Poems by Various Authors

My Prayer

And shall I pray Thee change Thy will my Father,
Until it be according unto mine?
But no, Lord, no, that shall never be, rather
I pray Thee blend my human will with Thine.

I pray Thee hush the hurrying eager longing
I pray Thee soothe the pangs of keen desire.
See in my quiet places wishes thronging,
Forbid them, Lord, purge, though it be with fire.

And work in me to will and do Thy pleasure.
Let all within me, peaceful, reconciled,
Tarry content my Wellbeloved's leisure,
At last, at last, even as a weaned child. - Amy Carmichael 

   When God Wants To Drill A Man

When God wants to drill a man,
And thrill a man,
And skill a man
When God wants to mold a man
To play the noblest part;

When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed,
Watch His methods, watch His ways!

How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects!
How He hammers him and hurts him,
And with mighty blows converts him

Into trial shapes of clay which
Only God understands;
While his tortured heart is crying
And he lifts beseeching hands!

How He bends but never breaks
When his good He undertakes;
How He uses whom He chooses,
And which every purpose fuses him;
By every act induces him
To try His splendor out-
God knows what He’s about.

- Anonymous

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The best and most beautiful things in the world
cannot be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller 

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When I say, “I am a Christian”

When I say, “I am a Christian,” I’m not shouting “I've been saved!”
I’m whispering, “I get lost! That's why I chose this way”

When I say, “I am a Christian,” I don’t speak with human pride
I’m confessing that I stumble - needing God 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 don't think I know it all
I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught

When I say, “I am a Christian,” I’m not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far 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 heartache which is why I seek 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

 - Carol Wimmer

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A Dream Within a Dream

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow --
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if Hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand --
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep -- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

- Edgar Allan Poe

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When God Made Cats

When God made the world, He chose to put animals in it, and decided to give each whatever it wanted. All the animals formed a long line before His throne, and the cat quietly went to the end of the line. To the elephant and the bear He gave strength, to the rabbit and the deer, swiftness; to the owl, the ability to see at night, to the birds and the butterflies, great beauty; to the fox, cunning; to the monkey, intelligence; to the dog, loyalty; to the lion, courage; to the otter, playfulness. And all these were things the animals begged of God. At last he came to the end of the line, and there sat the little cat, waiting patiently. "What will YOU have?" God asked the cat.

The cat shrugged modestly. "Oh, whatever scraps you have left over. I don't mind."

"But I'm God. I have everything left over."

"Then I'll have a little of everything, please."

And God gave a great shout of laughter at the cleverness of this small animal, and gave the cat everything she asked for, adding grace and elegance and, only for her, a gentle purr that would always attract humans and assure her a warm and comfortable home.

But he took away her false modesty.

- Lenore Fleischer

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What Is a Cat

Gentle eyes
that see so much,
paws that have
the quiet touch.

Purrs to signal
"all is well"

and show more love
than words can tell.

Graceful movements
touched with pride,
a calming presence
by our side.

A friendship
that will last and grow,
small wonder
why we love them so.

...Author Unknown

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TILTING YOUR TEAPOT

The Lord has blessed us in so many ways

With the life we are given and brand new days.

How do we thank Him in our daily life?

Do we pray to Him often or complain about strife?

It is easy to think, “my life is a mess.”

It is so easy to be overtaken by stress.

If we sit back and think about how we are living.

Do we spend more time receiving or giving?

Do we visit the sick or feed the hungry,

Or do we lay around lazy, complaining about laundry?

Do we give a smile and wave to our brother,

Or do we talk about our sisters, one to another?

Our life was given in God’s service to use.

If we waste our days our soul we will lose.

So look in your teapot at the contents within

Is it filled with goodness or is it stained with sin?

We will stand before God one fateful day

When He looks in our eyes what will He say?

Depart from me, you wasted your days

Or enter in heaven through those pearly gates.

It is our choice to be the best Christian we can

God is always ready to lend a hand.

So look down deep inside your heart.

Lend a hand and take your part.

In heaven one day well stand hand in hand

Singing eternal praises with the great angel band.

The Lord will look down and give us a smile

And you will be glad you went that extra mile.

- Author Unknown

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Success

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson