Prayer

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Raindrops (Cry Out to God)

They say that into every life
a little rain must fall.
Without its big, wet, frequent drops
you wouldn’t grow at all.
While I would guess that this is true,
what can a person do?
When all those drops cause you to drown
within a sea of blue.
Well, I suppose you have a choice
when all those raindrops fall.
Do nothing as you sink and drown,
or turn to God and call.

There is a story of a man
who walked upon a wave.
When he began to sink and drown,
he asked the Lord to save.
And Jesus reached right down to him,
and pulled him from the sea.
And set him in a steady boat
where he would be quite free.

So when you are about to drown,
and sinking in despair.
Cry out to God to lift you up,
and save you by His care.
Then He will come and rescue you,
to lift you from your sea.
And take you to the boat with Him
saying, “Child, sit with Me.”

© 2017 by Tom Lemler

Sometimes life feels like a roller coaster with its ups and downs, twists and turns, and being tossed back and forth throughout the ride.  I don’t think I’m alone when it comes to experiencing times of discouragement — even to the point of feeling like I’m going to drown in the waves of life.  I was at an event last night and was asked if I had quit writing poems.  I think my first thought was that I had never started writing poems, I just typed out rhyming lines that would fill my mind.  While those rhyming lines have not gathered in my mind lately in a way that consisted of anything I felt needed shared, this morning this poem showed up so I share it to be used by God to accomplish His purposes.

In prayer,
Tom

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Follow the Leader

Follow the leader
is what we’ve been taught.
Get into line
and march like you ought.
While that could work well
if the leader is wise.
Following the wrong person
could be your demise.

So how do you know,
do you stay in this line?
Or look for another
that is better than mine?
Perhaps the best answer
is to look who’s in front.
Are they following God,
or doing what they want?

You see, following the leader
is not a bad plan.
When we’re following God
and not just some man.
So, ask God a question
before you just do.
Will following this leader
take me closer to You?

If the answer is no,
you better think twice.
The path you are on
will not end up nice.
But if it is yes,
then each girl and boy.
Should follow the Leader
that gives us great joy!

© 2017 by Tom Lemler

As I scroll through my social media news feed, I find a lot of postings that seem to simply be following someone that is viewed as a leader.  We seem to allow ourselves to get riled up by a person who carefully crafts a story using only the facts that fit their narrative.  Without seeking the full story, we let the designed emotional tug pull us into choosing sides that are often in conflict with God’s desire for His children.  Many times the leader we choose to follow isn’t taking us immediately into the opposite direction, but they continually draw us to the left or right of the center of God’s will until we can no longer even identify what the center looks like.  This poem came to mind as I thought about the childhood game of follow the leader.  Every now and then the chosen leader would be mean and try to lead in a way that could be harmful or embarrassing.  But if the leader was following the directions and guidance of the teacher, the game always ended with everyone having fun.  As Christians, we need to follow God and look for leaders who live the words of Paul who said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.”  I pray that you and I are not only following the right leaders, but we are leading others in the proper way as well.

In prayer,
Tom

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The Unseen

Sometimes I wonder
     just how life would be.
If I were a person
     that people did see.
If I could be more than
     a burden to bear.
If I could be seen,
     would they really care.

If I could be seen,
     would I even be heard?
Or would people go on,
     ignoring my word?
Would I make a difference,
     or be in the way?
If I could be seen,
     just what would they say?

If I could be seen,
     would they argue and fight?
Would they do all they can
     to keep me out of sight?
What would it take
     to have a real voice?
If I could be seen,
     would I have a choice?

Sometimes it is easy
     to just close our eyes.
But does that really keep us
     from hearing the cries?
The unseen are many,
     some are yet to be born.
If I can be seen,
     my heart should be torn.

A torn heart should cause me
     to look deep inside.
Then look at all others
     with eyes open wide.
To look past the slogans
     and self-proclaimed rights.
And see all the unseen
     as beautiful sights!

But what do I do
     if the unseen is me?
If I walk through this life
     and no one can see?
If my voice falls on deaf ears,
     and no one does care?
If I am not seen,
     would God still be there?

I have the answer,
     at least to that end.
I’ll never be unseen
     by the One who’s my friend.
And even when people
     may pay me no mind.
God sought me out
     until Him I did find!

© 2016 by Tom Lemler

I have been referred to more than once as an invisible man.  All of my life I have felt that I’ve lived at some level of being unseen.  I know a big part of it is my brain wiring and the fear of people that produces.  I’m also not an aggressive salesman of myself or my ideas so the things I share are often easily overlooked in favor of that which is being pushed by someone with a “charismatic” personality.  As I began my weekend cleaning tonight and was thinking about being unseen, this poem quickly formed in my mind.  It didn’t take long as this poem was forming to realize that the very heart of it wasn’t about me being unseen but about the cry of an unborn child wanting to be seen and hoping, praying, believing, that being seen would make a difference in someone’s decision to let this baby live.  I pray that we would open our eyes to those who are unseen and show them the value that God has given them as His creation.  I pray that we would become “champions” for those who are given no value by the ones who should value them most.  I pray that we would know that even in our darkest and loneliest hours, we are never truly unseen.

