We must alter our lives in order to alter our hearts, for it is impossible to live one way and pray another.
From 1 John 1:8-10: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
Journey
Faith’s steps
Trusting in God
His love shall always
Sustain
Surrender
False notions
Accept Savior Jesus
True love frees us
Salvation
Jesus
With us
Sorrow lifted away
Reborn in our baptism
Messiah
You can’t have creativity unless you leave behind the bounded, the fixed, all the rules.
When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness.
American professor of literature, Joseph Campbell (1904-1987), was also a prolific writer about many aspects of the human experience. His best known book was The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949).
From Psalm 139:9-10: “If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me fast.”
Story of doomed community
Losing its way, darkness surrounds
Hunger fueling gang violence
Crying out, injustice abounds
Life crushed in spirit, wandering
Wrecking faith, living defeated
Racism walks with extremism
Bringing sin’s death, feeling cheated
From dark despair, running away
Running to us, God with His grace
Love and mercy fill empty cups
Accepting His gift, let’s embrace
God’s right hand covers this land
Striking out envy, hate, and greed
Spirit finds us lost in life’s fog
Plowing under each sin-filled seed
Chaos no longer shatters dreams
Offering true, forgiving peace
God’s right hand, never grows weary
Lifting up lives, shall never cease
From Psalm 89:13-14: “You have a mighty arm; strong is Your hand, high Your right hand. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before You.”
When you look at the Cross, what do you see? You see God’s awesome faithfulness.
From 1 John 4:9-10: “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
This poem is written in a traditional sonnet style with 14 lines, and each line contains 10 syllables. I was fortunate to witness this park one day before the rising temperatures would begin transforming the park from its winter look.
Invitation from warmer winter day
Insisting on afternoon nature hike
Snowy Walnut Woods, waiting with sunshine
Feeling welcome, childlike emotions strike
Deep snow lining each trail, bright white border
Dressing in cozy layers, feeling warm
Park’s newest treasures, eager to explore
Thankful for winter’s freedom from snowstorms
Ancient sycamore tree branches glisten
Discovering cross-country skiers’ trail
Beaver dam holds back frozen Big Run creek
Precious winter moments bless, without fail
Looming big thaw will erase winter’s scene
Memories filling life’s unending screen
If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?”
Feeling all alone
Facing dark, uncertain times—
God offers refuge
In life’s stressful times
His promises taking root—
Trusting in the Lord
Christ rises above
Life’s battered, darkest-filled ruins—
Beacon of love’s hope
The only true remedy for discouragement is to put our hope in God. He alone can give us the courage to persevere.
From Romans 8:28: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.”
Written and published in June, 2019, this poem witnesses acts of courage through Scripture and history. Each and every day, people from all walks of life exhibit unwavering courage in the face of overwhelming odds . . . and they succeed through the convictions found in their hearts.
Appreciate the substance and strength of courage
Witnessing acts of bravery that always encourage
History and the Bible endorse many courageous acts
Honoring men and women from these truthful facts
A lost and sinful world moves without direction
God offers a living sacrifice with His only Son
Witnessing mockery, death, and Resurrection
Dutch people step out from safe location
During a horrible world war’s persecution
Hiding people from arrest and deportation
God listens to His people in Egypt under bondage
Choosing Moses, He dispatches this man to deliver
Bravely leading Israel to freedom and a new age
In America, runaway slaves flee to seek new lives
A network of collaborators facilitate their escape
Following the Underground Railroad, they survive
The Philistines prepare Israel’s army for defeat
A young boy’s valor and faith astonishes everyone
With God, David brings down Goliath, at his feet
A young boy faces serious and critical circumstances
Cancer ravages and impairs his brain and small body
Facing pain-filled treatments, he accepts his chances
Saul persecutes Christians, constant and persistent
Jesus transforms him on the lonely road to Damascus
Apostle Paul moves forward as God’s faithful assistant
American soldiers confront an overwhelming fate
Fighting their way out at Korea’s Chosin Reservoir
Legendary deeds of bravery, they no longer wait
Jesus models the Spirit of God in humble, human form
He faithfully obeys His Father, toward a bloody Cross
Bringing Salvation to a world filled with endless storms
Big Sky Buckeye 