The Pit

As if waiting in the shadows
With no definitive genesis,
This happenstance of woe
Insinuates its prejudice
It traps you from within
Until you're left without
The simplest self-defense--
And plagued by strong self-doubt

Struggling but not finding
The source of all the trouble,
Lost in a maze-like prison
Inside an impervious bubble
It looks like it's safe and secure,
But really it keeps freedom out
No one hears your muffled cries--
As hard as you try to shout

An unfair fight ensues,
Finds you grasping a mere short stick--
A fruitless tool you don't want
And one that you did not pick
Love for yourself a mere shadow,
Held from you at arm's length;
Keeping you small and weak,
Draining away your strength

You turn to food for comfort
And sleep to numb the heart
Chores chaotically pile up
You ask, 'When will life restart?'
It's hard to recall the good days;
Their memory rapidly fades,
And it seems you've always been here--
Blotted out by dark, drawn shades

If light could only enter
And illuminate hope once again,
There's a chance that you could rally
And lift bravely an ardent chin
But joy remains a carrot
And peace a broken wing
Til the only voices you hear
Have forgotten how to sing

© 2026 Teresa Miles Kephart 

Disqualified Leaders

Little by little they crumble,  erode,
Imperceptible at the start
So tall and massively built,
By loyalty of the heart.
The slightest misalignment
Causes cracks, at first unseen
Their hands--deeds thereof hidden--
We don't see that they're unclean,
Til one day something breaks
And the idol we've erected
Comes crashing down headlong
Like a king that God’s rejected.
The blind and unaware
Want to build it up again,
Sweep up the broken pieces,
Ignore the blatant sin.
A leader of God’s house
Is held to a higher demand--
Charged to protect the flock
And for righteousness to stand.
Have we somehow forgotten
The poignant words of Paul?
"Follow me as I follow Christ."
That's the measure of it all.
Abusers,  liars, false teachers
Should never be given free board
For the Lord Jesus loves His body,
And He's coming with a sword.
Corruption and pride, with their secrets,
Will fall to obliteration--
And those who have carried their torch
Be removed without hesitation.
For God hates a lying tongue
And hearts that devise wicked schemes;
And we can't ignore His Word
To fulfill our "peace and love" dreams.
Yes, God is a God of love,
And in love He's cleansing His bride.
There's no room for a god beside Him;
That is something He will not abide.
Too long we've exalted leaders
Under banners of honor, so high
That we've left the Lord in the shadows
And made men our Adonai.
God’s crying out for repentance
As leaders around us fall.
Let us truly repent for exalting
Those who shouldn't be leaders at all.

© 2026 Teresa Miles Kephart 

More Joy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crisp, like a fresh-printed dollar

Fresh, like clean sheets on your bed

New, like an outfit's first wearing

A novel idea, an "instead"

 

Joy, of your heartbeat, your life-force

Feeling powerfully, fully alive

Redemptive air filling your nostrils,

Like a bee buzzing out of its hive

  

Life, often a raging inferno,

Presses, pushes, steals your joy

And empties your grateful reserves

Like a frozen dead-battery toy

 

But...what if it could be renewed—

Refreshed and rejuvenated,

Replenished and restored—

And your thirst for its fullness sated?

 

What if God’s storehouse of joy

Has no limits, with no debt incurred—

With generous amounts freely given,

According to His Holy Word?

 

Joy is found in His sweet presence

It’s a gift that’s been ordained

He desires to give us more joy

Than can possibly be contained

 

Heaven’s joy is our ultimate strength

And draws us to seek Him more

May our prayer for this year be to walk

In more joy than ever before

 

© 2026 Teresa Miles Kephart