Silhouettes in sunset

Silhouettes in sunset

Where clouds o'rhead

Color the expanse

With their iridescent trance 

So the last rays of sunlight 

Descend upon the cityscape

Soaring upon the wing

My soul sings the wonders 

Of your majesty

Here through this portal of flight 

My eyes delight 

In thy beautiful shades

Of sunset

-Joshua Lee Foist

To thee I die day by day

To thee I die day by day

To me I die as I cry as I pray

No more illusions 

No more idols

My desires are passing away

My selfish ambitions no more

May they not become me

May they not run me

For a love I have oft sought

I have long forgot

While I have stayed 

In this desert land 

Dreaming dillusions of oases

Long ago where no more remain

Those days are gone

We grow we move on

Though the road ahead

Seems uncertain 

This truth is certain

No more hiding

No more idlying

In my ideals

That which pain

Hath proved can

Also heal

My doubts

Repeal my 

Hopes

For only one can fill

Only one hath brought

Me all this way

Though oft have I 

Sought to stray

No doubt

No depth of

Deceit can

Remove your love

From me

Your love alone

Hath saved me

So cling I to your

Faithful embrace 

Grace upon grace

Tis enough to know

You are here

Through all doubt

And fear

Your love alone

Conquers all

Till death becomes me

And life is full found 

Set free 

Thy joy enough

Thy peace to calm

My every storm 

That come

-Joshua Lee Foist

Now to that which is hidden

Now to that which is hidden

Of old things forbidden

My mind made new

In that which is you 

For all that which was before

Must I abhore 

My old self seeking its own 

May it no more greave

But only to you may it cleave

Thy life made new

Thou who art true

Draw me near to you

For long my mind

Doth seek what it can find

Though it findest not

That which it ought

My ways destroy

My thoughts employ

Darkness and death 

Though this faint breath 

Of existence remains

Thy stripes and stains

So heal me

Thy ways reveal me

May my joy come true 

May it be found in you

And all which is discontent

Of these may I repent

Let not my callus life

Be a strife 

For all of which I long

May thou be my only song

E'en a tender helper

May ne'er know

Thy spirit be my guide

Thy hope I abide 

No matter the desert 

My delight

In thy love thy life

I recite

Day by day

How I long

I pray to wait

For you

Thy ways

Become mine

Thy thoughts

In me fill

That I calm

And be still 

To abide

In thy will

For all the breath

Of life long

This my one song

To remain steadfast

In thee oh my

Savior King

-Joshua Lee Foist

Through the chill of winter's eve

Through the chill of winter's eve
I hope and strive to believe
Yet all my strength alone
Cannot reprieve me
Of who I am
Instead

Yet in the dark
Of chilling ice
My warm windowed
Visage finds me here
Quickening to come

And be with thee
Though oft my heart
Doth strangely see
For only itself
Complacency

Though still
Thy sure found
Chemistry begins
To work in me

Thy love
And grace
Doth not care
My woes
Hath come
To warm
And cleanse

So ripe the morn
And not forlorn
The taste of paradise
When look upon
The pearly plain
Tis hope there not
In vain

So soft then sooth
My aching bones
And breathe thy
Benevolence broad
My soul

Yea flutter in
My floundering
Heart and hem
Me deep within

No other love
Can hold my
Tapestry true 

No stronger cord
Can cut so deep
As you

For thou
And thou
Alone

Thy name
A shudder
And a wonder
All

Did form
The earth
And all
That grow

So strum in me
Thy melody
And play
Thy tune
Through all
Of time

That I may one
And only serve
The one and true
Divine

-Joshua Lee Foist

Through Trial and Tempest

Through trial and tempest

Through doubt and fear

Ever your hand that been

Near me

Through anger and pain

Through worry and blame

Thy name alone

Do I claim

Thou hast been as always

And ever wilt be

Thou most faithful

Thou most true

My joy my one desire

May thee ever be

I thank thee this day

For thy great abundance

Thy grace full shown

In me is it known

The cost so great

Thy love beyond

Hope of my life

Love divine

May thy ways

Be as mine

Surrendering all

To thee and for thee

Living and loving

Suffering and serving

That thy joy may be full

Found in me this day

For this and many more beside

I thank thee

-Joshua Lee Foist

Between the Autumn and the Spring

Between the Autumn and the Spring
The wind that chases everything
How soft and sweetly once
They did sing

Now their dissonant cords ring
Through the passages of time
Playing their melancholy rhyme
And I am caught in their song

The days go on and on
From dusk to dawn
My heart, my mind
Seeks once more

To find the lost
One that once more
May be found
The one so loved

Might be loved on
Yet dawned that day
Now so many
Daze of rain

Wash their welcome
Cross this glazed
Window pane

And ere my heart
Doth pain
To think of thee
No more

Of thee I do adore
I ask shall it ere be
That we should
Know love

For its broken chemistry
Where hath thee gone
And the winter stead
By which the nights
Chill is fed

