It's A Sad Thing To Be An Infidel (Poem)

 

It's A Sad Thing To Be An Infidel

It's a sad thing to be an infidel.
To deny there's a literal Heaven and Hell.
To reject all absolute claims that there's a loving God,
Then expect to live in Heaven someday - my, how odd!

It's a wretched thing to be a modernist.
To deny that every single one of us has sinned,
Then somehow expect that by calling God a liar,
Will miraculously make you right with Him!

It's a cursed thing to be a New-Evangelical.
Claiming to be God's friend when you won't trust or obey,
Somehow thinking that by being religious,
Will magically blot out your sins on Judgement Day!

It's a sorry thing to claim to believe the Bible
While you're doing your best to explain it away.
Stubbornly thinking that by doing good works,
Will compensate for the price our Lord had to pay!

It's a wonderful thing to actually believe the Bible.
To trust wholly that every Word of God is true,
To accept Jesus Christ as your very own Saviour,
Believing that He suffered on Calvary for you!

It's a blessed thing to believe all of God's promises.
Knowing that the Lord is sovereign in your life.
Clinging closely to Christ in the midst of the trials,
Having inward peace, even during outward strife!

It's an awesome thing to be a Christian.
No longer condemned and under wrath, but reconciled.
To know you have eternal life in Heaven,
With sins forgiven, and welcomed as God's dear child!

October 3rd, 2000
Jerry Bouey

Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

John 3:18-21 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

1 John 1:8, 10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us... If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Northern Lights (Poem)

 

Northern Lights

We saw the Northern Lights tonight, glittering up in the sky.
In rapture, we beheld the sight, and my how the time passed by -
In worshipping and praising the Lord who made all these things.
In amazement and wonder, our souls began to sing.

We talked about God's love tonight, and sang songs from His Word;
About how Jesus died to give us life - so glad that we had heard.
Awestruck at all the colours, bright green and white and red.
Praising Christ for Calvary, and for the blood that He had shed.

Night grew a little bit colder, but now we were warmed within.
We thanked Jesus for having saved us and forgiving all our sin.
Remembering God's past mercies, and sharing them again,
And all through this time of worship, our hearts drew closer to Him.

Thank you, Lord, for your awesome gift of creation,
and for making us new creatures in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

October 4th, 2000
Jerry Bouey

(Dedicated to the Trenholms,
from whose backyard we got to see this wonder together.)

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psalm 8:3-4

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

Esther's Prayer (Poem)

 

Esther's Prayer

I have a prayer for when I go.
It may be soon, I just don't know.
There is a bit of fear I guess.
I have some worries I must confess.
When the doubts come and the fear,
Help me remember, Lord, You're near.

What will happen when I'm gone?
Who will help my loved ones carry on?
Who will comfort them and ease their pain?
Who will provide their needs and explain
That I've gone on to a better place,
To gaze upon my Saviour's face?

Let me learn from the sparrows, Lord.
And teach me from Your Holy Word,
That You watch over each and every one,
And You decide when their time has come,
Then gently remind me that You are in control,
And I can still trust You, Lord, with my soul.

If You can preserve Your Word forever,
Then surely I need not doubt, no never,
That You know what's best for me and mine,
And that I can trust You when it's time,
To give them solace in their pain,
And bring them rainbows in the rain.

I thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking my fear,
And Heavenly Father, for drawing near,
And Holy Spirit, for Your comfort and peace,
For letting the doubts and worries cease.
I thank You again for peace in my soul,
And reminding me, You are in control.

August 20th, 2000
By your friend,
Jerry Bouey

My times are in Thy hand…
Psalm 31:15

Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

Luke 12:6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

John 14:16, 26 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever; But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Our Little One (Poem by Angela Trenholm)

This poem is dedicated to “Our Little One”, who went to be with Jesus on May 21, 1997, after being in Momma’s belly for 15 or so weeks. In October, 1997, I (Angela) found out I was pregnant again, and gave birth to Abigail, June 1998, then Melissa, June 2001, and Carolyn Ann-Marie in October 2004.

It is my hope and prayer that many find solace in the confident hope that their precious “little one” is with the Lord.

