amen poems

THE PROMISE

2011-08-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

Miraculous birth
So unexpected
So unbelieveable
Yet always promised
To us a son
A firstborn
And only one
Loved by his father
And we laughed together
At the thought
That the child I held
Would carry a blessing
An everlasting covenant
For all nations
But every promise has a plan
Not always what we wish
And childhood becomes
A distant memory
Too soon
He was gone
Obedience called
And he
Followed his father
The supreme sacrifice
A lamb offering
Carrying the wood
On his own back
Under the blessing
Willing to be
The fulfillment
Of the promise
On the third day
God answered
The substitution
Was complete
And Abraham's son
Went home again
To be with
His father

PEACE

2008-07-13T00:31:00.000-07:00

Peace
What is it ?
When men agree to disagree
To stop the fight
Burying the hatchet
And an Armalite

Peace
What is it ?
To walk the streets without constraint
But not without worry
To leave all our suspicions
To a judge and jury

Peace
What is it ?
When brothers decide to forgive
But not forget
When neighbours look but never speak
Across the fence

Peace
What is it ?
A set of rules and boundaries
That let us live
Or a changing of the heart

Which Jesus gives

THE REAL THING

2008-07-06T00:34:00.000-07:00

An hour with my least favourite auntie
A meal in the worst restaurant
A holiday with those I avoid
Teaching a class of delinquents
Making a real bad investment
Finding myself in the red
Paying a dental repair bill
Losing my credit cards
Having a serious illness
Confined to a hospital bed
Losing a real close relation
Burying a very good friend
Ditched by the girl I had dreamed of
And discover her dating my mate
Winning a million pound jackpot
And waking up in a cold sweat
Dancing aboard the Titanic
Or trapped by a large forest fire
Caught in the world's biggest earthquake
Or slipping from off the Sears Tower
Life in Viet Nam in the Sixties
A soldier who fought at the Somme
An innocent victim in Ulster
A Jew in a German war camp
A shark fin emerging beside me
A snake at the foot of my sheets
A black widow under my pillow
A lion I'd rather not meet
Just think of your very worst problem
All these could be hell on earth
But no matter what happens , remember

The real thing's a million times worse

STREET COLLECTORS

2008-06-29T00:22:00.000-07:00

Standing on the corner of town
Shaking their money boxes up and down
Trying to catch the slightest glance
And an opportunity to pounce
To give a coloured sticker treat
Or pin a little flag motif
They always know my favourite store
And take up residence beside the door
To give me that disdainful stare
When I pretend that they're not there
Or when I say I have no money
They seem to think it rather funny
That I should reach a shopping zone
And leave my finance all at home
One sticker is a saving grace
When several collecting groups invade
I greet each with a knowing smile
And hand in pocket,pass on by
So some advice,you might take note
Keep that old sticker on your coat
And then in town you'll fear no more

That dreaded figure at your store

GRAVEYARDS

2008-06-22T00:25:00.000-07:00

Graveyards are interesting places
Written in stone
Are the names of those
Who didn't die in
Chronological order
Some tragic
Some natural
All planned
At exactly the right moment
A vivid picture
Of incomplete family trees
To be added to
Against our will
And a backdrop of sackcloth
And fresh smelling flowers
Buried deep in the ground
Are a million thoughts and unfulfilled dreams
That no one will ever know

Until the time is right

ASPIRATIONS

2008-06-15T00:28:00.000-07:00

Two inches taller
Two sizes smaller
Brown eyes , not blue
And sallow skin too
Hair on my head
And not on my bed
A voice so sweet
And Pele's feet
An artist's hand
And a prince's land
A single mood
A desire to be good
Einstein's brain
The Beatles' fame
A private jet
Not a single debt

I may wish and want
But what I need
He has supplied
And more indeed
And if I was some other man
I couldn't doThe job he's planned

