance

          less money for rent

less food

          for their baby’s belly

distended for the bottom line.

Stockholders

                   do you sleep at night?

©shari mcgriff  october 2007

He knows what I do not know

If  I am sent before I am ready

The voice of a stranger, I may follow

I choose to follow His voice

I choose to follow Him

I choose to wait until it’s my turn

And not force His hand.

When I am ready,

I am ready.

When I’m not,

I’ll fall.

The times and seasons of God are perfect

And I choose to wait for the High Call.

grief comes, and you sit.

and sit you must for a  moment.

but only be waylaid for a moment

for your life is not over

and spring will come again.

rise up, my friend

rise up.

it is time for you to live again

you must fight for your life

it’s not your time to die.

take my hand

we’ll make this journey together.

come on, now

take my hand.

it’s not time for you to lay down.

get up.

live and love those that are still here

you are surrounded by love.

rise up and take my hand

and we will take this journey together.

(c) shari mcgriff 2007

     oh, father

one of your warrior’s has fallen

one who laid their life down for the cross

temptation has overcome,

but for a moment

and fractured their very soul.

     oh, father

send your comforting Spirit to them

redeem what has been broken

restore what the enemy has stolen

bring peace and wholeness to them again.

 mend the wounds and the brokeness

pave over the path of destruction

with a road of crystal from the sea of glass.

     oh, father

let them know we still love them

let them know we still care

show them You’ll redeem 

You’ll restore the people left behind

and You’ll heal the fissures in their soul.

     oh, father

show them that You will redeem and restore 

what the locusts have eaten

show them that you will take the miry clay

from around their feet

and put them back on solid ground.

     oh, father

show them how much you love them

and give them peace. 

show them You can turn anything around,

but most of all Lord,

wrap your arms around them

and be their Daddy

as they cry themselves to sleep.

     oh, father

bring them comfort and peace.

(c) shari mcgriff 2007

My resurrection day.

As I bathe the states in My Glory

Be reminded of My Son.

His sacrifice has washed you clean

You shine like the sun.

The freshness of your spirit

Is crisp and clean as the snow.

Receive My gift

Of snow and My Son for Easter

For you sparkle like Him.

You bring freshness to the atmosphere.

Your purity changes those around you

And the coolness of your temperament

Refracts the prism of My Holiness.

Receive My Son and the snow

I sent you this Easter

Let My Glory bathe you in the diamonds

Of His reflection

As you kneel before the cross

And your sins are made white as snow.

Resurrection Day–April 8, 2007

shari mcgriff

Copyright ©2007 Shari Christine McGriff

and see what I have done to you.

My sins are on your body,

you’ve been beaten to a pulp.

Your eyes are swollen,

your body is bruised and broken,

you’re bleeding on the inside.

Oh, what have I done?

There are huge nails in your hands, Lord

and nails in your feet!

You hang from them in such agony,

and I weep

 uncontrollably.

Jesus,

 may I kneel at your feet

and let the blood that is pouring out of you

fall on me?

My arms are outstretched,

pools of blood at my knees.

Drenched in your blood, as I am,

I am set free!

Covered with blood,

yet clean.

Your ribs can be seen through your skin,

a hideous sight to see.

Yet the sight causes me to love you,

 love you even more,

than before.

Water pouring out of your side

like a woman giving birth.

Birthing a new covenant

of love and grace and redemption.

Oh, how blessed am I.

I am blessed that you loved me so much

that you’d be beaten and die

for me.

That you would be my sacrifice,

and cleanse me of sin.

At your death, Lord, I mourn.

At your resurrection,

I dance!

Because I am free!

Free and unburdened.

Free to be who you created me to be!

And free to come into Your presence

and worship

my God,

my Saviour,

and my King!

(c) shari mcgriff 2007

Silent, I sit,

     waiting.

          Waiting to hear the internal voice of God.

How do others see this silence?

     arrogant?

          withdrawn, or shy?

They can not know the conversations

     I engage in with my eternal

          omniscient

               heavenly father.

I am not distant.

     I am engaging in intimate

          discourse with my Father.

               The one who loves me more than all others.