But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. 2 Samuel 12:23 (King David speaking)

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

God is gracious!

Our Little One

Didn’t know if you were a boy or girl.
Would your hair be straight, or would it curl?
Would you be dark like your Daddy,
or would you be fair skinned like me?

Would you love to run and play outside,
or be a homebody by Momma’s side?
Would your mind in the clouds often wander,
or would engineering feats, be what you ponder?

The Lord never let us know these things,
but he knew the joy you’d bring.
Even carrying you for such a short time,
making me yearn for a new Little One in His time.

Your time with us was, oh so brief.
Your loss, brought us so much grief.
Yet through it all, I learned to see,
how My Lord, He walks with me.

I could not wish you back with us,
for surely, I have learned to trust,
and know you are safer with the Lord,
and am glad for the short time He could afford.

For surely, He must love you so,
to take you from us, and this I know,
that one day up in glory, when my Jesus I shall see,
there’ll be another Special Little One, waiting up there for me!

Angela Trenholm
September 26, 2000

The Prodigal Has Come Home (Poem)

 

The Prodigal Has Come Home

For years he has wandered in the far country
Far away from the Father's house to roam,
But something happened there that left him destitute -
Now at wits end, the prodigal has come home...

He has squandered all his living in Vanity Fair -
Soon he was left with nothing - so hungry and alone;
But somehow a precious promise stirred his soul -
Oh wonder of wonders, the prodigal has come home...

The swine husks could never truly satisfy,
And oh how soon the wine became tasteless foam;
Coming to his senses, as if waking from a dream,
With purpose of heart, the prodigal has come home...

Realizing that he had sinned sorely against Heaven,
He turned in faith to the Saviour on His throne,
Repented and asked the Lord for forgiveness -
With tears of joy, the prodigal has come home...

Our Heavenly Father is pleading with compassion and love:
The Lamb has been slain, His blood shed, and our sins now atoned;
The invitation is given, the mansion prepared, Jesus awaits your response -
Oh prodigal, prodigal... won't you come home?

Are you a prodigal? Jesus is calling... Come Home!

December 27th, 2000
Jerry Bouey

(Dedicated to Alex - my brother)

Luke 15:11-24 And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

The Tempest Of The Lord - Psalm 107 (Poem)

 

The Tempest Of The Lord

(Psalm 107:23-32)

The tempest rages sudden,
Cruel winds prevail strong,
Though jagged lightning spears the sky,
The night seems dark and long.

The storm crashes down upon them,
Pounding waves overflow,
All thoughts of mercy fade away
To fear, and anguish below.

Mounting high to heaven then
To the depths, plunging down,
Troubled souls melting, at wits end,
No refuge to be found.

But then out from distressed hearts,
Comes a wretched, ragged cry,
The storm calms down, the waves are still,
The Lord of hosts draws nigh.

Chastening, then conviction,
Turning away from sin,
Praying and seeking forgiveness,
Restored to God again.

Peace floods the trembling soul,
The haven is in sight,
A rainbow pierces through the clouds,
And scatters darkest night.

Bless the Lord for His goodness,
Exalt Him for His grace,
Give Him thanks ye children of men,
Oh give Him love and praise.

August 11th, 2000
Jerry Bouey

Matthew 8:23-27 And when He was entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but He was asleep. And His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!

Read also Jonah 1-2

The Good News (Poem)

The Good News

When you compromise and give in to your gravest sin,
and you realize that it’s not what you thought it would be,
When you look within your heart and abhor the blackest parts,
and wonder who can cleanse and make you free.

When you tremble at the thought of all the pain and grief you’ve wrought,
and you shudder down to your very soul,
With horror at your shame, you realize that you’re to blame,
and you long to be forgiven and made whole.

When you think that it’s the end, think again my friend,
Jesus died upon the cross for you and me.
He was our sacrifice for sin. He died and rose again,
so that we could have peace with God eternally.

Our sins deserve the wrath of God entire in the eternal lake of fire,
but there is yet a better way.
Jesus Christ offered Himself in our place, and by repentance and faith,
we can be reconciled to God this very day.

