A Prayer for High School Graduates

May 31, 2013December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

Talking to the Almighty about our children

Almighty God, the Scriptures remind us our children are a gift from You. With holy awe and a sense of wonder we received these priceless treasures gift-wrapped with potential. In no time these miniature persons were kindergarten-bound, where they found just how much there was to learn. But You helped them, Lord. You fed their curiosity and infused their little minds with big thoughts.

As they matriculated year after year from elementary school through middle school, we marveled at their ability to make the grade. Gratefully, You bolstered their self-confidence when bullies attempted to undermine their self-worth. And then, as they entered high school, You looked on as they focused on maintaining a high GPA with an eye on the colleges of their dreams.

And now here they stand on the threshold of adulthood. Won?t You walk with them, Father, as they pass through this wide-open door? In many ways they seem adequately prepared to embrace the opportunities and challenges that await them. In other ways, they still resemble those little tykes we sent off to school so long ago with their big backpacks. Now as then, they have cause to fear what is so unfamiliar. Please protect them.

Grace them, God, with a thirst for knowledge and an appetite for understanding. As they continue to calculate facts and figures, help them translate the truths they encounter into attitudes and actions that guard the dignity of others. In their grasping of wisdom, may they open their hearts to those in need. Give them compassion and humility as they stand up for those put down by society.

Heavenly Father, as their capacity for understanding Your world expands, increase their ability to know You and trust Your plans for their lives. Amen.

A Prayer for Oklahoma

May 24, 2013December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

Interceding for tornado victims

It’s not OK in OKC
for Moore is less (it seems to me).
Less joyful and less confident
that life will turn out good.

The winds of chance blew tragically
destroying much that used to be
and in the process stole the lives
of victims young and old.

As Oklahoma grieves its dead
and groans in unexpected dread,
a watching nation blinks back tears
and bends its knees in prayer.

O God, who hears each pleading cry
and aches with us when loved ones die,
be near to these who’ve lost it all
and must continue on.

Restore their will to stretch and reach.
Reveal Your truth to those who preach
that hope rekindled will renew
the faith of hurting souls.

Servants of the Most High God

May 17, 2013December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

A tribute to hospice nurses

When death knocks
and life’s clock
ticks in slow motion,
it’s easy to tell the time.
But it’s difficult to accept what it says.

That’s when hospice nurses
make their way
to the line of scrimmage
for the final minutes of the game.

They know that beating the opponent
isn’t possible
and yet they make the most
of the little time that’s left.

Tackling whatever is necessary
they clear the way so that you can
make your way into the end zone
with head held high
and faith clutched tightly to your chest.

They’re the best
(though they are often the unsung).
They are heroes of the dying
(and those living who stand watch).
They are angels of mercy, shepherds of grace,
guardians of dignity
and servants of the most high God.

* This poem is dedicated to Tricia who was my dad’s hospice nurse when he died in 2008.

The Missing Have Been Found

May 10, 2013December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

A decade-long search has paid off; The Time Has Come to Walk

The Missing Have Been Found
A decade-long search has paid off
The missing girls at last are found.A ten-year search struck gold.The love for those considered lostburned strong though clues grew cold. “We can’t give up! We must persist.There’s just too much at stake.”And in their words you hear their heartsthat beat and nearly break. When one so loved seems gone for good,God models what to do.He will not leave a stone unturned,but searches till He’s through. And so the Shepherd left the fold*in search of those deemed lost.He would not quit but risked his lifeno matter what the cost. The Lord be praised for answered prayer.
The missing have come home.
But still the Shepherd seeks to find
those lost who hide alone.
* Luke 15:1-7

The Time Has Come to Walk
Reflections on a daughter’s graduation from college*

It seems like only yesterday
I watched my little girl at play
amazed at her abilities
and dazzled by her charm.

In no time she was college-bound
convinced her school was holy ground
and from a distance I could see
she’d made the perfect choice.

Those halls of learning watched her reach
to grasp the truths of those who teach.
But now the time has come to walk
all clad in cap and gown.

And as I stand up to applaud,
I’ll cheer with pride and praise to God
for guiding one so loved so far
toward this milestone.

* This poem is dedicated to Lauren Star Asimakoupoulos who graduates this Sunday from Wheaton College Conservatory of Music with a degree in flute performance.

It Doesn’t Take a Wizard

May 3, 2013December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

Putting Jason Collins’ “coming out” in perspective

The first pro athlete “came out”
announcing he is gay.
His fans cannot contain their pent up praise.
It seems that Jason Collins
is a poster boy of sorts
for the shift in thinking taking place these days.

The center of this whole ball game
now dwarfs what we’ve long held
that homosexuality is wrong.
Fast-forward to the present
where what’s guarded is the fact
that it doesn’t matter which team you are on.

No, it doesn’t take a wizard
to reveal what’s going on
in a culture that has come under some spell.
Being gay is celebrated
as a privileged way of life,
but the outcome of such thinking time will tell.