(c) shari mcgriff 2007

Abortion is a crime against women and children,

used by politicians and hate filled feminists

      to push their greed and their agendas. 

Abortion. 

Abortion is a crime against all women and children.

     Do not be deceived. 

That child you are carrying is autonomous—

     not part of your body,

they have a body of their own. 

They need you to nourish them,

however, they are not a part of you

 like an arm, a leg, or an organ,

     to amputate as if you had gangrene. 

That child is a person.

A person with needs.

If you don’t want them,

or you can’t take care of their needs,

then give them to someone who can. 

     For it is better that they have life with someonelse—

          than death by You. 

Abortion can ruin your life. 

Your life will never be the same if you go through with it.

Ask the old women who have had them.

Ask them about their dreams.

Ask them about their nightmares,

     and the screams.

Ask them if they regret it.

They will tell you it is the biggest regret of their life.

Then ask them, if they have children now—

and many will say that they do not.

Why did they not have children later,

     when it was convenient for them?

They will tell you that their bodies were ruined by abortion.

And that their bodies can no longer carry life.

Abortion is a crime.

Abortion is a crime against all women and children.

Do not be a victim.

Do not buy the lies.

Should your mother have skipped having you??

Should she have chosen not to give you life??

No.  Of course not.

You have a right to be here,

give your child the same right.

Let them live and grow, 

    laugh and cry.

If you can not keep them,

give them to someone who can.

For abortion is a crime against all women and children.

Abortion is a crime.

© shari mcgriff 2007

     invisible,

     or just stupid.

Yet God is there

     He knows who He

     made me to be.

I am the righteousness of God

     in Christ Jesus.

The head and not the tail–

     Above only,

     and not beneath–

          someone’s feet.

I am loved.

     His treasure.

A magnificient

     creation.

They may not know who I am,

     but the Creator does,

     and He lives in me.

I am never invisible.

     I am not less.

     And I am not stupid.

I am a child of the King–

     The apple of His eye–

And His Favorite!

(c) shari mcgriff 2007

2 Corinthians 5:21 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)21 He made the One who did not know sin ^(A) to be sin for us, ^(B) so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Deuteronomy 28:13 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)13 The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward if you listen to the LORD your God’s commands I am giving you today and are careful to follow [them].

     two hands–

But three.

The invisible hand of God,

Unseen by most–

Yet always present.

Always present and directing

     the paths of the righteous

     into His sovereign plan.

Holy is the Lord!

And Holy is His name!

And blessed is the home

     built by three hands.

(c) shari mcgriff 2007

Yet day after day,

I have to spend time with others, too.

I must fill my mind with worldly endeavors–

the ordinary,

the mundane,

earthly wisdom and knowledge.

Yet, I want to fill it with Your Words

     Not others.

I am in the world,

Not of it.

I must partake of some,

Not all.

But my desire, O God,

     is for You,

     and You alone.

I want to live in Your house,

     Forever.

I want to be in Your Presence,

     Day after day.

This is my conflict.

You have called me to be in Your Presence,

To be salt and light–

A beacon of truth in the night,

To the souls who are watching–

The ones you love,

But who are lost to You.

Help me, O God,

     To reconcile this conflict.

To walk in the spirit

And fulfill my calling,

To pursue knowledge,

     And to pursue You.

Don’t let me forget You,

Or what You have done.

But help me to live supernaturally

     In a natural world.

And to be in the world,

          Not of it.

 (c) shari mcgriff 2007

But your Creator
fashioned you in the womb
with great care and excitement.
Your hair, your toes, your quirks
were precisely infused into you.

He carefully
and skillfully
planned your blueprints–
your wrapping–
a gift,
A gift to this earth.
And this gift
is You.

Yes, life is hard
and your parents weren’t of your choosing.
But you are a gift,
a gift from the heavens.
A gift from above.

You were skillfully,
and meticulously crafted with a purpose.
You are a gift.
And it is time to unwrap the gift,
the destiny–
the purpose–
the problem you were designed specifically to solve,
and let the peoples of the earth
rejoice in their gift
and be blessed by you.

(c) shari mcgriff 2006

July 14, 2006

To the Woman in Adultery

 It grieves me to see

 How you’ve turned away

     From our Savior, Our God

          And our King.

