A Hand Along the Journey: Poems for the King from One Pilgrim to Another

  “For the Father Himself loves* you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father.” – John 16:27   The nail scarred hand holds mine                              As we walk up to Your throne,                           And there a smile of welcome I find                           From You whose holiness has always shone.         The Spirit in me echoes Scripture                     That says You love me as Your friend. ...

  Last spring my husband developed and taught an eight week study called “Great and Marvelous: Moses and the Nature of God.” It was “a life of Moses study focusing on the relationship between Moses and the Lord God Almighty” (Bill Hall). The idea for this poem grew from insights gleaned from taking his class. Also, this post is best viewed on a desktop (rather than a mobile device) due to the fully justified margins.        A beautiful baby hidden in Nile’s reeds;                                                             Exodus 2:1-3 Rescued, became mighty in words and deeds.                                              ...

               There is no joy for a Christian quite that like of Resurrection Sunday morning. Jesus wins! He defeated everything, and because He lives in us, we win, too! There is no darkness or death that can separate us from victory, and eternity with him. Hallelujah! Christ the Lord is risen today!           The color yellow is often associated with spring and Easter. In contrast to the dreary hues of winter, spring’s bright sunshine and yellow flowers warm our hearts. According to goodhousekeeping.com, “ In a religious context, gold represents joy, victory, and triumph, as in the resurrection's triumph over death.” For the ladies of Grace Baptist Church, yellow and Easter became connected in a unique way this year, as “The Yellow Shirt Caper” occurred.           It all started March 27, 2022, when Jen Greve shared a video clip from Lighthouse Ba...

  “…He has made everything beautiful in its time...” Ecclesiastes 3:1-14   Colorful shafts of light skate across the sky, Marking the brilliant orb’s descent; night is nigh. Let not the coming darkness steal enjoyment     Of God’s good gift of beauty in this moment.

  Everyday Heroism At the forefront of my mind the last several days has been the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Several times throughout the day, I find myself looking up the latest news to stay abreast of developments. Here and there I read snippets of stories of Ukrainian citizens stepping up to the plate in practical and heroic ways to defend their homeland. These inspiring glimpses into real individuals’ lives remind me that there are still people who believe in ideals greater than themselves, and are willing to sacrifice for those ideals. I wrote the poem below describing another set of heroic deeds by everyday people when their national government was experiencing an attempted overthrow. May it encourage us to be faithful to our King – Jesus – Who is worthy of our highest loyalty. We never know when/if we may be called upon to do a heroic deed, but if we are faithful to Him in the little things, we will be faithful in the crisis moments.   Ahimaaz and Jonathan “...

  And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman's wife. Then she said to her mistress, "If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy." 2 Kings 5:2-3    Two verses…sharp cliffs of contrast in a child’s life: One side her worst nightmare, caused by national strife; The other a result of her choice to forgive, And make the best of where she now lived. To be torn from her parents she’d never have chosen, Yet faith’s warmth in her soul could not be frozen. Jehovah was with her in a new land and language, And her choices would give to her captor Truth’s knowledge.     Remarkably, she came to genuinely care About Naaman and his wife and how they would fare, And one day in heaven, we’ll meet all three there.* Then from Scripture’s portrait of this captive girl rare, Let us also have courage to do as she dared. ...

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:8   A truer compass never marked Directions on which to embark; The finest map of great detail Next to His Book loses all scale. Eternal destiny and faith Are based on “Thus the Lord saith.” His Words the daily bread we crave For here and now, and past the grave. From strength to strength we travel on Undaunted, in our hearts His song That stills our souls when storms arise: His promise true, though dark the skies. Then steady on, we bank our all On Him Whose Word can never fall. With love we linger in His pages, To know Him more, God of the Ages.