God and the People Around You

45, 5-5, SHOW NOTES & COPYRIGHTS,

Today we are reading from Living In God’s Rhyme about an experience at work in sharing and in the mysterious ways God does work in our lives. And a couple of other special ones.

Talk Around the Table (Living In God’s Rhyme, pg. 127)

As he was walking toward the table

The others were already talking

As the smell of food was in the air

And the mood at the table was good.

And of course he thought

Why doesn’t good rhyme with food

But mood does with one

But not the other?

It was hard to be understood.

But he found as he listened to the sound

Of their voices talking as he was walking

There are rhymes that at times,

Rhymes heard without the sound of a voice.

One comment turned the talk to God.

Admittedly for lunch talk this was odd.

There were believers and there were not,

But calm prevailed and the talk did not get hot.

Oh sure sometimes it was out of sync

As someone took time to think

Of what to say next and not perplex

Those around the table, if one was able.

What started as a freewheeling talk fest

Where one never was made to feel like a guest

The talk turned to a serious conversation,

A discussion of God and man’s salvation.

Through it all it was a comfortable time

Where occasionally the yours and mine

Differed, but never led to a division

That can be caused by one or the other’s decision.

We listened with open ears

And some spoke of their fears

While some spoke in quiet tones

That Jesus’ love is what atones.

There was this and that among the chit chat

And a good share of that was of God’s care

From our beginning and beyond our end,

All of this around the table of friends.

And as we left there was one who beamed

Because of questions that were answered.

The conversation planted the seed it seemed

Because he knew one would follow to water.

Reflection on Talk Around the Table

This happened at work one day.

Discussion:

Days of Discouragement (Living In God’s Rhyme, pg. 129)

He woke up to a buzzing alarm,

Though startled, it did him no harm.

Sitting up he stretched his arms

As like bees thoughts came in swarms.

This day wasn’t yesterday

So he did kneel and pray

That he would find God’s way

And there he would stay.

Preparing himself for the day ahead

Hoping that . . .

Suddenly,

The day came crashing down instead.

The rhyme was gone,

Thoughts became thoughtless,

Words had no sounds.

Then walking through an open door

As he wished, not hoped, for something more,

He saw someone he knew,

Who yesterday he had talked to.

It wasn’t that the person was there

That brought him to reality.

It was the question that was asked

That made him stop and stare.

The question was a reflection

Of that person’s recollection

Of yesterday’s sharing of God’s word

And his hoping it had been heard.

It had been heard and the questions spilled out.

And as he answered one after another one

He could feel his spirit rising up, wanting to shout.

He knew before the end what God had done.

It wasn’t that God had put someone on the path,

The path he was taking today.

No, God had placed someone in his way,

Someone needing to know how to follow God’s path.

It wasn’t a believer,

Though it was someone

In fear of the deceiver,

With questions about God’s Son.

And in that moment of time

He found in his voice the sound

Of God’s Holy Spirit filling the lines

In his answers with God’s rhymes.

God works in many ways.

And who are we to say

What or who God can use

So that him we do not lose?

God heals those who are broken,

Sometimes with the words spoken

By those who do not know him

But need you to show them.

With God discouragement

Becomes encouragement.

Reflection on Days of Discouragement

This was the day at work after Talk Around the Table.

Discussion: This was an amazing and eye opening experience for me. It is not always the people we expect that God uses.

As I was going through Living In God’s Rhyme I was stopped at the next poem. The first two poems are about sharing, and with the title of the next poem, well I guess it made sense.

Words That Are Shared (Living In God’s Rhyme, pg. 177)

Don’t worry, there is no forecast for a snow flurry

And the judge and the jury are no longer in a hurry

To hear another story with details so gory

Yes, I am sorry to have found sentences

For my crime, inserting words that rhyme

Sometimes when exercising the mind

In sorting and cleaning one does find

Thoughts that become words to write

Words in lines that together just might

Be more than one may dare to dream

Words that make the reader want to scream

Either scream with joy or anger

Voices that make the sounds

That express without words

Emotions they have found

From the words of one’s thoughts

That others should at all times read

What do you think, what do I think

Do you drink from the glass that I drink

Do your beliefs give you relief

Do my beliefs bring you grief

Or maybe it is the other way

That I grieve at what you say

But we must talk as together we walk

In the life we live, in the love we give

To disagree we must understand

The reasons for another’s stand

Just as when we present our side

We must do so not to divide

Respect one another

Our sister and brother

Whether right or wrong

So we may sing a song

Of peace and brotherhood

Of showing each other the good

Pray that we not lead others astray

Pray that there is truth in all we say

Pray that we will find the way

Pray that together we will stay

Pray that the love of God will engulf us all

Pray that this happens before we fall

Before we fall from grace!

Discussion: As Christians we are called to spread the gospel. We must do it in a peaceful and loving way. There will be times when we must walk away. Let the Holy Spirit, Who will give us the words, lead us as we walk and talk with others.

Addition to Show Notes: After AI finished putting together the Show Notes I read the last wwo chapters of Colossians. I was amazed to read the words in Chapter 4, versus 5 and 6: “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how ought answer each one.” (NKJV)

I would like to end with a couple of special poems that were written many years ago, in the last century to me exact. We are recording this podcast on a Monday. It will be released on a Friday. On the Wednesday between these days Mary and I celebrated another wedding anniversary. How long have we been married, Dave wants to ask. We have been married long enough to have five children and six grandchildren with a few years before and a few more after. These poems were written, one before, and one after our wedding.

Poems About You (Living In God’s Rhyme, pg. 99)

I no longer have to write poems about you

you are my poetry

no more searching for rhymes

and worrying about the lines

in you I find

my words are to be spoken

the pen shan't be broken

over any parchment

nor will the mind hinder the heart

as I have found

I no longer have to write

poems about you

you are all the poetry

that’s been pent up inside of me

you are my rhyme

with time

For My Wife (Living In God’s Rhyme, pg. 100)

you are my love

everlasting and forever

what I need is all I desire

you have given me that

and sealed it with gold

and I love you

I love you because

even when we are mad

I so want to kiss you

and tell you I love you

I love you

brown eyes that smile

when you are happy

smile when I am happy

the woman in you never

steps on that little girl

who comes to visit once in awhile

the angel who makes us both laugh

for laughing is love

our love is our happiness

and happiness makes for laughing

I had the following thought while putting the show notes together.

Many Years Ago Through Tomorrow

I know that God brought us together

In our time of need to fulfill our hope

For tomorrow,

Without the sorrow

That led us to the time

And place in our race

Where we found our rhyme.

God, whose words are not hollow,

Through His rhymes did follow.

(tcarter, 2/20/2022)

Discussion: Putting together the show Notes could have been a podcast in itself. Amazing how God works.

Tim Also read the following poems but did not put in the notes. If you have the books you can look them up.

Some How (God's Rhyme Pg 59)

5 on the Floor (God's Rhyme Pg 64)

Closing Prayer

If you give

Him the times

As you live

His word rhymes

And don’t forget, “We are the Kings kids and you will never get rid of us for we are His with Jesus.”

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Tim and Dave

"If you give Him the times As you live His word rhymes "

"We are the King’s kids and you’ll never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus."