Hidden Treasure ~ Cinquain

Word

secretive, untouchable

whispering, probing, penetrating

defying death, securing life

Promise
~ae

“Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, 

that I might not sin against Thee.” 

~Psalm 119:11

Aurora Borealis

Solar flares leap forth

stirring the skies to dance and play

in colorful display.

Jesus, You are Light

awakening our hearts to joy

in every new employ.

~ae

Blank Pages ... in anticipation of being married for 50 years

Fifty years yielding

to our precious Savior,

we savor His flavor,

forever in view.

                Setting the stage

                for more years to unfold,

                love more treasured than gold

                and His mercies anew.

Books filled with pages,

each book overflowing,

each paragraph showing

great things He has done.

                Yet blank pages linger

                and thus will remain

                unwritten and plain

                ‘til new days are begun.

Blank pages bursting     

with intrigue and mystery

of all that makes history

yet to be penned.

                Bare pages anxious

                for thrilling occurrence

                with joyful assurance

                fresh ink will commend.

Fresh pages aching

to tell of His glory

in every new story

that steps into shoes.

                Clear pages flowing

                in ceaseless unveiling

                of days never failing

                to bear the Good News.

~ae

"Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ,

if there is any consolation of love,

if there is any fellowship of the Spirit,

if any affection and compassion,

make my joy complete by being of the same mind,

maintaining the same love,

united in spirit,

intent on one purpose."

~ Philippians 2:1,2

I Do

He speaks to me;

His still, small voice

says, “Come to Me”.

There is no choice.

I MUST

I try to do,

I strive to be.

It’s not enough;

I am not free.

I CANNOT

I long to feel

His embrace,

to hear His voice,

to see His face.

I DESIRE

I am alone,

broken and bare.

I cry to Him,

He strokes my hair.

I CAST

All that I am

is Christ in me;

the Hope of Glory

set me free!

I DO

Jesus ~ Image of God

Image of God:

“Therefore, since we have this ministry,

as we received mercy,

we do not lose heart…

“…And even if our gospel is veiled,

it is veiled to those who are perishing,

in whose case the god of this world

has blinded the minds of the unbelieving,

so that they might not see the light

 of the gospel of glory of Christ,

who is the image of God.

“For we do not preach ourselves

but Christ Jesus as Lord…”

~ II Corinthians 4:1-5

“In the mirror I can see

lots of things, but mostly me.”
~by Eloise Wilkin

I am naturally self-centered…

…so are you.

 “Mirror, Mirror on the wall,

who’s the fairest of them all?”

   ~the queen in Disney’s “Snow White”

Although her heart was wicked

and so devious her task,

this queen’s interrogation

states the question all must ask.

What gospel has my life proclaimed?

What gospel has it veiled?

What image is the fairest

or have other gods prevailed?

What darkness casts its shadows?

What obscurities seem whole?

What image is reflected

in the windows of my soul?

What do I hold in high regard?

What mercy do I feel?

What comfort can I offer?

What encouragement is real?

What changes in my life occur

or do I simply see?

What image is praiseworthy?

How does this apply to me?

For God so loved the world

He sent the image of His glory;

reflections of His life are mine

and His is now my story.

“Objects in mirror are

closer than they appear.”

   ~your car’s rear view mirror

Furry Bear, by A.A. Milne

One of my favorite poems of all time...

If I were a bear, and a big bear too,

I shouldn't much care if it froze or snew;

I shouldn't much mind if it snowed or friz--

I'd be all fur-lined with a coat like his!

For I'd have fur boots and a brown fur wrap,

and brown fur knickers and a big fur cap.

I'd have a fur muffle-ruff to cover my jaws,

and brown fur mittens on my big brown paws.

With a big brown furry-down up to my head,

I'd sleep all winter in a big fur bed.

~by A.A. Milne

for more poetry by A.A. Milne, author of Winnie the Pooh, go to...

http://www.winniethepooh.co.uk/storiesandpoems.html

Rain in a Shoebox

Collect some cool rain in a shoebox,

gather sunshine in a jar,

pile up together

some cold snowy weather

to store in the trunk of your car.

Carry these elements with you

to have at your beck and your call

wherever you go,

for you just never know

when you’ll need them, so keep some of all.

“Why, that’s silly!” you say, “I can’t do that;

rain in a box isn’t cool.

As for holding the sun,

it just shines then it’s done,

and my snowy trunk would be a pool.”

“It’s outrageous to even suggest this!

These forms of containment are wrong.

A box and a jar

and a trunk of a car

cannot hold what you say should belong.”

Just as God caused the manna from heaven

to fall to the ground where it lay,

and gave clear command

to gather by hand

only what was enough for the day,

so it is that He offers His blessings

to descend upon where we abide.