In prayer,
Tom

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Changes (A Psalm of Praise)

I sit at my desk
     and think of back when.
I would sit down to write
     and have paper and pen.
So many changes
     in such a short time.
Perhaps that’s the reason
     for this little rhyme.

Changes surround us,
     some good and some bad.
Some make us happy
     and some make us sad.
Sometimes change is helpful,
     sometimes it does hurt.
Sometimes things need changed,
     like my old, worn out shirt.

As I look out my window
     there’s change in the air.
The beauty of autumn
     makes me want to stare.
The colors are pretty,
     the gold and the red.
But a day is soon coming
     when the trees will look dead.

But looks are deceiving
     when change is inside.
The beauty that grows
     at times seems to hide.
We may go through seasons
     when growth can’t be seen.
When the cold days of winter
     are our only scene.

Yet autumn brings winter
     and winter brings spring.
So the life that is hidden,
     new beauty will bring.
What’s true in creation
     is true for you too.
The days that seem darkest
     could be making you new.

So when seasons of change
     begin to arrive.
Look to the Father
     to learn how to thrive.
Don’t let the dark days
     fill you with despair.
Know that God’s beauty
     will always be there.

His beauty is in you
     throughout every season.
His love for His children
     would be the real reason.
So live your life fully,
     let His beauty show.
Then whatever the season,
     His love you will know.

Praise God in the springtime
     when you feel brand new.
Praise Him in summer
     when you’re growing as you.
Praise Him in autumn
     when life’s a beautiful scene.
And praise Him in winter
     when His work seems unseen.

Praise Him through changes,
     the big and the small.
Praise Him for growth
     that He brings in us all.
Praise Him for goodness
     He showers from above.
And praise Him for showing
     the wonders of His love.

© 2016 by Tom Lemler

I was in my office when the first two sentences of this poem filled my mind as I thought about the days when I would actually write using paper and pen.  It wasn’t until I typed those lines out that I realized there was an entire poem behind them.  Change is inevitable but not all change is good.  When we make changes of our own doing without listening to God, we can expect trouble to arrive somewhere down the road.  But, we can be confident that when our changes are a reflection of God’s will and purpose in our life, He will bring great beauty from them.  I pray that you would learn to praise God through every season of life.  I pray that you would spend time with Him so that every change you make would be in obedience to His Word and His will.  I pray that you would see the great beauty that God has created within you regardless of the season you feel you are in.

In prayer,
Tom

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Giving

It’s more blessed to give
     than it is to receive.
While we can quote it,
     do we really believe?
There are some ways
     we can probably tell.
If we seek honest feedback
     from those we know well.

What would our friends say
      about how we live?
Do we take for our self,
     or would we rather give?
Would they say we’re generous
     with our time and our treasure?
Or would they say our giving
     is too small to measure?

Do we find ourselves taking
     and hoarding our stuff?
Because we are worried
     we won’t have enough.
Enough for the future,
     enough for right now.
Enough to succeed,
     if we only knew how.

Do we say we’ll give more
     once we feel secure?
Most of the time,
     that claim isn’t pure.
For what will it take
     to have more than we need?
When our life is controlled
     by our lust and our greed?

For the eye is not filled
     by the things that we see.
And there’s never enough
     when I think only of me.
But when I look heavenward,
     eyes fixed on above.
I find I have everything
     if I just have God’s love!

And as we consider
     the gift we now bring.
Is it really something
     that’s fit for a King?
Or is it what’s left
     after we take our part?
How will we know
     until we examine our heart?

So that’s what we do
     as we stop and pray.
We ask God to change us,
     turn our heart His way.
We set our mind firmly
     on things from above.
And recognize blessings
     as they come from His love.

© 2016 by Tom Lemler

I was asked to share a poem to lead into the offering time at a church service that was part of a day to honor my father-in-law, Gene Neyhart, for his years of service to God and to the Etna Green Church of Christ.  I don’t write poems, I just write them down as God gives them to me, so this was a huge task for a lot of reasons.  I spent a lot of time with God trying to clear from my mind the words I would want to say and hear just the right words to share.  During my prayer times about this, I would usually get a single block of 4 lines and then nothing.  But with enough prayer times, came enough blocks of lines to assemble into the poem I shared this morning which I now share here.

In prayer,
Tom

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A Gift that is WISE – Matthew 2:1-12

 

Audio recording of a Sunday morning sermon I preached on December 27, 2015.

A Gift that is Wanted.

