A WORD FITLY SPOKEN

IS LIKE APPLES OF GOLD IN PICTURES OF SILVER.

PROVERBS 25:11

A COLLECTION OF

POEMS THAT MINISTER

THIS YEAR HE MAY COME

BE NOT AFRAID, ONLY BELIEVE

CONFRONTED AND CONVERTED

CHRIST'S LIFE WORKS WITHIN

AN ODE TO HOMESCHOOLERS

WHEN MINISTRY HURTS

JESUS AND OUR MOTHER

THE KING IS PRAYING

PLEASE CARRY YOUR KNAPSACK

I'LL KNOW YOU BETTER THEN DAD

THE LAND THAT I WAS YEARNING FOR

MY DEAREST CHILD MARCOS

IF TOMORROW WAS THE RAPTURE

BECAUSE THE SEASONS CHANGE

THANK GOD FOR JESUS

HE CAME TO MAKE ME WHOLE

DEPRESSION OVERCOME

EIGHT DAYS OF UNBELIEF

WHEN DEATH BATTLED THE RESURRECTION

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS & ABORTION

I KNOW I CAN'T GO BACK

APRIL'S GRADUATION POEM

MELISSA'S GRADUATION POEM

BRIAN'S GRADUATION POEM

NATALIE'S GRADUATION POEM

Dr. Gary D. Hall -- Pastor

New Life Baptist Church

Yorktown, TX 78164

(361) 564-3845

THIS YEAR HE MAY COME

He May Come Here

This Coming Year.

Will You Be Ready To Meet Him ?

We May Go Fly

To The Sweet By & By.

Are You Really Ready To Greet Him ?

It May Be Soon

This Very Noon.

Will You Be Ready To Go ?

Or Should You Set Right

Before This Night

Some Things You Already Know ?

I Wonder Why

We'll Wait To Die,

Before We Wish We'd Done Better.

Oh Why Will We Wait

Until It's Too Late

Before We'll Read His Love Letter ?

But Now We Say

I So Want To Play.

I'll Serve God When I Get The Time.

The Problem My Friend

Is When We Reach The End

It's Too Late To Make Up For Our Crime.

We're Coming Once More

To A New Year, A Door.

Let Us Enter It With A New Mind.

Let Us Follow The Master

Lest We Meet With Disaster,

When He Comes To Be Left Behind.

Let Us Choose Here And Now

That His Field We'll Plow,

And We'll Not Look Back Any More.

Let Us Hold Fast His Way

Till Eternity's Day,

And Our Feet Stand On Heaven's Bright Shore.

This Year Let Us Grow

In His Grace And Show

That With Christ We Can Do Any Thing.

Let Us Look Up To Him

When The Outlook Is Dim,

And A New Song He'll Cause Us To Sing.

Then, When Life's Work Is Done

And Eternity's Begun

We'll Know It Was Worth It To Cry.

And To Suffer Among Men

Will Seem Worth It, When

Our Dear Father Wipes All Tears From Our Eye.

So Hold On My Friend.

We Win In The End.

Hold Fast Till The Victory's Won.

And You'll Be Glad Some Sweet Day,

When You've Walked In His Way,

And "Well Done" You Hear From The Son.

***

BE NOT AFRAID, ONLY BELIEVE

From Mark 5:21-43 -- ( A Poem & Song )

Poor Jairus Had Come to the Master.

His Dear Daughter was Dying in Bed,

And He Prayed with Fervent Desire

That the Lord, He would Heal Her Instead.

As Jairus was Walking with the Master

Then a Message Came to Him that Said,

Trouble Not Jesus Now Any Further,

For All Hope is Gone; Your Daughter's Dead.

Well, When Jesus Came Home with this Father,

He Brought Hope, though Some Laughed Him to Scorn.

Then, He Put Out All Those who were Doubters

And New Life for the Young Girl was Born.

Now, We Learn from this Story a Lesson,

And the Message is Still True Today

That if Jesus is With You to Bless You,

Even Death Can Not Take That Away.

Chorus:

Be Not Afraid, Only Believe.

Go to the Master when Your Heart is Grieved.

Trust in the Savior; His Blessing Receive.

Don't You be Fearful; Only Believe.

( On the 4th Verse Repeat Last Line of the Chorus a 2nd Time. )

***

CONFRONTED & CONVERTED

I'll Do things My Way

If You Please

I'm Only Willing to Offer You These.

What's that You Say

Oh Lord of Heaven

What Do You Mean by "Sinful Leaven ?"

I Go to Church

I Call on Your Name

I Live my Life all Free from Blame.

What's that You Say

Oh Lord of the Earth

My Offerings to You are of No Worth ?

How Can You Say That

Lord to Me

When I Have Lived my Life for Thee ?

What's that You Say Lord

Twas Not for Thee,

But my Whole Life I've Lived for Me ?

How Can You Say Lord

That this is So

That my Own Way I've Chosen to Go ?

My Whole Life Lord

I've Lived for Thee

So What if it's Not Been Totally ?!

What's that my Lord

What's that You Say

If Not Wholely for You I'm Still Going Astray ?

But Lord I've Knelt Down

At an Altar of Prayer;

I've Promised to Follow You Anywhere.

What's that my Lord

Oh what did You Say

Did You Call me a Rebel Still Going My Way ?

A Rebel is Harsh Lord

I must Firmly Protest

I've Given You Some things - though Not All the Rest.

