Archive for January, 2020
Voicing Your Brand: Pump the Hope
Posted by LevelPaths in Ecclesiastes, Hope, Futility, Frustration, Friction, Voice, Talent, Life, Spiritual Life on January 30, 2020
Pump the hope
Against the futility;
Generate a friction
That causes transformation.
An automobile’s brake system uses friction to create a good, life-changing, life-saving result. Your foot pumps the pedal. The fluid runs to the calipers and cylinders, putting pressure on the pads and shoes. The pads and shoes press into the rotors and drums. You stop. “Friction” is a word that typically isn’t associated with “good.” Two objects pressing in, rubbing against one another, temperature rising, sparks flying.

Photo by Jan Kopřiva on Unsplash
Frustration in life is a reality. We encounter unexpected dead ends. We chase wisdom and knowledge. We explore pleasures. We exert maximum effort to achieve and accomplish in our careers. We invest in the stuff of eternal value—people. Yet, our wisdom finds a ceiling. Our pleasures stop satisfying. The fruit of our labor may come too late to enjoy, and people, well, they may never change. Many of us have touched the edge of that shadowy cliff we call despair. Sadly, some embrace it.
How do we live in concert with the reality of futility? You have to pump the hope against the frustrations. You have to generate a friction. Sparks need to fly! Pump hope against the ceiling of your wisdom, and find a transformed skill in living. Pump hope into even the littlest joys of life to find a transformed contentment. Pump hope into that career and flourish where you are. Pump hope into people, and behold, the image of God will spring to new life. Pump the hope, and step away from that shadowy precipice.
Pump the hope
Against the futility;
Generate a friction
That causes transformation.
As I consider voice talent, I have a voice, and I want it to pump the hope—into my own life and overflow into the lives of others. My talents—writing, speaking—seem to max out sometimes and fall short at other times. Yet, I am committed to pressing hope into my craft as a communicator, generating a friction that transforms.
Cigarettes and Metal
Posted by LevelPaths in Life, Poetry on January 1, 2020
Vague recollection
Early morning detection
Eyes are clouded, thin
Ears not yet dialed in
A familiar scent wafts
Reaches, breezes into lofts
Where a young man wakes
At his father’s exiting gait
4am to Maysville
Cigarettes and metal
Driving far for that paper
Safety cautious labor
Pull down the hood
Strike ‘at arc good
Bond to the base
Weld it like lace
A familiar aroma blankets
Hourly worker wages
5pm up the Double A
Cigarettes and metal on the way
Car resting on gravel
Aches accompany the rattle
Chevette no gas remaining
Golden Arm now finds resting
A familiar fragrance returns
Post dinner cigarette burns
Polka dot cap on its hook
Jeans & shirt find their nook
9pm the aura of dad
Cigarettes and metal ain’t so bad