jesusonmyheartthrone

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

What a tour de force this powerfully defiant inner resolution by Megan is! Let us determine to join ranks with her, refuse to be embraced by the dark, Winter night, and promise instead the bright Summer day.

'I have seen what a person can be

and this is my promise to run away.

Bitterness comes like the sea

and I will row to shore all day.

Anger rages like a forest fire

but mine will keep my house warm,

a tender flame inside the fireplace

that burns pleasantly until dawn.

I have seen what a person can be

and this is my promise to run away.

Never will I let my temper

have the final say.

Bad experiences shape the person

like rot malforms and collapses a building.

I will let mine pressure me like coal

and become a diamond, glittering.

I have seen what a person can be

and this is my promise to run away.

Every dark, Winter night of a person

will make someone else promise a bright Summer day.'

'promise,' - Megan's Poetry #825

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Continuation

Do unto others

As you would have others

Do unto you,

Should be followed by

Doing unto yourself

The same good you have

Done unto others.

Luke 6:31: "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you."

Matk 12:31: "This is the second (great commandment): You shall (unselfishly) love your neighbor as yourself."

Words spoken by Jesus Christ

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Morning's Battle Cry

It seemed to make unbelief so absurd.

It was as though some little fish,

being very thirsty,

was troubled about drinking the river dry,

and Father Thames said,

"Drink away little fish,

my stream is sufficient for thee."

Little faith will bring your souls to heaven

but great faith

will bring heaven to your souls.

Charles Spurgeon

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! The Honorable Judge God presiding, and the only Judge truly qualified to render a true verdict has spoken: God, the Just Judge proclaims to all the world that YOU ARE PRETTY, REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU ARE!

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Morning's Battle Cry

Cheer up now,

You faint-hearted warrior.

Not only has Christ

Traveled this road,

But He has

Defeated your enemies.

Charles Spurgeon

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Nothing is Forever

Nothing is forever.

Even the child's beloved landscape

Does not retain its sacred shape.

The hill-molding rains,

Wind-toppled trees,

And shore-carving waves

Of the never-resting seas

Are endlessly changing

What childhood memory holds so dear.

And none of the things

Humans devise,

Whether they be foolish or wise,

Are permanent or immutable.

Eventually

They are deemed unsuitable

By a new generation

Of women and men

Touched by inspiration,

Who expend their strength and blood,

Tears and perspiration

Demolishing, rebuilding,

Reshaping, recreating, rewriting,

Battling over, and redefining

What their progenitors

Considered untouchably great.

Every rising generation

Must sate

Its compulsion

To leave its mark

On this tiny planet eternally orbiting

Through the silent dark

Of the boundless, lonely vacuum.

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Seasons

The cycle of the seasons,

Upon which all life depends,

Breathes into our aching hearts

A mighty hope that transcends

Even the bitterest Winters of life,

By promising a coming day

When our seasons of sorrow

Will at last be swept away

By the advent of Spring,

When peace and joy are born anew,

And the ancient wisdom

Is once again proven true:

"To everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose

under heaven . . .

A time to weep,

and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn,

and a time to dance . . . "

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Wounded Soul

Wounded soul . . .

You will never find

In your life journey

A more

Critical,

Demanding,

Judgmental,

Condemning,

Demeaning,

Venomous,

Bitter,

Spiteful,

Hateful,

Reproachful,

Rejecting,

Unforgiving,

Merciless,

Persecuting person

Willing to harm you,

Than yourself.

Wounded soul . . .

No one

Will ever be able

To inflict

More devastating injuries

On you

With greater skill,

Truer aim,

Or more surgical precision

Than you can,

Yourself.

So, wounded soul . . .

Be careful about which

Of your internal voices

You allow

To capture your mind,

That you listen to,

Heed,

Believe,

Or allow

To script the conversations

You have with yourself,

Or you let determine

Your self-perception,

Or identity,

Or you build your life

And relationships on,

Because,

Many, very many times,

Those troubling voices

In your head

Are flat out lying to you.

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

I don't pay much attention to the news these days, but I do check in on it once in awhile. Perusing the reports I decided to write another coronavirus poem. I tried to catch a glimpse into the terrified human mind. This is what was hatched:

With Each New Tally of the Dead

The minutes linger,

Till each one seems an hour,

And I am left squirming

Within the grip of the awesome power

Of my disturbed imagination,

With its swirling doubts and fears.

And now the terrible minutes

Feel like torturous years,

As endless, horrible scenarios

Flash strobe-like in my brain,

Causing me to wonder

If fear has driven me insane.

Uncontrollable dread

Of all scourges is the worst,

And, as the news reports,

The whole world with it is cursed.

Nightmares are running rampant

Through the quaking human soul,

Relentlessly their grip is tightening,

Gaining ever more control.

Where is all this fear leading?

If someone knows, they haven't said.

And slowly fear gives way to panic

With each new tally of the dead.

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Grieving

This untitled poem, or should I name it a cri de coeur, was lifted as a prayer to our Savior, by Sheila Walsh, at a time of anguished darkness the Lord led her through. I offer it to everyone out there who's tasting the bitter tears of grief at this funereal hour enshrouding the world. God knows your sorrow. He cares. Just let yourselves grieve. Even in your valley of the shadow of death, God is with you:

I never knew You lived so close to the floor

But every time I am bowed down

Crushed by this weight of grief

I feel Your hand on my head

Your breath on my cheek

Your tears on my neck

You never tell me to pull myself together

To stem the flow of many tears

You simply stay by my side

For as long as it takes

So close to the floor.

