Jesus Comes Near

adventure arid arizona barren

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Life’s wilderness breathes–this dark, lonely place

Falling away with sin, feeling disgraced

Searching for hope’s light, weary of darkness

Shame and guilt unmask tracks, never erased

 

Coming to this place, filled with prickly thorns

Plowing straight through, left bloody and battered

Searching for new hope, never forgotten

This harsh life’s future, forever shattered

 

Ominous clouds loom over horizon

Lightning strikes, temple curtain torn in two

Searching for a fresh start, to be reborn

Plodding into darkness, absent of clues

 

Deserving life’s worst, approaching the Pit

End of time arrives, stop and surrender

Searching for God’s Grace, feeling forsaken

Heavens brighten up, with newfound splendor

 

Stumbling steps make haste, Eternity waits

From bloody Cross, hope springs from empty tomb

Searching and accepting, come near this Cross

Salvation through Christ, our Father’s heirloom

 

Jesus beckons, come forward, taking knee

Bring sin’s burdens to the Cross, forever free

From Titus 2:11-13:  “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives hat are self-controlled, upright,and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” 

art cathedral christ christian

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Elfchen Series #11 (Life)

Hello Sunshine

Winter

Gray skies

Ten days straight

Another day looms ahead

Sunshine

photography of bare trees near river

Photo by Jonathan Petersson on Pexels.com

 

Stumbling

Arrogance

Blind confidence

Swiftly racing ahead

Foolish, without good sense

Crashing

sea waves splashing

Photo by Simon Clayton on Pexels.com

 

The Best

Winter

Morning Walk

Peace with nature

Crunchy snow-covered trails

Tranquility

alone branches bridge bright

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Forever Awesome

From Psalm 92:1-2:  “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your steadfast love in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night.”

brown and white rock mountain

Photo by Mike Andrei on Pexels.com

Awesome God

Watching over us

His lasting, eternal Creation

 

From Heaven

His sovereignty covers

Always faithful in devotion

 

His greatness

Prevails over all

As the Most High

 

Standing above

His wisdom proclaims

Past, present, and future

 

His work

Scatters His enemies

Bringing gladness and joy

 

Our Father

Assuring, unselfish love

Reaching deeply into souls

 

Heavenly Father

Standing tall forever

Above any and all

 

Our Rock

He stands mightily

Each and every day

 

Forever awesome

His transforming power

Offers gift of Grace

 

Always upright

For the righteous

His path to Salvation

woman standing on the cliff

Photo by julie aagaard on Pexels.com

 

 

 

 

Morning Venture

architecture blur buildings cars

Photo by Simon Robben on Pexels.com

Winter’s journey, preparing to expire

Arctic cold and wet snow, moving aside

Back in the neighborhood, spirit on fire

More than ready, empty sidewalk can’t hide

 

Dressed in layers, protected from the brisk air

Total darkness masks the pre-dawn heavens

Not even the moon can offer a flare

This walk takes off, two hours before seven

 

The pace awakens long-dormant muscles

Stay alert, skewed sidewalk lurking ahead

Heading for home, the final pace hustles

This quiet journey, beats sleeping in bed

 

Coming days welcome a season of spring

Allowing more walks, a waiting heart sings

photo of vintage stationery

Photo by Ylanite Koppens on Pexels.com

 

 

Haiku Series #59 (With God)

New Day 

In the pre-dawn glow

God’s light guides us to a start—

Witness a new day

man sitting on edge facing sunset

Photo by Abhiram Prakash on Pexels.com

 

Hallelujah!

Resurrection sings

Jesus is indeed alive—

Praise and follow Him

backlit cemetery christianity clouds

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

God Stands Near

Out of the darkness

Comes an opportunity—

Be silent, listen

two persons standing on road surrounded by trees

Photo by Trace Hudson on Pexels.com

Monday Memories: Morning Rain

green and red plants inside greenhouse

Photo by Brianna Martinez on Pexels.com

Raining heavily, this quiet Monday begins abnormally slow

Foregoing my usual morning walk, creating a tranquil flow

 

Drinking the day’s first cup of coffee, feeling absolutely fine

Enjoying the calmness and gray skies, for yet another time

 

Reading from the Bible, reflecting on God-inspired devotions

Feeling relaxed and silently focused, without much emotion

 

Listening to favorite old songs, tuning up a heartfelt smile

Realizing that my bike waits again, for some indoor miles

 

Praying to the Lord that my family enjoys a great day

Knowing that He will bring them peace along the way

 

Editing some poetry lines, now looking nearly ready to post

Searching for another thought, crafting words which boast

 

Appreciating another morning, more than ever before

Absorbing it into my soul, feeling delightfully restored

 

Looking forward to tomorrow morning, whatever it brings

Facing a day flowing with rain, lifting up this heart to sing

 

Destined for Triumph

This poem is a sister poem which has been written as a follow-up to a previous poem “Destined for Nowhere.”  If you haven’t read this poem yet, you may want to read it before viewing this poem.

