Thursday, January 31, 2013

The Dead Man's Poem



The Dead Man's Poem


Word of God speaks:  Come forth!
How do my dead ears hear?
How can my dead eyes see?
What? These limbs three days in the grave
Have strength to stand? To walk?
How am I able to unfurl the wrappings of the dead
That encircle my body?
Oh! The stench of my rotting flesh overpowers
Even the burial spices.
How can this dead nose sense these fragrances?
I was dead.
God has given me life!

Word of God speaks: Believe!
Pierce with Sword of  Spirit in my dead ears;
Strip the scales of blindness from my eyes!
God, raise me to walk in newness of life,
Grant me strength in You to stand;
Spirit of Christ quicken life in my soul
No boast, no work can I do, just receive!
No righteousness of my own, His given to me!
No place in  heaven can I earn, trust Him!
How can I, so wretched and full of sin,
Be cleansed by Your shed blood
You have given me eternal life!

You've Come With Me







You've Come With Me

When I asked you to join me,
I admit I did not really see
what lie before us around the corner.

I had much in the way of dreams
that worked only in my head, it seems
Until we got to each of the places.

I found I had nothing to hold
except visons and plans so bold
With a tear I look into your eyes now.

I feel that I have let you down;
that you may be sad with what you found
here together holding my hand.

We still may have days to go.
The future I still do not know.
but I'm glad you've come with me.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Be All There

Be All There
January 22, 2013
 
Being there doesn't preclude wanting to be there
Wanting to be there doesn't promise intentionality
Intentionality doesn't automatically bring competence
Competence starts down a path of committment
Committment demands sacrifice
Sacrifice requires selflessness
Selflessness allows love
Love establishes a relationship
A relationship has meaning.
Meaning brings purpose.
Purpose points to design
Design bring fulfillment.
Fulfilment leads to completion.
Being a dad, I want to be all there.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Vermont Trip For Christmas 2006

Vermont Trip For Christmas 2006
Mineke Audet  -  December 17, 2006
 
I am so excited, I just can't wait to go,
My sons will get to see Vermont in the snow.
They say they have, but I say "No",
Oh well, I guess I don't really know.
I know we have four days until we go,
And there is so much to do you know.

We will clean, pack and clean some more,
Will we ever get to go out that door?
There's something I forgot; there must be more!

Just four days until we go.
I have so much to do you know.

Whatever I forget, Oh well!
Upon that I cannot dwell.

Oh, I can't wait to get out that door,
We will definitely get out that door!

I thank the Lord for the trip we get to go,
I want to ask Him for lots of snow.

He's Out There

He's Out There
By Mineke Audet  -  August 20, 2008
 
He's out there somewhere,
He's now all alone,
He's out there somewhere,
left by himself to roam.
He's out there somewhere
I hope he's okay,
He's out there somehwere,
When he should be home,
a better place to stay.
Right now he wants his freedom,
He wants to do things his way
All we want for him is that
he would be safe.
To trust that we know a little about life,
We don't want to cause him any pain,
frustration or strife.
We just want to guide and prepare him
for the world outside.
But if he continues down this road,
that will no longer be in our hands
to decide.
 
 
__________
 
 
This poem was written by my wife Mineke when one of our sons was struggling in drugs and other lures of a self destructive kind.

Without Reservation

Without Reservation
January 13, 2013
 
Son, yesterday you deeply wounded me,
Its critical that you clearly see;
I release you; I set you free.
I choose to remember no more
And accept you without reservation. 
 
 
__________


I wrote this poem as an entry on a contest at Allpoetry.com.  The subject was forgiveness, and emphasis was made on the brevity of the piece.  The poem was limited to 31 words.  I structured the poem lines by syllables for balance and flow.  (10-8-8-8-10)  Unlike my poem, "Released!" which explores repentance and forgiveness along more than 30 long, thoughtful lines, with this poem, I seek to distill the idea of forgiveness to a few definitive terms:  "deeply wounded", "critical", "I release you", I choose to remember no more", "I accept you".  Addressing my "son" here is meant to see that the idea of forgiveness is not general, but very personal.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

The Folly Of Hell


The Folly Of Hell

November 19, 2012


 Something there is about a place called Hell.
For who would a place like this be devised?
For the wicked sinner who fails to repent?
For the ignorant who does not take the time?
For the intellectual’s calculation that it doesn’t exist?
For the demonic beings who reject the Creator God?

