Category Archives: Poetry

Sermon Poetry – “We’re Children of our Lord and King”

Sermon Poetry, 13 December 2009
Sermon Title – “Keeping the Unity of the Holy Spirit”
Sermon Text – Ephesians 4:1-7

In Christ we’ve life that comes from God
As men once blind we see
We’re called to love our Sovereign King
The One by whom we’re free
The sin within is raging fierce
The Spirit holding strong
Lord, give us strength to keep Your Word
Your worship be our song

In Christ we’re one, we’re unified
Once sinners all, we’re free
How do we love the ones of God?
How do we love our King?
We hate and lie, we cheat and steal
Despising Jesus’ own
Once enemies, now brothers all
We praise our Lord enthroned

We’re children of our Lord and King
Of every race and tongue
But now, in Christ, we all are His
In Christ the Church is one
We all were sinners foul and rank
Depravity was ours
But now in Christ we’re saved and cleansed
His mercy on us poured

We’re called to join with Jesus’ own
Submitting one to all
Forgiving fellows’ heinous sins
And asking love for ours
We’re bound to do the dirty work
Of loving fellow men
We’re called to build relationships
With those redeemed from sin

Lord please forgive us when we lose
The point of Jesus’ love
When pride and arrogance is strong
O’er others placed above
Lord humble us, Your mercy heal
In spirit make us poor
Relying on Your loving grace
To others place before

Your grace convict me to repent
And turn from all my sin
In self-control to love Your own
My family and my kin
You saved my soul, You made me live
You’ve loved me as Your son
In Christ my heart is born again
Redemption You have won

 

 

Photographic Poetry – A Short Story of Floating Precipitation

My members float in flaccid, relaxing placidity

I skim my brother’s surface in patient calm existence

The light in sudden, terrifying fury blows through the bows of they we feed to guard my melancholy frame

The pain is fierce, excruciating hell; my senses are aflame, my mind is growing numb as death approaches nigh…

I’m melting softly in the cruel, awaking day

Photographic Poetry – A Short Story of a Hill

My memory runs long and deep…

Past times when men were made as kings, who ruled upon my sweeping mound and then they died and passed me by…

Past times when fires came ablaze in worship to the little gods of little men who bled and died and passed me by…

Past times when forests blanketed my shallow slopes, when herds of deer ran in their primal glee, their rompus I rejoiced to see…

Though men forget, I still remember He who fashioned me with artistry both beautiful and power-filled…

My memory, you see, runs long and deep.

Photographic Poetry – A Short Story of Battle

My glass heart beats a chaotic rhythm of anxious excitement

My mind’s aflutter with images of death and glory soon to be

My brothers in arm stand to my right and to my left, as confidently frightened as am I

The enemy opposed prepare themselves to battle on the crystal field that stretches forth between advancing hordes

The Battle soon will be deployed

Sermon Poetry – “All Thanks to God, I’m Free”

Sermon Title – “Thankfulness for the Great Power of God”
Sermon Text – Revelation 11:15-19
Preacher – Jarrett Downs

I’m saved by grace, through faith in Christ
A sinner, now a saint
A rebel once, in Christ a son
All thanks to God, I’m saved

Although I’m saved, this life gets dark
God’s Hand is heavy still
When I despair of life and love
I thank His gracious will

God’s promises are sure and good
He loves His rebel own
When we are beat by lords and kings
Our God is on His Throne

The Church is beat and raped and killed
But still she marshals on
She’s kept by God, sustained by Grace
And loved by Christ the Son

The rule of God is over all
In times of love and strife
The Spirit keeps the Saints of God
In Christ the dead have life

The Church is made of sinners all
Of every kind and tribe
All sinners we in Christ are free
And loved by Him on high

All thanks to God who saves by grace
Through faith in Christ the Son
The Spirit moves and keeps the Church
Whose freedom has been won


Photographic Poetry – A Short Story of a Basketball Rim

With harsh and stern ferocity, the hot West Texas sun beats down upon my strong and ironed rim with mean consistent constancy

The specters of the boys who played their pickup games are floating in my memories, their names I cannot see, their faces now a passing blur

The sounds of bouncing basketballs are echoing their mournful notes across the vast expanse of barren yard, where children played when times were young and family came to live alive

My glory days have passed me by and all I have are memories of boys and games that once were played across the yard and underneath the hot West Texas sun

 

Photographic Poetry – A Short Story of a Rock

The swirling mists rise slowly up from fields of ancient age sublime

The water ‘round a constant flow across the rolling land, a gentle source of life and sound

The mountains stand as stoic witnesses of life in all its fair and bittersweet expressions as the silence whispers memories of those who’ve come before

I watch the scenes that play throughout the eons long of trees that live and die, of waters fresh that come and flow and go, of men who live and build and worship He who made the glen in which I am and tell…

It is this God that now I softly praise.

