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."
Living In God’s Rhyme ©2018 by Tim Carter
God Still Rhymes ©2019 by Tim Carter
God’s Rhyme ©2019 by Tim Carter