Poetry of Christian Faith

31, 4-1 SHOW NOTES & COPYRIGHTS (proposed date 11/24/2021)

Today we are turning the show over to Dave.  He will be choosing the poems to be read and lead the follow up discussion.   This is definitely an act of faith on my part.  We’ll see how good I am at reading without any practice.  We all know how it is when I have had time to practice.

Soooooo, Dave, what do you have to start the podcast?

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

God’s Rhyme © 2019, pg. 86 

GOD IN A BOX  (a song)

1

Would you put God in a box, one with a lock?  

Hopefully not, especially one to which you could lose the key.   

If you were to have the key to the Kingdom 

In your hand, would you lock the box , set it aside, just let it be?

2

A lonely woman needs to pray, pray in the way,   

The way she was raised, with the sign of the cross to begin her plea.

A choir sings Hallelujah with hands upraised,

Their voices dancing with joy as they praise the one God almighty.

Refrain

Jesus, the Son of God, He has set us free dying on that tree,

Dying for you, dying for me, unlocking our hearts from sinful ways.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, all three

With the salvation of the cross, in His way, He picks up the strays.

3

The story of an unkempt man comes to life 

As he enters the church looking for comfort from a loving God.

He knows of salvation, do we judge his strife?

Just who has the right, those who would judge or those we judge to be odd?

4

I speak in tongues and I pray thru misery,

God speaks to me thru the Bible, and He speaks to me thru prayer,

And to me I hear his voice in the journey,

He speaks from the open box so that we all can hear, all can share.

Refrain

Jesus, the Son of God, He has set us free dying on that tree,

Dying for you, dying for me, unlocking our hearts from sinful ways.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, all three,

With the salvation of the cross, in His way, He picks up the strays.

5

What church does God belong to, where does He go?

On Sunday morning, will we find His Spirit dwelling within us? 

Or will we find somehow that we do not know

Where He is, why He is, or how He is because of all our fuss?

6

Do we put God in a box, a box with a lock,

Thinking that He only works in ways with which we are comfortable?

How many must He be trying to unlock?

Created in his image, together we sit at His table.

Refrain

Jesus, the Son of God, He has set us free dying on that tree,

Dying for you, dying for me, unlocking our hearts from sinful ways.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, all three,

With the salvation of the cross, in His way, He picks up the strays

7

How wonderful that He sees us and accepts us,

Each one of us diff’rent, our needs, our gifts, our strengths, our weaknesses.

And He knows just how to mold and shape our trust

By our faith in Him, the all loving Father, accepting of all.

GOD IN A BOX (continued)

8

So open that box and let God be for you

And for me, the Father of our Savior, who rescued you and me.

Who are we to say what and how He can do

Or how allows us to pray or sing our praise and let the world see?

Refrain

Jesus, the Son of God, He has set us free dying on that tree,

Dying for you, dying for me, unlocking our hearts from sinful ways.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, all three,

With the salvation of the cross in His way He picks up the strays.

 God’s Rhyme © 2019, pg. 92

THE EVERY MAN

Is that me sitting in the pew?

Is that you on bended knee?

Those few I see, they are we.

Waiting, do I hear of Your Good News?

The every man is everywhere;

he’s rich, he’s poor,

he’s at the door,

never knowing what is there.

What is there for him?

He may sing a hymn,

he may recite a psalm, 

he may appear calm.

But the inside 

and the outside

don’t always meet

while in the seat.

Oh yes, he hears.

And like you 

he has fears,

unknown to him,

that salvation was won

but the race we must run.

He may hear the spoken Word,

he may hear the sermon,

he may hear the children,

but what has he heard?

Then he is home again

not thinking of sin.

He is thinking of gain

of winning the game.

Years of fears,

fears and tears

of hiding, not confiding;

one cannot find when one is blind.

It was me, was it you?

There are more than a few

who occupy the pew

and have not a clue.

There is clutter

and people mutter

words without meaning,

but with a definite leaning.

So the every man

sits and prays,

does what he can

but never stays.

Never stays because

he has not heard of Jesus’ love,

and how He died

that every man might survive.

He is there every day, including Sunday,

needing someone to reach out and touch,

a tap on the shoulder that reaches his soul,

so that for salvation he does pray.

We need him as much as he needs us.

By reaching out he makes us stronger.

By showing him the faithful love of Jesus

his journey becomes shorter, not longer.

Sitting in a pew,

more than a few.

What do we do,

are we still the few?

God’s Rhyme © 2019, pg. 114

GHOST WRITER

A man sits, he thinks, he writes.

He knows his thoughts are true.

Words are written of wrongs and rights, 

Thoughts that are old and new.

And on modern day scrolls

The words are thoughtfully read

As reams of words unroll,

Food for thought, the mind is fed.

Who is this man with his words?

How can he ever know

That what his mind last heard

Are the seeds he should sow?

Seeds, we must clear the weeds.

Deeds, to help those with needs.

Writing, a way of righting

Wrongs, where there are no songs.

So he writes that he may plant

Seeds of much more than thoughts,

An upright life without slant, 

Standing for what we ought.

Ask, what makes him so wise, 

Thinking that somehow he knows,

That he can hear their cries, 

That he even knows their lows.

Because he has lived the bad,

And soared with the eagles,

Now giving up what he had.

With the King lives regal.

Pray, for the right words to say.

Stay, follow Him every day.

Ghost, who has seen Heaven’s host.

Boast, it is He that gives the most.

In the words of King James,

With Godly inspiration,

One in three, all the same

The Holy Ghost gives to thee.

God’s Rhyme © 2019, pg. 120

OUR LIGHT IN THIS WORLD

The sun is falling

Giving ways to the stars

Someone is calling

Asking for what is ours

Beware

Take care

There is One

Our God’s Son

Who does us save

From this earth’s grave

A light unto us

Our Savior Jesus

Though the sun will set

And the rain will wet

The life around us

There need be no fuss

Jesus, our light

Live in His might

Overcoming all

We shall never fall

tcarter, 2/15/2021 (written on cell phone notes app)

MY FEETS MATCH MY SHOES

I’ve got them my feets match my shoes,

I’m hurtin’ blues.

I have holes

in the souls

of my shoes.

now my white sox

match my brown shoes.

they also have holes

where the souls of my feet

meet the heat

of the city street.

God Still Rhymes © 2019, pg. 23

OUR BEGINNING OF FOREVER

The Christmas story

tells of God’s glory.

It is a story of a gift,

a story of his grace,

of his loving embrace.

The words

have been heard,

our hearts stirred

by a star

and shepherds,

the three kings

and a child’s birth,

who we are

through his words,

voices that sing

throughout the earth.

