Alone

One by one they left us alone
Because we bow before His throne
Their hateful words cut to the bone
But we love God more than they've known

They leave church offended by truth
Pursuing sins and lusts of youth
They follow things that are uncouth
We pray they come home just like Ruth

Some family and friends have gone
But in the Lord we must press on
For Him alone can we count on
To save us from this Babylon

Dementia

'Twas a long dark night of the soul
She was only part, not the whole
As we grow old we lose control
Dementia surely takes its toll

I remember much better days
Days of wit and turning a phrase
Days when our hearts were set ablaze
By heaven's hope, and godly praise

Shadows of what we used to be
And shadows of what we will be
With new bodies so heavenly
From mortal cares we'll be set free

Resurrection

It was a resurrection scene
After His death Jesus was seen
By Peter and the other men
Over five hundred people then
For as in Adam all will die
In Christ we'll all be made alive

Shadows of our future being
A new body we'll be seeing
Death swallowed up in victory
No, it's not contradictory
Sown in weakness, raised in power
In glory raised from dishonor

A Prayer for Justice

Dear Father I pray for my wife
How she's treated has brought us strife
And heartache to family life
Bring justice for my darling wife

The land's not important to her
But one dismal thought does recur
Her feeling that seems to infer
That she was loved less does occur

Jesus' Mock Parade

Imagine a great big parade
A military band that played
Tanks and rockets along the road
Soldiers marching in goose-step mode
And a dictator in a stand
He's clapping for the father land
For oppression and enslaving
All with flags and banners waving

Then imagine sometime later
A religious educator
Riding on a donkey mocking
Children cheering, people flocking
No parade with big finances
Simple banners of palm branches
The leaders that He undercut
Were Caesar, Herod and Pilate
(Mark 11:1-11)

Snow in Spring

What! Snow in Spring, not snow in Spring
Whoever heard of such a thing
It's wet and sticks to everything
A foot of snow first day of Spring

I'll take the car and try the lane
No need to plow, the drive's no strain
I'll sit right here and not complain
A day at home is not in vain

Land of the Gun

America's still number one
Because it's the land of the gun
The right to own one we have won
And owning guns can't be undone

But think a minute should we rule
That those who use them go to school
And learn to use them like a tool
Not handle them like any fool

The thin edge of the wedge they say
A slippery slope to the day
They take all of our guns away
Well that's bad logic by the way

A license lets you drive a car
And cars won't be banned by some czar
It let's us know how skilled you are
You've been approved to drive a car

Sure criminals still drive without
The legal right to drive no doubt
But aren't you glad that most check out
It's so much safer than without

Speak to us Smooth Things

Please Mr Preacher, you Bible teacher
Don't shine a bright light on doing what's right
Why don't you feature another creature
The wolf doesn't bite; he preaches delight

What God will allow is your best life now
No need for a loss; don't mention the cross
Health, wealth anyhow is the sacred cow
So you are the boss, preach profit not loss

Speak to us smooth things, the toys that God brings
Don't preach about hell, sin and please don't yell
Just tell us we're kings, how good always wins
And things will go well, forever we'll dwell

So preach to deceive and not to aggrieve
Don't preach that the cross shows we must take loss
Deceptions please weave; preach lies or we'll leave
So preach like a boss but not of the cross

One Pastor's Week

Sunday the Pastor stands to preach
And faithfully the Word does teach
But Monday he is all alone
Office paper work in his home
He's working on the worship plan
And his sermon that clergyman

Tuesday work that sermon some more
Clergy meeting, head out the door
Hospital visit in downtown
The service club and then calm down
Wednesday noon the women will meet
Then Bible Study is a treat

Thursday the Pastor's day of rest
Relax a little and be blessed
Friday work that sermon some more
Some visits, maybe help the poor
Saturday prayer and fellowship
Last chance for sermon craftsmanship

Selfishness

Jesus taught that selfishness destroys us
Selfishness is thus
Selfish people always want their own way
They fight every day

They have unrealistic expectations
Destroy relations
Selfish people can’t take criticism
That's narcissism

But they constantly criticize others
A life that smothers
Lie and manipulate; can’t be trusted
Friends are disgusted

They want the largest portion for the self
The best off the shelf
God help us and heal us from all this mess
Our world's in distress