Even in the valley, though my cup may seem dry, it still runs over.
Category: Uncategorized
Crown of Sonnets-Seven Things The Lord Hates
Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
1. A Proud Look
It sadly leads a man to such disgrace.
A proud look first begins within the heart,
then manifests itself upon the face,
and to the soul, it’s like a piercing dart.
The Scripture mentions satan’s sin of pride.
He wanted so to be like the Most High.
It drove him, and it led him to decide
‘gainst God rebel, His holy will defy.
The lofty scheme of satan came to naught.
For one who thwarts God’s plan, it’s never well.
Devil’s pride like a web, and he got caught.
His destination is a burning hell.
If character of man toward pride is bent
the only remedy is to repent.
2. A Lying Tongue
The only remedy is to repent
if lying words from your lips do proceed.
Deceitful speech can cause a heart to rent;
is like sore wound inflicted that does bleed.
For uttered falsities, the price to pay
in Acts 5th chapter, story we do tell.
Husband and wife both lied on the same day,
died at apostles’ feet and went to hell.
Though judgment for our lies may not be swift,
God gives us time so that we can confess.
Be sure that with your Maker there’s a rift.
Continuing in lies leaves life a mess.
If telling of lies be your sinful plight
you best do a 180, get it right.
3. Hands That Shed Innocent Blood
You best do a 180, get it right
if you have caused death of the innocent.
Such acts, they are so grievous in God’s sight.
Taking of lives, for us it is not meant.
How sad to read the tale of Abel and Cain,
first murder ever, spawned by jealousy.
The anguish of a brother that was slain
caused both their parents untold misery.
Each day the countless deaths of the unborn
regarded as just tissue, swept away.
Oh how the heart of God must truly mourn
as precious lives are trashed like worthless clay!
The path of such a sin, where does it start?
It’s deep within the bowels of the heart.
4. An Heart That Deviseth Wicked Imaginations
It’s deep within the bowels of the heart
where thoughts of murder, rape and lust do spring.
Way down inside a man the crime does start.
The human heart is such a wicked thing.
Ill musings that are born of hate and greed
like venom that’s a poison to the soul,
when brooded on eventually will lead
to birthing of ungodly, evil goal.
The doing of all wrong first starts within.
It grows inside the heart before its birth;
does incubate and manifests as sin
and causes untold pain upon this earth.
Devising wicked imagination
bringing serious trepidation.
5. Feet That Be Swift In Running To Mischief
Bringing serious trepidation
feet that run fast to do an evil thing
to their victims, a source of frustration
through infractions such trouble they do bring.
They cause tribulation, pacing the streets
with purpose in mind, never to do well,
race to computer spewing vicious tweets
perhaps inspired by the imps of hell.
Their wily unrest mostly in the night
scarcely aided by flashlight or candle,
upon spoil of others they take flight
to pillage, steal, maim, destroy and vandal.
The ones possessing mischief running feet
from such evil ways they ought to retreat.
6. A False Witness That Speaketh Lies
From such evil ways they ought to retreat;
cease from character assassination.
Untruthful words they ought not to repeat
that ruin some poor soul’s reputation.
Some, they choose to speak such fabrication.
Do they think it might make self look better?
In the end it will be their damnation,
turning them into eternal debtors.
Don’t spin tales to make someone look bad
or secure a desired position.
It’s not worth it, and you will not be glad.
It leads to your personal perdition.
A false witness that speaketh cruel lies,
he is a foolish one that is not wise.
7. He That Soweth Discord Among Brethren
He is a foolish one that is not wise
sowing seeds of discontent and discord.
Maker of division, it’s no surprise
his subtle dealings, hated by the Lord.
When he feels to him, there has been offense
immediately to blabbing he does go.
To him it only makes perfect sense.
His perceived injustice all should now know.
The devil uses him to cause church splits
in assemblies that have sweet unity.
The discontented throws his hissy fits,
for turmoil makes opportunity.
When grumbler gets all up in your face
it sadly leads a man to such disgrace.
The Seasons of My Writing
I can’t speak for every writer
of prose and poetry,
but from my own experience
this is what pertains to me.
As there are seasons in the natural,
some lovely, some not so inviting;
the same thing occurs when it comes to my pen.
There are seasons of my writing.
I’ve been through some winter like seasons
longing for inspiring urge,
but my pen felt cold and lifeless
almost like a funeral dirge.
These times of seeming deadness
when it appeared there was no inspiration,
although some of them lasted for years,
were really stages of hibernation.
Then at last there came a thawing,
a melting of my frosted pen;
sap that lay so still and dormant,
miraculously flowing again.
Suddenly, my quill, alive with bloom
and flowing like a fountain.
Free verse, limerick and haiku
come skipping over the mountain.
Poetry it starts to bloom
of various hue and shade,
stirring refrains and ballads
that sweetly serenade.
The forms that now are breaking forth
to me, they might be new,
a villanelle, a tyburn or perhaps a clerihew.
Then spring gives way to summer
with weather oh so warm;
palm trees and sweltering breeze
an easy feeling in my form.
Those hot August nights can quickly pass
with refreshing iced tea in my poet’s glass.
Then on into the next season
for fall, it now is time.
The colors are slowly fading.
Still there’s reason in my rhyme.
Hot apple cider, the pumpkin patches
And gloriously fun hay rides,
the air is stiff and cooler
yet inspiration continues to abide.
Finally, it’s ‘round to winter again,
and in spite of the holiday hustle;
it seems my pen has fallen asleep
and will not move a muscle.
I may feel unproductive
and like I’m really sluffing,
but it’s at this time God reminds me
that without Him I am nothing.
So, I’ll read and wait and pray
until God sees fit, and then,
when the timing is just right
He will send me spring again!
Everything To Me From A to Z
Jesus is my all in all. He means so much to me.
Starting with the letter A on down the line to Z.
A-Almighty God is He with unparalleled power.
B-Bread of life to feed my soul, each and every hour.
C-Counselor, He is to me, when I need direction.
D-Defender of the weak, He gives to me protection.
E-Everlasting Father who always does exist.
F-First and Last is He, by whom all things consist.
G-God manifested in the flesh, all fullness in Him does dwell.
H-Healer of my body and mind, when I am not well.
I-Image of God that I can see.
J-Just One who judges righteously.
K-King of Kings who reigns supreme.
L-Lamb of God, my soul to redeem.
M-Man of sorrows, tasted of agony and death.
N-Nazarene, for He dwelt in the city of Nazareth.
O-Only wise God, in wisdom stands alone.
P-Prince of Peace, Power of God, Precious Cornerstone.
Q-Quickening Spirit, my being He has filled.
R-Rock, upon which my life I can build.
S-Saviour, who for me was crucified.
T-Truth in which I want to abide.
U-Unspeakable gift, His Spirit indwells me, joy beyond compare.
V-Vine in whom I remain, so fruit I can bear.
W-Word that became flesh, through a virgin birth.
X-‘Xcellent His name, none lovelier on earth.
Yehovah in Old Testament, He was called.
Zealous for righteousness, by sin appalled.
All through the alphabet from A to Z,
Jesus is my all in all. He’s everything to me!
These are the Scriptures that coincide with the titles/attributes if anyone is interested.
A-Revelation 1:8,B-John 6:35,C-Isaiah 9:6,D-Psalm 82:3,E-Isaiah 9:6,F-Revelation 22:13,G-I Timothy 3:16,H-Malachi 4:2,I-Colossians 1:15,J-Acts 7:52,K-I Timothy 6:15,L-John 1:29,M-Isaiah 53:3,N-Matthew 2:23,O-Jude 1:25,P-Isaiah 9:6,I Corinithians 1:24,I Peter 2:6,Q-I Corinthians 15:45,R-I Corinthians 10:4,S-Luke 2:11,T-John 14:6,U-2Corinthians 9:15,V-John 15:5,W-John 1:1,14, X-Hebrews 1:4, Y-Isaiah 26;4(NKJV,YLT),Z-John 2:17
My Final Cry
I cry when I am happy.
