Popular culture

Life versus Love

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
A Supreme Court ruling has raised the bar of civil discourse

Lord of Life, Lord of Love,
whether we’re pro-life or pro-choice,
we’re amateurs
when it comes to disagreeing agreeably.
Help us learn to love our enemies as You taught.

Regardless of our views on when life begins,
may love begin anew each day
as we voice our opinions
without malice or spite.
May we resist attempts from either side
that would seek to abort
the spirit of Christ within us.

Protect us from killing one another
with words… or worse.

May Your Kingdom come.
May Your will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven.

Marking a Monarch’s Platinum Jubilee

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Your Majesty, your Jubilee
now calls to mind your reign
that’s showered countless Brits with more than tea.
Your subjects curtsy and they bow
with homage in their hearts.
You represent their love of royalty.

“God, Save the Queen”
they proudly sing as palace guards stand tall.
The lyrics of this anthem voice their prayer,
that God would guide your every step
and give to you long life,
that you might sense God’s presence everywhere.

Elizabeth, the world-at-large
now celebrates your rule.
Beyond your realm we recognize your face.
We are not blind to griefs you’ve known
or critics of The Crown.
But through it all, we marvel at your grace.

Your Majesty, we mark your reign
(three-score-and-ten grand years)
as flags fly high and banners are unfurled.
Your Jubilee provides a peek
at that for which we long…
real peace and oneness in our war-torn world.

Robbed of Life

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
Another mass shooting finds us hugging our kids and looking to God

Uvalde grieves.
We all grieve
for children robbed of life
at Robb Elementary.

Children who came to school in a bus
and left in a hearse.
Could anything be worse?

It’s hard to imagine.
It’s hard to comprehend.
It’s hardly elementary.
It’s complicated.
It’s evil.

It’s a duplicate snapshot
of our wounded nation
that continues to hemorrhage from the inside out.

It’s a faded photograph
of a broken hearted country
still unable to breathe
on this second anniversary
of another
senseless act of violence.

It’s an image
that violates the value
with which those
made in the Creator’s image
were born.

Imago dei.
You and me.
In Uvalde and everywhere.
A human being
one with another.
A human being
enraged by violence.
A human being
open to the voice of God.

Speak, Lord, Your people are listening!

A Needle in the Sky

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
This month the Space Needle celebrates its 60th anniversary

The very week that I turned ten
Seattle had a fair.
And they’d invite the whole wide world to come.
A needle in the sky stood tall.
A monorail sped by.
A forest of amusement rides was fun!

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans came.
And Elvis showed up, too.
That sixth-month party gave Seattle cred.
The city that Bill Boeing built
had finally come of age.
Just look at who has followed in his stead.

St. Arbucks, Eddie Bauer,
Microsoft and Amazon.
There’s Nordstrom, Costco and there’s REI.
Expedia and T-Mobile.
There’s Zillow and PACCAR
and don’t forget Big Fish with dreams to fry.

And now six decades later
from that Needle in the sky
we have a view of that for which we wait:
A world where everyone can “breathe,”
where cops deserve respect.
A world devoid of homelessness and hate.

A world that’s litter-free and green.
A world where truth stands tall.
Where love’s the lyric of the song we sing.
A world where peace can have a chance
and cancer’s finally cured.
A world where Jesus Christ is hailed as King!

From Refugee to Royalty

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Remembering the remarkable Madeleine Albright

When it comes to American royalty,
she checked all the boxes.
Her amazing life
was a fairytale come true.

As a child refugee,
whose grandparents were victims
of the holocaust,
she saluted Lady Liberty
with allegiance in her heart
and a twinkle in her eye.

She elevated the role of secretary
to a whole new level.
She broached serious subjects
with integrity and dignity.

Madeleine Albright
was regal on every level.
Her face and her jewelry
sparkled with grace.
Her name called attention
to her brilliance.

This diminutive diva
on the world stage
was a rock star in global affairs.
She towered over her peers
with Katanji-like class.

Though slight in height,
we looked up to her.
While she stood only 4’10” high,
she was tall enough
to shatter a glass ceiling.

With John Glenn,
Madeleine Albright lived a legacy
that was out of this world.

As we look up to the heavens tonight,
let us thank God
for this princess of peace
who illuminated our world for good
and gave our daughters
a role model to which to aspire.

Peace to her memory!