Praise and Glory

From Psalm 86:12:  “I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.”

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Singing blessings to the Lord

Sovereign God from heaven

Filled with all praise and glory

Grace-filled salvation beckons

 

True author of Creation

God of love with healing touch

Destined for praise and glory

Always faithful in the clutch

 

From morning into the night

His mercy and compassion

Eternal praise and glory

Guiding, leading with passion

 

Always hearing our voices

Observing our helplessness

Love-inspired praise and glory

His goodness and righteousness

 

Confessing to our Father

Proclaiming His perfect power

Sharing His praise and glory

His faithful love never sours

 

Seeking God in our distress

Cast each idol in the fire

Grace-filling praise and glory

Holy Spirit never tires

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From Galatians 5:22-24:  “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  There is no law against such things.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Cookies, Books, and Coffee (Haiku Series #93)

Ain’t Fun

Bag of Oreos

Milk missing in the ice box—

Now singing the blues!

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Say What?

I’ve read some good books

Me as well . . . a plethora—

Never read that one

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Oh No!

Need to hurry home

Checking out at the market—

Forgetting coffee!

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Spiritual Messengers

From the words of Scottish evangelist and Christian teacher, Oswald Chambers:  “We are not turned into spiritual mediums, but into spiritual messengers; the message must be part of ourselves.”

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Our time here on this earth

Limited and finite

Humble servants of God

Carry on the good fight

 

Called to spread the Good News

Find one person at a time

Urged to evangelize

Sharing God’s paradigm

 

Giving us strength in faith

Our Lord standing with us

Invite all to listen

Proclaim His truth, a plus

 

As our God’s messengers

Hearts broken by our flaws

Baptized by Holy Spirit

Drafted into His cause

 

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From 2 Timothy 4:2:  “Proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.”

Charles Stanley Quote

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God wants us to remain steadfast in the face of affliction and temptation.  It’s important to remember that faith doesn’t rescue us from all this but will get us through it.

From Hebrews 11:39-40:  “Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.”

Headlines Share Goodness

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Comet Neowise visible in nighttime sky

Brightness adds wonder with this fly by

 

Book lover yearns for a single, big library room

Books scattered throughout a house consumed

 

War veteran’s birthday reaches milestone of five score

Celebrating with drive-by parade, lasting love adores

 

David Lee Roth allows his artwork to do all the talking

Van Halen singer creates vibrant drawings, all rocking

 

Backyard farming brings garden-variety experiment

Mix of triumphs and failures sparks life’s merriment

 

Michigan man creates million dollar treasure quest

Buried jewelry, precious metals, antiques—no jest!

 

Teachers making investment in beneficial skills

Determined to make remote learning fit the bill

 

Old hardware stockpile offers newest treasures

Ghosts of hardware past make lasting pleasures

 

Hosting backyard movies invites welcome distraction

Adding drive-in movies as summer’s main attraction

 

Family should earn a doctorate for raising four boys

Each becomes a surgeon, filled with talented poise

 

Pandemic increases customer demand for reading material

Shoppers buying books and paperbacks along with cereal

 

Probe, rover, and drone plan to scrutinize planet Mars

Called Hope, Perseverance, Ingenuity—heavenly stars

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Life Lessons (Elfchen Series #25)

Life Rewards

Character

Built slowly

Over one’s lifetime

Integrity becomes a habit

Precious

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Making It 

Life

Trekking uphill

Reaching its summit

Fulfilling journey never ends

Perseverance

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Starting Over

Discipline

Sometimes lacking

Daily excuses strike

Replace with fresh renewal

Determination

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The German-inspired poetry style of Elfchen (or Elevenie) contains five lines of poetic verse, usually without the use of rhyming verses.  A total of 11 words are used with a sequence of one, two, three, and four words before ending with a single word in the final verse.