He is faithful and true

to His word.  He will do

as He promised us;  God will provide.

“Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving,

…Who covers the heavens with clouds,

Who provides rain for the earth,

Who makes grass to grow on the mountains…”

~Psalm 147:7,8

“The Lord will give strength to His people;

The Lord will bless His people with peace.”

~Psalm 29:11

In Flex

Two very moving experiences

in two days...

A conversation with a friend

who is battling cancer,

and a few hours spent 

with a friend in the ER.

Both friends displayed 

immovable faith

and unalterable kindness

in the midst of extremely difficult circumstances.

Both friends had 

every plausible excuse

society has to offer

to toss kindness aside,

to render generic faith useless,

to ride whatever wave felt best

for the moment...

... but they chose another path...

a narrow road

with promise of struggle,

of suffering,

... and each remains completely contented there...

The power of kindness,

the strength of a smile,

the depth of compassion,

the might of an ear,

the steel of steadfastness,

the firmness of faith

all pass through the fire

of unmerciful fear.

Through acts of obedience

rendered in prayer,

the hearts of the faithful

become stronger still.

True strength, though appearing

impartial and tough,

is soft and resilient

in flex with His will.

“Now faith

is the assurance of things hoped for, 

the conviction of things not seen… 

let us run the race that is set before us, 

fixing our eyes on Jesus, 

the author and perfecter 

of faith…”

~Hebrews 11:1 & 12:1,2

My Pity Party... Wanna Come?

If you’ve ached from your head to your toes’s

and your symptoms cried for diagnosis

and you sniffed and you coughed

‘til your glasses fell off,

then you went to get scripts for some doses.

And you vowed to take each pill with care

so the doctor won’t give you that stare;

then you found a nice spot

and drank fluids a lot

and pretended that dishes weren’t there.

After all that, your brain's in a fog

and your only companion’s the dog

and you’ve nothing to do

that appeals to you.

So, just write something lame on your blog.

Ode to Millie

Oh, the joy of driving Millie

Highways paved or roads of dirt

Dancin’ rattlin’ cruisin’ filly

Dually with a hula skirt

Miles went by without a worry

Whether heat or ice or snow

Travelin’ slow or in a hurry

Jumped in Millie’n off we’d go

Crank a tune and she would hum it

Dieseled up to keep the pace

Wide expanse or mountain summit

Fit right in a compact space

Haulin’ gear for each vacation

Haulin’ kids and balls and stuff

Drywall, lumber, insulation,

Always held more than enough

Millie, you’re the best, I figure

Been more fun than I could tell

Not a rig better or bigger

‘Nless I had a CDL

~ae

Rags to Riches

Shredded into lengthy strips,

bound around His tiny form,

somewhat undesirable,

yet I kept Him snug and warm.

Illness had decreased her health;

desperately her hand reached out.

Healing power surging through

my being bade Him turn about.

Loved one passed away, I held.

Then He spoke, and suddenly

the encompassed rose again.

They removed me; he was free.

Men of great importance sat

pushing Him to testify;

when He named Himself I AM,

grabbed and ripped apart was I.

Soldiers of the governor

gathered Romans all around,

stripped Him what was left of me;

scarlet counterpart was found.

Laughing soldiers casting lots.

Bits and pieces here and there;

once I was a part of Him,

then was used without a care.

Uttering His final cry,

earth was quaking, Truth was known,

sky was darkened, stones were split,

I was torn from my top down.

Shredded into lengthy strips,

bound around His beaten form,

mixed with spices and with myrrh,

gifts to Him when He was born.

Suddenly, such fear and joy,

for I was glowing white as snow!

“Tell them He is risen now,”

angels bid the ladies, “Go…”

~ae

“…on His robe 

He has a name written, 

KING OF KINGS, 

AND LORD OF LORDS.”

~Revelation 19:16

Great Physician

A soothing voice,

a gentle touch,

a steady hand,

Each fragile life

completely held

in His command.

And every new little one

ushered into this world

holds a heart to love Him,

feet to walk with Him,

hands to serve Him.

Chorus (1)…

For He is the Great Physician

and all of life is His;

every breath,

every beating heart

is His to give.

And when a heart draws near to Him

His giving heart overflows

with the promise of forever

in the caring Hands

of the Great Physician.

A soothing voice,

a gentle touch,

a steady hand,

He reaches out

to those without

the strength to stand.

And every Beloved one

filled with sorrow and pain

knows the promise of

His gift of love,

And in Jesus’ Name

we cry out,

Chorus (2)...

“Oh Great Physician,

all of life is Yours;

every breath,

every beating heart

is Yours to give.

Our broken hearts

cry out to You,

to Your Heart that overflows,

and to Your promise of forever

in Your caring Hands,

Oh Great Physician!”

