Remembering loved ones on this All Saints Weekend

This is the weekend we recall
those ones who touched our lives
who closed their weary eyes and ceased to breathe.
We miss the way they made us feel.
We miss their smile and voice.
This weekend mem’ries beckon us to grieve.

These “saints” (though far from perfect)
left their footprints in our hearts.
They sanctified our lives and showed us grace.
We miss the way they ran toward peace.
We miss their quiet faith.
This weekend mem’ries call to mind each face.

Our parents and our siblings, too,
our children, neighbors, friends,
and all who’ve left us through the door of death.
We miss the way God used them all.
We miss their presence so.
This weekend mem’ries help us catch our breath.

“For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed. Alleluia, Alleluia…”

Celebrating the amazing ministry of Operation Christmas Child

Boxes that had once held shoes
have been repurposed for “good news.”
When packed with clothing, toys and games
God’s love is visualized.

Yes, Operation Christmas Child
results in joy and countless smiles
as boys and girls in far-off lands
receive their shoebox gifts.

A gift that’s given undeserved
both strikes a chord and hits a nerve.
It is a picture of God’s grace
that begs to be explained.

And so it is when handed out.
Kids learn what God’s love is about.
They understand it can’t be earned.
It searches us ’til found.

A little box, a big surprise,
that’s filled with what a stranger buys
for children they will never meet
except in Heav’n some day.

Check out http://www.samaritanspurse.org/occ

Celebrating the undying faith of the Chicago Cubs’ fan

An ivy-walled cathedral stands at Addison and Clark.
The congregants assemble poised to praise.
But their dreams are dashed each season
as their prayers fall on deaf ears.
And yet these dreamers pray for better days.

To be a Cubs fan takes real faith.
Believing what’s not seen
requires true religion that breeds hope.
The faithful flock to Wrigley Field convinced their day will come.
Their years of penance fuel their means to cope.

Yet countless die still waiting
for the answer to their prayers
and are buried in their Cubbies red and blue.
The evidence of what’s unseen
remains within their hearts
and those who know that miracles are true.

Their faith will be rewarded.
It’s a matter just of time
when Cubs fans (the whole world over) loudly cheer.
And the Friendly Confines’ choir
will sing out through tears of joy.
Can you hear them? Just you wait! Is this the year?

Reflections on the shootings in Oregon

“Are you a Christian?” they were asked.
And when they answered “Yes!”
the young crazed gunman heartlessly took aim
at Roseburg students caught off-guard
who didn’t stand a chance
when they invoked their precious Savior’s name.

Much like the martyrs we’ve heard of
who lost their very lives
refusing to deny their source of life,
these young collegians gave their all
and forfeited their dreams
to one day be a husband or a wife.

What will you answer if you’re asked
about your true beliefs?
Will you (like Peter) vacillate and lie?
Or will you (like those brave young folks
in Oregon last week)
speak up for Jesus though it means you die?

It just might be the year

It’s the year that Ernie left us
and it just might be the year
that the Cubs of Wrigley Field go all the way.
What Ron Santo died believing
would in time be realized
may be just around the corner come what may.

Way back when Japan surrendered
at the end of World War 2
was the last time that the Cubbies danced the dance.
But they failed to win the Series
and a dry spell then ensued
that for seventy long years would steal their chance.

But they have a chance this season.
Series fever’s in the air.
Banks and Santo have connections in the sky.
If the fans just keep believing
and the players do their part
there’s no telling what will happen if we try.

Foul Ball Boy has been forgiven
and the goat’s curse is reversed
as the Friendly Confines boast a Jumbotron.
Cubs fans all around the country
are united by the hope
that their ‘much-loved losers” winning ways go on.