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Poem: "CONTENTED"
by Philip John Germani
Copyright 2003
Through days full of sadness and misery deep,
I turn to my Savior, and He says to me:
"Be still, beloved one, I’m right by your side,
Lest you forget that within you, I still abide."
Lord, I’m just a sinner, a proud son of Adam.
So weak and so frail, in most dire need of You.
Temptations abound here, no Truth can be found.
I laugh and I cry, then I sigh.
My Lord and my Brother, my Comforter, Friend,
My God and my Master, on You I depend.
Your strength and your beauty are incomparable.
Don’t ever leave, or my poor, wretched life will end.
Oh, where can I go? If to Heaven, You’re there.
If into the pit, Lord, I know You still care.
I’m bound to You, joined to You, Yours evermore!
Joy of all joys, it is You, Lord, that I adore!
Today I’m content to abide in Your Vine,
Enjoying the riches of Life so sublime.
A million tomorrows will all pass away--
There in that Day, in His Arms I’m content to stay.
Two Poems by Dr. Linda L. Bielowski, Ph.D.
Copyright 2003
LECTIO DIVINA
Barn swallows and mourning doves swooped
Near the garden;
Abundant with snap dragons, rhubarb, and sweet peas
The world felt fresh and good and pure.
Against the fervent silence inside a frame farmhouse,
A choir of cuckoo and grandfather clocks
Cooed and chimed a chorus
That resounded through the attic rafters.
Aunt Emma moved by the time-weathered window;
Wisps of silver curl creeping around her temple,
Commemorating faded azure eyes
With wisdom immeasurable.
She laughed in alleluias
And rose at first light,
To give praise
For another borrowed day.
By the dim light of the oil lamp,
Her body bent over her leather bound Bible
While her lips moved, mouthing litanies and liturgy,
In Low German.
Taking rest and refuge
With apostles and prophets;
Her constant companions,
She called them by name.
Resolute in the disposition of her soul,
Aunt Emma was forever ready
To meet her maker,
Should He call.
Living with intentionality,
She surpassed all patina of holiness;
Knowing no vanity,
She wore a humble demeanor.
A woman of few words,
She ran
From the death rattle
Of fools’ wagging tongues.
From washing widowers’ clothes
In her wood ringer washer,
To knitting receiving blankets for newborn cherubs;
Her every act was contemplative.
With the courage of a storm rider;
Scaling slate roof tiles,
Reaching the top,
She fixed a weather vane or lightning rod.
And imagined she climbed Jacob’s Ladder
To peek at God’s throne;
Her crown in heaven,
Her foot on His fallen earth.
Aunt Emma understood the sanctification of time,
Making the simple sacred;
She ascended to a place
Where she lived out her faith in every moment.
Holding tenaciously to timeless values;
The same yesterday, today, and eternally,
She realized
We are not our own destinies and deities.
Transfixed and transfigured,
She studied the only Book
She ever read
Deep into the dark.
Nearing sleep’s shadow,
Aunt Emma let down her long, thick braids,
Folded her thin hands
And bowed her hallowed head;
To bid her God goodnight.
BELIEF
To Those Seeking SERENITY,
Weeping in the night
For the nomads of Uptown;
Shopping cart shepherds
Roam concrete fields.
Broken flocks graze
The high and low places
Along Wilson and Lawrence Avenues,
On a journey to ELIM.
Wondering souls,
Wandering in a wilderness of sin;
Virtue lost,
Mercy misplaced,
Looking for guidance,
Longing for grace,
Seeking to trust,
Searching to see HIM face-to-face.
PICTURE and BIOGRAPHY of
Dr. Linda L. Bielowski, Ph.D.
I am a practicing psychotherapist and board certified pastoral
counselor. My work derives from a spiritual foundation, which makes me
eternally thankful to God for His gift of words. Recently my first
collection of poetry; Spirit Echoes, was published and I am finishing my
second: Contemplative Persona. My work has appeared in several magazines and
anthologies, including the following: Poetic Hours, Muse Apprentice Guild,
Verses, Scars Publications, Ariga, Entouist, SpaceBreather, SubtleTea,
Listening to the Birth of Crystals, among others.
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Three Poems by Carol D. Meeks,
Copyright 2003
Acts 2:42-47
The early church was a thrill.
They absorbed the apostle’s doctrine;
And broke bread on the hill,
In the valley, and the plains.
Some thought them drunk or insane.
Prayers were answered.
