Wake up folks!

Almighty God rules
His rule is greater
than all the haphazard rule
of foreign gods, idols
clung to in times of
vast distress and need.

 

Injustice prevails
partiality is shown to
evil-minded folk
who want more and more things
whose moral values sink into
nothingness
We move about
unaware of how low
we have come

 

Pro Choice is the claim
A woman should be able to choose
to have an abortion – to kill
an unborn child
and I ask,
why would you choose death?
Why would you not choose life?

 

It is not pro choice you seek,
but destruction of your souls

 

Marriage
between a man and a woman
has become nearly obsolete
Wickedness flaunts its fiery head
and more injustice rises

 

A man loves another man
A woman loves another woman
Let’s get married
And it is done.

 

There is no concept that it is wrong.
God’s judgments
are of little concern
to those who refute His very existence
and even those who profess to be believers
stand in agreement with their sinning neighbor

 

God says do not
We say we will do as we please
God says I AM the LORD Your God
We say you are not my God. I rule me.

 

Snares and traps and thorns
everywhere
If we see, and make attempt to sidestep, we are punished
by the wickedness that prevails.

Christianity is vetoed
right and left.
No longer can we say
without doubt
America is a free nation,
a Christian nation

 

We are not free
We become enslaved
more and more
to wickedness.

 

Praying – in our homes and our churches
still allowed
But not on street corners
not often in schools

We allow the evil one
to take control

 

Where oh where
is Christian unity

We have gone the way of
Old Testament Jews
who disobeyed the Lord,
who separated
and followed
their own thinking,foreign gods and idols ruling 

 

God will bless those who follow and obey Him

 

He is The Almighty JudgeThe Forever King

 

Judgment will come
Judgment and death
Wickedness will be destroyed

God will destroy

 

The time will come
Your timeMy time

Wake up now!

We are Yours ... but

We are Yours
but You are not always ours

You seek our best
You extend, reaching for us,
blessing to bestow
but we
close our hearts and minds,
refusing You,
searching elsewhere

You surround us
beside
in front
and in back
You guide us
You deliver us
from our enemies
You give us nourishment
protection from the elements
but we
do not listen
do not see
do not comprehend
do not care
We walk in our own ways

You love us
You made man from dust
We were nothing
You made us something
You made us alive,
human
but we
do not thank you

We do not walk in Your ways

“There shall be no foreign god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.”
The Lord commands (Psalm 81:9)

But there is
and we do

We do not listen

There was and is
no greater love than Yours
You became like us
You sent Your Son
born of God
and the Virgin Mary
that through Him
all who believe in Him

would have eternal life

You were sorrowful,
painfully so
You sent Your Son, Jesus,
to take our place
You could have condemned us all
Yet Your love was so great
You sought to save us

and many did and continue to believe
and strive to walk

in the Light of Your Love

But many more
do not believe
but walk in the darkness

in opposition to You

Deeds done seem right
but without You in our midst,
we remain in the dark,
our minds and hearts

closed to You.

You do not condemn us
We condemn ourselves
The Lord heals

the brokenness of our lives

Won’t you come

Won’t you come

Into the Light

The Light of Love.

(c) November 12, 2012 

Many do not know ... God is the missing link

We travel the route
We follow The One
who has traveled it before
We move forward
step by step
we move on
Others see us
watching how we move
considering if it be for them

The Holy One
Moving forward
we sometimes move backward
we sometimes don’t follow
His guiding,
but listen to ourselves,
react to our feelings,
our emotions that slither
through us like the devil snake himself

We hear what we think another says
We believe what we think another says
We do not hear or comprehend
what is real or true

 

God knows our every thought,
our every word, our every action
conceived and carried out
We say one thing.
Another hears it differently.
You say “Are you done?”
Another replies, “No”
but not in answer to your question,
but to the perceived question
they hear – “Do you want anymore?”

 

Why is that?

 

It is no wonder we don’t believe another
when “I love you” is said
We perceive a lie

We – some of us – profess to be a
follower of Christ
Some do not.
God listens
God hears
God comprehends

 

Every last one of us struggles
to see as God sees
and does and is.

 

No one is perfect.
No one can lay claim
that they always walk with God,
always listen, always make time
for everyone, always do
what is right.

 

But there are those who do believe
they never swerve off the path
They travel in other circles
They are God’s child
and they make no mistakes.
They always listen – but do they?

 

You are not Jesus
Only He is the perfect one
Only He is the true and the real
He is our helpmate
He is The One who truly knows
and truly cares
and truly listens, truly understands,
truly loves.

 

Only God knows what we need
He is our creator.
He is our Father.
Truly, he says to you,
You are My beloved. 

