Living In God's Rhyme Podcast

36, 4-6, PODCAST NOTES and COPYRIGHTS Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of the Son of God, our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus the Christ. Today we are going to read three Christmas poems that were grouped together in God’s Rhyme as The Christmas Progression. It seemed fitting to me as I wrote the last poem for the book in December. THE CHRISTMAS PROGRESSION, (© 2019, God’s Rhyme, pg. 135) THE WONDER OF CHRSTMAS (GOD'S GIFT) Oh let us sing today Filling our hearts with joy The Prince of Peace has come With the birth of this baby boy For to us a child is born To us a Son is given And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor Mighty God Everlasting Father Prince of Peace Sing with a joyful noise So those around can hear As our hearts now rejoice In our Almighty God today Father everlasting In the birth of Your Son We find the true reason We do celebrate this season Wonderful Counselor The Messiah from birth God’s gift to us on earth May we return His love with joy For to us a child is born To us a Son is given And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor Mighty God Everlasting Father Prince of Peace 12/84 THE FIRST GIFT Another year again gone by, Another year older. We are now near the lullaby, Are we any bolder? The manger The birth The star And strangers Have we met that baby boy child So glorious and mild? Is He more than a memory, A nice Christmas story? An everlasting gift of God’s In the birth of His Son. A miracle that seems at odds To the world, this one. With His birth His death And resurrection Our sins Forgiven And now it is Christmas again. His gift, open the door And you just have to let Him in And unwrap salvation. ONE CHRISTMAS DAYS " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." John 1:1,2, NKJV Before the Christmas carols we did sing, forever before a single church bell did ring, before we could shout to the world with joy, was the Word, God's baby boy. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten Son of the Father." John 1:14, NIV The Word was born in the flesh, as is man, dwelling among us, as only God can, from creator to sacrificial blessing, born of a woman to cure our distressing. What would this world be like without His birth, amid the chaos what would life be worth? In His saving grace, if we believe, our sins, our sorrows, He does relieve. God loved us before we loved Him. His love is there for each of us, today, tomorrow and yesterday, manifest through the God man, Jesus. "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call his name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:20,21, NKJV We have read His word, we have heard the story, songs of joy we have stirred proclaiming His glory. Given freely, a gift of freedom from a world so full of hate and greed, no longer living in life's serfdom, now thru His Son we have all we need. We can sing songs from the mountains high, we can celebrate His birth on this day, we can shout joyfully knowing why, we can speak of Him, knowing what to say. yes, tis a happy season an angel, Gabriel a stable, no room at the inn shepherds worshiping the Good Shepherd a star in the sky for three wise men all, then and now, knowing joyfully believing God's gift, His only Son So on this Christmas day let us pray, may the songs of the season we are singing be louder than the church bells ringing. May our joy prevail past the end of days. "For God

35, 4-5, SHOW NOTES and COPYRIGHTS Today we are going to read about one man’s life leading up to Christmas. We have 5 poems that I am aware of at the beginning of the podcast. We’ll have to wait to see if some more pop up before we end. But before we start, I’d like to say that in the last week I have found the telling of the journey of the 3 wise men very intriguing. Read Matthew, Chapter 2. Our first poem is from God Still Rhymes, © 2019, pg. 78. I decided to start with this one because it describes me too often which made me think that this is me away from the Christmas season. ONE OF THOSE DAYS So today I closed my mind Left it all behind For no one to find As if I were blind Didn’t think I was that kind To be caught in a bind Stepping off the line I thought it was mine Issued a fine Not seeing the sign The walk on the trail A major fail Couldn’t make bail Couldn’t send any mail Lost my train Of thought that is Out of the rain Took a quiz My oh my I wonder why The rhyme Skipped this time It’ll be night time soon Long past the hour of noon A hopeful night To overcome the fight When all is said and done A prayer said to the Son (Just because it rhymes doesn’t mean I want it to be mine.) As I reflect on this I realize/understand that I need to be in the Christmas season all year long. Discussion: The next three poems are from God’s Rhyme, © 2019. They were written during the late 1970s and were part of the Jesus Poems manuscript. They reflect the joy I had found in Jesus, which is what we celebrate now. MY FRIEND JESUS, pg. 5 Take my hand as we walk this land, feel the sand as time drifts away, hear what I say, just be what you may with my friend Jesus. A little boy, a baby girl; sometimes the days like a waterfall swirl until I feel the sun’s rays and I know it’s the Son, Who, tho blinded to some, is Who I will follow. A walk thru a field and I find I must yield, give of myself, die to my wants. I opened the door and found Him waiting there, wanting no more than that breath of fresh air. I found the way. As people had said, it’s not what you say or the thoughts in your head. It’s not just the grace of an evening meal. It’s something you always feel, something that starts deep in you heart. Take my hand and walk with me; There is so much to be. Together we can stand, not just the two of us, because we are three with our friend Jesus. Discussion: FOR YOU TWO, pg. 7 Thank you Jesus for loving me, for being able to see that I am more than I think I can be. When the world seems to swirl around and sounds are blurred, somehow your love is heard. You’ve given me a life; a loving wife, the sweet joys of a baby girl and a little boy. I have been blessed. I just need to take time to look between the stress of a world that wants what is mine. I know I don’t often tell You, I’m so often overdue in remembering it’s not just the words, but more the actions that are heard. With You tho, I have a new start In seeing thru the lies, for it’s not just with my eyes, but now I see with my heart. Thank you Jesus when I think of us. For if it’s Your life we’re living, we have so many thanks to be giving. Discussion: I BELIEVE IN JESUS, pg 9 I believe in Jesus His body and blood shed that I might live. I believe in Jesus knowing what lies ahead for me in life He died for the times my eyes failed to see Him in my neighbor as my Savior I believe in Jesus His life, His word are Truth forever Yes, I believe in Jesus and how He served that I might too. Discussion: This last poem is from God...