HOME

2008-06-08T00:33:00.000-07:00

Home is a two storey terrace
A mansion on an estate
A township in Soweto
A palace in Kuwait
A clearing in the Amazon jungle
A shanty in Hong Kong
A tent on a reservation
A high rise in New York
A space in cardboard city
A yacht in the south of France
A villa in Lanzarote
A rectory or a manse
A mud hut in the Andes
A barge in Amsterdam
An Australian outback sheep ranch
A converted bus or van
Home is what you make it
With friends or all alone
The places we just visit
Are someone else's home
Home is not for ever
Another passing stage
A better home is waiting

On a more eternal plane

NEIGHBOURS

2008-06-01T00:28:00.000-07:00

Who is my neighbour ?
My mother and dad
My brothers and sisters
Or uncles and aunts
My far flung relations
At home and abroad
These are my neighbours
My kindred and blood

Who is my neighbour ?
The man down the road
The girl at the checkout
Or the guy with the Post
The reckless bad driver
The tramp in the street
These are my neighbours
The people I meet

Who is my neighbour ?
The German , the Turk
The peoples of language
And culture diverse
The loved and the hated
The well and diseased
That is my neighbour
The one who's in need

OFFERING

2008-05-25T00:21:00.000-07:00

The choir had just begun to sing
When I was overcome with fear
The offering envelope I had brought
Had mysteriously disappeared

I hunted jacket inside out
And trouser pockets too
I even held my nose and checked
Inside my slip-on shoe

And as collector closer came
The sweat ran down my side
Imagine the indignity
Of waving him on by

I'd be the talk of all the church
And laughing stock there too
Unless some grand excuse I'd find
To rise and leave my pew

But time passed quicker than my brain
The offering plate arrived
And then the envelope appeared
Before disbelieving eyes

I turned around with some relief
She'd had it all the while
I whispered 'Thank-you' to my wife
And she gave me a knowing smile

COUNTDOWN

2008-05-18T00:15:00.000-07:00

Twelve disciples
Eleven good
Ten lepers
Nine rude
Eight sailing in Gopher wood
Seven days
Six used
Five smooth stones from the brook
Four Gospels
Three days
Two roads
One way

READ AND PRAY

2008-05-11T01:49:00.000-07:00

Now I lay me down to sleep
Thank You for the food we eat
These two prayers I use each day
How can you say that I don't pray
And every Sunday from the pew
The Lord's Prayer I repeat right through

For God so loved the world , I know
Is from the New and not the Old
Abram nearly killed his son
At Jericho the walls fell down
And the birth of Jesus is quite nice
I read that every Christmas time

I know you think that I'm all wrong
Your eyes are sad and your face is long
Because my prayers are only three
And the Bible's not so clear to me
But before you start to criticise
Remember that I'm only five

GOD'S NOT DEAD

2008-05-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

God's not dead
Just badly hurt
By all the rumours going round
That say He's finished
Soon demised
It would make anybody frown

God's not dead
Just badly hurt
By all the friends He thought He had
Who all agreed
When persecuted
It was just a passing fad

God's not dead
Just badly hurt
That we should treat His son the same
When time has passed
And wounds have healed
We'll probably do the same again

God's not dead
Just badly hurt
But no victory comes without a price
I'd rather be wounded and winning
Than making the ultimate sacrifice

THE HEART

2008-04-27T01:10:00.000-07:00

Who lives in a heart like this
The door is open wide
The outward signs are promising
But let's take a look inside

The person who lives here would seem
To know just what he's after
No scripture texts upon the walls
And thoughts of God bring laughter

No Bible by the bedside lamp
Replaced by Sunday papers
The silver ashtray overflows
With nicotine remainders

The guest rooms are all occupied
By envy , greed and lying
But the greatest clue to who lives here
The owner's slowly dying

So there you have the evidence
But before you make decisions
Remember , Satan doesn't have to stay
He only rents accommodation

BAPTISM

2008-04-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

Fear of the unknown is a terrible thing
That's why baptisms fill me with worry
One minute he's fast asleep in your arms
The next , he's screeching like a canary

