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

  “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” – John 1:5 (NLT)   I have hated Christmas from the first time I heard of it. To be specific, I hate Him - that baby, that rival to where I sit. I am king, and I will be king no matter who stands in my way. I’ll kill anyone to ensure that I live to rule another day. Jealous fear holds sway, ever cruel, Over my enemies, imagined or real. I am Herod, the Christmas villain of competition.   To be quite honest, we are apathetic regarding Christmas. Prophecies in dusty scrolls mean nothing to us. Holy curiosity? Humph, merely for youth. Prestigious position has dimmed the light of truth. When answers are demanded, we’ll rattle them off; But at peasant dreams, our hearts will scoff. We are the chief priests and scribes, Christmas villains of complacency.   Too busy to notice, too busy to care – Our days were chaotic, so we didn’t share. Some of us made money, others tried

  “And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31a The color of butterscotch and just as sweet, Is Charles A. Hamster, with his tiny feet, Curious nose and whiskers sniffing the air, And dark, friendly eyes that seem to say, “Hey, there!” You can hold him in your hands, a small furry ball, All snuggled up sleeping, and loved by Peter Hall. He runs on his wheel, inside or on top; Chuck A-for-Awesome Hammie’s acrobatics don’t stop. Peter’s made toys that keep him entertained: Swinging ladder, bridge, and treat balls – a few to name. Taking care of Charlie never seems to be a chore For the boy who loves all animals created by the Lord. Our Father Who sees sparrows of this hamster surely knows; I’m glad He gave us Charlie, another way His goodness shows.

  “Then some of the scribes answered and said, ‘Teacher, You have spoken well.’” (Luke 20:39, NKJV) “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, Who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5, HCSB) “For a Child will be born for us,…He will be named Wonderful Counselor…” (Isaiah 9:6, HCSB)   Knots and perplexities, tangles and questions Leave me often bewildered in tough situations. Not just for myself, but for ones that I love; To know what to say, I need help from above. I come to Your Word, amazed at Your wisdom - Straight to the heart, You spoke truth that would help them. Always the best words, excellent answers,   Not what they expected, but just what they needed.   Now again at Your feet, dear Master, I kneel, Searching Your face for wisdom still To know how to pray, and what words to say To help family and friends who face difficult days. Wonderful Counselor and Wisdom of God, Who can unta

          Last year was my husband’s and my fifteenth anniversary. To celebrate, we enjoyed a rare trip away from home, to the beautiful hills of North Carolina. The first day we spent in Charlotte, helping out at the Samaritan’s Purse warehouse. Because of covid, Christmas of 2020 saw a huge increase of Operation Christmas Child shoebox donations built online (as opposed to people donating physical boxes). The warehouse was set up for volunteers to pack shoeboxes according to each donor’s specifications.         Besides the obvious enjoyment of preparing boxes for children in restricted access countries, and the excitement of being involved in a hands-on way in reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ, there was also an unexpected take-away from the day for me. Bill and I were able to work side by side with Christians we had never met before, people who were there because they love Jesus just like we do, and want to make a difference for Him. One lady was from a small church

  “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.            And there at last my searching ends.               And there at last my searching ends.   Perfectionism’s struggles I leave undone;      You see me as You see Your Son –                That’s good enough for me.                              Anxiety over future loss                                      No more controls my thoughts;                         You love me and You’ll never leave –              That’s good enough for me.                              That’s good enough for me.   A

  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.                                                       Acts 7:22 Yet pleasures and treasures and fame he would trade, For the reproach of Christ their value outweighed.                                   Hebrews 11:24-26 He knew by his hand God would set Israel free,                                    But the “how” of God’s plans would unfold differently Than Moses could guess or ever have cho

               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 Baptist Church in Florida. The ladies there pranked their husbands into all wearing the same shirt, so Jen wondered if we’d all like

  “…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 k