Poetry of Christian Faith

On episode 10 , I believe, I said that the next podcast would be about children.  This is the next podcast.

There are a number of places were the Bible talks about children<  Mark 9:37, Psalms 127:, Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:1, Proverbs22:>  Some are about actual young children at others about children of God.  Today’s firs poem is about the little children and what we can learn form them.  My inspiration came from Luke 18:15-17.

“People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them.  When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.  But Jesus called the children to him and said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingd om of God belongs to such as these.  Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  (NIV)

THE CHILDREN

Bless the little children

for they are what we were

& what we should be

when we come to God.

Come to Me as children, He said,

innocent

            trusting

obedient.

& most of all with love,

            unquestioned

            unchallenged

            undemanding.

Bless the little children

for what they can teach us;

to smile with a heart full of joy

that comes from Jesus.

My reflection was:

Just a thought about Jesus telling the disciples to let the little children come to Him and how we must come to Him freely, openly and with loving arms outstretched without the requirement of expectations.

God’s Rhyme

© 2019, Tim Carter

Also from God’s Rhyme a poem I wrote for my children.

5 ON THE FLOOR

Dad, let me tickle you

under your arm

it’s one of those things

that really does you no harm

and it feels good-for everyone.

A laugh – loud and deep

another tiny and weak

and every kind in-between

Why five

for goodness sakes alive

I heard someone say

“because we didn’t want six”

but for me, five on the floor

is more fun than four.

God’s Rhyme

© 2019, Tim Carter

A book I need to finish writing, Moments of Rhymes in God’s Times, started out as a book of short poems.  Something different for me.  One night I had the idea to write children’s prayers.  There are four of them.  Posted on Facebook I said I would like feedback on what you  think of them.  Should I write more or go back to my normal writing?  Thank you for taking the time.  Got a handful of responses telling me to continue.   Hopefully one day I will.

Dear God,

I pray for  my family,

I pray for my friends,

I pray that your goodness,

That it never ends.

Dear God,

Open my eyes

As I get out of bed.

I see the sun rise,

Now I pray 

That I see You today.

Dear God,

Thank you for today,

Forgive me for my wrongs

So I will sing happy songs,

For this I do pray.

Dear God,

I know You are everywhere,

I know that you care,

Today it is my prayer,

To see you everywhere.

Dear Lord can be used in place of Dear God.  

7/25/19, tcarter

#MomentsofRhymesinGodsTimes

This next on is one of my favorites from Living In God’s Rhyme.

Pens, Pencils and Crayons

We hear God’s word spoken,

The Scriptures read aloud

To those who are broken,

Who mingle among the crowd.

We who have aged with time

Are like a pen in the hand

Of a scribe writing a line

In a gentle sea of sand.

We have written our lines

Of our many times,

Of the many dimes

We have spent on fines.

We have lived and written our lines

Of our past, the good and the bad.

Hopefully they include a line or two

Of the blessings we have had.

And there is the pencil used in school

As those who are younger

Write lines of times in the future,

Lines of unknown times.

With eraser in hand they can wipe away

Imagined futures and never lived pasts.

They can boldly write with nothing to say

Unless we show them the way that lasts.

Ever evolving, the developing mind

Will, as the search continues, find

The wrong or right way to write

The lines of tomorrow’s insight.

(Their future before them,

Formed by the writings

Of yesterday, asking them

What demons they are fighting.)

The crayon of the child,

One color in a box

Of many hued colors

That has no lock.

Pictures of smiles,

Squiggly lines,

Colors outside,

Some inside.

They are eager to learn,

We love them as they are,

It is nothing to earn.

They shine like the evening star.

(They come to us with open hearts,

Knowing we love them for who they are.

And as each and every new day starts

They have no fear of what the colors are.)

Someone sees

Innocence,

Acceptance,

Trust,

Curiosity

Beauty

And love

Spread around

The room,

No longer in a box.

Don’t make God complicated.

Jesus made it simple.

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you

Change and become like little children,

You will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:3

Living In God’s Rhyme

© 2018, Tim Carter

One final poem if we have time.  

SOMEHOW

You’ve loved her from the start;

The moment you first saw her

She somehow took your heart

Where you never knew it could go.

Spring’s fresh air, summer’s sun,

As cool as the evening breeze,

Through life you see her run

Always, it seems, one step ahead.

& when she cries, you try,

Ever so clumsily, to comfort her.

& when she wants to know why,

You try to reassure her

She’s all you could ever ask for

& more than you ever dreamed of.

She can open those dusty locked doors

You closed so many years before.

But you know you really don’t care.

All she ever asks of you 

Is the little time you can share

For dreams & imaginary scenes.

Somehow she grabbed you from the start;

Tiny & fragile, you watched her grow.

She’s always had your heart;

She always will, your little girl.

 And  my Reflection:Written for one, good for all four.  Children are truly a blessing from God.  They will take you places you never thought you would go, at least not on your own.

God’s Rhyme

© 2019, Tim Carter

Oops, one more last poem

At Twenty Five

It was September – early morning –

late in the month.

She’s been awake 

since ten minutes apart.

The breathing beside me

only occasionally light.

And late in September

the early morning is right.

With all the control of inexperience

we arrive in time

to sign on the dotted lines,

and wait – seven minutes apart.

Time passes one grain of sand

in the hourglass at a time,

which is what January began

remembering June in the sand.

Eleven o’clock becomes two,

then, three becomes tense,

and time is getting tired

between two minutes apart.

Pushing for three and half past,

and arriving, she is pushed to the limit.

With tears in her eyes

the clock cries three fifty nine.

September begins,

a squeal for life,

tears of joy 

A BOY!

God Still Rhymes

© 2019, Tim Carter

Closing Comments:

Interview coming up in Episode 13.

If you give

Him the times

As you Live

His word rhymes

And don’t forget:  We are the kings kids and you will never get rid of s because we are His with Jesus.

Follow is on our website

https://livingingodsrhyme.com

You can buy Tim's books at the following websites

god rhyme tim carter | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Amazon.com : God's Rhyme tim Carter

Please follow us on Facebook and Like us

(6) Tim Carter, God Still Rhymes | Facebook

You can hear us on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Pandora, Stitcher, IHeart radio, Tunedin Radio. and all the other podcast sites. 

Please subscribe to the podcast

Tell all your friends about us and have them tell thier friends,

Thank you for being here, we are blessed that you listened.

Tim and Dave 

"If you give Him the times As you live His word rhymes "

Today’s focus is on how we present ourselves, our faith with discussion and poems

I started reading 1 Corinthians, Chapter 1 last night and was taken by Paul’s words starting in verse 10:  he writes about division in the church in Corinth.  Some follow Paul, others Apollos, still others Cephas.  Paul states that he follows Christ.  He continues to discuss why it is only Christ we must follow.  It is the baptism we receive through Jesus.

What struck me is the verse 17:  

“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel.”  This is the part that struck a chord with me: “not with wisdom or eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (NIV)

I also do not speak with eloquence or power.  My hope is to speak of what God has done for me and for you in a way the is a reflection of the simple man that I am.  The gospel is not complicated, salvation is not complicated.  I write of what God has done for me any you.