You nervously smile and somebody smiles back
As the redness descends to your navel
And you wish you were somewhere else , not here
When he tugs at the minister's Bible

It would all have been fine but the relatives came
And took all the available seating
And if Junior is bad , I've some unmarried aunts
Who'll remind me about it all evening

I remember last time , everything's going fine
'Till the vicar decides to show 'handsome'
So off down the aisle he parades with a smile
And not even a note for the ransom

The Lord bless thee and keep thee , what a wonderful sound
The whole service had such a good spirit
Just a pity we had to give him four names
To please both sets of grandparents

MISSION

2008-04-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

Let's have a mission
Maybe the week after next
We can print leaflets in pastel colours
And insert a well known text

I know a speaker
I'm sure he'd draw a crowd
We can line up some mouth-watering testimonies
And soloists who aren't too loud

There are plenty of Christians
Who'd love to come along all week
And if anyone else decides to appear
I'm sure we can find a few more seats

Let's have a mission
It's been far too long since the last
There's nothing like a good heart warming sermon
To make the winter evenings pass

HARVEST

2008-04-06T05:21:00.000-07:00

We ploughed the fields again tonight
Then scattered to our homes
The ladies donned their new delights
For the annual fashion show

The choir had made some signings
To swell their anthem praise
On loan from other churches
Or returned from bygone days

The church was overflowing
With long forgotten faces
And others who would just attend
On special church occasions

And uncles,aunts and nephews
The family dog as well
And new found mates of either sex
Were gracefully revealed

The rich fool lost again this year
You'd think he'd get the message
There's no one like that sitting here
His loss is our advantage

The mustard seed grows more and more
The vineyard still needs workers
And there we sit and see the Word
More suited to our neighbour

We ploughed the fields again tonight
And filled our brains with plenty
The offering plates were overflowed

But many hearts left empty

STICKY SWEET PAPER

2008-03-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

I'd heard it once the prayer before
It nudged my concentrating
But now the fistle just in front
Was mildly irritating

It seemed the last attempt had failed
Through lack of careful planning
And now this new assault must be
Successful but demanding

An air of confidence appeared
Mid coughs and blowing noses
The volume rose as prayers were spoke
With silence in the pauses

'Till finally the job was done
"Amen" we all recited
But sweet and paper were firm friends
They would not be disunited

That final tug was all in vain
The job must start anew
The boiled sweet lay in tatters
Beneath the wooden pew

The moral of this story is
Be silent when you pray
For I know how our victim felt
It was me last Sabbath Day

EMPTY

2008-03-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

An empty garden
Where I should have been
But my arrival delayed
By another man’s sin

And empty throne
Where a Son should have reigned
But events in the garden
Needed someone to blame

An empty manger
Where perfection was born
But a mother would ponder
The day she would mourn

And empty garden
Where the praying was done
But a show of affection
Meant darkness had come

An empty field
Where a seed could have grown
But the price that was paid
Was the cost of a Son

An empty cross
Where He knew separation
But three simple words
Turned my sin to salvation

An empty tomb
Where there should have been grieving
But the folded remains
Held the promise of leaving

An empty heart
Where the fire was so precious
But the words that we speak now
Lie buried in ashes

An empty soul
Where the walls are unguarded
But the story of Easter
Is always discarded

An empty sky
Where the throne was ascended
But the promised return
Means the story’s not ended

CHOIR

2008-03-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Robes cover a multitude of sins
But we know what they're hiding
And God reaches the parts that
Ordinary mortals have given up finding
And there they perch like hungry vultures
Waiting for their moment , to rise
And attack the hymn with gusto
Or their captive audience
With those prying eyes
I wonder how they qualified to take
Such elevated status
A singing test , ancestral rites
Or gate crashed without invitation
Yet there they stand and not all blessed
With vocal chords of gold
But duty to the cause remains
For the face behind the robe

