Category Archives: Verse
AWAKE, SLEEPER
.
.
[If you are reading this on the WP Reader please read it at my site. Thank you.]
.
Useful Unbelievers—Gullible Sheep
Those Who Ne’er Try to Waken From Sleep
Dreaming Through Existence
Their Obscure For Instance
Lives, Never Touching Eternal Deep
What Could Have Been Was Scripted Forward
A Plan Discarded As Untoward
Alternative Chosen
Their Heart’s Fire Frozen
Full Steam Ahead, a Course Set Backward
They Bought Into the Deceiving Lie
Too Lazy or Uncaring to Vie
For Truth, They Fail to See
To Be or Not To Be
They Flunk the Question and Then They Die
The Lord Said the Saved are Only Few
Who’ll find the Gate That’s Narrow and True
All the Rest Give Their Best
To the Broad Way, a Fest
And Reject the Way That Leads One Through
Give Praise to the Lord Who Paid the Price
Who Gave His Life to Cleanse Us From Vice
And Bless With a Welcome
To His Present Kingdom
A New Living Way For Those Born Twice
© 2022 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
THE TEARS OF GOD
For all the senseless sins of humanity
For all the hate
For all the children
Whose lives are snuffed out
By their parents.
And other beautiful children
Born deaf or blind
Who love their lives
And give their might to prove their worth
While privileged ones
Throw theirs away
For so many so rebellious
No one can reach them
Intent on evil
Who deceived them?
And on it goes
Century after eon
Nothing ever changes
Man’s inhumanity to man
Brings untold misery
And hard, hard work for nothing
Destroyed in a day
Lifetimes achieving
She said it wasn’t worth it
And darkness descended
But what of another choice?
What of beauty?
What of kindness and love
And compassion?
What of joy?
Why the hate and discontent?
When air can be so pure
And nature so rich?
How can creatures so bright
Descend into such a pit?
Day after day after day
Misery upon misery
And evil people in power
Will no one ever stand to save?
Will we let it all slip away?
Day after day, tears fall
Year after year, tears fall
Century after…
The dry void receives the wet
Salty, salty tears
The levels rise
Overflowing banks
And continuing upward
So much sin
So much pain
So much flat out rejection
Of the cure
Of the means to stop it
To live right
To get it right
To stop the bleeding
But they would not
And the levels rise
More tears, flowing daily
Won’t you stop?
Won’t you try to live right?
Won’t you take care of one another?
I’ve given all I can give
I can give no more
And the levels rise
Drowning continents
Filling the earth
Overcoming all bounds
An unending stream
Of the Creator’s anguish
Oceans of tears
Jesus Wept
.
© 2020 by R.J. Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
THE LORD AT THE HELM
In those times when adrift on the ocean
And all horizons are water and sky
And there is little breeze to fill our sail
And nil forward movement as waves float by
—Direction be unknown
—Through sunrise and set
—And heat of day exhausts
—And weariness stems rest
The cool soon arriving as night comes forth
And bright blinding light yields to twinkling stars
Which render the word that all is not lost
Their journeys beheld but though from afar
—To’ard proving perspective
—Allowing to behold
—That traveling proceeds
—Though languishing be sold
In perceiving the celestial we see
The Lord is steering! The heavens insist!
For no other message can e’er be told
The sky is ablaze with starry inscripts!
Wonder abounds though alone w’ hardship
The raft floating still? is moving on path
His guidance is clear with spiritual eyes
Our faith the force that saves us from wrath
As mighty attacks from enemies strike
No perfect storm or terrible tempest
Succeeds in defeating the sailing mate
Or stalls our motion aligned with His best
—And though we seem floundered
—And held fast and anchored
—Our journey goes onward
—Our Savior at Starboard
© 2011 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
SING FOR JOY
Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; praise is becoming to the upright.
.
Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.
For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host.
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.
The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men;
From His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,
He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.
The king is not saved by a mighty army; a warrior is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a false hope for victory; nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness,
To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name.
Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You.