We make our bed
And sleep
The night
And pray

Recite
These words
One day dear Lord
Thy will be done

And awake anew
In this view
All others forsake

What ere
The hour or day
May break

Save for thy sake
Shall return
Or yet to wait

Thy love
Enough to warm
The coldest of hearts

In the deeper parts
That fragile love
And fallen
Can ere to know

No despair
Can cloud
Or enshroud
Its hopes

No more shall fear
Come and freeze
Thy hopes thy dreams
Shall warm shall please

For thy ways are sure
And close the door
Of past days afore

What ere shall be
Shall we yet
Take this journey
Onward and out

Into the great
Oceans of imagining
Where our hearts once
Flurried now

Our worries
Are lost in thee
Who guides us
Beyond
The raging sea 

-Joshua Lee Foist

On this day I do accept

On this day I do accept

Me for who I am

Of others whether kin

Or not in part

My heart it must release

My soul be satisfied

In Him who accepts

No matter what

I am

Oh love come swift

Come take thy hold

Upon me

Give me boldness

To see that which long

My eyes distorted

Did refrain to see

Believe

My mind so clouded

Enshrouded in

Self doubt and pity

Beyond itself

Broken I am

And beautiful

To you

You who make me

Acceptable and true

Bind me to your

Heart

Give me acceptance

For those too as I

Broken banished and bruised

Grant me joy in service

For those in need

May selfishness

Drift and selflessness

Feed

For all we need

And all we hope

We cannot

We dare not

On our own

We need thee

We find thee

Our source

Provide

Now give us hearts

And minds

That will abide

To welcome

And warm the coldest

Of hearts with love

From you who only

Can make all

Things new

-Joshua Lee Foist

In this moment presently

In this moment presently
May my wandering thoughts
Cease to be

Wonder in me
Wonder in thee
A taste of thy glory
Found in me

Flee oh fleeting follies
Flourish oh fabulous faith
Grow in me a courage
To face the uncertain certainty

Breathe thy grace
May it comfort
May it trace
My heart to thee
Anew

Afix my eyes
To thy ways
Most sure

Think my every thought
Upon that which thou
Dost adore

While the vapor
Of this faint existance
Flickers and fades
In the wind

Take my delight
My joy
My hope
And make it
Thine

-Joshua Lee Foist

Upon this silent plain

Upon this silent plain
Where seas and breezes
Are passing

The chill upon prickled skin
Awakens the soul within
Let in the life
Breathe out thy strife

This shifting sand
Swimming in hand
Settling softly and soothing

Where doth thy doubts lie
Why so sorrow doth thou occupy
Where might hope's firefly
Warm and chase thy chill

This dawning day
With each morning ray
Steals away the moments
Of yesterday gone away

Yea thy worry may yet
Flurry within
Save like the wind
May rush in and on
Again

Tis a passing
Make not thy lot of them
Let thy courage be proved
By their passing tempest

Thou art not alone
Who's footprints caressed
By this shifting sand
Doth warm and remind

The Lord of sand and season
Hath here His reason
For thy waiting
Wondering
Wandering

All in time
Shall be known
Yet while this maze
May grow on and on

Let faith be thy guide
In Him who formed thee
In thy skin

Safe and secure
Shall He keep
So let not these
Passing shadows

Darken thy ways
In all things
May they breathe
Songs of praise

Till thy warming light
May once more
Take flight in thee

For all thy misery
Be as momentry
When thou doth
Rest secure

In Him who calms
The raging sea
And gives peace
To thee

In thy passing
Paradise lies
Not far

There are winds
From it's shores
And currents
Along the way

That catch thee
In it's call
They shall carry
And guide

That thou
Mayest find
Hope along the way
Upon each moment
Of each
Passing day

-Joshua Lee Foist

So come to me my gracious hope

So come to me my gracious hope
Contentedly wrap me in thy gentle rope
Secure in all that may be found
So steadfast in thee may I ground
This faith of mine

My fair fleeting existance
Doth oft frazzle me
And floundering I
In the stormy eye
Take in the winds
Around

The storm rages on
Though I come in
From thy plummeting
Wake

For thy goodness sake
Hath pulled me
For I had
Been cast
Away

I do not resent
Thy stab of correction
That wounds me deep
In my bosomed
Sleep

The wound that bites
And cleanses
From all the bruises
And beatings

Their deeper
Work remains
For it reminds
The warrior
Within

The road goes on
The battle just
Over ridge

Yet safe secure
Thy refuge
Near at hand

Accept thy challenge
In this thy desert land
Where mountains
Far and valleys
Where ere the eye
Can see

So courage come
Thou swift
And surely

Be quick to carry
Through all
The drought
And dreery

For fury
Comes on
The wings of
Worry where all
Thy doubts do flurry

So brandish thy blade
Make it count
And charge the open
Country

Thy clouds shall shade thee
In the heat of day
And the moon shall light
Thy darkest night

So steady thy footing
And carry on
Thy journey far
Thy joy shall run
The course

For through the thickest
Fog that bog thy mind
So too its respite dew
Shall nourish

Through droughts that would
Discourage shall find
Enough in kind
To care

When last
Thy journey
Shall find thee there
Thy trials endured
Thy prayers re 'sured

The salt of sea
At last awaits
And so cast from
Shore thy anchor
Holds

And swiftly out
Upon the glassy sea
Where there no more
Find misery

Thy haven harbor
Past the hopeful horizon
Lies thy bounty full
In its shimmering sands

-Joshua Lee Foist

I hold out for you in the calm and rain

I hold out for you in the calm and rain
What worry or fear or darkness or pain
Thy hand to guide my trembling heart
Thy way is sure thy motives pure

Lead me through the desert
And beyond past the rocks
And the wilderness
Where thy oasis
Is my song

Yet all along
The pathway
I find

Thy love
Thy joy
Thy respite
Beside

For all I have longed
Hath always
Been here

In dark
In storm
In fears
In scorn

Nowhere have I been
Thy self have not known
For all I have been
And before I was born

My life you have seen
As though a passing dream
Yet planned and provided
All along the way

Where doubts creep in
May they draw me closer
To you my soul longeth
Evermore

For she of whom I pray
And doubt and convey
Whether one day
Or never

You
Are forever
And no one
Else need I save you

Though desires
Delight may come
By first light

Ere wait I
Beside though
The storm may
Awhile

You shall never fade
When all deny
Still thee alone
Can I rely

So give me this heart
Though fleeting
In part

My words speak they true
Desire they only you
And what ere
Of earthly pleasures

There passing
A vapor
May I always
Be faithfully
Found
In you

-Joshua Lee Foist

Weep my soul in melodies of minds unknown

Weep my soul in melodies of minds unknown
Of fairs my mind can play alone
In symphonies yet sewn