I wrote the following poem for God’s Rhyme.

WEAKNESS

 "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for 

you, my power is made perfect in weakness,"  

2 Corinthians, 12:9, NIV

Paul, the evangelist, an imperfect man,

blinded with insight by the perfect Son,

who lost his strength and became weak,

thus glorifying the Holy Three in One.

I have tried to live with the lie,

to never give in before I die.

I have seen the meek always so weak

and wondered why they would not cry.

No, always a smile

traveling every mile

with heads held high

and never shy

while I put too much stock

in thinking I was a rock

until others saw the bad

and what I never had.

Then one day the sky was bluer,

each and everything looked newer.

It was as if my very eyes

had been shut to the world's lies.

I was never strong,

not even for very long.

There was too much wrong,

it was such a sad song.

Like a newborn baby

I cried for each new breath,

never wanting to rest,

realizing that maybe . . . 

No, knowing that I am not perfect,

looking, the mirror did reflect.

There is no strength in my sin,

the race alone I could never win.

I am a sinner,

my life a loss,

but it has been reclaimed for me

by the grace of God, a death on the cross.

Through death and resurrection

I am a new creation.

Accepting His forgiveness,

to the world I can witness.

Made in God's image, molded in clay . . . 

yes, in God's image

throughout every age,

it is to Him that we pray.

We knew us before we were, 

He knows us today,

He knows us tomorrow,

and still He loves us.

To follow His Son

we must lose the ways,

the ways of this world,

the lies of the days.

And when we accomplish that, 

the world will consider us weak.

But know that God is with us,

so who can be against us?

It is then that the slings and arrows, 

the sticks and stones, the broken bones,

the sorrows that no one will borrow,

in this race we know His grace.

When we let in Christ's power,

we will no longer cower,

because He is God's Son

and that is sufficient.

"Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about

my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest in 

me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in 

weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions,

in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am

strong."  1 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV

May we live so that

by the strength of our salvation,

by the strength of our witness,

through the strength of our weakness

that God, that Jesus 

may be glorified.

©2019, God’ Rhyme, TimCarter

Discussion

The next poem is from Living in God’s Rhyme the chapter titled Drawing on her inspiration.  We discussed on an earlier podcast Gwen Allen’s  inspiration for a number of poems.  She had drawn some pictures while at a Women’s retreat at her church.  When I asked if I could see them.  She sent copies of them to me and another chapter of the book was written.

A Soldier for the Lord

There is more than the battle to be won

There is more that we are here for.

If we are to follow God’s Son

We do not fight as if it’s a war.

No, our mission is to share his love.

If we love God, we are commanded to love others.

Maybe the battle rages within us.

If we are one with Jesus,

The battle has been won.

We are raised with his Son.

If God is in us, his love we must share.

Through our sharing we show we care,

Not just for others, but for the Father

Who loves us in spite of ourselves.

We must show the love in our heart,

Love that is for all to see.

As the sun rises our days start.

Is love what our day will be?

Love will overcome hate.

If we do not show His love,

What will be the fate

Of those we overlook?

A soldier, marching forward,

Sharing God’s loving word,

Showing his saving grace

To a stranger’s face.

If we are to stand, 

We must follow his command.

1 John 1:1 – 5:21

©2018, Living In God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

The next poem, His Grace,  is from God Still Rhymes.

His Grace

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith –

and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God –

not by works so that no one can boast.” (Eph : 8-9) 

It is by grace that we embrace 

Our salvation, our hope,

That in this race we see his face,

That in this world we can cope.

What is grace?

His love for us,

A fallen race,

We have lost

Our way, our place,

Since the time

In the Garden.

Asking

what is mine

Without thought

Or concern

For what we ought

To do or think.

And as the eye

Does blink

We wonder why

As we wander,

As in the journey

The path meanders,

Til the day’s end

Not knowing

Whether friend

Or other

We did treat

One we did meet

As a brother.

Grace is His love given freely,

A gift we will never deserve.

But it is there for us to accept,

Accept the love he does give

In this life we do live.

And we share that gift

As others we uplift

So as we follow, we serve.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus 

to do good works, which God prepared in advance

 for us to do.” (Eph 2:10)

We now share our faith

We received by His grace

As we then serve others,

Our sisters and brothers.

We show our faith by our works,

Which have been prepared for us

By the God of Heaven above

That we may show his love.

Jesus said, “believe, be baptized and spread the gospel”

The gospel is full of his good works;

The healing, the kind words,

The love for mankind that poured out from him.

Good works, helping those in need,

Perhaps planting the seed,

That others may water

So that God may reap the harvest.

We can sit

On our hands

Or for a bit,

Maybe stand.

But how does

That honor

The grace given?

Works are 

A continuation

Of the rhyme,

The rhyme

Of all time,

Past,

Present

And future.

Our faith lives though works.

It is a sign that we are heirs.

Without works our faith 

Is but a mist in the air.

As in the gospel James said,

Faith without works is dead.

It is like speaking without a voice.

We have be given the choice.

We can say it and we can believe

We are saved by grace.

Our lives he has repaired

So what he has prepared,

The works, for us to do,

We help more than a few.

God’s Rhyme, back of the book

Life is a continuous poem. Through the good times, the bad times, and the times in between, life is poetry. Although it may not always rhyme, our emotions, our thoughts, our wandering, our searching, and especially the answers are the poetry of our lives. God’s Rhyme is the poetry on one man’s life from the joy of salvation, through the joys and sorrow of everyday life, to the search for a deeper relationship with his God. For those who have found salvation through Jesus, you may find your life in these poems. As Christians, we are not perfect, but we have God’s promise of eternal salvation. Maybe you have wandered from the path God has set before you. Maybe you need to know that you are not alone. God’s Rhyme will let you know that you are not alone. Maybe you are looking for answers about the life of a Christian. You have seen us in the workplace and so many other places and wonder what we have or wonder why we why we aren’t better people. Your answer may be on the pages of God’s Rhyme. Wherever you are in your life, know that God loves you.

THE GATHERING LAMB

 “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us 

has turned to our own way; and the Lord has 

laid on him the iniquity of us all.  Isaiah 53:6, NIV

The Lamb of God, with God before time,

perfect, as is God, in every way,

before the words were written in lines

Jesus, the unblemished Lamb was there.

Jesus and God, with the Holy Spirit,

indivisible, the Trinity;

so the Lamb of God is also God,

who saves our souls for eternity.

We, living on this earth, a herd of sheep,

we wander, are lost not knowing the cost,

not knowing, we cause a pain so deep

that God sent Jesus to find and save us.

An earthly shepherd has a special one,

one of the herd that seeks the wandering, 

those sheep that are lost, that have gone astray,

returning them home before the day is done.

Our Heavenly Master has sent His Son

to find the lost and to gather the strays,

to bring us home before the end of days.

The Lamb of God, a never ending search.

