December 24, 2021 by Tom

Christmas Poem: There’s a Reason For It All! (12/24/21)

Here is a poem I wrote today for our Christmas Eve service at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

There’s a Reason For It All

The day had been long and our journey not done.
We had traveled so far in the hot blazing sun.
We talked on the way of the hardship this brought.
To obey the governor and do what we ought.
It has to get better, we each said out loud.
But we never expected the size of the crowd.
We went house to house, and knocked door to door.
Yet no one had space, not even a floor.
The constant rejection made us want to bawl.
Yet a small, quiet voice said, “There’s a reason for it all.”

We checked every guest room throughout the whole town.
Thinking, since God is in us He won’t let us down.
Yet our positive nature began to wear thin.
When all that we heard was no room in the inn.
We turned to each other and then turned to God.
And said all this rejection does surely seem odd.
We’ve listened intently and done what is right.
So why are we finding no place for the night?
In the midst of our turmoil, we heard a still call.
Keep on believing, there’s a reason for it all.

With our options exhausted there was nothing to do.
But to bed down in a stable that smelled like a zoo.
At least it was something that would do for the night.
Until we could find better when the day brought its light.
Before that could happen, the time did soon come.
We delivered a baby, a beautiful son.
He must be kept warm and protected from danger.
So he was wrapped up in cloths and placed in a manger.
We had wanted much better, but were so much in awe.
We again heard that voice, “There’s a reason for it all.”

Before the night finished, some visitors dropped by.
With a story of angels they had seen in the sky.
While watching their sheep on a hillside at night.
They had been quite startled by a heavenly light.
An angel appeared with a message to them.
A savior was born right there in Bethlehem.
And each little detail of their story that day.
Were things we had wanted to be different some way.
As they left our presence, we stood straight and tall.
Knowing in everything, there’s a reason for it all!

I suspect that you’ve been there, perhaps on this day.
The plans that you wanted, haven’t all gone your way.
From one roadblock to another, frustration does grow.
Disappointment and sorrow seem to be all that you know.
In all of those moments, there’s just one thing to do.
Remember God is in charge, definitely not you.
He sees everything clearly, from His view above.
And works it together from the heart of His love.
So, when you are tired and think you will fall.
Fix your eyes on Jesus, the reason for it all!

As I reflected on the birth of Jesus and the hardships that were experienced by Mary and Joseph in the nativity narrative, I wondered if they ever questioned why the details seemed to not line up in perfect fashion from a human point of view. It is relatively easy for us to look back through time and see there was a reason for it all — that each of the unconventional details of the birth of Jesus came about as a fulfillment of scripture. Many times in our life narrative, we struggle with knowing and understanding God’s purposes for us and the things we go through. My prayer is that we would realize that God doesn’t waste our experiences and that when we trust Him we can know there really is a reason for it all — even if we never fully understand that reason.

In prayer,
Tom

June 20, 2021 by Tom

My Dad (Poem and Audio)

This is a reposting to combine the audio of my sharing the poem during the closing of the 2016 Father’s Day worship service at Deer Run with the words I had published two years earlier for Father’s Day 2014.

My Dad

It’s getting late,
I should be in bed.
But it seems like a poem
is stuck in my head.
It rolls around in there
and seems to want out.
To be set in print,
to stop rolling about.

So here I am,
with keyboard and mouse.
Alone in the basement
of a quiet house.
The topic is fitting –
all good, nothing bad.
A poem’s trying to form
that would honor my dad!

A harder worker,
I surely don’t know.
He taught me so much
by the seeds he did sow.
And while there was much
he did plant in the ground.
It was seeds full of wisdom
that did always abound.

I know there were days
that he probably thought.
Will these boys of mine
ever do what they ought?
I’m so very glad
that my dad still can see.
Just what kind of man,
that I’m growing to be.

As I look back in time
and down through the years.
I pray that my life now
has made up for the tears.
I learned how to work
and I learned how to play.
From my mom and dad
as they showed me the way.

Dad worked very hard —
in fact, he still does.
It’s his way of life,
not just something that was.
But even in work,
there was room for fun.
Dad helped me to see,
I needed both, not just one.

Some days at the sawmill,
we’d walk home through the wood.
And jump in the pond,
like every boy should.
There always were chores
that had to be done.
But when they were finished,
there was still time for fun.

Dad doesn’t say much,
but that is okay.
For I understand,
I am much the same way.
His actions speak louder
than words ever can.
I know he’s beside me,
as my biggest fan.

There is so much I do,
as I step back and look.
That I learned from my dad,
it can’t be found in a book.
Dad showed me how
to invest life in life.
As he builds up his children
and loves his own wife.