The Holiday Season

 leading to a holy day,

 we are the reason

 for the ransom he did pay.

The birth of our salvation

in this baby Jesus.

In a world of starvation,

believing, he feeds us.

Do we deserve joy,

the birth of this baby boy?

Yes, if we have believed

and have not been deceived.

Yes, through God’s grace 

we feel his embrace.

The Alpha and the Omega,

the beginning and the end,

Just as he was with God before time.

we can be with Jesus beyond the end.

Through his birth we can be born again.     

Through his death we are forgiven.

And through his resurrection

We are a new creation.

Wherever you are in your race

accept the gift of God’s grace.

         May God’s blessings be with   

         you this Christmas season.

         May your New Year be filled

         with God’s rhymes.

Reflection on The Beginning of Forever

This was our 2015 Christmas card.  Three previous years are in “God’s Rhyme” titled “The Christmas Progression.”

God Still Rhymes © 2019, pg. 101

2 from God Still Rhymes, the Chapter titled Rhymes Without Verses

TRADITION

The only tradition we should honor is the love of God for us.  Forever loving us even as we honored other traditions in our adultery.  Sending his son, his saving grace.  Mighty to save, his tradition throughout all of history is the tradition of sacrifice completed by the last necessary sacrifice, the fully spotless Lamb of God, his son Jesus.  His love for his children continues on into eternity.  No longer orphans, through the tradition of his love we are forever children of God, the only tradition we need.  We only need to believe, accept and live it. 

No we don’t need the traditions of man, just the tradition God has given to man.

God Still Rhymes © 2019, pg. 51

GOD HATES SIN

God hates sin but loves the sinner.  So we must also love ourselves.  There is no judgement to be made by those who live in sin.  We would have to judge ourselves.  I’ll leave the judgement to God.  I’ll enjoy the satisfaction of his love over the dissatisfaction of his judgement.

In us he builds a temple, why would we destroy it?

God Still Rhymes © 2019, pg. 49

If you give

Him the times

As you live

His word rhymes ©

And we’ll leave you with this:  “We are the Kings kids and you will never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus.” ©

Follow is on our website

www.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

https://www.lettrapress.com

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 "

"We are the King’s kids and you’ll never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus."

PODCAST 30, 3-10 – SHOW NOTES & COPYRIGHTD, Date: 11/12/21

4 poems from Living In God’s Rhyme (©2018).  We’ll be talking about who we are and what we have without God in our lives.  God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Our first poem is found on page 151.

I HAVE NOTHING

I have nothing to add to the word of God.

I have nothing to add to his love for me.

I have nothing to offer to make me worthy.

I have nothing to add to God’s rhymes.

That is true, but . . . 

I can believe in His word.

I can accept his love for me.

I can accept that through Jesus I am worthy.

I can become one of God’s rhymes.

I can offer my life to God.

I can spread the Good News of salvation.

I can be a reflection of his love.

I can share the end of the Christmas story.

I have nothing on my own to give to God, 

But with God I have everything to give.

I have every reason to live for him.

I have hope for life eternal with him.

I have nothing until I have God in my life,

Until I accept the atoning sacrifice

That showed his love for me.

I can accept Jesus, my savior,

My redeemer, my hope, my everything.

Thoughts on the Way to Church

The lost sheep,

Are we led,

Led to the way

Or led astray,

Are we fed

By the Bread of Life

Or captive to strife

There are random thoughts that cross my mind

That make me seek the words to find

That will feed me and lead me

To the right words to write

No questions,

No exclamations

Period?

Just the question,

As lost sheep are we led,

As lost sheep are we fed

To the truth, by the truth

Of who God is, 

What Jesus has done

And the mission 

Of the Holy Spirit?

Do we ever question God’s love?

Do we ever shout an exclamation?

Or do we just end with a period?

God’s love for us is never in question,

We should shout to the world in exclamation

That with God our lives will not end with a period.

Discussion:

It’s not unusual for me to get caught up in punctuation or lack thereof.   I think our lives on this earth will end with an exclamation point!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now going back in the book to page 142

THOUGHTS FROM READING PETER

I just finished reading 1 Peter

And I am continually reminded 

That the Bible is as much about today

As it is about yesterday,

And it is much about tomorrow

As it is about all of our todays

As it is about all of the yesterdays.

As I read I wondered about tomorrow

And what may lead to our sorrow,

But then I remembered that tomorrow

Will worry about itself.

We are told not to worry

So why do we have to hurry

To get through today?

Maybe I need to pray.

No matter where I have read

God’s word it has kept me fed.

I just have to remember

That as a family member

I live with God, through his grace.

I may fail today in so many ways,

But with God, tomorrow is a new day.

Discussion:

Don’t give up on you day is a struggle.  There is always a better tomorrow with God.

Yes, there will be times when that struggle we are going through will last more than a day.  Don’t give up, God has a plan and that plan is for your betterment.

Now on to page 89, one of my favorites.

THE DINNER TABLE

At the end of the day, before the stars of night,

A family sits at a table, holding hands they pray,

Thanking the Lord for his bounty, the food they eat,

The hands they do hold, for all they receive.

Perhaps it is the first prayer a child does learn,

That all we need comes from his infinite love,

That the fruits of our labor are on the table,

And even more in our love for him and his children.

The family around the table shares their days,

Their joys, their sorrows, their hopes, their desires.

By starting their meal with a prayer

They have set the course for their lives.

At the table in God’s sight

Seeds are sown that they always may

Share their blessing with those they meet,

To share God’s grace that others may believe.

Praying, each in their turn,

They lift their thanks to the one above.

By this, as a family, they are able

To lift others from where they have been.

As a family together, each one prays

That they may live a life that God inspires,

As he encourages them to care

From the table to help others they leave.

It may be at the dinner table

That our faith may be shown

To our children as we pray, 

Offering our thanksgiving,

And show them we are 

Children of God

And together

We are part

Of God’s family.

Our kids learned a prayer at First Baptist Nursery School before having their snack.  Our 5 kids and a few grandkids went there for preschool.  It became our dinner prayer and we still say this prayer when we get together as parts and the whole family.  We have been doing this for the last 40 years.  You talk about tradition, I like this one.

      Thank you for the world so sweet

      Thank you for the food we eat

      Thank you for the birds that sing

      Thank you God (Lord) for everything

MATTHEW 14:13-21 (pg. 52)

After the beheading of John the Baptist, Jesus withdrew to a solitary place.  The crowd followed him.  Seeing them, he healed the sick.  As night approached his disciples told him to send the crowd to the nearby villages to buy themselves food.  This was not going to happen.  Jesus told the disciples to feed the crowd.  With only five loaves and two fish he gave thanks in prayer.  The crowd was fed.