I Cannot be Charged

With Such Folly as That

I've Given You More than a Tip of my Hat.

My Committment is Real

My Life it is Just,

So What if my Bible is Covered with Dust ?!

What's that You Say Lord

If I'm Abiding in You

I'll Walk Like You Walked; I'll Do what You'd Do.

Did I Hear You Right Lord

Did You Tell me to Bend

My Heart to You Lord, if I Call You my Friend ?

Did You Say Lord

That I Must Truly Obey

If I claim that I'm Following You Lord in the Way ?

Are You Telling me Lord

That Lip-Service Won't Do It

If I Profess to be Following, I'd Better Get Around To It ?!

OK Lord, I Hear You

And Your Will I'll Obey

I'll Follow You Truly; no More Games Will I Play.

My Word Will Mean Something

No More Lies Will I Tell

My Mouth will Confess You, and my Feet Will As Well.

I'll Follow You to Glory

My Cross Will I Bear

And Your Gospel Story I'll Purposely Share.

And When I Shall See You

And Your Glory Share

The Rewards Will be Great that I'll Receive There.

***

CHRIST'S LIFE WORKS WITHIN

When I Became a Christian

I Chose to Die to Sin

But I Soon Found a Problem

That Sin Still Ruled Within.

And Then I Cried Oh God

I Can Not Live For You.

Because My Heart & Will Are Weak

And So Is My Flesh Too.

He Said My Child, I Loved You

When You Were Yet IN Sin,

And Then, I Gave My Life For You,

And Now, I Live Within.

It's Not Your Strength & Trying

That Will Ever Win the Day,

But Just As You Received Me

You Must Walk In that New Way.

By Faith You Rested In Me

And Trusted the Work I'd Done

As Your Only Hope of Heaven

And Becoming God's Own son.

By This You Entered Into

My Family On that Day

Trusting Only In My Work For You,

For You Had Gone Astray.

And Now In the Same Manner

You Enter Through the Veil

To the Death & Life I've Brought You

By My Work that N'ere Can Fail.

You See I've Crucified You

With Me On that Old Cross

To Give You My Life In You

And My Victory For Your Loss.

I Knew Your Old Man Couldn't

Ever Follow In the Way,

So I Put Him Out of Business

On the Cross With Me That Day.

And Now You Must Choose to Enter

By a New & Living Way

Into that Resurrection Life

I Offer You Today.

Accept the Fact I Died For You

And You Died There With Me,

And Live By Trusting In the Fact:

My Spirit Lives In Thee.

Just Let Me Live My Life In You

As the Spirit Leads Each Day

By Listening For My Still Small Voice

To Guide You All the Way.

So Will You Live By Faith In the Fact

That It's Not You That Lives, It's Me

And Yield Your Body to Let Me Lead

You From Now Through Eternity ?

Just Let Your Hope of Heaven

Rest Upon a Work That's Done

But Your Hope For Daily Victory

On the Continuing Work of the Son.

***

An Ode to Homeschoolers

If Children are Important,

Don't Send them Off to Schools

Where God is Never Honored

And Humanism Rules.

If Children are Important,

And Turning Them Out Right

Is Something God Requires of Us

The Burden Won't be Light.

But that Doesn't Really Matter.

The Strength He Will Supply,

If We Will Only Do His Will

And On His Grace Rely.

Oh, Parents When You're Weary,

Don't Let Yourselves Despair;

Just Look to God to Carry You,

'Til You Meet Him In the Air.

Homeschooling is a Real Chore:

Usually More for Mom than Dad,

So Fellas Help Out Where You Can;

Your Sweethearts Will be Glad.

And Children Help Your Parents

By Cooperating Too.

Don't Make it Hard - Like Pulling Teeth -

To Get Work Out of You.

Your Mom & Dad are Paying a Price

That Most Will Never Pay,

So Do Your Part, & Give Your Best

To Your Work Every Day.

And Some Day You Will All be Proud

When Graduation's Near,

And You Will Know It Was Worth It All

At the End of That Last Year.

OUR KIDS ARE WORTH IT FOLKS !!!

KEEP ON KEEPING ON.

***

WHEN MINISTRY HURTS

I Don't Want to Risk

More Rejection & Pain.

I Don't Want to Give

What Costs So Much Again.

I Don't Want the Swine

To Trample Under Feet

All My Pearls of Devotion

And My Agony Repeat.

So I Stand Off Awaiting

Til the Lord Makes it Right.

But in the Mean Time it's Getting

Much Closer to the Night,

When No Man Can Work

For Our Work Here Is Done.

Oh, God Make Me Able

To Work Now For Your Son.

I Hate to Give Something

That Costs Me So Much,

When it Only Will Prosper

With a Heavenly Touch;

Especially When I've Given

So Much in the Past,

And it's Returned to Me Void

When it's Come to the Last.

I Don't Want to Waste

My Labors in Vain,

But I Don't Have Forever

Til You're Coming Again.

So How Can I Find

The Assurance I Need

That You Will be With Me

And Prosper My Seed.

The Answer's in the Bible

I Already Know,

So Help Me to Get Out

And Your Seed to Sow.

Let Me Worry Not at All

About the Rejection of Man.

Let Me See it as Part

Of Your Overall Plan

To Bring Men to Glory

Through Faith in Your Son

By My Sharing the Gospel

With Each & Every One.

