Handing out Numbers

I sit on the steps alone

Hoping to be unseen.

Setting is pretty serene

Til you walk on the scene.



You sit beside me,

Inquire what’s wrong.

We sit in silence

Both determined to stay strong.



Finally the dam breaks,

I finally speak,

I begin the share from the depths,

"Life is honestly feeling pretty bleak."



You listen intently,

Take out paper and pen,

Start scribbling a number,

“This is where hope can begin…”



I take the piece of paper.

It was a hotline number you penned?

That’s for people who want dates,

And I simply want this date to end.

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Numbers are great for those close to the edge

With no hope in sight

Unable to think of a friend

Who can carry their burdens

And lighten the load

But I surely hope

That’s not where everyone is forced to go

When they are down and depressed

Need a place to rest

With someone they know

Who has also seen them at their best

And is not just present in this crisis mode

But to navigate and journey

All the places this life will go

Because we all need friendship

A deeper heart connection

A place to be seen

And not fear rejection

So can we be friends,

Can we reach out?

Not simply hand out numbers

But be present when the bottom drops out?



Joy Lynn

Depend on You

What is my role here?

Do I belong?

Will I ever get used to this,

Or is it time to say “so long”?



I pour in my heart,

I pour out my soul,

I’ve invested countless hours,

God, it’s taking its toll.



But I know You’re in this,

Your work here is not done,

Though Your hand at work is often unseen,

It is still drawing them to Your Son.



So as many days as you gift me,

May I come to depend on You alone.

I pray earnestly that they will choose to follow You,

And will try to lay my burdens at the foot of Your throne. 



-Joy Lynn



“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

For The Times We Feel Weak

“Hey, long time no see,

It’s been a little bit since we met in my dreams,

But why are we here?

On the old high bridge?

It’s a nice view,

But when is the next train coming through?”



Traffic is slowing,

Blue lights swirl under toe,

A crowd is forming and facebook is buzzing,

Everyone throwing in their two cents,

Some scream “Just jump already!”

Or “please safely come down to the ground where it’s steady.” 



I sit down beside you,

Arm in arm,

Trying not to raise an alarm,

“Please talk to me and share your burden,

I can’t promise it’ll make everything light,

But I sure don’t wish for you to take flight.”



You can make it,

You’re not alone,

I can’t give you a solution,

But I know God sits on the throne,

So we wait and we trust and we pray and we seek,

And we lean on Him and others in these times we feel weak.

-Joy Lynn