FUNERAL

2008-03-09T00:27:00.000-08:00

A real good friend was buried today
Near the church at the top of the hill
And the tears of his closest family
Mingled with those whom he knew well
The minister offered his sympathy
Speaking well of the recent deceased
Its not always so easy to know what to say
For the mourners know what they believe
So strange when you die
Everybody's your friend
Plans are altered to see your last day
But the talk is of farming or business or sport
As the cortege rolls slowly away
And black is the colour and sad are the tunes
And deep are the voices who sing
For some , the beginning
For others , the end
Who are happy with three score and ten

CHILDREN'S CHURCH

2008-03-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

Where do they go every Sunday
Just after the choir sing
And the organist plays on half-expectedly
Keeping one eye on the congregation
We tell them not to talk to strangers
But happily let them go with someone
They hardly ever see.
He looks a bit old for Children's Church
That man with the red complexion
Dragging a small dissenter along the aisle
Embarrassed by his partner's lack of attention.
He won't return - he'll sit it out
Having weighed up the lesser of two evils
Missing the sermon because duty calls
And the wife needs a well earned break.
I know where I'd like to go next Sunday
If I can latch on to a child
For just a few minutes
I'm as young as I feel but too old
To join the mass exodus on my own

THE BACK SEAT

2008-02-24T03:01:00.000-08:00

You must be early to get the back seat
To beat off competition
Where one can hide from pulpit view
And scan the congregation

To be the last you must be first
Or make a reservation
It matters not that you can't see
Or hear the preacher's sermon

Today I came especially prompt
To be one of these mortals
But not a rear seat space remained
Within the building's portals

I'd like to ask them when they came
My guess is Saturday night
But when the Benediction ends
They're up and out of sight

FEELINGS

2008-02-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

So how would you have felt
If a man , old enough to know better
Began to build a boat while warning
That it would get wetter and wetter
When it took a forest of wood
Made up of Gopher trees
Enough to fill a furniture store
Or make several small libraries
When he called again and again
For everyone to change their ways
Or preach about a coming flood
On the sunniest of days
But on and on he persevered
Undaunted by the task begun
And never stopping to consider
That the nearest sea was miles from home
When he gathered up his family
And every animal he could find
And shut the door behind them all
Everyone laughed until they cried
Because soon a tiny drop descended
From a small cloud in the sky
To dampen a small piece of Gopher wood
And the spirits of those outside
Who couldn't quite believe their eyes
That what he said had come to pass
And when that tiny drop became a shower
Their hearts were sinking fast
In a flood of selfish hopefulness
That it would never be too late
To take the moral higher ground
And so escape their fate
So how would you have felt
To view a rainbow for the first time
To see an olive leaf again
And the top of a mountain high
Me , I felt so sorry for those outside
And glad that I'd escaped
To be the first to see the sun again
Yes , being a giraffe is great

SUNDAY

2008-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

Sunday was a special day
In our house
Roast beef , gravy and veg
After Sunday church
Then a quiet afternoon stroll
Down a country road
Or a comfy little snooze
Listening to Tennessee Ford
A quiet fireside family tea
In the background , Songs of Praise
Soon uncles , aunts and cousins came
And for supper always stayed

Sunday's still a special day
In our home
Bombarded by this crazy age
We hold on
To values taught and handed down
From a parent's knee
Not just about right and wrong
But the way Sunday should be

Sunday's not a special day
In some lives
The church and God are far away
In past times
The trouble is we're easily swayed
To join the crowd
Who think its just another day
Not His now

Sunday's still a special day
In His eyes
He rested when He made the world
And so should I
Not just for doing as I please
But taking time
To think of what He means to me
The True Vine

AFTER

2008-02-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

After the flood
The Rainbow
After the fleece
The dew
After the whale
Forgiveness
After the famine
Food
After Goliath
Victory
After the lions
Prayer
After the greatest testing
We know He was always there

