From Grace Comes Hope – A Quintet of Cinquains

Without
the grace of God
I would be lost, alone
life itself quite impossible
hopeless

Without
the love of God
I would be unloving
my life so self-centered and me
unkind

Without
the light of Christ
I would be in darkness
unable to see my blessings
forlorn

Without
the peace of Christ
I would be most fearful
worrying about little things
timid

With all
God’s grace and love
His incredible light
peace from the heart of a Savior
comes hope

 

I shared this today for Open Link Night at dVerse Poets Pub, where Grace talks about punctuation in poetry.

A Triad of Elfje

I really love the elfje short form of poetry that I discovered last week. Today I want to share a triad of elfje based on the Gospel — a reminder that three is a wonderful number.

Disciples

Loyal
eleven disciples
unlike the betrayer
brought me the Gospel.
Peace!

©©©

Conversion

Brilliant
Heaven’s light
blinding apostle Paul
taught me the Gospel.
Grace!

©©©

The King

Purple
royal robes
adorn the King
source of the Gospel.
Love!

Knock at the Door – A Trireme Sonnet

Joy, where’s my joy, I’m always wanting more
Lord, bring me peace and comfort is my plea
I find only stress and fear in this place

Soft knocking, I hear knocking at the door
A sound so sweet, it’s beckoning to me
I peer through the window, see His sweet face

He enters, in awe I fall to the floor
He bids me arise, all my fear does flee
I find myself in His heartfelt embrace

I found my joy in the One I adore
From the shackles of sin He set me free
We dine in the miracle of His grace

Finally I trust I will win the race
My Savior is here with me in this place

Last Thursday Sam Peralta shared a lesson on the trireme sonnet for the dVerse Poets Pub FormForAll. I didn’t have time to write one before the link box for that post expired, but I had one on mind that included Sam’s extra challenge to make it an ekphrastic poem, meaning it is inspired by a picture or painting. I plan on sharing this for Open Linke Night at dVerse later today.

I’ve included here the painting that inspired this poem. It is an old painting on a burl of Jesus standing at a door knocking. This particular painting of this scene, which is based on Revelation 3:20, used to hang in my in-laws house, but they gave it to us last year so now it is in my living room.

Worth Dying For – A Poem

Jesus believed
I was worth dying for
You were worth dying for

Shouldn’t I believe
He is worth dying for, too?
Shouldn’t you?

In China and Pakistan,
Sudan and Saudi Arabia
His persecuted church risks life and limb
every single time
they speak His beautiful name

His holy name,
the name above all other names
is the only name worth dying for

My God, My Restorer – A Pantoum

My God, my Restorer is near
When all is lost and carried away
He comes to heal by His sacrifice
When darkness surrounds my soul

When all is lost and carried away
He restores peace with His grace
When darkness surrounds my soul
He is the Light to show me the way

He restores peace with His grace
He comes to heal by His sacrifice
He is the Light to show me the way
My God, my Restorer is near

My Final Breath – A Triolet

I’ll sing a song of grace and love
I’ll praise You with my final breath
Lift my voice to Heaven above
I’ll sing a song of grace and love

Your majesty I stand in awe of
You saved my soul from certain death
I’ll sing a song of grace and love
I’ll praise You with my final breath

Presidential Wisdom – A Poem

Great presidents of these United States
Washington and Lincoln we honor on this day
May their words of wisdom
Bless and keep us on our way

Of all the dispositions and habits
which lead to political prosperity,
religion and morality are indispensable support.¹

May we never forget that
It is impossible to rightly
govern the world
without God and the Bible.¹
In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say,
it is the best gift God has given to man.
All the good the Savior gave to the world
was communicated through this book.²

As we face violence and economic crisis
remind us, O Lord, that at its core,
It is the eternal struggle between these
two principles—right and wrong—throughout the world.
They are the two principles that have stood
face to face from the beginning of time;
and will ever continue to struggle.²
Let us raise a standard to which
the wise and honest can repair;
the rest is in the hands of God.¹

Help us, O Lord, to not forget what history
and the wisdom of experience teach.
Let us with caution indulge the supposition
that morality can be maintained without religion.
Reason and experience both forbid us
to expect that national morality can prevail
in exclusion of religious principle.¹

Teach us, O Lord, to emulate our forefathers and say,
I have been driven many times upon my knees
by the overwhelming conviction that I had
nowhere else to go.
My own wisdom and that of all about me
seemed insufficient for that day.²

This “found” poem is based on quotes from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as indicated by the footnotes to italicized words as follows:

¹George Washington
²Abraham Lincoln

Where’s Your Focus?

Today is the last day of a 3 ½ day conference I’m attending in Florida for work. It’s been a great conference for the most part. I saw some good friends who I only see once or twice a year. I gleaned some tips and ideas that I will be able to implement back at the office to increase revenue and make my staff and me more productive and efficient. And I got to spend some time in the warm, sunny Florida weather, which has been a nice break from cold, rainy Oregon.

On that last note, I should have enjoyed just a bit more of that sun this afternoon instead of attending the final plenary session, but the topic looked interesting so I went. The topic was emotional intelligence. I thought I would come away with at least one or two tips on how to better deal with others, maybe something that would help in my role as a manager and program director. Alas, that was not to be.

This far too touchy-feely session was all quite odd. The “speaker” started by having us meditate for 7 minutes, during which time we were supposed to visualize ourselves next to a lake. Then he had us doing exercises to illustrate how we experience stress because of the fight or flight response of the amygdala of the brain because of the 99.9% of the human existence that involved running from tigers, followed by an exercise in which we were supposed to look into the eyes of another person for 2 minutes — twice — and I’m still not sure why.

