We are blessed to have some very talented people among us.
Here is a selection from our poets.
When I come home, Lord
When I come home, Lord
don't let them mourn.
Remind them I'm with You, and
that I'm feeling at home
Remind them I was ready
and wasn't afraid to leave.
Can You explain that You came for me
so they don't need to grieve.
Lord, if you could tell them,
I don't want them to cry.
And if they believe in You
It's really okay to die.
I could've sent them a video, Lord
if I'd only brought my phone.
They would see us praising God
and dancing round His Throne.
Then the Lord said to me,
"Would you like to tell them instead?"
"No thanks,” I said. “It would scare the life out of them, if I rose from the dead!"
07/03/2018
©Richard Jesse
He Came for Me
You were with me at my bedside
the day I closed my eyes.
He came for me and took my hand
but He didn't take me by surprise.
I was ready and waiting for Him,
when I met Him face to face.
He allowed me a moment with you,
so I gave you a goodbye embrace
I was able to move among you all,
I touched you one by one.
I knew you couldn't see me
or feel what I'd just done.
As we slowly moved towards heaven,
I looked back to give you a wave
But you were holding back your tears
and trying to be brave.
I wanted to tell you I was content now,
That my saviour was taking me home.
My body was more alive than ever,
all my aches and pains were gone.
As we entered in through heavens gate,
you disappeared out of sight,
Not because you were so far away,
more, because of God's glorious light.
I was so excited to see old friends
and dance with joy with them all.
I forgot how tired I used to get
or how easily I could fall.
I am so happy here with Jesus.
It's where I was made to be.
I hope someday you'll trust in Him,
and come up here and be with me.
If you could see how happy I am here,
I’m sure you would be pleased.
Though I know you'll miss me for a while,
that pain will soon begin to ease.
A Thought In My Head
I was praying one morning
When a thought came into my head;
Not sure where it came from,
Might have been something someone said
“No it wasn't” said The Lord.
“It was Me who put it there,
I was waiting for the opportunity
Then I saw you knelt in prayer."
"I asked if you were okay -
You looked a wee bit down and tired,
it looked like you needed a bit more oomph,
Or was there anything else you desired?"
"Well, now that you mention it,
I do feel a bit run down.
Do you think it would be a good idea
To get a tonic from the shop in town?"
"Tonic! A tonic did you say?
You're on the wrong wavelength.
Its not a tonic that you need -
wait on the Lord - I'll renew your strength."
"Don't you remember?
They that wait upon the Lord,
They shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary.
They shall walk, and not faint."
(Isa 40:31)
He added, "You're only weary from being too busy,
Stop rushing around and be still.
We gave you 24 hours every day -
That's enough to do Father's will."
"If you can't fit everything in each day,
You're finding too much to do.
Everyone asks a busy man for help
But it might be the death of you."
Ask every morning;
God will tell you what needs to be done.
The Holy Spirit will help you
Until your battle with time is won.
08/02/2018
©Richard Jesse
Jonah, A Fishy Tale
Jonah, son of Amittai, heard from God one day,
“Go preach my Word in Nineveh, they are in a bad way.”
“I cannot ignore them, I want you to go”
but in his heart, Jonah said, “NO.”
He ran off to Joppa, found a ship there,
went on board and paid his fare.
Thinking he could evade God that day,
simply by running the other way,
sailed to a place called Tarshish,
in the opposite direction to God’s wish.
The ship set off in decent weather,
God sent a great wind, hell for leather.
It roared and raged, a wild tempest;
the sailors on board could get no rest.
They prayed to their gods to save their skin
and threw goods overboard to lighten the ship.
Meanwhile down below, under the decks,
Jonah curled up, like a baby he slept.
The Captain woke him, asked him to pray, too,
“Maybe your God will come to our rescue.”
The sailors decided they should draw lots
to find the culprit who had put them in this spot.
Jonah was the one who lost the draw
when he pulled out the shortened straw.
The sailors asked “what work do you do?”
“Where are you from? What nationality are you?”
“I am a Hebrew and I worship GOD,
the God of Heaven, who made sea and land,”
said Jonah, with a wave of his hand.
The sailors were greatly afraid; they had known
that Jonah away from his God had flown.
“What are we going to do with you?” they asked,
“to be rid of this storm and safe at last?”
Jonah replied “Throw me over the side;
the storm will cease and calm will abide.”
Instead, the sailors tried to row to the shore
but made no headway, just as before.
So they prayed to God, “do not let us drown
for this man, on us, do not frown.”
“Do not blame us for this mans’ death,
You are God, do what You know to be best.”
Then they took Jonah and cast him overboard,
the sea grew calm and no longer roared.
Then sacrifice and vows the sailors made,
they worshipped God and to Him they prayed.
~o~
Now Jonah sank down in the depths of the sea
where the Lord had prepared a great fish to be,
just waiting to swallow Jonah whole.
For three days and three nights, this poor soul
was trapped in the belly of this great creature,
wishing instead he'd chosen to be a preacher.
He cried out to the Lord in his great anguish,
“How long in the belly of Hell must I languish?”
“Lord, thou hast cast me into the deep,
in the midst of the sea and waves so steep,
the mighty billows closed over my head
as weeds wrapped around and overcame me with dread."
