Whatever is Pure, Inspiring Christian Poetry, Devotionals and Testimonies July 2005

I received the following email this month and include it along with a poem by Mr Davis. I was touched by the tender heart and expression of friendship.

Dearest "Whatever is True" editor,

My name is Mary M and I am 14 years old. This poem I am submitting is not my, but a older friend of mine. His name is Davis. I got to know this man because of my grandfather. My grandfather was sent into a nursing home about a year ago, and his best friend there was "Mr. Davis". My grandfather had such the kindest and most giving heart that it inspired Mr. Davis to walk.

My grandfather became diagnosed with lung cancer in November of 2004. The tumor in his lung progressed at a heart wrenching rate. In the last week of Christmas December 2004, my grandfather was in that "stage" of dying. My parents was at his side hour after hour after hour, just holding his hand and embracing every moment they had with him. When my parents couldn't be there (during the night, breaks, mornings) Mr. Davis was there to hold his hand. Mr. Davis stayed up all night just watching my grandfather for one whole week. On January 1st, at 5:00 p.m. my idol, my friend, my grandfather died. Once he died I realized that to most connect with my grandfather is through Mr. Davis. So I have had the chance to get to know him and I write to him every month. Mr. Davis has told me that when he was younger he was considered the "town drunk" and that he has 6 children. Five of his children have not since him and do not care to see him, which is shocking to me.

Every month I write to Mr. Davis and send him $10, because he cant even afford a pair of socks. I have gotten closer and closer to Mr. Davis and now consider him my 2nd grandfather. The point I am trying to make is that during the monthly writings, Mr. Davis sent me one of his poems that he had written 30 years ago. I read the poem and was amazed at how good the poem was. So, before Mr. Davis passes away, I am trying to get this poem published.

The Little Country Church

I entered in a little Country Church
And a Drunkard was kneeling down…
So I walked and knelt beside him
Without a word or not a sound

Before I started praying
I heard his voice so clear…
He said Lord this road I travel now
I hope the end is near.

With trembling hands he wiped a tear
That feel upon the pew…
It spread so wide and was so clear
Just like the morning dew.

He said Lord I saw my son today
He told me not to cry.
He was really glad to see me Lord
That's the reason I stopped by.

Then I had woken up and realized God had let me see…
My son that I miss so much
And the drunkard man was me.

Now the roses on my pillow case
Are wet like morning dew…
Because a tear fell and it spread so wide
God's way to prove my dream was true…

If you would like to pass on a message to Mary or Mr. St. Romain please write to the webmaster listed at the bottom of this page and we will forward it to them.

Clearing out clutter, and sprucing up after the holidays, called for something new from the nearby garden shop. I picked a hardy houseplant and placed the pot outside where you could see it from the kitchen. It looked perfect out there.

One day I looked out the window and the plant was all bent over and facing the other way. It had gotten plenty of water, what happened? It looked so pretty before.

Seemed like that plant changed direction overnight. Of course, it didn't happen that fast. It was like time lapse photography. Each day, the little leaves turned their faces towards the sun. Imperceptibly, the plant was turning. Ever so slowly. And over a period of time, the difference was very noticeable.

Plants don't have a choice. They just do what they do. We, however, have a choice. We can choose what we look at, what we think about, what we absorb.

In our day-to-day lives, all the seemingly insignificant decisions we make, matter. As we turn in the direction of our focus, little by little, the choices pile up to create a definite, noticeable change.

The writer of Philippians, Paul, says: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

How beautiful when we make choices like this......no matter where we are planted!

©Sally I. Kennedy

Author of "Words from the Heart, and 52 Little Parables from Ireland" (Creation House Press)
sallyikennedy@bellsouth.net
Email for permission to use, reprint or print.

.I am 15 years old, and I'm in the ninth grade. I make really good grades and have always LOVED Egypt. I had a good, fun life, but I knew something was missing. I started thinking that I didn't have a purpose, and I wanted to die, that's actually all I thought about for about 3 months. At the time I didn't realize what I needed was God.

A guy in my science class (a minister's son) told me about an Egyptian minister that he knew. He said that he traveled around the U.S. a lot talking at different churches about Muslims. I told the guy that I loved Egypt and had never met an Egyptian, and he said when he seen him again he will tell him that I want to meet him. At school, at least once a week a youth minister at a local church came and invited people to go to church. He has invited me a few times and I told him I would come, but never did.

