Monday Memories: Celebrate This Day

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Blessed sun rises, starting a new day

A precious day, under Lord’s watchful eyes

Celebrate this day, riding in love’s sleigh

Nothing ever holding back, watching doves fly

 

Singing of praises, blessing this fresh start

Jesus walking with us, our daily bread

Sharing this day, between loving sweethearts

Together, God’s Word keeps us full and fed

 

Our love sparks an endless celebration

God’s love filling hearts, fulfilling our fate

Singing songs, with love and adoration

Celebrate this day, love’s delightful taste

 

Jesus shares His joy, smiling from above

Making our joy complete, filling with love

  

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Faith’s Dilemma

From Romans 7:14-15:  “For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin.  I do not understand my own actions.  For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”

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Even after salvation

Evil gathers temptation

 

Satan never giving up

His truth always false, made-up

 

Man continues to wrestle

Sin looks for place to nestle

 

Feelings of condemnation

Life bears guilty fixation

 

Inner conflict tears apart

Jesus speaks truth to each heart

 

Faith’s dilemma overcome

Favored, steady, beating drum

 

Savior’s blood wipes sin away

Blessed by love, trust never sways

 

God’s grace eternally flows

His constant love never slows

 

Father shall never reject

Those who faithfully connect

 

False promises never blind

Truth of Scripture filling minds

 

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From Romans 8:1-2:  “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Networking with God (Elfchen Series #80)

Plugged In

Creator’s

Voice abounds

Truly humbling ourselves

Taking time to listen

Holiness

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Father’s House

Worship

Gospel’s constellation

Connecting with God

Scripture, prayer, and song

Praiseworthy

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Faith Fortified

Gospel

Shared daily

One on one

Proclaiming Lord’s Good News

Discipleship

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This series of poems (written in the German-inspired style of Elfchen or Elevenie) shares a total of eleven words in each poem, with a sequence by line of one, two, three, four, and one words.

Competitive Spirit

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So much of life keeps score

From elections to sports

Competitive spirit

Churns in daily reports

 

Life’s clashing resistance

Much at too high a cost

All want to be winners

Loving brothers, now lost

 

Division without love

Life without sportsmanship

Forgetting our manners

People losing their grip

 

Imagine Super Bowl

Unresolved final score

Fans calling for justice

Final outcome called for

 

Pushing aside tension

Leaving muckraker’s trough

Muting all rhetoric

Turning life’s scoreboard off

 

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Searching for Father

From Amos 5:4:  “For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:  Seek Me and live.”

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Searching for Father

Walking stark valleys

Running through darkness

Checking back alleys

 

Seeking divine Lord

Wandering each day

Sinking, lost again

Retreating to pray

 

Finding Calvary

Kneeling at sin’s cross

Seeing scarlet stains

Witnessing God’s loss

 

Feeling Christ’s Spirit

Scanning empty tomb

Understanding now

Reaching Father’s room

 

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From Amos 5:14:  “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said.”

Autumn’s Arrival (Haiku Series #156)

Bless You!

Allergy time peaks

Summer moves into autumn—

Ragweed in full bloom

Golden, flowering ragweed sprouting everywhere.

Splendid Transition

Summertime fading

Crisp, cool mornings signal change—

Autumn’s billboard colors

Autumn colors Ohio’s Chestnut Ridge Metro Park.

Poetic Time

Autumn comes knocking

Where have all the song birds gone?

Morning’s quiet peace

Quiet morning along the trail at Chestnut Ridge.

Monday Memories: Perfection

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Perfection Defined:

The condition of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects.

 

Striving for absolute perfection proves to be elusive

Life provides few examples that are always conclusive

 

Perfection in bowling

Rolling 12 strikes in a row

 

Perfect school attendance

No absences during an entire school year

 

Perfect gymnastics performance

Scoring an “improbable” 10.0

 

Perfect school exam score

All questions answered correctly

 

Perfect completion of a crossword puzzle

Every square correctly filled in

 

Perfect game in baseball

Pitcher retires all batters—no one reaches first base

 

Perfect grades in school

All A’s . . .  4.0 GPA

 

Standards have been made to measure perfection

Challenging all to achieve for greater satisfaction

 

Individual actions and results to be told

Defining a level of perfection to behold

 

A “perfect” vacation

What makes it the best ever?

 

A “perfect” photograph

What makes this image so brilliant?

 

A “perfect” job

What provides the greatest satisfaction at work?

 

A “perfect” health report

What makes these results outstanding?

 

A “perfect” marriage

What moments are forever beautiful?

 

Subjective perfection is short-lived for a good reason

Definitions and expectations change with each season

 

When we think that our best efforts fall short

Allow Christ to bring us back to our home port

 

His unblemished life is perfection for sure

We follow His example for lives more pure

 

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Divine Favor

From Ephesians 2:8:  “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

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Dead from our trespasses

Sin ruling over man

Living outside God’s law

Called to accept His plan

 

God opens grace-filled door

Cooling desires of flesh

Sharing His mercy’s love

Today begins afresh

 

Salvation accepted

Lord’s spring of grace will flow

Tasting divine favor

Mistakes washed white as snow

 

Life christened with God’s joy

Made alive in Jesus

Overcoming weakness

Lord’s divine grace frees us

 

Eternal age to come

Lord’s love shall see us through

Saving us from darkness

Grace through faith comes in view

 

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From 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:  “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’  So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”

Lifetime Journey (Elfchen Series #79)

Our Navigator

Adrift

Alone, separated

Lost in darkness

God shares His compass

Found

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Our Teacher

Believe

Follow Jesus

Learn from understanding

Scripture with greater fluency

Lifetime

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Our Lord

Spirit

Fills hearts

Hymns sing praises

Our mighty, awesome God

Love

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