Why These Poems?
Contains a degree of Christian content.
These poems, SECULAR and CHRISTIAN, came as quite a surprise to me, having never done poetry before. It wasn't until recently, January 2002, that they began.
One day I was feeling particularly upset over the things that I had been witnessing within the Christian community. I had in recent years become more committed to my Christian walk, and biblical study [a lot], and as a consequence, more aware of what Christians [which meant me too] should be upholding and practicing, but were not, thus bringing Christianity into disrepute and representing God badly [many ignorantly so]. After all, Christians are supposed to be God’s ambassadors.
As a result of having become more committed to my Christian walk, I began to see more clearly the tragic changes that have also been occurring within society.
Added to this, was the pain I had experienced over the years, and was still experiencing, which I believe was primarily caused by: 1) my own foolishness, emotional struggles, and general health; 2) a greater appreciation of wrong that I myself, throughout my life, had inflicted on others; and 3) the insensitivity, indifference, unkindness, and prejudice of others.
With all this going on inside me, I, for some unknown reason, took a pen, sat down, and tried putting something together in "poetical" form, starting with a Christian poem.
My first attempts resulted in a number of rather poorly constructed poems, with sometimes ill chosen words, and poorly rendered verses, which reflected my lack of poetical and grammatical skill, and my lack of Christian growth. As time went by my skill in the realm of poetry improved, but not before a number of my earlier attempts had circulated. The poems here represented are the ones I would rather be judged by, as it were. Most of them are new poems, but a few are earlier ones that I have gone back over and improved as best I could — ones I considered savable and worthwhile saving. However, poetry is simply the vehicle being used here, and is therefore not my primary focus.
I would like to point out that certain things expressed in these poems are not necessarily my experience, but what I have seen experienced in the lives of others — a good example of that is my poem, "This Man Who’s In Your Life" (secular). This particular poem came about as a result of a conversation I had had with a friend who felt it was needed given that I had previously penned a poem on the plight of women, entitled "This Woman Who’s In Your Life" (secular).
The point of writing these poems is to express my own beliefs, viewpoints, concerns, and thoughts, and that should always be borne in mind when reading them. They are a reflection of my ongoing journey. The poem "How Could I Act Otherwise?" (Christian) expresses where I stand personally, and the poem "Take My Selfish Heart" (Christian) expresses my desire. I do not consider myself as being better or wiser than anyone else and am very aware that I still have a long way to go, and am happy to receive all the help I can get. It’s just simply that a fountain of poetry has been springing forth from within me, as appears here, which I have often had folk [both Christian and non–Christian] tell me I should publish. It is my hope that this poetical collage will stimulate thought, benefit others, and bring glory to my God, who I believe has used me [an unworthy vessel] to express what’s in these poems, and to whom I give any credit.
I hope that your response to these poems will take into account the fact that God is still working on me, He hasn’t finished yet, so I may not have put things together as well as He might have liked.
I believe that we should consider carefully and fairly what another is saying. Though we may disagree with what they are saying, and still hold to our own view, this should not preclude us from keeping an open mind. Many have found with time that what they thought was wrong, was right, or that what they thought was right, was wrong. May I suggest to you that it is not differing views or beliefs that cause the problem, nor the expressing of them, but those bad responses or attitudes that many display towards another who expresses (or practices) different views or beliefs to them.
Some of the poems included are just general poetry. More poems might be added to this site, and existing poems may be upgraded at any time. Comments may also appear at the bottom of some poems, but only on the website, and further comments may be added. These comments (and various diagrams) may appear bit-by-bit as my site is managed by someone else, and therefore I'm reliant on their availability in order for me to update my site in any way. Comments may not be particularly in-depth as my primary focus is my poetry.
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This website is a personal website, and is not affiliated with any
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Regarding biblical texts that appear on most
poems: Where not indicated otherwise, the Scripture quotations
contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible,
copyright, 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.
Other versions used include the RSV, NIV, KJV, NKJV, and NASB.
Kind regards,
My Prayer For You
May the God whom glory’s due, fill your heart full of His love,
May the Spirit, in you dwell, with empowering from above,
May God implant mercy and compassion within your heart,
And along with inner joy, peace and courage also impart.
May the loving God above, with His truth encompass you,
May He guide your every step, show you what to say and do,
May His presence fill your life, and expressions of His love,
And may He daily send angels with protection from above.
May the God whom angels praise, restrain all who’d do you ill,
May He take into account your desires with His will,
May strength for any trial, (when required), be granted you,
And where His molding’s needed, may His gentleness show through.
May the loving God above, give greater wisdom to you,
May He sent encouragement, and may He send true friends too,
May all suffering encountered be softened, and comfort given,
And any powers of darkness from your home and life be driven.
To God the Father, this I pen, in Jesus Holy name, Amen.
By Lance Landall
Imagine Being Me
Have you ever stopped to think, friend, how you would feel if you were me,
Especially considering that myself I can only be?
There’s not a thing that can be done to ever change me into you,
So, please consider carefully what to me you might say or do.
In fact, deep within my heart, I might wish that I could be like you,
But just accepting who I am is something I must learn to do.
You’ll make it so much easier if you will just accept me too,
Allowing me to be myself, and I, the same allowing you.
I’m just simply how I am — I’m me — and while changes can be made,
Any wrongful expectations will only see us both dismayed.
Certain things that work for you, even certain things that you can do,
Mightn’t be things that I can do, or things that will work for me too.
No, you’re so used to being you, that you just can’t imagine being me,
Yet, it’s only when you try, friend, that there’s a chance you then might see.