Something there is about a pride so great
That one would persist to embrace it close;
While the God of the Universe has set face
against the one who refuses to abandon it.
Till a person understands that they must humbly
Submit their heart and soul to their Maker.

Philosophy lightens the Biblical view of Hell,
With devil and demon and pitchfork and laughter;
But Dante was wrong about this place called Hell;
There is no one who is "king" and "master" to rule
Over other poor souls residing in this fiery place.
For Satan himself is chief among the tormented.

I’ve heard them say, “All my friends are going
Down to this place called Hell, and I want
More than anything to enjoy it with them.”
Do we want to share with friends a slip on the ice?
A hit on the head? An accident in our car? A severed leg?
A cancerous tumor? Perhaps misery does love company.

I’ve heard them say, “I’d rather be a mighty king
ruling in hell than be serving a god in heaven.”
Does anyone really reign in a chaotic fire?
Where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth?
Is there an order of honor and authority
Among masses of drowning souls in the sea?

If I had the chance to look in the eye of a friend,
Who under the wrath of God remained;
And who faced his sin and the penalty of
In his future in the eternity.
I would plead with every effort of my soul,
My dear friend: Turn and repent!

Something there is about an eternity of Hell.
And the souls who will reside there forever;
When the Savior came to seek and to save
Those who are lost and those who are perishing.
He who dies upon the cross bearing all the guilt and sin
So for the eternity they who believe would not have to.
 
_____
 
My thought in writing this piece is to consider the foolishness we often have in light thinking about the reality of the future eternity.  Those who have the Son of God--Jesus--have life given to them by grace.  Those who do not, face condemnation for their sin.  I in no way relish the idea of people being in Hell.  Instead, I shudder at the thought.  If you are offended or troubled by this poem, please write me; I would love to talk with you about the magnficent grace of God which is available to you through Jesus Christ. 
 
Jesus said the most famous words:  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16)The idea here of "perish" is continued in the next verses:   "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”  (John 3:17-21)
 
I love my family and friends dearly, and desire you all to come to repentance and find life if Christ.
 
CA 1/21/13

Fear & Faith


Fear & Faith

January 20, 2013

 

If I had one gun,
I would never run.
And if I was there,
I wouldn't be scared.

To shoot a child
Is no action mild.
There's another way,
Or there's Hell to pay

How can I see
God working for me?
When evil shoots
And a demon loots?

To hold my boy,
I'm filled with joy;
Unless its said
He is now dead.

Are you here God?
It feels so odd.
For faith to trust
Yet now I must.

 

__________


 I hosted poetry contest on Allpoetry.com called, “Growing Through Tragedy" following the 12/14/12 Sand Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, CT.  I chose to express my own feelings on this as well as invite others to express their feelings..

Psalm In The Fog


Psalm In The Fog

January 11, 2013

 

Far strayed from the comfort of my vision
Out of colors to this deep grayness;
Going to specific place I cannot find.

 Finding hope in revealed words.
At a juncture I have read of;
In the middle of his will.
Thankful for the direction.
Hopeful for future.


__________

I wrote this piece as an entry to a poetry contest on Allpoetry.com in January.  The prompt was as follows:  Fog is your prompt. It is the foggy season here in California's San Joaquin Valley, so I that is why I picked it as a prompt. You may write about literal fog, or you can use it as a metaphor, whatever works for you.

Introducing my subject, Hebrews 11 says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.  By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."  (Hebrews 11:1-7)

As here stated, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen; or, poetically, the fog. 

Wall


Wall

January 7, 2013

 

I’ve come to this place where the siege is to be set;
Comrades swarm about, all of which I have long met.
 
A master among generals makes ready a tedious plan,
Carefully crafting, playing with his soldiers in the sand.
 
Tailor making the schemes to dismantle this noble foe
Fashioning flaming arrows, determining where they go.
 
No arrow tip is not designed to pierce through their arms
No efforts are spared to affect their maximum harms
 
The object is clear declares the demon who leads us;
He paces as a hungry lion, “Devour the man I must!”
 
We will manipulate, accuse, deceive to gain the edge,
Set traps, seduce, use his weakness to drive to ledge!
 
Ah, but what dogs my general the most he will say:
“That damned wall must come down—now find a way!”
 
But, plead we, “It’s guarded by the blood and prayer
Till now, we are ineffective to destroy this fortress lair.
 
This city rests on the Power so we cannot do a thing!
The city deifies you to the extent it submits to the King.”
 