Inscript my sonnet
Fit these feeble lines
That measure my
Gazesless maze

Words will wallow
In that wake
So sing my heart

In thee will
My fingers play
Recite oh
Ravishing night

That hides my cares
Aflight upon the stars
Unite my prayers
And pains requite

Tis here thy yearning
Plays its pondering prose
To a one who truly knows

Beyond the blanket bows
Where compose
These thirsting thoughts
That quench their fill
On thy open wake

Forsaking not
All thy soul hath sought
None else can know
Thy earthly woe

Sew thy soul
To this unspoken
Friend no other
Can one depend

In sorrow in song
Thy works go on
Welcome oh wrong
Or right

These words recite
For thee alone
Tonight

For all that they
Would fright
Cannot know
This plight

Save this evening vigil
Where prayers
By candle light
May properly
Give flight

Oh faith may find
Thy fears to mind
No more to fain
For here thy courage
Gain in this

Thy one true name
And only fame
Shall find here
No other

Doth know
Thy wordless deeds
For them thy body
Bled

For this
Thy journey
Tread

Where no other
Soul did dare
Be fed

For hollow
Thy stomach
And gape
Thy painful
Loss

Did bear
Them all
Upon
Its cross

To carry
Thy worries
There

That in
Thy shallow prayer
May find thy sweet
Surrender there

Where eyes
May strain to see
Thy hope thy one
Sure found
Victory

No other
Can truly know
As him who
Thy sorrow
Hath been

That thou
Mayest
In his joy
Find

A love
Unbound
By human
Hearts

-Joshua Lee Foist
 

You gave me life

You gave me life
And it most abundant
This breath both free
And temporary

Though this my birth
Upon the broken earth
Be a strand of time

For thine divined choosing
May my life thy fullness oozing
For not my days were given
Without thy purpose within

So upon the moment
Of their celebration
May my one declaration be
May thy glory and thy will
Be done in me

My fears are fleeting
These trials competing
For thy time

Let not mine eyes
Nor mine ears
Be fixed
On that which separates
Grace upon grace

Love beyond trace
Cannot know its beginning
Or its ending
For it alone transcending
And ever it shall be

So as this day
Draws remembrance
Of trials and tears
Of joy

May thy love employ me
May thy will command me
That I might in humility prove
A life most pleasing

Not for my own glory
But thine alone
That others may too
Be known
In thine divined story

Which has always been
So that by this life
A few may be drawn
To love and serve
As thou hast showne
May it be lived in this breath
And bone

For all the beats in brokenness remain
Till pain will find its glory gain
To see and walk again
With thee
For all eternity

-Joshua Lee Foist

May this joy be found in you

May this joy be found in you

No matter what on earth men may do

With all thy breath may fill

Thy ways most glorious

Breathe out thy fears

And frail existence 

Embrace the hope 

Of all that is found

So ground me

In thy love that's sure

Of this I know

It will endure

When all the clouds

And storms may rage

Thy peace shall steer

Through all the age

So to this day

For all that be

So guide us

In thy ways

Most faithfully

-Joshua Lee Foist

Upon the resting waters

Upon the resting waters
Thy rippling response
Hath wakened
This reflection

Awhile their traces
May churn and tremmer
Till their waves have wandered
Out to sea

So now anew
This current change
The shore remains
Yet they erode
Little by litte

With each passing wave
Their margins mend
And new pathways
Prove

Ah this work
Of waiting and eroding
Old ways to new
Of patient persistense

Thine old rooted resistance
Is wasting away
That new channels
May change
Thy coarse
Anew

So now
To uncharted
Seas of tempest
And tranquility

Grant us this
Ability
To accept
This fair
Set wind

And let it fill
Our sails
Till this course
Prevails

And works
Its way in us
May we anchor
Thus when

At last to westward
Waters we shall harbor
Through winter
And through spring

Then shall come
Our joy at last
When we have
Looked long

Upon our
Journeyed
Past
And found
Our way
At last

-Joshua Lee Foist

When I do yet wonder

When I do yet wonder
How at times these thoughts
Do blunder
Away away into the day

The rushing in and out
They quickly fade
And I am left in their
Rummaging

Wondering what they all mean
The things unseen
Yet felt and fleeting they
Still flourish their fluttering
In me

The mind and its chemistry
Partake of this
Yet what for this
Thy presence alone

Can beckon me
And tease
Yet I cannot please
For I am lost
And cannot offer
The way

Tis in retrospect
The thought
Which edges
Its way in

Twas sin
This passing
Or pardon me now
I was lost and knew not
Till now

Thy way was crooked
Thy signs were shaded
With doubts debated
And no clarity did come

For the dismal duration
Of preoccupation
Did its chipping away
And still what of the day

Tis clear that choice
Lies always before
Though distractions
All around reactions

If not to hold steadfast
This fortress cannot
Hope to hold
No earthly support
Can hold it complete

Save surrender
And always
It comes

Yet pride has its way
Of reckoning
And wishes to obstain
From humility's pain

For there's dignity to uphold
And the ways of old
Have always remained

Why wander from
Their security now
Though sorrows be there
Their passing in prayer

Yet seeps the poison
Of every word
And wounds
Grow deeper

With every listening ear
So this be thy moment
Of waking

To this all else forsaking
For no other fix
Will do

Its prison doth always find
Their irons are cold
And not kind

So quicken then
To thy release
That thou mayist find
Pure peace

Not a portion
To pass the pain
But one that comes
When courage remain

And acceptance
Doth start to know
Thy heart

No judgement to stand
Tis patient and prudent
Perishing all thy part
Of poisonous power

