The Words

Today I Found God was written by Greg Long in an inspired 2 day writing frenzy.    The story came about as a result of the suffering Team Long was experiencing in their own lives.

The original “rough draft” of Today I Found God was just a silly little rhyme– written in about 2 minutes by Greg.  But it was from this hastily written poem that Greg was inspired to sit down and create a story about a boy on a quest to find God.

Here’s a copy of the original poem. (Please bear with the jumpy cadence and rhyme scheme– this is just a rough poem- and was never worked on after it was scribbled out on a scratch sheet of paper–enjoy.)

I looked in the air but God wasn’t there
Where can he be? He’s not in the Sea.
He’s not in the tree or the car or the garden
He’s not in your shirt—oops I beg your pardon
He’s not in the clock or the shelves or the books
I looked with my hardest of very hard looks
Where are you God, oh where can You be
What’s that? I hear a voice inside of me
I sit very still and listen a while
And the things that I hear make me start to smile
I hear God’s soft whisper, He says, “Yes, it’s true-
Heaven’s a place that’s inside of you
I am in the trees and the shelves and the air
But until you see Me in you, you won’t see Me there
So come and sit still and shut up your thinking
Once you taste from My cup you willl not stop drinking
Overflowing with love, the light is so bright
The sound of My voice is a Holy delight
I am God- I made everything
And that is why the angels sing
I am the air the grass and the seas
I am the breeze that blows through the trees
I am the house and the school and the church
You’ll find me in everything when you know how to search
I am your mother and I’m your father too
I am your best friend, and son, I am you”
I finally found God, He wasn’t lost at all
He’s inside of me, He comes when I call
I just have to sit still and wait for a while
But He always comes running with a big smile
Thank you oh God for saving my soul
I’m done with the old ways, You have control
Listen to me, and I’ll  listen to You
Together there’s nothing that we cannot do.

It was this small poem that triggered the words and inspired the story for Today I Found God– but as you can see, Greg had his work cut out for him.  Crafting perfect rhymes is no easy task.  The rhythm and cadence have to be smooth, consistent, and easy to read.  The rhyming words have to be “true rhymes”.  For example– ”down” and “frown” are considered “true rhymes”, but “down” and “ground” are not “true rhymes” because “ground” has the “d” sound at the end of it.

Writing Today I Found God was a complete joy.  Greg considers himself to be blessed to be able to open up and allow The Holy Spirit to work through him and create these wonderful stories.  He realizes that these words are not from himself, but are from God– Greg is merely God’s instrument created to bring smiles to young faces everywhere.