Ah! if only this place had not a stone and cement wall
We could gain eternal advantage with no trouble at all!
 
His King is his strength and strong towner and might
In Him they find refuge while fixing on Him their sight.
 
We exploit; they say No! to lusts of their own desires
Unmovable on the King, this wall for a calling higher.
 
 
__________
 
 
In this poem, the wall is a metaphor of the protective wall surrounding a city illustrating the protective nature of the fruit of the Spirit, self control. Proverbs 25:28 says, "A man without self control is like the city without walls."

The master general Satan is devising wicked schemes to destroy God's people. Only by submitting to the King and fixing our eyes on Him do we gain strength to say "No" to the desired of our own flesh which will be manipulated to take us down. (1 Peter 5:6-11; Ephesians 6:10-20, Hebrews 12:1-2, Titus 2:11-14).

Another word for self-control is "temperance".
 
I wrote this as an entry in a contest on Allpoetry.com with the "fruit of the Spirit" as the prompt.  I won secnd place in the contest.

Fox Stealing Down The Hill


Fox Stealing Down The Hill

January 6, 2013 


It’s not common a thing to see a red fox
As he is coming from or going to an errand.

 So during or January drive cold and gray
I looked to the north and past the crest of snow.

 So why does he run the great risk of being seen?
What critical deed did he have an engagement with?

 Darting eyes, concealing walk, sneaking posture;
Believe does he that no One watched his moves?

 Were there scraps of a holiday feast to steal
From the can with the loosened lid on the deck?

 What dangers that threaten our security and dream
That guile like a red fox we will exchange it all for?
 
 
_________
 
 
On an early morning drive from our home in St. Charles, IL to our church in Aurora, IL, I spotted the red fox coming down the hill from a home near the road.

Released!



Released!


December 13, 2012


1 How many bitter days have I been languishing in the darkness of my wretched cell?
2 A sliver of moon taunts me from a hole overhead, mocking choices I didn't make well;

3 Rats--I think--stir from one corner to the next stealing a repose of sleep I wish to find.
4 This chill curses my soul each day I am; this abyss drills against pleas of my mind.

5 This floor is rough, hard and cold, the blanketless bed is also coarse, hard, also cold.
6 The bars I see in the shadows are pitted with rust; the walls are creeping with mold. 

 

7 Only the memories of the freshness of life I once knew slay me more than this place

8 Where stubbornly I seized my unrepentance with passionate, intoxicating embrace.

9 My bones rot; they ache from the depths inside to the surface of flesh on the outside
10 Here I wade deep in what seemed as pleasure but has pierced deep, gashing wide.

 

11 Why did I resist my kind mother Wisdom? Why did I molest dear Hope, my friend?
12 Why did I spurn old sage Instruction?  Why did I laugh at teacher Time to this end?

 

13  So now I pray;  I turn and cry out for mercy; I seek out the Lord for his forgiveness.
14 I recount all my choices, and I call them sin, and I refuse to make their weight less.

 15 I intentionally move my heart from loving them to hating them; with purpose I recall

16 Those many prideful ways I cursed my Savior and I turn toward the Lord with my all!

 

17 I pivot on my heel of wedged arrogance from despising him to humbly seek the One
18 I look upon Jesus, him who was pierced through for the trangressions I have done.

 

19 I uproot my dependence upon my vile, foolish ways, and plant my trust in his grace.
20 I avert my eyes from the consuming lust of my flesh to gaze upon his glory, his face.

 21 I abandon my wicked path which I was so intent on descending to my peril, my doom

22 I kneel without delay, without making excuses, I own my sin in this place, this room.

 

23 What amazing grace this is that I, an enemy, an adversary and dead man can repent!
24 What stunning reversal that His righteous anger toward me, on Christ Jesus is spent!
 
25 I look up on the tree where my condemnation is thrust upon Him--a time of release!
26 Undeserving I am, I receive this position before my new Father, a position of peace.