MY FRIEND

2008-01-27T05:54:00.000-08:00

My friend is a Christian
Though you wouldn't know
From some company he keeps
Or from his favourite jokes

My friend is a Christian
But he isn't quite sure
Just how it all happened
Its a bit of a blur

My friend is a Christian
But I don't quite see
The difference it makes
To his daily routine

My friend is a Christian
In all the right places
But when he's not there
He wears different faces

My friend is a Christian
It seems a good life
He loves God on Sunday
And does what he likes

My friend is a Christian
Of that I am sure
He's learnt Bible verses
And makes lengthy prayers

My friend is a Christian
His Bible is huge
He's there every Sunday
At church in a suit

My friend is a Christian
To doubt is unfair
You see he's the pastor
Of my local church

HARD OR EASY?

2008-01-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

It's easy to point a finger
At those who can't control
Their urge to feed a habit
That doesn't fit our mould
It's easy to see the bad side
The pain which others feel
When obsession crosses boundaries
Causing hurts which never heal
It's easy to set the limits
Of what should and shouldn't be
And to cast a scornful glance at those
Who , unlike us , aren't free
It's easy to find an answer
When we are not involved
To patronise and criticise
What someone else must solve
But it's hard to be a listener
And not always give advice
Just to be a ready shoulder
On which to have a cry
And it's hard to go on loving
When love is not returned
When all the efforts that you make
To help , are simply spurned
It's never hard nor easy
To help a shattered life
So ask the Lord for wisdom
And take Him as your guide

HUMILITY

2008-01-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Hidden by a new found confidence
An inflated self belief
Trampled under a rising ego
It lies buried beneath
Covered by the clothes of class consciousness
Designer labels aspire
Imprisoned by diamonds and pearls
Bought out by the wealth we acquire
Believing the things others tell us
Reality fades far behind
The truth is now less important
Than having a self centred mind
It's easy to be absent minded
To forget where we left it alone
Our best friends won't even tell us
We're too proud to admit that we're wrong
It's hard to admit we're not humble
It's hard to be humble too
To live the life of a servant
Breaks all the modern day rules
It needs divine intervention
To strip us down to the core
To take away all of the padding
And return us to what we once were

WORDS

2008-01-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

Through the Atonement
We are meant to be
At one with our Maker

Through our Redeemer
We are deemed to be
Reborn in the Saviour

Through His Salvation
We can say Salvete
To the Creator of all nations

THE LEAVING OF DECEMBER 1999

2007-12-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

I closed my eyes and so soon it was gone
Like some fair-weather friend whom I remember fond
But for no special reason other than I met it on the way
To another year, the next century and a new day

A quiet moment to reflect upon tonight
A new entry in the diary we call life
Closing the door but never forgetting
The memories that always lie behind - in waiting

The ravages of war, the crimes of injustice
Man's desire to rule the world, or just a small part of it
They sit uneasily beside our attempts at reconciliation
As we display respect for every class, creed and nation

The times I recall are outnumbered by the days misplaced
A hazy overview where all but essential detail has been erased
To be exchanged for mountains of factual knowledge acquired
About days and years before my first breath had expired

And so the celebrations begin again
Hailing a new dawn - a new millennium
Promising to learn from two thousand years of mistakes
And making the world a better if somewhat smaller place

And tomorrow that is where I shall hope to be
At the crossroads where millennium meets century
Looking back on all my successes, failures and moments of indecision
Marking time and focusing on my twenty first century vision

And what will He have made of all this ceremonial commemoration
The One on whom we base our faith and time, but not always our adoration
A thousand years is like the passing of a single day in His eyes
And thus He easily remembers the intimate detail of all our lives

And what will He have made of all my years of existence
The times I waited on Him or wasted on some selfish commitment
To have wandered in the wilderness when I could see the oasis
To have drunk from His cup but filled it from other places