34, 4-4, SHOW NOTES and COPYRIGHTS (planned 12/10/21) UPDATED 12/6/21 Poems leading up to Christmas THERE IS ONLY ONE RHYME THAT WILL LAST BEYOND TIME Living In God’s Rhyme, pg.93, ©2018 From the beginning and until the end we Have rebelled against our most Holy Father. We have committed adultery with gods of wood Thinking that for us they could provide good. Prophets of Old Testament times have spoken Of your anger at a people whose lives were broken, Broken because their bond with you was torn Long before so many were ever born. John of the New Testament describes his revelation Of the future of this world, of the end of nations. We who are living in the grace of a new covenant Have brought disgrace to the grace of his Providence. What are we to do amid this turmoil As the Heavens cry and our hearts boil? How do we avoid God’s anger, his wrath As we continue down our destructive path? Read his word, the scriptures both old and new. Read his word, believe in his word and have life anew. Though angry his love turned to blood, His blood, that of his Son, that of his love. If you believe in the God of the Bible, You must believe his every word, What he has done and what he will Because of what we have done and will. His ways are not our ways And our ways are not his. Be thankful that he loves us More than we can ever love him. He wanted us to be with him forever So he sent his son to be the sacrifice, To pay the price for the sins of many, So that in his sight we are made right. Read, believe, be baptized and spread his word. Open your hearts to him so your soul may be saved, That you may face eternity, not with foreboding, But that you may face it forever with joy. We know the story of the past, Pray that we do not make it last, Pray that the die has not been cast, That at this time you accept his grace. Since his word spoke this world into existence, Since that word paid the ransom for our resistance, Since before we were conceived in the womb He knew us and desired that we avoid the tomb. It is in our hands, the decision to be in his hands. Get up from your life and with God stand. Stand with faith in the resurrection of his Son And our resurrection from what we have done. God loves us. He wants us with him. He died once That we might live. Jesus rose so that we who believe May also rise with him as we receive All. Reflection on There Is Only One Rhyme That Will Last Beyond Time Every time I read the Bible I hope that God has a new poem to write. Sometimes it has been after reading only a few verses. This time it was after reading Jeremiah 14-16. I have been fascinated with end times prophecy for years. I am now more fascinated with the Old Testament prophets. I remember sitting with a small group in a 7 week session on Christ. The question was asked, does God ever get angry. Yes. I am glad that He loves and forgives. This poem is a continuation of the last poem in God’s Rhyme, Broken Hearted. I wrote it on Dec. 30, 2014. When I finished the poem, God said that the book was done. I know now it was only the beginning. WE WERE BORN IN BETHLEHEM, God’s Rhyme, pg. 9, ©2019 We are the children of the Father of Abraham, children dispersed to all the nations We are the children of the Father of Moses who led his people from captivity We are the children of the Father spoken of in the books of the Old Testament We are the children of our fathers and mothers and generations that came before. We are God’s children Both Gentile and Jew Through His death and resurrection And the promise of God’s covenant We are God’s children We have been chosen Whether it is by His saving grace Or a promise to an ancient race We are God’s children His face on this earth As the ancient scriptures did foretell Covenants old and covenants new We

33, 4-3 SHOW NOTES and COPYRIGHTS, GWEN ALLEN INTERVIEW (12/3/2021) Revised 11/30/21 Today we are interviewing Gwen Allen. Gwen is the young woman whose drawings inspired the poems in the last chapter of Living in God’s Rhyme. PRE-INTERVIEW DSCUSSION INTERVIEW Poem read during interview (Living In God’s Rhyme, pg. 197, ©2018 by Tim Carter) POST-INTERVIEW DISCUSSION Here are a couple of more poems inspired by Gwen’s drawings. PROTECTED FOREVER AND EVER, pg. 199 The rain falls from the sky. Some days we wonder why No matter how we try We cannot help but cry. Yes, the world rains down With trials and tribulations, As we are thinking we may drown In the sorrows of temptation. Let us not worry and fret. A prayer has been said, The way He has led, The path He has set. Before the cross came a prayer. “While I have been with them, I protected them and kept the safe by that name you gave me.” (John 17:12, NIV)\ Then He died for our sins Knowing we would stray. The rain would pour down, Our faith washed away. Even in those moments, if we do believe, Because of His love we need never grieve. Through His death and resurrection We have eternal His protection. Yes, even those moments We lose sight of our faith’s face, By the words of our faith We are saved by God’s grace. Believe, Accept, Profess Jesus, the King whose reign Protects us in our