I cry when I’m in pain.
I cry when I’ve lost a loved one
over and over again.
I’ve cried at many a wedding.
I cried when I first gave birth.
At times in depths of despair,
I have cried for all I was worth.
I’ve cried tears of joy in God’s presence.
I’ve cried when I’ve felt so inspired.
I have tears for ‘most every occasion.
I think it’s the way that I’m wired.
I’ve cried during times of exhaustion.
I’ve cried when I felt faint and weak.
With tears I am very familiar.
It’s much like a language I speak.
It’s hard for me to imagine.
There will come a time one day.
There will be no more need for crying.
For God will wipe all tears away.
But before He erases all sorrow,
when I reach that heavenly place,
I hope He’ll allow tears of wonder
when at last I behold His face!
5/14/17
Rev 21:1-4 ” And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
The Raging Mama Bear
Everyone knows, well at least I suppose
when you’re taking a trip through the woods,
if mama bear’s not in sight, but her cubs move aright
you better not mess with her goods.
For when mama returns and quickly she learns
with her youngsters a stranger is messing,
her demeanor will change to completely deranged
‘cause she thinks you might steal her blessing.
Swift be your feet, better make your retreat
and run for all that you’re worth.
If you don’t get away, I do dare to say
you’ll rue the day of your birth.
Concerning my offspring, I feel the same thing
I’m much like that raging bear.
When satan comes their way, their souls for to sway
for bloody battle, he’d better prepare.
His eye, I will sock. I’ll clean his clock
through the power of Jesus’ name.
His head I’ll knock, do my best to cold cock,
I will beat him at his game.
When he offers the world, my fist will be hurled
square into his ugly face.
My lips they are curled, my fury unfurled
my goal, to put him in his place.
Knowing him, I will bet, he wants them for his pet
to inflict them with spiritual fleas;
but I will not fret , he ain’t seen nothing yet
Mama Bear’s gonna fight on her knees.
Mama Bear does know, to defeat the foe
in just her own strength there is lack,
but through prayer strikes her blow, the enemy to show
the Mighty Warrior, He’s got her back!
5/12/17
If there’s a mother or even a dad out there who is worried, stressed out or depressed over the direction you see your children going, I want to encourage you to pray, pray, pray!
As Alfred Tennyson once said – More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.
If Thy Hand Offend Thee
Matthew_5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
I never did post anything about On Course Youth Conference that took place two months ago. Truly, it was a wonderful conference that our young people were blessed to be able to attend. The preaching was powerful and anointed, and it was beautiful to see the response of so many young people during altar service times. Although this conference is geared toward youth, there have been many times where God has talked to my heart through the preaching of the Word.
The message that Brother Paul Bertram preached with the above Scripture as his text is the one that stands out the most in my mind. He shared with us the true story of Aron Ralston, an experienced outdoorsman who through a freak accident had his hand pinned under a boulder, from which he was unable to break free. After being trapped for 5 days in this condition, Aron realized that his hand was rotting under the boulder, and the only way he was going to be able to survive was to cut off his hand. So, he did. It still makes me cringe when I think about it.
Brother Bertram began to talk about how we can hold onto things that can slowly kill us spiritually. An area he dealt with a lot was cell phones. These devices are so popular in our society, and while they are very useful, they can also cause great harm to us spiritually when we use them inappropriately or devote too much time to them to the neglecting of more important things. God dealt with me during that service about something on my phone. It wasn’t a sin but something that was becoming a weight, and I knew God was speaking to my heart to delete it, and so I did. I’m so glad that God cares about us enough to show us areas in our lives where we need correction or things in our lives that could become stumbling blocks!