Jesus gave thanks and prayed

For the loaves and fish to be multiplied.

The needs of the crowd were satisfied,

He healed them,

He fed them, 

Their blessings were multiplied.

Our needs, our prayers the Lord receives

If we have believed,

If we have received

He blesses the one who believes.

As Jesus prayed

His prayer was answered,

Answered

With abundance.

God answers our prayers,

He answers them with abundance.

Ask what is pleasing to him 

And he will pour out his grace

Which is beyond our knowing.

But his abundance, 

His love, will always be showing,

Our blessings will be multiplied.

Follow is on our website

www.livingingodsrhyme.com

Follow us on our YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqSR3-0c9FfAZnblwJ2u0dA

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

https://www.lettrapress.com

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 "

"We are the King’s kids and you’ll never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus."

29, 3-9 - SHOW NOTES & COPYRIGHTS, 11/5/2021

Three more poems from Living In God’s Rhyme (© 2017 by Tim Carter).  Thoughts about letting God into my life and the transformation that happens.  That transformation is available to all of us.

First poem can be found on page 147

DO NOT LET ME SIT

I sit with pen in hand because it is too hard to stand.

I sit in the chair looking up in the air.

I think that I know, but is it really so?

And I realize that for thoughts to materialize

Praying to you is what I must do.

Lord, I love you, I really do.

I do not wish, but hope instead

That I can pray and clear my head

So that today all I desire is you.

I am what I am, I do not like to hear,

For that to be true, I must abandon you.

I am what I am, that I greatly fear,

If that is so, then I have not been made anew.

My prayer, Lord, is that I let you be 

Who you are, so that what you see in me

Is more that I am alone, but all that I am with you.

It is only by your grace that with me you are not through.

And as I place my trust in you I see each line is longer

As my faith, my love, my hope in you, Lord, gets stronger.

Lord, with you I know there is no danger

That one day we may become strangers.

Lord,

Help me to pray every day,

To read your word and know what I have heard.

Help me to spread your good news to more than a few,

To more than those sitting in the pew not knowing what to do.

Lead me to those, the ones you chose

To hear of you and all that you have done.

May every day be the beginning 

Of showing others that winning

In life need not be full of stress,

Not when you, Lord, are here to bless. 

Thank you, Lord, that these words 

That rhyme have a reason.

That the thoughts that are written

Will always be in season.

For it is with you, Father, that our lives are full,

That when we care, it is you that we share.

From page 149

WHOSE WORDS

And this is my prayer; that your love may abound

more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 

so that you may be able to discern what is best 

and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes 

Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.

Phil 1:9,10

Whose words do we seek 

As we hear others speak?

Are they the words of truth

That in us will bear fruit?

As believers do we know God’s word

Or do we only know what we have heard?

Do we ever make the time to know

What God’s word says so we may grow?

Do we have the desire to understand

Where it is God wants us to stand?

Do we search his word, do we make the time to study

So that when someone speaks we are not just putty?

Do we know when the words are from God and not from man?

To understand your word we must have a yearning

To listen to others and not overlook our own learning.

Through prayer and reflection in our time alone

With you, Father, we will mature in our love for the cornerstone.

The cornerstone of your church, of our faith, your Son Jesus,

Is fully known as we seek in your word how you see us.

We must read so we know the truth when we hear it

And know what is not from you so we may not be near it.

You, Lord, love us every day

So every day we must pray 

That as we read we know what you say

About the truth of your grace and your way.

Thank you, Lord, for what you do,

Help us to be more than just a few,

Help us to know and spread your word

So others cannot say they never heard.

The last on is found on page 152

I HAVE NOTHING

I have nothing to add to the word of God.

I have nothing to add to his love for me.

I have nothing to offer to make me worthy.

I have nothing to add to God’s rhymes.

That is true, but . . . 

I can believe in His word.

I can accept his love for me.

I can accept that through Jesus I am worthy.

I can become one of God’s rhymes.

I can offer my life to God.

I can spread the Good News of salvation.

I can be a reflection of his love.

I can share the end of the Christmas story.

I have nothing on my own to give to God, 

But with God I have everything to give.

I have every reason to live for him.

I have hope for life eternal with him.

I have nothing until I have God in my life,

Until I accept the atoning sacrifice

That showed his love for me.

I can accept Jesus, my savior,

My redeemer, my hope, my everything.

Thoughts on the Way to Church

The lost sheep,

Are we led,

Led to the way

Or led astray,

Are we fed

By the Bread of Life

Or captive to strife

There are random thoughts that cross my mind

That make me seek the words to find

That will feed me and lead me

To the right words to write

No questions,

No exclamations

Period?

Just the question,

As lost sheep are we led,

As lost sheep are we fed

To the truth, by the truth

Of who God is, 

What Jesus has done

And the mission 

Of the Holy Spirit?

Do we ever question God’s love?

Do we ever shout an exclamation?

Or do we just end with a period?

God’s love for us is never in question,

We should shout to the world in exclamation

That with God our lives will not end with a period.

As promised, here is the link to the last Poem Tim read from Facebook

https://livingingodsrhymepodcast.podcastpage.io/blog/praying-for-a-prayer

Follow is on our website

www.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

https://www.lettrapress.com

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 "

"We are the King’s kids and you’ll never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus."

28, 3-8 – SHOW NOTES & COPYRIGHTS, TERRI HILL INTERVIEW

Today we are interviewing Terri Hill.  I met Terri at an event for Martha’s House this summer.  After asking Martha about an interview, something led me to ask Terri.  She is the founder of Executive Document Productions.  Her resume encompasses so much more than that as I found out talking with Terri at another Martha’s House event.  It’s amazing what you can find out over dinner.

I did ask her if she would look through the three books and find three poems she liked so they could be read before and after the interview.  I’ll read 2 short ones now.  This one surprised me and yet it didn’t.  

From God Still Rhymes (© 2018, by Tim Carter), pg. 25

This one surprised me and yet it didn’t.  

FIRST VALENTINE (written in 1973)

love is a valentine

and you are mine

all of life starts

when you give your heart

to shine as the sun

on that special someone

and all that you are

is what you share

being sure always to care

for the ev’ning star

all your giving

is what I am living

you have given your gift

giving my spirits a lift

giving yourself to my keeping

not knowing the weeping

of a broken valentine

we haven’t the time

for it is filled with happiness

everything from our togetherness

love is a valentine

and you are mine

From God Still Rhymes (© 2018, by Tim Carter), pg. 130

WHO AM I?

Jesus asked his disciples,

“Who do you say I am”?

Who did they think he was?

And in times of doubt I ask myself,

“Who do I think I am?”

