Come browse awhile in this curated anthology of poetry aimed at celebrating a life of faith.
This page is a gathering, a meadow of fragrant posies, a florist shop, a child’s nosegay of hand-picked blossoms from earth’s bounty. Some poems and poets are common and rough as dandelions, some are cultured like hothouse roses. They are famous as named hybrids, some are cultivated but not-so-famous. Many of these selected poems guide us in appreciating the blessings of the Christian faith, while some struggle with us in the exigencies of the “now and not yet” of this life. Some poets and poems have been previously published and some may be finding new audiences on this page. Join us as we ponder life anew.
FEATURED POEM
Weariness
Christian are you weary? Where’s your optimistic hope?
Have woes accumulated ‘til you think you cannot cope?
Remember that your loving Lord is there to hear your cries:
He’s trod this path before you and can deeply sympathise.
He too faced constant troubles, and was sleeping through a storm,
yet rose to save His students and wonders to perform.
This very same Lord Jesus is standing by your side.
He is your faithful keeper, who can make your ‘storms’ subside.
I know your trials and share your pain; I’m standing in your place.
And yet the Lord sustains me with extra gifts of grace.
My loved one's so disabled and cannot help herself.
The day and nightly burden is dragging down the health.
But God is always gracious and my friends are truly great,
Just how long I can hold on, I dare not contemplate.
There’s one thing I can cling to; the hope that brings me peace:
He’s in control and loves me with a love that cannot cease.
In darkest times of crisis, when it seems all hope is gone,
His gentle voice assures me, He and I can carry on.
Saint Paul faced far worse trials and the fury of the throng;
He told us: “It’s when I am weak, that I am really strong!"
When all seems bleak and tears are close, He sends a ray of light.
An empathetic angel with warmth and wisdom bright.
As we reflect upon our loss and joys that seem now past,
He lifts our eyes to Heaven to see better joys that last.
We sense His arms around us and hear His loving voice,
Assuring us we’ll know His ways and once again rejoice.
So from the depths cry boldly and tell him of your pain.
He will respond and show you, your tears were not in vain.
He’s drawn you and your loved one closer to His heart,
That you may comfort others and living hope impart.
Yes, heave a sigh of anguish, but disdain all dreariness;
Lord Jesus walks beside you and will heal your weariness.
© August 14, 2024, “Weariness” by Tim Cripps, Isle of Wight, England, United Kingdom. FEATURE PHOTO: “Photo of ‘The Bothy’ by Gerry Hillman,” taken at MacGregor Fine Art (macgregorfineart.co.uk), 166 Hope Street, Glasgow, Scotland, UK by ReadPsalm119.com.
Note: Tim Cripps is a retired Royal Air Force test pilot and former missionary to Zambia with his precious wife Hazel (Templer) Cripps, irrepressible innovator and poet-evangelist, blessing to so many with his inspired gospel messages and wake-up calls to sleeping Christians. Tim writes “Weariness” from personal experience as a loving caregiver, with the hope of encouraging others in times of need. PHOTO: Tim and Hazel Cripps © by Tim Cripps, 2024. UPDATE: The spelling of Hazel’s name has been corrected to (Templer).
Heritage of Faith
The wheels reverently crunch the gravel drive,
Grinding out a rude interruption
To the crisp and aged mountain air,
Disturbing the austerity of the steep green sentinel
Looming over these who lie in the cold grassy ground below it —
The cold wind blows invisibly, but the marker stand rigid and still.
The car door click open,
Footsteps fall soft on the carpet of green
A single low-spoken comment drifts clearly across the open
In a muted economy of words, remembering.
Cold and white, like ancient bones, memorials jut up from the green,
But it is the mountain's strength that tells their tale.
These ancient Blue Ridges once knew
The lives of those who walked here
My mothers and my fathers, kith and kin;
Settlers of this country, tired mothers and children who died young.
Hemmed in by beauty and hardship, their ageless workaday song is heard,
Haunting the old paths that once were worn.
These blue and gray mountains
Bore to the ground the souls' anguish
At the rudeness of life;
Humble and earthy, their joys, too, soared up in glad strains,
Up past the craggy walls of earth to heaven's gates
In childlike faith, immovable trust.
A softness of silence
Curls around the crusty and worn
Noble names, now engraved in stone;
Landmarks of lives
Resting finally in the sod,
Hope and a heritage planted forever in God.
A young'un happily plops down in his fathers' grassy lap,
Sheltered by a lone, overspreading oak,
Playing peacefully with his red plastic toys.
"To a thousand generations" whispers the embracing breath
Blowing down from the Appalachian sentinel
Standing its eternal guard over God's covenant of love.
“Heritage of Faith” by Tamara H. Willey, in A Way With Words: An Anthology of Poems, Vol. II, Space Coast Poetry Club, 2005. PHOTO: “Calloway Cemetery, West Jefferson, NC” by ReadPsalm119.com, © 2024.
ARCHIVED POETRY
“Midnight Intercessions” by Tamara H. Willey, The Curator, 2024.