Till at last be thy hour
Of surrender
That moment shall not
Thee quickly forget

For there thy savior
Did bear thy burden
And carry it all
Beyond the grave

That thee
In thy lowest estate
May rise anew
By his single sacrifice

Thy one sure hope
Hath found
Thy help
Hath come
At last

-Joshua Lee Foist

On days where creativity takes its lull

On days where creativity takes its lull
And my mind begins to strull
Longing for a time and place
To think and think profoundly

To stop and take a breath
From all the noise of the day
When little seems left
But to breathe in and out

Yet still within my heart
I know there is a deeper part
A substance far richer and grand
That for the now seems far from hand

To dream me back to desire
Where my imagination had its day
To where the joys of life
Are each and every day

And not lost in the dismal decay
Of the on and on repetition
That tirelessly pulls me from my
Position of hope

Yet sunken in the shadows
I see a flickering faint existence
That mirrors to me my own self
And beckons me near

Come closer without fear
There's still hope of this dream
Let not doubt or anything
Be thy mountainous impossibility

Thy time is thy own
And how it is spent
Is chosen tick by tick
Till the shards of sand
In thy glass doth cease

May it not be then
That comes thy peace
But may thy joy increase
Day by day

As thee pass it through
So do as thou wilt do
For as long as it is
Given you

And do it well
That in thy passing
Many may tell thy tale
And how thy life was spent

Let not thy mind resent
The wanderings of what
Might have been
But when when when

For then thy life was lived
Thy stories were told
Each day in their own
Particular way

So what ere
The doubts of this season
Remember the reason
Is to make much of what
Is there to make
And all the rest
Forsake

-Joshua Lee Foist

In the quiet and the dim

In the quiet and the dim

In the sorrow oft within

Thou knowst me 

In the deepest place

Within the darkest realm

No other soul may know

Yet still thy presence 

And here thy love

Doth fill the void 

Of longing and belonging

In the silhouette of starlight 

Or the shadow of sunshine

Thy love divine

Tis always with thine

Own beloved

One

For when fears would grip me

Thy hand should hold me fast 

No trial present or yet past

Thy love and faithfulness can last

For when my foot

Had ere yet slipped

Thy love did catch me 

And carry me from harm

And though this world

Of things unknown 

Doth oft paralyze 

Thy love transforms

And breathes new life

Into this dead trodden traveller

So on towards thy way

And life this day

Where ere the clouds will fog

And bog the mind of sense

Let this hope be an anchor

To rest assure

Thy love alone

Shall carry

Through any drought 

Or storm 

-Joshua Lee Foist

Amidst the polka and the porter

Amidst the polka and the porter

My thoughts linger to where you are

For knowing you are far away 

Yet longing for the day 

When we might share a pint

Or if beyond the square

Who can know beyond a hope

And a prayer that somehow

You still a moment might share 

But for now while the band plays on

My thoughts won't be far away

From wherever you are this day

-Joshua Lee Foist

Oh how I have loved thee

Oh how I have loved thee 

In the quiet windows of my heart

Where no light can ere depart

The morning rays wash through 

The doubts and days of what

Had been

They start again

Like the warmth 

Of the waking day

As it melts away

The fog and decay

Of what was before 

On distant shores 

Where only hope can lie

My love and I 

Shall ever be

Where or when

Only God in time

Can know

While all the while

We wait and pray

Most expectantly

For though oft

We groan with

Inner longing

Of what might be

We know God

And His love

Which can rise

The faintest 

Soul above

All sorrow and shame

And fear and pain

Which all our lifelong

Hath sought to gain

That for which it 

Could not

For love 

It's cord 

Hath caught 

And will ne'er

Go

For its crown

Hath worn

The bloody brow

Of its beloved 

For His bride 

That she her virtue 

And her grace 

May always hide 

Within the wonder

Of His holy face 

To look upon the face of love

And know there is no

Other thing on earth can know

Beyond the glory of this one

Who gave His only son

That love would give the greatest gift

To broken bride and groveled groom

There is no greater love than He

Who broke through tomb

To tell the love of Him

Once dead

To make alive

His broken bride 

For all creation to see

The wonderous power

And glory of this beloved

Son of God

-Joshua Lee Foist

My eyes were glazed

My eyes were glazed

With a fleeting passion

That dared to consume

And ere it had been

A sure doom

Yet deep within

A power rushed in

Awoke me from my stupor

And spoke to me

There in my terror 

And fear of the unknown 

A guide to carry me

Through the wreckage

Among the carcasses

Left behind 

A pile of skins

Of once worn

Now their power from me

Torn and trembling I 

Was borne

From this wasteland

A life force stronger

Than I could imagine 

Was filling my veins

Breathing new life

Through my scars

And wisening me

To see a new life

For which I had often

Longed 

Yet knew not the way

Till such a barrage

Should come

And reckon me

Dumb

Yet not without hope

Amidst the aftermath of war

The path that lie before 

Now open to me

At last

To have come

This Eden emerged

And a joy within me

Surged

Another trial

O'ercome

Though many

Ahead

This day

Amongst the dead

Life was found

Anew

A respite 

For the soul

To carry it

Through the

Shadows ahead

-Joshua Lee Foist

Only of this bread

Only of this bread

May I be fed

For faltering 

My fears and doubts 

Have led

So often seeking

A substance far more toxic

And superficial

It takes more than it gives 

Yet thou art far more rich

Thy flesh far more nourishing

For thy wounds become 

My grafting sap of life

Far more than I 

My soul doth find

I find more wealth

In kind

Thy words thy only hope

I find in this drought 

For in the desert

I feed and find 

All my soul doth need

Thy words are life

Thy sacrifice my

Salvation

No other way but thine

So cling I to the vine

And drink full

Of thy holy wine

-Joshua Lee Foist 

Now come to the crossroads of this our chance

Now come to the crossroads of this our chance
For ere we wait a moments glance
Fear the fires of romance
Should dance our dreams
To distant shores