weakness. Our faith may fail, But He never will. WHICH EVER WAY THE WIND WILL BLOW, pg. 207 A storm, a boat, the disciples with Jesus . . . He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be Still!” Then the wind died down And it was completely calm. (Mark 4:39. NIV) When there is a gentle breeze Then we find a life of ease, But when the wind will blow Does our spirit sink low? It is at those times When facing life’s storms, With the wind at our face As we run our life’s race, We feel tattered and torn, We lose track of His rhyme. It in these times of trial We must remember our faith. When the acrid taste of bile Rises we must remember our place. God is on our side, So we never need to hide. We have His gentle breath On which we can rest. The Holy Spirit moves As a gentle breeze, Calming the winds, Restoring our faith. It is the breath of God, It is His Word at creation That calms the storms Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. We just have to believe. Ask, pray and we shall receive. With God we can weather the storm. Follow is on our website http://www.livingingodsrhyme.com/ (www.livingingodsrhyme.com) You can buy Tim's books at the following websites https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/god%20rhyme%20tim%20carter (god rhyme tim carter | Barnes and Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)) https://www.amazon.com/s?k=God%27s+Rhyme+tim+Carterandref=nb_sb_noss (Amazon.com : God's Rhyme Tim Carter) https://www.lettrapress.com Please follow us on Facebook and Like us https://www.facebook.com/Godstillrhymes ((6) Tim Carter, God Still Rhymes | Facebook) Please follow us on Youtube.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqSR3-0c9FfAZnblwJ2u0dA (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqSR3-0c9FfAZnblwJ2u0dA) You can hear us on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Pandora, Stitcher, IHeart radio, Tunedin Radio. and all the other podcast sites. Please subscribe to the podcast Tell all your friends about us and have them tell thier friends, Thank you for being here, we are blessed that you listened. 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." 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 because we are...

32, 4-2 SHOW NOTES and COPYRIGHTS (planned date 11/27/2021) UPDATED 11/22/2021 Today we are going to talk about the ACTS method of prayer. In September, at the church I attend, we started reading ACTS prayers. After a few weeks members of the church were asked to write a prayer to be read during the Sunday service. I was asked to read one at the end of October. We’ll get to that in a bit. What is an ACTS prayer? A is for adoration; prayers of praise for God and who He is and what He does. C is for Confession; prayers as we remember we are fallen creatures in need of confessing our sins to God, our Father. T is for Thanksgiving; prayers thanking God for all He has done in our lives, what He is doing now and what he will do for us and others. S is for Supplication; prayers asking God to meet our needs and the needs of others. You can look on line and get more detailed descriptions of the four prayer types in an ACTS Prayer. The ACTS prayer follows the method Jesus used when the disciples asked Him how they should pray. We know it as the Lord’s Prayer and may very well recite this prayer during our Sunday church services. Let’s say it together. 9 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (NKJ) The ACTS prayer I wrote and read at church. I have to acknowledge that I did have some editing and word changes the were suggested by the person who asked me to write the prayer. I used all of them. Thank you Tami. ACTS Prayer, 10/31/2021 Heavenly Father, we come before you today as your humble servants. You alone are the one true God, the God of creation who set the sun, moon, and stars in place for our good. You created us in your own image and breathed into Adam the breath of life. And as we’ve strayed from your ways you’ve shown patience, forgiveness and grace. You are truth, you are forgiving and your love is beyond understanding, especially the sacrifice you made in your Son, Jesus. We are blessed and we praise you for being the one constant in our lives. Dear Father, we humbly ask for forgiveness as we confess our sins to you, those we are aware of and those we aren’t. We have sinned against you and against our brothers and sisters. We’ve neglected to help those in need whose paths we’ve crossed. We’ve focused on ourselves when our focus should have been on you. We’ve been influenced by the sinful ways of the world. Dear Father, we thank you for forgiving our sins through the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus. We thank you for the life he lived among us, showing us how to live with those around us. We thank you, Jesus, for your obedience to the Father and that your prayer was always, “Not my will, Father, but your will be done”. Thank you for taking us into your embrace and saving us for all eternity. Thank you, Father, for who you are and always will be. Father, we pray for the Cornerstone Church and all the churches in the Blue Water area. May we remain faithful to your Word, to your commandments through Jesus Christ. Might we all be in accord with one another working together to help those in need. We pray for our nation in this time of turmoil. Please lead our government leaders to the right decisions We pray that we as a people and a government would live in a loving manner in order to resolve the problems that have been created with immigration, and with our affairs in the world as a whole. We ask that families would be the ones to teach right and wrong. And we pray for those who are in need of healing, whether it be physical, emotional, spiritual, or addictions. And Lord, as you are faithful to forgive

