these crooked lines

‘crooked’ poetry prompt

Cry those tears with Thanksgiving!

What??

Yes, even tears are a gift from God.

A side effect of my AI illness is dry eyes. Not fun. At all. I recently went thru a really tough time with this, but happy to say it’s getting better. Thank you, Lord!

And those crooked lines. Well. They are inevitable, right? Most days we’d like to hide them, and we can with lotions and potions. Why not embrace them instead.

‘etched like lace’

Life itself gifted them to you. Tears (and years) of pain and laughter! Years of thinking, scrutinizing… And moments of anger!

So while tears gather in those crooked lines, remember this:

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” – Psalm 56:8 (NLT)

Keep on treadin’ on high places…

~kim

smoke and mirrors

Written for a poetry prompt ‘smoke and mirrors’…

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” –

2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

“For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” –

Romans 16:18 (NIV)

the great rescue

So this elfchen poem is a prayer answered. It’s a complete about face.

And it’s made possible by the ultimate ‘rescue’.

When Jesus willingly went to the cross, he became Rescuer to us all. He visited the depths of hell in our place.

“Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.” – Romans 5:18 (NIV)

Thank him that no matter what situation you are in, Jesus is your Ultimate Rescuer.

forlorn no more

Just an ‘elfchen’ challenge.

Isn’t it great news that we don’t have to be/stay forlorn if we have the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts and our lives?

Though I usually read the NIV, sometimes I just need the KJV for the right word. So when Jesus told the disciples in John 16:7 that he was going away, I like the word Comforter to describe the Holy Spirit.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

Thank him today for being our Comforter, our Advocate and our Redeemer!

whispers on the wind

‘whispers on the wind’ poetry prompt

sticks and stones

Written for the prompt ‘sticks and stones’.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” – Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)

someone i used to know

This was written for a poetry prompt called ‘someone I used to know’.

Prompts are fun and impromptu!

When the first two lines were written I had no idea it would end up being about me and the me I used to know.

I’m sure we all would like to go back in time and give a little ‘heads up’ to our young selves.

I made some very poor choices as a teenager and there were times I thought I might not live to see 21. I did, of course, and continued making bad choices thru my 20’s and early 30’s.

But God had a plan for me… To live and not die. And to turn back to him.

I still don’t know the rest of the plan. And maybe that’s a good thing. God knew we could only handle one day at a time. And then we need to rest and be prepared for the next day.

“The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.” – Habakkuk 3:19 (KJV)

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” – Habakkuk 3:19 (NIV)

Keep on treadin’ … one day at a time,

~kim

garden of my soul

I’m not quite as messy as this poem suggests…most days anyway.

Thankfully Jesus died because he knew I’d be messy, inside.

Romans 5:8 comforts us –

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NIV)

He loved us in spite of, and because of, our messiness.

So keep on treadin’ on high,

~kim

hope lives here

‘hope lives here’ was the poetry writing prompt.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.

But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:13

word search

Do your prayers ever feel like a jumbled alphabet?

That’s because we’re human! And it’s ok.

I’m so grateful that when my words don’t make sense, God knows the answer…even if I didn’t voice the right question!

Isaiah 55:8-9, says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, ” declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (NIV)

This verse may be referring to our sin compared to God’s grace and his peace. So when my sinful mind can’t or doesn’t form thoughts and words that coincide with my tangled web of emotions, I try to be still…

as God says to,

“…be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10 NIV)

And that makes me feel secure knowing that his thoughts and ways are higher than mine!

Striving to tread…on high places,

~ kim