I’m sure there are things
that are clear in my mind.
That if I could see now,
something different I’d find.
My recollection —
of vacations, you see.
Dad would stop anywhere,
as long as it was free!

State parks were the norm,
of places we’d go.
We could have lots of fun
without spending much dough.
So when I grew older,
and out on my own.
I have often returned
to where those seeds were sown.

To visit some places
where memories were made.
I’ve taken my family,
and we’d walk in the shade.
The example that I saw,
in the childhood I had.
Was a home full of love,
and a great mom and dad.

I could go on,
with this poem for a while.
When I think of my dad,
I can’t help but smile.
He lives life each day,
to the best that he can.
And when I grow up,
I want to be like that man!

As the day came to a close with Father’s Day just around the corner, this poem began to form in my mind. I am thankful for the dad that God has given me and I pray that I honor him not just with some words, but with my life.

May 25, 2020 by Tom

Great Sacrifice (Audio of poem read by its author)

Here is the audio of my reading of the poem, “Great Sacrifice” that I wrote on May 26, 2014.

Great Sacrifice

Many have served,
this much I know.
But how much honor
do we really show?
One day a year
we think of the brave.
Who fought in a war
that led to their grave.
On yet another,
we thank those alive.
Who served our great country
so freedom could thrive.

But as I consider
the price that was paid.
The honor returned
seems quickly to fade.
Do we really care
the rest of the year?
For a child with no dad
and a parent’s worst fear?
A son or a daughter
who paid with their life.
Is the worst kind of news,
it will cut like a knife.

Do we stand there with them
in the days filled with pain?
Or do we run and hide
when the tears flow like rain?
Do we give of ourselves
what their loved one cannot?
Or do we walk away
when the heat gets too hot?
We say we are thankful,
but does it really show?
To those who have given,
do they really know?

What would it look like
to honor sacrifice?
It requires our actions,
beyond, “Oh, that is nice!”.
To simply say, “Thank you.”
is not nearly enough.
We show our true thanks
when the going gets rough.
To give of ourselves
is an honor indeed.
To care for the hurting
at their point of need.

It is so very easy,
when we don’t see a face.
To treat those who gave
with utter disgrace.
So how will you thank
those left behind?
Of the one who has died
so that peace you may find?
To honor those serving,
from now and the past.
And pray that they know,
your gratitude will last.

While we are talking,
about great sacrifice.
There is One who did die
while His guards rolled the dice.
He gave His life for me
so that I could be free.
He bought my redemption
as He hung on a tree.
The freedom He offers
is not just for today.
Past, present, and future
as I follow His way!

As I was thinking about Memorial Day and praying for families who experience pain and emptiness because of the sacrifice a loved one has made, this poem filled my mind. Because those who serve deserve honor, we have a tendency to merge Memorial Day and Veterans Day together. The tragedy isn’t that we give too much honor to those who have served, it is that we often only think about them on one or two days of the year! The much publicized scandals within our nations Veterans Administration should be an outrage to every American. But if each of us were to do our part in honoring and remembering every day those who have served, so many of these veterans and their families would be cared for in meaningful ways beyond what can be accomplished by the government. If we were to truly honor and remember the sacrifice Jesus made for each of us, we would be doing the things that express love and care for our fellow-man. I pray that our life in Christ would be visible in the way we treat others.

In prayer,
Tom

October 15, 2019 by Tom

One Wish

If I had one wish
that I knew would come true.
Would I spend it on me,
or give it to you?
If I had one wish
that could ease someone’s pain.
Would I wish for more sunshine,
or maybe more rain?
If I had one wish
that could right something wrong.
Would I cast someone out,
or help them belong?
If I had one wish
that could fill someone’s cup.
Would I worry about mine,
or fill theirs right up?

If I had one wish
that I knew would come true.
I don’t have to guess
about what I would do.
Far more than a wish,
God has called me to pray.
And my heart is revealed,
in what I do say.
As I pray for my brothers
and those in great need.
Do I pray with compassion,
or words filled with greed?
My prayers have more power
than any wish could.
So I look out for others,
when I pray like I should.
© 2019 by Tom Lemler

I’m not sure if there will be more to these rhyming lines eventually, or not, but here’s what fell out of my head this afternoon.

In prayer,

Tom

August 21, 2019 by Tom

Living Life Each Day

What if each day that God gives us life,
We would do what we can to reduce all the strife?
If we celebrate moments that happen each day?
And aim for the good in all that we say?

If we learn from the bad, and rejoice in the good?
If we bear others burdens as God says we should?
If the life that we live isn’t all about “me”,
But helps those around us, Jesus to see?

I think such a lifestyle would surely stand out.
And make others question what our life is about.
When we listen to Jesus in all He did say,
We ought to live life in a much different way.

