Faith’s
Divine garden
Seeded without weeds
Nourished with Living Water
Maturity
Hope’s
Fertile soil
Cultivated with grace
Sunrise offers endless bounty
Harvest
Joy’s
Fruitful journey
Sustained with love
Sown with trusted hands
Gratitude
If you seek to please men, you can never be a servant of the Lord.
From Psalm 100:1-2: “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing.”
Zac Poonen (born 1939) has been serving the Lord as a Christian Bible teacher for nearly 60 years in his home country of India.
From Psalm 146:1-2: “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.”
Sunrise filling eastern sky
Singing praises to God’s love
Trusting in His divine Word
Hope breathes form heavens above
New day faithfully arrives
Reigning forever with grace
Nourishing with righteousness
Hope breathes from Savior’s birthplace
Prophecy’s promises true
Holding mercy in His hands
Sending His Son in man’s place
Hope breathes from Father’s heartland
Faith pursues with endurance
Approaching eternal light
Witnessing redemption’s peace
Hope breathes from Christ’s risen flight
Savior’s precious blood now shed
Granting forgiveness of sins
Calling all to walk with Him
Hope breathes from His love within
From 1 Timothy 6:12: “Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
Jesus must become the heart of my heart, the fire of my life, the love of my soul, the bridegroom of my spirit.
From Ephesians 3:16-17: “I pray that, according to the riches of His glory, He may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.”
Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) was a Dutch priest, professor, writer, and theologian.
Alone and isolated
Empty calendar pages
Absent family and friends
Life walking in Dark Ages
Hour’s darkest shadows lengthen
Day’s hope missteps and stumbles
Sudden tears, any moment
Faith now tumbles, then crumbles
Day awakens, same old drill
Memories fade, bit by bit
Miles from nowhere, so alone
Silence fills heart, not close-knit
Few good days dwarfed by bad ones
Sunny smiles becoming few
Lonely heart needs titan’s lift
Shining light makes its breakthrough
Make it a point today to reach out to someone who could use a warm hug, a trusting smile, or a kind word. Lonely hearts fill many people with emptiness; share your light.
Originally published January, 2021.
From Luke 17:5-6: “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.'”
Remaining at life’s station
Waiting, always watching
Living with righteousness
Faith’s vision of salvation
Trusting in hope’s fortitude
Adopting God’s patience
Committing to His ways
Faith in Him shall be renewed
Believing in Savior’s grace
Facing life’s rising tides
Revealing light to come
Faith rekindled to embrace
Repenting of sinful ways
Floundering no longer
Accepting forgiveness
Faith powering up each day
Pulsating heart filled with joy
Hearing God’s truthful voice
Witnessing through Christ’s love
Faith gathers peace to deploy
English hymnwriter and theologian, Frederick William Faber (1814-1863), wrote the hymn “Faith of Our Fathers” in 1847. The lyrics reflect upon an inspiring vision of faith at work.
The burden God places on each of us is to become who we are meant to be. We are most fully ourselves when Christ most fully lives in us and through us.
From 1 John 2:5-6: “Whoever obeys His word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we know that we are in Him: whoever says, ‘I abide in Him,’ ought to walk in the same way as He walked.”
Andrew Peterson (born 1974) is an American Christian singer-songwriter and author.
Witnessing
Man’s shortcomings
Our perfect Father
Christ’s victory at Calvary
Grace
Embracing
Gospel’s truth
Salvation’s precious breath
Forwarding gift of peace
Light
Becoming
Christ followers
Trust’s precious steps
Taking up thy cross
Disciples
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.
You do not need a great faith, but faith in a great God.
From Isaiah 41:10: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with My victorious right hand.”
Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) was a British-born Christian missionary. He spent 54 years in China.
From John 15:10-11: “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
Rejoicing with Father
Peace quiets every storm
Joy’s spirit transforms heart
Nurturing, always warm
Learning from Father’s Word
Faith nourished, always trust
Joy sails on eagle’s wings
Bringing light, always just
Receiving Father’s grace
Precious gift of each day
Joy cascades from His love
Rising sun, never gray
Walking in Father’s steps
Hope breathes with every stride
Joy’s anticipation
Filling outlook with pride
Kneeling at Father’s feet
Gratitude sweeps ashore
Joy flowing with gladness
Entering Heaven’s door
From the words of American evangelist, Bill Bright: “The joy of God is experienced as I love, trust, and obey God.”
Big Sky Buckeye 