From Isaiah 9:6:  “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon His shoulders; and He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

asphalt dark dawn endless

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Standing in the middle of “Nowhere”

Why should we even bother to care?

 

God answers, showing His Holy plan

Coming to earth, as the Son of Man

 

Bringing hope to a broken, darkened world

God’s love brings light, forever unfurled

 

Angels praise this Holy promise, yet to come

Christ promises life, no longer feeling numb

 

There is a new King in town, follow Him

His will defeats the Enemy, and our sin

 

Dust yourself off, bending a knee, and pray

God, the Father, loves us with plenty to say

 

From a cruel Cross, Jesus sheds blood for all

Forgiving our eternity of debts, is His call

 

Our Almighty Creator delivers His commands

Now come to taste His love, forever it stands

 

Christ offers the only path to Salvation

Remold our lives, flooded with stagnation

 

Believe Jesus, accept the Christ, follow Him

Step forward, forever freed from our sins

 

Through the Messiah, comes a risen taste

Destined for triumph, no longer disgraced

photo of a pathway in a forest

Photo by Artem Saranin on Pexels.com

Destined for Nowhere

man wearing black hoodie standing on concrete pavement at night

Photo by Mudassir Ali on Pexels.com

Life seems to intercept my best plans

Always leaving me with empty hands

 

Been knocked down more times than most

Perhaps, I should migrate toward the coast

 

Yet, I still survive most days, somehow

Rising again from the bloody canvas—Pow!

 

Standing alone, a battered warrior of one

Others followed promises to a faded sun

 

Every day delivers a fresh, new battle

Each minute of every hour, embattled

 

Trying to stand taller for a view

No time to rest, until I’m through

 

Life serves up more lessons to inhale

Ocean’s tides never wait for a gale

 

In my youth, destined for great fame

My dreams shattered, life now so lame

 

Standing in the middle of “Nowhere”

Why should I even bother to care?

photo of woman in floral dress sitting alone on a log by the beach overlooking the horizon

Photo by Mustofa Rizky on Pexels.com

Haiku Series #58 (Life)

Riding Free

Riding my Harley

Opening the throttle wide—

Where’s Easy Rider?

man wearing black leather jacket riding cruiser motorcycle on road

Photo by MARK ELLIOTT on Pexels.com

 

No More War

Peace around the world

Church bells proclaiming His joy—

Wars gone forever

arches architecture bell church

Photo by Adrijana on Pexels.com

 

Togetherness

We need each other

Standing in community—

Never sail alone

blue boats daylight island

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Five More Minutes

lighthouse

Photo by Anand Dandekar on Pexels.com

The elderly man’s final strength turns to run

His long, full life now enters its final sunset

Recalling the good times, craving a bit more

“Five more minutes” before the setting sun

 

Swapping one more story, with my dear Dad

His role in life, serving as my own launch pad

 

Listening to Neil Diamond, singing one more song

He conveys my love for “America”—forever strong

 

Taking extra time to say, “I sincerely apologize”

For actions which turned out bad, not very wise

 

Please God, just five more minutes . . .

 

Fishing the Madison River, time for one more cast

Herb standing ready, with a memory from the past

 

Experiencing one more awe-inspiring sunrise

One only God can create, His lasting surprise

 

Sharing a moment, with a special great-grandchild

Before falling back to sleep, she winks and smiles

 

Please God, just five more minutes . . .

 

Witnessing fresh, fallen snow—pristine white

Pine trees show off under moon’s bright light

 

Stepping into a high school classroom once more

Taking notes from the elite of the teaching corps

 

Witnessing a Big Montana Sky, fetches a smile

Please allow me to see, at least one more mile

 

Please God, just five more minutes . . .

 

Traveling to a place, never seen before

Anxious to view, what’s really in store?

 

Sharing with my bride, “I love you” one more time

Enduring heartbeats and affection, forever rhyme

 

Asking my Heavenly Father, for forgiveness

My risen Lord and Savior, being my witness

 

Thank you God for these five more minutes!

silhouette of mountains with cross

Photo by Fernando Andrade on Pexels.com