Before we knew Him

He knew who we were,

He knew our thoughts,

He knew our prayers.

And He knew of our rebellion,

Before, He has always known.

Yet He loves us still

and He always will.

He sent His Son

to be the one

that would seek us out

even as we doubt.

He sent His Son to gather us in,

the unblemished Lamb, the Sacrifice,

to pay the price, to die for our sins

so that with God we are finally put right!

Reflection:  The result of Bible study on Tuesday mornings.  The Lamb who gathers us in, who died for our sins.

© 2019, God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

(We were reading The Shepherd Trilogy by Phillip Keller.)

God Still Rhymes, back of the book

Life is a continuous poem.  As the poems continue so does the journey.  One day the journey lead him to a fork in the road; one sign pointing to “The World” and the other sign to “The Way, The Truth and The Life.”  He is still on the road he took leading to “The Way, The Truth and the Life.”  However, a strange thing happened on this journey.  The road he took lead him through the world.  But he was not afraid.  Having seen the world through his eyes he was now seeing it through the eyes of God.   Having seen today, he could see tomorrow.  Oh sure, he stumbled, he fell, but there was always a hand reaching out to pick him up and brush him off.  There was always a smile that told him he was loved.  These pages are the poems of his journey, one that continues still.  Maybe it’s yours.

WINDOWS TO GOD

 An ancient cathedral,

an old country church,

filled with worshipers

praying, singing, hearing

as his word is heard

as sun shining through

windows of stained glass.

The history of our faith,

of a journey through the ages,

reflecting sorrows and joys

ever present for us to see.

As it may seem

the lighted beam

seen through the glass

as time does pass

the hands of man

reflects his plan.

Then at church today,

walking through the door,

no windows reflecting

a journey that has passed,

now in muted hues

photographs black and white,

joy without sorrow,

husband, wife, a child,

give hope for tomorrow.

The journey unfinished,

they are looking forward.

We see the Son shine

through many smiles.

Now we can see

what we can be,

the simplicity

for you and me,

life he did save,

the gift he gave.

Whether by the sun shining through multicolored stained glass

or the Son shining through a photograph of white and black,

both are windows through which we can see the work of his hand.

Reflection on Windows to God

The church I attend was having its 18th anniversary.  The only windows are in the entrance atrium and the classrooms.  To celebrate this occasion pictures of some of the members were taken and enlarged.  These were put up on the walls around the church.  They reminded me of the stained glass windows in the churches I had grown up in.

 © 2019, God Still Rhymes, Tim Carter

Living In God’s Rhyme, back of the book

 Life is a continuous poem.  The third chapter of the journey continues with the poetry one man’s life.  The good days and the bad days have been written about in his first two books.  As he continues on his journey with God his desire to know God in a deeper way continues.  Inspired by Bible passages from Revelation, the Gospel of John, 1 Peter, Galatians, Matthew’s Gospel, 1 and 2 Timothy, Ephesians, Jeremiah, Micah, 2 Corinthians, Matthew, Hebrews, Philippians, Psalms, and everyday life, the trust in his faith in God allows the poetry to become a searching of his soul.  Poems about his life that he never though he could write, much less talk about, have now been written.  They are now an open book for all to read.  This is a journey that others have followed as it was written and at times have seen themselves in the poetry.  The poems are about despair and what God repaired; they are about the joy of understanding God’s written word; they are about the hope we all can have through God’s Son Jesus; they are about our yesterdays, our todays and tomorrows living as children of God; they are poems of praise to God for his blessings.  His hope is that the reader finds hope in the poetry of his daily life.

THE LAMB OF GOD

 Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 

the root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open 

the scroll and its seven seals.”

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, 

standing at the center of the throne . . .

Revelation 5:5-6

As I sat reading of John’s vision

I felt as if I never fully understood

That for eternity God’s decision

Remains forever for my good.

Yes, I have read of the cruelty 

Of his beating on the way to the cross,

Of the agony of his death,

The death of God’s son.

The death of my condemnation.

I know that by God’s grace

I will be with him forever.

I know I will see his face

And feel his loving embrace.

But reading the words of what John saw,

Though they shouldn’t, they rub my wounds raw:

A Lamb, looking as if it had been slain,

Knowing it is from my pain.

The resurrected Jesus in human form

Appeared as if he had been reborn,

Perfect in every way.

And with us he will stay.

Though forgiven, the wounds I caused

Are still there, showing his care.

May I never forget his love for me,

The suffering, 

So that with him I will forever be.

Reflection on The Lamb of God

In God’s Rhyme I wrote a poem called “Love” about the pain and suffering Jesus experienced on the way to and on the cross.  (Read “The Case for Christ” by Lee Stroebel)  When I read the line in Revelation it inspired this poem, I was struck by the Lamb looking like it had been slain.  I know that my sins have been forgiven.  I know that my sins and my straying cause God pain, but I never really thought about how deeply that must affect God.  And then it is ever harder to grasp how much he loves me if the scars are still visible.

PODCAST 9, poem copyrights

This is the poem that inspired the Lamb of God

LOVE

 I can’t help but cry,

No matter how I try

As I wonder why

He was the one to die.

To endure the pain

That he may reign,

His love to give

That I might live.

At the cross

My life’s loss

Now forever lost

As he paid the cost.

There is a song about being 

Before God in Heaven, 

“I Can Only Imagine.”

Well, his sacrifice 

For the sin of my life,

That I can never imagine.

The praying in the garden,

The emotional turmoil

The fears of man.

Then as the Son of God

Praying to the Father, 

“Not my will, but yours.”

Man and Deity,

Knowing the end

He endured

The brutality of a Roman flogging,

The braided whip laced with metal balls,

Tearing through the skin

From shoulders to legs,

Exposing muscle, sinew and veins,

The human blood loss

On the way to the cross.

Weakened beyond thought and words,

Falling, as we should too.

A man named Simon 

Took up Jesus’ cross.

Nails driven through His wrists and feet,

With excruciating pain nerves were severed,

Severed that I might be delivered

From the pain that is rightly mine.

Each and every intake of breath

An agonizing feat

To be repeated over and again

As he did exhale.

His human heart thirsting for blood,

Blood that was no longer there

Having been left on the trail,

Causing the heart of this man to fail.

The heart of God stopped

Because of me.

A sacrifice

That I might be forgiven

For the life I have been living.

His last words,

“Forgive them, Father”.

Because He loves me.

 Reflection on Love

 My daughter Emily showed me a book she was reading the last time I was at her house.  The book is “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel.  She had me read the chapter on the crucifixion.  That chapter had a profound effect on how I viewed the crucifixion.  I knew then that I wanted to write a poem about this.  She has since lent me the book to read.  So far I have reread the same chapter.  I prayed before beginning to write that God would give me the words.  He gave me the words and something else I have never experienced while writing – tears.

My apologies and thanks to Mr. Strobel for using his visions.

©2019, God Still Rhymes, Tim Carter

We are the King’s kids

& you’ll never get rid of us

For we are His with Jesus.

