Poems

by

One

 

Sometimes I wonder
     just what could be done.
If the church came together
      and acted as one.
We fight and we argue
     about things that distract.
Two centuries of history
     says that is a fact.

To boil life down
     to what matters most.
And live like we’re filled
     with God’s Holy Ghost.
To proclaim the Christ,
     and Him crucified.
And live life each day
     like the old self has died.

For that is what happens
     when we’re buried with Christ.
The old self is gone
     and we live a new life.
If Christ lives in you
     and He lives in me.
Why is it often
     that we disagree?

Have I really died
     to my old sinful self?
Or do I keep it handy,
     somewhere on the shelf?
You know the right words,
     just what to say.
To hide the real truth,
     you still do things your way.

I ask God to bless me,
     agree that I’m right.
And all who oppose me,
     He really should smite.
Then I sit and wonder
     why little gets done.
Everyone does their own thing,
     we’re all number one!

I read in the Bible,
     the last shall be first.
If you want to be great,
     you must help those who thirst.
A cup of cold water
     that you choose to share.
A kindness to others
     shows you really care.

But back to the story
     of what we could do.
If Jesus was center,
     not me and not you.
If time wasn’t wasted
     with anger or fight.
Or we weren’t trying to prove
     who has all the might.

If we could be one
     in word and in deed.
Surrendered completely
     to follow Christ’s lead.
We may be surprised
     just what could be done.
If we all worked together
     to lift up the Son!
© 2015 by Tom Lemler

In the midst of cleaning the church tonight this poem showed up and stuck in my mind. In order to free my mind and finish my work I had to type it out so I may as well share it.  While I don’t like the season of discouragement and anxiety that has returned to my life, it seems like it is during these times that I pay more attention to God to hear these poems or it is at these times that He knows I need the encouragement He gives through them. Either way, I’ve learned that He expects me to share what He gives.

In prayer,
Tom

by

If Jesus Had Facebook

If Jesus had Facebook,
     just what would He say?
Would he “like” the nude photo
     that you shared today?
Would He laugh at the language
     that you said, “never mind”?
When He looked at your wall,
    just what would He find?

I think far too often,
     we try to fit in.
We laugh and we joke
     at things God calls sin.
You say times are different,
     I need to relax.
The world likes you better
     if you avoid all the facts.

But I look at God’s Word,
     I believe it’s still true.
It says I should be different
    in all that I do.
To avoid the appearance,
     and even the hint.
Of things that are sinful
     and toward evil are bent.

I don’t claim to be perfect,
     but I think I should try.
To honor the One
     that for my sin did die.
I wake up each morning
     and offer a prayer.
“Lord, let your love in me,
     be all that I share.”
© 2015 by Tom Lemler

As I was cleaning and praying tonight, I would check Facebook periodically as I let the floor scrubber recharge or floors dry in order to continue my work.  As I did so, two things stood out to me – the promptness of people of all backgrounds to ask other to pray for Paris and the varying degrees of subtlety and inappropriateness in the content of the “usual” posts that show up in my newsfeed.  It made me think of the scripture which asks the rhetorical question, “Can salt water and fresh water come from the same spring?”  Should cursing and praises come from the same mouth . . . or the same Facebook account?  Just some late night thoughts as I wrap up a long day of work and pray that God would help each of us be consistent in our testimony and witness.

by

A Day Called Today

What if today
     was all that you had?
To determine if your life
     was lived good or bad?
Are there things you would do
     and things you would say?
That would be different somehow
     from a “regular” day?

Would you care for the poor
     or just walk on by?
Would you give with joy
     or respond with a sigh?
Would your children see you
     take time from your day?
To just be with them
     as they run and play?

Would the things that concern you
     make you want to fight?
Or would they lose their importance
     and now seem so slight?
Would being first
     in whatever the line?
Make all that much difference
    or perhaps second is fine?

If today was the day
     that you were judged by.
Would you face it with joy
     or would you walk off and cry?
What would be said
     by those left behind?
What kind of fruit
     would anyone find?

This much I know,
     though it may not be fact.
Today’s the last day
     some may see me act.
The people in life,
     they do come and go.
Will I lift them up
     or will I bring them low?

Will the words that I say –
     the ones that they hear.
Make them run away
     or perhaps draw them near?
Will they hear of Jesus
     in word and in deed?
Will my life be the one
     that has planted a seed?

So what will you do
     with the day that’s ahead?
Will you fill it with life
     or walk through it dead?
Will you find deeper meaning
     than just getting by?
Will you be found ready
     when it’s your time to die?

None of us know
     just when that will be.
When our time here is done
     and our Creator we see.
So the best I can tell you
     is just live today.
With the help of the Spirit
    in the best possible way!

© 2015 by Tom Lemler

As I was preparing the audio files from last night’s sermon to be put on my blog, this poem showed up in my mind.  The sermon from Luke 21 was about understanding the signs of the end.  The message that I really wanted people to walk away with had much more to do with being ready than actually knowing when.  I suspect that God’s preparation in my mind for that sermon was also the seed for this poem.  I pray that it accomplishes His purposes for it and that it is an encouragement to you as you live faithfully each day.
 
In prayer,
Tom
by

The Walk-Off

A long time ago
     in the mind of a child.
God planted a dream
     that to most would seem wild.
To walk with Him closely
     throughout every day.
To listen intently
     for what He will say.
To walk side by side
     as friend walks with friend.
To walk this way daily
     without any end.
 
To live like old Enoch
     from days long ago.
Whose walk with his Lord
     was more than “so-so”.
To be walking one day
     on this earth and its ground.
Then to walk off with God
     until he cannot be found.
That is the way
     that I want to be known.
I was walking with God
     then from earth I have flown.
 
What greater joy
     could there ever be.
Than to be called to heaven
     where God’s face I will see.
And when I get tired
     of being alive.
I recall Enoch’s years
     totaled three-sixty-five!
So I keep on walking
     by faith, not by sight.
For I could never make it
     if it was by my own might.
© 2015 by Tom Lemler
 
It has often been in the valleys of life that God has given me poems to write and this one was not an exception. From as far back as I can remember, Enoch has been one of my favorite Bible characters as I would contemplate a life lived in such a way that he “. . . walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.” As the great-grandfather of Noah, Enoch lived in a time period where wickedness would have surrounded him in ever-increasing measure yet he chose to walk with God. I pray that you and I would make that choice daily that regardless of the wickedness around us, we will walk with God.
 
In prayer,
Tom
Freedom
by

Freedom

As we celebrate
     the Fourth of July.
How many people
     will ask themselves, “Why”?
The time off of work
     and cookouts are great.
But what is the reason
     that you celebrate?

The “land of the brave”
     and “home of the free”.
Do we live like that?
     Is that what you see?
We lock all our doors,
     we’re afraid to go out.
And sharing the truth
     causes people to shout.

Somehow we think,
     if I’m louder than they.
Then all of the people
     must do things my way.
The laws pile up,
     the rules list grows long.
And all it creates
     is more chance to do wrong.

We all want our freedom
     to do what we like.
From the old and the gray,
     to the littlest tike.
You can’t tell me different,
     I’ll do it my way.
“I have my rights”
     is what we all say.

And so it is strange
     when we go to The Word.
And see freedom defined
     like we’ve never heard.
You must surrender
     to truly be free.
And live to serve others
     so that Jesus they see.

There is no “freedom”
     that is worth the cost.
If I do what I want
     and still remain lost.
So I set my mind firmly
     to live like I should.
Trusting God’s Son has freed me
     as only He could.

God’s given His Spirit
     so that I can live free.
The fruit it produces
     ought to be seen in me.
Love, joy, peace, and patience;
     kindness and goodness too.
Being faithful and gentle
     with self-control as my view.

God says this is freedom;
     against such things there’s no law.
We’re set free by the Son
     from sin’s cold, deadly claw.
So, please remember
     if it’s freedom you need.
“If the Son sets you free,
     you will be free indeed!”

© 2015 by Tom Lemler

As I was spending time this morning reflecting on a sermon I’ll share tomorrow and thinking about our nation’s worship of freedom, this poem filled my mind. It appears that somewhere along the line we have forgotten that freedom always comes at a cost. As Americans we demand our freedoms thinking that somehow they are our right and that freedom means “free”. Unfortunately, that same mindset is often found in Christians regarding the freedom we do have in Christ. I pray that you and I would consider fully the cost of the freedoms we enjoy — both as Americans and, more importantly, as citizens of God’s kingdom — then truly live as ones who have been set free by the Son.

In prayer,
Tom

by

A Precious Gift

Happy Birthday Susan!

Happy Birthday Susan!

Today is a day
     that we celebrate.
The birth of a girl
     who really is great!
It’s not always easy,
     but so worth the price.
To be given a gift 
     that’s so very nice!

She came at a moment,
     just stepped out in time.
We all had each other,
     but barely a dime.
From the beginning,
     she was daddy’s girl.
With a smile so big,
     any heart would unfurl.

I owe her my life,
     and oh, so much more.
She gave me purpose,
     which had gone out the door.
In the midst of great sickness
     I learned to press on.
There are so many walks
     on which we have gone.

Some say she’s different,
     I suppose that is so.
For she’s filled with joy,
     more than anyone I know!
She’s an angel from heaven —
     at least in a way.
With a message from God
     that she shares every day.

She longs for heaven
     and it’s really not odd.
She teaches me much
     about talking with God.
If you should wonder,
     what her joy is about.
God’s presence is with her,
     of that there’s no doubt.

