What we can learn from Jennifer and Brad’s break-up

The nation’s sad
that Jen and Brad
have opted now to split.
The spotlight of celebrity
has left them in the pits.

They seemed so right
with matching height
each with a chiseled bod.
And since they’d made it for four years,
their breakup now seems odd.

But in a town
where up means down,
the ones who do survive
have found it takes hard work and will
to make a marriage thrive.

The secret to
what keeps love true
is saying it’s for keeps.
It’s talking much and listening more
and knowing when to weep.

It’s giving in
and in and in
when you know you are wrong.
It’s making up and getting down
while dancing to your song.

It’s being blind
when time’s unkind
to your mate’s sagging frame.
It’s holding hands and taking walks
and playing table games.

It’s staying in
when lustful whims
might tempt you to bail out.
By choosing to remain in love
you give your vows their clout.

Another Couple in Conflict

Old Man Winter and Mom Nature
just can’t seem to get along
They are striking out with vengeance
and we kids know they are wrong.

They are acting out their anger.
Dad and Mom have lost control.
If they’d only kiss and then make up.
They’ve taken quite a toll.

Both their tempers flared in Asia
and in California too.
How we wish that mom and dear old dad
would end this and be through.

We are praying they’ll quit fighting.
That would give us all relief.
But for now it seems they’re bent on pain
and causing endless grief.

Reflections on an unprecedented global disaster

A Call for Compassion
Why we must respond to those in South Asia

Mommy! A tsunami!
You heard your child say.
But when you reached to take his hand,
your son was washed away.

Mommy! A tsunami!
You heard his sister scream.
You tried to run, but couldn’t move.
You woke. It was a dream.

For us, a figment of our minds
while blanketed in bed.
But for those who were swept to sea,
this nightmare left them dead.

Did panic fill their final thoughts?
I pray they sensed God near.
I hope their death was swift so that
they had no time to fear.

So why should we be spared such grief?
Do we deserve to live?
But since we dream what others saw,
can we do less than give?

For mommies robbed of babies,
for husbands who lost wives,
for kids without their moms and dads,
for all who have survived,

let’s give help to the homeless,
let’s fund the food they need,
let’s pray for people we don’t know
who claim a different creed.

Regardless of religion,
let’s act on what we see,
for God is pleased when we reach out.
We are one family. 

The Day after Tomorrow
Why the facts of life are more troubling than a fictitious screenplay.

The Day after Tomorrow
is actually today.
It’s more than just a movie.
It’s real life tragedy.

It’s untold devastation.
It’s unimagined grief
that hints at Armageddon
with death beyond belief.

It is a stark reminder
that wealth is but a myth
because the thieves of nature
cannot be reckoned with.

An earthquake or tornado,
a flood or tidal wave
can strike with little warning
and send us to our grave.

The hurricanes’ destruction
we weathered some months back
should serve as a reminder
that bright hopes can turn black.

How dare we act so cocky?
How dare we close our eyes?
How dare we think that we’re immune
from panic-prompted whys?

Think back to 9-11.
How quickly we forget
that we can never be prepared
for what we don’t expect.

And more despair will find us.
We’d best be braced to bear
the heartaches spawned by Al-Qaida
or Mother Nature’s terror.

Let’s ask the Lord for wisdom
as we begin this year.
We need His help as we prepare
to face the things we fear.

Let’s give funds to World Vision,
but take stock of our need.
Let’s reaffirm that life’s too short
to spend it gripped by greed.