Copyright
Feel free to use freely! All poem copyright remains with Myfishbites where stated. If your poem is here and you want it removed, please contact us.
Christmas Poem
Christmas time is here; when God as man appeared
Left heaven’s perfect doors; entered earth with all its flaws
The story’s core, obedience; the story’s end, deliverance
The baby child matured and grew; his words of life, the only truth
The perfect life, the perfect death; no silent night, til life’s last breath
The Son of God, the Son of Man; the sinless one, the Great I Am
Still relevant, still living; significant, life-giving
The way, the truth, the life; this day, his truth, your life..
ANOTHER WAY
We kill unborn kids and call it choice
We drink to excess but blame others when we cause harm
We have unprotected sex but then have a pill for the consequences
We have unprotected sex but think it’s others who’ll get STDs
We make money at the expense of others and call it opportunity
We push others down and call it our strength and their weakness
We legalise and accept drugs and then complain about lack of treatment centres
We consume what we want and feed on oppression of other nations and call it trade
We take what we want but then pay money to police our dishonesty
We live in our own world and then complain about lack of community
We spend what we want and then pay people to manage our debt
We do what we want and then pay taxes to rectify what we’ve done
We do what we want and call it freedom
We say what we want and call it freedom of speech
We live selfishly and then wonder where our satisfaction has gone
We believe what we want at the cost of what is truth
We lock out God from our life and then when disaster strikes ask where God was
We claim rights for ourselves that infringe the rights of others
We claim we’re reasonable but are increasingly unreasonable
We think we’re rational but are increasingly irrational
Maybe there’s another way..
The TV Prayer (think author is Chris Halls – any ideas anyone?)
Our TV which art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy cable come
Thy still be fun
At noon as it is at seven
Entertain us today all day til bed
And forgive us all as we forfeit our weekend
And lead us into sedation
But deliver us from re-runs
For thine is the sitcom, the drama and the gory
Forever and ever
Amen.
BIBLE IN 50 WORDS (Source Unknown)
God made
Adam bit
Noah arked
Abraham split
Joseph ruled
Jacob fooled
Bush talked
Moses baulked
Pharoah plagued
People walked
Sea divided
Tablets guided
Promise landed
Saul freaked
David peeked
Prophets warned
Jesus born
God walked
Love talked
Anger crucified
Hope died
Love rose
Spirit flamed
Word spread
God remained
A MOVING STORY (Source unknown)
Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again.
There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:
Dear Ruth:
I`m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I’d like to stop by for a visit.
Love Always, Jesus.
Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. “Why would the Lord want to visit me? I’m nobody special. I don’t have anything to offer.”
With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. “Oh my goodness, I really don’t have anything to offer. I’ll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner.” She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents. “Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least.”
She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.
A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk…leaving Ruth with grand total twelve cents to last her until Monday.
Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.
“Hey lady, can you help us, lady?”
Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn’t even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags.
“Look lady, I ain’t got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it’s getting cold and we’re getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us lady, we’d really appreciate it.”
Ruth looked at them both.
They were dirty, they smelled bad and, frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work, if they really wanted to.
“Sir, I’d like to help you, but I’m a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I’m having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him.”
“Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway.”
The man put his arm around the woman’s shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley.
As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart.
“Sir, wait!” The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. “Look, why don’t you take this food. I’ll figure out something else to serve my guest.”
She handed the man her grocery bag.
“Thank you lady. Thank you very much!”
“Yes, thank you!” It was the man’s wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering. “You know, I’ve got another coat at home. Here, why don’t you take this one.” Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman’s shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street…without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.
“Thank you lady! Thank you very much!”
Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn’t have anything to offer Him.
She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.
“That’s odd. The mailman doesn’t usually come twice in one day.” She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.
Dear Ruth:
It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always Jesus
The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.
(Source unknown – via an email)
A STORY
Note – this was given to me by someone at my church who wrote this. I include it in the poems as it’s not a rap that would cut it with young people at all – but it would be cool for use with children.