 27 My Maker, My God, the Great Holy One, made flesh, crucified for me; died for me,

28 I have been mightily released from my prison of self destruction; I have been set free!

 29 All my sin forgiven! All in your eyes remembered no more!  All cast from you so far!

30 I am released from the prison of my sin, my choices, my thinking, my evil of heart.

 31 I am freed from the bondage of the weight of guilt; I give thanks to you O Lord!

32 No longer an object of your wrath, but a receiver of your comfort, and your Word.

 33 Blessed am I, I am the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

34 Blessed is this man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, made pure and loved!

 35 You God are my salvation, my strength, my song; I will trust, and will not be afraid;

36 You have become my salvation: I am released, forgiven, my terrible debt of sin is paid!
 
 
_________
 
 
On the occasion of a poetry contest on Allpoetry.com, I took up the challenge to write a piece to carefully consider the nature of repentance and forgiveness. While I won the contest, it is the forgiveness for my sin that the Lord has offered, and given me is the most phenomenal gift of a relationship with him that I wanted to express the point of mind and heart when through repentance of sin, and trusting in His work on the cross, we are truly forgiven. 

The Riddle Within The Wrapping!


The Riddle Within The Wrapping!


December 12, 2012

 

I'm made round and long, built for fun
with metal blades and with none,

I am walked to the top of the hill
Ridden to the bottom is the days drill,

I am locked during summer in the shed
Freed in winter on the snowy knoll led.

I ride on top the snow, mud and ice,
Pressed and packed down real nice.

I carry child, man, beauty or beast,
I bear the rich, poor, great or least.

I come in colors blue, yellow and red
I slide, I race, I play, I am a sled!

 

 

__________

 

 

This poem was meant as a fun riddle for the Operations Team Christmas Party at Harvest Bible Chapel in Elgin, IL where I work.  I gave a plastic saucer sled as my white elephant gift.  I tried to conceal as much as possible what it was, and put this riddle on the gift tag.

 
 
  

Unfolding Silence


Unfolding Silence

December 6, 2012

 

I come deep into the woods to find silence;
My dog dives in the snow while I enjoy the hike
through drifting white rising over my knees
I see the fluttering cotton resting upon the trees.

Inches on the ground, with more inches in the air,
Sound deafens in these woods, captured and subdued.
I speak and the voice drops in the bank in a grim mood
And even the wind embraces the trees with soft solitude.

It insulates; it absorbs the noises leaving only nothing to be heard.
Little by little I tune in my ears to observe the unfolding silence,
I could stay out here today, and perhaps even another day.
If only--yes, if only--from the business of life I could find a way.

 

 

__________

 

 

Beginning some time in 2010, I noticed a significant decrease in my hearing.  I first am accompanying tinnitus while hiking in the deep snow with my dog Chica in the Poplar Creek Forest Preserve in the same year.   I hiked a lot that year since work slowed down considerably, eventually leading me to accept a position as carpenter at Harvest Bible Chapel, in Elgin, IL.


 

Your Forgiveness For My Blindness


Your Forgiveness For My Blindness

February 14, 1986

When I was careless and evil in my ways
And when I thought my life was done,
You came and lifted me up,
And sent me Your only Son!

When I saw luck and ignored You
I started all over again,
But when I tripped and grappled for help,
Twas You who gave His hand!

In time I wondered what was going on,
So I determined to find out soon,
I found nothing and no one did this for me,
But the loving and caring You!

Spiritual Journey


Spiritual Journey

February 14, 1986

 

When you begin that spiritual journey,
Toward God as the only One,
You must overcome spiritual battles
As you are scorned and shun.

Satan will try to fill you with doubt,
For he knows what will knock you down;
He preys upon your weaknesses
And plays with your sights and sound,

When you stumble on temptations
You must see them for what they are,
For he tries to trick and snare you.
And catch you off your guard.

When the time comes that you fall down
And it comes to everyone,
Just turn away from Satan and the world
And toward Jesus--the Holy One!

Our Lord wants to help you
With things both large and small,
You must pray and ask in faith,
For Him to help you at all.

At times you may be broken down,
And desire a loving hand,
Just ask Jesus Christ the King
And get carried over the land.

When people spit upon you,
All for His Name's sake,
Then God will reward you with life eternal,
And heal your bruises and aches.

So as a baby Christian,
Your life might seem so mixed,
But aided by Christian friends and God
Your life will soon be fixed.

My Sister, My Friend, My Sister


My Sister, My Friend, My Sister

November 17, 2012


Distance in a relationship is a choice to consider.
While I live far away in view of lands, roads and hills
I choose to draw close to my sister, my friend, my sister
And how we grow together is based less on space than wills.

I would have chosen Kim to be my sister if I could,
As time and history decide that parents and God make this call,
She would be established with breath and body before I would.
Many of the days would pass before I would see this treasure at all.