At these times in my life

I know I must reply,

I am reborn,

I am saved,

I am forgiven,

I am redeemed,

I am made holy in his sight,

I am blessed,

I am loved,

I am a child of God!

And there, without words, 

Is the rhyme of who I am,

I am one with God!

Forever in his sight

I am now made right.

Though I may stumble and fall,

My name he will always call,

Always and forever,

He will leave me never.

Yes, I am a child of God.

That is who he says I am.

INTERVIEW

Let’s finish with her third choice. 

This is from Living In God’s Rhyme (© 2017, by Tim Carter), pg. 72

And one we did last week.

THE HEALING OF FORGIVENESS

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling 

and slander, along with every form of malice.  

Be kind and compassionate to one another,

forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  Eph. 4:30,31

What needs to be said about this verse?

Though some words may sound terse,

They are covered in the blood

Jesus shed for those he loved.

He has loved

And still does.

Though we have sinned

He has sent a mighty wind

To lift his people up

As we drink from his cup.

We are hurt in so many ways,

Slander, malice, anger and rage.

We are left alone, left defeated.

That’s what we do to those God loves.

Sometimes we are they, the other one,

To whom the harm and hurt is done.

We all keep a running total, we tally the sum

Of each and every day they block out the Son.

We are told to forgive throughout God’s word,

Told enough that we should have heard,

If with God we live

We are called to forgive.

If God can forgive, so must we.

It is by his forgiving of our sin

That over death we do win.

Why is it so hard for us to see?

God loves so much that he died.

Died in the form of his Son

For the times we lied,

For all we have done.

A death we deserved, 

A death we did earn,

But now as we turn

Our place is reserved.

Jesus died once for all,

For all who hear his call,

The call of God’s holy grace

That one day we may see his face.

We are but mere mortal man.

How can our sin against another

Be greater than our sin 

Against he who created man?

We are commanded to forgive,

So then we must have the trust

To accept the word we have heard

That for God and his children we live.

God loves us

And if we love him,

We will follow his commands.

We will love our neighbor 

And with them we will stand.

It is when were are one with God

And one with our fellow man,

Those who have scorned and hurt

That the healing can begin.

God healed us through the death of his Son.

His forgiving of our sins has healed our souls.

Though God is perfect, was he healed of a broken heart?

Does he smile more at each new day’s start?

Do We Forget?

It is often said, “I can forgive, but I will never forget.”

His word says, our sins forgiven, he will remember no more.

Forgiveness begins the healing, forgetting is the cure.

His ways are not our ways

And our ways are not his ways.

But though we may ask why,

We must always and forever try,

Try to understand

What he commands.

Prayer

If you give

Him the times

As you live

His word rhymes

And, we are the kings kids and  you will never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus.

Follow is on our website

www.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

https://www.lettrapress.com

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 "

"We are the King’s kids and you’ll never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus."

27, 3-7 – SHOW NOTES AND COPYRIGHTS, 10/23/2021

Today we are going to discuss me and my writing relationship with God.  I have talked about praying before, but for an introvert, which I am, there is a reason for writing.  Writing poetry is me.  I am more comfortable expressing myself on the written page than on a personal level.  At least that was me until . . . . . . 

The 3 poems I have chosen today are from Living In God’s Rhyme. (©2017 by Tim Carter)

AN INTROVERT’S VOICE (pg. 39)

It is that voice inside,

Inside his brain, his mind,

That is like a moving train.

Silently, it is that kind.

Thoughts like the wind,

Blowing brain matter around,

Scattering rhyming letters

Everywhere without a sound.

It’s not that he has nothing to say,

And it’s not that he has lost his way.

It’s more like he has turned to stone

From feeling safe when being alone.

He can smile

For a while.

Yes, he can talk,

But would rather walk.

I guess it’s hard to explain

This silent running train.

Thoughts are there having formed words,

So many words that no one has heard,

Words that haven’t found a voice,

Unsure of how to make a choice.

For him, uncertain,

He closes the curtain.

Unable to explain,

His voice is quiet.

So he writes

Words of rights,

Words of wrongs.

It is here

Where he is strong

So you can hear.

An unspoken after thought:

Not sure it makes any sense.

More an exercise in 

Rhyming introspection

Than an explanation.

Or maybe it is more.

THE BOOK ON THE SHELF (Pg. 153)_

I asked the Lord, what do I write

He replied, write of yourself

Take the book of your life off the shelf

Open you heart and turn on the light

So, here I am, where have I misplaced that book

The many nooks and crannies where I have looked

Were empty, as if they had been visited by a crook

When did I last use it, that memory someone took

I prayed, Lord, show me what I have missed

At which he led me through a fine and foggy mist

To the place on a shelf

Where I found myself.

Sometimes I close the cover to my life

And then I find that every day is a fight

As I fail to follow the light he has shining on me

A light that does reflect from him so that I can see

I have these days when I lose my way

When the world around me tears at my heart

When the world around me leads me astray

When I awake sleepy eyed at the day’s new start

Maybe it was a word, a thought, a slight I did perceive

Something I was unprepared that day to receive

Maybe it was just me

Maybe I just didn’t see

The book on the shelf is where I was found 

The book where the story of my life is bound

Where God placed me to keep me safe

As the world around me runs its race

Sometimes I get off track in the race I run

When I confuse God’s blessings with earthly fun

When I get caught in life’s struggles before the day is done

When I distract myself from the life I have with God’s Son

My story is one of God’s love for me

A story of his infinite grace in my life

His forgiving of my many wanderings

A story of my faith in God and his in me

Reflection on The Book on the Shelf

There is no punctuation when the day is a run on sentence

A sentence without bars, but one that can easily become a prison

THE WRITER OF WORDS (Pg. 76)

The writer of words of thoughts and dreams,

A never ending stream flowing through his mind,

Sometimes, most times, not knowing what he will find.

In reflection, wondering what it all means.

There is a call that his quiet voice

Will without sound become his choice

To be the messenger of your glory,

Of all the ways only you, God, are holy.

Oh, there are day dreams

And every day schemes

That make his life seem

To be without a rhyme.

There are the times without rhymes,

There is the day with nothing to say.

There are wanderings in his head

That are better left unsaid.

But when he does pray that what he does say,

That what he has heard, is the voice of your word.

Turning everything over to you, 

There is nothing he cannot do.

You, Lord, know the readers hearts.

You, Lord, have restored the lost chord.

You, Lord, are there before the day starts.

You, Lord, are above the earthly horde.

So this writer of words does pray

That what you have to say

Will come through to others,

To his sisters and brothers.

The writer needs the reader of his verse

More than the reader has ever known.

It is the reader whose seeds are sown

To help the writer avoid a lifelong curse.