So strikes the midnight bell in some silhouetted church tower
Signalling a millennium celebration as we drink the last drops of December
And in the heavens where time is still an embryo
God left His throne to come to earth only a couple of days ago

WILL

2007-12-23T09:30:00.000-08:00

My will
Leaving a note
All that I am
To some other folk

They will
Likely contest
Somebody's name
Who should have got less

Pigs will
Probably fly
Before some people
Open their eyes

You will
Not wait so long
Maybe tomorrow
Which may never come

Free will
What we possess
A free gift
Costing too much

God's will
A plan for your life
Too bad
That you remain blind

CHRISTMAS

2007-12-16T14:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas is:
Singing carols around the tree in the village
Buying the turkey for the dinner
Plum pudding and Brussel sprouts
Getting up at 4 o'clock to open presents
Going to parties
A nice open fire
Getting presents from your friends
Pushing through queues in town
Brightly decorated shop windows
Visiting grannies and grandas
Seeing cousins, uncles and aunties
Eating too much food
Snowflake patterns on the window
When the electricity goes off
Drinking hot chocolate
Clay pigeon shooting or the big hunt
Putting on a nativity play at school
Santa coming on his sleigh
Christmas crackers and decorating the house
Lights and music in the town
Counting the Christmas trees in the houses along the road
Getting off school

Christmas is:
Spending time with your family
Being kind to each other
Remembering those who have less than ourselves
Visiting the elderly and those who are ill
A time of loneliness or sadness
Remembering long lost friends

Christmas is:
Church bells ringing
Reminding us of why we have Christmas
When the shepherds found the baby
And rejoiced with Mary and Joseph
In the stable

Christmas is:
Joy, peace and love
Thinking about angels
A time to celebrate
The birth of our Saviour
And never forget
What Christmas is

PLANNED

2007-12-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

I felt so helpless
The night the lights went out
Since all my evening planning
Had not allowed
For an interruption
In the power supply demand

And there I sat
In the midst of a sea
Of power crazy devices
All silenced by another greater power
Beyond our control or choices

I could have endured the darkness and the silence
The alternative lifestyle which demanded
Less of my time but more of my brain
Until I looked out of the window
At the light speckled countryside
And wished I could be like that again

But then I remembered in my dimly lit world
That this moment had been planned to be
From the beginning of time
Like every other day in my short history
The good and the bad , the rough and the smooth
Were controlled by the Creator's eye

A NATION ONCE AGAIN

2007-12-02T01:22:00.000-08:00

A nation once again
Wipes a tear
At the senseless slaughter of little lives
Not old enough to understand their fear

A nation once again
Bows its head
At the tangled mess called living
Which public figures have displayed

A nation once again
Feels the shame
Of a once proud country so divided
Now only respected in name

A nation once again
Tries to find
A common strand of agreement
Through divided political minds

A nation once again
Ponders why
Terrible things are allowed to happen
When God is on our side

A nation once again
Never sees
That the churches with their towers and spires
Have too many empty seats

A nation once again
We'll only be
When the God who made our country Great
Becomes head of our destiny

WHEN REVIVAL COMES

2007-11-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

When revival comes
God's Spirit will move mysteriously
Across the land
Stopping at many addresses
We , in our wildest dreams
Would not have planned

When revival comes
It always begins in the hearts of those
Who earnestly seek Him
And not in the grandeur of buildings
Or theological minds , where He
Is not welcome

When revival comes
It comes to those who wait patiently
On the Son
Who are found in the place of prayer
Getting ready for
When revival comes

When revival comes
Our churches will be filled
To overflowing
As prayer and praise are offered
To the all knowing
Saviour of the world

When revival comes
It will be good to pray
With the believers
And spend time searching the Word
For messages
From the Redeemer

When revival comes
Each hymn will be filled
With inspired phrases
And no longer will we look
For guidance and direction
In other places

HATS

2007-11-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

There were reds and greens
And shades of blue
Flowers and bows
And feathers too
Some had brims
And some had veils
With patterns
Delicately detailed