Photographic Poetry – A Short Story of a Young Abe Lincoln

Young Abe LincolnI sit here on my whitened plywood throne, surveying the passing throngs
I’ve lived on this world four score and seven, minus years four score and zero

My beard is fake, my hat has left, my blackened coat has turned itself to white

I move along, the people cheer a small and sitting boy

Sermon Poetry – “Saved by Works”

Sermon Poetry , November 15, 2009
Sermon Title – “God and Adam in the Garden”
Sermon Text – Genesis 2:15-17
Preacher – Dr. Jim Renihan

In all of Creation was beauty to see
More lovely than can be designed
The Garden of Eden was perfectly made
Both lovely and wildly refined

The crowning achievement of all that was made
Was Adam in image of God
‘Twas beauty in Adam, in form and in heart
And lovely morality strong

Yet there in the Garden lived two comely trees
From one Adam never could eat
Consumption of one eternality gave
To eat of the other gave death

Required of Adam to perfectly live
Submission to Yahweh as Lord
With foul disobedience Adam would die
To follow or not Yahweh’s Word

With nasty rebellion, pure Adam chose death
And sin entered into the Earth
And sad separation between God and man
Brought death and much sorrow to birth

But even in sorrow a blessing proclaimed
A promise of Jesus the Lord
The Savior of many, the Ultimate Man
Who gave us salvation by works

In Adam humanity failed in the Fall
We shattered the promise of works
But now in our Adam, our Savior, our Christ
We’re saved by His grace in His works

Praise Father from whom all our blessings do flow
Praise Him all you Creatures below
Praise Him now you angels, the heavenly host
Praise Father, the Son and the Ghost

In Christ our salvation is won on the Cross
Through death do we sinners find love
In Christ we are chosen, foul worms are we all
In Christ we are made into sons!

And now in our Savior, we’ve life to obey
His righteousness covers our sins
Once sinners of darkness, now children of light
In Jesus, salvation is won

Sermon Poetry – “Christ’s Chalice”

Sermon Poetry, 8 November 2009
Sermon Text – John 18:1-13
Preacher – Pastor Mike Tardive

Kind Jesus, Your people are suffering life
With sadness and sickness and poverty strong
They’re crying with voices of weakness and sorrow
With quavering lips they are singing their song

You’ve given us cups with a drink hard to swallow
We haven’t the strength to survive Sovereign Will
We’re crying with voices of frailty and mourning
Come calm with Your mercy and make our hearts still

We suffer as people who worship our Savior
We follow our Jesus, our Suffering Lord
He drank from His chalice, prepared by the Father
Fulfilling the Scriptures, God’s beautiful Word

Our Father is Sovereign, with Providence Holy
His will is accomplished, no matter how sad
So as Jesus swallowed, our sins were forgiven
We’re bathed in His blood, and our mourning is glad

We’re washed in His mercy, we’re cleansed by His blood
Through death are we living, through blood made alive
In Him is salvation, we’ve access to Yahweh
Once sinners of darkness, now Children of Light

Sermon Poetry – “Enable This Sinner to Love”

Sermon Poetry, 1 November 2009
Sermon Text – 2 Cor. 2:14-16

A fragrance of Jesus, a sweet smelling life
Lord, give me the mercy to be
A vessel to witness of Jesus’ great love
This mercy be showered on me

I’m planting the Gospel, I’m watering dirt
But haven’t the power to grow
The growing is given through Jesus’ shed blood
The Spirit enlivening stones

Although we aren’t many, Your mercy is large
You save how You will when You want
Lord, help us to trust You, though fearful we be
To suffer as Jesus above

Please keep us encouraged, to keep running on
To run further up, further in
Lord give perseverance, dear Father we pray
To stay in the race you have giv’n

Dear Father, this sinner is weak and is frail
With nary the strength to obey
Enable this sinner to love as I’m loved
The love of my Savior e’er sweet

Sermon Poetry – “Come Save the Sinner’s Heart”

Sermon Poetry, 1 November 2009
Sermon Text – Genesis 13
Preacher – Pastor Matthew Brennan

Lord give me wisdom to live for You
So that Your name is praised
Your glory loud proclaimed
Please give me strength to plant the seeds
Of Jesus’ Gospel sweet
So men Your mercy see
So sinners might be saved

Lord give me strength to live for You
I am a sinner small
I live with sinners lost
The sins around oppress my heart
Your name is never praised
Few sinners ’round are saved
Pour out Your lovely grace

Lord give me strength to rest in You
The sin about is dark
From dark and rocky hearts
Lord give me speech to speak Your Truth
Come save the sinners’ hearts
Your grace to men impart
Come raise from death to life

Lord give me strength to trust in You
To save the sinners’ hearts
Christ’s righteousness impute
I cannot save the sinners ’round
I just proclaim Your Truth
So men might worship You
Lord thank You for Your Grace

Lord give me strength to mercy show
To others never judge
To trust Your sovereign love
Please sensitize my sinful heart
To think on Holy things
To ponder Jesus’ Grace
To be like Christ my King

Photographic Poetry – “A Short Story of Lettuce”

Death of Some Lettuce
I can’t feel my veins
My skin is ripped and tattered
The green is slowly rushing from my cold and dying frame
Goodbye, ye harsh and feral world …

Photographic Poetry – “A Short Story of Interstellar Travel”

Colorado Sunset

I ride my roller-coaster train from orb to orb across the vast expanse of cold, inviting space as I am hurtled forth to soon engage a painting bright and full of warming light and colors e’er intense and many hued to be received by matching eyes in many heads creating art or being used to paint a multi-facet piece of mastery of He who made the notion of creation and of beauty fair to see and feel and touch and smell, for Art of God is pleasure great and honor full, lo, here it comes, you’re soon to see my grand appearance, stay your hand, affix your eyes to be amazed and wonder at the beauty of explosions bright and filled with soaring majesty and wonderment to feel and know…

 

… now wait with quiet solitude and listen to the sight

Photographic Poetry – “A Short Story of Dramatic Verbosity in Death”

Fort Worth Nature Center
In damp and ragged sheets my quaking lungs do thoroughly exhale
My skin is covered in raging torrents of terse and icy frigidity
With photographic precision my life runs long before me, engulfing my seeing sense and overwhelming my thinking eyes
A bright reality tears asunder the encroaching blackness and baths me in a glorious essence. I float before it.
Why, oh why, did I eat that dead and rotting fish?