One can write and not share,

That is if one does not care

To follow God’s command,

To not drown in the sand.

So the writer writes out of the need

To know that it is God he does heed,

His command to share the gospel

To help make God’s children well.

To help make us well not just for a spell.

God’s word will our lives save

As we believe on what Jesus gave.

The writer will not drift, accepting God’s gift.

Thank you, Lord

For your Word 

Reflection on The Writer of Words

I was trying to stay a couple of days ahead in my writing for Facebook in case I ran into writer’s block. But, as happens at times, God has other ideas about writer’s block. I had written the previous day’s post for Facebook a couple of hours before this one.  I had an idea for a poem, then God took over. This is about the soul of a writer who tries to obey when God talks. Now, I just have to listen in the rest of my life. 

From Tim's Phone Notes

I say do not go where you do not know.

Where the way is bound you may not be found.

But we travel this road with our heavy load.

Before journey’s end find yourself a friend,

One who is true, knowing God’s view.

Though you may find the road does wind

Through sand and thorns and rising storms,

As you hold His hand you will understand

The peace of His way as you daily pray.

Before the setting sun you will rejoice in His Son.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He gave His for yours and mine. It is through Him that we will see the face of God.

10/12/2021, 10:36 pm, tcarter 

From Tim's Phone, unfinished

These two brothers 

Are inviting others 

To join in

To listen 

As they discuss and praise

The One God did raise.

There are rhymes

Of the times

They heard a voice 

And made a choice,

Times of laughter 

Before and after 

As their

PRAYER

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 us because we are His with Jesus.” ©

Follow is on our website

www.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

https://www.lettrapress.com

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 "

"We are the King’s kids and you’ll never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus."

26, 3-6 – SHOW NOTES & COPYRIGHTS – Revised 10/11/21

Here we are again, 4 poems from Living In God’s Rhyme whose common thread is God & Jesus & one other thing.  I like the randomness of our discussions when I don’t  set it up in the show notes.  I’m sure there is a better word than randomness I could use.  All 4 are from God Still Rhymes (©2017 by Tim Carter)

Our first poem is found on pg. 74

THE HEALING OF FORGIVENESS

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling 

and slander, along with every form of malice.  

Be kind and compassionate to one another,

forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  Eph. 4:30,31

What needs to be said about this verse?

Though some words may sound terse,

They are covered in the blood

Jesus shed for those he loved.

He has loved

And still does.

Though we have sinned

He has sent a mighty wind

To lift his people up

As we drink from his cup.

We are hurt in so many ways,

Slander, malice, anger and rage.

We are left alone, left defeated.

That’s what we do to those God loves.

Sometimes we are they, the other one,

To whom the harm and hurt is done.

We all keep a running total, we tally the sum

Of each and every day they block out the Son.

We are told to forgive throughout God’s word,

Told enough that we should have heard,

If with God we live

We are called to forgive.

If God can forgive, so must we.

It is by his forgiving of our sin

That over death we do win.

Why is it so hard for us to see?

God loves so much that he died.

Died in the form of his Son

For the times we lied,

For all we have done.

A death we deserved, 

A death we did earn,

But now as we turn

Our place is reserved.

Jesus died once for all,

For all who hear his call,

The call of God’s holy grace

That one day we may see his face.

We are but mere mortal man.

How can our sin against another

Be greater than our sin 

Against he who created man?

We are commanded to forgive,

So then we must have the trust

To accept the word we have heard

That for God and his children we live.

God loves us

And if we love him,

We will follow his commands.

We will love our neighbor 

And with them we will stand.

It is when were are one with God

And one with our fellow man,

Those who have scorned and hurt

That the healing can begin.

God healed us through the death of his Son.

His forgiving of our sins has healed our souls.

Though God is perfect, was he healed of a broken heart?

Does he smile more at each new day’s start?

Do We Forget?

It is often said, “I can forgive, but I will never forget.”

His word says, our sins forgiven, he will remember no more.

Forgiveness begins the healing, forgetting is the cure.

His ways are not our ways

And our ways are not his ways.

But though we may ask why,

We must always and forever try,

Try to understand

What he commands.

Reflection on The Healing of Forgiveness

The idea for this poem came to me on the afternoon of Day 29 of posting this books poems on Facebook. Mary Lou and I discussed it at an early dinner at the Atrium Café. After finding the verse I wanted and started walking toward the computer I had this thought; a word smith could spend more than an entire life time writing about God’s word, that is how great God is. He is endless.  I’m sorry this is so long, but the words kept coming. I never know anymore what He will give me until His voice is quiet. The words He gave me are not the words I was thinking of before I sat down to write.

On pg. 125

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. 

On pg. 41

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.

As I think about these poems one thought that comes to mind is, forgiveness is an everlasting gentle love.

If you give

Him the times

As you live

His word rhymes

Follow is on our website

www.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

https://www.lettrapress.com

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 "

"We are the King’s kids and you’ll never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus."

25, Season Episode 5 - SHOW NOTES & COPYRIGHTS (10/8/21)

I would like to apologize for a mistake I made in last week’s podcast.  When talking about David and the Psalms, I said he earned his salvation.  The did not earn it, he prayed to live in God’s salvation.  It is only by God’s grace we find salvation.  Forgive me for my mis-statement.

Again this week I m not sure where this one is going.  4 poems from Living In God’s Rhyme (©2017 by Tim Carter).  Again the common thread is God and Jesus.  That is  more than good enough.  We’ll just follow the Spirit where He leads.

From Living In God’s Rhyme, pg. 29

MONDAY MORNING THE NIGHT BEFORE

There is nothing to say

Nothing new in any way

Except the thunder I hear

Slowly as it moves near

There is one difference I have noticed

Since putting letters together that form the words

Well now two

I have misplaced the punctuation

And one line is too long

But through it all,

On this day I still hear

His voice, his call.

He is still, as always, here.

Always and forever

Includes tomorrow,

Knowing the he will never

Leave me in my sorrow.

Another day to be in his presence

Another hour to be thankful

That through his grace my penance,

He has taken from me, it is paid in full.

So, I will awake in the morning,

To the rising Son.

There will be no mourning,

The battle he has won.

The only fear I will know

Is the awesome reverence

That by his holiness I must show

To God for taking my repentance.

Monday morning’s prayer is

That all my desires

Are that I live wanting what is his,

His love for me is all I desire.

On pg. 34

THE RHYME OF GOD, THE RHYME OF ME

There may be no rhymes

As in other times.

But it is not that the Lord

Has struck a lost chord.

(if he did it would be sung

as every church bell was rung)

His rhyme is his word,

The scriptures we read

Through which he plants the seed,

With hope that we have heard.