PODCAST 9, poem copyrights

End with, from God’s Rhyme

We are the King’s kids

& you’ll never get rid of us

For we are His with Jesus.

©2019, God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

The Good Shepard Trilogy by Phillip Teller

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

Follow is on our website

https://livingingodsrhyme.com

You can buy Tim's books at the following websites

god rhyme tim carter | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Amazon.com : God's Rhyme tim Carter

Please follow us on Facebook and Like us

(6) Tim Carter, God Still Rhymes | Facebook

You can hear us on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Pandora, Stitcher, IHeart radio, Tunedin Radio. and all the other podcast sites. 

Please subscribe to the podcast

Tell all your friends about us and have them tell their friends,

Thank you for being here, we are blessed that you listened.

Tim and Dave 

"If you give Him the times As you live His word rhymes "

THE MISSIONARY’S MISSION 

They leave the comfort of home

Where they were raised and grown,

Where seeds of faith were sown,

By those who gave them a home.

With the love for those,

These that God chose

Have a yearning to share

The love of God’s care.

Traveling across continents and seas

To spread his word and plant the seeds,

Prayerfully hoping that their good deeds

Will show more how God’s grace does please.

Where language is a barrier 

His word speaks to all,

No matter the carrier,

More will hear your call.

More will hear your call

Because they, many of them,

Love you and those in need

Of hearing a word, 

Of sharing a good deed.

It is God’s love that leads the missionary.

It is his call that sends them forth,

That sets the missionary on a course.

He has set their hearts on fire

With a spirit full of desire

To help their sisters and brothers

In a way not done by others.

God will bless

Those who help

More who have less,

Those who reach,

Those who teach

The one or more

Who need help.

He will bless evermore.

Pray for those with a heart,

A desire to live apart 

From the comforts of a life,

To live with those in strife.

May their living,

May their giving,

Be the gift,

Give a lift

To the spirit

Of many more adrift,

Perhaps not knowing

That as more do hear it,

The words of works

More will share,

More will care

That it is God’s word

More will be sowing.

Reflection on The Missionary’s Mission

I got the idea for this poem on my way to work .  I had a few good lines that I fortunately remembered to write down when I got to work.  However, when I wrote it, I struggled.  I’m not sure what that means, if anything.  Maybe it was because I was writing about something I know little about.  But upon reflection during the day I realized that we are all called to be missionaries.  Where ever we are we are to share the good news of salvation.  At work, on the street, with friends, and especially at home.  And it all starts with our story.

©2018, Living In God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

Recent revelation:  Recently I was reading Romans,  Paul is writing about the Jews and  the Gentiles hearing about Jesus.   Was especially taken by Chapter 10, verse 14.  “And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?”  This next line is the one I love.  “As it is written ‘ How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” It ends with an exclamation point!

2 TIMOTHY 4:2

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; 

correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience

and careful instruction.”

The word we are to preach,

In and out of season.

This command given to each

Believer for a reason.

We are not all preachers

And certainly not teachers.

But we are all believers

Overcoming deceivers.

If we are to preach the word,

We have to not only read the word,

We have to desire the need

To acknowledge what we read

Is indeed his plan

For a fallen man.

We must hunger for his word,

We must desire to know him,

We must listen to what we have heard,

We must want to do more that sing a hymn.

So we read, we pray,

Asking to understand

What we should say

To obey your command.

Ask God to put in your heart

A desire to live in his embrace

So that you may open a heart

Of someone lost in the race.

If we love God, we will follow him to the ends of the earth.  

It is only through him and the sacrifice of his Son, 

Through his unending grace that we find our worth.

May we show others the way before the day is done.

Thank you Lord.

Thank you Jesus

For who you are

For all you do.

 ©2018, Living In God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

THOUGHTS FROM THE WRITER OF WORDS

The words I write

I do not speak

Of what is right

Of what we seek

Writing of what we ought to say

Writing words day after day

Words of the truth and the way

Words for what we should pray

And there are those who talk

Who take the time to walk

From the moment of day break

Time for others they do make

And there are those who care

Who speak to God through prayer

That those in need

That he will feed

And there are those who do

The work of God’s labor

To help more than a few

Find Jesus their Savior

Through God’s power we find

Not just one, but many kind

Though different in how they are used

They spread his word to a world confused

Reflection on Thoughts from a Writer of Words

 I thought that I had been led to write about our mission to spread the gospel with the last couple of poems . We are all called spread the Gospel.  That starts with our story. It is a personal story that may be easy for others to listen to and engage in talking about your story.  Maybe your story will be the start of their story.

©2018, Living In God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

Introduction - Tim

 In March of this year , 2017, I attended a John Courtney Newman talk with my wife at St. Stephen Church.  While enjoying refreshments during the break I was talking to Gwen’s mother, Christine.  We talked about a book someone we both knew had written.  Christine told me about her daughter, Gwen, and the artwork she has done.  She told me about some drawings she had done during a youth group retreat at St. Stephen’s.  This led to me telling her about a book my seven year old grandson Eli and I had put together for Christmas last year.  Eli drew pictures of winter scenes and Christmas and I wrote a poem for each of them.  I asked if I could see the drawings and maybe I could write a poem for each drawing and we could put something together like Eli and I did.

 I must say that I found the drawings inspiring.  The thoughts expressed and the drawings spoke to me.  I was impressed that someone Gwen’s age had such deep faith.  It gives me hope.

 I have been blessed to be part of this endeavor. Gwen’s inspiration is truly inspiring.

Gwen is Gwen Allen

(note from Dave) The drawing would not save to the show notes. you can find it on our website on the blog dated 6/11/2021

www.livingingodsrhyme.com

BE A SOLDIER UNTO THE LORD

 In this earthly world we live in,

Where some take and others give,

Where one can believe

Or one can deceive,

Where love can prevail

If we do not fail.

A soldier unto the Lord –

First we must believe

So love will prevail.

It’s not a neighbor,

Nor is it a friend,

No, not in the end.

It’s not man,

Though many times

We think he can

Be the reason.

But since the fall,

When we heed his call,

We are in the season

To guard his rhymes.

One by one

As followers

Of his Son

We are attacked 

Not by man,

But rather by

Rulers

And authorities,

Powers of a

Dark world

And

Spiritual forces

In the 

Heavenly realms.

So we become a soldier,

A soldier for the Lord.

We put on the armor of God

To protect against the evil horde.

The belt of truth around our waist,

The truth we receive from Jesus.

The breastplate of righteousness,

Protected by his sacrifice.

Feet fitted with readiness,

The peace of his word within us.

Then taking up the shield of faith,

To extinguish the flaming arrows.

And the helmet of salvation

So all may see who stands with us.

And as we prepare

We must pray

Each and every day

That we care,

That we, one by one,

Showing God’s love,

Sharing the way

Tomorrow and today.

We may be a soldier for the Lord,

Not in sowing seeds of discord,

But seeds of love, truth and salvation

And eternal redemption.

