God allows us to go through trials so our faith will grow; then we can help others while glorifying Him.
From 1 Peter 1:6-7: “In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
Waiting
Endless wilderness
Lessons in patience
Mercy rewards faith’s journey
Perseverance
Feeding
Resurrection breathes
Faith carries righteousness
Mercy reigns over Cross
Redemption
Witnessing
Father’s love
Person to person
Sharing Spirit’s blessed light
Reflections
This poem is inspired by a song which has been sung by many artists. Bobby Darin and later Johnny Cash and June Carter recorded their versions of “If I Were a Carpenter.” The song was written by Tim Hardin, and other artists have recorded and performed the song as well. Here is Bobby Darin’s version: “If I Were a Carpenter.”
Photo by Christina Morillo on Pexels.com
If I was a teacher
Bringing energy, passion, and patience
Showcasing learning as school’s top feature
If I was a firefighter
Serving with unselfish duty and pride
Protecting all, making worries lighter
If I was an architect
Designing buildings for many uses
Looking ahead to challenging projects
If I was a farmer
Rising at dawn, working until sundown
Bringing a nation food, as God’s armor
If I was a nurse
Sharing with patient, compassionate care
Filling lives with hope, never for the worse
If I was a writer
Crafting words into stories and much more
Witnessing through eyes, open and brighter
If I was a musician
Creating good vibes through words and music
Entertaining songs’ perfect rendition
If I was a preacher
Instilling God’s Word within a church’s flock
Encouraged to be one of God’s teachers
If I was a soldier
Preserving peace and freedom in the world
Band of brothers, stand shoulder to shoulder
If I was a young tyke
Looking up to these inspiring adults
Growing up, each day feeling more alike
Photo by Wendy Wei on Pexels.com
Originally published March, 2020.
I am not the man I ought to be, I am not the man I wish to be and I am not the man I hope to be, but, by the grace of God, I am not the man I used to be.
From 1 Corinthians 15:10: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I but the grace of God that is with me.”
John Newton (1725-1807) was an English pastor who also was a writer of several hymns, including the beloved “Amazing Grace.” His early life is filled with contrasts, when compared to his later life. He served as a ship’s captain during the slave trade, but later renounced his work after his conversion to Christianity. He became an outspoken opponent of the slave trade later in his life.
From Colossians 1:13-14: “He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Looking down from Heaven
Observing broken world
Father, Son, and Spirit
Designing rescue’s lifeline
Dispatching Son to earth
Walking among sinners
Light’s rescue comes to save
Taking perfect human form
Witnessing Father’s love
Executing rescue
Journey to bloody Cross
Rebuilding faith’s cornerstone
Voiding enemy’s lies
Saving flawed humanity
God’s rescue overcomes
Replacing darkness with light
Paying man’s debts in full
Bearing each transgression
Through Son’s body and blood
Raising salvation’s rescue
From Acts 2:37-39: “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Him.'”
What you can’t go through on your own, God will help you fly over.
From Isaiah 40:31: “But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Woodrow Kroll (born 1944) is an American pastor, Christian author, and radio host. He has written over 50 books on the Bible and Christian living.
From 2 Peter 1:5-6: “For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with excellence, and excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.”
Maturing in faith
Together in love
Living more like Christ
Knowledge from above
Binding hearts as one
Growth in spirit blooms
Leading faith to choose
Trust fills every room
Moving faith forward
Gospel’s truth springs forth
Taking righteous path
Always toward true north
Confronting falsehoods
Firmest foundation
Insulating faith
Scripture’s narration
Walking in Christ’s steps
Each believer knows
Faith’s transforming Light
Fullness of life grows
From Colossians 2:6-7: “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
From John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
Stirred up, walk with Jesus
Taking mercy’s high ground
Sharing our Savior
Hope never wavers
Overjoyed with Jesus
Stepping forward to serve
Loving our Savior
Grace never wavers
Pumped up for Jesus
Witnessing to others
Trusting our Savior
Peace never wavers
Thrilled to follow Jesus
Accepting Him always
Blessing our Savior
Joy never wavers
Moved to be with Jesus
Praying for each other
Meeting our Savior
Trust never wavers
Excited for Jesus
Living in His Kingdom
Praising our Savior
Faith never wavers
From Philippians 1:6: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Discipline
Spiritual journey
Father’s daily conversation
Filling up tomorrow’s hope
Trust
Navigation
Feeling forsaken
Lost and alone
Hands folded, head bowed
Prayer
Vision
Stumbling, falling
Unable to see
Spirit nurtures with grace
Light
Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.
From Matthew 8:24-26: “A windstorm suddenly arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but He was asleep. And they went and woke Him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ And He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a dead calm.”
Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) was an American educator, philanthropist, and civil rights activist. A daughter of former slaves, she made a significant impact in the lives of many.
Big Sky Buckeye 