31, 4-1 SHOW NOTES and COPYRIGHTS (proposed date 11/24/2021) Today we are turning the show over to Dave. He will be choosing the poems to be read and lead the follow up discussion. This is definitely an act of faith on my part. We’ll see how good I am at reading without any practice. We all know how it is when I have had time to practice. Soooooo, Dave, what do you have to start the podcast? GOD’S RHYME (last stanza) I’ve seen God how odd He seems in faces I meet as life races by I pick up my feet from the burning street and see a smile from a simple child picking a wild flower an hour is not measured by minutes for a while is time and the simple oddity in life Is God’s rhyme God’s Rhyme © 2019, pg. 86 GOD IN A BOX (a song) 1 Would you put God in a box, one with a lock? Hopefully not, especially one to which you could lose the key. If you were to have the key to the Kingdom In your hand, would you lock the box , set it aside, just let it be? 2 A lonely woman needs to pray, pray in the way, The way she was raised, with the sign of the cross to begin her plea. A choir sings Hallelujah with hands upraised, Their voices dancing with joy as they praise the one God almighty. Refrain Jesus, the Son of God, He has set us free dying on that tree, Dying for you, dying for me, unlocking our hearts from sinful ways. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, all three With the salvation of the cross, in His way, He picks up the strays. 3 The story of an unkempt man comes to life As he enters the church looking for comfort from a loving God. He knows of salvation, do we judge his strife? Just who has the right, those who would judge or those we judge to be odd? 4 I speak in tongues and I pray thru misery, God speaks to me thru the Bible, and He speaks to me thru prayer, And to me I hear his voice in the journey, He speaks from the open box so that we all can hear, all can share. Refrain Jesus, the Son of God, He has set us free dying on that tree, Dying for you, dying for me, unlocking our hearts from sinful ways. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, all three, With the salvation of the cross, in His way, He picks up the strays. 5 What church does God belong to, where does He go? On Sunday morning, will we find His Spirit dwelling within us? Or will we find somehow that we do not know Where He is, why He is, or how He is because of all our fuss? 6 Do we put God in a box, a box with a lock, Thinking that He only works in ways with which we are comfortable? How many must He be trying to unlock? Created in his image, together we sit at His table. Refrain Jesus, the Son of God, He has set us free dying on that tree, Dying for you, dying for me, unlocking our hearts from sinful ways. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, all three, With the salvation of the cross, in His way, He picks up the strays 7 How wonderful that He sees us and accepts us, Each one of us diff’rent, our needs, our gifts, our strengths, our weaknesses. And He knows just how to mold and shape our trust By our faith in Him, the all loving Father, accepting of all. GOD IN A BOX (continued) 8 So open that box and let God be for you And for me, the Father of our Savior, who rescued you and me. Who are we to say what and how He can do Or how allows us to pray or sing our praise and let the world see? Refrain Jesus, the Son of God, He has set us free dying on that tree, Dying for you, dying for me, unlocking our hearts from sinful ways. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, all three, With the salvation of the cross in His way He picks up the strays. God’s Rhyme © 2019, pg. 92 THE EVERY MAN Is that me sitting in the pew? Is that you on bended knee? Those few I see, they are we. Waiting, do I hear of Your Good News? The every man is everywhere;

