themanyousee

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…I don’t deserve it.

I hate taking things out of context;
taking historical prophesies and applying it to me personally,
but the man You see needs hope;
hope for a 20/20 vision.

this year has been one of the hardest yet.
foundations of employment, health, community and stability
have been shaken, crumbled and been stored in buckets,
to then be scattered thinly over scorched earth and barren land.

oh, how my soul is ready for something new;
ploughing, planting, precipitation, propagating;
something new and different to the pain of 2019.

I don’t deserve it.
I rely on Your promise.
Your prophecy.

what the future holds? I’m anxious.
I need stable foundations and security.
please don’t turn away from me.
provide for our needs,
even though I don’t deserve it.

#MightyPoets
#MentalHealth
#Depression
#Anxiety
#overcome
#themanyousee
#2020vision

Ezekiel 36:9, 22a, 25-27, 32a New Living Translation (NLT)

9 See, I care about you, and I will pay attention to you. Your ground will be plowed and your crops planted.

22a “Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name ...

25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.

32a But remember, says the Sovereign Lord, I am not doing this because you deserve it.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Mark Bryant

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@mark_bryant_4650

MightyPoets 4y

…I’ve never met.

I’ve never met Jesus,
but I’ve heard His stories
and teachings on His teachings.

I’ve never met God
but I’ve been introduced to His anger,
vengeance, punishment and hypocrisy.

I’ve never met the Spirit
but I’ve been wrestling
with feelings, promptings and urges.

the man You see has been fucked up
by incorrect examples, interpretations
and conditioning that hasn’t been helpful.
blind leading the blind, in some ways.

our expression of truth
lies in our impression of who God is
and – truth be told – perhaps I’m still to meet Him?

I’ve never met Him in the fullness of
His love, compassion, mercy and grace.
but I seek after Him,
because I want His fullness.

if I had 20/20 vision
I could look back and see
glimpses of God in His perfection,
but – in my moments of weakness –
I realise that
I’ve never met Him in His fullness.

I want to.

the man You see wants to.

#MightyPoets
#MentalHealth
#Depression
#Anxiety
#overcome
#themanyousee
#2020vision

John 14:8-11 New Living Translation (NLT)

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

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Mark Bryant

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@mark_bryant_4650

MightyPoets 4y

…a new song.

oh, a new song to sing
instead of “woe is me.”
a desire for break-through –
peace and harmony.
the uniqueness of the gifts
given to the man You see
in the presentation through restoration
and redemption amidst calamity.

there is a new song –
deep within it’s stirring
but without a distinct melody
and lyrics I don’t yet know how to sing.
it seems a long and tedious journey
to learn the lessons the season’s bring
and it’s taking longer than it should
because of my self-struggling.

a new song is being born
despite the painful circumstance.
I’m used to moving cautiously.
pretty soon I’ll skip and dance.
with 20/20 vision, I hope to see it,
with the fruit of this romance
between life and it’s liability
meeting the Lord’s redemptive stance.

#MightyPoets
#MentalHealth
#Depression
#Anxiety
#overcome
#themanyousee
#2020vision

Psalm 40:3 New Living Translation (NLT)

3 He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.

Matthew 25:14-15 New Living Translation (NLT)

14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

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MightyPoets 4y

…artisan bread.

the Word of Truth cannot be recreated
but it can be presented in new and vibrant ways.
artisan bread
reaching a new market.

the man You see has gifts.
he uses some every day.
others, he wishes he could earn a living from,
but doesn’t see how.
he doesn’t have 20/20 vision.

even this poetry is a 2-fold desire:
to share the journey of healing
of mental health issues
– a reconditioning –
and to proclaim Christ in ways
that encourage others.

perhaps my market is small?
perhaps I’m sharing this on the wrong platforms?
perhaps my presentation of the Word of Truth sucks?
perhaps people don’t like the bread of Truth full stop,
let alone my artisan presentation?

…but, I have hope,
that the people who heart or like my posts
are encouraged by the artisan bread I offer.
not a new truth or recreated truth,
but the perfect bread of Truth – the Gospel –
presented in my unique way of creativity.

artisan bread

it’s not my job to make people like it
but to present it authentically
in the midst of my journey of healing,
in the hope it encourages others in their journey.

#MightyPoets
#MentalHealth
#Depression
#Anxiety
#overcome
#themanyousee
#2020vision

Matthew 4:4 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Romans 12:4-8 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

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MightyPoets 4y

…the confines of well-wishes and twine.

it’s funny how quickly
wrapping paper becomes rubbish,
the pretty exterior becomes inferior
to the treasure enclosed within.

with the man You see,
what’s the treasure of transformation
that You’re working within
the confines of well-wishes and twine?

change my mind!
help me see what can be
rather than what is.
help me see the preserved transport corridors
rather than the dead end.

the season is wrapped up
in the confines of well-wishes and twine,
but what’s inside needs to break out
of the “pretty prison”
so I can become
the man You see
with 20/20 vision.