Let Me Not Fear Rejection

But Labor On for Thee

In the Heat of the Battle,

For You Suffered For Me.

Despised & Rejected

You Bore All My Shame

That I Might be Called

By Your Blessed Name.

Now, Let Me Bear Witness

To the Grace that You Give

That Others Might Repent,

Turn to You, & Live.

Let My Sins Not Beset Me

Any More From this Day.

Let Me Tell Them & Show Them

To Walk in Your Way.

Let Me Be More Consistent

Than I've Ever Been,

So I Can Point Men to Jesus

Before He Comes Back Again.

Let Me Labor Til the End

Of Time's Setting Sun

And Gather a Harvest

Of Souls that I've Won,

And Taught, & Discipled

For the Master with Care

In Hope that I'll Hear

"Well Done" When I'm There.

***

JESUS AND OUR MOTHER

No greater gifts were ere bestowed

To pilgrims on this earthly road

Than JESUS and our MOTHER.

This JESUS came from Heaven's glow

To mortal's earth born meek and low

And lived a life beyond compare

To save a race astray down there

By dying on a cruel cross

To redeem us from eternal loss,

And rising victorious o're the grave

He proves that He alone can save

This JESUS - not another !!!

Our MOTHER also bore much pain

To bring us into life on this terrain.

She suffered often the loss of sleep

When she heard our little voices weep.

She changed our diapers and washed our face

And picked up our messes all over the place.

We seldom give thought until we are grown

To the Christlike self sacrifice that we've been shown

By this God sent gift - our MOTHER.

Compare these two gifts sent from God up above,

And you'll note that the one word that describes them is LOVE.

JESUS demonstrated His love by death on the tree.

MOTHER demonstrates her love by a life lived for thee.

JESUS comes bringing comfort and peace and good cheer

Just like our dear MOTHER when she was quite near.

A most tragic coincidence between JESUS and MOTHER I believe

Is that NEITHER get the love and appreciation they ought to recieve:

Neither JESUS nor our MOTHER.

Truly, no greater gifts were ere bestowed

To pilgrims on this earthly road

Than JESUS and our MOTHER.

***

THE KING IS PRAYING

The King is In the Garden

Kneeling Down to Pray ;

Oh, Let Us Come to Worship Him

And Walk His Narrow Way.

For He's the One Who Died for Us ;

His All He Gave for Me,

So I Will Ever Follow Him

Even Up to Calvary.

Oh, Come & Let Us Walk With Him ;

He Gave His Life for Thee.

Let Us Make No More Excuses

For a Life Lived Selfishly.

The King is In His Throne Room

On the Right Hand of God to Pray ;

For Us His Intercession

Supplies Our Need Each Day.

Oh, Will You Ever Serve Him ?

Will You Walk Within His Way ?

Or, Will You Wait 'til Later

And Put it Off Another Day ?

Oh, How the Heart Does Waver ;

How it's Pulled in Each Direction

By the Flesh & By the Spirit.

And How it Hates Correction.

Yet, the King is In His Chamber

In His Heart On Bended Knee

Praying to His Father

To Strengthen You & Me.

Oh, Will His Prayer be Answered ?

Will God's Grace We Find Complete

To Overcome Our Weaknesses

And Our Old Man Defeat ?

Or, Will His Prayers for Us Come Short

Of His Desired Goal,

Because We Will Not Take His Grace

Nor Accept Our Sacred Role ?

God Forbid the King Should Pray in Vain,

And We Not Heed His Call

To Find in Him the Grace We Need

And Give Our Life, Our All.

The King is In the Garden Again

Kneeling Down to Pray ;

Will We Kneel With Him & Pray His Prayer :

"Thy Will Be Done" Today ???

***

PLEASE CARRY YOUR KNAPSACK

When I see your Knapsack

Beside the Road

My Spirit is Deeply Grieved,

Because I'm Afraid

If I mention it to You

You'll wind up getting Peeved.

But Brothers and Sisters

May I tell you the Truth?

Do you promise that you won't get Mad?

My job as a Pastor

Requires me to Distinguish

Between what is good and what's Bad.

I know it's not Popular

In our world Today

To make this distinction so Plain,

But God's Word is Clear

In such matters as These

It does us no good to Complain.

His Word is the Standard

For judging the Lives

Of those who call on His Name,

And those who reject Him

As being their Lord

Will also be judged by the Same.

Our feelings don't Matter;

He is Lord of them Too;

We must not give in to their Sway.

We must be Committed

To follow our Shepherd

And His Precious Will to Obey.

Your Knapsack is your Duty

To carry Yourself;

You can't expect others to do It,

And neither can you Say

I know I'm supposed to,

And I will, when I get around to It.

It's your DUTY to Carry

Your knapsack each Day;

It matters not how you may Feel;

God's Grace is Sufficient

His Will to Obey,

So test it, and find it is Real.

Get FAITHFUL to Church;

Every Service Attend;

God's Word makes it clear it's His Will.

So come to obey Him;

Be a blessing to Others,

And your cup shall the Lord Jesus Fill.

But if you resist Him

My Spirit will Grieve

As your knapsack lies 'side of the Road;

'Cause you'll miss the Blessing

God wants you to Have,

And we'll bear a heavier Load.