That birthed fear
From rulers of the country;
As signs, and wonders
Were experienced far and near.
All believers were the same,
Because they believed
In their Master’s name.
There was a big sale,
Perhaps in some one’s yard.
All possessions were sold.
The money was divided
As needed with the young and old.
It continued; daily they praised God
In the temple, and with one accord.
They served, broke bread, and exalted their lord.
Favor was among them,
And favor was in them.
The church grew:
Souls were saved;
The Holy Spirit they knew.
Across the land they were bold.
They’ll walk the streets of gold.
Feast With God
When we accept God into our heart,
He brings for us a feast.
We’re filled with explosive energy,
And new activities that won’t cease.
For His table of buffet,
That’s free and comes our way.
He gives us renewed strength,
And ability to rise above,
Because of Him and His love.
Trust in Him, is the main dish.
Salvation sautes our wish.
Like the crescendo in music we play,
More of Him, daily, more of Him we say.
He alone is our rock:
The basis for our foundation;
The deliverer from sins of past,
And the fortress that will forever last.
The high tower of which King David wrote:
The buckler whose defense we take note;
The God we share is like no other,
Loves deeper than sister or brother.
We share this feast with others;
We too want them to eat.
The bread of life He gladly gives;
We gather at His feet.
No Longer Slaves to Sin
Living in God’s Word,
We experiences ups and downs.
Jesus’ powerful Spirit
Enables us to walk in His way.
We bloom endurance.
We’ll have peace with Him everyday.
Christ fulfilled the law,
And freed us from its demands.
He resides in our heart;
From Him we’ll never part.
We live as His children,
When we walk with Him.
No longer slaves to sin,
His light shines from within.
E-mail to Carol D. Meeks
Carol Meeks' Homepage Link
BIOGRAPHY of Poet Carol D. Meeks:
Carol currently has her poetry posted
on her own personal site (above) and also on various other sites on the
Internet. She has won a “SPECIAL HONORABLE MENTION” award for one of her
poems in ‘Bylines Magazine’, and has also acquired three honorable mentions
for two short stories and a poem with the magazine.
Carol has won honorable mention with ‘Hodgepodge’ as well. She recently won
second place in a poetry contest at ‘Mocha Memories’. ‘Potpourri’ has
published her poetry and she has been a featured poet in ‘Kenya Blue’s
Opened Eyes’.
Carol is recently retired and a native of New Mexico where she now resides
with her family. She feels her writing days are young as retirement allows
her time to hone her craft which she loves very much.
Poem: "Silent Flight" C2003 by Chris Roe
In the silence
The clarity of your voice,
Climbs high
Upon the eagle's wings.
The chains of doubt
That imprison my soul,
Fall away beneath my feet.
In the freedom and majesty
Of the sentinel's gaze,
Faith is strengthened
And hope returned
To a weary heart,
Upon the silent flight
Of eagle's wings.
Kind Regards,
Chris Roe of Silent Flight Publications
PO Box 373, Brooke, Norwich, NR15 1WA, England
Publishers of Christian, Spiritual and Romantic Verse
Biography of Chris Roe:
I am 55 years of age and single. I was born in the rural county of Norfolk,
England, where I have always lived and worked. Writing has been a hobby for
many years and my work is a mixture of Christian, Spiritual and Romantic
verse. Much of the inspirations for my writing has come from my time living
and working in the countryside, within the agricultural industry. My
website (www.silentflightpublications.com) was placed on the internet in
Feb.2003. Some of the products featured on the website are available
locally in a small number of retail outlets. I hope to self-publish a small
collection of my work entitled " In Search of Silence" together with a
further selection of five greeting cards, some time in 2004. Although life
and creation has had some very dark days, the magic of it's light never
ceases to amaze me and lift my spirit.
Poem "Life Through My Eyes"
by Gwendolyn L. Jones, Copyright 2003
Looking to the midnight skies,
I asked God; "God, why?
Why'd you paint the stars in fields of black?"
He said; "Daughter, it's good that you have asked.
The skies are proof of daily life so real,
It's proof of my perfect will.
Stars in abundance that dance in the night,
Oh how my children shine so bright.
Resting in the darkness of the atmosphere ...
Standing by my power, isn't it clear?
Reflecting the light of Paradise's brilliant glow,
For all to see the magnificent show.
Time goes by while they're standing in the night,
And daybreak begins, what a spectacular sight!
Enormous He is, sitting high and far away,
He is My Son rising to make the day.