"I sank to the bottom of the mountains there,
cast out of Thy sight, yet Lord, if You’ll spare
my life and allow me my soul to regain,
to Your Holy Temple I will look again.
For those who worship lesser gods will lose out
by turning their backs on the only true God about.
But I will make sacrifice and worship thee.”
Then God ordered the fish to set Jonah free.
The fish did as it was bid and was promptly sick,
Jonah was spewed out on dry land, with a flick.
A second time Jonah was called by the Lord
and knowing this time, he could not afford
to bring about his own destruction
by once more ignoring God’s instruction.
“Go preach my Word in Nineveh, they are in a bad way.”
and straight away Jonah set off, that very day.
Jonah preached “In forty days this city will die”
and in God they believed, they knew he didn’t lie;
to a ‘fast’ and wearing sackcloth, they consented.
No matter what their station in life, they repented.
Then the message reached Nineveh’s King,
he left his throne and did the same thing -
donned sackcloth and sat in the dirt beneath his feet,
issued a decree, “No water to drink, no food to eat;
Every creature in sackcloth must dress, give up his evil way,
and no more violence now, let everyone pray,
so that God will see and change His mind;
because we’ve changed, He might be kind.”
God saw that they had changed their lives;
that now, His Word to keep they would strive,
and so He changed His mind about them
declaring that Nineveh, He would not condemn.
Jonah took off and left the city,
expecting to see destruction and, having no pity,
when he saw that God had changed His mind,
He got so angry, he was in such a bind.
Then he beseeched the Lord, “Take my life,
it is better I die, I can’t take this strife.”
To the east of the city he built a shack
And waited, hoping to see God’s flack.
The Lord prepared a tree for Jonah’s shelter
for which he was glad, for he began to swelter;
But then the next day God sent a worm
To attack the tree; it withered and made Jonah squirm.
Then God sent a hot eastern wind and, in the heat,
Jonah fainted and said “Let me die, I am beat.”
God said to him, “You are angry about that tree,
And I am angry too, with thee.”
“You took pity on a tree that you did not sow,
for which you did not labour, or grow.”
“Therefore, why should I not spare
this great city of Nineveh? This city where
thousands reside, not knowing right from wrong,
where childlike people and innocent cattle, throng.”
Jackie S Brooks ©
31 July 2003
Daniel’s Deliverance
Darius the Mede, the new King of Babylon
succeeded Belshazzar in the Persian Kingdom.
He decided it was time to reorganise,
employ new governors his realm to supervise;
One hundred and twenty men he chose
and three vice-regents he proposed,
to keep an account and take charge
of state affairs in the kingdom so large.
Daniel of Judah was one of the three
and he should be president, was the kings decree,
because of his spirit of excellence
and of his undoubted intelligence.
But the governors and vice-regents
were jealous of him, their evil intent
was to destroy his good reputation.
Lacking evidence for character assassination
they resorted instead to religious persuasion
and conspired to use the Kings legislation.
So to Darius the King they said “Live for ever,
we the governors and regents consulted together,
to establish a new Royal Statute,
a firm decree that no man can refute.
By the Kings decree, any man who prays
at any time over the next thirty days
to any god or to mortal men
should be thrown into the lions den.”
So King Darius signed the new decree,
their devious plans he failed to see
that only to him must every man pray,
a stumbling block put in Daniel’s way.
But Daniel, being faithful, knelt in his room
three times each day, morn, night and noon.
His windows wide open, to God he gave thanks,
praying and praising without fear of cranks.
His enemy’s heard him, praying out loud
to his God, by decree, no longer allowed.
Off to King Darius these devious men scurried,
so anxious to tell him this news, they hurried.
They reminded him of the decree he had signed,
now Daniel has disobeyed your rule they whined.
King Darius felt in his heart such dismay,
knowing the price that Daniel must pay,
for the laws of the kingdom are written in stone
even though the decree was one of his own.
Therefore the King was forced to command
that Daniel must suffer a severe reprimand
and into the den of the lions be cast,
where his enemy’s hoped he’d be devoured fast.
King Darius spoke to Daniel thence:
“the God you serve will deliver you hence.”
The mouth of the den was closed with a stone
And with the seal of Darius, so it was known
that Daniel must be left to his fate;
The King went home, his distress was great.
He could not sleep and he fasted all night,
worrying over Daniel’s plight.
At daybreak he went to the den in haste,
calling out to Daniel “are you safe?”
Daniel replied “O King live for ever,
to my God I am faithful and He leaves me never,
He sent down an angel to protect me,
who closed the lions mouths so they let me be.
I am innocent before God and would never harm you.”
When the King heard his words he was happy too.
He ordered that Daniel be pulled out of the den,
not one scratch could be found upon him. - Then,
King Darius commanded that the devious men
with their wives and children be cast into the den.
The lions their good fortune could not believe
and for the wicked men there was no reprieve.
King Darius wrote a new decree
to which men of all nations were urged to agree,
that Daniel’s God should be worshipped and feared,
a living and steadfast God must be revered,
for His Kingdom shall never be destroyed.
Of His power and dominion other gods are devoid.
For His signs and wonders, hold Him in awe
and for Daniel’s deliverance from the lion's jaw.
Jackie S Brooks ©
11 August 2003