[Psalm 33:1-22][1]
[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
The Lord At the Helm
In those times when adrift on the ocean
And all horizons are water and sky
And there is little breeze to fill our sail
And nil forward movement as waves float by
—Direction be unknown
—Through sunrise and set
—And heat of day exhausts
—And weariness stems rest
The cool soon arriving as night comes forth
And bright blinding light yields to twinkling stars
Which render the word that all is not lost
Their journeys beheld but though from afar
—To’ard proving perspective
—Allowing to behold
—That traveling proceeds
—Though languishing be sold
In perceiving the celestial we see
The Lord is steering! The heavens insist!
For no other message can e’er be told
The sky is ablaze with starry inscripts!
Wonder abounds though alone w’ hardship
The raft floating still? is moving on path
His guidance is clear with spiritual eyes
Our faith the force that saves us from wrath
As mighty attacks from enemies strike
No perfect storm or terrible tempest
Succeeds in defeating the sailing mate
Or stalls our motion aligned with His best
—And though we seem floundered
—And held fast and anchored
—Our journey goes onward
—Our Savior at Starboard
© 2011 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
© 1916 Robert Frost
♫ Kenneth, James, and Joel ♫
(Sung to the Tune of “Abraham, Martin, and John” © Dick Holler)
.
(Sing Along With Above Karaoke)
.
♫ Kenneth, James, and Joel ♫
.
(0:21)
Has anybody here seen my old friend Kenneth?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
He’s fooled a lot of people
But it seems the fooled, they move on
You know, I just looked around and he’s gone.
.
(0:54)
Anybody here seen my old friend James?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
He’s fooled a lot of people
But it seems the fooled, they move on
I just looked around and he’s gone.
.
.
(1:36)
Anybody here seen my old friend Joel?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
He’s fooled a lot of people
But it seems the fooled, they move on
I just looked around and he’s gone.
.
(2:03)
Didn’t you wonder about the things that they stood for?
Didn’t they try to make a fool of you and me?
And we’ll never be free
Following them, if we follow them you see…
.
(2:29)
Anybody here seen my old friend Francis?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
I thought I saw him walking up over Vatican Hill
With Kenneth, James, and Joel
.
© 2015 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
The Lord At the Helm
.
In those times when adrift on the ocean
And all horizons are water and sky
And there is little breeze to fill our sail
And nil forward movement as waves float by
—Direction be unknown
—Through sunrise and set
—And heat of day exhausts
—And weariness stems rest
The cool soon arriving as night comes forth
And bright blinding light yields to twinkling stars
Which render the word that all is not lost
Their journeys beheld but though from afar
—To’ard proving perspective
—Allowing to behold
—That traveling proceeds
—Though languishing be sold
In perceiving the celestial we see
The Lord is steering! The heavens insist!
For no other message can e’er be told
The sky is ablaze with starry inscripts!
Wonder abounds though alone w’ hardship
The raft floating still? is moving on path
His guidance is clear with spiritual eyes
Our faith the force that saves us from wrath
As mighty attacks from enemies strike
No perfect storm or terrible tempest
Succeeds in defeating the sailing mate
Or stalls our motion aligned with His best
—And though we seem floundered
—And held fast and anchored
—Our journey goes onward
—Our Savior at Starboard
© 2011 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
Isaiah, Chapter Nine
Image via Wikipedia
But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.
You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; they will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, and cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
The Lord sends a message against Jacob, and it falls on Israel.
And all the people know it, that is, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, asserting in pride and in arrogance of heart:
“The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with smooth stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.”
Therefore the LORD raises against them adversaries from Rezin and spurs their enemies on,
The Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the west; and they devour Israel with gaping jaws. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away and His hand is still stretched out.
Yet the people do not turn back to Him who struck them, nor do they seek the LORD of hosts.
So the LORD cuts off head and tail from Israel, both palm branch and bulrush in a single day.
The head is the elder and honorable man, and the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.
For those who guide this people are leading them astray; and those who are guided by them are brought to confusion.
Therefore the Lord does not take pleasure in their young men, nor does He have pity on their orphans or their widows; for every one of them is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth is speaking foolishness. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away and His hand is still stretched out.
For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briars and thorns; it even sets the thickets of the forest aflame and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
By the fury of the LORD of hosts the land is burned up, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no man spares his brother.
They slice off what is on the right hand but still are hungry, and they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied; each of them eats the flesh of his own arm.
Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, and together they are against Judah. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away and His hand is still stretched out. [1]
© 2011 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.
[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost (1916)
