Bright new day Mockingbird has his say Lush and green Rain brings Spring's early sheen Season's start Foliage and plumage art All dainty Nests and blooms aplenty All things grow Matter, energy flow Life's cycle Replenish, recycle Young ones sup Foal, calf, kitten, and pup Insects buzz Peach, leaf, and mildew fuzz Remember God's mercies are tender He provides Creates, sustains, abides
Posts Tagged ‘Poems’
Spring’s Grace
Posted in Beauty, General, God Thoughts, Grace, Outdoors, Poem, tagged Beauty, God Thoughts, Grace, Outdoors, Poems on June 16, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Faithful in the Little Trials
Posted in Faith, General, God Thoughts, Grace, Poem, Strength, tagged Faith, God Thoughts, Grace, Poems, Random thoughts, Strength on June 10, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Mundane and tedious blights the soul Clips the wings and dulls life's sheen Off to the digs, the life of a mole Outwardly lulled, inwardly lean Nothing big but challenges galore Wanting to rise to the top But daily life pins you to the floor While pleading that troubles would stop Why do difficulties continue? Why do my troubles persist? Where's a fresh start and a new venue? Does purpose in problems exist? If you would be faithful in little Later entrusted with much The trials will test your faith and mettle Spirit's power revealed as such Hold on and trust in the daily tasks Find His help in every trial Cling to Him, doing all that He asks Don't doubt, turning to denial Embracing your God ordained story Bear up under every test Then to God will go all the glory And your soul will find joy and rest
Trust His Goodness
Posted in Faith, General, God Thoughts, Grace, Poem, tagged Faith, faithfulness, God Thoughts, Grace, Poems, Remembering on March 24, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Lord, You give us all good things To enjoy and praise Your Name Thanks for Your benefits rings Always gracious, always the same Difficulty You allow Confusion part of what's planned Hardship brings sweat to the brow Some gifts are hard to understand Trusting Your goodness the plan Resist confusion and pain Cling to God, unbelief ban Let His rule and direction reign Halt all you're not called to do Do well what He's given you Make it first Him to pursue God will work well to see you through Then peace will reign in your heart Problems will not overwhelm Each new day a brand new start Your joy when God is at the helm
Heavy Heart Light
Posted in Faith, General, God Thoughts, Poem, Remembering, tagged God Thoughts, Grace, Poems, Remembering on January 25, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Oh Father, my heart is heavy
My past failures and troubles, too
Exact from me a stiff levy
Brokenness, regrets not a few
There is now no condemnation
Help me believe that it is true
Act so without reservation
Participate in life anew
Communicate life to loved one
Keep what is best for him in view
Remembering victories won
Repent, reconcile, and renew
May my life show to all others
That forgiveness makes all things new
Humble in success and failures
Belief in Christ is what is due
Make my heart light with joy and peace
Paint my life with a brighter hue
Christ's life in me a brand new lease
May be seen by all to be true
Real Need Supplied
Posted in General, God Thoughts, Poem, Sustaining, tagged God Thoughts, Poems, Random thoughts on January 22, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Few things that I really need
Many that I want
Separating them indeed
Seems to be a taunt
This exercise brings freedom
I don't have to grasp
Holding both these in tandem
Frays nerves like a rasp
Now I am not a Buddhist
Wants I don't deny
More likely increases the list
Better not to try
But wants don't have to control me
I can walk away
He has met my needs, I'm free
In peace each new day
Out of breath and lost my way
Cling for my supply
Gratification delay
He will soon reply
(Luke 10:40-42; Matthew 6:25-34)
My God, How Wonderful Thou Art
Posted in Beauty, General, God Thoughts, Grace, Poem, Song, Work of Jesus, tagged Beauty, God Thoughts, Grace, Poems, Songs, Worship on January 8, 2017| Leave a Comment »
The hymn by this name has become one of my favorites over the years because it conveys the holiness and glory of God by transporting the mind to the mercy seat both in the tabernacle and in heaven. The version I have has 5 verses. The original, written by Frederick Faber, has 8 verses: (for a choir rendition, albeit too slow for my liking, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4VtpEu3CDQ)
My God, how wonderful Thou art,
Thy majesty, how bright;
How beautiful Thy mercy seat
In depths of burning light!
How dread are Thy eternal years,
O everlasting Lord,
By prostrate spirits day and night
Incessantly adored!
How wonderful, how beautiful,
The sight of Thee must be;
Thy endless wisdom, boundless power,
And glorious purity!
O how I fear Thee, living God,
With deep and tender fear;
And worship Thee with trembling hope,
And penitential tears!
Yet, I may love Thee, too, O Lord,
Almighty as Thou art;
For Thou hast stooped to ask of me
The love of my poor heart!
No earthly father loves like Thee,
No mother, e’er so mild,
Bears and forbears as Thou hast done,
With me, Thy sinful child.
Only to sit and think of God,
Oh, what a joy it is!
To think the thought, to breathe the Name,
Earth has no higher bliss.
Father of Jesus, love’s Reward!
What rapture it will be
Prostrate before Thy throne to lie,
And gaze, and gaze on Thee!
As I sang this wonderful hymn, and others, and mused on Psalm 103, more verses came to me. They are not of a quality of the original but I do intend them as worship to God:
He righteous deeds each day performs Judgments for the oppressed Compassionate and gracious He With love for the distressed As high as heaven above earth So great His steadfast love Is toward all those who fear their God The God who dwells above As far as east is from the west Transgressions He removes A Father who compassion on A child who his God fears For all is peace, my soul at rest Submitted to His will Our God is good and great and kind To know Him is a thrill One day in heaven we will be Adoring face to face But now we see His glory great Through His redeeming grace
The Gray Areas
Posted in General, God Thoughts, Poem, Random thoughts, Science, tagged God Thoughts, Poems, Random thoughts, Science on October 5, 2016| Leave a Comment »
If you hold to objects close together with a small gap between them and peer through toward a bright light you can see the bending of the light around the two edges as an interference pattern. The result makes the two object appear to grow together if they are at the correct distance apart. You may find an example at the following link: https://www.meteoros.de/blog/pics/blackdrop2.jpg The parallel lines of dark and light are called a diffraction pattern even though the sight of them results from light interference. Seeing Venetian blinds lit up by sunshine today with blurry edges reminded me of this pattern. If you ever see the old movie “Sergeant York” you may remember him moistening the front sights of his rifle. This disturbs the diffraction pattern making for clearer sights. As I stood taking in this familiar sight on the blinds the thought of a metaphor for moral ambiguity came into focus.
At the edge of light and shadow
Is where the challenge of life is
Ambiguous scenario
Time to have a real life pop quiz
Diffraction pattern blurs the line
Blinds by alternate light and dark
Fuzzy scheme in the contrast cline
Right and wrong seem no longer stark
Are there exceptions to the rule?
Dismiss the law and moral code?
Sparse view, the way of the fool
To quit the way for your own road
There is good and bad in the gray
Right and wrong all mixed together
God has not left us with no way
To discern, know, and do better
When life does not seem black and white
Then pray to God and search His Word
Don't give up on doing the right
Don't give in or follow the herd
Favored Pearl
Posted in General, Poem, tagged Poems on October 1, 2016| 1 Comment »
Our 4th grandchild arrived recently. I have gotten in the habit of writing a poem as a blessing on these new arrivals. I would like for them to read their poem some day, but even more so I pray that God will bless these children far beyond the blessing I am saying over them, that they may know Him and make Him known.
May God grant His favor
Know soon salvation's plan
Infinite grace savor
Love the Lord deeply, Anne
Seek the heavenly pearl
In Jesus be complete
Love Him best, precious girl
Above all, Marguerite
Beauty in all you do
Prudence each act begin
Persevere and stay true
Pray until answers win
May you stand for God's truth
Much evil may you stem
Clinging to God like Ruth
God your strength, Favored Gem
If in God's Word you trust
No word of His dismiss
His direction your must
All success, Miss Francis
Rocking Chair
Posted in General, Poem, Sustaining, tagged Poems, Sustaining on August 14, 2016| 5 Comments »
To and fro, there and back I love a rocking chair Floor and chair creak and crack As back and forth I tear Back and forth hard I go I like to rock with flare Recurved tips stem the flow Making mishaps so rare I can rock fast enough To stir surrounding air Long enough, plenty rough To make a carpet bare Mom rocked me on her knee And yet she would declare Mark my word, wait and see His rocking all will wear I rocked babes fast asleep Secure in arms that bear No crying, not a peep Disturb babe, don’t you dare Rocking is relaxing Relieves the mind of care Time for intense praying Turns darkness into fair Some prefer a TV Recliner in man lair Me, a rocker you see Where I can grunt and stare Write a poem rocking Eat a bowl of soup there Some essay concocting Or read the Word and prayer Worries come a-knocking Decisions like sun’s glare Before considering To rocker I repair When red flags go flying As false ideas blare Search for truth while rocking And find where it does err Slow, easy, day is done Sort thoughts as combing hair Hard, easy, sorrow, fun Like runners are a pair
I decided that I wanted to write a poem that was on a different subject than my usual several favorites. I had come across Robert Louis Stevenson’s
“The Swing”, which I quite like. And I like swings very much, too, but most of
my motion while sitting pivots about a rocking chair. Here is how I write a poem.
Firstly, an idea for a poem comes to me, as reading “The Swing” had provided in this case,
or the first line or two of a poem rolls off my mind as I am considering an
idea. This first line or two or the first verse form the basis for the challenge
(perhaps game is a better word) that I begin. I constrain myself to writing
the rest of the poem with same rhyme scheme (number of syllables per line) at the very least. Frequently I use the same sound ending for the same lines in each verse, as in this poem. Sometimes I even constrain myself to the same tenor of the lines in each verse. For example, the following verse illustrates this idea:
Each new day God provides our need He our bodies and spirits feed Sometimes it feels like we are starved It is then we are apt to plead
Lines 1 and 2 in this poem either communicate a blessing or command of God or a demand placed on our lives. Line 3 in each verse of the poem conveys a doubt or other faith struggle followed in line 4 by the solution or provision God gives. I know that my self-placed constraints are not necessary but it is part of the challenge that keeps wanting to write poetry, that plus a real strong feel that poetry should rhyme. A humorous side note to this poem is that I had written seven verses minus one line without much difficulty, but the last line would just not yield itself. So I did an exercise I generally like to avoid, partly because it seems like cheating in the game. I wrote out all of the words ending in the “-are” sound that I could think of. At this point I thought, “Wow, all of those expressive terms and I’m not using them.” That’s when the poem ballooned into eleven verses. Oh, there is one other constraining “rule” I place upon myself that is a higher priority than the rest. The lines must tell the truth. Certainly I mean philosophically, but also I mean personally. For example, my mom did rock me on her knee, and though I am not quoting what she said about my rocking wearing on people, she did comment many times about how I wore her out watching me and I how could wear out a rocking chair. So the crazy thing about you reading this poem, if you understood all that it says, is that you know more about me than many people that I have spent years around.
Lasting Hope for Mankind
Posted in General, God Thoughts, Poem, Work of Jesus, Work of the Holy Spirit, tagged God Thoughts, Poems, Relationship, work of christ on July 31, 2016| Leave a Comment »
All the political hubbub with no real solutions. All the anxiety ridden news reports without real hope. All the suggested intrusions on freedom with no real security. We are not going to make progress and are going to regress rapidly without turning to the one and only solution.
This poem actually began as two conflicting thoughts and considering the circumstances under which they came about. It seems to me now the first verse does not even go with the rest of the poem so I will separate it with extra space. See what you think:
I write poetry to keep from being bored
Focus mind when feet are nailed to a floorboard
Teasing out thoughts that are both far flung and near
Sorting through the hurtful and that which is dear
When I think of all the wrong that’s in the world
Murders and abuse and war banners unfurled
My mind grabs for solutions to bring to bear
All beyond reach in a world cruel and unfair
There’s the pain to loved ones from me and others
Scarred relationships start with father, mothers
Friends and neighbors had words and are offended
Words out, actions done, cannot be rescinded
Is there no hope for mankind, is it all gloom?
Tearing down self and others, is this our doom?
No, there is hope, but it’s not in self-help plans
Nor is it in the police state or gun bans
Our hope is in God’s Son through His sacrifice
His death on the cross for sin paid the full price
By trusting in His work we have peace with God
Relationship growing in place of the rod
Repentance and forgiveness we have in Him
We may pass to others as a precious gem
When seeking to forgive and be forgiven
We have with sin and disharmony striven
This makes possible reconciliation
Moving past hurt beginning restoration
Extending peace to strangers and enemies
Doing right by neighbors knowing that God sees
Hope for the future and for the present too
Pointing people to purpose both real and true
Spending time and resources to relieve pain
Pointing to the Savior in Whom is real gain
Finish the Race
Posted in General, Grace, Poem, Work of the Holy Spirit, tagged Poems, purpose in life on July 20, 2016| Leave a Comment »
In danger of living as mere men
Calling survival a win
We were meant for more than bear and grin
In our fight with self and sin
But the mundane creeps in day by day
And we lose sight of the way
To walk in the Spirit and to stay
In His Word and ceaselessly pray
To be bold in witness to the lost
Kind, no relational frost
Not by every wind of doctrine tossed
In holy living count the cost
Recall we’re not the vine but the limb
More than conquerors through Him
Each dead work from the vine He must trim
The source of all life is the stem
Walk by the Spirit, quit the flesh race
All of life is lived by grace
At God’s behest and at His own pace
With His help we finish the race
Await the Fall
Posted in Beauty, General, Outdoors, Poem, tagged Beauty, Outdoors, Poems on July 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »
It is perhaps an odd subject for a midsummer’s evening, or maybe not after another day of sweating profusely at chores and listening to the day’s thunder rolling over the mountain. The oddity really comes down to how it came about. The first two lines I wrote last fall one morning looking out the window by my desk before work was to begin. The pleasant thoughts that it brought to me caused me to think it was the beginning of many more thoughts but I laid it aside on my desk until a break. I found it when cleaning up papers at the beginning of summer. I took it home and laid it next to my rocking chair where I read and pay bills and think. It laid there for a month. The next time I saw it I thought, now or never. Don’t construe the poem to mean that I dislike summer. There is much to like about summer, but we all have preferences and mine is Fall. I am thankful to God to live in an environment where there is a definite change of seasons and deciduous trees to mark the occasions.
A fair, crisp morning Grass glistens with frost Birds' feathers fluffed up That heat not be lost Chill braces the lungs Nips at nose and cheeks Rescue from summer's Many draining weeks Oh, how I love Fall When insects retreat Reptiles slow and stall Dry mildews defeat No more sweat required Only now by choice Humidity low Lightens heart and voice Skies are clearer now Leaves have joyful hues Stars are brighter, too Grander mountain views Change is in the air Every front attests Animals store food For their winter rests Crops have all matured Bring the harvest in Celebrate bounty With neighbors and kin Yellow blooms abound Earth tones more I see Dried herb fragrances Nature's potpourri Outdoor things to do Cool air is the best All await the Fall For change and for rest
Testing, Testing
Posted in Faith, General, God Thoughts, Grace, Poem, Sustaining, tagged Faith, God Thoughts, Grace, Poems, Sustaining on March 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »
How could I not be thinking about testing with the situation I was in. But my thoughts went to a different, more significant and substantial type of test- the test of faith. Some days I am trusting fairly well but others I am failing miserably. The thoroughly up side of this type of test though is the guaranteed perfect grade at the end of the term for those enrolled in the class.
Mark it well, this is only a test
Heaven comes after, eternal rest
Now prove the metal of who you are
It's faith in God will carry you far
It's not by works you enter the rest
Nor by your goodness you pass the test
Your goodness comes by God's work in you
Obtained by faith in the Savior true
Not one temptation can overwhelm
When you cling to God who's at the helm
Storms, wind, and hail will batter your boat
The trusted Master keeps you afloat
Saved by grace through faith in Christ alone
Scripture instructs, by this you are grown
God receives praise as only He should (Solae Quinque)
For God passed your test, He only could
The Prize of Trusting
Posted in General, God Thoughts, Grace, Poem, Sustaining, Work of Jesus, tagged Christ Jesus, God Thoughts, Grace, Poems, Sustaining, work of christ on January 16, 2016| 2 Comments »
I listened to a youtube video as I often do, and this one was titled “Self-Efficacy”. The intent of the video was kind but the result was mistaken and really sad. It explained that “self-esteem is this idea about how you see yourself, how capable you think you are, how happy you are with yourself, but self-efficacy is something kind of different, and its rather important. It’s how you perceive your ability to accomplish something.” The video went on to explain how one must develop self-efficacy to accomplish anything and that no one else can really show you how but only inspire you to try. It went on to say that there are people that use self-efficacy for evil to gain confidence to hurt people. A sad part to me was the realization that all self actualization is bad because it emphasizes and exalts self and ignores or even rejects God. We should have Christ-esteem which then provides us with value because He created us and died for us and enables us. And we should bless His efficacy that enables each one of us to “do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) The most sad part of the video, however, was the inadvertent admission later in the video that the speaker did not know how to bring about world peace even though he thought that it must be emphasized. I can’t bring about world peace either but I know from whence peace comes and whence world peace shall come. We may have peace with God and within ourselves now by trusting in what Jesus did on the cross. That enables us to pursue growing peace with those around us and will one day result in world peace when Jesus returns and sets the world right.
As I mulled over some difficulties within my family recently I concluded that even though life may be difficult at times, it is right and good and beneficial for us to trust God. The following poem came to me as I thought on these things:
Each new day God provides our need
He our bodies and spirits feed
Sometimes it feels like we are starved
It is then we are apt to plead
To call on Him for our supply
Is His command, He will reply
Of delay that seems not answered
Glorifies Him when we rely
Emotions raw so often we cry
Relationships have gone awry
All hope of healing seems removed
Then must we trust Him though we sigh
Good health eludes us though pursued
Accidents happen though we cared
For these struggles so unprepared
Faith does not mean we will be spared
It is then we trust God so wise
Know Him more as each moment flies
Submit, expectations altered
Temporal and eternal prize
Ups and Downs
Posted in General, Poem, Sustaining, Work of the Holy Spirit, tagged Poems, Sustaining, Work of the Holy Spirit on June 11, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Humility should always be donned by a Christian. We were sinners; we are sinners saved by grace; we will one day not be sinners by the grace of God. Oh, that I could communicate by words and deeds a life of repentance and trust, repentance and trust.