( Scriptural References for Our Knapsack )

Galatians 6:1-5; Hebrews 10:19-25; & Ephesians 4:11-16

***

I'LL KNOW YOU BETTER THEN DAD

I Wish I'd Known You Better Dad

When You Were Here In Life,

Because My Lack of Knowing You

Was the Source of Many a Strife.

When I was Young and You Were Working

Many Hours Every Day,

Those Two Jobs Where You Labored

Kept You Always Gone Away.

And Then, When I Would See You

For that Hour from Five to Six,

We Seemed to Find More Problems Then

Than We Had the Time to Fix.

I Wish I'd Known the Pressures

That You Faced from Day to Day,

But Daddies They Just Go to Work

And Little Boys to Play.

The Years Went By, and I Grew Up

Not Knowing the Real You.

I Did Not Know to Appreciate

The Things You Were Going Through.

I Know We Both Did Struggle,

But We Wrestled Each Apart,

Until Jesus Gave Us Common Ground

By His Entrance Into the Heart.

He Came to Offer Life to Us

By a New and Living Way,

And Now I Know You're With Him

On this Sad Yet Happy Day.

Your Body Dad Had Struggled

With Infirmities For Many Years,

So Now We're Glad He's Taken You

Though Our Eyes May Cloud with Tears.

I Praise the Lord Who Shed His Blood

To Wash Away Our Sin

And Went to Heaven to Prepare Us a Place

And Now Has Welcomed You In.

I'm Glad that God Doesn't Take Us

On the Basis of What We've Done

But Upon the Sacrificial Work

Provided By His Son.

Dad, I Know at Times You Struggled,

And at Other Times You Fell,

But the Lord was There to Steady You

And Pick You Up as Well.

I'm Glad Salvation's Not By Works

Of Righteousness We've Done,

But It's Based Upon God's Mercy

Provided For Us Through His Son.

Now, All Who'll Repent and Turn to Him

Will Find IN HIM THE WAY

To Enter In Through Heaven's Gate

On Some Future Glorious Day.

And I Look Forward While I Wait

For Our Reunion In the Sky

To the Day When I'll Get to Know You Better,

When We Meet In the Sweet By and By.

***

THE LAND THAT I WAS YEARNING FOR

The Land that I was Yearning For

Was a Grand & Glorious Place

Where People All Could Get Along

Regardless of their Race.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Was a Wonder to Behold

A Place Where Was No Poverty

And Plenteous Was the Gold.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Had No People there Within

With Any Kind of Problems

From the Awful Plague of Sin.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Had No Crippled Folks You Know,

Because I Would Not Have It;

I Would Not Will It So.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Was a Party Day & Night

But Not the Kind With Drunkenness

Or Anything Not Right.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Was a Blessing to All There,

For there Was No Pain or Crying

And Absolutely No Despair.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Was Where Deaf Folks All Could Hear,

And the Lame Men Got to Leap & Run,

And Blind Men Saw Quite Clear.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Had a House of Mansions Bright,

Where You Never Had to Lock Your Doors,

And No One Feared the Night.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Didn't Even Have a Night,

And there Would Be No Thieves to Fear

In that Land of Purest Light.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Never Had a One Grow Old,

And You Never Ever Got Sick There

Or Even Caught a Cold.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Had No Undertaker There

'Cause All Would Live Forever;

Death Was Not Found Anywhere.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Was a Fantasy I Was Told;

Most Folks Just Didn't Believe in It,

Or, It Seemed, From the Ones I'd Polled.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Where I'd Get Things My Way

Was a Place They Said I'd Mess Up

Before the End of One Short Day.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Where I'd Be Lord of All

Is What I Really Desired in Life

Before I Heard the SAVIOR'S Call.

That Land that I Was Yearning For

HE Said Could Never Be

Because My Sin Would Ruin It

As It Had Ruined Me.

HE Told Me of a Father

I Never Knew I Had.

His Name HE Said was Adam,

And the Story HE Told was Sad.

HE Said that Adam Had Things

Much Like I Wished them to Be,

And Then He Threw it All Away

For the Fruit from a Single Tree.

HE Told Me of this Garden Place

Where Man had Ruled as a King.

HE Said it was All a Paradise,

And the Season was Always Spring.

But Adam Would Not Let His GOD

Who Created Him Decide

Just What was Good & Best for Him,

And Neither Would His Bride.

So Adam & His Wife Named Eve

Took From the Tree that Day

A Fruit they Thought would Make them Wise,

But Death it Brought their Way.

Oh, They Didn't Die in Body,

But their Spirit Died Within,

And their Innocent Glory they Did Lose

To the Awful Guilt of Sin.

And Then they Saw their Nakedness

Before the GOD of All,

So they Did Run & Hide From HIM

When HIS Voice they Did Hear Call.

The SAVIOR Said Man's Been Running

And Yearning Since that Day

For the Paradise He Had on Earth

Before He'd Gone Astray.

And Jesus Calls to Men Who'll Hear

To Come to HIM & Receive

The Hope of Paradise Restored

For Those Who'll Repent & Believe.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Jesus Said was a Fantasy,

But a Land that HE Calls Heaven

Is a Glorious Reality.

HE Says this Place is HIS Though,

And I Must Come HIS Way;

By Repentance from Sin & By Faith In HIM

I Can Enter Some Sweet Day.

You See, HE Says HE Is the Lord,

So I Should Walk Within

HIS Will Revealed By HIS Word,

Because HE Died to Pay for My Sin.