A Gift that is Intentional

A Gift that is Sacrificial

A Gift that is Enough

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A Gift that is WISE

What kind of gift
     should you and I bring?
When we come before
     the One who is King.
We think and we ponder,
     we search high and low.
We sift through the clues
     that might help us know.

We want the best gift
     and one that is WISE.
Forget all the fruitcakes
     and those ugly ties.
To find the right answer,
     we go back in time.
And examine the Magi
     in the rest of this rhyme.

A gift that is Wanted
     is a good place to start.
And God wants true worship
     that comes from the heart.
The Magi sought Jesus
     to honor as King.
And their gift of worship
     was the first they did bring.

An Intentional gift
     has thought behind it.
It’s not just the first thing
     that you think might just fit.
The Magi did travel
     with one purpose in mind.
Their intent was to honor
     the King they would find.

A Sacrificial spirit
     doesn’t think twice.
It gives of itself
     no matter the price.
The Magi gave gifts
     of time and great worth.
Gifts fit for a King
     as they traveled the earth.

A gift that’s Enough
     would surely be wise.
To meet every need
     without a surprise.
The gifts from the Magi,
     perhaps were the key.
To provide for this family
     when they had to flee.

So, what is the gift
     that God Wants from you?
And what’s your Intent
     on seeing it through?
Will you Sacrifice self
     and all of its cries?
Knowing that is Enough
     to be a gift that is WISE!

© 2015 by Tom Lemler

As I sat at my desk last night and went through the sermon I’ll share the next morning, this poem began to form in my mind.  I pray that it encourages you and helps you to think about how you can give a gift that is WISE to others and to God.

In prayer,
Tom Lemler

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A Christmas Story

‘Twas the night before Christmas
     and all through the land.
People were traveling
     at Caesar’s command.
The roadways were busy,
     the towns they were packed.
But available lodging
     was something they lacked.

Some young weary travelers
     did look for a place.
Where they could rest for the night,
     and perhaps wash their face.
They went inn to inn,
     and perhaps door to door.
But there was no place,
     not even a floor!

Their search did continue
     for someplace to stay.
They were offered a stable,
     out back with the hay.
It sure wasn’t much
     but it’s all they could find.
So they made themselves comfy
     where the livestock had dined.

In the midst of the night,
     the traveler awoke.
With an urgent whisper
     and not so gentle poke.
The words were direct,
     perhaps tinged with some fear.
Now is the time,
     the child’s almost here!

And so it did happen,
     a child would be born.
As Mary and Joseph
     faced that Christmas morn.
Whenever it was,
     whatever the day.
The Christ-child was born
     and placed on the hay.

And out in the darkness
     on a hillside that night.
Some shepherds encountered
     a frightening sight.
An angel from heaven
     spoke out in the night.
To hear such a thing
     filled the shepherds with fright!

Do not be afraid,
     I bring news of great joy!
In the city of David
     has been born a boy!
The One that was promised
     so long ago.
He’s asleep in a manger,
     wrapped in cloths, so you know.

And while they were thinking,
     they must have said, “Oh, my!”
For the heavenly hosts
     did light up the sky.
Saying, “Glory to God
     and peace to all men.”
Now go find this child
     born in Bethlehem.

So the shepherds did hurry,
     there was no time to waste.
They were filled with such joy,
     that they ran with great haste.
They came to the stable
     with a manger as a bed.
And found all the details
     just like the angel had said.

They left that encounter
     and spread the good news.
Telling all who would hear,
     they had nothing to lose.
As they went their way,
     singing praises to God.
They didn’t care
     if people thought they were odd.

And all of the while,
     by the sweet baby’s side.
Mary did treasure
     and ponder inside.
All the joy and the wonder
     of what did occur.
And all that the shepherds
     had spoken to her.

So, this night before Christmas
     what have you planned?
Are you spreading good news
     throughout the land?
Are you so overwhelmed
     by the birth of this Boy?
That you’re praising God
     with the greatest of joy.

When we encounter
     the One born our King.
The question remains,
     just what gift will we bring?
There’s only one gift
     that He wants to see.
That gift is the life
     of you and of me.

©2015 by Tom Lemler

I was asked to read a poem at a Christmas Eve service so I planned on sharing something I had written a year ago.  I arrived a work early in the morning on Christmas Eve and the starlit sky drew me to the river to spend time with God in prayer and worship as I photographed the rising sun.  As I walked and prayed, this poem began to from in my mind.  I believed it was meant to be shared at the Christmas Eve service so I kept repeating it to myself so it wouldn’t leave my mind before I could get back to a computer to type it out.  I don’t know if this was the original version, but enough of it stayed in my mind so that I had a fresh poem to share tonight.  I pray that it encourages you and that it accomplishes all of the purposes for which God gave it.

In prayer,
Tom