How do I see Jesus?

By Clayton Davis

Insightful contemplation

Regeneration

Wistful exhilaration

Without explanation

Beyond imagination

Total relaxation

Freedom

It’s not a joke

By Clayton Davis

It’s Here
It’s There
It’s Everywhere

When I close my eyes

All I can see is despair

It’s in their faces

It’s in their stride

Just making it through the day

Helps them survive on their pride

Another drink, another toke

All their pain is not a joke

When I look in the mirror, what do I see

But by the grace of God, there goes thee

Because of God’s love, I am free

For He sent Jesus to die for me

He took my infirmities, my guilt, and my shame

And wiped them from His sight

With unmerited love, mercy and grace

I now live a life worth living

A life that is in His light

The musician

By Aleta Shaheen

The musician picked up his guitar after what had seemed like an eternity.

He embraced it as he began to play.

As he plays I can feel his emotions as he strums.

His eyes shine with the passion and enthusiasm that he has for his savior.

His face grows soft and sad as he sings about his savior’s death.

His eyes dance as he announces his savior’s resurrection.

Oh, how he wishes everyone could share his passion for his Christ.

He looks around at his band members and shakes his head.

They play for themselves while he plays for his Lord.

I watch as he takes them aside and prays with them.

One member stares at the ceiling,

Another plays with her hair,

While still another is looking at the floor.

I listen in on their prayer and I hear his devotion to his God.

How he shares his hopes and dreams with Him.

How he invites Him into this place of worship.

I sit amazed as he leads his band on the stage and begins to play.

He jumps to the beat of the song.

He claps to excite the congregation.

He invites them to worship with abandonment,

Not worrying about what others may think.

I want to have his passion, his enthusiasm, his excitement.

I want to be like him.

This musician is my baby brother,

Jonathan.

Victory in Jesus

By Aaron Hoimyr

From the days that went before,

They were cloudy in sight,

and the weight of my heart slowed me down,

at the day of conscription, I was assigned to this life,

and there was no blue sky in sight.

As the winds blew by, and the sky began to cry,

the whole foundation of the earth began to move,

it shifted like sand and I never quite could stand,

for a second before I hit the ground.

With a loud shriek and sigh, I let out a battle cry,

to the commander of the army of my heart,

I cried out in sin, and let out within, my distorted love,

that wasn’t love at all

Praying and hoping that with him, I could smile with a grin,

and shout out, ‘This world is not my home!’

But to my dismay, as my heart was torn away,

I realized that happiness was not for me to find

But within the general’s heart, he saw I was torn apart,

and he never stopped looking for a way

to bring me back from sin, and to cleanse me from within,

so that when I prayed I’d look to him

I felt within me a yearning for some peace,

and a need to be cleansed by his flood,

tears would never do, this was something I’d have to prove:

a change of heart and mind towards his blood

Then with a sight of what I sought, my selfish desires that I fought,

and the feelings of fear that dwelt within

were repeated back to me, from the one and only king,

and I was told either to love them or turn away.

And when I chose to obey, to give in to his way,

I found his instructions led me out of the dark,

The clouds pulled away, and the night turned to day,

and my heart was filled with happiness from above.

He said unto me, if you follow my lead,

I will show you a path that’s never wrong,

you’ll see the cedar trees, and fall onto your knees,

’cause the sight you’re seeing now is God

With the day so very bright, and the mountains in my sight,

the warmth in winter frees me from within,

I don’t look at today as a break from all the pain,

but today is a victory that God has won

No day of warmth will pass away, without me knowing that today

is a victory instead of the eye of a storm,

the calm days will come, but today is different,

because the Lord has freed my heart from fallacy

From fallacy it’s risen, and his strength that he has given,

today is enough for me to see his plan is alive!

Now love will feel like rain, and I understand from today on my pain

is perservance of the saint within.

It is the Lord’s great delight, to see us withstand such a fight,

and to prove our faith to him evermore,

for when we stand with him, he’s a conquerer of sin,

and victory he claims, through Jesus our Lord

I will grow old, but sight will not fade,

my sight will increase,

my hearing will not fade,

but strengthen powerfully in the least

Because when by victory you know

that God will never let you go,

the one you hope in becomes evident for you to see,

and the promises you hear,

as you open up your ear,

will resonate louder as the days turn to years

The snow

By Alyssa Higgins

A woodstove

cloaked in black

warms cold hearts

and hands

expels heat,

drives away chill

while I wait,

I wait

until the cold comes

and finally,

finally

peace blankets my soul

The snow is white

like a sheet

and for a time,

undefiled purity

glows

against soft grey skies

The character of God

By Michael van Hoeve

Do you seek holiness?

Do you seek righteousness?

Do you seek justice?

Do you seek what is infinite

and eternal?

Do you seek strength?

Do you seek

an ever present companion?

Do you seek knowledge?

Do you seek wisdom?

Do you seek love?

Do you seek mercy?

Do you seek grace?

Do you seek kindness?

Do you seek

someone who cares?

Do you seek what is good?

Do you seek forgiveness?

Seek God.

Willing

By Aleta Shaheen

I watched Him as He passed me by.

I watched as He began to fall.

I did not reach out to spare His fall,

But watched as He fell toward earth.

I watched as He became oh, so vulnerable.

I watched as He lay as if dead,

The whole world on His shoulders.

I slowly moved through the crowd to be by His side.

I picked up the dark and foreboding tree.

As I looked upon the tree, I saw the sins of the world.

I gazed on His innocent face and wondered how this could be.

