Stormy clouds now gather
Reins held with steady hand
Confident in leadership
Vision meets each demand
Horizon sets choices
Consistency calls out
Dynamic in leadership
Navigates faithful route
World hungers for balance
Tempered with compassion
Gentleness in leadership
Efforts filled with passion
Opportunity breathes
From time-tested flagship
Decisive in leadership
Never loses its grip
Journey’s expectations
Surpassed with every test
Resilient in leadership
Finishes one more quest
From John 10:9-10: “I am the gate. Whoever enters by Me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
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Triumphantly
Jesus enters a joyous city
Jerusalem sings
Praising His name . . . Hosanna!
Witnessing
Emotional betrayal
Denying Christ
Then a rooster crows
Watching
Stunning procession fills the streets
Mocking with scorn
Would-be king, carrying our Cross
Hopes
Dashed by cruel Roman justice
Absent of sin
Son of Man, never to walk free
Numbness
With tears, seeing and hearing
Experiencing anguish
Horror at a blood-stained Cross
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Silence
Covering the land, Father weeps
Messiah suffers
Many rejecting our Holy God
Hearing
Good News on Easter morning
Our Savior
Defeating sin and death
Empty
Dark tomb proclaims God’s plan
Jesus Christ
Risen! Reigning forevermore
Connecting
Dots between manger and Cross
Our Father
Love for us never wanes
Lingering
In the shadow of a criminal’s cross
Singing Alleluia!
To lasting, true meaning of the Cross
Glory
Residing forever in the Cross
Good Shepherd
Caring for His precious flock
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From Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God–not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”
Originally published April, 2020.
I think if you have a passion for what you do then there are no limitations on how long or how much you can accomplish.
I have an awful lot to learn. My dream is to get better and better as I get older. (This Twitter post was published in 2014 when Bennett was in his mid-80s.)
Tony Bennett (1926-2023) was an American jazz and pop singer. His performances and recording were some of the most acclaimed of his generation.
One of the important qualities that I think is often overlooked is just energy. It’s vitality, and sort of a life force that some people have and others don’t.
Whatever it is that you do, if you have that passion and desire for it, that’s the most important thing.
Doris Kearns Goodwin (born 1943) is an American biographer and historian. In 1995, she received the Pulitzer Prize for History from her work on a biography about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II. She has also worked as sports journalist.
In our finest hours, though, the soul of the country manifests itself in an indication to open our arms rather than to clench our fists.
Politicians often talk too much and listen too little, which can be self-defeating.
Jon Meacham (born 1969) is an American writer, historian, and American President biographer. He is currently the Canon Historian of the Washington National Cathedral. He has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Biography from his published work about American President Andrew Jackson.
A church is not a church when the passion for souls is gone.
From Matthew 10:28: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Lee Roberson (1909-2007) was an American pastor, evangelist, and Christian author.
Galaxy of words
Waiting to be tapped
Crafting from stardust
Pleasantly gift-wrapped
Visionary words
Stirring with brilliance
Enchanting journey
Story’s resilience
Wizardry of words
Taking center stage
Spellbinding verses
Poetry’s new age
Writer’s gifted words
Singing with passion
Finding fresh magic
Vocal compassion
Endless cache of words
Weaving life’s heartbeat
Drafting each new page
Adventure’s front seat
Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.
Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.
In December, 1989, the Romanian Revolution ignited with passion which would no longer wait in silence. The rest of the Eastern Bloc countries under Soviet influence had already experienced peaceful change from communist dictatorships. Under Nicolae Ceausescu’s harsh leadership, Romania was the final holdout as the democratic wave of freedom blitzed across Eastern Europe. This poem shares some of this revolution’s story.
Ruthless, authoritarian rule controls the cards
Harsh, brutal regime crushes dissenting voices
Quietness hides the remaining, burning embers
Daily life conceals wounds, offering few choices
Citizens endure lack of even the basic needs
Challenging days, facing endless heartbreak
Darkest days of winter, hunger and little heat
Voices stifled, experiencing numbing heartache
Freedom routed, plummeting to rock bottom
System of repression forcefully controls lives
Defiant opposition, beaten down to nothing
Dictator’s untruths cover up with empty lies
Scattering of small voices continues to speak out
Smoldering protests fueled with hungry passion
Government crackdowns to silence any dissent
Voices growing bolder, backed with compassion
Massive protests ignite courage in a distant city
“Timisoara” becomes a rallying cry for liberation
Unexpectedly, dark and evil house of cards folds
Season of change witnesses rebirth of a nation
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Knowledge is the treasure of a wise man.
Passion is the mob of the man, that commits a riot upon his reason.
Big Sky Buckeye 