In Heaven

In God’s own Heaven, we will find
No death, no pain or crying,
No tears, no fears of dying,
No scorching heat, nor freezing cold;
All hardships of the earth are gone,
And only glory of the Lord
Remaining.

Easter .. He LIVES!

He Lives!

The Heartbeat of Eternity,
The Light that beckoned all to come,
The Breath of Life --- He lay upon
     That Cross.

No time for pain, for gloom or doom,
Was given those who mourned His death.
When Mary came, that early morn,
She found that Christ was not within
     The Tomb.

Bewildered, yet with wonderment,
She shouted out to all around,
"The tomb is empty! He is not there!"
As Jesus Christ had Prophesied:
     He Rose!

And we, as heirs of Easter morn,
Alike, may shout to those around:
"The Son of Man --- the Son of God ---
Our Savior, He who bore our sins,
     He LIVES!"

Forsaken

O Lord,
Why did You forsake Him?
Why did You turn away?
What must one do
       To gain Your attention,
O God of the Universe?

O Lord,
How could You watch?
He, Your beloved Son,
In agony, hanging by a nail,
     And crying out to You,
O God of Compassion.

O Lord,
You could have removed
All His pain, all suffering!
But then, a "performance"
     Would never suffice,
O God of Forgiveness.

O Lord,
You cleansed me of sin
By this holy sacrificing
Of the "Heart of Your heart"
      And Spirit of Life,
O God of my Love.

O Lord,
Why did I forsake You?
Why did I turn away?
Whatever must You do
     To gain my attention,
O God of the Cross?

Where Am I?

Where Am I?

Oh, where am I in this story
Through His life to His betrayal,
Crucifixion to His burial,
And on to His Resurrection?

Do I stand with the Pharisees,
And Judas, willing to betray;
With Peter, willing to deny;
With disciples, ready to run;
With those who mocked, or ignored You?

OR
With John, who saw Your agony,
Prepared to comfort Your mother;
With Mary, who went to the tomb,
Willing .. Nay, EAGER .. To serve You?
How have I proved I believe You?
What, O Lord, would You have me do?

One of the Crowd

What was it like to be one of the crowd
Following Jesus ... a "Groupie";
Hearing the words, "Repent! Be forgiven!
And blessed be those who believe."?

What was it like on the outskirts of town
When Jesus rode past on that colt;
Shouting, "Hosanna!" and "Blessed art Thou!"
Throwing our garments before Him.

Then, days later, being one of the crowd,
Shouting with others, "Crucify!"
Scourged, and beaten, Jesus carried that cross;
Hung, bled, and died there ... Forgiving.

Understanding

(Matt. 5:44 AND Rom. 12:14 … “Pray for those who persecute you.”)

I do not understand the hate,
The anger, the desire to harm
That causes one to join a group
Whose only aim is “Kill” and “Maim”
Because of how we choose to live.

I pray for those with none to pray:
For anyone who’d wield the sword
When heads of Christians rolled away;
And for the one who left the bomb
Along the route where others ran.

Lord, open eyes, and ears, and hearts.
Forgive them for their errant ways.
Dissolve their anger, Lord, the hate
That causes them to wish to harm
A soul whose only “crime” is love!

As from the Cross that day You prayed,
“Father, forgive. They do not know,”
Lord, help Your children understand
That though all sin, You have control.
Help us remember, You’re the judge,
And You desire that all be saved

If You Know Not God

(Romans 9)

If you know not of God, I will speak.
If you refuse Christ, I will cry.
Humanity of Christ was as Jew,
As God, He rules--eternally.

For all have been chosen to be saved,
Though given the freedom to refuse.
And Jesus, with God from beginning,
Knew salvation comes through His death.