Poems, Personal Stories, and Observations

Posts tagged ‘God’

Fall Surrounds Us

Leaves are turning, leaves are falling,
Temperatures cooling, wind is calling.

Sweaters appear, furnaces warming.
The wind gives a bite, and sometimes it’s storming.

Charities gear up — the donations appear.
We think of the homeless, ‘specially this time of year.

Sometimes it’s raining, or mainly just chill.
Kids hoping for winter — snow sleds and their thrill.

Leaves in the gutters, leaves on the roof.
Autumn has come; shorter days are the proof.

Yellow, orange, red — these colors surround us.
Sunflowers and pumpkins; nature astounds us.

Thanksgiving is coming, and then we recall —
The Giver of all gifts has given them all.

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One Song at a Time

One plant at a time,
I try to add beauty to this wretched world,
Envisioning a paradise
Of birds, bees, and bugs
(Except the itchy, painful ones).

One note at a time,
Then note upon note,
In harmonies I’ve sung with those
Who also strive for unity,
And making beauty.

One word at a time —
May I bring understanding,
Clarity, news, and views
That might, perhaps,
Change a life for good.

Yes, there’s pain and conflict,
Clashes, disagreements,
Strife and war —
But I want to open a door
To understanding.

“I came not to bring peace, but a sword.”
Truth will cause conflict,
So conflict there must be.

Does God sing in the universe,
One song at a time,
Making billions of songs
Harmonize?

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16 Tons …

Here are four renditions of the song “Sixteen Tons”. Which one is your favorite?
What an ode to a rough life — a working man’s blues. If you know nothing about
“company stores,” read up on it. Also, worth thinking about: where did such people
find hope — I think it would have to be in God — otherwise people turn to drink.

The original version by the original writer (Merle Travis):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pfVvqLM_e4

Fun version; seems to be filmed in a place not unlike Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9kb4-wUAU4

Incredible bass voice; English might not be his native language, but wonderfully done:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjevsnCRQ_A

Tennessee Ernie Ford; starts around 2:00 minute mark:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjmdEBgsu_g

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Commentary

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Lord, Take Me Home

Lord, take me home!
This world’s so full of woe
Sin and sadness all around —
Suffering abounds.

[…but where sin increased,
grace abounded all the more…]

Lord, how do I cope?
Please give me abundant hope.
Strengthen my song
And help me long …

For justice, peace,
Love and good will, until
All people love You,
And still ..

I’ll always long,
Until I can sing Your song.

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Hold On

Hold on; you’ve got to hold on.
Tough times come and go,
But beauty continues everywhere —
Lord, teach us to be aware.

You’re not alone; God is by your side.
He shares your pain; He shares your joy.
The universe sings of His love —
Hold on to the One from above.

Every pain is worth the joy.
Every heartache will be healed.
We don’t know all the reasons —
Still — hold on through the seasons!

One day we’ll see it’s all worth it.
All we went through becomes perfect.
A joy is waiting on the other side,
But you’ve got to hold on for the ride.

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How is Your Weather?

“How is your weather?”
We often say.
What if we meant,
“How is your day?”

What if we meant,
“How do you feel?
Tell me your story;
Tell me what’s real.”

“Tell me the longing
Deep in your heart,
Your joys and your sorrows —
That would be a good start.”

Longing for sunshine
On a dark, cloudy day?
Longing for peace –
Putting turmoil at bay?

Deep in our hearts,
Only God can fulfill
Our need for His love —
Let Him make your heart still.

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There Is Nothing …

In a recent Sunday homily, the priest stated, “There is nothing you can do to make God love you less.” Perhaps superfluously, I might restate what he said like this: “There is nothing [bad] you can do to make God love you less, [and there’s nothing good you can do to make Him love you more.]

The priest went on to say something like, “It is we who turn from God, not He from us. We’re afraid to come to Him after we’ve sinned, but He’s waiting for us with open arms. He wants us back.”

What is our response to such a love? It might be fear, grateful acceptance, or something else. Fear, because that kind of love might demand something of us that we’re not willing to give — perhaps letting go of our anger, unforgiveness, blaming others, bad habits, etc. Or, in realizing the immensity of that kind of love that no human can give us, an overwhelming gratitude that responds by giving to and serving others — and yes, letting go.

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Winter Creatures

All day long, the snow fell,
Softly, quietly; you couldn’t hear —
When your eyes were closed.

All the next day, we shoveled;
The mail was undelivered.
Could we hope for it the next day?
Or the next?

Yes, after dark the mail truck came,
One day, or two; some hours late,
Bringing news, and things to read;
The carrier freezing in his truck.

(But I’m hoping not –.
Do they wear electric suits,
Like astronomers, watching distant stars?}

I trudged out to get the mail,
And sorting it, found it not all ours.
Four pieces each, for neighbors next –
Should I venture out to deliver the rest?

Perhaps foolishly — yes, I went.
And on the way, looked to my left.
Two deer stood silently, watching me.
In the silence, dark, and cold,
We watched each other, warily.

Some days we see the animal tracks,
And even trails, worn in the snow.
Squirrels, birds, and chipmunks, too —
Deer and rabbits have passed through.

And today, with sun on snow,
A flash of red in bush does show.
A cardinal has come to eat
Some seeds I set out for a treat.

A rabbit came to our porch, too.
He tried some parsley, grass –
But few, the blades that he had picked to chew.

So blessed we are, with all these creatures,
God, through nature, a constant teacher.

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Passing Through

Passing through, don’t you know
We’re just passing through?
This journey of life, so full of strife —
We’re just passing through.

It’s all just a dream, or so it seems —
Sometimes a nightmare of terrors,
Or at it’s best — a comedy of errors.

The saints and sinners,
The losers, the winners.
The rich and famous,
The poor and infamous.
The weak, the strong,
The hopeful, the wrong.

All loved by God,
All beautiful in His eyes —
No time to compromise
His love for you.

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The Real Battle

For some weeks (even years, off and on), I had been burdened, even depressed, about two people close to me who seemed unconcerned about going to heaven, knowing and loving Jesus, and really are agnostic or atheist. I wondered if they had not come to faith through some fault in my own witness or character. I tried hard to show them love, and hopefully through my love, and the genuine love of other Christians, they might see their need for Jesus. At times when I got more explicit and asked about having a personal relationship with Jesus, it didn’t go as I’d hoped.

Then one day while pondering all this, this Scripture popped into my head: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12, NLT).” Suddenly I saw it all in a new way. This is not a battle between myself and others, but it’s a battle against evil forces that have influenced others negatively or even destructively. I even fight these battles within myself at times.

So, once again Scripture has set me free of a burden that I wasn’t meant to bear, at least the burden of blaming myself. Yes, I will pray and try to act on promptings from the Holy Spirit to share Jesus, but the outcome is not up to me.

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Personal story

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