9-5-15 Ascension

So then after the Lord had spoken unto them,

he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Mark 16:19 KJV

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Imagine being there that awesome day,

Among those with the resurrected Lord,

Who learned from Christ Himself just how to pray

And seen Him make the blind and deaf restored!

O just to hear His final words on earth

As angels gathered ’round up in the air!

No one that’s ever been of mortal birth

Will fully understand the wonders there.

And then to watch the Savior start to rise!

The host of heaven there among the clouds!

If we were there we’d scarce believe our eyes

As Jesus pierced the sky above the crowd!

He sits now on the right hand next to God!

When He returns the universe will laud!

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8-17-15 Justice

¹⁹ Fret not thyself because of evil men,

neither be thou envious at the wicked;

²⁰ For there shall be no reward to the evil man;

the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

Proverbs 24:19-20 KJV

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These days the wicked dance and strut around

As if they own the theater and the stage,

And evil men around the world are bound

To be so honored for their public rage.

Corruption is the norm; they shout amen

With flashy golden teeth and endless cash.

Fret not yourself because of evil men:

The day is coming soon their teeth shall gnash.

The wicked will not live to see the Son,

When angels fill the sky with righteous swords,

So don’t be envious of all this fun;

I tell you they will get their just rewards.

The candle of the wicked will be snuffed;

When darkness settles in they’ll be rebuffed.

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sonnet #439

5-19-15 Well Pleased

⁹ And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

¹⁰ And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

¹¹ And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Mark 1:9-11 KJV

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When Christ emerged from Jordan full of love

The Heavens opened wide and He did see

Descending from the sky just like a dove

The Spirit came upon Him graciously.

Then God did say “You’re My Beloved Son,

In whom I AM,” He stated “so well pleased,”

And there the essence of the Holy One

Well marked His favor on the One appeased.

Beloved sister, now that Spirit’s Here!

O, my Beloved brother, He’s in you!

When you accepted Christ your Savior dear

You were baptized by Spirit through and through.

One day when you see Jesus face to face,

He’ll say God’s pleased with you with love and grace.

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sonnet #364

(artwork by David Zelenka)

5-5-15 The Love of God

³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 KJV

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Of all of the uncertainties of life,

And there is nothing certain, not but one:

The love of God, through peace and change and strife,

Is absolutely true and not undone.

Not life or death will kill His love at all,

Nor angels, kings or principalities,

No power in the universe at all

Can stop His love in time or in degrees.

Not heaven, earth or hell can end God’s love,

No creature in the sky or earth below.

It’s easier to count the stars above

Than find one thing His love can’t overthrow.

The love of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Is undeniable across the board.

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sonnet #351

2-24-15 Profit and Loss

A business man will tell you in a flash

The bottom line is profit for success.

Without this benefit his store will crash,

Then customers and workers would distress.

What profit will it be upon a man

To gain the world but lose his very soul?

He’s here because his Maker has a plan:

To save the world through Jesus is His goal.

If you take all the money on the Earth

And stack it to the sky like Babylon,

You could not climb to Heaven with its worth;

But give your life to Christ and you’ll be drawn.

The key to your success rose from the dead.

He calls you now to eat the broken bread.

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For what shall it profit a man,

if he shall gain the whole world,

and lose his own soul?

Mark 8:36 KJV

8-7-14 The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

The wide night sky is blanketed in stars,

And in its midst the moon is full and bright;

Cicadas play a concert from afar

While fireflies much closer flash their lights.

The summer air is thick, the grass is warm

As I lie here to rest my weary bones,

And all of God’s creations in their forms

Proclaim with one accord His name be known.

I gaze upon His wondrous work and sigh

And feel so very small here on the ground,

But then a comet streaks across the sky

And fills my heart with love without a sound.

The heavens shout the majesty of God;

His handiwork so vast it leaves me awed.

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The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Psalm 19:1 ESV

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