And If I Want to Go to Heaven

To the Land of Mansions Bright

Then, Clearly, I Should Follow HIM

And Walk Within the Light.

So I Have Chosen this New Way

To Live My Life on Earth,

Because I See this Land of HIS

As Greater In It's Worth.

The Land that I was Yearning For

Is a False Hope Now I See,

And I Have Turned By Faith to Christ

Who Died & Lives for Me.

And I Look to HIM to Take Me

On a Journey Far Away

To the Place that HE Calls Heaven

And I Long For Now Each Day.

***

MY DEAREST CHILD MARCOS

My Dearest Child Marcos

I've Not Forsaken You.

Though I Know You Must Think So

After All You've Been Through.

I Know What It's Like

To Lose Someone You Love,

For I Sent My Own Son

From Heaven Above.

I Sent Him To Be

A Sin Offering For Men,

And I Missed His Sweet Presence

'Til He Came Home Again.

You See Marcos I Sent Him

To Die On A Cross

To Save Souls From Hell

And Eternal Loss.

But I Missed Him So Much

Those Years He Was Gone,

And For Thirty-Three Years

For Him I Did Long.

Many Times Men Don't Know

What I'm Doing In Love

To Prepare Them For Heaven

In My Mansions Above.

And The Pain That This Causes

Makes Them Look Unto Me,

And I Show Them My Son

Who Died On The Tree.

When They See That I Love Them

Though They Don't Understand

They Are Able To Trust

In The Works Of My Hand.

And When They Commit

Their Pain Unto Me

I Am Able To Heal Them

And Their Spirit Set Free.

It's A Matter of Faith

In The Blood Of My Son

And Trusting In Me

As Millions Have Done

That Helps A Man Deal

With The Sorrows He's Known

And Find In Me Peace

Through The Love I Have Shown

To Give Of My Best:

My Own Precious Son,

Who Died For The World

To Save Everyone.

So Marcos My Child

I've Not Forsaken You,

And I Know That Your Pain

Is Deep, And You're Blue.

I've Heard Your Heart Cry,

And I Want You To Know

That I'll Never Leave You,

If With Me You'll Go.

I'll Be To You A Friend

That Sticks Closer Than A Brother

Though I Can't Give You Back

Your Father Or Mother.

I Took Them For Reasons

You Can't Know Today,

But Trust Me Dear Marcos,

And I'll Show You The Way

To Live With Your Loss

And Grow Through Your Pain.

And When You're In Heaven

I'll Be Able To Explain.

With All My Love

In Jesus' Name,

God the Father

John 3:16

For God So Loved The World That He Gave His Only Begotten SonThat Whosoever Believeth In HimShould Not PerishBut HaveEverlasting Life.

John 3:17

For God Sent Not His Son Into The World To Condemn The World,But That The World Through Him Might Be Saved.

John 14:6

Jesus Saith Unto Him, I Am The Way, The Truth, And The Life: No Man Cometh Unto The Father, But By Me.

Hebrews 7:25

Wherefore He Is Able Also To Save Them To The Uttermost That Come Unto God By Him, Seeing He Ever LivethTo Make Intercession For Them.

Romans 10:13

For Whosoever Shall Call Upon The Name Of The Lord Shall Be Saved.

***

*** IF TOMORROW WAS THE RAPTURE ***

If tomorrow was the Rapture

And you knew of it today

If tomorrow was the Rapture

Would it change your life some way ?

Would you be in Church on Sunday

Would you give a little more

To get up on this morning

And get yourself out the door ?

Would you cleanse your life from evil

Would you rid your life of sin

Would you seek to be a servant

With a perfect heart within ?

If tomorrow was the Rapture

Would you read the Word today

Would you make some time for Jesus

To fellowship and pray ?

Would you witness to your neighbors

Would you share the Word with friends

Would you be a witness for the Lord

Even if the Truth offends ?

Would you make ammends with someone

Are there things that you'd set right

Would you pay a visit or pick up the phone

Before you slept tonight ?

If tomorrow was the Rapture

Would you clean your house today

Of some things you've kept as idols

That you know you should throw away ?

Or would you live like others

And like you have often done

Would you seek for worldly pleasures

And your highest goal be fun ?

Will you have to make excuses

Or will you be FAITHFUL found

IF the Rapture IS tomorrow

And the trumpet call DOES sound ???

*** THINK ABOUT IT ***

***

BECAUSE THE SEASONS CHANGE

Because the Seasons Change

Our Burdens Should Be Lighter,

Our Outlook Should Be Brighter,

And We Should Be a Better Fighter.

Because the Seasons Change

God's Handiwork is Shown,

His Faithfulness is Known,

And Our Faith in Him has Grown.

Because the Seasons Change

Satan's Hand is Seen as Weaker,

His Future's Looking Bleaker,

And his Roaring Growl is Meeker.

Because the Seasons Change

Our Walk Can Be Much Better,

Our Chain a Broken Fetter,

And Our Lives a Living Letter.

Because the Seasons Change

Let Us Labor for the Master,

Let Us Run a Little Faster,

And Let Us Save Some From Disaster.

Because the Seasons Change

One Day, Our Cross We Will Lay Down,

We'll Exchange it For a Crown,

And Our Sorrows We Will Drown

In the Praise of Him

Who Makes the Seasons Change.

***

THANK GOD FOR JESUS

( A Poem & Song )

All of My Life I've Lived the Sinner's Way

Following Satan and Doing What He'd Say.

