Clear
Path ahead
Father’s guiding light
Spirit’s daily, quiet intervention
Conscience
Righteous
Fatherly lessons
Understanding, character counts
Faith’s season of grace
Integrity
Experience
Father’s goodness
Backed with love
Endurance, walking with peace
Self-control
Nestling with Christmas warmth
Dreaming of winter’s snow
Gliding down peaceful slopes
Beside lofty chateau
Sleeping with cherished peace
Hearing each silver bell
Waiting expectations
Mystery’s carousel
Ringing red kettle’s bell
Giving from grateful heart
Letting go of some cash
Someone’s life will restart
Quickening steps now stop
Finding one final gift
Sharing love with others
Purchase completes this shift
Gazing into night’s sky
Drifting, tiny snowflake
Inviting even more
Ground swells from snowy quake
Blessing midnight’s entrance
Painting whitest landscape
Witnessing lighted tree
Christmas dreams taking shape
The Christmas season can mean different things to many people, but residing in its heart just might be these words as written by American Congressman William Carey Jones (1855-1927): “The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each other’s burdens, easing others’ loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.”
From Colossians 4:5-6: “Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.”
Words, each matter
Jesus leading
Seasoned with salt
Prayer feeding
Words filled with peace
Jesus imparts
Seasoned with grace
Mercy fills heart
Words magnify
Jesus’ teachings
Seasoned with love
Change far-reaching
Words quieting
Jesus transforms
Seasoned with faith
Now empty storms
Words share wisdom
Jesus’ sixth sense
Seasoned with truth
Gospel’s defense
Words new pathway
Jesus affirms
Seasoned with salt
Goodness confirms
From Luke 6:45: “The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil, for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.”
London’s pause in time
Laboring around the clock—
Resetting Big Ben
Wandering nowhere
Years of thoughtful rebuilding—
Now going somewhere
Performance delayed
Searching for absent cello—
Airline’s missing case
From the words of American pastor and Christian evangelist, Vance Havner: “Life is a series of choices between the bad, the good, and the best. Everything depends on how we choose.”
Photo by Martin on Pexels.com
Our daily walk encounters many tests
Life’s decisions shall never be easy
Facing a series of heartfelt choices
Sometimes feeling so alone and uneasy
Quality decisions lead life forward
God’s Word and righteousness always shining
Making choices, pleasing to our Father
Our Lord’s love, His sacred silver lining
God chooses our Savior—His Holy Son
Jesus becomes our faithful source of life
Bringing lasting redemption to ourselves
Hope-filled Cross saving the foolish from strife
Our Father calls many, few are chosen
His chosen, precious cornerstone—Jesus
Believing in Him, never put to shame
Living by faith through our Lord, who frees us
Jesus chooses us in His Father’s name
Days ahead offer bounties of treasures
Following His love and wealth of teachings
Therefore, bear lasting fruit through His measures
Photo by Marius Venter on Pexels.com
From 2 Corinthians 5:6-7: “So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord–for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Originally published May, 2020.
From Luke 2:13-14: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favors!'”
Appearing to shepherds
Waiting near Bethlehem
Angels rekindle hope
Peace transforms world’s mayhem
Fulfilling promises
Trusting heavenly light
Hope overflows from grace
Peace shall be born this night
Vanquishing world’s darkness
Opening mankind’s eyes
Faith nurtured with new hope
Peace becoming lie-size
Favoring with goodness
Leveling each mountain
Hope sharing blessed gift
Peace fills mercy’s fountain
Blessing with grateful joy
Praising from high above
Savior’s birth bearing hope
Peace transcending with love
Advent Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we remember and reflect upon this Advent season, assist us in turning our hearts toward You as we approach the birth of Your blessed Son. Encourage us to celebrate the gifts received from that very first Christmas: hope, peace, joy, and love. Amen.
As we leave to go on with the rest of our day or night, here is an Advent hymn to send us out with reverent hearts filled with hopeful peace, “Watchman, Tell Us of the Night.”
Morning’s
Faithful sunrise
Gifted from Father
Love opens another window
Hope
Prayer’s
Comforting conversation
Father’s faithful presence
Nourishes another hungry heart
Hope
Evening’s
Glorious sunset
Created by Father
Faithful tomorrow always waiting
Hope
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.
Autumn’s graying face
Sunshine taking cover
Landscape’s serenity
Going undercover
Snowflakes in forecast
Temperatures plummet
What will overnight bring?
Joining winter’s summit
Morning cold descends
Snowfall blankets each road
Nature playing her cards
Covering each zip code
Snow calls in favors
Wintertime’s gifts galore
Arctic airstream arrives
Drafting each snowplow corps
Winter’s carousel
Endless fun disembarks
Children grab toboggans
Sledding’s snowy footmarks
From Psalm 103:8: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”
Praising God eternal
His merciful grace reigns
Steadfast, abounding love
Unshackling evil’s chains
Praising almighty God
His glory always reigns
Filled with merciful love
Blessing life, changing lanes
Praising God’s steady hand
His endless grace shall reign
Forgiveness, heals with love
Boarding heavenly train
Praising God’s Holy name
Spirit coming to reign
His mercy shared with love
Covering distant plains
Praising God’s divine plan
Son’s kingdom born to reign
Taste lasting, grace-filled love
Washing white, sinful veins
From the words of American pastor and theologian, Eugene Peterson: “God is sheer mercy and grace.”
Rescinding harsh tongue
Letting kindness step forward—
Spoken thoughts matter
Always one by one
Each day shares discoveries—
Lifetime of blessings
Overcoming noise
Words beautiful and caring—
Inner peace colors
Big Sky Buckeye 