The Lord // A Poem

The Lord

The Lord is my Rock; He is my Foundation;

The Lord is my Rock; He is my Strong Tower;

The Lord is my Rock; He is my Protection;

The Lord is my Rock; He who has Great Power.

The Lord is my Strength to stop all my Angers;

The Lord is my Strength in all of my Fears;

The Lord is my Strength in all of my Dangers;

The Lord is my Strength; my Cries He Hears.

The Lord is my Help through all the Trials;

The Lord is my Joy through all the Sorrows;

The Lord is my Comfort through all the Miles;

The Lord is my Guide through all the Morrows.

The Lord is my Rock; He is my Foundation;

On Him alone I always will Be;

The Lord is my Rock; He is my Protection;

And so He will stay 'til in Heaven I'll Be.

“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 

The God of my rock; in him will I trust: 

he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower,

 and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.”

—2 Samuel 22:2-3—

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower:

the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

—Proverbs 18:10—

Me, Inside & Out // A Poem

Today I have another poem for you. This is a pretty accurate description of my complex & contrasting character--at least as a young teen. ;D Every reference is to a book character, so I'll give you a quick rundown of them all.

• Jane Andrews--Jane from the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery. 
• Stella--Stella Maynard from ditto.
• Anna/Arianna--the bad-tempered wife from Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare. 
• Jo--Josephine March from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
• Anne--Anne Shirley. 
• Jessie--Jessie, a giggly schoolgirl from A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
• Irene--a girl with an explosive laugh from the Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton.

So, with that explanation, here you go--a poem written when I was between 14 & 17. No idea when exactly. ;P

Me, Inside & Out

My outside is a short, stout girl,

With pimples and double chin,

Grey-blue eyes, ringlets too

(Of brown), a sober mien.

My inside is a shrinking leaf, 

And yet a plain Jane Andrews;

A romantic, dreaming Stella—

Near, a volcanic ’Anna brews.

There's also a writing Jo,

And an absent-minded Anne;

A giggling Jessie of silly girlhood,

And an Irene whose laughter rang.

The shrinking girl is pale and thin,

With a dreadful look in her e’e;

Every rage and fear shakes her,

Until tears drive you crazy. 

Practic’ Jane plays with kids,

Or cooks a pot of soup,

Tis she who scrubs the kitchen floor

Until she feels she'll droop.

The pensive Stell is slender aye,

With a heartful of airy dreams,

Dark and sober, or light and merry,

Filling many reams. 

The fearful Adrianna is full of rage,

Which boils o'er and o'er,

Yet always calms in a lil’ time,

Not caring any more. 

Jo is lazy but somewhat determined,

At least for a little while;

'Tis she who writes the little rhyme,

Then chucks it in a pile.

Anne is always there on hand

When some great plan seizes Jo;

She's one who forgets a strainer,

And pours milk down the hole.

Jessie you'll find when friends are about—

She loves to giggle and chat.

'Tis rare she's out; but when she is,

She helps forget I'm fat.

Irene is e’er and aye around,

Her laughters loud and hearty.

Most any joke or silly thing

Will tickle her most awf’ly.

~ / / ~

Tell me which line is your favourite!! Mine's the 'Jo' one because it was SO real. xD

An Author's Prayer // A Poem

An Author's Prayer

Help me, Lord, to write for You;

To always say and write what's true;

To pray, and use my time for You;

Help me, Lord, to write for You.

Help me, Lord, to write what's true;

To always give the praise to You.

To sing, and use my time for You;

Help me, Lord, to write for You.

Help me, Lord, to aye praise You;

To help another though the slough.

To trust, and use my time for You;

Help me, Lord, to write for You.

Help me, Lord, to aid like You;

To try to be a blessing too.

To work, and use my time for You;

Help me, Lord, to write for You.

written c. 2016-2017

Remember the CHRIST in Christmas + A Gift For You // 12 Days of Christmas Blog Party

Today is Christmas morning. The day we set aside to remember the birth of Christ Jesus--the Son of God who came to earth in human form, to die upon the cross for our sins. The ultimate gift. He came to give life to those who were dead. He came to bring light to they who wander in the darkness. He came to give healing to the broken. He came to bring joy to the grieving. He came to give hope to the hopeless. He came to give peace to all.

This is the reason why we celebrate Christmas. We celebrate the amazing love of our God. We celebrate His power. We remember what Christmas means and what Christ brings.

That time has come

With its tinsel and lights,

It’s hurry and getting

From morning ’til night.

That time comes again

With its sleigh bells and pine,

With the lies about Santa,

And the song and the wine.

With no thought of Jesus,

God’s babe in the hay

Who was sent down from Heaven

That wonderful day.

“CHRISTmas” they call it,

But CHRIST they forget—

All the wonder and beauty

Of that awesome event.