I Listened to his Lies Never Lifting Up My Eyes

To See What the Real Truth Was

That Jesus Christ Had Given Up His Life to Pay the Penalty.

Nails In His Feet And Nails In His Hands

God Says He Was More Marred Than Any Other Man.

They Spit Into His Face And Laid Stripes Upon His Back

And Put a Crown of Thorns On His Head.

BECAUSE OF OUR SINS IT WAS ALL LAID ON HIM.

Oh What a Big Price He Did Pay !!!

Now, I Ask Jesus to Help Me Live For Him:

Never Let the Vision of the Cross Grow Dim.

Because Without the Cross the Whole World Would Still Be Lost

Still Lost For Eternity.

But Thank God For the Cure: Of Which We Can Be Sure.

It's Finished !!! Oh Praise His Dear Name !!!

CHORUS

Thank God for Jesus; He Died to Save a Wretch Like Me,

Poured Out His Blood Upon the Cross of Calvary,

Paid the Debt for the Sins of All Humanity,

Believe And Ask Him, And He Will Set You Free.

( On 3rd Verse Repeat Last Line of Chorus a 2nd Time. )

***

HE CAME TO MAKE ME WHOLE

( A Poem and Song )

My Life Is an Open Book to Jesus

All the Awful Things that I Have Said and Done,

Yet In Spite of this Jesus Still Loved Me,

And He Shed His Blood to Cover Every One.

Oh, I'm Glad the Past is Over.

With Christ All Things Are Become New.

He Changed My Whole Life Completely,

And He Can Surely Do the Same Thing for You.

Oh, I Wonder How He Ever Could Forgive Me.

I Wonder Why He Loved Me So

To Take My Sins that Were as Red as Scarlet

And Make Them White as New Fallen Snow.

He Died For Me At Calvary:

Gave His Life For Me On that Wretched Cross.

Oh, the Agony He Must Have Suffered:

Bought My Life For Me, But Oh What It Did Cost !

So, If You Want to Go to Heaven,

Then Accept What Has Already Been Done.

Take the Gift of Eternal Salvation:

Bought and Paid For By the Blood of the Son.

Now, Remember Salvation is Easy.

Believe On Jesus Christ, and You'll Be Saved.

But the Blessings that You'll Get in Heaven

Will Depend a Lot on How You've Behaved.

CHORUS

You See He Came From the Very Peak of Glory,

And He Descended to the Depths to Save My Soul,

And It's Because I Believe the Gospel Story

That He Came Into My Life and Made Me Whole.

( On the 3rd Verse Repeat Last Line of the Chorus a 2nd Time. )

DEPRESSION OVERCOME

Life is a Blessing

So I've Always Been Told,

But Mine is Like a Newspaper

Which I Can't Seem to Unfold.

I'm Torn Between Anger

And the Power of Love.

I've Not Yet Found Peace;

I Still Seek the White Dove.

Time Heals Wounds,

But the Mark is Still There.

And When Time Is Past

My Life Is Still Bare.

My Mind is Too Weary

My Body Too Lame

To Carry On the Fight

To Win In this Game.

These Sad Thoughts Were Mine

I Can Now Freely Say,

But Please Let Me Tell You

Who Changed Them One Day.

My Whole Life It Seemed

I Had Labored In Vain

Without Recognition

Or Appropriate Gain.

Instead, I'd Seen Others

Called to the Front of the Line

And Given the Blessings

I Thought Should Have Been Mine.

I Never Really Resented

That Others Were Blessed.

I Only Wanted My Share

Just Like All the Rest.

When It Wasn't Forthcoming,

I Felt Like a Knife

Had Been Thrust In My Hope

And Had Cut Out It's Life.

I Began to Be Angry,

And My Temper Did Boil.

I Saw No Real Reason

For My Labors and Toil.

My Life Seemed to Have

No Great Purpose At All,

Until Jesus Sought Me,

And His Voice I Heard Call.

He Came, and He Offered

Me Salvation From Hell.

And Then He Gave To Me

A New Life as Well.

A Life with New Purpose

Much Greater than Before

He Has Given to Me

And a Spiritual War.

This Purpose I Share

With All of Christ's Bride

To Work to Bring Others

To Walk By His Side.

This War I Will Fight

To the End of My Race.

The Devil I Will Battle

'Til I See the Lord's Face.

Then, His Glory We'll Share

Through Eternity's Day,

So the Pain that We Suffer

Is Well Worth the Pay.

Now, Help Me Dear Lord

To Ride On Your Wings

To Mount Up Like an Eagle

And Soar Over These Things.

Let Me Never Stay Down

In My Heart Very Long.

In My Darkest Midnights

May You Give Me Your Song,

So I Can Point Men

TO THE GOD UP ABOVE

Who Helped Me to Find

REAL LIFE IN HIS LOVE.

***

EIGHT DAYS OF UNBELIEF

Eight Days of Unbelief

Filled with Sorrow & Grief

For Thomas was Not With them There.

Yes, Eight Days of Unbelief

While the Others Had Relief:

Oh, the Sorrows the Lone Christians Share.

So Will You Be Like Thomas My Friend,

Or Will You - Like the Others - Attend ?

Will You Come to His Place

And Receive of His Grace,

Or Will You Wish You Had In the End ?