Yet calm before
The tempest turns
Our wildest ambition
To this perdition

Hast come condition
Beside ourselves
For fear to fly away

The roads of risk
The fever brisk
That bubbles
Within

On where to begin
One way a sin
The other a scourge
Of tribulation

Where might lead
A declaration
Of temporary
Trojans or trecherous
Trials in time may
Triumph

The plow that picks
Through deepest rocks
And sediment

Ere tempted by the
Soothing sand of shore
That comfort and calm
A time

Yet this tremoring treasure
May be a momentry pleasure  
For the winds will come
And prove the sum
To be undone

Where bedrock seemed
A thankless work
Is perseverant pain
Did time to gain

For patience proved its worth
While plummeting the earth
Grew steady in time
To find its toil
Not vain

For testing proves
The substance of things
For faith is found
Deep in the ground

Where only hope
May carry a heart
That's weary of work

Yet in time
This treasure may find
A pearl more priceless
Than all the sands
Of the sea

To at last
Behold this
Glorious mystery

So wisdom
Doth guide
The unsure heart
And grant its deep
Longing

Belonging at last
Fairwell to things past
Now onward the way
At last

These crossroads have proved
A turning point
A signpost to guide

All others who wander
And hope there to find
The way of truth
That in time may
It prove the substance
Beyond all reckoning

-Joshua Lee Foist

We sat like this before

We sat like this before

You and I

While I'd wait

For you to walk

Through that door

Might again

It come to pass

That day then

Would it be our 

Last

I have known

Many friends 

Yet none compared

With you

You who

Took me in

From the first

While I waited 

For the moment

I debated

Should it be

Would it be

At last

And then

The moment past

Then again

Peacefully

We spent a time

Short sublime

Then the chance

Then it came

The letters 

They grew long

Till at last

Their longest

Stroke awoke 

A fear

You were not there

It could not be

So away

Away from

Me

Days past by

Then the seasons

Wandered in

From spring to

Winter

Then again 

Till at last 

The thought 

No more

Surprise

At last 

When least

Expected 

A flutter

A chance

No hesitation

Then a time 

Of bliss

The season

Of waiting

No more

We walked

Together 

You and I 

And it was

Spring

But then the summer 

And the desert

A mirage of the mind

And a longing

An oasis

Might I find

In this weight

And through

The wind

And the storm

My faith

In question

My hope remains

Through the doubt

Through the pain

You will come again

And then

In time

Will find the joy

Of once we knew

Save now

This time

Hath grown 

Hath warmed 

To the bone

No more alone

For now no doubt

We are home

By His grace

This dance begins 

Where we embark

Who can know

Save the stars

Of night

And the faith

We share 

Will stead us

On from the dark

To the dawn

He shall carry us

As always

Through the waiting

And debating

Steadfast

-Joshua Lee Foist

In this my heart shall not avail

In this my heart shall not avail
In this my frail form shall sway
When dark give birth to day
Ere the fluttering words
May thine ears
Alone say