And it was clearly evident
Much time and money had been spent
In knowing which design to choose
To match the handbag,coat and shoes
And yet to find some novel form
That no one else had ever worn
To be a major talking point
While chewing on the Sunday joint

And there they sit and frown at me
Because of what I choose to be
Explaining that it does offend
To worship with uncovered head
I'm sorry that I didn't know
My dress could just annoy them so
I didn't come to see the view
I only came to worship You

NOT TOO SURE

2007-11-11T02:28:00.000-08:00

I'm not too sure what God wants me to do
Though I've prayed and fasted
Like all good Christians should
Searching through each verse for the slightest hint
Making sure that my next step is no accident
But life is not just painted black and white
When you're going grey and the rest is falling out
Why is it that each passing year I find
A less important issue clogs my mind?
And every new suggestion that He makes
Appears to be in conflict with my present state
It worries me that I still do not know
When some live by tomorrow's horoscope
So I really want to find His will for me
Provided He will then just leave me be!

CALCULATIONS

2007-11-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Twelve baskets , add twelve tribes
Subtract the Laws on Mount Sinai
Divide by Isaac's loving sons
Jacob and Esau were their names
Times the loaves and plus the fish
Then add the crosses on the hill
If you're following the test
You've reached the years in the wilderness
But now its time to move along
Take off the journeys of St Paul
And add the stones which David had
To fight the giant man from Gath
Now take the sons of Zebedee
To multiply your answer please
Add on the dips which Naaman took
To cleanse him in the Jordan brook
Now add the digits that you find
Times Noah's family safe inside
The end is very soon to come
But first subtract all Jesse's sons
Divide by all the types of ground
The farmer threw the seed around
Add on the churches to which John wrote
In his vision in the final book
Remove the days that God did use
To make the earth that we abuse
To get the answer that you wish
Times Jonah's days inside the fish
The answer that I hope you find
To all your sums is ninety nine
But one is still outside the fold
Lost and wandering , all alone
The shepherd wants to bring you home
If you He seeks than let Him know

ALL THE SAME

2007-10-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

I didn't understand a word she said
But I knew what she meant
Speaking in an unfamiliar way
Yet in tones of clear intent
Waving loose arms in the sky
And the pleading voice
Distorting the nose and eyes
In a crescendo of noise
Children are all the same
Sleeping or crying
Playing their own version of the game
And not realising
That we were once children too
And know all their methods
Living by the same set of rules
Our parents had set us
And Jesus loved the little children
For deep down He knew
That their minds were still uncluttered
From an earthly point of view
And Jesus loved the little children
And so must I
Remember that they're just a child
With a simple view of life

COMMUNION

2007-10-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Lord don't let this cup pass
Until I've spent with You a quiet time
Chewing upon the truth of Your broken body
Symbolised in the bread and the wine
Let not the silence of this moment distract me
Or take my mind to other places
When I can feast with the fruit of the Vine
And understand what Your love and grace is
Search the hidden corners of my being
And brush away the wood that has died
So that we may walk in sweet communion
Towards the gardens of Paradise

THEORIES

2007-10-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

In the beginning God created
And Darwin speculated
That the man whom God had specially made
Was once no smarter than the apes
And animals just sprouted wings
While fish began to walk on limbs
What took men years to theorise
God completed in six days
Yet still we are no further on
For dogs still walk and fish still swim
So if you doubt , remember long
That God's still here and Darwin's gone

NEW CHURCH

2007-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to a different church
Where everyone waved their hands in the air
And I felt out of place
When warmly embraced
By a tattooed lady with streaked red hair
Where Levis ruled and people smiled
Happy to see me come inside
And the preacher spoke in warning tones
Impinging on my comfort zones
Where repetitious words had gone
Replaced by prayer and worship songs
And looking round I wondered still
If this was too good to be real
Till 'round the table all were met
To drink the wine and break the bread
And then I knew He didn't mind
The way we looked but what's inside