It is through his grace

That we see his face

In those we meet

And those we greet.

If we believe,

In us lives his rhyme

Forever in time.

He will not deceive.

Then I decided to write

About something right,

But got it wrong

Because it was me,

Me, just me, alone.

I can wander in this world,

Oblivious to all that is good.

I can try by myself

To lift myself up,

Up above the 

Hustle without

The bustle,

And fail 

Because the bustle

Of this world

Is the hustle

That tells me

All I see

Is all I need.

Then I awake from what I hope was a dream,

Hoping that all is not what it seemed.

I look in the mirror and see

The reflection of what I used to be.

What I used to be before

My Savior redeemed me,

Made me righteous in his eyes,

The eyes of his Father in Heaven above.

Every moment of every day I felt his love.

A love for me and those who surround

My life, who have oft times run aground.

I pray that what I dream

Is never real.

I pray that what may seem

Somewhat surreal

Is nothing more than a bad dream

From a bad movie scene.

As I live I pray that temptation

I turn over to my Savior

Who has conquered my sin

No matter where I’ve been.

When I turn my back

I lose my sight

Of what is wrong

And who is right.

May I focus my eyes,

The eyes of my soul,

So that to my sin I die.

He has mended the hole.

Reflection on The Rhyme of God, the Rhyme of Me

Someone once asked me at a book signing where the name God’s Rhyme came from for the first book. From Him I said, He is the Rhyme. Later I realized that I also had a poem in the book with that title. What a memory!

On pg. 47

HAVE WE SEEN, HAVE WE HEARD, ARE WE HEALED

“Though seeing, they do not see,

    though hearing they do not hear or

          understand. 

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah;

    You will be ever hearing but never 

          understanding;

    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

    For this people’s heart has become

          calloused;

    They hardly hear with their ears,

    and they have closed their eyes.

    Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

          hear with their ears,

          understand with their hearts

    and turn, and I would heal them,”

Matthew 13: 13-15

The heart keeps the body alive

Pumping blood through our veins

So in living we might thrive,

We might live without bodily pains.

But when calloused our heart becomes,

We seek wealth

Instead of health.

Our days become totals of our sums.

Our hearing, our sight

Do not hear or see the fight

As we run from the light

Into darkness.

This world has forsaken the light.

Living with our adulterous gods of money and sin,

Never knowing what should be right,

Never knowing that tomorrow we may not win.

We believe that the easy road leads to pleasure

As we follow our heart to find the treasure,

The satisfaction of believing we are good,

Not knowing we never really understood.

Have we heard someone speak

That as mere mortals we are weak?

Has someone ever taken our hand

And lifted us up to stand?

Has anyone asked you to listen, to look

At your yesterdays and todays to see what you took,

To see that we have no gain

For what we cause in a world of pain?

Someone please shout,

Shout the world about

About God’s saving grace

As we have we run this race.

Be healed,

Your fate sealed

By believing

And receiving

The Son

Of the one

And only God

Who loves us all.

Please,

Hear His call.

Reflection on Have We Seen, Have We Heard, Are We Healed”

Near the end of God’s Rhyme I noticed that the poetry was changing. There was more of the pain we cause God. I should correct that, more of the pain I cause God. It culminated with the last poem I wrote for the book, Broken Hearted. It was about how throughout Old Testament and New Testament history we have broken God’s heart. I think the God Still Rhymes has that in it also. In writing the third book I am finding that I am being led to continue that theme, that and the need for God in our lives, so our hearts will not be broken at the end of our days.

We read the following poem on Episode 8 of Season 1.  There must have been something or someone that led me to use the poem again on this episode.  Let’s see if we can figure it out.  It is on pg. 69

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.

more noncents

SLEEPLESS IN . . . , no not Seattle

Can’t sleep

So I’ll keep

On writing

Stop the fighting

The tossing and turning

And constant yearning

To fall asleep

Without a peep.

It’s like a run on sentence

Without ending, period

Words will rhyme

Why not time

That’s a question

Of my hesitation

To lay my head

Upon my bed

And there the sentence ends.

Oh my,

Oh why

Does my brain not sends,

Plural for more than once,

Understanding to me?

I have no pillow that I can see!

There it is on the floor

By the dresser drawer.

Must have been in a fight

Sometime earlier in the night.

Now I can lay my head

On the pillow on the bed.

Good night and sweet dreams I wish for myself. (It’s cloudy so I can’t wish upon a star.)

That’s enough!

Don’t make another peep!

It isn’t tough.

Close your eyes and go to sleep!

Do it now!!!!

Closing Prayer

If you give

Him the times

As you live

His word rhymes

 We are the King’s kids and you will never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus.

Follow is on our website

www.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

https://www.lettrapress.com

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 "

"We are the King’s kids and you’ll never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus."

24, 3-4 - SHOW NOTES & COPYRIGHTS (10/1/21)

Not sure where this one is going.  4 poems from all three  books.  The common thread is God and Jesus.  The is  more than good enough.  We’ll just follow the Spirit where He leads.

From God’s Rhyme, pg 41

PLEASURES FOREVER MORE

“You will show me the path of life; 

in Your presence is fullness of joy, 

at Your right hand are pleasures forever more.”     Psalms 16:11, Amplified

The old Testament speaks of Him.

Prophets and kings were aware of Him.

God’s children did seek of His coming,

Praying to be heirs of His coming.

The path He has shown – 

straight & narrow

the way to Heaven is known.

Thru His life He did give

the Father’s way

of how we should live.

His joy is ours forever more –

thru His resurrection

He has opened Heaven’s door.

& by being born again

we will enjoy His presence

in spite of our sin.

He sits at the Father’s right hand

where all is good

for those who will stand.

By faith we know of His presence.

Thru His spirit we are aware of His presence.

& someday we shall go to His hand

because thru Him we are heirs to His hand.

Be joyful for evermore.  Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father & there for evermore are pleasures as only Heaven knows.

 © 2019 God’s Rhyme by Tim Carter

Written in mid-1980s

From God Still Rhymes. pg 32

MISQUOTED OUT OF CONTEXT

Misquoted

out of context

nothing

will be

neither

sought after

nor

forgotten

misquoted 

out of context

Unable to defend

your silence

nothing depends

on a word

as much 

as what

someone

anyone

heard 

misquoted

out of context

The more you know

the less you say

because 

no matter

where

or to whom

you ought

to know 

your words

will be

misquoted

out of context

So perhaps

it is better

for the soul

of those souls

who repeat

what you

have not said

that only now

is your silence

misquoted

out of context

 Reflection on Misquoted Out of Context

When I read this poem today, I think of Christians, constantly having our words misquoted, misconstrued and completely taken out of context.  However, unlike the poem, we should not allow our silence to also be misquoted, for that will always be done out of context.  We must always speak in love.  It may be misquoted, but it can never be mistaken for anything other than what it is, loving our neighbors enough to care about their context in the world in which we all live.

