Paul Prins

Quietly, slowly, and ever so softly the pressing persists. Each moment in time a sense of euphoria overruns your mind. So rhythmically the waves lap at you and brush up against your feet. Slowly caressing your ankles before receding back to the sea, before feeling in the footprints left by sand quietly, slowly, and ever so softly pressing through your toes. Gently raising your eyes from here to the horizon, catching the ruby tones racing across the sky, deep violets and ambers pulling you forward, and leading you to something more. Leading your feet that press on, leaving depressions upon the sand, and marks to be seen by those to come.

Against the lapping of the waves upon the sand, the steps you?ve taken become filled ever so slowly with the passing of time and sliding of grains. Slowly the depressions shallow and raise up until the light that is skimming across the water can hardly notice what was there. The waves work over and over the sand behind us, each print left so firmly in the sand. Within minutes the sand is washed over and removed any trace that we were there.

The crimson sky envelops my soul, leading me forward, pressing me onward, and paving a trail for me to follow. The Lord guides my feet and comforts my heart as we walk into the waning stages of the sunlit sky, keeping my mind forward and my eyes open to more than this world. As we walk down the shore, with the water gently lapping at our feet, I notice the reminisce of what was before me, of those who were before me. The miraculous work done that allows me to walk this far, that allow the sand to quietly, slowly, and ever so softly press up through my toes with each and every step I?ve taken.

Around me now, as twilight slowly ascends upon the sky, the shore loses her soft sand and lapping waves. Bringing me to the place where my hands must work, the place where my heart understands, where my mind sees the vision before me, and I am meant to be. We go to work with guidance and strength, pushing forward the shoreline we?ve been so blessed to walk upon. Creating another step today, with sand so soft your hands fall through it as though it didn?t exist.

Working for Him who sent me until the day when my work is done. Then I walk only slightly further into His arms and watch as the next worker comes to the place where the waves had slowly filled in the prints I left, and moved the sand back to where it should rest. Unnoticeably, my marks disappeared, but the work of my hands will remain for an eternity, even if it goes unseen by those who are transfixed upon the setting sun and the glory of the twilight just as I was, and those before me were. And He smiles down upon each new worker.

So a few weeks ago I filled out an application to be the Evangelism Team leader for Campus Crusade here at UW ? Stout and well? I got it!! I?m super excited by this and at the same time so humbled. It?s weird, I was half way expecting to just be overjoyed and bouncing around the room, but rather my face was overcome with this huge smile when Derek told me and my heart felt so humbled. I am so grateful and ready, but at the same time the task seems so large and will really require my dependence upon the Lord and the support from those around me.

I?m relieved to finally know now; I have some major plans for the team and just how it?s going to be set up. Hopefully letting us reach more people where they need to be reached at. I?m probably the most excited about getting guys/gals in cru to feel more ownership over the movement. Getting them to really grab hold of a part of it and helping to stretch and grow them in their faith. I am worried about the obstacles that I?ll be confronted with, but it is nothing that I won?t be able to overcome with the grace and strength of God.

One thing I was kind of disappointed with was when jay mentioned that I shouldn?t lead bible study next year, I was really looking forward to that but understand the reasoning. Allowing me to not be over stretched and more importantly, allowing the opening of a position that someone else can step into and take ownership of. I will still probably be disciplining some guys next year and doing that E-Team thing. I?m sure you guys will be hearing more about that in the future, as it will take up a lot of my time next year I?m sure.

Well needless to say that?s been the most exciting news of late in my life. In the final days now before I leave for Project!! I just realized how much God has been running me around lately and it?s awesome! Ain?t nothing in life like a life for the Lord!

take care and God Bless,
~paul

p.s. I?m also working on a new gallery script that I?ll probably implement before I go to France this summer, so yea, be looking for that. Will let me upload photos and manage galleries while I?m abroad if I can find an internet connection. Pretty sweet

Red Sand

The tide has gone out to sea
taken everyone but me.
So I sit here alone and cold,
staring at the moon
longing for you to hold.
Night breaks into day,
everything still at bay.
I shutter with that warmth
as fingers dig into open wounds
left by you.
Pretending to hang on
before you had left and gone.
Salt water now burns my flesh
in the wounds you left.
Leaving me sitting on blood stained sand
waiting for someone who’ll understand
the pain of the sea
you caused me.

~paul prins 8/13/03

It’s an amazement to me how there can be such polar emotions over a single action or event. Such love and hate rolled together, bewilderment and confounding thoughts. This poem is the second part of the previous poem, Like a Blue Bird. I really don’t have much else to say right now.