I’ll tell you a story that’s very very old
If you’ll listen, it’ll make you very very bold
It’ll conquer Satan, who seems very very flash
Whose job really, is to reduce you to trash
I’ll tell you of a Saviour you can call 24/7
Because he’s waiting for your call, up in heaven
So don’t hang out, and don’t have a doubt
Get on your mobile, and give Jesus a shout
So if your life’s screwed up, and there seems no way out
Get on your phone, and give Jesus a shout
So he doesn’t want to leave you in the lurch
Then get on your skateboard, and find a church
He’ll listen to you whatever you’ve done wrong
Forgive you so, you can join heaven’s throng
He’ll forgive your sins, if you tell him all
He’s seen it all anyway, so give him a call
He gave Satan a clout to set you free
And if you read your Bible, you’ll truly see
Cos its all been forever, totally true
What your Saviour’s done, just for you
He gave Satan a clout 2k ago
So when you read your Bible, you’ll really glow
It’s what my Saviour’s done just for me
Cos he sent a text message 4 all 2c
(Written by Arthur Burge Snr, 9/7/03)
YOUR DARKEST HOUR
I hear you in your darkest hour
I hear you when you cry
I hear you when you’re most in need
I hear when you say ‘why’
I know just what you’re going through
I know the pain you feel
But know that God still loves you
And know his love is real
(Steve H. God gave me this little gem the day my brother was killed in Africa..)
LIFE
Through all it’s knocks and bruises, all it’s ups and downs
Life just carries on, bear it with smiles or frowns
But where is it going? Who is in control?
When the day begins, is it with or without your soul?
The days just keep passing, the weeks, months and years
Just like the emotions, the happiness and the tears
But when all is said and done, and everything is dead
Will you think, ‘I’m glad I lived’ or wish you’d never been born instead?
(Steve H)
THE LORD’S PRAYER
The Lord is my pace setter – I shall not rush
He makes me stop for quiet intervals
He provides me with images of stillness which restore my serenity
He leads me in ways of efficiency through calmness of mind
And his guidance in peace
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day
I will not fret
For his presence is here
His kindness now, his all-importance, will keep me in balance
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of activity
By anointing my mind with oils of tranquility
My cup of joyous energy overflows
Truly harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours
For I shall work in the pace of my Lord
And dwell in his house for ever
(Anon, Japanese writer)
WHEN I SAY ‘I AM A CHRISTIAN’ (Source Unknown)
When I say ‘I am a Christian’
I’m not shouting ‘I’m saved’
I’m whispering I was lost
That is why I chose this way
When I say ‘I am a Christian’
I don’t speak of this with pride
I’m confessing that I stumble
And need someone to be my guide
When I say ‘I am a Christian’
I’m not trying to be strong
I’m professing that I’m weak
And pray for strength to carry on
When I say ‘I am a Christian’
I’m not bragging of success
I’m admitting that I’ve failed
And cannot ever pay the debt
When I say ‘I am a Christian’
I’m not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are too visible
But God believes I’m worth it
When I say ‘I am a Christian’
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches
Which is why I speak his name
When I say ‘I am a Christian’
I do not wish to judge
I have no authority
I only know I’m loved
A NEW COMMUNITY – THE KINGDOM OF GOD
We’ve got to make a difference
To stand up and be counted
Turn away from our indifference
God is love so let’s shout it
We’re called to fight injustice
To stand against oppression
To fight for those who have no voice
Let’s make God’s love our passion
Reach out to those in pain
Help people who are down
Live our lives in Jesus’ name
Come God’s kingdom, all around
Show to the world that God is real
Demonstrate he lives and loves
Our lives blessed with a holy seal
A new community – the Kingdom of God
AUTUMN
I sit in lofty places. where few have sat so still
To gather in the morning’s rays, to stare at nature’s life
My solitude unbroken, except by my yearning heart
That sees the beauty all around and longs to see its maker
As Autumn leaves fall, by wayward thoughts and plans
The simple flutter to the ground, so serene and magical
To enter into creation, so lovingly crafted and cared for
By our God, all-powerful, by our God the almighty
The leaves are but part of nature’s rich and diverse tapestry
Woven together by the hands of a master craftsman
Explicit and complex patterns, relationships that confound
And yet it fits together, perfectly, a jigsaw of life
I’ve never seen my creator and yet I know he exists
To see the alluring, exquisite and sublime
I know it’s more than an accident, more than a crash in time
I have faith that the hand that touched my life created all of nature
The love of a powerful God, a presence that fills my being
The deepest spiritual awakening that irrepressibly lives
The touch of his hand, the soaring on the back of eagles
Upward turns my head to reach out and touch heaven