I sent My Son
to live among you
to show you the way
to be your guide

 

I sent My Son
to die for you
to be Your Savior

 

I and My Son are one

 

I raised My Son

On the third day
after death and burial

He rose up from the grave

 

I sent My Son
as the Holy Spirit

to reign within your heart

 

I sent My Son to live
to show you the wayto be your guide

 

He is true
He is real
He is love
Through Him you find the way
Through Him are all the answers

to all the questions

I sent My Son
He is true
and righteous
He truly loves you
as I

for we are one

I sent My Son
to be the forever
sacrifice
for the sins of all

my children

 

He died for you

and He lives forever.

 

He died for you
Do you not believe?
Why not?
He is real
He is True
We are flesh and blood
We are human
Our emotions
overcome us
We do not stay
steadfast in His word
We do not remain
true to His message
We are swallowed up
whole like Jonah in the whale
We listen to our thoughts
We listen to our wants
We do not fine tune
our ears and heart and mind
to the truth of God
but listen instead to our truthand follow our own agenda 

 

We remain lost

We do not seek God
and when we do, it is not
continually.
We stray.

 

Every moment of every day
we need to stay focused
on The One who can bring
us the truth, who can bring us
the Love.

 

He is Truth
He is Love
He shows us The Way
He is The Way

 

But we do not remember
We continually forget
We continually step past Him
do our own thing
We do not listen
We do not abide

 

Time and time again
He loves us so much
and we
do not care.

 

Lost  and forlorn
And the answer
is there for the taking
Yet we refuse
Satan has us
where he wants us
and we let him have his way.
We find it easier to give in
and give up
than to push on and
strive for God’s truth, God’s love.

 

Yet He remains
steadfast and trustworthy
He continues seeking us out
showing us the better way,
the best way

 

He is our Maker
With His breath
His hand
We became.
Without Him we
are nothing.

 

Sadly, many are
without Him
and do not know
cannot comprehend
what they need
what is missing

 

Not more and more
of things
Things do not bring happiness
Things do not bring peace

nor love
nor satisfaction

God is the answer to our every need,
our every want
God is the missing link

from your life

He misses you
He loves you
He strives to bring you
to completeness
Oneness
you and me in God

and God in you and in me.

 

(c) November 10 and 11, 2012 

Prayer and responsible action

“Our being Christian today will consist in only two things – in praying and in doing justice among people.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Are we ready to take on this responsibility
or do we allow government to be and do all
Do we just sit back and let the government
run our lives
Do we just complain about the government

OR

Do we take on Christian values
Do we live morally
Do we live responsibly
Are we ready for action
Do we pray
and meditate
seeking answers from The One
who is our answer
and follow through
obedient to His every command?

“Restore us O God
Cause Your face to shine
Restore us
Return, we beseech You
Revive us
Restore us O Lord God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!”  (from Psalm 80)

(c) November 11, 2012

I say I'll ...

I say I'll go to the doctor
I say I'll wait until later,
when the appropriate time is here
I say I'll ask about
this and that
and question whether tests
should be done

I say I'll ...
I will

But what about now
What about this moment
this time
God's presence is here
surrounding me

I say He is all sufficient
I say He gives comfort
and is compassionate
I say He guides me
along the way

I say ...
but

I missed
I failed
I didn't recognize

I say I'll go and do ...
but first
I must bow down ...

and pray.

(c) November 4, 2012 

Choose ... Believe ... His Love

failure to thrive
we die

failure to believe God's unfailing love
we die

death surrounds us
within and out

There is death
We don't know how to live!

it is sin
it is sickness
it is disturbing
we feel it
we think about it
yet we don't understand it
we don't recognize the problem
for what it truly is

we remain burdened
trapped within our bodies
and our minds
unable to break free
and get past
our hurts, our anxieties,
our unbelief

For God so loved the world
the world of you and me
the world of people burdened
and lost, roaming here
and there, seeking,
searching for love

It is there, here
in our midst

God has said it
We must turn away from all
that comes against us and
turn to The One who brings us
truth and hope and love

and believe.

The freshness of life
and goodness
cascading upon us

Christ overcame the darkness
to bring us to the light
because of God's love
given
today
tomorrow
and forevermore

Choose to accept
Choose to believe
Choose to be His child
Choose to be loved
Choose to know His love

or

Choose not
and remain shackled
in the chains
of unbelief.

(c) October 29, 2012 

God's love is patient

Love
God is love
We think we know love
We think we have it
and can give it away
But our love is simplistic,
only human.

