Poems, Personal Stories, and Observations

A Thousand Ways

July 10, 2013

Your Love is told a thousand ways
As steady we traverse our days.
The fact that we exist is one,
And then the Father, Spirit, Son.

Each new green leaf, each tender stalk,
Each fragrant flower, as we do walk.
A tender touch, a kindly smile,
The one who says, “Come stay a while.”

Forgiving words and peaceful pardons,
Sustaining waters, grace-filled gardens.
Creation sings; Your love song rings.
The stars, the skies, let praises rise.

Majestic mountains, roiling streams,
Icy fountains, bright sunbeams.
And darkness too, can give You glory —
More brightly shines the candle’s story.

A thousand ways let hearts explore.
Your Love still gives a thousand more.

Category:

Christian, Creation, Jesus, love, Nature, Poems

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Communism’s Seven Wonders

A Hungarian relative sent me this. I don’t know who wrote it and I hope I translated it correctly!

————————————————————————————–

COMMUNISM’S SEVEN WONDERS

1) Everyone had work.
2) Although everyone had work, nobody did anything.
3) Although no one did anything, production exceeded 100%.
4) Although production exceeded 100%, it was still impossible to get anything.
5) Although it was impossible to get anything, everyone had everything.
6) Although everyone had everything, nevertheless everyone was stealing.
7) Although everyone was stealing, no ever missed anything

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Commentary

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Come Walk with Me

June 25, 2013

“Come walk with me”, the Savior said
“Leave earthly cares behind
Leave all that comes twixt you and me
The sin and worry bind”

His heart was aching with such pain
He saw men struggle, strive in vain
When in His hand He held all things
The peace, the joy, that His love brings

He said, “You must the silence keep
The quietness, the inner deep
Close every door and go inside
To you My love I will confide”

“Each day go to the inner door
And listen as I speak, and more.
My inner peace I will impart
And make a fountain in your heart”

All men will one day bow the knee
To Him who hung upon a tree
‘Till then let us be well content
In silence, a true sacrament

Category:

Christian, Jesus, Poems

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This Ship I Travel

June 22, 2013

This ship I travel, on treach’rous sea
I often wished that I could flee

I did not choose this ship of life —
Of sin, of sorrow; sadness, strife

I felt alone, though many traveled;
In darkest ignorance my life unraveled

But now and then a Light would shine
And slowly came the gift divine

I am not here for self alone
My purpose through the darkness shone

And as this ship sails on or stalls
With others do I meet life’s squalls

And I have met an Unseen Friend;
His Presence here do not contend

And if I may but save one soul
From falling, jumping in the sea

My soul will thrill, my heart will sing
‘Tis purpose done; ’tis destiny

Category:

Christian, Hope, Poems

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Gift of Silence

June 12, 2013

The tawny hills with golden flecks
The summer’s air, the wilderness
The lazy buzzing of the bees
The grass that tickles calloused knees
The welcomeness of gentle breeze

All these and more my heart do swell
And then my soul says, “It is well”

The wilderness a sacrament
The vibrant stillness infinite
The wind that rustles in the trees
It seems that time will never cease

A window opens to a place
Which weary soul can now embrace
The gift of silence like to gold
My heart will ever, always hold

Category:

Creation, Nature, Poems, Spiritual

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Missing Men

May 29, 2013

Missing men and absent abbas,
Deadbeat dads and passive papas,
Men who have gone off to fight,
Men who seem to be off site,
Men who sit and read the news,
While their kids are so confused.

Men who don’t know how to be men,
‘Cause their dad was missing when …
As they grew up, there was an absence
In body, spirit, or emotional lapses.

God, our Father, we pray to thee:
Fill the gaps we cannot see.
Help the men who never learned
For family, wife, to be concerned.

Who might not know to show respect
To women — sometimes they in fact reject
The ones who dare to have a mind;
Some men have not learned to be kind.

Don’t get me wrong, the ones who fight —
The rough guys, tough guys, they’re all right.
I only hope they will include
Some kindness in the interlude.

Yes, dear men, you have a role
To care for wife and children’s soul.
And like us women who too have flaws,
To see God’s plan we must give pause.

Category:

Christian, Commentary, family, Poems

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Cruisin’ the Interstate

May 14, 2013

Lemons, tomatoes
Brimming over in trucks.
Big 16-wheelers
Between which we’re stuck.

Windmill propellers
Sixty feet long.
Convoy of army trucks;
Young men looking strong.

Low-riding race cars
Police were escorting.
Garlic aromas
And cattle all lowing.

Tall tandem bicycles
Built for a scream.
Cruisin’ on the highway
Was it a dream?

(2011)

Category:

Humor, Personal story, Poems

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The Twelve Steps Of Idiots Anonymous

May 8, 2013

Just in case people are not aware of the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, (for example, see
http://www.silkworth.net/aa/12steps.html ), this is a parody of that. I recently “joined” Idiots Anonymous, due to my mistakes regarding God’s love for me.

1) We admitted we were powerless over our blindness to God’s love — that our lives had become unmanageable.
2) Came to believe that His love could restore our sight.
3) Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4) Made a searching and fearless inventory of our blind spots.
5) Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our unbelief.
6) Were entirely ready to have God remove all the aspects of our blindness.
7) Humbly asked Him to remove our blindness.
8) Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9) Made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10) Continued to take inventory, and when we were blind or myopic, asked God for the grace to confess it.
11) Sought, through prayer and meditating on God’s word, to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12) Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to everyone we know, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Category:

Christian, Commentary, Hope, Spiritual

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The Proud One

May 4, 2013

My life is perfect;
I have no fears.
No qualms or worries,
No sighs, no tears.

While others fret
And have their crises,
I do not care;
I do my own thing.

I did it all
With my own sweat.
No help from others,
With no regret.

I don’t need God;
He’s for the weak.
My own glory
Do I seek.

But there’s one thing
I must admit.
It’s kind of lonely
Where I sit.

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Poems

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The Redwood

May 3, 2013

The redwood took
Two hundred years
To get so tall.

It took so long,
No one could tell
That it was strong.

Meanwhile,
The flowers around,
They were so proud.

But, their beauty great
Was quick to fade:
It was too late.

And still the redwood,
It did grow,
Though it was slow.

And now, the flowers,
They are gone,
But the redwood lives.

Category:

Poems

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