He shines so bright, stars hide in His Light.
He hides them while the enemy continues to fight.
He protects them, even in the darkness apparently standing alone.
WE ARE ever present; this I want you to know.
Repeated daily in full view, day in, day out;
Please know how much I love you.
I show you your life in the skies,
I show you life through My Eyes."
Poem "Blessings - Keep on Counting"
by Giovanni Battaglia
Copyright 2003
Blessings are counted
every second of our lives.
For the Love of our Father,
within us always thrives.
To live through His words,
yes, this we strive.
No matter how hard,
this, we will always try.
He gave us our lives,
our dreams and our hopes.
Our lives we keep living,
Our dreams we keep striving,
and without a doubt,
our hope always floats.
All the Love that He bestowed us,
His Love, for sure, will forever fill us.
Thank You for all Your blessings,
past, future, and Present.
Everything that I do,
I hope You find pleasant.
I'll give you my all,
and hope not to fall.
No matter what,
You taught me to keep my head tall.
And if I make a mistake, it is to You I will crawl.
Just know that I love You
now and forever, and will always give it my all.
I feel that every second of our lives is a blessing in our lives. From the view of the sky to the feelings in our hearts that make us understand and love God and people. Imagine life without the simplest things in your life... air, the sky, the loved ones in your life, your favorite food, even, basically anything that you have in your life. You live years upon years, those years equal days, and days equal minutes and those minutes equal seconds. I have no doubt in my mind that every second of our lives is a blessing at hand and means everything. (There sure is a whole lot of seconds in your life....I'd keep counting.) God gave us so many things in our lives and so many paths....all He asks is that we take the paths and roads He gave us....imagine turning left when you had to really turn right, then a right when it should have been a left. God is our map to Heaven - our blessings in life - and our sure directions.
by Giovanni Battaglia
Poem "Her Son" by Daniel Winn
Copyright 2003
She was given a gift
The gift of a son
But he was so much more
For this son was no mere human
This son came straight from God
As he was born, she cared for him
She raised him to be a man
She loved him as her own
Knowing full well that he had a greater purpose
Than just being her son
She watched as he hung from the cross on that day
She wept and she cried
As he drew his last breath and died
Three days later when they arrived
And they found the tomb was empty
The angels did proclaim
"He is risen"
Oh, what relief she must have felt
When she found that her son was no longer dead
But I have to wonder if as a mother
She did understand
That greater was God's purpose for the son He gave
Than just being her son.
~~Daniel~~
Love is just a word
Because love cannot exist in a world
Where it is used just to get sex
And if love is used and abused
How can love be what it was created to be?
"Daniel Winn is 23 years old and has been writing poetry since the young age of 16 years. He attributes his gifted poetic vision, inspiration and expression to God's love."
Dee Burgess, Poetry Editor
Brother Dave adds: Yes, Brother Daniel, the term "love" must be restated as Pure Divine Love, Agape Love, etc., and those terms are not even sufficient. Here are just two related quotes of interest:
"At times I am almost pained to be compelled to portray the divine affection of the heavenly Father for his universe children by the employment of the human word symbol love. This term, even though it does connote man's highest concept of the mortal relations of respect and devotion, is so frequently designative of so much of human relationship that is wholly ignoble and utterly unfit to be known by any word which is also used to indicate the matchless affection of the living God for his universe creatures! How unfortunate that I cannot make use of some supernal and exclusive term which would convey to the mind of man the true nature and exquisitely beautiful significance of the divine affection of the Paradise Father." By a Divine Counselor
"Love is the desire to do good to others." By a Mighty Messenger
[and a favorite quote of my wife, Sister Georgia]
Poem "(JESUS) THE HANDYMAN"
by Mary K. Cannon, Copyright 2003
Here stands one man who can handle the job
And that's both small or great
He has the tools to mend any problem
And He has never been late
Always on time when called to the chore
And He can make rounds all through the night
No days of the week is filled on His schedule
No such saying about it being too tight
He is a life fixer and soul restorer
Mind regulator and heart mender too
He can heal the shattered, torn and broken
A HandyMan that never stops till He's through
I have never known for Him to take any breaks
No rest periods or vacations in His plan
No layoffs ever mentioned at all
So you need not worry, when it's in His Hand
He weighs every job with love and care
No respect of Persons is on His list
His service is made possible for all to afford
That's why it's hard to resist
So, do you have anything needing fixing
That's beyond control and out of your hands ?