Today, marks the day you were born in this world; November seventeen.
I will not be able to hike the Loop with you this brisk day as I’d like to
Nor go to the sun on that Glacier Park road, and share the lovely scene.
So I offer to my sister by birth this expression of my love toward you.

Distance in a relationship is a choice we have often considered.
While you among the stunning Rockies, and I among the Great Plains
We have chosen to draw very close my sister, my friend, my sister
And how we have grown together through many joys and pains.

Writing, calling, visiting, emailing, now even video conferencing on Facetime,
Can you imagine what form of pursuing friendship will be ours tomorrow?
Let’s make the choice to find every way to pour in this friendship in our time.
For the memories, for companionship, for treasured deposits into our trove.

Laughing, crying, praying, talking, walking, wondering at what life sent,
We have never known what each new season of time for us has held,
Like the great joy to share in your wedding to your love, your husband Kent,
And to watch your Josiah come into the home you have made in Kalispell.

Distance in a spiritual relationship is a choice made in Christ.
What can separate us now? Even heaven and hell cannot separate us in Him.
I choose to draw close to you my sister, my friend, my sister
May God’s Word, and Spirit and Church and Purpose draw us closer Kim.

Can you believe that Damascus Road intersected in our family, in our lives?
That we may have Life because God so loved us that He gave to us His Son,
Believing and trusting--in and beyond the earthly we know and under which we strive--
In Him, you and I will not perish but have eternal life, now, forever, together, one?

Talking together is one level of joy; praying together is another still
Sharing the company of each other is one, fellowship goes deeper more
Experiencing a path is one, to common purpose and worship raises us till
We spend thousands of years together as joint heirs in Jesus our Lord!

My sister by blood
My friend by choice
My sister by Christ.

I love you Kim, enjoy your days!
 
 
__________
 
 
I wrote this poem on my sister's 46th birthday.  Her name is Kimberly Ann Nelson, and she and her husband Kent and son Josiah live in Kalispell, Montana.

Inexpressible


Inexpressible

November 15, 2012


Thankful, grateful, indebted,
appreciative, gratified, pleased,
beholden.

For a mind to think,
For a heart to feel,
For soul to save

Appreciative, pleased, grateful,
indebted, beholden, thankful,
gratified.

For thoughts to ponder
For family to hold
For God to worship

Beholden, indebted, gratified,
pleased, grateful, appreciative,
thankful.

Too strong to be conveyed in words.
 
 
__________
 
 
I have found that for me poetry comes in creative stages and spurts.  There are seasons when I write many poems, and then long seasons when I write none.  I wrote this piece for a poetry contest on Allpoetry.com after 56 months since the previous poem.  The title of the contest was "Thankful to be Alive!"  In my mind, a fitting return to this creative expression.

He Lives No More

He Lives No More

May 2, 2008

 
The young man rose, so full of his ways,
He knew what he wanted to do
He was wise in his own eyes
He lives no more
 
I have been crucified with Christ;
and it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me;
and the life I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in the Son of God
who loved me and
gave Himself up for me.   
Galatians 2:20
 
 
__________
 
 
This poem is a meditation on Galatians 2:20.  I am very grateful to the Lord for coming into my life, saving me from the penalty of my sin, and making me one of His own in Christ!

The Supremacy Of Christ:: For My Eyes


The Supremacy Of Christ:

For My Eyes

April 27, 2008

 
My eyes find much to look at in this world.
I'm drawn to the creation in all its forms.
The God-crafted art of a woman’s form,
The palette of colors the flowers adorn,
Yet I want more.
 
I want to know Christ.
 
I could spend hours adoring the mountains high,
With the trees and the fields all under the sky,
The handiwork of God in planets and stars,
The brilliance of the Sun, the contours of Mars

Yet I want more.

I want to know Christ.

 To behold with my eyes the One who created it all,
Who imagined the idea of winter, spring, summer, fall.
The gateway to my mind could be filled to the brim,
With revelations, images, glories of Him

Yes, I want more.

I want to know Christ.
Father, I repent of my most foolish exchange
Where I sought to worship the created thing,
For idols, I’ve abandoned worship to whom it is due,
Our creator, our Savior—my Master, my Lord , You.


I want more of You.  
 
 
__________
 
 
This poem originally was to be part one of several with the following titles:
 
The Supremacy Of Christ: For My Hands
The Supremacy Of Christ: For My Ears
The Supremacy Of Christ: For My Tastes
 The Supremacy Of Christ: For My Heart
 
The idea was to commit each of my senses to Him.  Perhaps I will return to this and finish the poetry project.  Romans 1 was a launching point of mediation for this poem.