© 2019 God Still Rhymes by Tim Carter

Written to  many years ago to remember.  But as I said in the reflection . . . 

From Living In God’s Rhyme, pg 25

MY HIGH TIDE

My life is  

like the ocean,

With highs and lows

And an ever ebbing flow

From your love into the deep.

You, Lord, are my high tide,

Covering my fears, the tears I cry

As I face each and every day

Knowing it is you I must obey.

Unable to count the grains of sand

In this life I live.

It is with your love I can stand

By the love you give.

Your love covers my transgression,

And the world’s aggression,

That as it seeks me out

It no longer has clout.

For me there is no longer any harm.

I am embraced by your loving arms.

Living in your grace

I can finish the race.

Yes, at low tide living in this world

Where thoughts and deeds are just swirled,

Swirled around with too much sound,

Now in your high tide your peace I have found.

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

This one came from my need to write.

Another one from Living In God’s Rhyme, pg 58

ANOTHER DAY TODAY

Not an unusual day,

But I’m glad it’s over.

There’s not a lot to say

Except the day lost its way

About a third into its hours.

Thankfully it didn’t turn sour.

Driving home, seeing the clouds

And thinking, as usual, aloud,

With the threat of rain

There were patches of blue.

There were more than a few.

It made me think of a refrain

From a song 

From a time long

Beyond the past,

Time that did not last

But is reborn every day

As to the Lord I pray.

Today when I looked at the sky

I knew there was a reason why,

I finally was glad

For the day I had,

Before I saw the blue,

Before I once more knew

That God is always there,

That he always does care.

When I am otherwise 

Occupied with my time,

When I feel the seas rise,

At the end of the day

He always finds a way 

To share with me his rhyme.

There is beauty in every day

And at the right time

He shows me the way,

Every day, all of the time.

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

This is me a lot of days.

PSALM 51:10

10 Create in me a pure heart, oh God,

       And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

       Or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

       And grant me a willing spirit, 

          to sustain me.

I have been reading the Psalms, Revelation and rereading Ephesians 10, The Armor of God. I have found peace and hope and also understanding: Peace and hope in knowing God is in control, and the understanding of the tomorrows we will face. With God we will be prepared for tomorrow. With the Armor of God we will find peace in the hope we have through Jesus.

Our God has prepared us

For all to come through Jesus,

By His grace we are with His Son

Through whom the battle has been won.

We will face fears,

We will face tears,

Still we will not die

From another’s lie.

Living for this world, no, never.

Living for Jesus,

Our salvation will last forever.

He has saved us.

Hallelujah, praise the Father.

Hallelujah, praise the Son,

Hallelujah, praise the Holy Spirit.

Amen

9/27/2021, tcarter

Follow is on our website

www.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

https://www.lettrapress.com

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 "

"We are the King’s kids and you’ll never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus."

If you give

Him the times

As you live

His word rhymes

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

And as always, don’t forget:  

We are the Kings kids and you will never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus.

 © 2019 God’s Rhyme by Tim Carter

RIc7nrA0wxm9JAxTWyr7

23, 3-3 - SHOW NOTES, 9/24/21

Martha’s House, Home of Me Time Ministry

DISCUSSION:

1. How we met

2. Mission Statement  

    A place God has prepared for women of all ages to retreat, renew, relax, refresh, revive, restore and reconnect to themselves.  The building has a game room, TV room and a prayer room.

3.Her journey from childhood to now

4. Finding Jesus

5.  Starting Me Time

6. Books she has written

7. Her message to our listeners

After Interview

MARTHA’S HOUSE

In the Bible Martha extended hospitality in her house to neighbors and Jesus.

In Port Huron Martha’s House extends blessings to her neighbors and Jesus.

THOUGHTS FROM TALKING WTH MARTHA

Yesterday and today

Women of faith

May lead the race

We in this world run

Beyond the setting sun

A safe place

A friendly face

A time to share

A time for prayer

Receiving encouragement

Overcoming discouragement

Gospel words are said

And their souls are fed

The times they gather

They share together

Who they are

Who they will be

And with Jesus they will see

Heaven beyond the morning star

7/22/2021, tcarter

I see Martha in Matthew 7:13

“When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”  I think he has done tis many times for Martha. 

Jesus said these words, “don’t cry,” to a woman who was a widow and was burying he only son.  Her son was the one left to care for her and her needs.   I’m sure that Martha has heard these words before and her faith has given her many, many blessings also.

I think Matthew 22:37 is a perfect for Martha’s House & Martha herself.

“Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

One last poem about Martha’s House:

FOR MARTHA’S HOUSE

Time to share with those who care,

Mothers and others in need of rest

From the demands of the day.

There is a place where they can pray,

Not just alone, but with another

Who is in need of being around.

Then sisters will hear the sound

From Heaven above and feel the love

Of the almighty God in the love of others.

Time to rest,

No longer distressed, 

The support of sisters,

The healing of love.

A hand to hold,

Arms to hug, 

The support of sisters,

The healing of love.

9/12/2021, tcarter

That dear friends is what I see.

Closing Prayer

Pray for Martha and her ministry listeners, their faith and health.  Thank God for the the blessings He has bestowed en Dave and me.

If you give

Him the times

As you live

His word rhymes

And as always remember, we are the Kings kids and you will never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus.

https://www.facebook.com/marthasmetime

Follow is on our website

www.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

https://www.lettrapress.com

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 "

"We are the King’s kids and you’ll never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus."

22, 3-2-SHOW NOTES & COPYRIGHTS, 10/17/21

As far as today’s show notes are concerned, I want to announce, very loudly and clearly, that I used spell check and any misspellings are not from my fingers tapping on the letters on the keyboard.  That’s all I have to say.

Now it’s up to you, Dave. . . . . . . . . . . . . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Today we have poems about Jesus being the Bread of Life, the wonder of God’s way, a couple of the amazing things God has done for me, and God’s rest.

MATTHEW 16:6  (Living In God’s Rhyme, pg. 179)

I tremble in fear as I write these words,

Not in fear of what the reader may think.

I tremble in fear, in awe of God that stirred

My heart to believe I can be his scribe.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments

There are warnings about false prophets.

Warnings were given during the times of the law

And again today knowing all his people saw.

During the times of the Law

God’s chosen ones were instructed

As they sought their release

To eat unleavened bread.

Today we are saved by unleavened bread

Jesus the bread of life knew no sin.

In Matthew we find that the rulers of the law,

The Pharisees and the Sadducees, fought what they saw.