Love
God is love
Love is more than
our passion
more than compassion
for our neighbor,
our family,
our homeland

Love
is of God
He demonstrates love to us,
for us at every turn
Have we missed it

Love is
patient
God is patient
He waits for us
to turn away
from evil
and to Him
He waits for our call
He waits for our listening ear
and the questions
only He can answer

Love is patient
God is patient
God is love

We think we have come so far
in our quest
for patience
We have barely touched
the hem of His undergarment

Patience is far more
than what we have achieved,
than what we surmise

Patience – to wait,
perhaps endless years
of holding on, waiting
for one to come home,
to say “I miss you,”
“I love you,” I’m sorry.”
God does not give up.
He never strays
He is ever patient,
ever loving

Patience has come through –
for one whose heart and soul
has been released
from the grip of hell
But love is not finished
God is not finished

One soul
one heart
Millions, billions, trillions more
God is waiting for you
to come

His patience endures
He waits to rejoice
with you in your new life
with Him

God is Love
Love is God
Love is patient
God is patient

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”   (John 3:16-17)

Patience and Love

God Is.

© October 24, 2012 

Do not stray

We receive
We hear
His Word pierces our heart

We contemplate
His Word prompts us
to seek Him
to follow Him
to stay a path
of right and righteousness
of endurance and patience

The devil too
entices us
tempts us
to take the path of many
before us and long after
to turn from
His Word
His Word we heard
His Word we received
His Word that pierced
our heart, our very soul
His Word that brings new life
to an old one of deceit and despair
and death.

The Lord Jesus came
to save you
He came in love
not hate
To build up
not  tear down
Eternal everlasting love
and joy and Life
can be yours

Remember
The Word
His Word
that set you free,
your soul on fire
Remember
The Love
His Love for you
Think of the love
you have for your child
Think of the discipline
given by you for that child

The Lord Jesus loves you
and disciplines you

Do not become sucked into
the ways of the world
Do not become distant,
forgetful of God’s precious gift
to you

Do not stray from your first love

Do not allow the vision …
of your eyes and ears, mind and heart
be so fogged over you miss
God’s holiness and grace.

Do not stray

Do not become so consumed
with your current day-to-day world
that you miss all God is

His hand reaches out
Did you remove your hand, your life
from His clasp
Are you at a loss
how to get back
to where you were
when?

Ask
Seek
Find
and stay focused
Study
Meditate
Pray
and seek again
His Word
The Word of the Lord
for you.

© October 22, 2012

Turn from … turn to The Holy One

God the Father – Jesus the Son – The Holy Spirit
In the beginning
Throughout
At the final hour
Here.

Chooses His followers
but some wander
upon paths thought
to be more promising

Ridiculed, Blasphemed
Brought down to a level
thought fitting for someone
who spat lies, professed falsehoods
and tales of who
He deemed to be

Disobeyed
He set the commandments
to be followed

He set the punishment
to be passed
But we look away,
refuse to be ruled
by a higher authority.

Only when what is given
is more than
we can withstand,
do we cry out
and make claims
of allegiance to
The Holy One,
but then again,
we withdraw
and say no more, no more.

Me is more important
than a Holy God.
Me!

My wants

My desires
My reasons
My point of view
My beliefs

He still stands
He is here
For all our pushing away
and condemning
He remains.

Death could not keep Him
Satan’s power is minuscule
next to our glorious Lord
whose power is immense
He is King
He is Ruler
He knows our final destiny
He knows you

Yes, even you who know not of Him

who claim no need, no desire

Your destiny
is in the hands of a strong
and powerful God
who wields judgments
and in finality,
condemns you to sentences
of no escape.

He is loving yes
He desires you to turn
from selfish ways
to Him
who truly sets us free.

But His love,
His grace, His mercy
will not be our reward IF
He is not to whom we live.

© October 18-19, 2012

If ... You

If my aim is not to be deceitful
and my sin is acknowledged before You

You forgive and surround me
with Your love

If the instructions and teachings of You
and Your Word

penetrate my entire being
and I allow Your guidance
to be my path to follow

You surround me
with love and mercy and joy.

If You o Lord, who is trustworthy,
find me too to be trusting in You,
You are pleased
and surround me
with gladness of heart
and joy of spirit.

O Lord
My Lord
You reign
in heaven above
and here
within my heart

All glory and honor
belong to You
You are robed in majesty
The glories surround us

You alone are the most powerful

There is none other to show otherwise
You reign over the waters,
the mountains, the forests,
all and everywhere.

Your voice
we hear it in the thunder
the rushing flood waters
the splintering trees
the leaping flames of fire

and too,
in the still of the night …

when the distresses
and distractions
of the day
do not hinder us
and
all is quiet
around us.

We are alone
with You
as our tears flow
and our hearts ache.
You are there.

You reign.

You are victorious

You seek us out
in our lostness
You keep us connected
You

You

You
Most Holy God
are more

than I will ever
see or understand

But if my aim
is not to be –

If the path I take
is not of deceit,
dishonesty,
disloyalty,
disobedience,
and if my sin
is ever acknowledged
before You
You forgive me
You surround me and
protect me
with Your great love and mercy.

You are King
You are my King
My Savior
My Lord
I want to forever be
Your faithful child.

Amen.

© October 16-17, 2012

All answers found

All my answers
are found
in God’s Holy Book
from the beginning of time
when God created
earth and mankind
and the animal kingdom
to the end of time
when the Lord Jesus
returns to earth
carries His own home
avenges His loved ones
judges against those
already condemned
for unbelief.

All my answers
to my every question
spoken and unspoken
are within
The Scriptures

The history of me
and how His Word
applies to me
is found in every word written,
every i dotted, every t crossed

My history
began the moment
The Lord Jesus
became my personal Savior
for without Him
what is me
is so very incomplete.

All my answers
are there … in His Word
ready to be gleaned
and wielded

All my answers
are found in Him
and His Almighty Word
My life is in Him.

Is yours? 

October 6, 2012

a dream of questions

It is night
I am asleep

I wake
yet it is in a distant land
within my mind
and nowhere beyond

I am driving
others too
travel around me
down the highway
My eyes
forced to look up,
yet struggling to retain control
of the wheel,
I see
a plane
alone in the sky
Gold flames of fire
erupting
and parts disintegrating,
hurtling downward

I want to escape
Stop the car!
Go faster!

But I cannot find the brake
and I cannot go faster
There is only one speed
It is constant
and before me
the flames

I travel on.
In the distance
in formation
jets
like birds heading south

Other planes
descending,
spiraling downward.

I wake.
It is morning.

But I question …
What does it mean?
Is it war?
Is it a premonition
of things to come?
Is God showing me
something I need to know?

 

October 1, 2012

I am ready, Lord

Coming home

Lord, I’m ready

Lord, why do I remain

For what purpose
do you not send
your angels
to carry me across the threshold
into Your inner sanctum.

Lord, I am so ready.

Day and night

Minute by minute

I wait

Lord, what more do You want me to do

Who is the one
or are there many
who need a touch from me
a word of encouragement

So many have come already
So young

So very young,
even my baby boy
rests in Your loving embrace
and I
I am here
on the other side of heaven
on earth, biding my time

Oh Lord,
when will it be my time
to come home

It is not for me to know
Only You Lord know the time for all things
In Your time we take our
first breath and also our last
In Your time
the pain that clings to our bodies
will drop away
and we will feel refreshed, rejuvenated.
In Your time
the helplessness of our loved ones
as they make every effort
to keep us alive
will wash away
and in its place
we’ll find joy.

Joy does come.
We weep for a while
We weep far into the night
endlessly.

We struggle to stop the pain
of remorse and deep despair
and sadness
from coming over us
again and again.
We mourn for what we had,
for what we lost
and for what might have been.

But joy does come in the morning.

The joy of the Lord --
our loved ones, all those who have died
and reside in the bosom of our
gracious Lord and King,
free from pain
and disablements,
free to sit at the feet of Jesus
or walk by His side.

Gladness in every step,
praises in every word spoken
and song sung.
There is no place for silence,
no place for tears.

Joy has come.
The mourning of the night
has given way to a new day,
a new light.

Memories do linger.

But mourning has gone
and Joy has taken its place.

My mourning has turned to dancing
My bleakness has turned to gladness
My silence has turned to praise

There is joy

Everlasting  joy

I am ready Lord.

I am ready – when You o Lord determine
it is my turn to go
and come
into Your holy presence.

Ready and waiting
and watching
anticipating a new day,
a new light.

I remain
for whatever purpose
You have determined.
I go when You say it is time.

I am indebted to You

Forever and ever.

You are my Savior.
I am Your child.

I thank You for my life. 

September 7, 2012

Come ... Follow the Light

It’s dark outside
and too within  your heart
bleakness extends
fearful of what lies beyond

You have given yourself to the one
who died in your place
You profess to be His
a follower of Christ

Yet you struggle
The path you trod seems
to be all uphill
and the concerns of life
cause you to stumble

The darkness comes
The darkness goes
and in it and through it
we are afraid
We have lost our way
and don’t know the way to go

But God knows
He knows every step taken,
every thought,
every word spoken
He sees our every need,
our every struggle

He extends His hand
and says,
Come…

Return to Me my child.
Your burden is heavy.
Walk with Me,
Talk with Me.

The Light you seek
is Me. Follow Me.
Your burden is heavy.
But with Me, the burden is light.
My Word will guide you.

Come. Follow the Light.

September 1, 2012

God came in love, not hate

Christ did not come
to destroy life

God did not send
His Son to live among us
to promote evil and hatred

Christ did come to destroy sin

God did send His Son
to live among us
to become the means
through which the living being
can and would be saved
from eternal condemnation
to eternal life

Christ came in love.

We, as His followers

align ourselves with Him

We receive instructions
for daily living
through His word.

We strive to live and walk
in love toward all, as Christ

We do not promote sin

Since God’s Holy Word says
the unrighteous will not inherit
the Kingdom of God,
we , His followers
strive to show another the error
of pursuing that which comes against
your body.

Not because of hate.
But out of love.

Love for every one
Hate for the sin

Hate for the action taken

The act,  The sin

 of 

pride

of self-centeredness

of malice

of extortion

of idolatry

of drunkenness

of envy

of lustful pleasure

of adultery

of homosexuality

of temptation
of jealousy
of impure thoughts
of hostility
of continuous outbursts of anger
of participation in demonic activities
are but a few.

Following the desires of your sinful nature
is a guarantee you will not inherit the
Kingdom of God.

However,

If
we have turned away from these things
and turned to God
If
we have been called to live in freedom -
freedom to serve one another in love
If

we live according to our new life in Him
to The Holy Spirit’s leading
in every part of our lives

  

we will produce
love
joy
peace
patience
kindness
goodness
faithfulness
gentleness
self-control.

Only one wrong,
one unrighteous person
is enough to infect
all the others
and come against
one who stands with Christ

If we, who abide in Christ,
 stand together united,
perhaps it will be evident
and you will see
God’s plan for you
in how we live and walk.

© August  23 / 25, 2012

Poetry Book printed

Front and back cover of
"The Still Small Voice of God"

"The Still Small Voice of God," a book of devotional poetry by Cathy Orrick Luders has been printed and is ready for purchase. Cost is $6.00 plus an additional $2.29 if you would like it shipped.

Please send name, address, number of books you'd like to purchase and total cost to Window To Christian Ministries, 1453 Golfview Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402.

If you live in the Cedar Rapids area and would like to pick up your book (s) or have them delivered, please email me at windowtochristianministries@gmail.com
 
Thank you.

Anxious to please

We are anxious – not for perceptions
 of having to do this or that
but for want, desire
Free to be open to the needs
of our every neighbor
Free to see beyond ourselves
Free to see beyond
shades of gray
and into the light
where Christ,
in whom we seek completeness,
dwells.

We seek, yet we refuse
Christ is The One
yet we fail to recognize Him
we fail to recognize
needs all around us
we fail to recognize,
fail to comprehend,
fail to understand

He is the one who gives us
strength and endurance
to go on
He is the one who embraces
us, calms our inner fears,
is loving and merciful,
filled with compassion
in our distress

He is the one who protects us,
guides us, instructs us
as we travel the roads of life,
endless steps that often
seem to go nowhere.
He is the one who judges
and punishes us
to return us to Him
when we have sinned,
when we have come against

Him, who knows far better
than us what  we ourselves need.

He is The One.

To Him we owe our love
and obedience and trust
Not because we have to,
but because we want to,
we desire to
We are anxious to please Him.
We belong to Him.

He is My Savior
I am His child.

© August 22, 2012   

Be awake, alive ... or be dead

Being awake, alive,

Living

Seeing ,  Watching
Hearing,  Listening
Loving His world
yet compassionate
of those suffering
the spoken and
unspoken
petitions made

Not living in a world
of illusions
that all is fine
all will be better
when…
if …

It is
God’s world
inhabited by
sinners
lost … on a widely-traveled road to nowhere specific
and
found … on a narrow path to grace

Awake
not as from a restful sleep
or on one of constant turning
but as being
fully aware
of whose world it is
who lives in the world
what evolves in the world

Awake
to the inner calling
of God
upon us
searching
beseeching  us to answer
yay
or
nay

Come or don’t come
But I AM
My preference
My Child
is for you to come
Come and rest
Come and be refreshed,
renewed
Come and see
all I have
blessings untold
Or
be damned

Don’t come

Follow the paths you are currently on
Ignore the signs
Receive blow upon blow
The judgment will be delivered
and your demise
will not be upon Me.

Be awake
Be alive
Be living

or
Be dead

Give God the glory!

© August 16, 2012