Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds; fill it up with sunshine, kind words, and kind deeds.
From 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22: “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was an American poet and educator. Born in Portland, Maine, he has long been remembered for being one of New England’s fireside poets.
Man joined with woman
Sharing love throughout each day—
Breath of daily grace
Sun rises each morn
Togetherness in spirit—
Forever in love
Love’s eternal flame
Burning by day as well as night—
Lifetime’s treasured gift
From 2 Peter 1:5-7: “For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness 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.”
Our Father’s goodness
Glory, God and King
Bless and praise His name
Mighty greatness sings
Through generations
Honor His great deeds
Infinite wisdom
God’s faithful Word leads
Glorious splendor
Kingdom never ends
Eternal, Holy
Wondrous works, God sends
From Psalm 145:8-9: The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and His compassion is over all that He has made.”
His greatness declares
Lord everlasting
Praising righteousness
Mercies broadcasting
Cries, our Father hears
From darkness, redeemed
He stands, always near
God’s goodness, esteemed
Truth, call upon God
Grace, freely given
Love, witness a Cross
Sins, now forgiven
From the words of American pastor and Christian author, Charles Swindoll: “There are four words I wish we would never forget, and they are ‘God keeps His word.'”
From Psalm 17:15: “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding Your likeness.”
Darkness surrounds
Searching for light
God’s vision breathes
Faith’s trusted Knight
Peace from God’s Word
Lighting new road
Vision forgives
Mercy’s love code
Conscience wakens
Beholding God
Renewed vision
No longer flawed
Prayer’s answers
Hearing God’s voice
Hope’s fresh vision
Truth’s blessed choice
Purest in heart
Tasting God’s grace
Joy’s vision found
Faith’s trusted place
From Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
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
Evening’s darkness deepens
Silence now awakens
Nature never rests
While daylight feels forsaken
Gentle spirit’s exhale
Dreams stand ready to climb
Day now forgotten
Headlines swallowed up in time
Starlight scatters its dust
World seemingly asleep
Patience to unfold
Caught up in submerging deep
Harmony’s dawn rises
New day set to embrace
Morning shares goodness
Propelled by bountiful grace
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.”
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.
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.
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.”