I woke up for school one day and was in a really bad mood, but the night before I watched something on T. V. about Egypt and that's all I thought about that day. At lunch that day I went outside, which I usually do, but something kept telling me to go inside, so I did. When I walked in the guy in my science class came up to me and told me that the Egyptian guy was there, so I went and talked to him. He was up there with the youth minister, and the Egyptian guy invited me to church. And I went.

I really learned a lot from hearing him talk, but didn't feel welcomed there. I had planned not to go back, but the youth minister told me that I could, so I did. The second time was fun, but the third was better. There were a few seniors talking about how they had been a part of that church forever. I wanted to feel like that too. I talked to the my minister about getting baptized and also got re-saved. I am getting baptized in about 3 weeks, and have been reading the bible everyday since I started going. I no longer feel stressed or depressed, and I kept wondering what had happened to make me change so much in 3 weeks.

Then I realized it. GOD!!!!! I never seen it though, and exactly 3 weeks and one day later I figured it out. I was reading the bible and read a verse that caught my eye then I realized that God really does work in mysterious ways.

The point of this story is God knew how I felt inside and knew that I needed help. He also knew that I loved Egypt. I SERIOUSLY think that God put them together by getting the Egyptian guy to invite me to church. Then God saved my soul. I no longer wonder if I have a purpose, because I know that I do, and it's to serve God and help others the way that he helped me. This may just seem like a coincidence, but I have never been so excited, or felt so loved the moment that I realized that Jesus really does love everybody.

This is the BEST thing that has ever happened to me and I couldn't find anyone to tell so I figured that I should share it with whoever is willing to read it.

Love everybody,

Courtney,

God's Grace

God's grace
Disguised as dreams come true
Often misunderstood
Taken for granted
Unappreciated
His unconditional love
Bottomless
Profound
Infinite
My unworthiness
Masks a life of sin
Cleansed by His Holy blood
Saved for His purpose
Innate
I go forth
Anointed

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2005
awwgrimesjr@gmail.com
Please email for permission to use.

Ever get the feeling that you are caught up in a maze? I have to admit that I really do not like mazes; I like to see the end result. I confess I used to read mystery novels starting with the last chapter as I don't like suspense. These are petty annoyances, the last have almost ended a friendship or two when they found out I was 'cheating' when reading a best seller. I've been banned from going to movies with one group of friends as I hide under my coat at the 'tense' moments in movies. How tense can a pg-13 movie be? Just ask me.

However, those are only petty annoyances in comparison to a dilemma my mother found herself in a few years ago. Being only 5'1, she lives her life seeing the shoulders and backs of a lot of people in crowded situations. She is also extremely nearsighted and night blind. Add a slight case of claustrophobia and you can imagine the panic that started to rise when she found herself caught up in a wave of people all heading toward an exit that she did not wish to take after an evening football game. Terrified, she tried to press against the crowd to find a way out. People only pressed back. As her heart began to race and sweat began to form on her brow, the inner turmoil became evident on her face. To her horror, tears began to well up.

Enter a tall, dark and handsome Mountie. Seriously! A young man on duty at the game saw her distress and took pity on her and asked her where she was heading. He told her that he could definitely get her there then asked her to grab hold of his coat-tail. And so she did. From his vantage the way was very clear. He was a good head above anyone else in the crowd, he had no fear, he had authority written on his uniform and in his stride. He quickly led the shivering senior safely to the correct exit much to my mother's everlasting thanks. Letting go of his coat-tail, my mother could see she was in fresh air and her friends were waiting to guide her the rest of the way to the van.

Do you find yourself pressed in by dangerous crowds of problems and situations pressing against you and dragging you toward places you just don't want to go? Call out to Jesus, he will direct your paths, he will be your shepherd. His view isn't clouded by our circumstances, he is far above all circumstances, all powers, all principles and all situations. Ask him to give you his view of the world and your personal circumstances from his vantage and you'll see that indeed the view is great up there.

© Please contact Katherine Walden for permission to use. Please consider a small donation for such use, click to donate at the bottom of this page.

As of May 2012, "WHATEVER IS PURE" ARCHIVES will no longer be seeking submissions. As most authors and poets now have their own blogs, we noticed a significant drop in submissions over the past year and felt it was best to move on to other endeavors.

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