Thy will oh God
Not mine
Thy cross is all
My only home

My journey
Tis muck and mire
Yet sorrows
Or terrors of night
Should bid

My hope
Lies on
Upward
To thy glorious
Dawn

When ere at last
Shall wake
When heavens
And earth
Shall quake

With great exuberant joy
Hath come at last
Hath come

For here our burdens lie
Beneath the shadow
Of thy sacrifice

It's emblem
Cut upon our souls
To drive us to our knees

For in the company
Of our disease
We dare not go

We know
No other path
Divine

Nor ere so
Narrow nor
High the climb

Yet here the way
Depart if ere
Our heart be
Whole

And yea
Tis whole
At last

Where ere
We breathe
Deep full
Thy grace

When we look full
Upon thy face
And know
The wonders of
This place

This man of sorrows
Quenched our fears
And suffered more
Than all our years

And answered all
Our deepest prayers
We had not courage
To pray

-Joshua Lee Foist

Let ere the silence speak

Let ere the silence speak

What words our hearts

Would long to seek

Of trials and trimmers

That trouble our members

Come taste of this

Thy healing ways

Come along the winds

Of anxious days

The groanings of our frail fears

That wander to and fro amidst the years

Only this our prayers do know

Thee will ever feed our souls

When all our strength be gone

And in faith and fear we look upon

Thy ways unsure

Yet sure remain

For thou hast felt

And carried our pain

Deep calls the drought 

Of these seeds of doubt 

Yet hope prolongs

This pilgrim tune

Where time shall prove

Our fear remove

When faith shall 

Pass through fear

And doubt

Shall calm the seas

Of raging misery 

And peace

Becomes our one

Release when all

Our ways surrender 

To this thy one

And greatest splendor

Thy joy thy trial

Hath borne

On our behalf

For joy awakens

In the deepest 

Depths of our demise

And looks us full and free

In the eyes 

There is no fear in this

For love hath caught us

And spared us of our loneliness

-Joshua Lee Foist

Let us not leech our way through life

Let us not leech our way through life

Through all it's hardship and strife

But let us love and serve

By which we may preserve 

The way of grace which works

Through every humble deed 

It knows it's greatest need

And bleeds its soul to heal 

For pain is the only path to recovery

The great discovery of life

Lies in the service of others

Therein we find sisters and brothers

A home in the desert 

An oasis for the soul

Where we release control

And surrender to the power

Of serenity

When at last our own depravity

Has found it's deepest gravity

At last we come awakened

To the joys of the rising sun

The world around us

And life has just begun

When at last we give

Of ourselves to everyone

When we find this present peace

In this one extravagant release

A hope hath found its harbor

And rest beside the sea

-Joshua Lee Foist

Patience be my guide

Patience be my guide

Perseverance in thee may I

Oft and always abide 

Though the burning hours

May flair and fade

May my heart

In thee always

Be stayed

Who can know

What an hour

Or day may bring

Yea hope may handle

Anything for love

Knows no other way

Yet faithful to wait

And to pray

This it's constant ally

For no other thing

Can comfort

In the drought 

And doubt

Of the passing fog

That bog the mind

To wander its ways

Of faith

For when practiced

It's pattern proved

All doubt be removed

For hope shall always remain 

This it's constant refrain 

When love has

All things to gain

Can heal the wounds

Of loss and pain

For it gave all

To save

That which once lost

May ere yet again

Be found

-Joshua Lee Foist

Of oft I do obsess

Of oft I do obsess

Over things I cannot have

Whether now or ever

May wait and see

Yet for the present presently

Why can't I find the courage 

To simply be who I am

Meant to be 

Most positively life

And all it's many twists 

And turns will teach

If ere our hearts would learn

To trust that which does not

Change nor tarnish nor rust

For that is the only hope

Of which we must

All our lives depend

Our one and dearest friend 

Who despite our many doubts

And fears will love us

Through the passing years

Till all our will is broken

That we might turn

To Him who has spoken

Life itself into existence 

Is not all of life a waste

If not at last to have found

Our one and only true love 

In our eternal father

Up above

For He will ere prevail

Though all our best 

Attemps should fail

His ways are just

In Him and Him alone

Must we trust 

If we have any hope at all 

Let it be in Him who it gave all 

For one so small 

That they might know

True life abundant 

In Him who was

And is triumphant 

Ruler over all

-Joshua Lee Foist

As I pass and ponder

As I pass and ponder

By thy work's interior

My thoughts wander

To where thy thoughts

Wander exterior

Wondering in this passing

Moment if thy thoughts

Drift past or presently

Pondering on a lost

Chemistry could it be

Only time can know

The rumblings of the heart

The rummaging of the spirit

Within the mind of men

When might it's healing work

Begin in me - in thee

For all thy fears 

And longings

May thy greatest desire

Belonging be

With He who alone

Can set thy spirit free

From wandering

In the wreckage

Of the curse

This blessed misery 

For you for me

A passing pain

By which a deeper

Desire may we gain

In He who bore our shame

And carried our pain

That we in Him

All sorrows may shed

That we by His words

Of grace and truth

Be fed

Till we are more than faces 

Fleeting in the wind

But hearts repeating

In rhythm as one

Till at last

We are called

Home to the son

Our one and only 

Love and joy devine

-Joshua Lee Foist

Grant me humility

Grant me humility 

In all and every circumstance

For I am a mess of pride

And resentment 

Festering inside

Give me a love

For those who are unkind

Who happen to be present

Despite my ideal desire

Grant me a love for these

To not desire acceptance 

From anyone but you

Who knows my deepest 

Secrets and sins

And gives me strength

To make amends

When all others betray

And walk away

Grant me the grace

To remain amidst the pain

As you did for my gain

That but a trace of your love

Your joy, your forgiveness

May I employ for all

Who cross my path

May they not discover

My rath but see my

Love instead

May my frail humility 

Be the one ability

In me

That causes blind

Eyes to see

And deaf ears to hear

The wonder and glory

Of your unfathomable 

Mystery 

-Joshua Lee Foist

I need not fear my lack of ability

I need not fear my lack of ability

Nor let my own mere fragility

Remain steadfast upon

Another to fully supply 

My needs

Despite my many imperfections

My only source of true dependence

Is the one who has my steps determined

My course and where it shall lead

My one need He alone can satisfy

He alone can I completely depend

For He has borne the brunt of it all

And to Him alone do I surrender all

So as for healing

His love and grace appealing

Shall all my scars revealing

Be made whole

When I my life do give

In service to all shall live

That when at last

My life is past

Shall surely find my home

And know despite

My many faults 

These trials were not

In vain

All have I to gain

For Him who took my pain

Completely on Himself

That I may once more

Regain a hope

Beyond the grave 

-Joshua Lee Foist

On sorrowed shores shall we

On sorrowed shores shall we
While thee drift oft to sea
From clutches of frail humanity
So depart

Though not far from our
Broken hearts
Though still and barren
We know

Thy joy
Doth ever grow
More and more
As thee drift farther
From this fleeting shore

For far beyond the eyes that see
Yet for thy great joy arise
To that glorious celestial
Mystery

For all life's sorrows and pain
No more find their sting or gain
For thy joy complete
When at last

Meet thy savior
Before His feet
Do rise

And look full
Within His loving eyes
And know at last
Thy home

Eaternal
Where light shall
Never fade

Though here
Our eyes blur
With thoughts
Of memories past

Yet joy
Shall still remain
To comfort amidst
This present pain

For know we this
Our time here too
Is short

And for that
We pray may it
Be well endured

For we know not when
Our time shall come
And though we long
Once more to see

Much more we long
To do our savior's will
Until that day
Our greatest thrill

Shall join thee in
That great triumphant hall
When all who are called
Shall as one be there

What joys shall sing
When at last
Our sorrows past
Shall meet our Savior
And our King

-Joshua Lee Foist

*In Memory of Matthew Keith, a dear brother in the Lord.