But if no matter how you try, an understanding still alludes you,
Dwell on this: It could be just as hard for me to understand you too.
By Lance Landall
I Wonder
I wonder why I’m different? Could it be because I’m me?
Could you be different also, given that you’re you, and not me?
And now that I’ve thought of it, could others be different too?
Or is it only me that’s me, and only you that is you?
Could we all be different -- I mean, each one of us unique?
Or do you think that in saying so, I’ve really got a cheek?
Though surely if I can’t be you, and if you cannot be me,
It only stands to reason that no one else the same could be.
Hang on. Perhaps there're exceptions to what (here) appears to be.
Yes, maybe there is someone out there who’s the same as you and me,
Or maybe it’s just you, or maybe I, who isn't unique;
I wonder what we'd find if you and I were to go and seek?
Now, if we found another me, or we found another you,
Would I in fact still be me, and would you in fact still be you?
For after all, if there was another one of you or me,
We surely couldn't be considered as uniquely you or me.
No, I really don't like the thought of there being another me,
And as far as another you goes -- is that what you'd want to see?
It's hard enough trying to figure one’s self out, quite frankly,
Without there being another you or me to figure out, dear me!
By Lance Landall
Don't Believe in God? Not interested in Christianity?
Have you considered the following?
Could not believing in God be one of the reasons for the many rapes, murders, assaults, abuses, etc, that our world is so full of today — in other words, no God, no accountability? Let me clarify that a little more. If one doesn’t believe in God, then one most likely doesn’t believe in a day of reckoning. And I guess one might order their life on that basis. What I mean is, why would someone necessarily concern themselves with what they might do, if at the end of their life, there was no punishment for the unrepentant wrongdoer, and no paradise for those who choose to live rightly and lovingly. If one wasn’t caught by the authorities, what you could get away with, would only be limited by the degree of your creativeness. After all, if life didn’t exist beyond the grave for you, if there wasn’t a bigger picture, what on earth would be the point or purpose in morality, human rights, etc, one could ask.
Even worse would be happening today if it weren’t for the fact that some are simply motivated to do the correct thing because they don’t want to take a chance on risking prison, punishment of some other kind, or some sort of self inflicted repercussion. The motives of others for refraining from lawlessness, might, for example, simply be upbringing, social pressure or simply a lack of opportunity. So where would a sincere distaste of evil, a true genuine sense of right and wrong, and a truly unselfish desire to do good, come from. It’s certainly not something you can legislate or force, though there are some who might like to try. How does love for our fellowman get into a heart to start with? Where does our conscience come from?
Doesn’t having a hope beyond the grave, a belief in a God, and a day of reckoning, help to hold society in check? Otherwise, what’s the alternative? Survival of the fittest, dog eat dog, the law of the jungle? Sounds evolutionary doesn’t it? Incidentally, Darwin didn’t think his evolutionary theory – yes it is only a theory – would take off like it did.
When one looks at the miracle of new birth, the wonder of the animal kingdom, and the beauty and complexity of nature itself, not to mention the human body, its hard not to believe in an incredible, intelligent, powerful, divine source. Likewise, love, mercy, compassion, kindness, tender human expressions, etc, must emanate from somewhere, and that somewhere could surely only fit with a Someone, that is, an amazing, loving, and caring God. On the other hand, any opposition to a God like that, and His Word, would surely have to come from a negative source, one that would really only fit with a devil, hence why the devil mentioned in the Christian Bible [God’s Word] neatly fits that picture. Only that sort of scenario makes some sense out of it all. A beautiful newly made creation [planet earth], humans given free choice and control of their habitation, rebellion, planet earth and mankind corrupted, death and decay, a perpetrator behind it all [Satan – a malcontent angel], and a concerned savior [the creator God, king of all the worlds] watching and awaiting the eventual climax of the perpetrators ‘plan’. A great universal controversy between good and evil. Wouldn’t allowing such a thing, instead of instantly snuffing it out, help humanity to see clearly forever more the result of rejecting what was right and best in the first place, therefore preventing another disaster, and showing how merciful and longsuffering this God is? That He is not a dictator. After all, a God who creates beings with freedom of choice instead of making them robots [voluntary love after all, is the only love worth having] would hardly in a renewed environment [a renewed earth] change them into robots the second time around. That would be the ultimate contradiction!
Today we live in a seemingly never ending world of change and instability. Surely what we need today is something that never changes, something that gives us reassurance. With all the theories doing the rounds today, a master blueprint to refer back to, is surely needed more than ever. The Bible? Could it be that Christians have been forsaking what they once upheld? The Bible not for you? Once again, what’s the alternative? Communism, fascism, mysticism, New Age [actually old age wrapped in new clothing]? Mankind has never been able to find an answer within itself. It just chases its tail. One only has to look at history. Mankind is like a ship in a bottle — clearly only something from outside can save it. Look at where mankind is now. To think that ‘we’ can cure this mess we’re in is to act like the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand.
Our seas are polluted beyond redemption, our land masses likewise. The ecological system is in tatters, the very air we breathe contaminated, even food we eat. Calamities are increasing rapidly [funny how the Bible predicts all that], lawlessness is rampant, and the list goes on. Its like everything is going wrong. It’s obviously all going to end somewhere. Where would you like it to end? Wouldn’t a new and better life beyond this present one be the answer? Hope for the future? Life beyond the grave?
Personally, my trust and hope, is in God and His Word. Each day God’s Word is validated by what we see happening around us, along with the disturbing world events. All predicted, all on track.
What are you putting ‘your’ trust and hope in, or aren’t you? It’s food for thought isn’t it?