~Gertrude Grace Sanborn,

With Tears in my Heart,

The Old Paths Publications, Inc

posted with permission

The most wonderful part of Christmas must not be forgotten or taken for granted. Every year, we have a chance to be awed again by the miracle of Christ's birth and by His amazing love. And I pray that we choose to do this, every year. 

I've only ever written one Christmas poem, but it has that theme, though it's French. So I'm posting it here, with a translation. 

VOICI NOËL

Luc 2:7-14

Voici Noël,

Avec tous ses cadeaux,

Ses lumières, ses réveillons,

Et ses joyeux festivaux.

Voici Noël,

Avec tous ses festins,

Ses cartes, ses cantiques,

Et ses jolis sapins.

Voici Noël—

Un étable avec un cadeau

Dans la crèche :

Jésus, le Divin Agneau.

Voici Noël—

Des troupeaux et des anges,

Des bergers couchés,

La gloire de Dieu, et des louanges.

Voici Noël—

Voici Émmanuel,

Dieu est venu

Sauver les perdus.

HERE IS CHRISTMAS

Luke 2:7-14

Here is Christmas,

With all its gifts,

Its lights, its réveillons,*

And its happy festivities.

Here is Christmas,

With all its feasts,

Its cards, its hymns,

And its pretty Christmas trees.

Here is Christmas—

A stable with a gift

In the manger:

Jesus, the Divine Lamb.

Here is Christmas—

Some flocks and some angels,

Some reclining shepherds,

The glory of God, and some praises.

Here is Christmas—

Here is Emmanuel.

God has come

To save the lost.

*réveillon: staying up till midnight to see in Christmas Day. No idea what you'd call that in English! 

Amidst all the rejoicings, remember Who and what we are celebrating. <3

And now, in honour of Christmas Day, I'd like to make you a gift of my Christmas story. 

An 

Old-Time Christmas  

No one should be forgotten at Christmas...

★

The approaching holiday season brings no joy for Elenora

Gregory. Isolated and forgotten, she ekes out a meagre

existence for herself and her mother, but with no money

for even ordinary comforts, a Christmas celebration is far

beyond her reach. How can others have so much

when her life is so empty?

★

Amid the whirl of holiday preparations, Edwin Langton

can't forget the face of the girl in the red cloak. Enlisting

the help of his siblings, he quickly discovers the truth of

her need. Can they find a way to make Christmas brighter

for the lonely little family?

★

As the Langtons prepare their surprises, Elenora resigns

herself to another cold, lonely holiday. But will their presents

 be the greatest gift she receives on Christmas Day?

Click here to download the PDF, mobi, & ePub. 

Joyeux Noël, mes amis. <33 

Merry Christmas, my friends.

Giveaway winner being announced on Faith's blog today, so make sure you pop over.

Sharing My Early Writings: 2 Poems & 1 Story // 12 Days of Christmas Blog Party

Hi, friends. :) Happy five-days-'till-Christmas. :) 

Today I thought I'd share some of my early writings. Partly as an encouragement to young authors (see how far I've come) and partly because... I still like that poem, and the story is apparently the only Christmas short story I have besides An Old-Time Christmas... need to change that. Well, I did wrote a Christmas poem but it's in French and I doubt you'd get anything out of it... XP

(Also, FYI, I seem to be in a silly mood this afternoon. Enjoy, because I'm usually not when it get to blogging. You're welcome.)

This was originally titled "Sharing My Early Writings: 2 English Poems & 1 Story + One French Poem (translated!)" which was probably one of the longest blogpost titles ever... until I decided to move the poem to another post. xP 

Anyhow, without any more rambling because I don't know what to say... here's the poem. Just for fun, I'm giving you the original as well as the updated version. The first version was written when i was around 12 (I think??)  and is highly inspired by out of Laurene Lambert's Stories of the Nations 2. Actually, I read that for school and then had to write a poem about the Christmas Truce. (I don't know about you, but I find the Christmas Truce super cool (I hope you know what it is...) ). 

So, the first version. 

THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE

(Written by a young World War I soldier on the Western front to his family in Canada, as a letter)

On Christmas Day, in 1914,

In the middle of the war

We made a truce, I ween.

We common soldiers, my dear brothers,

As our high-and-mighty officers

Would not, my dear uncle vicars.

We exchanged buttons with each other,

And also addresses and chocolate cakes.

I met a German cook who can make

A very wonderful piece of pie!

“It will not last”—I hear you sigh

Dearest Isobel and Margot —and you are right.

As Christmas fades into the night

We fire—no more silence, alas, alack!

The war is back.

“A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

—Ecclesiastes 3:8

I still have a soft spot for it! It's got such a cool plot. ;) I love how I managed to work in my favourite girl names of the time (as unrealistic as they are for an English Canadian family...) and how I desperate grabbed some "uncle vicars" to rhyme with "officers"... and then discovered it doesn't really rhyme. XD And I do like the last three lines! ;)

Then in 2016 (I think...) I updated the poem to send it in to a contest.