Ups and downs and all arounds
The days go rolling by
No matter all the times we fail
We must again retry
Thank your God or take the rod
A smile or else a cry
Repent, forgiveness will prevail
Joy replaces a sigh
Trust Him now and so learn how
To overcome the lie
That Spirit's power has no avail
To cause the flesh to die
When upside down makes you frown
Recall God is on high
No matter what may you assail
He is all your supply
Jesus died to sin applied
Believe, do not deny
His power over death and hell
One day to heaven fly
A Reason to Learn
Posted in Cultural commentary, General, Poem, tagged Cultural commentary, Poems on June 8, 2015| Leave a Comment »
We must have a reason to learn
To foster judgment and discern
For thinking is very hard work
With little immediate perk
Many think good jobs are enough
Or just persist when things get tough
Make it more relevant they say
Or guided self-learning and play
No doubt these have some benefit
But why do many tend to quit
Lose interest and totally bored
Wild speculation, truth ignored
Learning is a moral issue
It must be based on what is true
All for God’s glory to pursue
Seeking righteousness to renew
Then can learners not get enough
Persisting long and hanging tough
Pursuing what is right and good
And helping others as they should
Even short of this lofty goal
All people need food for their soul
Orient learning as you should
Teach what is true and right and good
Graduation Wisdom
Posted in General, God Thoughts, Poem, Sustaining, tagged God Thoughts, Poems, Sustaining on May 24, 2015| Leave a Comment »
About this time of year I hear well worn comments like these: “High school is the best time of your life; better make the most of it.” I’m glad that for many of us that is not true or we’d just end it right now. “Now you have to go out into the real world.” High school is real enough with its own set of challenges. “Now you can spread your wings and feel your freedom.” Yes and no. Some have far more license in high school than they should and little will change when they get out. All will continue to have constraints even if only by the law and many will have more responsibility and constraints than they ever have. So where is some wisdom that applies to all. That, of course, comes from the Scripture. For example, as I considered one relative’s graduation recently the following came to mind: “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34) The combination of the ideas of today and trouble set me to thinking on how to give wisdom to this graduate. Following is my mean attempt:
Don't wish your life away
Looking for a better way
Don't fear difficulty
Vexing ambiguity
Don't shun caring embrace
To keep up with the rat race
Don't give up or give in
On false hopes your future pin
Hope instead in God's way
And through today's troubles pray
In His serenity
Find all your security
Care for others with grace
Taking time, slowing your pace
Fight temptation and sin
By God's power you will win
Creator and Judge
Posted in General, God's Word, Poem, tagged God's Word, Poems on January 17, 2015| Leave a Comment »
God’s Word is true, beginning to end. How do I know? It says so. History and nature point to its truth. Changed lives communicate it. We don’t get to pick and choose which parts are true. It is all true or it is none true. It outlasts every attempt to do away with it or explain it away or ignore it or water it down. Look around the evidence is everywhere:
Beautiful features around the world
Remnants of origin and change unfurled
Point to Creator and Judge of all
First it was good and then came Adam’s Fall
Exists by the Word of His Power
Sky, land, and sea, every bee and flower
Sculpted by the Flood, rearranged now
Destroyed, yet beautified, amazing how
Every force balanced perfectly well
In the life zone with tides and more we dwell
Self-adjusting ecosystems work
Provide food and recycle as a perk
Fine layered strata formed in a day
Coal seams the same age formed in the same way
Mountains folded, canyons scoured away
Forces of judgment, Flood remnants that stay
Does it matter how it came to be?
How it changed long past to what we now see?
Indeed it does, acknowledge God true
As Creator and Judge and Savior, too
Victory Through Struggle
Posted in General, God Thoughts, God's Word, Poem, Strength, Sustaining, tagged God's Word, internal strife, Poems, Strength, Sustaining on January 16, 2015| Leave a Comment »
CreatorWorship 
Comparative Religion and Philosophy Class
Posted in Cultural commentary, General, Poem, tagged Cultural commentary, God Thoughts, Poems on October 8, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Bibles and spiritual discussion involving Christianity have largely been expunged from public discourse, politely ignored at best or ridiculed as archaic. So we as a society try to convince ourselves of how enlightened we are by studying various religions and philosophies, all the while being open only to human autonomous naturalism. Even many church-goers acknowledge God as no more than a concept of good behind the scenes rather than a personal, involved, just and loving Sovereign Creator, a real person to whom we are responsible. It is quite ironic that the most Bibles are to be found where the least acceptance of its content is given. In just such a room I stood recently, silent, considering the lack of Bibles elsewhere in the building and the multitude of them here.
Comparative Religion and Philosophy Class Deep irony in our midst The most Bibles in a room On a shelf with all the rest Equal texts as they assume Thoughts of men believed the best Ridicule of God will bloom Putting God's Word to the test Sweep away truth with a broom Of poor logic or mere jest Scoffers conceived in this womb Birth unbelief in this nest Many young skeptics to groom And others their faith arrest Sending belief to its tomb Extract self from this class lest You take part in death and doom Instead, set out on a quest In each context truth exhume That society be blestRead Full Post »