Oh time how art thou oft spent with me

Oh time how art thou oft spent with me
And I of thee for all thy usefullness
My own complacency hath made
Waste of me

For oft in haste
Plan I hours upon end
Yet all that depend
Upon this house of cards

Yard upon yard
It stretches
Far too long
To waste away

How time doth take
To unravel this mistake
And me the sum
Of my own depravity

When to awake
Before heaven's quake
Before the last of trumps
Hath sound

Shall thou find me
In my shroud
Of hostility
And rage

Or might
I hope my soul
Cry out from this cage
In serenity at last
Humility

Have thy way with me
If at last thy sorrows
May chase
And hope tomorrows
May all
Embrace

For none but thee
Can drive it
From me

For my own
Ways are worn
Away

And all
Left to
Dust
And decay

Then come
Ah come
And wash me
Away from this
Scum of life
Still clinging
To me

It a counterfeit
Hath death
To me
Become

For heart
Of stone
Is all alone

Come fresh
Make flesh
Once more
Of me

That I may
Love thee
In part

As thou
Much more
Of me

-Joshua Lee Foist

There is a place yet unknown

There is a place yet unknown
A forest overgrown
Hath long awaited
The day

When travellers
Would hasten that way
Into its enchanted
Grove

Ah for treasure there
Delight that come
May recite its wonders
If the time they take
To partake in its
Pleasures

Where might one be
Who could chance to know
For in a place as this
Anything imaginable

Yet long hath it waited
And all the world debated
What could it be
This unnamed mystery

Many wars fought
And many lives lost
And still at what cost
To know what wonders
Are hidden there

Yet no one has found
Courage enough
To roam in its
Realm

For fear
Hath marked it
Year upon year
And age upon age

Waiting beckoning
Never without hope
That one day
A traveller

Would wander that way
Into the woods of that place
How calm would it be
At last for one to come
And see

Yet courage must steer
The heart of fear
And look past its
Foreboding

And enter
For then at last
The mystery unravelled
And joy anew
Might settle as dew

For at last
One's troubles past
Are worth their weight
For the woods
In wonder

At last
Hath they
Awakened

-Joshua Lee Foist

How do I give of myself

How do I give of myself
To those who happen to be there
When in my doubt and despair
How do I love and care

Oft in my head
In my mind am I
Confined by my own
Choosing to be alone

Yet when others in need
Cry out and plead
Why do I find
My desires are so hostile

Where might thy grace
Which comforts the pain
Come from this brokenness
And let others in

To love and let in
Those who are broken
That I too might become
Whole when at last

I have learned my role
To love beyond
My own control
To those who so desire
To be loved and known

-Joshua Lee Foist

Now to this uncertain path

Now to this uncertain path
To where I cannot see
For now to know the crossroads
Tis sure enough

And hope that I
Am made of greater stuff
To trudge along ahead
Though know I not the way

Oft in silence
And passing of time
Waiting and praying
Then choosing at last

The past remains
The present most sure
Though yet unsure
The future mearly
A dream

A hope of what
Might or might not be
Save only to wait
And see

Ah for waking
And wondering
Of praying
And pondering

If only to know
At last the way
Was right

Yet the way
Is marked
By faith
And not
By sight

So if it must
Be only to trust
Then by lessons learned
And wisdom discerned

May guide the way
More clear
Today

If for now
Is all
That's
Known

Enough
It shall be
To wait
And see

-Joshua Lee Foist

I have much been conceited

I have much been conceited
In my heart been defeated
By the storms that rage
Round the wires of this cage

This desert toil
Has worn me thin
And oft my sin
Has toyed
To do me in

Oh wretched soul that I am
Where can thy shade be found
When might a cool breeze
Come to appease

Though oft in doubt
And restlessness about
My soul desires
Thy steadfast love

In this desolate place
Surround me in thy
Oasis of grace
May cleanse my feet
Of all their deceitful ways

No other way but thine
Whether to death
Find I the divine

Thy vine shall
Restore me
Thy love
Shall I feed

For no earthy riches
Do I need
For thy treasures
Are beyond compare

Thy truth conquers
All despair
Thy light
Reveals

My hope
Yet remains
For all my earthly pains
Are but shards
From thy cross

My debt full
And paid
Thy sacrifice made
My joy complete
When at last
To fall at thy feet

-Joshua Lee Foist

My heart is overcome

My heart is overcome
By the thought it will be done
By the sorrow I fear
Will hasten to me on the morrow

Oh the impenetrable hours
Of waiting of restlessly debating
Whether shall be
Or tis doubt in me

Oh come to me by night
And steal me from this fright
Come to me by twilight
Before the day has dawned

Oh to draw the venom
From me that fills up within
The doubt the sin
That tortures deep within

I am overcome
My heart is numb
Oh faith if thou art near
Will you free me of this fear
Oh hope to hide me

Love abide
No one else can I confide
For all my strength is fading
And my breath near its end

My heart is breaking
But oh awaken
In me thy grace
How I long to see
Thy face

For all of me
Tis fading
And I cannot find
My way

-Joshua Lee Foist

Oh for patience and moments prolonged

Oh for patience and moments prolonged
Of ere uncertain longings and ballads unsung
Where words yet wander through the caverns
Of my mind
Where oh faith can I find

Hope for which all doubts disolve
Come and cure this divided heart
Where oh grace can comfort
This broken man
Where oh love
Can fill

For all desires true or ill
Twould waken in me
Through all of life

In trial in toil
Oft do they boil
Up within me
Till the testing
Comes complete

Oft in these times
My soul cries out
"Where oh faith
Can thee be found
Where oh wisdom
Doth thou abound"

For oft hath my heart
Plummeted aground
And there doth my
Sorrow and prayers
Enshroud

Oh grace can comfort
The coldest of hearts
Oh love to break through
The deepest of caverns

Warmth this chilling
Illing to the bone
Where long this suffering
And longing to be home

Yet home for where
Hath never known
Save mercy
Alone

If at last may find
Oh joy be kind
For this soul
Doth long

Oft in sorrow
Oft ere long
Yet stir in me
Thy wakening song

And sing thy praise
Through all the
Dark of days

That soon the dawn
Of joy may rise
And open these eyes
To life anew

Out from the grave
Of darkness bind
And come oh mercy
Come and find

Restore this heart
Ere tattered and part
From me mine former ways

That all my days
May sing thy praise
Till home at last
My soul
Should rise
And sing no more
Of death's reprise