… Great Physician......

~ae 

Jenny!

Busy people come and go,

not a single one I know,

keeping paces with the flow;

all except for Jenny.

“Jenny!”  

Jenny throws a penny,

dashes among strangers’ legs,

“Come here, Jenny!”

“Go and catch her

quickly, son!”  the mother begs.

“Jenny!”  “Jenny!”

“Where is Jenny?”

“There she is!”

“What did she take?”

“No!  No!  Jenny!”

“Put that back

right now, Jenny, before you break…”

“I’m so sorry,

here’s some money…”

“Jenny!”  “Jenny!

that’s not funny!”

“Jenny-Jen,

where are you, honey?”

*distant screech*

“Oh, there she is!”

Travelers queued

at Gate C-5

increasingly become alive

as mother’s shouts intensify,

“Jenny!”  “Jenny!”  “JENNY!”

This true experience I blog

and cannot help but chuckle

about Bill Cosby’s monolog

as I clip my seat buckle!

~ae

Today

Open your eyes

every day is a surprise;

analyze

and be wise

to know truth from sweetened lies.

As you pray

may you stay

in the Word and in the Way,

may you not fall away

nor your heart be led astray

in the fray of malevolent sway.

For the vices of sin

digging in

with a grin

will not win

nor will hardening set in

where one has been

forgiven.

Courage multiplies

when we meet each others’ eyes,

Courage is our stay

as it’s offered day by day,

Courage must begin

each today that we are in.

   So be wise

      in the Way;

         be a friend.

~ae

“Take care, brethren,

that there not be in any one of you

an evil, unbelieving heart

that falls away from the living God.

But encourage one another

day after day,

as long as it is still called ‘Today,’

so that none of you will be hardened

by the deceitfulness of sin.”

~Hebrews 3:12,13

Guest Post

Following is a poem my daughter wrote for a history assignment combining Revelation 13:1 and the Viking's attack on monasteries in the Middle Ages.  When the monks saw the great ships with enormous dragon heads on their bows appearing out of the fog to approach the shore, they thought that the Scriptures were being fulfilled...

Standing on a sandy shore

The monk would pray but eat no more

Across the sea as John had said

Came a beast desiring dread

The dragon stood upon the sand

The monk cried out but all in vain

He was killed by the creatures hand

Which spread its terror like falling rain

On everyone it set its brand

On its head were blasphemous names

It never could have stood in war

But hid until its great downpour

laid bare all of its shames

At last the beast was gone

Like mist upon the morning air

As evening turned to dawn

The dragon crawled into his lair

                                 ~gme

  

 “And the dragon stood on the sand of the sea shore.

Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea,

having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems,

and on his heads were blasphemous names.”

~ Revelation 13:1

Happy Valentine's Day!

Give a kid a lollipop,

give a clerk a smile,

give a guy a handshake,

go the extra mile.

Help carry the groceries,

wash somebody’s trucks,

run somebody’s errands,

go and feed the ducks.

Quit your pity party,

stop your grumbling angst.

Love was made for giving

So give love and then give thanks.

~ae

I Believe

What does it mean to believe in myself?

   Can I swear by me?

      Are my ways reliable?

         Do I trust myself?

            Is my mind dependable?

   Am I self-confident

      to accept myself as true?

         Can I have faith in me

            to deem worthy all I do?

   I am not enough.

      I am lacking what it takes.

         I cannot not fail.

            I will always make mistakes.

   I am incomplete.

      I cannot have faith in me.

         My unworthiness

            drives me humbly to my knees.

What does it mean to believe in my friends?

   Can I trust my friends?

      Are their hearts completely true?

         If they’re harsh, if they fail,

            can my trust in them renew?

   They are not enough.

      They are lacking what it takes.

         They cannot not fail.

            They will always make mistakes.

   If I forgive them,

      will they fail me again?

         If I trust them enough,

            will they never cause me pain?

   They are incomplete,

      and no matter how they try,

         no perfection exists.

            Upon whom shall I rely?

In whom can I believe?

   There is only One

      Who is worthy to believe,

        Who is more than able

            and Who never will deceive.

   I can swear by Him.

      I can take Him at His Word.

         I can trust in Him

            and have confidence assured.

   I can wholly depend

      that His promises are true.

         His great faithfulness

            every morning is brand new.

   Jesus is enough.

      He has everything it takes.

         Jesus never fails

            and He never makes mistakes.

  He made me complete

      for His Life I have received.

         All my worthiness

            dwells in Whom I have believed.

~ae

“For if Abraham was justified by works,

he has something to boast about,

but not before God. 

For what does the Scripture say? 

‘Abraham believed God,

and it was credited to him as righteousness.’” 

~Romans 4:2,3