©2018, Living In God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

Follow is on our website

www.livingingodsrhyme.com

You can buy Tim's books at the following websites

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Tell all your friends about us and have them tell thier friends,

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Tim and Dave 

"If you give Him the times As you live His word rhymes "

Episode 7 Show Notes

RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM A GREEN PAPER NAPKIN HOLDER

How odd our God may seem in the days we dream,

Not odd in the ways we know, nor in what he does, no.

There are times when he gives us his rhymes,

Those occasional times we find that he has opened our mind.

A view from a window,

A word from a friend,

The shape of a shadow,

May it never end. 

Out of nowhere we suddenly must share

The rhyme he gave us, as he did with Jesus.

The thought of what we ought,

No, must do because of his trust.

It may be a simple embrace putting a smile on a face

Or proclaiming a word that someone has not heard.

It may just be a smile for the one who for so many miles

has walked through the rain with teardrops of pain.

Or maybe it is for the holder of the napkin while eating a meal,

A note from God that shows his love and desire to heal.

For me it was this as I ate with friends an evening meal:

“God puts people in your life

When you need them.

For that we are thankful.

However, we always need

To also put God in our lives”

When we eat, when we play, when we pray

At all times if we listen God has something to say.

He finished his words with this reminder to me:

“I walk a fine line

Knowing the sign

When I go

That I know”

Reflection on Thoughts from a Green Paper Napkin Holder

We were having dinner with a group of friends and I had some thoughts about poems.  I wrote them down on the paper napkin holder.  This poem is the result of my wandering mind.  I have been told since writing this that it is not a holder but a ring, that paper wrapping around the napkin wrapped silverware in restaurants.

© 2018, Living In God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

There is more in Tales From the Raven in God Still Rhymes on this group of friends.

OUT OF THE CLOSET

I opened the closet door,

I could hide there no more.

The clothing I had worn

Now was tattered and torn,

Shaken to my very core

Renewed I was reborn.

No more hiding.

Now deciding

I could no longer hide

The life I had tried,

So much living

Without giving,

Without thought

Each day fought.

I opened the door

And found there was more

Than my heart could store,

With His love I was no longer poor.

I no longer hide from myself.

I did see the need for His help.

And I can no longer hide from you,

No matter what I say or do.

No I cannot,

I opened the door

Of the dusty

Locked closet

Where rags

Were torn

And thrown

Around.

A knock,

The door opened,

A breath of fresh air.

Born again, now His heir.

Now clothed in His grace,

Not living at the world’s pace,

I can now run the race

Refreshed as I see His face.

The face of my birth;

Can I help you open the door, 

Help you up off the floor

So that you may find your worth.

© 2019, God Still Rhymes, Tim Carter

THE KING AND THE PURSE

 The King was walking the halls

talking to pictures on faces and the walls

waiting to make or take a phone call

hoping the door wouldn’t close on the stall

His discourse, he would rehearse

on one then another for better or worse

those he met would look for the hearse

but all this changed when he saw her purse

“What a lovely purse,” he did regally say

on another sterile disordinary day

“May I help you,” he asked, “on your way?”

it was the 2nd month after May

(maybe)

Spring like with flowers

born in an April shower

she visited for what seemed like hours

purse in hand with the King’s jester

Oh, she did

do that

for she loved

that funny

odd jester

& had

only met

the King

that day 

in the hall

 In 2005 I was hospitalized for severe depression, at least that was the diagnosis.  I had lost a job and was stuck in a new job I didn’t like.  Add that to the fact that I had let pride rule me in my work and that led me further from God, and there I was, quarantined from the life I had been living.

One of the patients I befriended met noticed when my wife visited.  He always commented on her purse.  He was the king of his world and I had been Mary Lou’s jester for so many years.  This helped me accept where I had been and where I needed to go.

 © 2019, God Still Rhymes, Tim Carter

There may be more on this in a 6 page poem from Living In God’s Rhyme, Maybe . . . 

Let the word (spoken by) the Christ, the Messiah, 

have its home (in your hearts and minds) and 

dwell in you in (all its) richness, as you teach 

and admonish and train one another in all insight 

and intelligence and wisdom (in spiritual things 

and sing) psalms and spiritual songs, making 

melody to God with (His) grace in your hearts.”

Colossians 3:16 Amplified

 MAKE MELODY TO GOD

 We sing Your Word

which we have heard

with our ears

throughout the years.

We sing

& the words ring

of what You have done

thru Jesus Your son.

Psalms & hymns

sung of Him

Whose life is praised,

from death he was raised.

Living 

for years

knowing

life’s fears

crying

hurt tears

Then,

believing

without sight

accepting

now the light

living 

thru His might.

We sing even more

of His glorious splendor,

of the life He has given

unlocking the gates to Heaven.

Psalms, hymns & spiritual songs 

of His righting our wrongs,

we sing of His glory

that all may hear His story.

May our living be a melody

to God & His Son’s body.

May we sing with His grace

In our hearts in faith.

© 2019, God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

This is one of the cell phone notes app poems.  I started out wanting the rhymes, but also knew where it had to go before the end.

THE DAY HAS COME

The commission

Of omission

The distraction

Of subtraction

The commission

Of of addition

The infraction

Of inaction

Is not mathematical

It is grammatical

The changing memes

More than it seems

Truth to lies

The past cries

Change defies

Those once wise

I hear it said

It is what it is

No longer fed

It was what it was

What is it today

For this I do pray

To know what is true

From lies shaded hue

On bended knee

For all to see

My hands I raise

As God I praise

5/20/20, tcarter

I might consider more of the cell phone note app poems if they weren’t more political ad the state of our nation today.

__________________________________________________

Follow is on our website

https://livingingodsrhyme.com

You can buy Tim's books at the following websites

god rhyme tim carter | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Amazon.com : God's Rhyme tim Carter

Please follow us on Facebook and Like us

(6) Tim Carter, God Still Rhymes | Facebook

You can hear us on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Pandora, Stitcher, IHeart radio, Tunedin Radio. and all the other podcast sites.

Please subscribe to the podcast

Tell all your friends about us and have them tell thier friends,

Thank you for being here, we are blessed that you listened.

Tim and Dave 

"If you give Him the times As you live His word rhymes "

THIS ONE SCARES ME

 Playing solitaire, telling God just one more game.

As usual my mind is abuzz with things of tomorrow.

I have an interview for God Still Rhymes, 

I’ve done one before, I am with a friend.

Nothing to worry about with this wandering.

Then I ask a question, Lord what do you want me to do?

He answered, my dear son I have something for you.

My heart is still beating, my mind wondering why,

My heart telling me to stop the wondering, He is why.

The keys on the keyboard my fingers do not touch,

Not wanting to type anymore words and

Knowing that, knowing that I cannot say no.

No, it is finally my time to take a stand.

I had been thinking of a Bible study

Where there were those who had conversations with God.

And there I sat thinking I did not belong there

Because I had not, was there something in me odd?

But here I am today

Writing of God’s ways

That when I pray

I hear his voice

And he hears mine.

His voice giving me the letters.

Forming the words,

Continually forming my soul

That in his way he will make me better.

I have conversations with him,

We occasionally sing a hymn.

He’s everywhere

If I am aware.

Lord take away my anxiety,

Let me not worry about the rhymes,

Open the door to this cavern in which I live

So I am open to all that you have to give.

Reflection On This One Scares Me

I was told to write it.

© 2018, Living In God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

In my reflection in the book I wrote, I was told to write it.  That sounds kind of  harsh today.  I do remember that I had been thinking about this butt really didn’t want to write it.  That’s why the title, This One Scares Me.

AS ONLY YOU CAN

 I look at the clouds and I wonder aloud

What lies beyond the skies?

Whatever can be though looking I cannot see.

I look at the wonder of it all and I hear your call.

Beyond the skies is Heaven above,

Where there are no whys, just your love.

But first we share in this world of ours

For what we care in each day’s hours.

The mountains, the valleys,

The meadows, the deserts,

And the vast deep waters,

They all exist inside of us.

You spoke the earth into existence,

You breathed your breath into man,

Your power knew no resistance.

It was only and is only you who can.

May we live in your glory,

Be a part of your story.

May we every day strive

To have you in our lives.

May we see the splendor,

Of all you do, of who we are

As we shine brighter than the stars

When we let you, Lord, be who you are.

© 2018, Living In God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

THE STORY OF MY PRAYER

Dear Father in Heaven I pray that I live for you today.

Dear God I pray that all I say

Is that your will be done, that I live for your Son,

That with the setting sun, your will has been done.

My heartfelt hope, my desire

Is that I not deserve your ire,

That by your indwelling spirit,

The voice of your words, I hear it.

So why today do I feel defeated?

Why do I know there is a distance

Between you and me, and what I see?

Why do I know it is all because of . . .?

As I am lay my head upon my bed

I feel the fear that you are not near.

The fear that I know is that of what I did sow,

That when I shut the door, I feel your presence no more.

It is time that is wasted,

In a vast waste land that is my mind.

It is blessings that are squandered

As not trying, you I did not find.

Then your word as I pray to repent:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your god.

Micah 6: 8

As I get ready for sleep, as my soul does weep,

I pray that what I did sow, tomorrow will not grow.

As I get ready for sleep, I pray that my soul you keep,

Keep it from the dust, that I do what I must.

Yes, Lord I pray for your help in living my life

In a way that pleases you and those I meet.

I do pray for your help keeping me from strife,

From falling in the gutter of the crowded city street.

But more than that prayer

I pray that you remove the door,

The one that I keep closing,

That when closed keeps you out.

When that door is closed

My voice is silent

And my hearing deaf,

My sight is blinded.

So I ask Lord that this be my prayer:

But  for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,

I wait for God my Savior;

my God will hear me

Micah 7: 7

© 2018, Living In God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

CONCLUDING PRAYER

 Dear Father in Heaven,

It is not just what you have done,

But what you do every day

Yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Lord, I know that in prayer

The words need not rhyme.

You are the rhyme and in me

You have blessed me with your words.

I may not always know what to say,

But I know when I take time to pray

Your Holy Spirit living within me will lead the way

So that through my prayer I will not be led astray.

I thank you Father for my salvation

I thank you for loving me so much

That you sent your Son to die for my sins.

For that I do not know what to say,  . . .  I love you.

You have taken this wretch of a man

And lifted him up so he may see

All that in you, he can be.

I pray that your presence will never leave.

No, it is not you who will leave.

I pray that it is not me.

Dear Lord, I pray that your word,

The rhymes you have for us,

Will shake this world with your love

So that one day we will all not just see,

But be in Heaven above.

Save us from ourselves.

Take us off the shelves

Where we collect only dust.

Through your Son, Jesus,

I pray that all believe

And receive your grace.

Amen and Amen

You can buy Tim's books at the following websites

god rhyme tim carter | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Amazon.com : God's Rhyme tim Carter

Please follow us on Facebook and Like us

(6) Tim Carter, God Still Rhymes | Facebook

You can hear us on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Pandora, Stitcher, IHeart radio, Tunedin Radio. and all the other podcast sites.

Please subscribe to the podcast

Tell all your friends about us and have them tell thier friends,

Thank you for being here, we are blessed that you listened.

Tim and Dave 

"If you give Him the times As you live His word rhymes "

HIS WORD MAY IT LEAD US

Matthew, Mark Luke and John,

Paul, Peter, Timothy and Jude,

Books and letters written 

To show us the way to God’s love,

The love of his sacrifice,

The love of his grace,

The love he has for us,

The human race.

Jesus said,

Believe,

Be baptized

And spread the Gospel.

We should not only pray,

Pray every day,

For those who have not heard

His mighty saving word.

We should speak

So that we reach

Those souls we know

Of the gift we have received

So they will not be deceived.

We need to shout

To the world about

That Jesus saves,

He is what God gave

So the end will be better,

So it will not be bitter.

After Thoughts

As believers we can meet in clusters

So that faith and desire we can muster

That as we leave the room

We do not have a sense of doom

But the faith to share,

Share that we care,

That others hear

What we hold dear

To our hearts

So they may start

To see what they can be

That when with Jesus

They will be free.

© 2018, Living in God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

 PODCAST 5

THE LOVE GOD GIVES

On his head thorns for a crown,

The thorns of my transgression.

Because he loved me I bow down

And profess to him my confession.

An all knowing God who created all we know,

Knowing the good and bad seeds we would sow

Still breathed into each one of us life,

Knowing that he one day pay would the price.

I wonder as I write these stanzas of words

Why, if he knew we would become a herd

Of wandering sheep,

His word he still keeps.

Though he knew our sin, our wandering ways

His love never wanders, the same it stays.

Yes, he is a just God who will punish

The unrepentant who refuse to believe.

But his love is always there

When we are ready to share,

To share in his reign,

That removes our shame.

He is a just God,

A righteous God,

He is a God of love,

He is a God of glory.

The Holy love of God 

Forgives, it gives

Hope and blessing,

Joy in our sadness,

It lifts us up

As we share the cup,

The blood of his covenant

With the lost remnant.

From us he deserves

Our constant praise

As he preserves

Our living days.

And sometimes I wonder

Why he gave us free will

Knowing we would wander,

Knowing he would love us still.

His ways are not our ways.

Thankfully we should pray

A prayer of thanksgiving

That with him we are living.

Knowing all, who would hear his call,

He prepared for those who believe

That he alone is Holy in Glory,

A promise at the end of the story.

It is a story of his love,

The pain of his love,

The magnitude of his love,

The forgiveness of his love,

And the hope of his love.

He sent Jesus to deliver the message,

To pay the price to make us right,

To show the way, to open the door

That we may forever live in his sight.

Thank you, Lord

For your love for me,

Your love for my neighbor.

Thank you, Lord,

Thank you for eternity.

© 2018, Living in God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

HIS EMBRACE

His arms are open

to those whose lives are broken.

That is you, it is me,

it is everyone we see.

He died

that we might

be made right

in his sight.

By death

our sins he overcame

so we can be the same,

we can share his reign.

Through resurrection

so we may be risen,

released from our prison,

new life he has given.

Our lives were broken,

faith but a token,

a gesture, not a true sacrifice

to forgive the sins of our life.

Through love

He stretched out his arms,

delivered us from harm

and died.

He died for us,

God’s son Jesus.

His life he did give

that sinners might live.

And he reaches out

that we might believe,

no longer in doubt

and no longer deceived.

Through truth

we have been set free

so that all can see

the Christmas story

in its final glory.

To a world that is broken

his loving arms are open

to share his embrace

as we run this race.

 © 2019, Living in God Still Rhymes, Tim Carter

THE RETURN

listen – 

I hear, 

I hear a whisper;

a sound

ever so gentle,

as if a cool breeze

comforting

in the heat

were found

            when standing still.

Shh . . . . . 

            I hear it again,

calling,

calling me, . . .  “come,

come,

            you are falling,

feel My arms,

            I will catch you.”

“I’ll comfort you son.”

Oh, thank you Father,

            I love You, I missed You.”

“Welcome home,

We rejoice in your homecoming,

            son.”

“Your room

            is as you left it;

as are you & I, 

            as we once were.”

The water drops

            on His sleeve

were not from storm clouds;

gone they now are.

            No, my tears fell,

fell freely

on His majestic robes of grace.

He so loved me

            and rejoiced in my return.

I wept

         joyfully

                   in His arms,

My Father,

            My Redeemer,  

                              My God.

The Return, a recurring them.  One I wish I didn’t have to write about, but am glad that I can write about it.  No matter what I may do, when I repent, God will always welcome me back.  And when I later realized God when I wonder, I also realized that I must also forgive myself.  If I don’t, I am still distant from God until I do forgive myself.

© 2018, Living in God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

You can buy Tim's books at the following websites

god rhyme tim carter | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Amazon.com : God's Rhyme tim Carter

Please follow us on Facebook and Like us

(6) Tim Carter, God Still Rhymes | Facebook

You can hear us on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Pandora, Stitcher, IHeart radio, Tunedin Radio. and all the other podcast sites.

Please subscribe to the podcast

Tell all your friends about us and have them tell thier friends,

Thank you for being here, we are blessed that you listened.

Tim and Dave 

"If you give Him the times As you live His word rhymes "

Welcome to Living in God's Rhyme Podcast.

This is Episode 4, Where we talk about faith and many other things.

We hope you enjoy. If you like what you hear from us, please tell all your friends.

If you have questions or concerns, please let us know at

www.facebook.com/godstillrhymes

Can you believe in something you don’t have faith in?

Must you have faith to believe?

I believe that to believe in good things one must have faith in those things/people/institutions.

Our faith in God, the one true God of creation, the Father of our Savior Jesus Christ and whose Holy Spirit dwells within those who believe, will lead us to the right beliefs as we live on this earth.

FAITH WITHOUT TRUST

 As I look back at the miles,

 Seeing the tears and the smiles,

 Having stirred up so much dust,

 Why did I think that I must?

I do believe all that you have for me

 And I know that who I am you see,

 That you have plans for what I should be.

 That you want us to be we.

To one father Jesus asked if he believed,

 Believed that his child would be healed and live?

 To which the man replied, I believe,

 Help me overcome my unbelief.

I don’t know about you,

But that is me.

I have faith that God’s word is true,

That his promises are real.

He has changed me, I am made anew.

I have on my heart his seal.

But there are times I feel left out,

When I have doubt

About what he has planned,

About where with him I stand.

I sometimes wander about.

My faith, what is it 

As I try to make it fit

Into the ways of the world

As at night I lay curled,

 Curled up in a ball

Waiting for his call.

On one of my good days

We had a talk, God and me.

I had taken the time

To read of his ways.

I think he was pleased

That I had taken the time

And in that time it was me,

It was me that he seized.

He told me that my faith,

Though ever growing,

Would never be what it could

If I didn’t trust.

I need to trust when I am fearful,

I need to trust when I am tearful,

I need to trust in the good times

And when there are no rhymes.

If I truly accept the death of his Son

For my salvation, my redemption,

For his promise of eternity,

Then I need to not just believe.

I need to trust that he 

Is in control always,

And in all ways,

No matter what I see.

He loves me,

He blesses me,

And as my trust in 

His promises, 

His word grows,

 My faith will also.

© 2018, Living In God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

WHAT HAVE I DONE FOR YOU?

 There are those days when the sky is blue.

And then there comes that one day

When the sky is filled with clouds of gray.

On that day what have I done for you?

It is easy to talk as through life we walk,

To share the smiles as we walk the miles,

As we walk that mile that once in awhile

Is filled with pain as the gray clouds rain.

It is that mile that I must be aware

That even though I know you are there

That you need more from me.

You need me to help you see. 

I have walked that mile alone

When my heart has turned to stone.

I have stumbled along that road

Struggling with my life’s heavy load.

It is at these times of being in need

I do not want what I know I need.

It is then that I need someone

To remind me of God’s Son.

So as we walk under skies of gray,

It is then that I need to pray,

Pray, not alone, but with you

That you may see the sky of blue.

I need to let you know 

That there is a rainbow

Above the day’s gray cloud

That is like a darkened shroud.

I will take your hand and pray

That we will not be led astray,

That as we walk we will talk

And let God’s reign fall on us.

THE GENTLENESS OF FAITH

 Our faith is a reflection

That upon recollection

By those whose lives we passed.

Will see a love that lasts.

Our faith is not quarrelsome,

We speak in gentle tones

To those who do not know the Son

So they see the love he has shown.

His spirit may raise our voice,

Though never in anger, but in joyful song

Of a love that will make eyes moist

As the lost find that for which they do long.

Love is gentle in its forgiving

As shown by how we were living,

That as Christ redeemed us at the cross

So now we may live without the loss,

The loss of,

The love of his promise,

The gift of his grace,

That with Christ we will rise

When his call will end our race.

For God so loved us he gave his only Son

So we could join him and be the ones

To share,

To care,

To be there,

Anywhere

He calls,

Standing tall

So others hear

There is no fear

In God’s embrace

As the world we face.

Without love for others,

For our sisters and brothers,

Our faith is but mist in the air.

So how to the lost do we share?

Pray that our faith leaves no question

Of who God is and who we are in him.

May the gentle love of God

Be the gentleness of our faith.

Reflection on The Gentleness of Faith

I was led, or more likely I meandered, through four books before getting the inspiration for this poem.  It came from 2 Timothy 2:24.

And the Lords servant must not be quarrelsome

But must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

© 2018, Living In God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

GOD’S RHYME  (last stanza)

I’ve seen God

how odd He seems

in faces I meet

as life races by

I pick up my feet

from the burning street

& see a smile

from a simple child

picking a wild flower

an hour is not measured by minutes

for a while is time

& the simple oddity in life

Is God’s rhyme

© 2019, God’s Rhyme, Tim Carter

You can buy Tim's books at the following websites

god rhyme tim carter | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Amazon.com : God's Rhyme tim Carter

Please follow us on Facebook and Like us

(6) Tim Carter, God Still Rhymes | Facebook

You can hear us on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Pandora, Stitcher, IHeart radio, Tunedin Radio. and all the other podcast sites.

Please subscribe to the podcast

Tell all your friends about us and have them tell thier friends,

Thank you for being here, we are blessed that you listened.

Tim and Dave 

"If you give Him the times As you live His word rhymes "

You can find Kate Delaney's books at the following

dealyourowndestiny.com

Thank you for listening

Welcome to Living in God's Rhyme, We are glad you are here.

Residential rain written in 1970 or 71 after a dinner on a rainy Sunday afternoon,.

RESIDENTIAL RAIN

 The rain is falling

on houses

giving the roofs

a glossy cover

one that when it dries

takes with the water

the shine.

The sound of the rain

pit, pat, pit, pit, pat

on the rooftops

as it falls

sometimes hard, plop

sometimes fine and soft

April showers

get soaked up by the ground

make the grass green

as the streets flood

making what grass there is

hard to be seen

until the sun

wrings out the sponge.

Inside, the people sit

watching TV

eating Sunday dinner

lights on

at three in the afternoon

things are quiet

the rain brings the clouds

closer

An occasional car passes

wipers going – flip flop

as the rain drops

plip plop on the windshield

the tires spraying out water

onto the already

flooded street

The residential rain falls

making Sunday afternoon

a quiet afternoon

one full of introspection

and leaky roof detection 

Back to Normal written late 90s pr early 2000s. My attempt to out Dylan Bob Dylan who by the way has a couple of good Christian albums.

Back To Normal

a storm came passing thru today

took the roof right off the barn

didn’t really do nobody no harm

’cept nobody’s got nothin’ to say

now ain’t that the problem

the cat’s done gone got their tongues

probably had them

since they was all jus’ young

they all done swallowed their words

what from eatin’ that there alphabet soup

they done swallowed ev’ry letter

so’s they can’t make no rhymes

when they talk they don’t use

them punctiation marks and such

them’s what adds flavor

to any kind of talk or conversatin’

there ain’t no meaning without an exclamation point

ain’t no use in pointin’ that finger either far as I can say

if ya ain’t talkin’ with yer heart

might as well jus’ keep yer hands in your pockets

if ya ain’t got no capital

ya can’t begin to state yer case

there ain’t no run on sentence

where I can see yer smilin’ face

can’t feel yer pain

can’t answer no questions

don’t know if them’s tears

or just the fallin’ rain

that storm that came thru today

yeah, it took the roof off the barn

an’ I think it got yer writin’ desk

‘cause ya seem to have lost yer letters

Not much else to say except maybe . . .

did you see the storm as it passed through

or is still storming and you just don’t see it?

Or is it that if you don’t talk about it,

it didn’t pass over you, what is one to do?

Maybe you do know what to do,

you just don’t want to.

This is the world we live in,

too many not noticing the storm.

Another Day written for Living In God’s Rhyme in 2014

Another Day

I was sound asleep

Not making a peep,

Not snoring out loud,

My head in a cloud.

Then there was a shout.

What was that all about?

Now awake I got out of bed

And, what else, hit my head.

Looking up I found

The source of that sound,

The cause of all my harm,

A clock with a buzzing alarm.

Oh my,

I asked why

Was today

Starting this way.

Looking up as I lay on the floor

I see a figure standing at the door.

What else, was there anything more?

My goodness it was only four!

Good afternoon, my wife said to me.

I guess you forgot your glasses and couldn’t see

That A M and P M are as different as day and night.

You have not only lost your mind, but also your sight.

The sight of my mind,

If that I could find,

I could remember time

And find that watch of mine.

Somehow with bare feet and my soul now bare

I made it to the kitchen where I became aware

That all I needed was a little Dr. Pepper

And a whole lot of Jesus

"If you give Him the time As you live His word rhymes"

You can buy Tim's books at the following websites

god rhyme tim carter | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Amazon.com : God's Rhyme tim Carter

Please follow us on Facebook and Like us

(6) Tim Carter, God Still Rhymes | Facebook

You can hear us on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Pandora, Stitcher, IHeart radio, Tunedin Radio. and all the other podcast sites. 

Please subscribe to the podcast

Tell all your friends about us and have them tell thier friends,

Thank you for being here, we are blessed that you listened.

Tim and Dave 

Welcome to Living in God's Rhyme Podcast, we are glad you are here

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, how do I pray,

           what do I say?

What words do I speak

           for the peace that I seek?

I give thanks to You

           for all that You do,

for the blessings You are giving

           in this life I am living.

I praise Your blessed name,

           forever & always it is the same.

Yesterday You guided me,

           today You helped me see.

Forgive me for all the wrongs,

keep me singing happy songs.

From temptation set me free

so that in You I can be.

I praise You

I thank You

I worship You

I honor You

Jesus, You set me free,

           now I can see.

When my vision is blurred

           You show me Your word.

As I have been blessed,

           now I pray for the rest,

for my sisters & brothers

           who think they have no other.

For our salvation You are risen,

           for us new life You have given.

Use me as You would

           that others may have what they should.

I praise You

I thank You

I worship You

I honor You

On bended knee or with hands upraised,

           it is Your life that is praised.

And as I give You my life

           You take from me my strife.

You have given me so much;

           joy, life, love & the such.

& all You have taken

           is my life’s burden.

You are all the love

from Heaven above.

& Jesus, each time I pray

there is not enough to say.

Except,

           I praise You

                       & Your holy name,

           I thank You

for what You have done,

           I worship You

                       as my Savior & Lord,

           I honor You

                       as only You deserve,

           & I do Love you,

                       my Jesus, my Lord,

                       my Savior, my friend.

                                                           Amen

My Prayer Today

 Lord, tell me what to pray.

Tell me what I should say.

May Your Spirit that is Holy

Be at my side, my guide solely.

What I do learn

I do not earn,

But by Your grace

I now have faith.

You lead me not astray.

You show me the path to stay.

It is thru Your Spirit

That I now can learn it.

Lead me, guide me,

Take my life and set me free.

QUIET PLACE

There is a place in this race

we live in, as each day we face

life’s trials & tribulations,

each other’s calculations

& our own contributions

in the space we displace

in gaining our worth on this earth.

There is a place, yes,

free of the clutter & mess,

free from the cost

of what the day has lost;

a place where we can dare

to touch the face of eternity

& know the Almighty Deity.

You can buy Tim's books at the following websites

god rhyme tim carter | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Amazon.com : God's Rhyme tim Carter

Please follow us on Facebook and Like us

(6) Tim Carter, God Still Rhymes | Facebook

You can hear us on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Pandora, Stitcher, IHeart radio, Tunedin Radio. and all the other podcast sites.

Please subscribe to the podcast

Tell all your friends about us and have them tell thier friends,

Thank you for being here, we are blessed that you listened.

Tim and Dave 

"If you give Him the times As you live His word rhymes "