DENOMINATIONS

2007-09-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Denominations
A way of bending God's rules
To suit ourselves
So that we can love Him
With heart,soul,mind and strength
And our neighbour as ourselves
But only if they belong to our
Denominations
Each with its own concrete interpretation
Of Scripture
And an answer to every question
Which seeks to clarify their correctness
At the expense of slightly
Damning all other
Denominations
We can't all be right
God knows

TO THE MINISTER

2007-09-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Responsibility is in your hands
Where others fell
You must stand
For what you believe
And
Never deceive
Yourself
Or those around you
I wouldn't be in your shoes
Though others think
They could fill them better
But then they reason from
A different point of view
Not accounting
For the route
God has planned for you
I wouldn't be in your shoes
But I understand the steps you're taking

SUIT YOURSELF

2007-09-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

A man in a suit
Arrived at my door
He promised the earth
But he wasn't so sure
Just when he'd deliver
His part of the deal
If I didn't vote for
My local MP

A man with a suitcase
Arrived at my door
With a potion to clean all
From ceiling to floor
But when I was through
With this little orator
There were five different liquids
And three applicators

A man covered in soot
Arrived at my door
With the latest in hi-tec
For cleaning my fire
By the time he was finished
There was soot in my tea
So I needed the potion
And my local MP

So when someone comes knocking
And selling their wares
If it doesn't suit you
Don't open the door
For some of the time
Your heart will be gladdened
But most of the time
You'll be wishing you hadn't

Another man stood there
Outside my door
He kept on knocking
For many a year
But I was now careful
And waited too long
Then when it suited
His offer was gone

STAINED GLASS WINDOW

2007-09-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

The sun shone in through the stained glass window
Creating a kaleidoscopic image of the Shepherd
Upon a freshly painted wall
And from my humble position across the church
I could see the Light of the world in all His glory
Until the rain began to fall
And the sun was reduced to a supporting role
Overshadowed by slow moving clouds

The moon came out again tonight
As a small white haze
Struggling to be seen behind a mass of grey and black
Like a torch shining through the bedclothes
And only the headlights of arriving cars
On the stained glass window
Brought fleeting glimpses of the shepherd
To remind me what I had always knownThat He was there all the time

ANYONE FOR POLO

2007-09-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone for Polo
That much downtrodden sweet
Abandoned in a Sunday suit
Alone throughout the week
Not shown to guests at dinner
Nor offered after eight
Forgotten , isolated
A lower class of taste
But come the Sabbath morning
It soon takes centre stage
To stop a child in full flight
And cool a reddening face
Enough in every packet
To pass along the pew
No sticky papers to unwrap
No centres to chew through
Inserted just in time to catch
The sermon's opening phrase
Discretely introduced in prayer
When all eyes should be closed
Sometimes it lasts the whole way through
Sometimes you reach the hole
And then the preacher might announce
"Just two more points to go"
So special yet so simple
Not just a Sunday treat
There's a message in there somewhere
From the saviour of all sweets

MY TEXT TODAY

2007-08-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it amazes me
That even in a three point sermon
Some hearts remain unpricked
But then we've had years of practice
Building impregnable barriers
That even the latest missile won't break
I think it's going to take an earthquake
Or some more personal disaster
To damage those foundations
Or maybe they're just waiting around
For some of us to provide a personal invitation

MY SON

2007-08-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

I love my son in a way
That he can't comprehend
For when I say 'I love you'
He doesn't understand
That the love he shows his father
As great as it might be
Will never match the depth of love
That he receives from me

I love him when he's sleeping
So peaceful and so good
I love him when he's naughty
Or simply being rude
I love him when he hates me
Or starts to call me names
Or when his room is in a mess
I love him just the same

And so I find it easy
To understand the pain
That God went through at Calvary
To offer up His Son
But why He'd want to do it
When He was in control
The only reason I can find
Is that He loves me so