Chains Broken and Free

From Titus 3:4-7:  “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.  This Spirit He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

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Running life’s perpetual marathon

Searching for finish line, never in sight

Scaling boundless mountains, summits hidden

Paddling always upstream, with all our might

 

Living foolishly through sin-filled choices

Thinking daily good works shall pay our way

Falling down exhausted, never enough

Realizing God brings His goodness each day

 

Loving us with kindness, comes the Father

Giving to us freely, eternal Grace

Sharing His Holy Word, wrapped in mercy

Renewing Holy Spirit will embrace

 

Chained in darkness as unrighteous sinners

Witnessing now—a mournful, blood-stained tree

Paying for our life’s transgressions in full

Accepting Jesus, chains broken and free

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From the words of American pastor and Christian teacher, Charles Stanley:  “There is only one way to receive our heavenly Father’s favor, and that’s by faith in His Son, who did all the work for us.”

Faithful God (Haiku Series #92)

Faith

Waiting for the Lord

Our hearts filling with gladness—

Trust His Holy plan

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Always Here

Asking God, “Why me?”

Feeling unprepared for Him—

He will walk with us

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Never Forsaken

Make our hearts ready

Hearing, serving, witnessing—

Quench our thirsty souls

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Monday Memories: Music Comes Alive

My wife and I had the pleasure of attending the 2019 Buckeye Country Superfest.  We arrived early and stayed until the big show ended.  We had perfect seats and enjoyed our time.

Welcome to the Buckeye Country Superfest from Ohio Stadium on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

Country music fans assemble at the “Shoe”

Sitting in Ohio Stadium offers quite a view

 

Buckeye Country Superfest fills the place

Hungering for “Country”—ready to taste

 

Football won’t be on the agenda this Saturday

Filling the Horseshoe with music and fun today

 

Pleasurable, comfortable June weather arrives

Assuring five performers will sing, full and alive

 

Raelynn, Midland, and Chris Janson arrive here

Adding their unique music for everyone to hear

 

Blake Shelton and George Strait close out the night

Singing memorable hits under the stars, what a sight

 

Aspiring, fresh talent Raelynn launches the show

Sharing her lovely voice, with music ready to go

 

Midland’s Texas honky-tonk excites the crowd

Harmonizing and powerful performers—Wow!

 

Their astounding ability to entertain and sing

Recognizing this trio possess talent to bring

 

Rising star Chris Janson comes out on the stage

Energizing, bold music thrills people of any age

 

He humbling witnesses about his rich Christian faith

Gathering his incredible voice, what music he makes

 

The evening definitely isn’t ready to stop, not at all

Waiting in the wings, the biggest talents stand tall

 

Blake Shelton performs an array of hit after hit

Pumping up the crowd to a frenzy, few ever sit

 

He turns the stadium into a church with “God’s Country”

Blessing an audience in the middle of Buckeye Country

 

Blake prepares the gathering for the “real” King

Walking out now, George Strait steps up to sing

 

The King of Country Music sings to everyone

Witnessing his classic tunes is so much fun

 

His band “Ace in the Hole” adds to the grand night

George sings “Amarillo by Morning” . . . Goodnight! 

Forsaking Temptation

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Our Lord Jesus

Following baptism at the Jordan River

Led by the Spirit, His Holy Caregiver

 

Traveling into the barren wilderness darkness

Facing the enemy’s temptation, its starkness

 

Fasting and praying over forty long days and nights

Comforted and encouraged by His Father’s might

 

Famished with hunger

Cunning enemy of darkness makes his empty sales pitch

Tempted to turn stone into bread, Jesus will never switch

 

Jesus answers:

“One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”

 

Taken to the Holy City

From the top of temple’s highest pinnacle

Desperate enemy becomes ever cynical

 

Tempted to plunge Himself down to the ground

Mocking Jesus, God’s angels should be around

 

Jesus responds:

“Again it is written, Do not put the Lord your God to the test”

 

Arriving at the highest summit

Viewing below, this kingdom’s richness and vastness

No one can ever remain faithful with steadfastness

 

Come, worship the enemy’s empty, deceitful shrine

Tempted to accept this false kingdom, never Mine

 

Jesus refutes:

“Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him”

 

We, ourselves, facing similar darkest temptations

Jesus stood firm, through God’s sound foundation

 

We are blessed with much the same encouragement

Read, study, follow the Bible without discouragement

 

Accepting and following Jesus, our Holy Savior and Lord

Through Salvation to Eternal Life, choose God’s accord

 

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The Scripture verses come from Matthew 4:4, 4:7, and 4:10.