WHEN DEATH BATTLED THE RESURRECTION

He Bore All Our Sins

In His Body On that Tree,

And the Father Forsook Him

For You & For Me.

The Father Saw the Travail

Of His Soul On that Day,

As He Took All Our Sins

And Transgressions All Away.

He Nailed Them to the Cross,

And He Suffered Our Pain,

As His Blood Was Poured Out

To Wash Away the Stain.

He Cried: "It is Finished,"

And the Earth Shook that Day,

As the Veil In the Temple

Was Torn All the Way.

From the Top To the Bottom

Thus Signifying the Way

Into the Presence of God

Was Made On that Day.

By the Sacrifice of Jesus

As Our Offering For Sin

Was Heaven Thus Opened

And THE WAY Made Therein

To Enter IN THROUGH JESUS,

THE TRUE & LIVING WAY,

That He Consecrated For Us

Through the Veil On that Day.

He Poured His Soul Out Unto Death

And was Numbered With You & Me,

But Then, He Arose On that Third Day

In a Glorious Victory.

Poor Death ! He Thought He Had Him,

So Did the Devil Too.

And, Then, When Jesus Rose Again,

They Couldn't Believe It Was True.

There was Surely a Massive Scramble

And, Perhaps, A Fearful Shout

From the Devil & Demons, who Ran for Cover,

When the Grip of Death Gave Out.

I Would Have Liked to Have Been There

As a Witness On that Day,

When Death Did Battle With Resurrection

And the Gravestone Rolled Away.

At First Death Thought He Had Him Down,

And the Battle He Would Win.

But, Then, THE RESURRECTION ROSE,

When THE LIFE Came Pouring In.

The Darkened Tomb Was Lightened,

And the Prince of Darkness Fled.

As the Prince of Life, THE RESURRECTION,

Was Clearly No Longer Dead.

I Would Have Liked to Have Been There

And to Have Heard As the Angels Said :

"Don't Seek for Jesus In the Tomb,

For HE IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD."

And, Then, to Have Raced Along the Path

As Mary Must Have Done

With News Of His Glorious Resurrection

To Share With Everyone.

I Couldn't Wait to Get There

To that Famous Assembly Room,

Where All His Friends Were Gathered,

To Chase Away Their Gloom.

Then, Imagine Their Excitement,

When the Savior Did Appear.

And He Said : "Peace Be Unto You"

To Chase Away Their Fear.

Imagine Doubting Thomas

Who Said : "I Won't Believe"

Unless I See Him For Myself,

The Story I Won't Receive.

And, Then, When He Had Seen Him

After Eight Days of Unbelief,

His Doubts & Fears Were Laid Aside :

Replaced By Sweet Relief.

These Things Were Written For Us

To Give Us Faith Today

Toward THE ONE Who Conquered Death

And Calls Himself THE WAY.

John Says that HE'S THE WAY to God,

The Father's Only Begotten Son,

And He Was Given By God's Love

To Save Us - Every One.

The Problem of Sin, that Separates From God,

He Came For It's Correction

By Dying to Pay the Wage of It

And, Then, By His Resurrection.

But We Must Put Our Faith In Him.

There Is No Other WAY,

For He Alone Paid For Our Sins

And CONQUERED DEATH that Day.

***

Political Correctness and Abortion

Well, I'm Not a Bald Guy.

I'm Just Follically Impaired.

No, I'm Not a Chrome Dome.

I'm Just Sparcely Haired.

And I'm Not a Pinko.

I'm a Social Democrat.

No, I'm Not a Commy.

I'm a Caring Bureaucrat.

Our Political Correctness Movement

Has Gotten a Bad Rap.

We Just Want Nice Standards -

Not All that Biblical Cr - uh - Stuff..

See, I'm Not a Short Guy.

I'm Just Vertically Slight.

I'll Decide for Myself

What is Wrong and What's Right.

I've Changed the Semantics.

Don't Call Me Real Fat.

I'm Circumference Enhanced.

Get It Right the Man Spat.

Don't Call Me American.

Hyphenate Where I'm From.

That Charge of Devisive

He said was Quite Dumb.

Now, I Know that Some Things

That they Say are Okay,

But to Many of these People

What is Night is the Day.

For an Instance They'll Say

That a Life that's Prebirth

Is a Life that has Nothing

In Value or Worth.

They Say that a Baby

Is the Mere Product of Conception.

They Preach About Choice,

But Here's the Deception.

They Don't Tell the Woman

That the Child in her Womb

Is as Human as the Adults

Who are Headed for the Tomb.

They Don't Say their Instruments

Tear the Child Up to Shreds.

And the Last thing they Do

Is to Crush Little Heads.

They Don't Tell these Mothers

That their Babies Feel Pain.

One Wonders Why this Proven Fact

They Never Do Explain.

To Say a Woman's Right to Choose

Is What they are Fighting For,

While Withholding Such Important Facts

Throws Truth Right Out the Door.

No Matter How You Frame a Lie

A Lie It will Always Be,

And Political Correctness Will Bring Us Bondage

Though It Promises to Set Us Free.

If Truth was the Agenda

Not the Pleasing of Men

If Right was the Standard

Then We'd Come Back Again

To an Old Fashioned Book

Which Shows Us the Way

And Built a Great Nation

With Men Made of Clay.

Now We Have Forsaken It

Though It Beckons Us Back,

And the PC Proponents

It's Words Do Attack.

