The Bigger Picture Read online

The Bigger Picture

  By Kristopher Ivie

  Copyright 2012 Kristopher Ivie

  Table of Contents

  The Bigger Picture

  A Plant Among the Rocks

  Calculus

  Now We Stand a Chance

  Open Up Our Eyes

  The Journey

  Who Am I

  The Infinite Reward

  Treasure

  The Cost of Our World

  The Bigger Picture

  I’m looking for a higher purpose

  I’m standing on the stepping stone

  Surrendering my heart to worship

  I’m hoping that I’m not alone

  I’m searching for my deeper conscience

  Where my walls begin to crumble

  I’m simply waiting on the doorstep

  I’m simply meek and humble

  I’m looking at the road I’ve followed

  I wonder where this journey ends

  Are all these hopes and dreams just hollow

  Can my journey begin again

  I’m studying the world around me

  Know there had to be a reason

  No purpose found in a destiny

  If there’s nothing to believe in

  I’m staring at the bigger picture

  Seeing how small I really am

  But in the end a spec still matters

  I’m just the start of something more

  A Plant Among the Rocks

  I was a sheep without a shepherd

  Just running with the flock

  An animal of burden

  A plant among the rocks

  I was dancing with the devil

  He was playing his guitar

  I was living in the limelight

  He was making me a star

  I was living for the moment

  But the moment wouldn’t last

  I was searching for a purpose

  But was living in my past

  I was looking for salvation

  Hoping for a second chance

  All my dreams had become empty

  And the devil wouldn’t dance

  He was sitting on the sidelines

  Knew this star was meant to fall

  I had fallen onto hard times

  But I hadn’t lost it all

  In the darkness a hand reached out

  It grabbed me by my shoulder

  His voice whispered into my ear

  Your music can start over

  A sea of light came over me

  My past was swept away

  I’m Born again; can sing again

  Through the glory of his name

  I was a sheep, he was my shepherd

  He put me with his flock

  He took away my burden

  And he became my rock

  Calculus

  How many leaves in the forest

  How many grains of sand on the beach

  How many lives that came before us

  How many things still out of reach

  How big can a number grow

  How much to make a difference

  How far past the decimal

  How do you divide the infinite

  Stats and figures, representation

  Somehow they help us understand

  Just small matters for interpretation

  Adding the digits on your hands

  Complex equations, LaPlace transforms

  Integration of man and machine

  The limits reached and numbers stored

  Still little more than silicon dreams

  Where is God in your equations

  Does infinity even come close

  Is he a matter of interpretation

  Or is he an absolute

  Now We Stand a Chance

  Slipping away, slipping away

  Passing on to the end of our days

  Long past twilight lies the dawn

  Born again to serve our god

  Nothing of blood to tame the soul

  Nothing of flesh in our spirit

  Both blood and flesh are paid in full

  By the sacrifice of Jesus

  Now our sins can be forgiven

  Now we stand a chance at heaven

  But only if we can believe

  In the sacrifice of Jesus

  Have faith, Have faith

  Offer your repentance

  The gift of your life

  Will gain you admittance

  A sacrifice was made for you

  Don’t let it be in vain

  Live for him in all you do

  Sing praises to his name

  Now our sins can be forgiven

  Now we stand a chance at heaven

  Thank you Jesus for all you’ve given

  It will never be forgotten

  As we walk this narrow path

  We know that there’s no turning back

  Temptation waits just off the trail

  Waiting there to watch us fail

  It grabs at us as we pass by

  Leads us into endless traps

  It catches us within its snares

  And only Christ can bring us back

  Now our sins can be forgiven

  Now we stand a chance at heaven

  Thank you Jesus for all you’ve given

  It will never be forgotten

  Open Up Our Eyes

  All who come to seek shall find

  For all are welcome here

  The truth is given in the word

  For all who want to hear

  None of us are now alone

  Our hearts are joined in praise

  The Son of God makes us his own

  Sing glory to his name

  Praises to the Son of God

  Jesus Christ on high

  You are the one who loves us all

  And for our sins you died

  Now we take upon ourselves

  Every gift that he supplies

  That he might dwell within our hearts

  And open up our eyes

  The Journey

  Breaking tides against the sands

  Open skies above the sea

  The reaching out of distant hands

  The distance cries for peace

  A world of strangers

  A world full of dreams

  It is the beginning of our journey

  Across that endless sea

  No man alone can bridge the distance

  No boat can tame the tide

  We all begin the journey

  To reach the other side

  The waves all crash against us

