promised land

Let me describe my Promised land,
if I can
because milk and honey sounds like school lunch.

Take a look with me, see
what I see
and then, you'll understand the rush.

Let's start at the bottom and work
our way up--
First, no fire ants, 'cause I've had enough.

Next on my list, get a Satellite dish
so I can
pick up the station with the "good" news.

Let's nix American Idol, no Simon Cowell-- sure,
he's usually right,
but that doesn't make it right--instead, let's all sing without fear.

Sing loud, sister; sing proud, my brother--
in this land,
it's your heart that we'll hear.

Speaking of siblings, let's talk about family
in my Canaan,
it's breath in each lung.

Blood is thicker than water, sure,
but that living water
is the blood in the tie that binds.

Blood's tricky--it's sticky
and to be honest,
it covers our hands, but in my promised land,

we'll be over the thrill of the kill.
Let's ban crime,
and for real this time, let's put slavery to an end.

In this vision I see, we've put the "isms"
to sleep and
bid them our final farewell

So long, sexism; be gone, racism.
We're over it.
I hope no pessimism; we've ruled out legalism,

and I'm pleased that hedonism's no more.
Dare I say
we'll be past conservatism as well? It will be well.

Most of all, let's conquer this fatalism,
because it's the worst of all.
There is power in us, to make beauty of rust

and to make this idealist's dreams
into truth.
But before we're through, let's keep a few

of the isms that aren't all bad.
I think optimism
is cool, so let's teach that in school and be done

basking in the anxiety of life.
There's one more ism
we'll keep, and that's baptism, a deep

immersion in
grace--
LOVE--
truth.

Let me catch my breath, friends,
we're near to the end.
I can see the wheels in your mind turning fast.

You might say, "H, that's a lot!"
But really, it's not.
No, we're on the brink! We can swim or we sink!

Or even walk--Red Seas have been parted before.
It's all in your mind,
how high you can climb. The ropes course will

seem like a breeze. You might say,
"H, that's cool,
but what about you?

Where do you fit in this vision you see?"
That's easy.
I'm just one small part,

one beat of the heart, one step
on the way
to the promised land.

Enough of fear, I want to hear
what the rest
of you have to say.

God's running beside us, always ready to guide us.
Take that first step, friends,
and take me to your promised land!