In general, the “solution” to stress that he seemed to be offering — though he never came right out and said this — was to focus inwardly on our real self. He also suggested that we need to recognize the way things truly are.

I generally am not a very stressed-out person. Things don’t rile me up too easily and I don’t worry about all the things on my to-do list. I take one day at a time and one task at a time, and if no one is going to die as a result of my doing or not doing something, I don’t let it stress me. My solution to the problem of stress has been this:

• I spend at least 15 minutes in prayer every morning, not focusing on me but on Jesus.
• I concern myself more with the needs of those around me than with myself.
• When I catch myself being “me” focused, I stop and ask God to refocus my thoughts onto Him.

I do agree with the second solution that this speaker suggested — that we recognize the way things truly are. And the way things truly are is that God is in control of the big picture, no matter what the little picture in front of me might suggest.

I thought of Peter who was able to walk on water, until he took his focus off Jesus. As long as we focus on the source of our strength, power, and peace, we will not sink into a sea of stress and worry.

I also thought of Daniel who was able to spend the night in the lions’ den without a scratch because he trusted in God to protect him. As long as we trust in the One who cares for us, we will have no need to engage in fight or flight behavior in the face of lions.

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:31-34 (NIV).

So where is your focus today? If you are feeling stressed and anxious, don’t look within for strength and peace. Focus on Jesus who is the Prince of Peace and cares for you like no other.

Upon the Cross – A Ghazal in Two Versions

Last Thursday at dVerse Poets Pub‘s Form For All Samuel Peralta taught us about the ghazal form of poetry. I wrote one for linking up there on Thursday and I liked the form so much I decided to write another. This one has 6 couplets, so it’s still not the ghazal sonnet that Samuel wrote about and gave an example of. My first version also has no set meter, but I decided to do a second version cutting it to have 8 syllables per line, trying for some semblance of meter. I suspect my meter still isn’t perfect, though, as I have a hard time with this concept. I can count syllables, but I know there is more to meter than that. The idea of stressed and non-stressed syllables simply escapes me.

I also didn’t end these with my name in the last line. Anyway, I would be interested to know which version readers think works better and why.

Upon the Cross – Version 1

Bloody and bruised, ringed by thorns
I gaze up to Your lovely face upon the cross

Forgiveness for mockers and spear wielder
to all the same Your grace upon the cross

There I should be, my punishment
Your mercy took my place upon the cross

Running, running fast to the finish line
but You already won the race upon the cross

I’m always two strides behind the lead
but You, for me, kept the pace upon the cross

My guilt and shame by love replaced
so that now there is no trace upon the cross

 

Upon the Cross – Version 2

Bloody and bruised, brow ringed by thorns
Your lovely face upon the cross

Forgiveness for the mockers
to all Your grace upon the cross

There I should be, my punishment
You took my place upon the cross

Running fast to the finish line
You won the race upon the cross

Always two strides behind the lead
but You keep pace upon the cross

My guilt and shame by love replaced
there is no trace upon the cross

 

Why I Share the Gospel

The word Gospel means Good News. I love to share the Good News that God loves us. And yet I’ve been asked why I am compelled to share this Good News with those who don’t believe. Why can’t I just leave them alone to believe whatever they choose?

The easy answer is that in scripture God commands us to share the Gospel. Jesus told His disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV). For many Christians this is all the reason they need.

Another reason for sharing the Gospel is because we want our loved ones to spend eternity in heaven. I wrote about this reason in a previous post titled The Hardest Thing. For many Christians this is the primary reason.

But as I’ve pondered this week why I personally share the love of Jesus, I realized it goes much deeper than that. The other night I was reading in one of my devotionals before bed and was reminded of a passage in Jeremiah that illustrates the reason why I desire to share the Gospel with others. This passage is from Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NIV):

This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”

This passage is very similar to Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV), which says:

Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

The reason I share the Gospel is because having a relationship with Jesus Christ has made me like a tree planted by streams of water.

I used to be a huge worrier and every little difficulty in life would throw me for a loop. Life was hard and I was more like a bush in the wastelands. There were times when things seemed good, but it never seemed to last and the smallest challenge would seem insurmountable.

But now, with Christ in my life, I can face the challenges of each day. From an objective perspective my life hasn’t gotten that much easier, but my ability to weather the storms that come my way is much different. When I experience a time of drought, I have a source of living water to sustain me.

I’ve known people who have gone through some of the most difficult challenges anyone can imagine, but because they know Jesus they have had the strength to endure and even prosper in spirit. I have a friend who lost her 6-year-old son to a sudden illness and then lost her husband to a brain tumor almost a year to the day later. For many, this type of loss would have been devastating. Yet because of her faith and the strength of her Savior Jesus, she was able to move on and focus on caring for her two other children.

I’ve known other people who are not Christians who struggle with every little challenge that comes their way and who are completely sidelined by bigger trials. They seem to have no anchor in the storms of life. Their focus remains on every bad thing that happens. They do okay when good things happen, but their happiness is short-lived. Having been like them at one point in my life, I feel compassion for their plight.

Which is why I want the peace and love of Jesus for others; it’s why I share the Gospel. The promise of eternity in heaven is one thing, but God’s promise of spiritual peace in spite of the circumstances of this life is so much more tangible and useful for those who need it.