Well, here is someOne Who can handle any job
And that's Jesus Christ, The Best HandyMan
Two Poems by Yvonne Sparkes, Copyright 2003
"THERE IS NO GOD"
There is no God the wise man said to me,
Because of all this suffering I see,
The world seems filled with poverty and pain,
And all is dying from the acid rain.
Agree I must to his observance true,
But this is what I say to him and you:
I cannot give a valid reason why,
Yet, I’ve seen this blazon evening sky.
The dew kissed petals of the summer’s rose,
A fragrance that permeates my nose.
I’ve watched the change from green to gold;
The beauty that each season holds,
To make scenes so beautiful and grand,
From a barren and a winter’s land.
Such is the creation from above,
Hold a baby and feel the surge of love.
As sunlight glows amidst the raging storm,
I have seen the beauty of a rainbow form.
The moon and tides that flow and ebb,
A spider busy at her silken web.
The sky that casts her merry light,
Forming patterns on a star filled night.
This universe so vast I cannot take it in,
Or find the end of it, or find ways to begin.
God does exist or some amazing force,
That sets this cosmos on a certain course,
That blueprints life and holds the DNA.
That shows the truth and love for Man today.
We must just look beyond the suffering to see,
The joys of life surrounding you and me.
MY PRAYER
Lead me, lead me, gently lead me
To the heart of your desire.
Fill me, fill me, greatly fill me
With your molten tongues of fire.
Show me, show me, how to know you
When I stray just hold me tight.
Let my stumbling efforts find you,
Illuminate my darkest night.
Give me all the peace I'm seeking,
The world gives me a troubled soul.
Take my sin and always love me,
Your love alone will make me whole.
Yvonne Sparkes picture and biography
Yvonne Sparkes is a devoted Christian and has been writing poetry for many years. She presently lives in Chelmsford, England.
Yvonne was born in England and left when she was 8 years old to immigrate to Long Island, New York in 1948. She grew up and was educated in America. Many of her dearest friends and fondest memories remain in the U.S. She returned to England with her parents and sister in late 1958.
Yvonne enjoys traveling the natural world of God's own creation. She has been very fortunate to have visited many countries and cities throughout Europe, Africa and North America; including Kenya, Alaska and Egypt. She spent a birthday with the Mountain Gorillas of Uganda, journeyed Israel and the Holy Land and viewed Thailand on an Elephant Trek. The unforgettable scenery and wildlife Yvonne has had the opportunity to experience has inspired her poetry. Her poems are a reflection of her love and appreciation of nature and expression of the depth of spiritual feelings she receives from God's beautiful world.
Yvonne has written poetry for many years. Her life is enriched by two dearly loved sons, three grandchildren, beloved parents, a Scottie dog named MacGregor and many wonderful friends. She worked for 31 year in a hospital with 15 of those years spent as a nurse caring for the elderly in a mental health assessment unit. She is now semi retired and enjoys reading, walks in the country, listening to music and attending concerts and shows.
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A Poem on Our Savior Jesus Here with us
by Melissa Horrocksleigh, C2003
A beautiful perfume does not smell as nice as You,
My Lord and Savior so True.
Blessed forever and in all ways,
Knowing You throughout my days.
Happier than this I could not be,
For my Savior I can see.
He appears at my bedside,
As I awake each day;
He's there beside me as I turn to pray.
He blesses me with gifts richer than reward,
He equips me with rod and sword.
My Savior who I'd be lost without,
He makes my life worth living for,
Jesus, my Savior, help me to love You more.
Copyright 2003 by Melissa Horrocksleigh.
Melissa Horrocksleigh was born 12/11/1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester,
United Kingdom, and now resides in Blackpool, UK.
As a poet I have written many poems, but only ever had them published on web
sites; and I am looking for a professional publisher who can compose my poems
into a beautiful book available to the public.
My aim to do this is based on my belief in Jesus the Messiah, Ha Messiach. (I
am a Messianic Jew) I would like this book to be used as a powerful
evangelistic tool to go out to the public, but I need funding to help me
acheive this.
If you are interested in contacting me about publishing or would like to get
to know me better then please do not hesitate to contact me
E-mail to Melissa H
I will answer all e-mails and welcome true friends in Christ, Yeshua.
God Bless you all.
If there is one piece of advice I can give to anyone out there reading this,
it would be to turn to Jesus and have Him as your first love in your life.
He has done wonders in my life; I'm getting married 9/5/2003.
Love,
Melissa Horrocksleigh.
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