The labels are plenty
     to describe what she’s got.
But to describe her,
     those labels do not!
CP and autism,
     with seizures not few.
May be what she has,
     but they don’t define who.

A child of the King,
     a joy to mankind.
A sweeter person,
     you never will find.
There’s no fake about her,
     no motives to hide.
What you see on her face
     is what is inside.

Throughout the years,
     we have been told.
Prepare for the worst,
     she won’t get this old.
Perhaps a few weeks,
     even years may be seen.
But it’s not very likely
     to go beyond teen.

And so here we are,
     at twenty-six years old!
A gift straight from God
     that’s still ours to hold!
I don’t take it for granted,
     I thank God every day.
That He loved us so much
     to send Susan our way.

She’s not really ours,
     she is simply on loan.
And it’s a great privilege
     to give her a home.
How long she will be here,
     I really don’t know.
She longs for heaven
     and is ready to go.

As I sit in a hotel
     on this, her birthday.
Alone in a room
     many miles away.
I wake up early
     to spend time in prayer.
And God gives me this poem
     that I now share.

© 2015 by Tom Lemler

We celebrated Susan’s birthday Sunday as I was headed out Monday morning for the North American Christian Convention. As I woke up early this morning and was spending time with God, He put this poem in my mind about Susan. I pray that she has a great day and continues to be a joy and blessing to others as she is to MJ and I.

In prayer,
Tom

by

The Silent Majority

Do we even notice
     those who walk by?
The tired, the hungry,
     those too numb to cry?
The heart that is broken,
     in a life that is rushed?
A soul that is empty,
     a spirit that’s crushed?

They are all around us,
     in line at the store.
They’re even in church
     as we walk through the door.
These people exist
     in numbers not few.
Perhaps they are me,
     perhaps they are you!

And if we should notice,
     just what would we do?
The answers are plenty,
     the solutions are few.
To treat one another
     as God treated me.
To serve and to love,
     all those we see.

To sit and to listen,
     to give of our time.
To share what we have,
     to our very last dime.
To lift someone up
     who is feeling quite down.
And comfort the sad
     who are wearing a frown.

But most of all,
     we share of our treasure.
A hope that God gives
     that is beyond measure!
The joy that we find
     with God’s Spirit inside.
We always must share,
     and never should hide!
© 2015 by Tom Lemler

I was spending time praying this morning about some lingering discouragement that tries to sidetrack me from time to time. As I did so, God put this poem in my mind to shift my focus to a world surrounding me that is full of unseen people who feel unnoticed and unappreciated. I pray that you and I are an encouragement to all those around us and that we are surrounded by people who will encourage us when we are down.

In prayer,
Tom

by

The Invisible Man

It was a day
     like so many other.
He opened his mouth
     then wondered, “Why bother?”
No one would listen
     to what he did say.
They just looked right through him
     and went their own way.

He’s always alone
     even in a large crowd.
It doesn’t matter
     if silent or loud.
No one does notice
     if he comes or he goes.
He blends into the wall,
     alone with his woes.

He always is certain
     his ideas aren’t that bad.
Some of them better
     than anyone had.
But what good will they be
     if no one will hear.
The ideas will be lost
     is what he does fear.

You probably know one,
     an invisible man.
Describe him in detail,
     I doubt that you can.
He’s always around,
     but never really seen.
Were his eyes brown or blue?
     Or perhaps they were green.

We all are surrounded
     each day that we live.
By invisible people
     with so much to give.
Some are still trying
     so hard to be heard.
While some have just quit
     and they won’t say a word.

When we fail to listen
     to those we won’t hear.
It is a great loss,
     but there’s a greater, I fear.
For living within us
     is the invisible One.
Given for our own good
     by God’s only Son.

His Spirit within us
     has much He would say.
But so very often,
     we just go our own way.
His ways are much higher
     and better than man’s.
But we tend to ignore it
     and stick with our plans.

We get into trouble
     when we go our own way.
Then wish God was clearer
     in what He had to say.
A lesson I’ve learned,
     is a good life-long plan.
Pay attention and learn from
     the invisible man.
© 2015 by Tom Lemler

I know that I’m not known for talking a lot, but most of the time when I do it seems like I am the only person that can hear what I’m saying. As I was mowing this afternoon, I found myself thinking about my own experiences of presenting ideas and plans to various groups and people during my lifetime. A vast majority of them appeared to not even get a legitimate hearing because there was always someone with the right “sales” personality that would talk a group into a different idea — many which have proven over time to be doomed from the start. As I continued to think about these times, this poem showed up in my mind and God had me examining how often I treat Him and His Spirit in the same way as what I was feeling. I pray that this poem accomplishes His purposes and is an encouragement to you.

In prayer,
Tom