Seventy Years Since (Poem)

For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob,

because they are filled with eastern ways… 

(Isaiah 2:6)

In September 1945, World War II ended,

And to global leadership, the U.S. then ascended.

Along the way, she became the only superpower,

And upon her, the fullness of My Grace I did shower.

Seventy years since, she had taken a major turn.

My Grace and great fear of Me, her people did spurn.

To repentance My continued goodness failed to lead them. ¹

In their mounting sinfulness, her ‘star’ thus began to dim.

In her leadership role, the nations she began to sway.

They followed suit, lusting after ‘The American Way’.

As I forsook My ancient people, filled with eastern ways,

Behold, now a world that on ‘ways of the west’ daily graze.

To some nations, her ways are now viewed as abhorrent,

The cumulative effects of lifestyles affluent.

For her to continue enjoying My Grace favor,

Will require My people to regain their …salt savor. ²

I once agreed to relent as a destroyer,

Of two ancient cities with brimstone and sulfur,

If but only 10 righteous souls therein were found.

Now Sodom and Gomorrah are a sulfur mound.

I told Jeremiah Jerusalem I would pardon,

If he could find one man whose heart to justice was open. ³

The U.S. is blessed with many righteous souls,

Their presence protects her from my …judgment bowls.

Nevertheless…

Various forms of death remain the wages of sin. ⁴

From the beginning, this is how it has always been. ⁵

From the sentence of destruction, I will relent.

As long as My people of their wicked ways …repent.

Though to Me she turned her back,

Yet My plan for her is still intact.

By her wicked ways I am not pleased.

Pray the destroyer’s sword …will stay sheathed.

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¹ ‘Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?’ (Romans 2:4)

² ‘You (Christ-followers) are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.’ (Matthew 5:13)

 ‘…if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.’ (2 Chronicles 7”14)

³ See: Jeremiah 5:1, then see 2 Chronicles 36 for the result.

⁴  Writ large, death--spiritual, social, economic, climatic, of stature, physical, etc.

⁵ Genesis 2:17

When Church Hurts (Poem)

World, My apologies.

My People, We can do much better.

Jesus Christ ¹

Christian, but not ‘born again’, you claim to be.

This is an oxymoron, can you not see?

Is one a human being who did not come to earth,

By the womb experience, then a physical birth? ²

It’s curiously interesting many of you today,

Dislike what of your earnings in taxes you must pay,

You have such a negative view of big government.

In your pursuit of happiness, it’s an infringement.

I said pay to Me first the tithe, and trust Me for the rest.

You duck paying the tithe, but gladly pay high interest,
On debts for stuff you just could not wait to get
By faith, patience, and trust in Me, thus you sweat.

My Bible predicts a global government. That’s well noted.
It will be led by Me, King o’er all,
and will be hugely bloated! ³
So stop your whining about your government’s bigness.
For Mine to come, yours is a ‘preparation ‘practice’. ⁴

You have paid and done so much to bring
healing to your land,
Except turn from your own wicked ways,
and your ‘hard right’ stand.
For the health of a land, I don’t hold sinners accountable.
The health of a land’s is closely tied to
My people, faithful. ⁵

You have become like expensive computer ware,

All the right hardware, but loaded with wrong software.

Refusing to walk in all My Spirit’s mandates,

You’re unable to download My software updates. 

You say you love My Word; that on It you have acted.
Take a closer look. Much of It you have redacted.
Parts that don’t fit in your affluent lifestyle and culture,
Are edited out, thus your land rots with ‘social cancer’.

Across your nation and world, cries for decency abound,

When an unsavory leader you decided to crown.

Your choices political triggered such a loud uproar,

Because you ignored what I said in Hosea 8:4. ⁶

On many social ills, you are strangely silent,

Keeping the ‘righteous salt’ in your container dry.

It is only a few you elect to repudiate,

Because it’s hard to speak out on those you perpetuate. 

In My Love for a world of sinners, I died to give them ...YoU,
A Christian, in My Church, seed to My Kingdom on Earth, anew.
Shun your fears! Learn to live by Faith, which works by,
and through Love,
Until on Earth, My Kingdom’s fullness descends from above.

If you don’t like fruits of wickedness that around you swirl,

Do not take a ‘hard right’ turn, and insults at sinners hurl!

