Poems, Personal Stories, and Observations

Don’t Throw It All Away

Don’t throw it all away …
So you’ve messed up,
You’ve screwed up —
Keep your head up.

Don’t throw it all away …
In your anger, in your pride,
Don’t allow the pain inside
The truth to override.

Don’t throw it all away …
Life’s too precious,
Infectious;
God’s perfecting us.

Don’t throw it all away …
God still loves you,
He’ll protect you;
Don’t listen to what others say.

The backbiters,
The infighters,
The naysayers,
The faith slayers.

Don’t listen to the “no” sayers.

It’s not up to them or you.
Surely God’s word is true.
Don’t believe lies
And don’t compromise.

The fact that He loves you,
The truth that He died for you,
His heart surely burns for you,
You must let Him live in you.

Only a Shadow

Today I see Your beauty,
An ever-changing sight,
But really just a shadow —
Creation mirrors Your light.

The wonders You have fashioned
Are merely slightest glimpse
Of Your majestic glory,
Your awesome pow’r intense.

The roaring river waters,
The waves that rise and fall,
The quietness of shallows,
The soaring eagle’s call.

But sure Your greatest wonder,
The utmost height of all,
Is how You love Your creatures,
Though oft’ we gravely fall.

Clear As Mud

The things I thought
Meant quite a lot
Have come to naught.

I’m from another world.
My life is quite absurd,
Except for God’s good Word.

It doesn’t seem to matter.
There’s nothing here to flatter.
I’m only getting fatter.

No feedback nor response,
No nod nor mere nuance,
A muddy ambiance.

This feeling of confusion —
Can it be delusion?
I need a blood transfusion.

Life — beyond my comprehension.
Am I from another dimension?
I give my acquiescence
To those of wiser ways.

Life seems at times nonsensical.
My mindset is impractical.
I go about within a daze
While others, nothing seems to faze.

There’s nothing accidental;
God’s plan sometimes impenetrable.
Yet through it all I see
He has a plan for me.

I must become so small
That it won’t hurt to fall.
So simple I must be,
And humbly I’ll be free.

Can You Hear Jesus?

Can you hear Jesus?
His voice so gently calls.
I hear Him in the crashing waves,
In clear, bright mornings,
In darker days.

Can you hear Jesus calling?
He wants to own your heart.
Can you hear Him in the wind?
The fresh, cool breeze?
The Voice within?

Can I hear Jesus speaking?
Or is my heart too deaf?
Will I turn away from Him,
Let call grow dim, or
Let Him wash away my sin?

Can we hear Jesus speaking?
And let us meet one day,
On other side,
Without our pride —
He patiently abides.

By the Little River

By the Little River,
We laid our burdens down.
All our heavy baggage,
Our sins, our tears, our frowns.

By the Little River,
We heard the seagulls cry,
The seals and the buoy bells,
The foghorns as they sighed.

By the Little River,
The ocean waves did lure
Our hearts into a daydream
To joy intense and sure.

By the Little River,
We will go back once more.
I know that you’ll come with me
Along that peaceful shore.

—– Little River, California, July 22, 2014

Can’t keep the poems back,
The sing-song words,
They roll and turn
Inside my head.

They make me sane,
Help put a frame
‘Round jumbled thoughts
And pensive knots.

They make a fence,
Repel nonsense,
Build peaceful scenes
And help me dream.

The words are strong,
They build a bond.
They help express
Love’s fruitfulness.

(Isaiah 50:7, Luke 9:51)

Lord how can I be
As strong as You?
I don’t have a clue.

The Pharisee’s opinions
Didn’t affect your dominion —
You did what You had to do.

Will You help me be strong?
Keep on keeping on?
The road is so long.

Set my face like flint
And don’t look for hints
Of what others are thinking.

Feeling alone
And forlorn.
There’s nobody home.

Must keep on track,
Have you got my back?
Help me, Lord.

I know I’ll get through this,
With God I can do this,
But it takes so long.

You’re changing me daily;
I’m feeling so fraily.
My God is my strength.

That nasty stain
Crept ‘cross the table.
To keep it back
I was not able.

The courage, the strength
To put at arm’s length,
Is what I lacked.

It crept along,
With no resistance,
Threatening existence.

‘Til Spirit’s rain
Came back again,
And washed it away.