Absconded
My country has been taken
Prisoner as it makes
Prisoners of children.
Who absconded with
My country and turned
Its southern border into
A Hellhole?
What can we do,
What must we do
To take it back?
Posts tagged ‘love in action’
FATHER
The poem below is one I found in a box of my mom’s favorite poems. She had this one memorized and used to recite it (along with others she had committed to memory) at various public gatherings and her Rebekah’s Lodge meetings.
FATHER
Used to wonder just why Father
Never had much time for play;
Used to wonder why he’d rather
Work each minute of the day.
Used to wonder why he never
Loafed along the road and shirked.
Can’t recall a single time whenever
Father played, while others worked.
Father never dressed in fashion,
Sort of hated clothing new;
Style with him was not a passion,
He had other things in view.
Boys are blind to much that’s going
On about ’em day by day.
And I had no way of knowing
What became of Father’s pay.
All I knew was when I needed
Shoes, I got ’em on the spot
Everything for which I pleaded
Somehow, Father always got.
Wondered, season after season,
Why he never took a rest
And that I might be the reason,
That, I never even guessed.
Wanted me to go to college
Dad was great on learning stuff
Always said that having knowledge
Helped a man through places rough.
But I thought it too much bother,
And I loitered day by day,
Wasting time, ignoring a Father,
Now I know I’ll have to pay.
Saw his cheeks were getting paler,
Didn’t understand just why;
Saw his body growing frailer,
Then at last I saw him die.
Rest had come, his tasks had ended,
Calm was written on his brow;
Father’s life was big and splendid –
And I understand it now.
Poet Unknown
Living in One Accord
(Notes from a sermon based on Romans 8:12-17 delivered by Rev. Jean Johnson. Many of you know, to listen more intently, I take notes on Sunday mornings while listening to the message from the pulpit. Sometimes they are recorded in poetry. Last Sunday was one of those times.)
We all are God’s children.
Some call God, “Our Father.”
But, some folks choose to ignore Him.
They balk and say, “Why bother?”
God speaks to us in Romans,
To us who’ve already heard.
It’s not for the unknowing
Who think the Gospel’s absurd.
Those led by God’s Spirit
Are children of our Lord.
We show our Love and faith
By living in One Accord.
To live in One Accord with God,
We worship, study, love, and pray.
Our witness shows The Spirit
At work in us each day.
We’re living out the reality
Of what already is in us.
Be who you already are
Without works or trouble or fuss.
We used to belong to sin,
But Jesus came to the rescue.
We have reason for joy and acceptance.
Isn’t this Good News to you?
We have assurance of this reality –
This adoption is done, signed and sealed.
We sing praises to God, our Father.
Our case clearly has been appealed.
Knowing God as Father is possible
By Christ’s life, His Word, His death.
That evidence is proof enough;
We affirm it with every breath.
I believe in God, The Father,
In Jesus Christ, my loving Lord.
Thank You for Your Saving Grace.
Now, let us live in One Accord.
Amen?
Need
Need
We need each other.
We need to
Lean and support
Relate and respond
Give and take
Confess and forgive
Reach and embrace.
Nobody is a whole
Orchestra.
We need each other.
Jan Beekman
11/30/17
Glitter and Glue
My blogging friend, Russ Towne, wrote and posted the following today:
“Of couples I’ve seen
Way more than a few
Where one is the glitter
The other’s the glue.”
I smiled when I read that
Realizing that I do a lot of glittering
And my dearest friend,
My spouse of 55 years,
Has been a source of the glue
That sticks us together
And has helped this union last.
Yup, it takes both kinds.
Thanks, Bob!
Thanks for being the glitter
Right when we needed it, too.
My daddy was right when he said,
“Take this expensive tax deduction
Off of my hands!”
Glitter comes at a price.
I love that man of mine!!
He’s the glue that keeps the lawn mowed
And the glitter that keeps the love growing.
Couples need a lot of both!
Love on Valentine’s Day
Love is on fire today. Love is in the air. It’s Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to LOVE. Love has so many meanings in the English language. Other languages use different words to describe family love, love of God, sweetheart love, love of food or objects, etc. The English word LOVE covers them all – and then some! As a result we can sometimes overuse this four-letter word and in the process dilute its power. Valentine’s Day is a good time to take stock of our use of it. Examine what we truly love and how we express it. Define it in a way that gives it the most power and influence in your life and in the lives of those you truly LOVE. Reread 1 Corinthians 13:4–8a and 1Timothy 1:5. Think about the meaning of Romans 13:10 and Luke 6:32. Contemplate what it means to “let everything be done in love,” as the Bible instructs us in 1 Corinthians 16: 14. Then, decide what you will DO today to demonstrate the love that is in your heart. Try to list at least ten things.
As for me, I…
1) … reached out to my children to say, “I love you.”
2) … am serving with love at the reception desk at our local hospital.
3) … made a special trip to visit a friend and thanked her for helping me with my plants and my home while I was away this past couple months.
4) … will write some thank you cards to the people who extended their hospitality to us while we were traveling.
5) … will hug my neighbors and share an evening meal with them tonight.
6) … spent time in my sancutary this morning, praying for family and friends who are hurting and in need of healing, reading my Bible and devotionals, and praising God for His many blessings.
7) … will write a letter to my grandson who has just entered the Navy and is in boot camp.
8) … demonstrated “love your neighbor as yourself” by taking care of myself – I made healthy meal choices, kept an appointment with my doctor, and I worked out at the fitness center.
9) … mailed a package to a friend in Switzerland.
10) … wrote this blog to reach out in love to each of you.
Tell me about your Valentine’s Day Love list! Are you on fire with love today? Remember, as Bob Goff said, “Love Does.” Don’t just say love or think love – go do it!!