The things we once shared

The experiences

The revelations

Have now become a mirage

     In your eyes.

The Love we once shared

     For the Lord

Has grown cold on your side.

  The scriptures say,

     What God has joined together

          Let no man put asunder.

Let no woman separate.

But you my friend,

     Need to wake up.

You no longer heed

      The voice of the Lord

But follow the voice of a stranger

     And the voice of your flesh.

What you are doing

      Is not worth it.

It only brings death and destruction.

 Your love has waxed cold

Your eyes have grown dim.

God has not abandoned you

But you have abandoned Him.

Friend,

 God loves you so much

 He sent His Jesus to die

     For your sins.

 You knew Him, once

Now, know Him, again.

 Cry out to Him.

He will save you

He will set you free

     From the bondage

          You

               Knowingly,

                    walk in.

It is not too late

But one day, it will be.

For tomorrow is guaranteed

     To

No Man.

 When Jesus met the woman at the well

It was revealed she had married five men

 And the sixth man was not her husband

But an unjust man.

 She was led into adultery

     By the five senses

          Sensual ness

               The Lust of the flesh.

And the sixth man in the story

 Leads to the complete annihilation

     Of her walk with God

          Her communion with Him.

The sixth man is

      The fall of man.

 My friend,

This woman is you

And you have another chance.

 God has set before you

Life & Death

Choose life

Choose Him.

 Pack your bags

 And run

Run as fast as you can

For the high calling is still ahead

If you choose Him.

But if you choose

      The unjust man

Your destiny will perish

As you will, My friend.

 I love you too much

 To not tell you the truth

But the children

      You have following you

If they perish without Jesus

Their blood is on your hands.

You will be held accountable

So choose wisely, my friend

It is not just your life

     In the balance

But the lives

      Of children and men.

Your testimony of the Lamb

     Has been trampled

As your integrity

     Has been.

 But you have another chance.

Jesus told the woman at the well

He wanted worshipers

     Who would worship

           In spirit and in truth.

But you have lied to yourself

You have rationalized the Word of God,

      Saying you are married

     In your heart.

This is self-deception

This is not true.

You are in adultery,

     And you know this to be true.

And the adultery

      Must end.

You must choose.

Choose Jesus.

He is the seventh man.

He is your new beginning,

Your second chance

     To live the high calling

But there is a price you must pay

You must choose Jesus

     And not the unjust man.

Choose Life,

      My friend.

 I know this is hard to hear

But it is only because I love you

That I can speak

       What you do not want to hear.

Search your heart friend,

For what you know is true

Jesus is waiting

     Just for you. 

Drivin’ in my car
Passing gangsters on the street
Police tape blowin’ in the wind
     I wonder who got beat?

Just a mom in a minivan
Annointed with the power of heaven
Prayin’ in the Spirit
For the gangster
     And God to remove the leaven.

Let your Spirit come, Lord
Come to this street.
Let your Wind blow, Lord
     Remove the chaff from the wheat.

Use your sickle on the wheat
Cut it off from the street.
Bundle them with Your love,
     Bring them to the feast.

(c) shari mcgriff 2006

Though seemingly small—

May be mighty.

They may look short term

But carry a life sentence.

Yes, God can redeem

Yes, God can restore

But the consequences of sin

Are close at hand.

They may come swift

They may be delayed

The tremors are underground

Ready to tear your life apart.

The sinner can be forgiven

The sin thrown into the sea

But residue of an earthquake

Will always be seen.

The tectonic plates rub together

They may seem dormant for a time

But the shaking will come again

For the consequences of our sin

Is hiding underground.

Yes, God can redeem

Yes, God can restore

But guard your decisions, my friend,

Because the consequences of sin are mighty

And will shake your world apart.

© shari mcgriff  2006 November 6

You came to America because you thought it was great!

It wasn’t made great by following Buddha

It wasn’t made great by following Mary.

This country was made great by following Jesus.

Its tenets are from the Bible,

The very Word of God.

Its founders dedicated this country to Jehovah,

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

And they dedicated it to His Son, Jesus.

Find out about Jesus.

Follow Him,

And He will make this country great,

For You!

© shari mcgriff 2006