ON THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914

“A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

—Ecclestiastes 3:3-4, 8

The war had boomed from many shores,

And it would boom from many more.

Yet on that Day of days, Christ’s holy Spirit

Of Joy, Love, and Peace, they chose to share it.

O blessèd Peace, begun by Truce! not in thy breast

Should there be room for hate; thy blessing rests

Alike on thy sage maker and simple keeper.—

In th’ impromptu soccer and friendly chatter

And old carols dear, Christ’s wond’rous coming

Was anew remember’d , so sweet and aweing.

Perhaps ’twas our Father’s kindly reaching

To th’ endanger’d deaf to preaching.

In amiable contention and hearty laughing

Did men forget their own, their nation’s hating.

As upward rose the lovely strains familiar

Of  “Silent Night, Holy Night” in clear

Tones, the one tune and diff’rent tongues

Brought to each the one with whom he last it sung

Around the hearth of home, or near the church’s altar.

For God made but one man, no hundred warriors.

But Peace is e’er shackled by man’s brutality.

As Christmas faded into night’s sweet amity,

Deep-ton’d guns rent the air, demoniac!

Implacable, compassionless, war rolled back.

Soooo at the time I was studying English poetry of the 1700s and 1800s... XD I think this isn't a bad imitation, haha! I do still really like the last line. ;P #dramaqueen 

Aaaaand then here's the story. I think I wrote this around 2016...

PEACE ON EARTH

The old Christmas carols wafted about Noëlla Hollie. The tears which had sprung to her eyes now threatened to overflow, and she hastily bent her head to disclose her emotion. Her lips trembled, and she was unable to keep them straight. “Oh, Christopher!” she moaned. “If you were here, I should be happy now!”

Noëlla Hollie was an orphan. Her family, attacked one and all by pneumonia  had one by one been taken from her. Her eldest brother, Christopher, had died of it merely two weeks ago, and now, instead of being filled by the joy of Christmas, she was filled with the sorrow of death.

“Why, hello, Miss Merrie,” a cheery voice hailed her. “How are you today?”

“Good day, Mr. Crossman,” the girl replied in a low voice, fearing that her voice should betray her.

Mr. Crossman peered at her. “Why, surely you are not crying, Miss Merrie!” he exclaimed, with genuine astonishment and dismay in his tone.

Noëlla Hollie suddenly burst into a paroxysm of tears, covering her face with her hands. Mr Crossman reached over and patted her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Miss Merrie. Losing a loved one is always very difficult, but it's doubly so when one has no one left." He paused, waited until the girl was controlling her tears, then continued, "Have you not told me your name is Noëlla Hollie Merrie?"

Noëlla Hollie nodded, wiping her eyes. "Yes. My mother named me that because I was born at midnight in Christmas Day. It happened that my last name was Merrie."

Mr Crossman paused again, then said, "Have you ever wondered why God arranged it so that you received that name?"

Noëlla Hollie looked at him, surprised and bemused. "No. Why?"

"Well, perhaps it was because His work for you was that you'd bring peace and joy to others," Mr Crossman suggested. "Perhaps you could take as your life's verse Luke 2:14, you know, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men' and work for that end."

Noëlla Hollie nodded slowly, her mind going over what the minister had just said.

"Of course, I don't claim to know Gods plan for you," he added hastily. "Perhaps you should pray about it. Ask God to help you in your pain, and show you what Ge wants you to do for Him." He patted her shoulder again. "Well, good day, Miss Merrie. God bless!"

Noëlla Hollie merely nodded in reply, too full of thoughts to think of responding. Suddenly the strains of Hark! the Herald Angels Sing rang out, clear and pure:

“Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings,

Risen with healing in His wings:”

She smiled suddenly. “‘He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces,’” she murmured. “Yes, Lord! I surrender. ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord’—Thy will be done.”

~ / / ~

Don't ask me what's up with that ending.... I had to stop and think for a while before I figured out what I'd been trying to say. I'm still not quite sure. xP

Also, it is hilarious that I tried to find a fancy words for "hide" and used "disclose"... which means "make a secret thing known." 🤣 And finally, I find it so funny that I managed to call her after Christmas Day, Christmas decorations, and the Christmas spirit. XD Still, I like the message. ;) 

~ / / ~

So there you are. I hope this made you smile, and I hope it encouraged aspiring authors out there... weaned to start somewhere, and sometimes the things you write when you're young aren't too bad. <3

And now, hop over to Faith's to see the other posts!  

There's also a 12DoC giveaway this year! There’s two prizes, and each winner will receive a paperback copy of Behold by Faith Potts, a pair of fuzzy Christmas socks, a Christmas ornament, and a few other small goodies (magnet, candy, something like that). The giveaway will open on the 14th at 12am and close at 12am Christmas morning. Winners will be announced in Faith's post on Christmas Day. Click here to enter! 

What's one of the earliest things you wrote?