The Liberals Don't Get It.

They Don't Understand.

If they Destroy the Foundations

They Will Ruin Our Land.

OR

( And this is More Scary )

Maybe they Do Get It.

***

I KNOW I CAN'T GO BACK

Every Day May Bring Me Trouble,

But I Know I Can't Go Back.

All My Dreams a Broken Bubble:

But I Know I Can't Go Back.

All My Life May Be In Rubble,

And My Hurt May Even Double.

Let Me Never Build With Stubble;

'Cause I Know I Can't Go Back.

***

APRIL'S GRADUATION POEM

My Dearest April Lynn

I'm Not Sure What to Say.

It Seems So Short a While Ago

Since God Sent You Our Way.

And Now You've Finished High School,

So This Graduation Day

Has Brought Us Joy & Gladness

On This Blessed Date In May.

Our Joy is Over a Race Well Run

By Both Your Mom & You

From " A A A A Apple "

All the Way Through Geometry Too.

You Both Have Made Me Very Proud,

And God Will Say Well Done,

When We Stand Before Him On That Day

To the Glory Of His Son.

Today, We Stop & Start Anew

Our Lives Forever Changed.

You've Grown So Fast. Now Home School's O'er,

And Much Will Be Rearranged.

Pretty Soon You'll Be Taught By Others

Not Just By Mom & Dad,

But If You Apply What You Already Know,

Then, That Will Not Be Bad.

Your Whole Life We've Worked Toward This Day

Though It Came Too Fast It Seems,

And Now, We Pray That Your Boat Is Ready

To Sail Off Toward Your Dreams.

Just Remember As You Sail Away

The Reasons For What We've Done,

And Remember Always to Seek Your Dreams

In Accordance With God's Son.

Congratulations April !!! We Are So Proud of You !!!

With All Our Love, From Mom & Dad : 5/18/98 .

Melissa's Graduation Poem

My Dearest Melissa Anne

It Seems so Strange to Me

That You are Finished Now with School

And Soon to Be Set Free.

From Mom & Dad & School at Home

You Turn to College Days.

And You Will Learn Some More New Things,

But Do Not Change Your Ways.

For You Have Brought Much Laughter

Into Our Home It's True.

And Better that You Should Laugh a Lot

Than Let Your Heart Be Blue.

Now, Sorrow that is Not From God

Will Crush the Life From You,

But Foolish Jesting On the Other Hand

Can Mess Your Life Up Too.

I'm Glad that You Have Finished School

And For the Race You've Run.

But Most of All I'm Blessed in Heart

For Your Love For God's Dear Son.

You'll Find Melissa Anne My Dear

That Things You've Heard From Us

Will Help to Steer Your Life Toward Good,

And That You'll Find a Plus.

When Others From the Public School

Don't Know the Right From Wrong

Your Solid Foundation in the Bible's Teaching

Will Guide You All Along.

So Now With Hopes & Prayers For You

And With Joy & Excitement Too

We Commit Your Future Unto God

And Trust He'll See You Through.

WE LOVE YOU MELISSA !!!

Your Mom & I are Very Proud of You !

Dad -- May 15th, 1999

Brian's Graduation Poem

My Dearest Son Brian

I am so proud of You,

Because Today You Graduate.

Your Home School Years are Through.

I pray that You have learned some things

Beyond the Basic Three;

For Readin, Ritin, and Rithmatic

Aren't What You're Supposed to Be.

Yes, Everyone Should Learn Them

To Function and Excel,

And Home School Education

Can Accomplish that Quite Well.

But You Were Also Taught those Years

To Make a Man of You

That God Could Use Now that You're Grown

With Eternity in View.

The World Will Try to Lure You

And Draw You to It's Way,

In Order to Entangle You

With Things For Now : Today.

So Remember This My Only Son

That God Has Chosen You

To Go and Bring Forth Fruit For Him

Until Your Life is Through.

And It Won't Matter When You're Done

How Much Money that You've Made

Or If You've Owned the Nicest Things

If You Fail to Make That Grade.

You Must Be Strong and Also Wise

Out On Life's Troubled Sea.

It's Not Really the Wind But the Set of Your Sail

That Will Bring the Victory.

NATALIE'S GRADUATION POEM

While Other Mom's were Resting

With their Kids all Off to School

You Stayed at Home to Work with Ours,

And You Became God's Tool.

You Taught with Love and Nurture

And Sometimes a Heavy Hand.

You Taught them of Self Discipline

And Honoring the Lord's Command.

While Other Mom's Took Leisure

Or Labored with their Careers

Your Life was Daily Given

To Our Children Through those Years.

Most People Never Understood

Why You Would Take the Stand

To Keep Our Kids from Public Schools

So Accepted Throughout the Land.

But You Had a Higher Calling

Than Others Maybe Heard.

You Listened to Better Counselors

The Pages Of God's Word.

They Spoke of Higher Values

Than Were Being Taught Elsewhere,

And You Gave Your Life to Teach Our Kids

Those Values that We Share.

So Now With the Graduation

Of Our Youngest Child This Day

I Want to Thank You Publicly

And Honor You This Way.

I Cannot Thank You Half Enough

For the Work that You Have Done

And All the Sacrifices Made

From the First Day 'Til this One.

But God Was Watching All These Years,

And His Reward You'll See :

Both As They Serve Him Now In Life

And More In Eternity.