If you need another reason; remember sin’s pleasures only last a season,
but the joys of Heaven last forevermore.
If you forsake your life of sin, and you want to enter in,
Jesus, the Son of God, is the only door.

The Bible still proclaims today: Jesus Christ is the only way –
you can’t get to Heaven any old way you choose.
Your good works won’t earn you a place, it’s a gift solely by God’s grace –
freely offered to all, now that’s Good News!

I urge you: hear the Gospel and believe, and Jesus Christ receive.
Become a child of God this very hour.
Commit yourself to the Lord. Let Him transform you by His Word,
and behold God’s life-changing power.

January 23rd, 2000
Jerry Bouey

For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20

The Place Where Jesus Lives (Poem)

The Place Where Jesus Lives

Have you been to the place where Jesus lives?

That little church by the side of the road;

Where God's children meet in fellowship sweet,

And where the Gospel of Christ is told.

Have you been to the place where Jesus lives?

That peace-filled home along the way;

Where a loving family meets in fellowship sweet,

With joy and thanksgiving, they pray.

Have you been to the place where Jesus lives?

That contrite heart that has turned from sin and shame;

Where a humble soul meets with their Lord so sweet,

And rejoices to know the Saviour's name.

October 22nd, 2000

Jerry Bouey

Ephesians 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

The Day My Saviour Died (Poem)

Poem for Friday

The Day My Saviour Died

I wonder, what were you doing, on the day my Saviour died?
Were you standing afar off, as He hung there crucified?
Were you cheering with the crowd, as they scorned and mocked at Him?
Or were you kneeling at Jesus’ feet, mourning for your sin?

I wonder, what were you doing, when they whipped and beat my Lord,
When they led Him to the cross, where in death His soul was poured?
When the blood that He was shedding pooled down around your feet,
I wonder, weren’t you curious when He didn’t bow in defeat?

I wonder, what were you doing, when they laid Christ in the tomb?
Were you grieved that His life was over, that it ended all too soon?
Were you overwhelmed and anguished, when they rolled the stone in place,
Or was there a bright spark of hope, a stirring of simple faith?

I wonder, what were you doing, on the day my Saviour rose?
Were you trusting Him or doubting Him? I guess God only knows.
As you recalled God’s promises, and saw His tomb opening,
Was your soul moved in awe when out came the King of Kings?

I know what I was doing, I was jeering with the crowd,
I was standing with the Pharisees, self-righteous and proud.
Then I heard the Gospel, how it was for my sins that Jesus died,
Then stricken and convicted, I turned to the Crucified.

I wonder, what was your response, when you heard Christ died for you?
Did you reject the good news, and close blinded eyes to this view?
Or did you worship Him, when you beheld His pierced hands and side?
I wonder, what were you doing, on the day my Saviour died?

August 28th, 2000
Jerry Bouey

If you are interested, please visit the link below to hear this poem presented in church:
(The audio recording is at the top of the page)

The Day My Saviour Died

Be Thou Clean (Song)

Poem for Monday

This week my theme will be soulwinning and salvation (ie. Gospel poems and hymns).

Mark 1:40-42 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

Be Thou Clean

My sins were as scarlet; they were a burden to me.
My eyes were so blinded that I could not see.
Then I heard of Christ dying on Calvary,
And my soul stirred to life deep inside of me.

(Chorus)
I wondered if Jesus would have compassion on me.
I asked Him if He was willing, and He said, "Be thou clean."
"Oh sinner, come unto Me. I am willing; be thou clean."
I asked Him if He was willing, and He said, "Be thou clean."

My sins, oh how many, pierced my soul like a dart!
Foul leprosy within seemed to stain every part.
I wondered if it was possible to make a new start,
And then God's gracious love came and filled my heart.

I was like a black sheep that had wandered astray.
I had rebelled against God and gone my own way.
Then I, in repentance, fell on my knees to pray,
And Christ's precious blood washed my sins all away.

If you are weighed down by your sin's constant blame,
Overwhelmed and grieved by the burden of shame,
Take a look at the Saviour; there's a reason He came,
He died for your sins - hear Him calling your name.

February 4th, 2000
Jerry Bouey

If you are interested, please visit the link below to hear this poem presented in church:
(The audio recording is at the top of the page)

Be Thou Clean

True Christian Friends (Poem)

This is dedicated to all my e-mail friends. Thanks for your friendship and God bless you.

True Christian Friends

True Christian friends are a blessing that are sent out by the Lord.
They come straight from Heaven (I'm sure that's where they're stored!)
They can touch your life with joy and make all the difference in the world.
They offer comfort and compassion when the storms of life are hurled.

True Christian friends are a blessing that are sent from God above.
They fill your life with wonder and crown it all with love.
They are there with the answers when you haven't got a clue,
And offer guidance and steadfastness when you don't know what to do.

True Christian friends are like poems, composed by the Son of God.
He made each one different, some may seem slightly odd,
But Christ is molding every one of them in His own special way.
Thank our Heavenly Father for each one He sends your way.

August 29th, 2000
Jerry Bouey

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Proverbs 27:17

I've Gone Home (Song)

The funeral for a mother in our church (who died of cancer) took place on the day this poem was written. When I got home afterwards, I was thinking about something that was said during the funeral, and was really burdened for the family. I prayed for wisdom to comfort the family and claimed 2 Corinthians 9:7, one of my favourite promises when it comes to offering comfort and hope to others. This poem was the result. I remember phoning this family and reciting the poem over their answering machine - later Angela Trenholm made up a beautiful picture for them with this poem on it. The family asked me to share it with others. (Up until that point in time, I had never kept copies of most of the poems I had written to comfort others - but once this poem was passed on to others, many encouraged me to keep and pass on my other poems as well. They felt these poems were meant to be shared, which is why I have never copyrighted any of them - I want people to be able to freely use and distribute them, as long as the author's name and date written are kept with the poem.)

I contacted several websites online (that had awesome webpages - which I had no clue up until then how to do), and emailed the poem to them. No replies, so I forgot about it. Until about one or two weeks later when the owner of one website contacted me and gave me the link to her page. It was wonderful. She put my email address on the page, and the emails starting flooding in - hundreds each week (for the first few months I probably had thousands of replies each month). In three weeks there were 16 thousand hits to that one page, and others wanted to use the poem for their sites. I can truly say that one poem has literally gone around the world by the Internet! Due to this poem, I started some very good friendships with many people that contacted me through these various sites. And since then, some of these same friends have gone home to be with the Lord, and this poem is now a comfort to their families too. My brother also read this poem at my Dad's funeral earlier this year.

The woman (whose site no longer exists now) who first put this poem online taught me how to add music and backgrounds to my pages (for 2 1/2 years prior to this time I had my own websites, but they were basically plain pages). I knew basic html by this point in time and was able to quickly adapt what I was taught into my pages - and then I taught Angela how to do likewise. She certainly is artistic! (P.S. You truly should check out her free computer background site: Looking Unto Jesus Backgrounds And Prints)

Of course, learning how to spruce up webpages created a lot more interest - and also expanded the influence of the poems and studies on these websites. God has truly used those sites and poems to encourage and comfort so many.

My friend Angela also put this poem to music, adapting the tune from a well-known hymn. We used the first stanza as the chorus, adding it after every two stanzas - and finally using an adapted form of the first stanza as the final chorus (see below):

I've Gone Home

I’ve gone home to see my Father,
I’ve gone home, so don’t you cry
I’ll be waiting for you in Heaven,
In my mansion prepared on high.

No more sickness, no more sorrow,
No more pain, and no more grief.
I’ve gone home to be with Jesus
Though my sojourn here was brief.

I’ve gone home to live in Heaven
With all the blessed saints of old,
Here with Abraham and David
To stroll through streets of gold.

I’ve gone home to be in Heaven
Where there’s no sadness, and no night.
There is joy and peace unending,
In this blissful land of light.

But there’s something else more beautiful,
So precious, beyond this crystal sea,
As I wander through realms of glory
I find my Saviour walks with me.

I’ve gone home to be in Heaven,
Though you miss me, and tears abound,
Just keep believing in God’s promises,
And listening for that trumpet sound.

Because one day in God’s timing
When the Lord calls out your name
Look to the skies in awe and wonder -
We’ll see each other again.

August 1st, 2000
Jerry Bouey

An adapted final chorus of this poem:

I’ve gone home to see my Father,
I’ve gone home, so don’t you cry
I’ll be waiting for you in Heaven,
Where no tears will dim the eye.

Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of His saints.
Psalm 116:15

Angela Trenholm has put this poem to music, adapted from the hymn, I Know Who Holds Tomorrow: Download the pdf file of the sheet music.

It's Only After (Poem)

Poem for Wednesday

I had a hard time choosing what to post next - either this poem, which is one of my all-time favourites, or my most popular one (I've Gone Home), which is everyone else's favourite. I decided to do this one today and send out the other one tomorrow. They were both written about the same time. I've Gone Home is the one that got me a lot of recognition and Internet contacts, but it is this one that really found a place in my heart - because of the theme.

I was thinking of all the different types of situations - trials, Biblical prophecies, various seasons of strife in our lives, and when the Lord brings the good out of all those hard times. It's Only After that we receive the benefit of them. It's only after that our chastisements yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness, it is only after that we come forth as gold, it is only after that the sorrow is wiped away, it is only after that the healing comes - because that is when we see what God was doing all along.

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I've Gone Home was written to comfort a family who lost their Mom through cancer. It was placed on the Internet, as as a result of that, I received thousands of emails each month for the next couple of years. One of those email contacts was a friend called Henri, who had just lost her husband. I wrote this poem and dedicated it to her to comfort her. Somewhere along the way we lost touch, but I thank the Lord for bringing our paths together.

Originally I had all these lines jumbled together - I got the ideas out on paper, and I wasn't sure how to put them together just right. Angela Trenholm, one of my webpartners and the official critiquer of many of my poems, helped me group each theme together into the various stanzas. So even though I had the basic poem already written, it would not have had the same impact and flow without her assistance.

This is Angela's note on this poem: This poem is basically what got me restarted on writing poetry, after having laid it aside since high school. I helped Jerry get the flow of thought organized on this one, but the poem is really his, although he insists on giving me credit.

Around this time, Angela also started her own family website (I had started my poetry and Bible study websites for about 2 1/2 years prior to this time), but it was these two poems that really generated a lot of interest and opened up doors to minister online. I taught Angela how to use html, and she taught me how to make my websites better - plus helped me so much with the layout and design of them. Eventually our combined creativity (if we can call it that) led to us to join forces and move our individual websites over to EarnestlyContending three years ago.

It's Only After

Roses are so beautiful
that we forget that thorns cause pain.
We often forget that rainbows
only come after the rain.
Sometimes the sun is hidden
when storm clouds are in view.
It's only after the rose is picked
that it will bring great joy to you.

It's only after the storm subsides
that peace comes to calm the seas.
It's only when the light turns on
that the shadow suddenly flees.
Sometimes we only learn
to appreciate the light,
After walking through the darkness
in what seems like blackest night.

It's often only when you miss someone
that their worth is realized,
For iron sharpening iron
is a blessing in disguise.
You may lose your dearest friend,
yet there will always be another;
Still, Jesus is the best of friends
that sticks closer than a brother.

It's only when you see you're lost
that you truly can be found.
It's when you admit your poverty
that Christ's riches can abound.
It's only in losing yourself
that you find life's joy at last,
And sometime in the future
the Lord will heal the past.

It's only after you pray in faith
that the peace of God transcends,
And only after your faith is proved
does the trial come to an end.
It's only in surrender to the Lord
that brings end to inward strife.
It's only after dying
that we rise to endless life.

It's only after travailing
that comes the joy of a child's birth.
Only after the tribulation
comes the new heaven and new earth.
Only after a seemingly endless night
comes the dawning of the day.
It's only in eternity
that the former things are passed away.

It's only after the sorrow ceases
that comes the soothing of the pain,
And just before the darkness passes
that the Morning Star shines again.
After the tests and trials are done
the Father wipes all our tears away,
And we'll live with Christ, our Saviour,
in eternity's endless day.

August 29th, 2000
Jerry Bouey and Angela Trenholm

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.