As I looked into His eyes I saw that He was the Messiah,

The one that I had hoped and prayed for.

I wondered how He, as the Messiah, could bear to carry this weight.

How could the Promised One die as a common murderer?

He looked me in the eyes and said,

“I am doing this for you, and I do so willingly.”

“Willingly”; how could He say that?

How can He bear to look at my sins, let alone die for them?

I did not have time to ponder this for the guard yelled for us to go on.

As I walked I thought about my sins that He bore upon His shoulders.

The lies, idolatry, blasphemy, and lust that I had committed and He bore.

Why did He do this willingly?

We crested a hill and there it lay: Golgotha.

That was where He would die.

There I would lose my Redeemer and King.

All I could do was weep as I saw the place where my Lord would be crucified.

We climbed higher and higher.

I felt Him quake as we drew near the hill.

The tree seemed to grow heavier as we climbed.

I looked back at the tree and I saw the filth that the world described as pleasure.

It seeped through the tree like water to a sponge.

Where it touched it stained, like blood on snow.

The stench of death was present on the tree.

The death was that of sinners who had betrayed God.

We arrived at the hill just as He dropped to His knees.

I could hear Him pray, “Father if it’s Your will, take this cup from me.”

I did not hear an answer, but He struggled to His feet and went to the tree.

He placed himself upon the tree as meek as a lamb.

I could not stand there and let them kill Him.

I rushed toward Him and tried to remove Him from the tree.

As the Roman soldiers pulled me back I heard Him whisper, “I love you.”

I heard these words and sank to my knees.

I realized that He did this out of love for me.

I, a worthless sinner, did nothing to deserve this wondrous gift.

I watched as one nail was driven into His body,

Then two and finally three.

He did this for me.

I watched His final hours of life.

I watched as He promised a thief Paradise.

I watched as He cried out to His father.

I watched as He died. For me.

He died willingly for me.

That day a sinner became a saint.

My name is Simon

of Cyrene.

I've got a Saviour

By Jessie Savard

I’ve got a Saviour:

One who will wipe your tears with His own hand;

One who will share forgiveness when forgiveness is not deserved;

One who will be the best Friend you’ve ever had;

One who will help you with the impossible tasks;

One who will give you life, and life to the fullest.

I’ve got a Lover:

One who will never leave you;

One who will provide for all your needs;

One who will give you comfort in times of sadness and uncertainty;

One who will make you feel like the most special person in the world;

One who will shatter your heart with His love.

I’ve got a Father:

One who will share with you all of His wisdom and knowledge;

One who will protect you from hurting yourself;

One who will listen to your every thought and never tire of it;

One who will hold you up when you are ready to fall;

One who will who will give you the affirmation and acceptance you desire.

I’ve got a Friend:

One who will make you laugh until your stomach hurts;

One who will bring you joy in the direst of circumstances;

One who will lead you on the path of humility;

One who will always put others before Himself;

One who will stick closer than a brother.

I’ve got a God:

One who will heal you of every ailment;

One who will bring you true freedom in every form;

One who will give you grace after grace;

One who will shepherd His flock with His life;

One who will show himself as King of the universe.

OMG

By Jacques Tredoux

Oh, my God, how majestic is Your name

When they say Your name, without thought, in vain

If only they knew: their Saviour is you.

Oh, my God, how acceptable Your sacrifice

You suffered the cross, paid the ultimate price

If only they knew: the greatest love that is You

Oh, my God, how perfect Your resurrection

You overcame death for their perfection

If only they knew: their life is in You

Oh, my God, how gracious Your forgiveness

You forgave their sins while they were sinners

If only they knew: Your saving grace

Oh, my God, how peaceful Your presence

They strive for peace through compromise

If only they knew: Your lasting peace

Oh, my God, how comforting Your faithfulness

They seek acceptance and recognition from men

If only they knew: Your unfailing love

Oh, my God, how mighty Your protection

They rely on their own weapons, their money, on science

If only they knew: to hide in You

Oh, my God, how infinite Your wisdom

They proclaim their accomplishments with pride

If only they knew: they are insignificant compared to You

Oh, my God, please open their eyes

Please soften their hearts

If only they knew: to repent before You

My Jesus

By Jacques Tredoux

Jesus is my Lord.

God is real and personal.

He knows me better than I know myself.

He is powerful, yet approachable.

He is God, yet he desires a relationship with me.

Jesus is my Saviour.

He died so that I may have life.

He rose from the dead so that I may be born again.

He saved me from myself, despite myself.

His grace is sufficient for me.

Jesus is my Friend.

He understands me better that I understand myself.

He is my helper; He is the one I lean on.

He wants the best for me.

No one has greater love for me than

my Jesus.

11:11

Like snow overnight

Like snow overnight,

Blessing comes silently

The footprints of bygone days

stained with faults and wandering

Snow falls silently

by covering

and covering

Disappearing

crying and shouting

until there’s only

prayer

The dark sky

after deep sleep

Newly awakened

morning

Surprising me: suddenly

I long for the favour of You

In this morning

all kinds of chains

are coming untied;

opening the prison door;

following the emissary of You

Taken to the street of the Gospel

I wish for the blessing of

today

What if

By Joonha Hwang

what if…

it wasn’t the cross on the hill

it wasn’t the tears on His cheeks

it wasn’t the empty tomb

what if…

it wasn’t His blood

it wasn’t His grace

it wasn’t His love

no reason for…

being here

living now

loving Him

the greatest name of all… 

Jesus