Though seeing they were unbelieving,

Missing God’s mighty wonder and awe.

After refusing the demands of those who were blind

Jesus left the religious leaders and others behind.

When they went across the lake, 

the disciples forgot to take bread.

“Be careful,” Jesus said to them.  

“Be on your guard against the yeast 

of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Matthew 16:5,6

The disciples perhaps confused,

Or perhaps like a writer confounded,

Wondered if what he said

Was because they didn’t bring any bread.

Knowing of their discussion, Jesus asked,

“You of little faith, why are you talking 

among yourselves about having no bread?

(Matthew 16:8)

And he reminded them of the times

They gathered baskets and baskets of loaves 

That were left over, which were more,

More than they had when they began.

Jesus continued,

“How is it you don’t understand that I 

was not talking to you about bread?

Be on guard against the yeast 

of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

(Matthew 16:11)

Then the disciples knew as we should know

That it was not the yeast used in the bread

That they should guard against, but the preaching

Of those leaders in power and their false teaching.

Today there are those who profess

To know better than the rest,

That the Jesus they teach

They will show you how to reach.

God’s ways are not our ways

And any word we add or change

That leads a one in need astray,

For us life will become stranger, 

Stranger with danger.

Jesus, the Bread of Life, needs no yeast.

Nothing needs to be added, no nothing,

How do we improve on perfection,

Ours through his death and resurrection?

We need to read God’s word,

We need to pray for wisdom

To know the words of man we have heard

Are the words that rule God’s Kingdom.

©2018 Living In God’s Rhyme by Tim Carter

Ok, the last 2 lines are confusing or mis-written.  It has been 4 years since I wrote this poem.  My hope is that I was trying to say that we need to pray for wisdom so we know if the word man speaks are the words of God, that rule His kingdom.

Maybe I should have written:

To know the words of the Son of Man we have heard

Are the words that rule God’s Kingdom.

or,

To know the words of man we have heard

Are not the words that rule God’s Kingdom.

I’II work on getting that changed.  I’m not going to try to get out of this with my poetic license.

Let’s see how the next one goes.

THE WONDER OF GOD’S WAYS  (Living in God’s Rhyme, pg. 182)

 God’s love is shown and Jesus is known

As the words of King David are heard

Many years after and many years before,

After the creation and before the resurrection.

In times of grace and in time of waste

God’s love for us never falters, never fails.

His is a love we may never understand,

While on this earth we are merely man.

David writes:

the LORD is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger; abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

 he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

(Psalm 103:7-12)

How can we on this earth understand this love?

We live our lives struggling for love 

While we struggle at times to give our love.

We shake our neighbor’s hands with winter gloves.

If we have fear for the Lord, the awe and respect he deserves,

We have opened the door to our hearts to receive his grace,

If we truly believe and accept this and are not reserved

In our faith, he is faithful to forgive and remember never.

Be thankful that as Isaiah writes of God,

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.

(Isaiah 55:8,9)

Live in awe filled wonder and his voice will not thunder

Because of who he is, as we live, he forgives.

By faith through his grace, we have the gift to forever live

Through the death of his Son, who took upon himself our sin.

Be thankful God is who he is and always will be,

Be thankful God loves you and loves me,

Be thankful God created us in love

So by believing we will see him in heaven above.

God so loves us that he sent his only Son to die for our transgressions.

If his ways were our ways, we would still be dying in those transgressions.

Be thankful and accept his love, the gift of his son

So one day you will be with him when with this world you are done.

©2018 Living In God’s Rhyme by Tim Carter

One phrase in this poem had me puzzled for years.  Once I understood the meaning of one word as it relates to the Lord, my world confusion changed.  “Fear of the Lord,” why should I be afraid of a loving God?  Then, with a little research, I found the meaning of “fear of the Lord.”  It simply means to have a deep respect, reverence and awe of God’s power and authority.  I’m sure there are those listening who have know this for many years.  I am happy for you and your understanding of it.  Seek, and you shall find.  Amen

Two things inspired in the next poem.  The word amazing and bagpipes.  I love the word amazing especially when sung in the song Amazing Grace.  Yes, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.  And I especially love the song when played on the bagpipes.  I don’t know if I have Scottish blood in me.  Our dad was adopted.  But I know that the blood of Jesus has saved me by God’s amazing grace.

AMAZING  (Living In God’s Rhyme, pg. 174)

I heard music with bagpipes and a fife

And knew how wonderful was life,

Amazing grace how sweet the sound.

Standing there I looked around

And it is in that moment I found

The gift from God that was my wife.

Oh, there were years with tears,

Years of hurry and of worry,

Years to forget, of life’s regret,

Years of joy starting with a baby boy,

Years of baby girls that maybe,

No, truly brought joy with the baby boy.

Without these years I would have had fears

That being alone would turn me to stone.

I had the love of family because I was me.

I loved them as one because I knew I had won

The battle so many face as they run the race.

The race of today and what may,

What may be, what I may be

As I have confessed I am blessed

By those who love me and what they see

In this lowly man doing what he can

To help them survive and stay alive.

Alive in hope that they may cope

With the world around and its sounds.

And as they cope my prayer for hope,

For all I desire is set on fire

Through the words of Jesus who saves us,

A wretch like me that I may be

A reflection, a connection

To the God of love in Heaven above.

And to help with me, for others to see

He changed my life, he gave me my wife.

©2018 Living In God’s Rhyme by Tim Carter

REST  (God Still Rhymes, pg. 15)

 When life has taken your best,

Take a step back, but don’t look around.

Do not be disturbed by the sound

For all you ever need can be found.

All you will ever need, in God’s rest.

© 2019 God Still Rhymes by Tim Carter

What is God’s rest?  Hebrews 4:2-3 says those who have heard the good news and believe  will enter God’s rest.  As a follower of Jesus, we understand what the good news is, the news of our salvation.  By believing and trusting in Him through our salvation we can enter into His rest.  Through our salvation, Jesus has delivered us from sin which separates from God’s rest.

As we place our faith in God knowing that He is stronger than any situation we may find ourselves in, we enter God’s rest when we have done the will of God and patiently wait to receive His promise.  That’s a paraphrase for something I read earlier.

It reminds me of Psalm 46:10, be still and know that I am God.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for the opportunity you have given Dave and me with this podcast.  We pray today that you bless those who have listened to the podcast and that it has planted a seed where it needed to be planted.  We pray for the healing of those listeners who have health problems and we pray that the needs of all are met.  Amen

Believe the good news, turn your problems, your life over to God and may you rest this coming week.

If you give

Him the times

As you live

His word rhymes

And never forget, “We are the King’s kids, and you will never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus.