The Lord placed this on my heart in the wee hours of the morning this morning while I was baking homemade apple crisp (made from apples from our own apple tree!). I finally had some quiet time with the Lord, and was able to put some thoughts on paper that sum up the heart of my next book: Fully Persuaded. My desire is that this book will come out by the end of 2014.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy my poem. It was initially meant to be words to a song, but it became a little too long!
The Truth of the Matter
by Dawn Foss
Do you ever feel in culture shock
When you listen to the news?
Do people at work surprise you
With their secular world views?
Do you look to political parties
To fix our nation’s sin?
When the very problems we all face
Come directly from within?
Tolerance gets misdefined
By saying all is right
When really that’s impossible
If truth is kept in sight.
A baby’s crime is just existing
It’s punishable by death;
Simply by the will of her mother
She’ll take her final breath.
A child is told he can pick and choose
To be a girl or boy,
The help and hope he needs so much
Is simply just ignored.
With blinded eyes and apathy,
Confusion and deceit.
We’re not helping anyone,
When we melt in all the heat.
Jesus said the world would hate us
Just like they hate Him,
Don’t let it get you down because
Your labor’s not in vain.
There is a judgment day ahead,
Oh soldiers, time rolls forth
Proclaim the truth, don’t be afraid,
Remember what you’re worth.
Do not be discouraged
The faithful never quit.
Be determined, speak the truth,
In love march on for Him.
Know your Bible very well,
Proclaim truth to the world;
Pray daily, faithfully
Attend your local church.
God is real, He does not hide,
His truth is clear to see;
It matters what you do and say
God counts on you and me.
Above all, speak the truth
With a genuine heart to care;
Without the love the truth will be
Despised by those who hear.
They won’t care how much you know
‘Til they know how much you care,
Spiritually dead ones need life’s breath
By the Holy Spirit’s air.
Here’s the truth, it’s plain to see
Sin darkens every heart.
How you think or feel or act
Is shaded by this part.
It matters not who you are
Or what you’ve ever done;
The chains of sin that claim your heart
Were broken by God’s Son.
What does this mean? There’s hope, my friend!
Repent, come as you are.
He’ll cleanse those hearts that come by faith,
Forgive, renew, empower!
Jesus died for you and me,
And conquered death, we’re free!
Now live your life with joy and peace
As you were meant to be!
I'm really enjoying the refreshing direction from the new Pope. He basically is saying - let's get back to the business of caring for our fellow many instead of telling everyone that they are wrong. Take care of the poor instead of shaming people and be inclusive and tolerant instead of condemning.
ReplyDeleteIf your child does wrong, do you correct him? Do you feel you are shaming him or do you feel that you are training him to do what is right, to have safety and a positive future? If someone runs around the neighborhood naked, are you intolerant to tell him to get back in his house and get some clothes on so that he doesn't expose himself to the others in the neighborhood? It is not wrong to correct people. Tolerance does not mean that everyone is right and it's OK for everyone to do what they want. Tolerance means that we should be civil and respectful to the humanness of people, but the truth of right and wrong does not get compromised in the process.
DeleteOnly in America is the religious right so obsessed with condemnation. http://www.salon.com/2013/10/15/the_religious_right_is_a_fraud_nothing_christian_about_michele_bachmanns_values/
ReplyDeleteBy your own definition of tolerance, you are being intolerant of the religious right.
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