-Joshua Lee Foist

In constant battle

In constant battle
Back and forth
The elusive downward
Spiral untangled
And caught

Were all my strength
For not
Ah to be
In that place

Fresh springs of grace
Surround
Upon the cool ground
To rest in this quiet place

Seems miles away
From this path I know
Though the thought of it
Oft do I go

Oh that one day
It may steal me away
And never to return
To this quicksand

For heart and hand
For eyes that may see
Without a doubt
Free and faultless

Oh can it be
May it yet
Come to me

When at last
To know eternity
With thee
Forever joy
Shall it
Be

-Joshua Lee Foist

When shall we commune again

When shall we commune again
When shall the desires of men
Cease to always remain
Only for their own gain

When might we desire
A life of richness beyond
The trivial treasures of earth
When shall we desire each other's worth

When shall we once more exchange
A common desire to be known
Beyond our superficial longings
When shall our desires lie outside ourselves

When shall we once more seek
To love and serve
Those who do not desire
Yet simply for love's sake alone

When shall we once more give
All that we are complete
When shall we at last admit defeat

When we fall at thy master's feet

How many shall seek their own way

How many shall seek their own way
How many shall waste the day
On fortunes that waste away
Before the dark of day

How many shall seek to find
That which will not endure
How many shall yet implore
The wisdom of this world

While all the while
They live in denial
Of what stands before
How long must wisdom wait

How long before their eyes shall see
How long until their youth shall flee
When will their hearts be changed
To know the love that won't let go

-Joshua Lee Foist

Of once an air of innocence did in me reside

Of once an air of innocence did in me reside
Yet now the fog so thick hath enshrouded
And oft my mind so clouded
Canst scarce recall a time at all

Too long have I been caught
In the cords of this deception
My own perception so is skewed
That oft I fear I am pursued

My fears so oft arise
I dare not lift my head
To gaze perchance
The haze might lift

So long the cords hath entangled
I oft desired they would have strangled
The life that scarce remains in me
A hell from which I cannot flee

Does mercy yet remain for those as me
Can love yet be found for one to free
Oh to cool my brow with but a drop of grace

Oh but to trace the path back to such a time
When I new not a crime
How to find a joy so real

But ah to taste
Ah to feel
The thrill of life anew
To dance in the dew of that dream

Hope may it yet rise again
To open deep these gaping wounds
And fill with all its warmth
Though pain at first must endure

The path to life is sure
The way grows stronger yet
When at last thy help hath come

-Joshua Lee Foist

Why thy love hath awakened me

Why thy love hath awakened me
Though oft my heart hath forsaken thee
Tis not save sure thy work alone
Hath sought me for thy own

In such a love as this
Though I should betray
With a kiss
Thy love tis more than this

Thy love that bore my shame
Thy love that took the blame
Thy love in weakness and pain
Hath captured me

When my heart was cold
Thy love so bold did break
This heart of stone
And make it for thine own

When home seemed
Far from me
Thy love embraced
When all others disgraced

When love seemed
A mere ideology
Thou showed me
Grace without
Apology

If such a love as this
Can yet remain
What ere is there to gain
Save to tremble
In i'ts pain

For love went beyond the grave
That all for one might it save
Love brought me from the depths of hell
And saved me from it's cruel spell

Love brought me home
To a life I'd never known
Yet all my life had dreamt
When at last I did repent

Thy love alone
Did save
And now none other
Do I so desire

For thou hast
Given me life anew
For all I desire
I desire you

-Joshua Lee Foist

Love how hast thou been

Love how hast thou been
So oft thee seem a trinket
Brought out into the world of men
Upon such a day as this

Wherefore thy grandeur
And thy sweet bouquet
Tis none to be seen
For those who are keen

Yet for all thy ways
They are but simple
For they appear as commonplace
To a world who will only flaunt thy thrills

They have forgotten thy ways most true
They are not grandly or prominently displayed

For thy ways are but kind
They are not self seeking
They seek the good of others
Thy service hath been long unknown

For it glamours not in its own
But in the lives of others shown
Thy deeds of grace
Can ever trace

For all the sands of time
Thy hands hath known
For love in truth
Is a sacrifice

It gives all for one alone
That such glory may be
Richly shown

That those who have lost their way
May in time come to find
The true and distant path

Thy ways reveal a life beyond
A hope beyond this broken waste
Where love anew doth sprout
It's dew upon the wakened earth

-Joshua Lee Foist

Out of this wasteland hue

Out of this wasteland hue
And into the marvelous dew
Come taste and see
The glory of this mystery

Of wells without end
Where thy waters
Deep and clear
Come without fear

For here lies
A wealth and plenty
Of rest where
The soul is blest

To roll upon
Thy rolling hills
To dive into
Thy delightful drink

Tis more than minds
May yearn to think
For all wonders
Here are known

That for which
All life has longed
At last has here
Dawned

-Joshua Lee Foist

Upon this day of road blocks

Upon this day of road blocks
And oft temptations to
Throw it all away

My thoughts do drift
And still my heart
Though cold within

It knows no sin
Can do away with
Out the prayer

Upon these
Tightened lips
Must release

"Lord grant me
A little peace
Amidst this"

For troubles come
And multiply
For those who try

To trust and rely
Upon that which
Is true

And only remains
Steadfast
Beyond the worries

And complaining
And the idle
Hours

That oft elude
The day
By day

Here in these
Hoursome
Idleties

Grant me
The ability
To remain

Steadfast
And thankful
Despite

The raging
Downpour
Of depravity

Hope still
Remains
Somewhere

Amidst the
Window
Panes

-Joshua Lee Foist