Exploring the aftershocks in both; Lessons from a Stammering Monarch

Christchurch and Christ’s Church
Exploring the aftershocks in both

Christchurch, New Zealand has collapsed.
An earthquake rocked its soul.
And aftershocks reduced its pride
to chaos, grief and woe.

There’s loss of life, despair and tears
and haunting memories.
What once were viewed as normative
are abnormalities.

Christ’s Church is, too, on shaky ground.
That isn’t really new.
What once stood tall for holiness
has crumbled. Yes, it’s true.

The tremors started long ago
as God’s Word was attacked
when some church leaders deemed His Book
as fiction more than fact.

The quaking grew much stronger
when their views on Jesus changed.
Some claimed He’s but one way to God.
To them that wasn’t strange.

And neither is the way that truth
is redefined at will.
It’s relative and up for grabs.
God’s voice is often stilled.

Christ’s Church foundation will give way
without its cornerstone.
Without commitment to what’s right
it’s left to die alone.

Lessons from a Stammering Monarch
Takeaways from “The King’s Speech”

A star-studded portrayal
of a stuttering king
should land Colin Firth
that gold first-place thing.

King George VI was slow of speech.
He struggled with his words.
But thanks to one played by Geoff Rush
he soon was self-assured.

The King’s Speech is a brilliant film
deserving Oscar’s nod.
But more than that it celebrates
a principle from God.

We are not meant to live alone.
Companionship’s God’s gift.
There’s nothing like a friend’s advice
to give a needed lift.

We fail to reach all we can be
when we go it alone.
We stammer, flustered prone to fail
by trying on our own.

We only can annunciate
and speak with eloquence
when we let others draw us out
with words they never mince.

Spring training is a picture of grace; The Speed of Life

A Season for Starting Over
Spring training is a picture of grace

As mounds of snow begin to melt
some other mounds appear.
The spell of winter’s wearing off.
Spring Training’s finally here.

Though base paths still are mostly mud
and infield grass is brown,
I think that I can almost hear
those most amazing sounds…

The slap of leather, crack of bat
and feet stomps in the stands.
The vendors’ cries, the ump’s “yeer out!”
and cheering of the fans.

And though my team was bad last year
and finished up dead last,
with spring a new day dawns with hope.
Regrets are in the past.

And that is what the Bible says….
Grace offers brand new starts.
The old has passed. The new has come
with clean, forgiven hearts.

* “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)

The Speed of Life
We’re moving much too fast!

We’re moving at the speed of life.
There’s way too much to do.
Our mates have plans. The kids have needs.
Our aging parents, too.

Yes, multitasking finds us frayed
much like a stretched-out rope.
We juggle countless balls at once
except that one called “cope.”

Our President’s proof positive.
His salt-and-pepper hair
is case in point of how life’s speed
breeds wrinkles, stress and fear.

We go, go, go and go some more.
A death sentence for sure.
While nouns once punctuated life,
we’ve given way to verbs.

The speed of life is much too fast.
O, God, please slow us down.
Create some speed bumps in life’s road.
Replace our verbs with nouns.

Confessions of a Cheesehead; Super Bowl XLV

Why I’m Pullling for the Packers
It all goes back to when I was a boy

Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood
are Pittsburgh Steelers fans.
Daniel Tiger’s stripes are black and gold.
King Friday thinks come Sunday
the “steel curtain” will prevail.
But I think the king is prematurely bold.

The cheddar wedge I’m wearing
indicates the team I’m for.
Yes, I’ve been a Packers fan since I was nine.
Coach Lombardi, Starr and Hornung
brought the game to life for me
about the time I played with words that rhyme.

Lambeau Field (that frozen tundra)
breeds a brand of athlete
that’s made strong by dealing with adversity.
No domed stadium for Cheeseheads.
Players and their fans alike
are a kind of pain-means-gain fraternity.

Like St. Peter in the Bible
they believe that suffering
has the means to purify what’s valuable.*
Tested by both ice and fire,
they know well what tempers steel
and that’s what the Pack will do come Super Bowl.

* In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-9)

** http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=34574

Super Bowl XLV
A kind of Judgment Day

It all comes down to Sunday’s game.
Two winning teams. One common aim.
To claim the Vince Lombardi prize
and be called “champions.”

The Super Bowl provides a test
to prove who really are the best.
It is a kind of Judgment Day
when hard work earns its due.

But come the Judgment Day we’ll face,
who wins will win because of grace.
The trophy of eternal life
was won at Calvary.

In Christ we’re reigning champions
because of what God’s Son has done.
He tackled death and sacked our sin
to earn our victory.