Year: 2007

A Farewell to Falwell

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Remembering a Religious Icon

The Moral Majority all agree.
Jerry Falwell did well
but died too soon.
His fruitful life will continue to speak
though his silenced lips cannot.

From Thomas Road to Liberty,
this Baptist preacher helped us see
how true devotion to a cause
can reap big dividends.

He grew a church and college too
and then before Jim Bakker knew,
this Lynchburg televangelist
would rescue PTL.

His right-wing stance left some irate.
Sometimes his judgments (like his weight)
seemed way too heavy and unsafe.
He could be arrogant.

But far more good than ill was done
to help Christ’s Kingdom fully come.
He had his faults, but don’t we all.
In stumbling, he fell well.

The right has lost an advocate
who could be quite articulate.
But our entire country grieves.
A patriot has died.

With Praise for the Queen Mom

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Heralding one mother’s regal worth

She gave me birth, a sense of worth
and the name by which I’m known.
My mother tucked me in at night
so I was not alone.

She helped me walk, taught me to talk
and she dabbed my tearstained face.
My mother’s love that would not quit
prepared me for God’s grace.

She let me go so I could grow
into all that I’ve become.
And on my own I realized
who I’d descended from.

My father’s wife who gave me life
is far more than I first thought.
She’s worth far more than all I own,
too priceless to be bought.

Without much rest, she did her best.
At long last I came to see
that it was not a piece of cake
to raise a child like me.

So on this day when children say
just how much their mothers mean,
“Hear ye, hear ye, my mom’s the best.
Her Majesty’s my Queen.”

The National Daze of Prayer

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

What’s left after the Christian Right prays?

May’s first Thursday marks the day
when those inclined take time to pray.
While millions do, far more do not
insisting it’s just hype.

“Come on. Get real. A day of prayer?
To live “In God We Trust” is rare.
There is no trust in Washington
and truth is up for grabs.”

I hear the cynics in my head.
“If God once lived, He now is dead.
No wonder kids are killed at school
and homelessness won’t die.”

They’re also dazed by what they see.
A camouflaged hypocrisy
where those who claim to speak for God
talk love but walk in hate.

No wonder critics just don’t care
about a yearly day of prayer.
And knowing that they feel that way,
we can’t just pray but act.

So help me, God. Cause what I do
to challenge what some think of You.
May they in time deny their doubts
and claim You’re in control.

Sticks and Stones (and Hurtful Words)

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Lessons from a less-than smart Alec

That Alec Baldwin cell phone rant
is shameful proof that parents can’t
abuse a child with their words
and think “No harm, no foul!”

Our children are not human pigs.
They are not goats (though they are kids).
And while they can be quite strong-willed,
they’re worthy of our love.

Yes, sticks and stones can break our bones,
but ugly words inside our homes
can bruise the beauty of a child
and injure them for life.

You’d best be careful what you say.
Unguarded words can make you pay.
A temper tantrum on the phone
robbed Alec of his rights.

Praying for a Sick Mother

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Earth Day Reflections on Global Warming:
Mother Nature’s Death Wish

Mother Earth has got a fever.
Some insist it’s no big deal.
Others say it could be fatal.
Doomsday prophets start to kneel.

Diagnosis? Global warming.
There are sweat beads on her brow.
She is having trouble breathing.
Just how much will God allow?

Major surgery is needed
Cutting out some things we do.
Like the fossil fuels we guzzle.
Going green may see her through.

We should pray that she’ll recover.
After all, she is our mom.
May our Father who’s in Heaven
intervene before she’s gone.

Mother Nature’s Death Wish

The irony of what this week represents.

This very week Earth Day draws near.
Most eerily it’s very clear
how sick our planet seems to be.
Just ponder what has been.

The Waco cult Davidian
revealed the human heart of sin
as senseless killings stunned us all
and soaked the ground with blood.

Fast-forward then another year
when Oklahomans shed their tears
for victims of a downtown bomb
who died so needlessly.

It was this week in Ninety-nine
we gasped to learn of Columbine
as Littleton became big news
we wished we’d never heard.

And now this week Virginia Tech
has left us all a nervous wreck.
Ironically, though tulips bloom,
our Spring has lost its step.