poetry

By Faith in Christ I Walk With God – John Newton

Yesterday I posted one of Newton’s hymns which was not Amazing Grace. I couldn’t help

Newton’s grave in Olney. It was moved over 100 years ago from London when his grave was in the path of Tube extensions.

myself. Here is another. What I love about his words/poetry is the intersection of Biblical truth with life’s experience. This hymn also has echoes of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. The words may be quaint with their archaic usage but the truth and meaning ring clear. Thanks once again to cyberhymnal.org.

By faith in Christ I walk with God,
With Heav’n, my journey’s end, in view;
Supported by His staff and rod,
My road is safe and pleasant too.

I travel through a desert wide
Where many round me blindly stray;
But He vouchsafes to be my Guide,
And will not let me miss my way.

Though snares and dangers throng my path,
And earth and hell my course withstand;
I triumph over all by faith,
Guarded by His almighty hand.

The wilderness affords no food,
But God for my support prepares;
Provides me every needful good,
And frees my soul from wants and cares.

With Him sweet converse I maintain,
Great as He is I dare be free;
I tell Him all my grief and pain,
And He reveals His love to me.

Some cordial from His Word He brings,
Whene’er my feeble spirit faints;
At once my soul revives and sings,
And yields no more to sad complaints.

I pity all that worldlings talk
Of pleasures that will quickly end;
Be this my choice, O Lord, to walk
With Thee, my Guide, my Guard, my Friend.

Categories: christian, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, hymns, Poem, poetry | Tags: , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mirror, Mirror

iPhone, iPhone

Webcam, Webcam

 
My heart darts like a cursor,
a mouse move on a monitor,
but my heart is a “blue” screen.
Who or what can I trust?
Teachers?
Parents?
Wikipedia?
 
Are my friends really “friends”
Is a” like” really  a “Like”?
 
My home is the 
Internet
A paradise of Apps
all about me.
 
But why … ?
Can I even trust myself?
Will my “Profile” or “Gravatar” please?
 
Why is the mirror/iPhone/ screen
so awful?
Do I really look like that?
Will my friends still “like” me?
 
 
 
Categories: Poem, poetry, Reflections, Uncategorized | Tags: , , | 6 Comments

The Story in the Heavens

A Re-Telling of Psalm 19: 1-6

The night sky sings mighty hallelujahs
that praise the Maker.
In every moment of their existence
the stars and planets
shine evidence,
no,  proof
of His great skill.
 
Silently its witness
speaks forever,
boundless.
 
Leaving us speechless.
 
The Sun, Moon and Milky Way
are a romance of beauty
and class
Led by the Sun
which,
circuit after circuit,
patiently  measures our days,
warms 
and delights us.
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Poetry

“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”

Robert Frost

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The Already and Not Yet

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus …
Ephesians 2:6
 
Comprehension fails
and imagination struggles.
 
There and not there.
Here and not here.
In heaven,
and on earth.
Unfathomable truth.
 
Complete and at peace – eternal.
Incomplete and struggling – temporal.
 
The already and not yet.
 
Raised and ascended with Christ
but day by day struggling 
with brokenness and sin.
 
But not forever.
 
The joy,
the inexpressible future
rings out:
The old order will pass
and every tear wiped away!
 
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An Appreciation for Walking

Walking is time to be refreshed
and renewed.
The steps allow the mind
to wonder and plan,
ponder and create.
 
Every day is renewed with
fresh paces
for the feet
and the mind.
 
There is time alone with God,
self and creation.
 
When the journey ends
and the day begins,
renewal has begun.
 
I’m ready for anything!
 
Categories: Christianity, Church, Devotional, Poem, poetry, Reflections | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coming Home

Family and friends beckon us back home.
But experiences in far flung places thrill in our hearts.
The warmth of home, children and friends,
fights with the
fire of memories and places.
 
I was born a traveller, a gypsy.
In one place too long and a restlessness creeps.
An itchiness,
the feet jiggle, there is
a yearning to move, see, experience …
 
But the wonder, oh! the wonder of creation
fills me with rapture!
Every bend I turn,
person I meet,
experience I encounter,
God, in some way,
greets me.
 
 
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Wandering Through Black and White Photos

 

Photos and Memories 2

I wander through
a trail of black and white photos.
Recalling the past:
Old emotions, family
friends and celebrations.
 
Some images are blurry and grey,
hidden in the fogs of time,
others clear and bright
as if today.
 
But none can bring back
the people, the time,
the days.
The decisions and mistakes
are still etched
in black, white and
its many shades.
 
Yet today,
the photos are coloured,
but even then, at times,
the colours seem grey.
 

Photos and Memories (1)

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Words – James 3:4&5

Words of love,
words of hate.
expressions that heal,
venom that maims.
Tongues that sail to starboard
or port,
carry joy 
or death.
 
With my lips I praise
and curse.
 
“May my heart
O Lord
be a fount,
a source,
of fresh, reviving water
that carries
life enhancing words.”
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Youth

“Youth is wasted on the young” George Bernard Shaw

Energy to spend
on chasing, running and childishness.
To have passions that ignite.
Intoxicating dreams that abound
of worlds and hopes, futures
and possibilities.
To be young again!
To have time to wonder
and aspire,
fall and rise
without broken bones –
or bruised hearts.
To be a Jeremiah
– set apart,
Josiah
– doing what is right
David
– with a youthful love of God
or Mary
– with a humble heart.
The priceless, momentary
gift of being young
must not be chained or bound
in our past mistakes.
Free the young
to prophesy and envision,
thrive and grow
so our jaded hearts are gladdened
and God rejoices.
Categories: christian, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, Poem, poetry, Reflections | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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