We do need to exercise caution with cell phones and technology. It seems everywhere I go nowadays, I see people staring at screens, whether it be cell phones, laptops or I-pads. I wonder what would happen if we spent as much time in prayer and Bible reading as we do on our devices. I wrote the following while musing on that a couple of weeks ago. While it is a satirical piece, and I don’t really believe getting rid of our cell phones would bring instant revival, limiting the time we spend on them and dedicating more time to seeking God would certainly help.
Cell Phone Phenomenon
We stare at it while we cross the street.
It must accompany us when with friends we meet.
Oh, why can’t we seem to leave it alone;
this technological wonder we call the cell phone?
The husband and wife go out to dinner
to have quality time alone;
as they sit across from each other,
both of them on their phone.
And what shall we do with our cell phone next?
Should we start a photo stream or send out a text?
Our day is just not complete, it seems
without sending or receiving the latest memes.
Of course, there are amusements and games galore
to keep you awake until 3 or 4.
And there’s pressure to upgrade to the latest.
That I-phone 1,000 is just the greatest!
The apps to choose from can catch your breath.
There is even one to predict your own death!
Oh, all the wonders the cell phone is giving.
Before its’ time we weren’t really living.
It’s a glorious device upon which we spend time,
almost without care, reason or rhyme.
It’s so easy to squander the minutes away
held in the cell phone’s hypnotic sway.
You may think I’m totally under delusion,
but my ponderings have brought me to this conclusion.
If cell phone time was replaced with prayer and reading the Bible
we’d have an earth shaking, devil chasing, Heaven sent revival!
4/20/17
Who Is She?
She glides through the village with perfect poise and grace,
a look of steady purpose, determination on her face.
Along the pathway she approaches the first passerby
who rudely cruises on his way with an irritated sigh.
The market place, the destination, where the lady arrives next
to a host of indolent youth that sit around and text.
She tries to catch their eye, begins to lift her voice
but they seemingly ignore her, definitely by choice.
Though what she has to offer, is better than silver and gold,
they won’t hear her instruction. She’s left out in the cold.
She’s been around a long time, before earth’s grand creation;
before so many traded her for pride, self -exaltation.
Yet, it is by her, that some kings and princes reign.
She gives to common men, a life that is not in vain.
All are truly blessed that choose to keep her ways
applying her sound counsel all their earthly days.
Fools that reject her will suffer eternal shame.
“Who is she?” you may ask. Wisdom is her name.
5/2/17
Inspired by Proverbs 8
Diving For Treasure
We started a new quarter in our children’s church this past Sunday, and the theme is Diving For Treasure. A lot of hard work went into making the decorations, and it came out looking very nice. I’m excited about this new quarter and the treasures in God’s Word that our kids will be exploring. I want to see every single one of them strike it rich!
Write My Life
When I first surrendered all to You
it wasn’t clear to me,
that You became the author;
my life, Your poetry.
The pages of my life were dark.
You made them snowy white.
And then with mastery and skill
You began to write.
Each day a different style and form
something fresh and new
always timely and spot on
and never overdue.
So Lord, what will it be today
that flows from Your ready pen
across this chapter of my life
that will be read by men?
Will it be a monorhyme
of how You came through for me just in time?
Perhaps it’s an ottava rima
in perfect pentameter
that tells how my love for You
has grown deeper and much sweeter.
It just might be a ballad
with a tender and touching refrain
of how I stumbled and faltered
but You picked me back up again.
Could there be a principle
that I really need to learn
which You’ll write upon my life
as a repetitive quatern?
Since the furtherance of Your kingdom
is Your holy and noble tactic
perhaps You’ll craft in me
a revelatory didactic.
Diamante, tanka, limerick, haiku,
Lord, the choice is up to You.
Of all poetic forms that be
You know what to engrave on me.
Free verse or even hexaverse diminished
Dear God, please write on until my story is finished.
I learned several years ago from a minister that preached at our church that the Greek word for workmanship in the verse below is “poiema”, from which our English word “poem” is derived. This was my inspiration for this poem
Ephesians 2:10(KJV) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].Ephesians 2:10(Amplified Bible)
Write At Home 