Stopping to Think

Listen to Faith like Grandma (poem) by Will Dole #np on #SoundCloud

"Man is a poetical animal and touches nothing which he does not adorn." CS Lewis Commonplace Monday is a series of posts wherein, on Monday mornings, I share short quips, sentences -perhaps as much as a paragraph- which I have collected in my various commonplace books and files. If I wrote down or recall where it came from I will certainly give attribution. However, sometimes I write down things and not where they came from. So if you see anything like that here and recognize it, that's what comment sections are for. 

Lone scrub oak, among the stones No trees for miles, but here you grow Among the rolling, broken hills Land untamed, devoid of frills There's grass around, and flowers, too Deep green and gold against the blue Rocks hewn, not by a mortal man But by Creator's omnipotent hand Grey clouds conceal the ev'ning sun Its daily course, the light has run  As hours flee you're left to stand Lone oak, the solitary man This isn't the tree I was thinking of, but close enough.

Remember one day you will die   Consider now how you will live   When God calls account for your life   What defense of it shall you give?

Misty Minaloosa morn’ fog settled in Elk bugle, silence torn The air, quite dense I think it fells Like pea soup, yes Green single-wide seems to blend Into greener countryside Walking down the road gravel crunching Silence re-bestowed So peaceful here beneath pine trees green Like stillness bequeathed A gift for granted taken too often, true Till life’s silence shaken Makes one long for Still a relaxation true The thought, heart thrills

Wind shifts, rain falls Storm comes, night calls Rainbow disappears in grey Daytime slowly drifts away Clouds block starlight Thunder brings fright Lightning brightens up night sky Sticks and branches start to fly Day comes, storm lifts Wind dies, clouds drift Fresh rain smell saturates air Though night was dark, day is fair

Oak trees stand naked, stark White snow contrasts against gray bark Squirrels more active in the trees Robin's call cuts through the breeze Snow melt begins, ice as well Spring, or fluke ? Time will tell

"What the poet has to say is inextricably intertwined with the way in which he says it, and our appreciation of his ultimate message is enhanced by our delight in his method of presenting it." Brandon Matthews, "A Study of Versification"

This is a reworking of a poem I wrote almost three years ago. I'm still not much of a poet, but I have improved. The emotion in this poem deserved better than my original words conveyed. -The Scourge- They had marched and fought for months with little food to eat And several weeks had passed since they last had tasted meat They marched ore fallen logs, and through the powd'ry fresh snow Praying the morn to see, along with sun and its warm glow The howling wolf and freezing fog, had beckoned in the night A time that ev'n hardened men must wrestle fits of fright That great and mighty men should fear, is unbelievable you say Yet through fear they pushed on through conflict night and day Courage, it is said, means not the lack, but rather, facing fears This these men had done, holding fast through blood and tears "War is a Scourge," we hear is what the wise men have all said They'll be shown right, when in the morn, our heroes are all dead

As a deer pants for flowing streams,  so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all the day long, "Where is your God?" These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: How I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise,  a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are at turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,  my salvation and my God. Psalm 42:1-5 Psalm 42 moves me. This, of course, is intended. Poetry springs from the poet feeling, seeing, or experiencing something, and then through poetry attempting to covey that to others. David here us crying out for God. We all experience times when we feel as if God is not there, and David clearly struggles with that here. I want to quickly point out three things I gl...

A poem dedicated to our dear government and our foolish spending habits. Little man up on the moon We shall all meet you soon Yes we will see your face As we invade your happy place Cause NASA'a flying everywhere Using our funds to get up there Our governement finds it wise Fiscal discretion to despise So we shall soar on up to you With wallets feeling rather blue Our debts shall climb up ever on And soon our money will be gone Note: I love the idea of exploring space. I don't believe anyone lives on the moon. Or anywhere else in space. I realize we've already been to the moon. My point is this-our government is spending money on a lot of things that, while good, are not the proper function of government. And it will be the end of our nation, perhaps sooner rather than later. So is space exploration good? Sure. Is feeding the poor and needy good, nay, vital? Absolutely. Do we want the economy to do well and businesses to succeed? Of course. However, is it ...

A young man went out into the world It was greatness that he hoped to find But as life’s pressures ‘round him swirled Those dreams crumbled in his mind Dejected by the “hand life dealt” Our friend’s thoughts did begin to waver And because great failure he had felt He hoped that drugs would be his savior “Just numb it all” he told himself As the needle slipped inside his vein He felt he fought the world itself For all that remained was pain He had lost both family and health Whilst success had been his chief endeavor But loss of job meant loss of wealth And he was without all earthly treasure He passed out one night beside the road And did not awake again on earth Could anyone have his end foretold? What would that warning have been worth? The tragic end of this man’s life Should cause each man to pause What do I value in my life? What has been my greatest cause? Will I come to the end and find That all I’ve lived for is but naught? To what h...

This is a series of snippets from previous posts.  I have a tendency to clutter pages with many words, so I tried to sift through and pick out a few that I thought might be helpful. The first thing we need to know…is that ultimately, the glory of God is the primary reason our focus is to be on the Gospel. We see this in verses 5 and 6[of Romans 1]. We have received grace and apostleship to bring about obedience through faith for the sake of His name among the nations. Nations including us, right here, right now. All ministry, all personal growth, all faith, obedience, and work are meant not to somehow earn God’s favor, which Ephesians 2 makes very clear is a gift that we cannot earn. It is meant to display the glory, the weightiness, the importance, and the worthiness of Almighty God to the nations. -The Import of the Gospel in Youth Ministry God's glory is the Big Deal. I am saved, the Gospel exists, and God redeems sinners for the sake of His name among all the nations. ...

We use the term Christian But what does it mean Do I trust in the Gospel Or some man made dream Do I cling to my Lord For His help every hour Is my fath in His promise To be a strong tower Do I abandon myself Lay my life at His feet Or do I chase after pleasure And my own comfort seek For whom do I live Is the question today Do I serve my own self Or do my Lord I obey Do I have a grand vision For living this life Or am I caught up In just avoiding much strife You see to be Christian Has this as it's goal To live for God's glory For there joy is made whole

Rain drops falling hard and fast It seems that spring has come at last The old barn boards grey with age Here sit and soak up another page Another season that has come and gone This last Winter didn't really stay too long Right now the creek out front is overflowing Where has gone the sun with it's warm glowing I suppose we'll see it more around July We might even see ninety for a high But honestly I sure do like the rain It seems in a way to melt the pain The downpour on my roof is soothing When my heart it seems beyond amusing Yes there is a reason for all sorts of weather Perhaps the sunshine would not be better I know that you my friend may prefer it But that I fear is by no means a deterrent To me from thanking God for the damp Cold soggy air as I sit by my lamp I love that sound of rushing water Even if my friends it does bother So let's enjoy and soak it up while it lasts For we know that all the...

I wrote this the other night as I stood overlooking the lake as the sun went down.  Just one of those things that stirs my affection for Christ.  Psalm 19:1-3 (ESV) "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard." The still lake waters rest, and I tonight, have been their guest The calm and rippling surface tells of my Lord, Emmanuel Who in beginning, from on high separated surface from the sky He who made the seas which stretch beyond what I can see He who crafts the rivers rush And with this mighty power could crush This  minuscule rebellious man  who has spit on God's good plan And yet He chooses not to kill but instead, my heart He stills He satisfies my longing heart His love is one that never parts This true and everlasting Word who'...