#MightyPoets
#MentalHealth
#Depression
#Anxiety
#overcome
#themanyousee
#2020vision

Romans 12:1-2 New Living Translation (NLT)

12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Ephesians 4:23 New Living Translation (NLT)

23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

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MightyPoets 4y

…Boxing D-Day.

the man You see
thinks the heart
is the only thing that saves him.
He believes that he has a heart
that chases after You,
even us appearances fail,
both in attraction and action.

it’s a Boxing D-Day,
where the battle of wills
needs to come to a head,
the truth needs to take a stand
and sin stays down for the count.

I’m unemployed, but not unemployable.
I’m unfit, yet not a lost cause.
I’m imperfect and selfish, and still, I’m loved!

lacing up the gloves
on this Boxing D-Day,
I’m reminded that the fight
as a whole was TKO’d
when the Man You sent
was the innocent atonement
for the man You see.

thank You.

#MightyPoets
#MentalHealth
#Depression
#Anxiety
#overcome
#themanyousee

1 Samuel 16:7 New Living Translation (NLT)

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Isaiah 53:1-6 New Living Translation (NLT)

53:1 Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? 2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.

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MightyPoets 4y

…Bethlehem star.

as the heavens are high…
reaching the clouds in the sky…
Your love and faithfulness.

like the Bethlehem star,
You showed hope from afar,
but then became Incarnate.

for all humanity,
and the man You see…
such amazing love.

even in our prideful weakness,
Your supernatural birth in meekness
came to set us free.

so, You are love and hope.
help me not to mope.
You’re the anchor for our souls.

as the heavens are high…
reaching the clouds in the sky…
Your love and faithfulness.

#MightyPoets
#MentalHealth
#Depression
#Anxiety
#overcome
#themanyousee

Psalm 57:10 New Living Translation (NLT)

10 For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

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MightyPoets 4y

…Christmas evil.

the best gift of all
is salvation of our sins,
the Spirit living within
and responding to Your call.

You were sent for the man You see –
for the imperfect in performance…
for those drowning in circumstance…
You came to set us free.

in the Christmas evil that we face –
commercialisation to feed profits
and our inability to stop it –
let’s not forget, the importance of grace.

so when the wrapping turns to trash
and the tinsel’s torn off the tree,
the lights unplugged from electricity,
remember, we’re not celebrating cash.

the antidote to the Christmas evil is this reason –
Jesus Christ was sent as a baby
who gave His life to save me.
that’s the true reason for the season!

#MightyPoets
#MentalHealth
#Depression
#Anxiety
#overcome
#themanyousee

Matthew 1:21 New Living Translation (NLT)

21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Romans 8:1-4 New Living Translation (NLT)

8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

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MightyPoets 5y

…December dysfunction.

there’s no peace,
no turning of hearts
in this December dysfunction.

the man You see
is drowning in the sweat and tears
of broken people, broken family,
trying to put on happy faces
around the ‘perfect’ Christmas tree.

where is God in the December dysfunction?
where tension and apprehension rule as King,
instead of the King of Kings?

the land is cursed,
and there seems to be no hope or healing
for this December dysfunction…

unless it starts with me!

Prince of Peace,
You came into the world
to bring healing, hope and restoration.
please do that work in me!

let not this December dysfunction
lead to a December of dismembering.
instead, may it be a December of delight
in the things You’re making right.

#MightyPoets
#MentalHealth
#Depression
#Anxiety
#overcome

Malachi 4:6 New Living Translation (NLT)

6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Luke 1:17 New Living Translation (NLT)

17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

Luke 2:14 New Living Translation (NLT)

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

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MightyPoets 5y

…burn the ships.

five peas in a pod cause me grief
and now I’m needing some relief
‘cos the man You see has rocked belief.

burn the ships before they run aground
and take the fight to the island’s surround
to get the truth that’s profound.

the man You see’s pleasures and possessions,
prejudices and priorities lead to recession
and persistent, problematic pain keeps pressin’.

the trauma, the hurt, and the conditioning
work against Your Truth’s placement and positioning.
yet, the man You see’s Spirit keeps on petitioning.

I long to be sold out to Your will,
but perhaps there is something better still?
You alone – as a whole – all needs fill!

the man You see wants his ships to be burned,
the five peas in their pod to be spurned
and only Your character to be learned.

so burn the ships and help me to live
in the grace and knowledge that You forgive
within the perfect, supernatural, superlative.

#MightyPoets
#MentalHealth
#Depression
#Anxiety
#overcome

Matthew 26:39 New Living Translation (NLT)

39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

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…I don’t deserve it.

…I’ve never met.

…a new song.

…artisan bread.

…the confines of well-wishes and twine.

…Boxing D-Day.

…Bethlehem star.

…Christmas evil.

…December dysfunction.

…burn the ships.

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