The Road to Recovery Based on the Beatitudes
The Road to Recovery Based on the Beatitudes
1. “Empty Pockets, Empty Soul”
Realization of Powerlessness
man, i used to think i was the cat’s pajamas
the big cheese, the whole enchilada
walking through this concrete jungle
like i owned every broken streetlight
every cigarette butt crushed under heel
but dig this, daddy-o—
the mirror don’t lie when the lights come up
and all my smooth moves
all my hip jive talk
couldn’t keep me from falling
couldn’t keep the world from spinning
out of my sweaty, trembling hands
i’m just a man, jack
poor in spirit, rich in need
standing here with empty pockets
and an empty soul
finally ready to admit
i ain’t the one running this show
the kingdom of heaven, they say
belongs to cats like me—
broke down, busted up
powerless as a saxophone
without breath to make it sing
2. “Believing in Divine Comfort”
Mourning Coffee
three a.m. and the coffee’s cold
like the tears i never let fall
until now, baby, until now
been carrying this weight
this blue note sadness
like a bass line that won’t quit
thrumming through my chest
keeping time with a broken heart
but somewhere in the static
of this late-night radio station
i hear it—a whisper, a promise
that God sees these salt-water prayers
these midnight confessions
to an empty diner booth
he matters, this cosmic cat
this divine daddy-o
and somehow, impossibly
i matter to him too
mourning becomes morning
when you realize someone’s listening
someone’s got the power
to turn your blue notes
into something beautiful
comfort comes like dawn
slow and sure
painting the world
in colors you forgot existed
3. “Surrendering the Wheel”
Choosing Divine Control
been driving this jalopy life
with broken brakes and no headlights
thinking i knew the way
through these twisted streets
these dead-end dreams
but meek ain’t weak, jack
meek is knowing when to pull over
when to slide across the bench seat
and let someone else take the wheel
Christ, they call him
this cosmic chauffeur
who knows every pothole
every shortcut through the pain
every scenic route to grace
i’m consciously choosing now
to be passenger in my own story
hands folded, eyes open
watching the landscape change
as we cruise toward something
bigger than my small-time schemes
the earth belongs to those
who know they don’t own it
who can ride shotgun
with the divine
and dig the journey
control is just another word
for the fear of letting go
but letting go, baby
that’s where the real living starts
4. “Truth Serum Blues”
Honest Self-Examination
step right up to the mirror, mac
time for some truth serum
straight, no chaser
the kind that burns going down
but clears your vision after
been hiding behind dark glasses
and darker secrets
hurts stacked up like old newspapers
habits hanging like smoke
in a closed room
but pure in heart means
no more masquerade
no more shadow dancing
around the real deal
the naked truth of who i am
confessing to myself first
then to God
then to that one cat
who won’t run when the music stops
and the lights come up
examination ain’t persecution
it’s excavation
digging through the rubble
of who i thought i was
to find who i really am
and they promise—these wise cats—
that pure hearts see God
not in some far-off heaven
but right here, right now
in the honesty of the moment
truth is the only drug
that leads to real freedom
5. “Hungry Ghost Transformation”
Submitting to Divine Change
i’ve been a hungry ghost, daddy
wandering through life
with an appetite
nothing could satisfy
thirsting for something
i couldn’t name
but righteousness—
now there’s a word
that tastes different
when you’re ready to be filled
voluntarily, they say
like volunteering for surgery
letting the divine surgeon
cut away the infected parts
the character defects
that keep me sick
hungering and thirsting
not for the next fix
the next thrill
the next escape
but for right-ness
for alignment
for the sweet spot
where God’s will and mine
make beautiful music together
humbly asking
remove these thorns
these patterns
these ways of being
that keep me small
keep me broken
keep me running
transformation is submission
submission is freedom
freedom is finally
being filled
6. “Mercy Street Meditation”
Forgiveness and Amends
mercy street runs both ways, jack
and i’ve been living
on the corner of resentment
and revenge
for way too long
time to evaluate
these tangled relationships
these debts of the heart
these IOUs written in tears
forgiveness ain’t for them—
it’s for me
cutting the chains
that keep me chained
to yesterday’s wounds
making amends
when it won’t cause more harm
stepping up to the microphone
of accountability
singing the song of sorrow
and the blues of being better
peacemaking is an art form
requires the same skill
as improvisation—
listening, responding
creating harmony
out of discord
mercy shown
mercy received
the cosmic circle
keeps spinning
and for once
i’m dancing
instead of fighting
the rhythm
children of God—
that’s what they call
the cats who make peace
not war
7. “Daily Bread, Daily Prayer”
Spiritual Discipline
every morning now
i reserve this time
like a table for two
at the cosmic café
self-examination
over black coffee
scripture like morning news
from headquarters upstairs
prayer like conversation
with the coolest cat
in the universe
not some religious ritual
but relationship, baby
getting to know
the divine daddy-o
learning his frequency
tuning in to his wavelength
daily bread means
more than food for the body
it’s nourishment for the soul
strength for the journey
power to follow through
on this wild, holy will
consistency is key
like practicing scales
until the music flows
naturally, effortlessly
from fingers to keys
from heart to heaven
this daily discipline
keeps me plugged in
to the source
the power
the love
that keeps me clean
keeps me free
keeps me real
8. “Gospel According to the Street”
Sharing the Message
persecution comes with the territory
when you’re living righteous
in an unrighteous world
but the kingdom of heaven
belongs to cats like us
who ain’t afraid
to tell the truth
yielding myself now
like a musician yields
to the song
letting God use
these hands
this voice
this story
to bring good news
to the broken-hearted
the strung-out
the lost
example speaks louder
than the sweetest sermon
and words without lifestyle
are just noise
just empty jive
but when they see
how the divine
changed this wreck
into something beautiful
when they hear
the music of recovery
in my voice
my walk
my way of being
that’s when the good news
becomes gospel
becomes hope
becomes the bridge
over troubled water
persecution for righteousness
just means
you’re doing something right
living something real
being something authentic
in a world full
of beautiful counterfeits
the kingdom of heaven
is right here, right now
in the midst
of broken people
making each other whole