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Here's a little something you guys out there might find interesting. When I lived in northern Europe, I never ventured up into the countries this close to the Ultima Thule. This is Jonna, way up in Sweden. She's a singer of Ancient Nordic Songs. This 4 minute video introduced me to a phenomenon I'd never heard of. I was instantly fascinated. You will be too. I've no doubt at all. No wonder the Danes, Swedish, Scandinavians, and Finnish believed strange, frightening, dangerous spirits lived in the depths of their mysterious lakes. In the Epic Saga Beowulf, Grindal and his even more ferocious mother resided underneath a lake. Might it have been this very one? Who would've believed the Winter ice can sing?

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Morning Battle Cry!

This untitled poem by Thomas Lynch is for anyone out there this morning who needs to shout a battle cry as they venture forth into a new day:

My faith, it is an oaken staff,

O let me lean on it!

My faith, it is a trusty sword,

May falsehood find it keen!

Thy Spirit, Lord, to me impart,

O make me what Thou ever art,

Of patient and courageous heart,

As all true saints have been.

The first time I read Thomas's poem it sparked this little rejoinder:

All the World Take Note

O yes! All the world take note -

We Christians can also be a doughty horde -

Fierce in heart, blades a-glinting,

Valiant warriors alongside our Lord!

If you're unfamiliar with Thomas Lynch, you might be surprised to know that he's still living, but also that he's not only an inspired poet - he's also an undertaker! Has there ever been a more unusual hybrid?

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

The Turtle

The turtle slowly moves along -

You'll never see him hurrying.

He never jogs or runs,

And you'll never see him scurrying.

He doesn't fret at obstacles -

He simply finds his way around,

All the time staying

On the surest, safest ground.

Even when he needs to be somewhere

You'll often find him slowing,

Until it seems he'll never get

To where it is he's going.

But at last he makes it

Because he is consistent.

He doesn't get distracted -

He is determined and persistent.

Be sure he'll never win a race,

But his efforts don't diminish,

Because one thing is certain -

The race he'll surely finish.

And finishing is what's important -

Being patient makes him great,

For something worth achieving

Is always worth the wait.

Learn a lesson from the turtle -

Proceed along at your own pace,

For being quick doesn't always

Lead to the first and best place!

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Poem by the Sadly Mostly- Overlooked Masterful Poet Ruth Bell Graham, Wife of Billy Graham.

Test me, Lord, and give me strength

to meet each test

unflinching, unafraid;

not striving nervously to do my best,

not self-assured, or careless as in

jest,

but with Your aid.

Purge me, Lord, and give me grace to

bear the heat

of cleansing flame;

not bitter at my lowly lot, but mete

to bear my share of suffering and keep

sweet,

in Jesus' name.

All you poetry fanatics out there, whether you're a follower of Jesus or not, you simply must do yourselves a favor by sampling the sweet ambrosia of Ruth's poetry. Don't deprive yourselves of experiencing the creations of a woman of phenomenal spiritual depth. Not all of her poems have Christian themes. She also wrote poetry about nature and love, motherhood and marriage, grief and loss, illness and death, among a treasure trove of other topics. She began her poetic journey at the age of 12 in China. Reading her you'll come to understand how much of her husband's success was surely due to the support of this powerfully strong spiritual woman of faith. No man, with a wife like a Ruth at his side, can possibly fail!

Taken from "Ruth Bell Graham Collected Poems: Footprints of a Pilgrim"

Copyright 1977, 1992, 1997, 1998

Published by Baker Books

Biographical information by jesusonmyheartthrone

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Just met another poet gifted by God, and the Muses. Somewhere I hear a minnesinger strumming a harp or nyckelharpa and chanting these verses. You absolutely must pay a visit to this poet on Tumblr!

there’s a little universe I crafted,

after learning all your favourite shades,

and textures,

and all the smells that made you close your eyes to take them in,

I don’t know what to do now,

with the lights I casted,

the lands and mountains I wove,

you don’t need to exist here,

but leave something for the fireflies,

lay an eyelash to rest over a branch,

a teardrop on some pond,

if you ever come back i’ll return everything,

i’ll cut the flowers and bottle the bugs,

everything ours will be as it was

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Faith in God

Here's a quote from a book written by Billy Graham. Unfortunately I didn't record the book's title when I took my notes. It's been so long that my tired memory can't recall exactly which book its from:

"Fear causes us to doubt God's promises and disbelieve His love. Most people yearn for one thing more than anything else: inner peace. Without it they have no lasting happiness or security. I'm also convinced, however, that this is exactly what most people are missing - and the main reason is anxiety and fear. Let's be honest, however: It's hard to trust God when danger threatens or everything seems to be collapsing around us. Fear comes much easier to us than faith. But never forget: Fear can banish faith, but faith can also banish fear. Faith isn't pretending our problems don't exist, nor is it simply blind optimism. Faith points us beyond our problems to the hope we have in Christ. True faith involves trust - trust in what Christ has done for us, and trust in God's goodness and mercy."

Hebrews 11: 1-2, 6: "Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen (the conviction of their reality - faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses). For by this (kind of) faith the men (and women) of old gained (divine) approval . . . But without faith it is impossible to (walk with God and) please Him, for whoever comes (near) to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He rewards those who (earnestly and diligently) seek Him."

[jesusonmyheartthrone]

Another Day Spent

Shh . . . don't speak now.

The day is dying.

Amidst the trees

The breeze is sighing.

The gloaming now

Is fading fast.

The air begins

To cool at last.

The darkening sky

Glorious shades of red

Is bleeding.

The day is dead.

Night advances.

The moon, its scout,

Brightens and calls

The stars out.

The moment passes.

The world is still.

Another day spent

For good or ill.