A Memorial Day Poem

I went to Fruitland Township to a cemetery there
they had the Memorial service, I sat on a cold folding chair

A prayer was prayed, a speech was spoken, and the Boy Scouts raised the flag
old men in uniforms marched up and fired guns with quite a bang

This was the same place and service my mother brought me to
when I was just a boy and all the world seemed new

Years later I would take my mom here on Memorial day
because she was getting old and it was just better that way

Now I sit- a gray haired man not far from the graves
of mom and dad and other relatives of bye gone days

Although we never know the time we have left here on earth
the countdown of the seconds, minutes, hours, and days begins at our birth

So when the time is up and we leave everything we know
I want to be sure there is a place for my soul to go

That's why I trust a loving God to lead me every day
because someday when this body dies he will take my soul away

To a place where wars will be no more for peace will be the norm
pain and death will not be there- I even doubt that it will storm

The light will come from God himself, no need for sun or moon
the measurement of time will stop, nothing will be late or soon

Then we will thank our Great God for giving us new life
for rescuing our battered souls from all this earthly strife

So while you think of life and death on this Memorial Day
think also of the God above who can show your soul the way

He sent his Son to die for us, he paid the penalty
for in that darkest hour all our sins hung on that tree

God's anger at our sin was once and forever satisfied
but that's not all that happened, it didn't end when Jesus died

It really was just the beginning for he rose again we know
eternal life for all believers is what the resurrection shows

So my prayer for everyone today that reads these simple lines
is to think of life and death and God and be sure eternal life you find

    Whispers of Creation

Living in a world of awe

seeing, hearing, feeling God

all creation helps me draw

closer, closer to You God.

Looking up at starry skies

dazzling lights in darkest night

looking God into Your eyes

heaven's almost within sight.

Swimming in the water deep

warm sun beaming from above

strolling on the sandy beach

I can feel Your endless love.

Walking in the fallen leaves

autumn colors carpet ground

gentle breezes blow in trees

seeing, hearing you abound.

Snowflakes drifting down, down slow

frozen jewels of winter time

though it's cold I can not go

can not leave this white Divine.

A baby born, oh the pain!

then counting fingers counting toes

from pain to joy like drought to rain

babies are Your miracles.

The world is You God on display

drowning out the sound of me

creation whispers, hear it say

"I AM in all you see"

The Preacher Man

The preacher man he takes a stand he has a Bible in his hand

He chases after God above and teaches people how to love

But sometimes God is hard to find and people make him lose his mind

Still he must keep that Holy link to God above or he will sink

Beneath the care of all the folk who put on him  a heavy yoke

The people used to say "he's great" but lately say he's made mistakes

"The Church is cold" "The Church is hot"  "Someone's sitting in my spot"

"He preaches short"  "He preaches long"  "He got that passage totally wrong"

But let a tragedy befall and he's the first one people call

He'll hold a hand, say a pray, and quote God's word to lift despair

And then they'll say he's good again because he came when they needed him

But the preacher man he takes a stand, he has a Bible in his hand

He chases after God above and teaches people how to love

And sometimes God is shining bright and all the world seems filled with light

The preacher knows his work has worth when sinners come for second birth

So preacher man keep that Holy link to God above or we will sink

For we are fragile pots of clay, we need God's mercies every day

You will teach us how to love and how to chase the God above

And teach us how to take a stand and hold a Bible in our hand

So thank you weary preacher man for doing everything you can

And if we don't show our gratitude forgive us for our attitude

Your real reward in Heaven waits soon after entering those gates

The voice of God whom you have chased will find you in that blessed place

A "good and faithful servant true" is what your God will say to you

You will know you passed your test then enter in to His sweet rest.