I Have To Breathe Something


I Have To Breathe Something

April 25, 2008

 
Fire, Collapse, Chaos, Quiet.
I have to clear my mind.
What has happened?
Breath.
What is happening?
I have to breathe.
Fire, Smoke, Panic. Quiet


__________


A contest entry for: A poetry contest on Allpoetry.com with the prompt:  "I wanted to breathe smoke". 
 
It became sort of an uncharacteristically dark piece capturing the experience of someone in a collapsing building, like the twin towers collapse on 9/11/01.  
 

Insignificance


Insignificance

April 25, 2008

 
The ant’s life and family under your shoe.
The unclaimed dead in the common grave.
A tree falling in the wilderness with no one to see or hear.
A life lived thoughtlessly.
The details of a project too high to be seen.
Letters written and never sent.
The dust under the couch.
Living creatures on the moon.
 
Insignificance, like its alternative
is determined by the
Writer and the reader.
 
The ant,
the mother,
the raccoon,
the person,
the manager,
the author,
the housecleaner
and God
don’t see the insignificance.
 
 
__________
 
 
I wrote this for an entry in a poetry contest on Allpoetry.com with the prompt, Insignificance.  I won second place in the contest.

Forgotten Novel


Forgotten Novel

April 25, 2008

 
The canopy of blue hangs over the orange colors of the leaves,
Arched over the beautiful path that our autumn walk weaves,
I look in the eyes of my sweetheart, my friend, and I know her and her story,
Full of love, alive with smiles, for a moment in time, absent of worry,
We abide late into the night beholding stars dashing to the ground
Sharing together the awesomeness of God’s creation all around!
Fully enjoying one another, time together, exhilarating, even tangible,
Invading our every human sense, feeling, seeing, audible, even edible.
 
The day nearly two decades ago, yesterday’s novel, life lived between, so
long ago, briefly lost, mistakenly misplaced, forgotten? Almost, but no!
Thankfully remembered, cherished again, greedily rescued from the edge,
Preserved, nurtured back into today, brought to safety, taken from the ledge
The living past moving energetically into my present, filling every sense
Like a narcotic controlling my thoughts, leaping life-pattern’s fence,
Like a dragonfly buzzing to a ribbon of music, pursuing with passion
A relationship once lived, memories resurrecting, images flashing.
 
Can I take a pencil and write the stuff that over the time will endure? 
Lasting words that neither life nor trials can erase, standing sure?
Likewise, can I live a life filled with a pursuit of passion now?,
Can we have a relationship like that today--can we learn how?
Can we take the forgotten novel, and bring it to life today?
Can we burn again without ending, with passion to stay?
Yes, you, my sweetheart, my wife, are still with me sharing our story.
Yes, we can live our life fully, together pursuing God’s glory.


__________

This poem was a contest entry on Allpoetry.com.  Here's the description:  This poem is an entry for Contest Options Contest by Night-Owl, "Word Bank.  Use at least ten of these words. You can put them in any tense or form you like. Major points if you can use them all."

Eyes, Stars, Love, Remember, Thankful,
Forgotten, Absent, Sweetheart, Lost, Alive,
Dragonfly, Colors, Music, Brief, Autumn,
Orange, Leaves, Blue, Smiles, Friend,
Ending, Awesomeness, Eraser, Pencil,
Ribbon, narcotic, Novel, Stuff

Gospel


Gospel

April 20, 2008

 It means Good News.
It embodies great truth.
It means something to you.
 
We have a God we must face.
The one who has designed and created us.
We for Him, not the other way around.
 
Our sin has separated us from Him.
Turned our relationship to one of wrath
Him against us, our need of forgiveness.
 
Then God moved—Good News!
He initiated, He loved, He moved
He sent His son Jesus, for our need.
 
When Jesus died, He paid a price.
When Jesus rose, He conquered
Jesus rose, He restored relationship.
 
God’s plan was finished.
Our salvation was purchased.
In a point of time in history.
 
The choice today is ours.
Believe, receive, accept.
Know redemption, relationship.
 
With the God who loves you,
For the God who made you.
Glorifying Him who created you.
 
It means something to you.
It embodies great truth
It means Good News.
 
 
__________
 
 
This is a meditation on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.