  The waters chill our bones

  We’re forced to band together

  Or forced to die alone

  There is a light on the horizon

  A beacon to the lost

  The hope of our salvation

  The only hope we’ve got

  We struggle not to lose it

  But the waves can rise so high

  We need a hand to guide us

  So we band side by side

  Some day we’ll cross the distance

  Be on solid ground again

  We’ll find a new existence

  When we reach the shores of heaven

  Who Am I

  Here I am so far to go

  There you were to let me know

  One for all you sacrificed

  All to give the gift of life

  Who am I now left behind

  Come so far while walking blind

  Guided by an unseen hand

  Please Lord tell me who I am

  I’m much more than flesh and bone

  In your presence I have grown

  In your footsteps I must walk

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sp; But I’ll never be alone

  All to know who I might be

  All to try to set me free

  Free to live for something more

  Who am I, please tell me Lord

  Do you know who I’ve become

  Have you seen what I have done

  Am I living as you planned

  Lord please tell me who I am

  The Infinite Reward

  Voice of angels sweetly falling

  On all your hopes and dreams

  All you are amounts to nothing

  If you have nothing to believe

  Tender moments slowly taken

  Your actions left behind

  All you are to those around you

  Will they follow when you’re blind

  All to find what really matters

  To find a word of truth

  On the edge of something better

  Past the carelessness of youth

  Giving up your self-ambition

  Giving up your control

  Living up to your decisions

  Find salvation for your soul

  Becoming less than those you love

  Growing bigger in their hearts

  For you alone are not enough

  Everyone must play their part

  Nobody knows what happens next

  It makes our lives worth living

  Just try to find some tenderness

  And learn to be forgiving

  For God alone must understand

  The purpose found in life

  And so with us he made his plan

  And sent his son as sacrifice

  So become less to become more

  Put faith into someone else

  The infinite is a reward

  When you’re not living for yourself

  Treasure

  I met my creator at the theatre

  And it gave me great pleasure

  When he told me of treasure

  It was within reach, he started to preach

  Still, there’s something you might dread

  It isn’t yours until you’re dead

  What do you mean? I suddenly screamed

  Losing my life – what a cheat

  I just about fell out of my seat

  How’s this instead – you will break the bread

  And even when you are deceased

  Your happiness will be increased.

  The Cost of Our World

  Mark 8:36

  “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul.”

  All the Earth in all its splendor

  More valuable than life itself

  Everything a part of nature

  And a part of whom we are

  This world will fade as does our health

  But the spirit still goes on

  Try to find what really matters

  The world demands a heavy price

  Not gold, not silver, not power

  But the cost of one’s own soul

  Money and power may seem nice

  But heaven should be your goal

  What is it worth to gain the world

  And spend your life with no purpose

  For what is Earth but one small pearl

  In the Lord’s endless ocean

  All might seem calm on the surface

  Undertow puts you in motion

  Sometimes this life is a gamble

  And it leaves us left in shambles

  Darkness waits at every bend

  And deception is its friend

  Hidden costs in life we spend

  When we answer for our sins

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  Other Works:

  On The Verge of Live, Love, and Lyrics (poetry)

  Words to Paint 1000 Pictures (poetry)

  In The Works:

  I have more poetry to share and a number of books in the works. This is a preview of things to come:

  The Dragon’s Eggs – This will be the longest poem I’ve ever written. I wanted a science fiction story written in poetic form similar to Beowulf. When finished, it will be longer than this entire book including the commentary. It was started back in 2002 and has been sitting and waiting for completion.

  I am working on a 7 book science fiction series that will take the reader through the world of death and distant planets. It incorporates many religious principles from multiple religions and will make you wonder what really awaits us on the other side. The first book is underway and I’ve completed a rough outline for the series.

  30 Minutes To Quitting Time – This is a fiction book that I started and plotted out. It is a Christian book about a young man dealing with the conflicts between society and his faith. It also deals with many cultural and workplace issues that people face every day.

  Find more information and updates @ https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKIvie

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