It's going to be an Obama Christmas

The policies of the federal government have trickled down to the lowest levels and now they have reached me.  I am looking at an Obama Christmas this year.  We now have trickle down poverty brought to us from the highest office of the land.  Hang up your stockings with visions of food stamp cards dancing in your heads.  Instead of snow piles we have deficit spending piling up around us.  And this year Santa looks a lot like Obama, he laughs and says "Blame George Bush" instead of "Ho Ho Ho".  The sleigh has been replaced by the Chevy Volt built by Government Motors.  But it has been catching on fire so make sure you don't leave any toys in it.  Well, if there were any toys that is- seems all the money went to subsidize solar energy companies that went bankrupt shortly after getting the money.  But that's OK because we have plenty of gasoline, at 4 bucks a gallon I guess it isn't selling as fast as it used to.  At least we still have public transit on the East coast so people don't have to buy that expensive gas.  Well we did until Hurricane Sandy.  But that was good because it gives Obama another quick chance to show how much he cares by promising a few hundred billion or so dollars for reconstruction right before the election.  Not too sure where this money is coming from, but certainly the 1%'ers can afford it.  So before I head on down to the unemployment office to see if I can get an extension, let me wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! --Rick Momney.

PS don't forget to vote for my good friend Mitt Romney on election day!

God's story not our story

When we took Daniel back to Wheaton College in early August for the football kick off meeting and dinner Coach Swider gave his inspirational start of the season talk.  He talked about the difference in "our story" and "God's story".

He said one year when the football team took its annual missions trip to Senegal, a young Senegalese boy was so impressed with the team that he decided to get enrolled and accepted at Wheaton so he could be on the team too.  Coach said he didn't know how his family did it, they were not well off, but he got accepted, came to Wheaton and joined the team.  He wasn't a good football player so he never played in a single game, but he was on the team for four years  and while he was here he became engaged to be married.

The day before the wedding, the young man was running on the sports track at Wheaton and he fell down and died immediately.  I'm guessing he had a bad heart.  The father was in route from Senegal at the time to attend the wedding and when he arrived he found that instead of attending his son's wedding the next day he would be attending his son's funeral.

The Coach was just heartbroken and could not imagine the sorrow the father would feel when he arrived and was told what had happened.  At the memorial service for the young man, the Coach talked to the father and this is what the father said.

We have a story for our lives, we make plans and carry them out to live our our story.  God also has a story for our lives, and in the end it is God's story that prevails.  And this was God's story for my son's life.

These sad events in the life of this family from Senegal impresses me first of the faith and trust that the father of the boy displayed in accepting God's will in his son's death.  Secondly it made me think of the story of Calvary Church.  I remember how we moved into the new location with high hopes and great expectations 12 years ago.  How we collectively had "our story" for Calvary Church.  We anticipated great growth in the size of our congregation. There were plans for future additions of a worship center, church offices, nurseries, adding more classrooms, even the hope someday of senior and missionary housing.  The hopes were high and well meaning.  But this was not to be "God's story" for Calvary Church.  God's story has us leaving the new location with all of the hopes and plans it had entailed and sharing a building with a gracious group of believers on the other side of town.

So we leave "our story" behind but like the father of the Senegalese boy, we go with faith and trust that this is "God's story" for our Church.  We go knowing that God's has changed us to be more of a servant Church to the world than a Church to serve ourselves,  We are more aware of our need to love the world we are called to minister to rather than to love the pleasures this world has to offer.  We have learned that we must love our fellow members and not let division separate us again.

We are saddened by the loss of "our story", but we know that in the end it is "God's story" that prevails and we want to be as much a part of His story as we can be.  May His story and our story blend together into a beautiful story.

A dying man's request

Please take me to the window though my eyes are getting dim
I want to look for Jesus 'cause I've got some faith in Him

I want to see His blazing eyes inset in radiant skin
with flowing hair that shimmers from the fire He has within

I want to see His brilliant horse as it gallops through the sky
with Jesus riding on it's back together do they fly!

I want to see His robe of white as it dazzles in the sun
see it flowing out behind him as the horse begins to run

I want to see the secret name Jesus has across His thigh
my poor old eyes will strain to read it in the moment that I die

Put me by that window for my hearing's not so well
When I see my Jesus coming I want to hear what He will tell

Though His visage is like lightning His voice will sound so sweet
He will call my name softly and I'll stand up on my feet

Then my body will go weightless as I leave this world of care
He will swoop me up upon his horse, no saddle- we ride it bare!

I will wrap my arms around him and embrace his warm strong chest
we'll fly through countless galaxies not till Heaven do we rest

So doctor stop the morphine I want my mind to clear
when my Jesus comes to get me I want to know when he is near

I heard the doctor talking to the nurses in the hall
how the old man in this room isn't doing well at all

Then my family came to see me for one final tearful look
and it's got me thinking strongly of the things in God's good book

Please move me to the window cause this earth is getting dim
I want to see my Jesus I just want to be with Him

Good and Evil as I know it

How Evil lurked and hide from view

Amongst the Good I never knew

I can’t comprehend the fact

the light of Good didn’t push it back

and shine so brightly on the Evil

that a creature some call Devil

could quietly amass an army

a third of Heaven he was charming

Was the Good all knowing Being

acting like he wasn’t seeing?

so when the rebellion on him was thrust

the Good would  know who he could trust?

Then with a sweeping fiery hand

the Good flung out this evil band

The Devil streaked across the sky

a burning comet he did fly

his angels followed close behind

like falling stars of every kind

They landed on a barren Earth

before the Good had given it worth

they set up camp and all they had

was cursing Good and praising Bad

In time their focus came to be

upon a garden with a tree

a new creation there was formed

and most intriguing- Man was born

Created from the dust of Earth

Man breathed the breath of Good at first

Good loved the Man, the Man loved Good

They walked the garden in brotherhood

Evil eavesdropped near the garden

-never looking for a pardon

He planned to strike again some day

but harder stronger was his way

and now the thought that Man and Woman

could join his fight to conquer Heaven

filled the Evil one with glee

He tripped them up so wickedly

soon they were cursing Good with him

not knowing they were chained to sin

they thought that they were more alive

enlightened now they were so wise

The Good was taken back by Man-

Not one bit! Good had a plan

a daring rescue fueled by love

was coming down from Good above

The Good would send his very Son

to rescue Man- restore the one

whom he had formed from dust of Earth

and breathed in him his breath at first

So the Son came from the Good

He lived and loved just like he should

Evil told his wicked band

"let's kill the Son and ruin the Plan"

Evil danced upon the grave

of the Son who was so brave

the ground beneath the tomb did shake

the Evil one began to quake

the stone that once had sealed the dead

rolling- struck the the Evil's head

From that time and from that tomb

the Light of Good on Earth resumed

Evil saw the risen Son

but wouldn't believe the battle's done

he went on with wounded head

a crippled serpent not yet dead

he keeps charming Man to sin

His unlocked prisons keep Man in

He chains  to sin, he chains to pride

he chains man to worldly knowledge glorified

the love of money, power, pleasure

keep the Man from  finding true treasure

-which is the Son's redemption from above

the only way to restore love

between the Good and Man you see

is to come to Good on bended knee

and humbly turn from Evil's way

live like the Son by faith each day

Like a dove the Good sends down

a Spirit of Himself around

to settle in amongst the Men

who dare to leave the Evil's den

this Spirit teaches Man the way

of love and truth by gentle sway

these new Good Men they lurch and jerk

for in them both Evil and Good work

but mostly upward do they climb

seeking for the Good sublime

traveling to a higher ground

reaching for a Heavenly crown

a hope that doesn't fade away

but also isn't clear as day

But Evil still is plotting war

Hording dead more and more

for someday battle lines will form

when Evil once again will storm

the Good of Heaven to overthrow

with resurrected dead from below

rotting bodies he will patch

together pieces- no need to match

He'll give them life enough to move

but not enough to think or love

those who don't love the Son

are force to fight for the Evil one

this zombie army he will lead

against the Son on brilliant stead

The Son in shining robe of white

will lead his Faithful to the fight

the Faithful have no need to fear

the battle front will not come near

the Son will simply need to say

words of truth to Evil slay

then Evil will long last be dead

a blow of truth will crush his head

Evil's captives next will die

their second death- how sad they cry

The Faithful look at Good again

and know at last he is their friend

but Evil first had to be banished

before the healing could be finished

with no gulf between the Man and Good

they'll live in sinless brotherhood

once again the Man will breathe

the breath of Good and Man will leave

all pain and sorrow far behind

and enter into endless time.