To Me, your ‘right’ is NoT alright, nor is ‘left’ all wrong.

Inspect your roots! Grow fruits that sing

…My righteousness song.

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¹ In the spirit of Revelation 3:14-22

² Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Most assuredly, I  say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see The Kingdom of God. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again.’ (John 3:3,7)

³ See: Isaiah 60:16-17 and Zechariah 14:9 and 14, for an idea of the wealth and financial resources that will be paid to the King of the World. Talk about BIG GOVERNMENT!

See: Ezekiel 38 and 39 for the eventual reaction of the pre- and post-millennial world (after satan is released again per Revelation 20:3) in an effort to get back this ‘booty’.

⁴ In Christ's BIG worldwide Millennial Kingdom, we will be  immortal rulers and administrators in it, spread across the post-apocalyptic (tribulation) world. As such, Matthew 17:24-27 hints Christ’s government administrators will not pay taxes/tribute.
⁵ See: 2 Chronicles 7:14

⁶  They [Israel] set up kings, but not by Me; they made princes, but I did not acknowledge them... (Hosea 8:4)

Escaping Modern Slavemasters (Poem)

Americans are addicted to debt and medicines,¹

Debt to quickly get what is not yet within our reach;

Medicines to erase ‘bruises from our in-disciplines’.

Is this tied to our disdain for what the Scriptures teach?

Are debt and pharmaceuticals now our biggest substitutes,

For the force by which God has said we all should live?

‘By faith shall you live!’,

the command and promise He institutes.

Command to obey; promises of blessings He will give.

Whenever a person and people reject what He’s said,

We must then scrounge around to find

some God-substitutes.

Survey our live styles, and to them you will be quickly led.

In sum, this is what 'life American' constitutes.

In debt to get stuff we can’t afford and really don’t need,

Then busting our tails, our health and peace

trying to pay off,

What we would not wait to get by faith,

all to feed our greed.

Much of this to project a fake image that …‘I’m well-off’.

Having cast off slavery, in other kinds

we’re now drowning!

‘Borrowers are slaves to lenders’, a wise man once said. ²

C’mon, we can do so much better. A New Year is dawning!

The Bible, God’s ‘how to’ guide, shows us the way ahead.

Learning how to live and walk by FAITH,

and in Him to trust,

Imagine what we will save from expenses we now pay!

To escape the grasp of our addictions, this is a MUST!

C’mon, America!

Let’s join together and commit to God’s much better way!

Ponder this:

Getting what you want and need, but not by faith,

Whether by hook, crook, schemes and overwork,

yeah, you can get them.

Would you rather them, over what God to you gave,

Results of developing your faith, patience and trust in Him?

Which would enhance the quality of your life

…sustainably?

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¹ Pharmaceuticals, writ large

² The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. (Proverbs 22:7)

Album 5: Walk With Me (Lyrics & Video)

Listen here

Soundtrack here

Come along, Son, walk with Me.

Give Me your hand, I will lead.

I want you to learn of Me.

Daily come along, that’s My plea.

Don’t mind what other people say.

Oh come along, Son, and stay close to Me.

I will show you many things to come,

Show you answers to all your problems,

Show you the traps of your enemy.

You’ll come to know life’s mystery.

Get to know Me in brand-new ways.

Oh come along, Son, and stay close to Me.

Yes, Lord, I will walk

With You, Lord, I’ll walk

Learn to wait and hear from Me,

Know My presence full, and free.

Taking time to talk and hear,

Me whispering to you, in your ear.

Come learn My presence and My ways.

Oh come along, Son, and stay close to Me.

It is I who am calling your name.

Walk with Me, you’ll never be the same!

Learn how I walked with others before.

Learn My Word, so My voice you’ll know.

Angels before us lead the way.

Oh come along, Son, and stay close to Me.

~o~

Invite your friends, some will resist.

Just invite, do not persist.

They’ll meet Me eventually,

After lives lived sinfully.

A heavy price they’ll have to pay.

Oh come along, Son, and stay close to Me.

I will show you things you never knew.

Stay with me, your life I will imbue.

I will ease your troubled mind.

Life with Me will be redefined.

Don’t pay the price that others pay!

Oh come along, Son, and stay close to Me.

With You, Lord, I will walk.

Yes, Lord, I will walk…with YOU!

