One Poem 


Five days since the last one.

I just want to write a poem about love,

About one soul in awe

“Life” is “busy,”

Keeps getting in the way of living.

When did I see you, yesterday? 

Man, this heart is crazy

Do whatever it takes to wind me up

So I hold my pencil too tight

And give myself too long of a leash.

At least I can wring out a poem about awe,

About one soul in love.

Please make sure it’s not the last time. 

The Poet’s Task 


If only all the poems in men’s hearts

Were written; that each one had a pen

And tongue to write, and time,

That each could interpret silence into words–

If only all the beauty of each day 

From every humble corner of the earth

Recorded, would spring from the mind 

To dance in every kind of air, in mirth–

What we would gain, were every man a poet! 

But since they spend their days in other chases

We who write poetry must gather up the corners

Where unmade poems hide, and make them! 

Wrath and Love Together 

     I recently finished reading Isaiah for my daily Bible study. While I read, I focused on fully understanding what Isaiah was trying to convey; I removed everything else from my mind as I studied. Having looked at it purely and simply, I’ve got to say that Isaiah is truly breathtaking. One of the things that so impresses me about Isaiah’s book is how it marries God’s wrath and His love, His justice and His mercy. 

     Chapters 36-37 tell of the king of Assyria’s invasion of Judah, capturing outlying cities and finally moving in on Jerusalem. The Assyrian king sent messengers to King Hezekiah, Judah’s faithful king, to tell him that his faith in God was misplaced. The Assyrian messengers repeatedly emphasized that Judah did not have the Lord on their side, they were too weak to fight, and they were deceived into trusting God.  

     The nation of Judah, however, had faith. King Hezekiah prayed a beautiful prayer in Isaiah 37, and in verses 36-37 we read how the Lord responded to his pleas: 

     “And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Ninevah.” (ESV)

     One hundred and eighty five thousand is a huge number, but I couldn’t quite grasp just how huge until I looked it up. One hundred and eighty five thousand is about 1,200 more people than are currently active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps. Think about that! The angel of the Lord killed, in one night, the equivalent of the entire Marine Corps plus some.

     What a testimony to the unrivaled power of the Lord! That account should instill a great amount of fear into us. God is not Someone to contend with. 

     But in Isaiah we also see the loving side of God’s nature. Jump three chapters over to Isaiah 40:11, where we read, “He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” 

     Considering the context, this verse astounds me. The same God whose angel killed 185,000 trained soldiers in a single night is gentle enough to carry us against His chest like young lambs. Doesn’t that fill you with awe? 

     Isaiah 49:15-16 is an assurance that even if your own mother forgets you, God will not. He has “engraved you on the palms of [His] hands.” And chapter 41:17-20 is God’s promise to move heaven and earth to provide for the poor and thirsty: “I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of valleys. . . that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.” 

     May we not forget that God is both full of wrath toward sin and full of love toward His children, and may we praise Him for the mercy and grace He continually shows us!

Graduation 

I graduated from high school last Friday, and had the great privilege of presenting one of my poems as part of the ceremony. The theme verse for the graduation was Nehemiah 6:9, which reads: “For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.’ But now, O God, strengthen my hands” (ESV).

My poem focuses around that theme. In it I take a look at the fears that surround any big step in life, as well as the confidence we can have in the Lord as we step up to face those fears. 

Check it out on YouTube at the link below! 

Jewell’s Graduation Poem

Thanks! 

Jewell 

To Mother Nature 

If I may only have one talk,

With the, the Lady of the trees,

I’ll ask how makest thou thy walk

Through meadow flow’rs and songs of bees

 

Tell me, mother of the birds that sing,

How thou canst pass this green earth by

And never cease thy traveling

To stop and tarry at spring’s side

 

For hotter months come all too soon

And I would have thee cease the spin

Of nature’s suns and winds and moons

To taste the spring I revel in

 

Lads to Leaders: A Reflection

Wow, my final Lads to Leaders as a participant is over! Lads to Leaders is a program in the church whose purpose is to instill the Word of God in kids and adults through leadership and service events both at the yearly convention and during the rest of the year. My congregation took about thirteen kids down to Louisville, Kentucky last weekend for convention. Since I’ll be graduating in only 17 days (ummm, what!?), I’ve been reflecting on the activities I’ve been involved in during the past four years. Lads to Leaders is one of the best on the list.

My participation in Lads to Leaders began seven years ago. My parents made me participate in speech and song leading categories, even though I was deathly afraid of standing in front of people. Surprisingly, I loved writing my speech and learning the hand movements for song leading! After that first or second year, I gave a speech and led a song not because I was being made to but because I wanted to. Since that time I became involved in several more of the events, and I loved every one.


Lads challenged me in ways I had never been challenged before. One year my sister and I decided to participate in Centurion of Scripture, a program where young people memorize and recite one hundred verses of Scripture. The year we worked on our gold level (reciting all one hundred verses in one sitting), we memorized Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7. For months, I paced in my bedroom repeating verses to myself and sometimes I got frustrated. But when I walked across the stage to get my gold medal at convention that year, I was euphoric! I was proud that I had accomplished what had seemed nearly impossible to me just a few months before. And let’s face it, few Christians memorize one hundred Bible verses in a year without some kind of incentive. The Centurion of Scripture event helped me see and understand the importance of writing God’s Word on my heart.

Three years ago, one of my friends at church approached me and asked me to be in the puppets program. I was hesitant; doing a puppet skit seemed an awful lot like acting, and I (again) didn’t want to be in front of people. At last I agreed, but under the condition that I only have a few lines. However, after weeks and weeks of practice and our performance at convention, I wanted a bigger role the next year! Puppeteering was so fun that I forgot my nervousness.


Another new experience Lads brought me was the chance to engage in a mock debate. When a friend from my congregation asked if I would do it with her, my nerves went crazy. Admittedly, our debate this year was the scariest thing about the entire weekend. But as we prepared for our topic (“Can a Christian fall from grace?”), I started to appreciate the whole point of the debate: to get young people to be able to study and have an answer to defend their beliefs, as 1 Peter 3:15 instructs us. And when all was said and done, I had a great time!


While I was having fun with Lads, what I didn’t realize was that I was also learning— a lot. I learned how to develop a devotional from the Bible and lead women in songs of praise to God. I learned how to expand my abilities and have confidence in them. Public speaking, they say, is Americans’ greatest fear, but Lads to Leaders helped me conquer it. Centurion of Scripture not only helped me learn how to memorize, but was an opportunity for me to commit to heart three chapters of the Word of God. The service projects that I was a part of also helped me have a more humble and loving heart.

Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the Lads to Leaders program is something that only hit home to me this year. As I walked around the convention center in Louisville, saying “hi” to everyone I knew and even meeting new people, I was overwhelmed with the unity of the Lord’s church. Because we all serve a common Savior and are striving to be like Him and to serve His people, our differences fade to nothing when we have fellowship with one another. The adults and children that I passed in the halls were all friendly, often complimenting and encouraging those who were on their way to a competition. Even competitors were kind and open. I have made friendships that will last for years with girls that I competed against. People never viewed each other as opponents, but rather as brothers and sisters.


This year I was blessed to attend singing devotionals after the award ceremonies on Friday and Saturday night. We gathered to sing praises to God, sometimes holding hands in a circle as we praised our Lord. In those moments, we were truly together. The competition of Lads taught me that competition isn’t what’s most important— worshiping God together is.


As I reflect on my years in Lads I am overwhelmed with thankfulness, joy— and sadness too. I will miss the opportunity to speak, engage in a debate, and practice a puppet skit with my friends. I will miss acting silly and eating pizza with the kids in my youth group during the weekend; encouraging each other as we compete in speech or song leading; and cheering myself hoarse when someone from our congregation has their name called for an award. I will even miss the busyness and nervousness of convention weekend.

But I am deeply indebted to the Lads to Leaders program— for seven years of memories, learning, challenges, laughter, encouragement, and growth. L2L has taught me (and many young people like me) that we are capable of leading, that service is a beautiful thing, that we can succeed at things we never thought we could, and that our Lord is worthy of our time, effort, and lives.

Lads to Leaders, I will love you forever. Thank you.

Love, 

Jewell 

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” —Ephesians 2:10 

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” —1 Thessalonians 5:11 

I Will Be 


I will be 

Rarely elaborate, but always beaming 

A woman who is more concerned with hearts than faces 

Who sees through skin to the spirit 

I will be 

A friend to those who hurt 

Reaching out my hands to lift heads 

The ache of humanity running deep in me 

Along with the love 

I will be 

Open to the adventures of life 

Open to the souls 

And carrying beauty in my arms for any to take, 

As they have need 

I will be myself 

And it will be enough 

Storing Up the Word 


When temptation approaches, 

Enticing me with excuses until my resolve wavers, 

Hope emerges from my chest with the words of my Lord. 

Temptation says: “You are too weak;” 

God says: “I will not give you more than you can handle.” 

Temptation says: “You know you want to give in;” 

God says: “Delight yourself in me and I will give you what you need.” 

And the comfort of the Lord strengthens me 

To turn from the darkness toward the light- 

For His Word is hidden in my heart, 

So that I will not sin against Him. 

I Stand 


I stand 

When I worship Christ,

when praise and glory 

drip from the openness 

of my heart 

like honey from the comb,

I stand

When I bring my Father’s grace 

to the starving and restless soul, 

lifting eyes heavenward and 

sharing in salvation’s joy, 

I stand 

When I turn from paths of sin, 

discover unbelievable strength in 

the loving whispers of the Word of 

God,

I stand 

When I defend my Savior as my 

King and brother, rejoicing in His 

love and intercession, 

I stand 

And when I fall, 

He still stands