So, think before acting and pray before thought.
Ask God to help you to do what you ought.
And when you’ve been faithful in the smallest of things,
Rest in the peace that knowing God brings!

It’s been a rough start to the day as Susan has had seizures throughout the early morning hours. Yet even through her struggles, and my attempts to comfort and calm her, God teaches me and reassures me of His presence. As I reflected on life, this poem crawled out of my thoughts this morning.

In prayer,

Tom

August 1, 2019 by Tom

Life’s Journey

I stare at the calendar after I turn the page,

For the month has arrived that I increase in age.

I pause for a moment to look back in time,

And consider the mountains that I had to climb.

Some peaks were chosen, but many were not.

Deep sadness and great joy have both been my lot.

I doubt I’m alone when my head wants to know,

Have I chosen wisely each step I did go?

The answer’s not easy, if truth would be known.

There are those disappointed in what I have sown.

It seems I’m rejected more often than not.

And it’s hard to find many who want what I’ve got.

But you cannot judge rightly when you only look back.

For the truth of the ending you surely do lack.

The seeds sown today rarely look all that great.

And a life as it grows is a tough thing to rate.

So, I also look forward to the mountains ahead,

The ones filled with joy and the ones filled with dread.

For both are a part of this journey of life,

The paths that are pleasant and those filled with strife.

The secret I’ve learned is to keep looking above,

To the top of the mountain where I’ll rest in God’s love.

He helps me along when the way looks so dim.

And I find there is hope when I’m focused on Him.

“Well done, good and faithful” l do long to hear.

So I just keep on climbing, knowing He’s always near.

The calendar says I will be turning another year older this month, though there are days that I think I already have. 🙂 It is easy for me to become very reflective regarding the past and it seems these poems flow most freely when those times of reflection are filled with great discouragement. I suspect it is God’s way of walking with me through the discouragement and helping me to see the hope that He offers to me and to all those who remain faithful to Him. The mountains and valleys of the past have shaped me, but in the perspective of eternity they don’t define me in the way that being faithful in the journey yet ahead will. I pray that wherever you are in your life’s journey, whether looking back with pride or discouragement, you would choose to look ahead to the One who calls you to Himself and only asks that you arrive as one who is faithful.

In prayer,
Tom

July 18, 2019 by Tom

Living the “A” Life

Observing my daughter teaches me a lot about myself. As I watched a recent struggle she had with wanting something that we couldn’t provide quickly or easily, this poem showed up in my mind. A great sadness overcame her life as we searched high and low for a stuffed animal that would be close enough to what her mind was picturing. No amount of reasoning or substitution was satisfactory as her mind had latched onto a specific image from somewhere. Eventually we found what her mind was stuck on and it immediately set her at ease. I don’t think the poem is finished but I’ve gone a couple days with nothing to add to it, so I’ll share what I’ve got.

The autistic mind
is a very strange place.
At least to the one
who must look in its face.
For the things that it holds,
there is little control.
And it helps not at all
to say, “Just let it go!”

The details that move in
and put down a root.
Don’t take too kindly
to be given the boot.
To take every thought captive
is not easy to do.
But without such a measure,
I’m left feeling blue.

In prayer,
Tom

April 30, 2019 by Tom

Rise Above

Sometimes I sit and start to think
the hardest part of life.
Is finding ways each lonesome day
to live above the strife.
Troubles come and troubles go
but do they disappear?
It seems that when I turn around
I always find them near.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised
for Jesus said it’s true.
That in this present world and age
trouble will be with you.

But even in the darkest hours
Jesus left us with some news.
Just how we face the troubles
is up to us to choose.
To follow in their winding path
into the darkest night.
Or turn and find a lasting peace
from One who is the Light.
In clinging tight to Jesus
He lifts us above the fray.
And helps us see more clearly
as we follow in His way.

And if it sounds too easy
I surely must confess.
It requires more of God
as I become much less.
My thoughts, and plans, and dreams, and such
I carry to His feet.
And give them all to Him each day
as He makes me complete.
So on I go through good and bad
with eyes fixed far above.
And rise above the noise and strife
as I’m wrapped up in God’s love.

One of the great things about the gift of writing that God has given me is that it helps me to see patterns in my life. While it reveals some patterns of discouragement in the midst of turmoil I can’t control, it also serves as a reminder of how God has carried me in the midst of those times and continually sets my feet on solid ground as I rest in His presence. Today is one of those days when the mind is swirling and as I went about my morning work this poem showed up to remind me that God doesn’t necessarily remove the storm, but He will always be present with me as we go through it together. I pray that you are encouraged to find peace in God’s presence even in the midst of the world’s trouble.

In prayer,
Tom