Album 5: Hand In Hand (Lyrics & Video)

Listen here

Soundtrack here

Hand in hand together, daily we talk,

He and I, taking our perfecting walk.

His warm and calming presence …ahhhh, holy land,

As we daily walk, hand in nail scarred hand.

Teaching me in all of my life’s diverse terrain,

My trust in Him to recalibrate and retrain.

Tuning my heart’s ear to His voice and Word.

Learning His, from all other voices heard.

Hand in hand we walk through peaceful pastures.

And through fiery tests, still His voice assures.

Though we’re hand in hand, I follow as He leads.

I hold on tightly as we walk through life’s weeds.

He knows well all the paths our feet must take.

Thus He holds tightly the hand that He shaped.

Hand in hand, traversing life’s wilderness.

He strengthens me in all my weariness.

My grip may slip, but He never lets go.

Knowing this prompts my trust in Him to grow.

Hand in hand, our destiny is assured.

To leave our path, I will not be allured!

Hand in hand through life, walking with my King.

Enjoying peace that His words to me bring.

Eternal joys are mine because I am keeping,

My hand in The Hand that created everything!

Given everything He’s brought me through,

It now dawns on me to say to you,

‘Friend, look closely and you will see,
He has a hand …that is free!’

Album 5: Hallelujah! (Lyrics & Videos)

Audio here

Soundtrack here

‘So great is the rejoicing by God’s people

at the wedding feast of the Bridegroom, Christ, 
and His friends, the Church, that Hallelujah is
the only word grand enough to express it.’ *

What is the Meaning of the Word, Hallelujah?

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah to Ya
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah to You, Oh God
Hallelujah to You

...Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
...Glory Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah to Ya
...To Ya Hallelujah, Lord

Hallelujah, Hallelujah (Glory, Glory, to Ya Hallelujah)
  ...We sing
Hallelujah to You, Oh God
...Oh yes we do.
Hallelujah to You
...Hallelujah to You

...Sometimes you’re just at a loss for words,

   and your spirit wants to echo HALLELUJAH! to The Lord.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah to Ya
...To Ya, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah (Glory, glory, to Ya Hallelujah)
...Breath of all life
Breath of all life
...You’re Alpha and Omega
You’re Alpha, Everything comes back to you, Omega
We’ll join the angels and sing, Hosannah!
...Oh yes we will. Hallelujah
 Hallelujah to You Oh Lord,
...To You, Lord, we sing.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah to You

...Let’s give Him Glory
Come on, let’s give Him all the Glory (Give Him all the Glory)
...Let’s give Him Praise
Come on, let’s give Him all the Praise (Give Him all the Praise)
...Forever our story
Forever this will be our story (What a great story)
Grace never ceases to amaze (His amazing Grace) 
We bring to You glorious Praise, Praise, Praise

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

...Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah to Ya
...Glory Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah (Glory, Glory, to Ya Hallelujah)

...To Ya Hallelujah, Lord

Hallelujah to You, Oh God
…Raise your voice and sing along

Hallelujah to You

In your walk with The Lord, do you ever become speechless at His overwhelming presence and Grace? At those times, you can only stay silent, and soak up the overflow. But if you're like me, your spirit just isn't content to stay quiet for long. The more I focus on His incredible goodness, I swell with a bursting, enthusiastic desire to say…

…HALLELUJAH, to You, Lord.
Hallelujah to You, Oh God

… May all the earth bless Your Name!
Hallelujah to You.

…I love to shelter
I love to shelter in Your presence (Resting in Your presence)

…Oh, You are The One

You are the One that I adore (You’re The One, Lord)

… Every day
Every day I need Your guidance.

…Can’t live without it
We'll be together evermore!

…Ohhhh
We bring to You glorious Praise, Praise, Praise

 ...Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
...Glory Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah to Ya
...To Ya Hallelujah, Lord

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Glory, Glory, to Ya Hallelujah
...For  ever, and ever, and ever
Hallelujah to You, Oh God
Hallelujah to You

…All Glory to You

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Glory to Him  

…Let’s give Him all the Glory

Ever and ever

…He deserves it all
Hallelujah

…Hallelujah

To You, To You!

—————

* See: The Bride of Christ (Series) for fresh insights about what the bride of Christ is and is not.