PODCAST 30, 3-10 – SHOW NOTES and COPYRIGHTD, Date: 11/12/21 4 poems from Living In God’s Rhyme (©2018). We’ll be talking about who we are and what we have without God in our lives. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Our first poem is found on page 151. I HAVE NOTHING I have nothing to add to the word of God. I have nothing to add to his love for me. I have nothing to offer to make me worthy. I have nothing to add to God’s rhymes. That is true, but . . . I can believe in His word. I can accept his love for me. I can accept that through Jesus I am worthy. I can become one of God’s rhymes. I can offer my life to God. I can spread the Good News of salvation. I can be a reflection of his love. I can share the end of the Christmas story. I have nothing on my own to give to God, But with God I have everything to give. I have every reason to live for him. I have hope for life eternal with him. I have nothing until I have God in my life, Until I accept the atoning sacrifice That showed his love for me. I can accept Jesus, my savior, My redeemer, my hope, my everything. Thoughts on the Way to Church The lost sheep, Are we led, Led to the way Or led astray, Are we fed By the Bread of Life Or captive to strife There are random thoughts that cross my mind That make me seek the words to find That will feed me and lead me To the right words to write No questions, No exclamations Period? Just the question, As lost sheep are we led, As lost sheep are we fed To the truth, by the truth Of who God is, What Jesus has done And the mission Of the Holy Spirit? Do we ever question God’s love? Do we ever shout an exclamation? Or do we just end with a period? God’s love for us is never in question, We should shout to the world in exclamation That with God our lives will not end with a period. Discussion: It’s not unusual for me to get caught up in punctuation or lack thereof. I think our lives on this earth will end with an exclamation point!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now going back in the book to page 142 THOUGHTS FROM READING PETER I just finished reading 1 Peter And I am continually reminded That the Bible is as much about today As it is about yesterday, And it is much about tomorrow As it is about all of our todays As it is about all of the yesterdays. As I read I wondered about tomorrow And what may lead to our sorrow, But then I remembered that tomorrow Will worry about itself. We are told not to worry So why do we have to hurry To get through today? Maybe I need to pray. No matter where I have read God’s word it has kept me fed. I just have to remember That as a family member I live with God, through his grace. I may fail today in so many ways, But with God, tomorrow is a new day. Discussion: Don’t give up on you day is a struggle. There is always a better tomorrow with God. Yes, there will be times when that struggle we are going through will last more than a day. Don’t give up, God has a plan and that plan is for your betterment. Now on to page 89, one of my favorites. THE DINNER TABLE At the end of the day, before the stars of night, A family sits at a table, holding hands they pray, Thanking the Lord for his bounty, the food they eat, The hands they do hold, for all they receive. Perhaps it is the first prayer a child does learn, That all we need comes from his infinite love, That the fruits of our labor are on the table, And even more in our love for him and his children. The family around the table shares their days, Their joys, their sorrows, their hopes, their desires. By starting their meal with a prayer They have set the course for their lives. At the table in God’s sight Seeds are sown that they always may Share their blessing with those they meet, To share God’s grace that others may believe. Praying, each in

29, 3-9 - SHOW NOTES and COPYRIGHTS, 11/5/2021 Three more poems from Living In God’s Rhyme (© 2017 by Tim Carter). Thoughts about letting God into my life and the transformation that happens. That transformation is available to all of us. First poem can be found on page 147 DO NOT LET ME SIT I sit with pen in hand because it is too hard to stand. I sit in the chair looking up in the air. I think that I know, but is it really so? And I realize that for thoughts to materialize Praying to you is what I must do. Lord, I love you, I really do. I do not wish, but hope instead That I can pray and clear my head So that today all I desire is you. I am what I am, I do not like to hear, For that to be true, I must abandon you. I am what I am, that I greatly fear, If that is so, then I have not been made anew. My prayer, Lord, is that I let you be Who you are, so that what you see in me Is more that I am alone, but all that I am with you. It is only by your grace that with me you are not through. And as I place my trust in you I see each line is longer As my faith, my love, my hope in you, Lord, gets stronger. Lord, with you I know there is no danger That one day we may become strangers. Lord, Help me to pray every day, To read your word and know what I have heard. Help me to spread your good news to more than a few, To more than those sitting in the pew not knowing what to do. Lead me to those, the ones you chose To hear of you and all that you have done. May every day be the beginning Of showing others that winning In life need not be full of stress, Not when you, Lord, are here to bless. Thank you, Lord, that these words That rhyme have a reason. That the thoughts that are written Will always be in season. For it is with you, Father, that our lives are full, That when we care, it is you that we share. From page 149 WHOSE WORDS And this is my prayer; that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God. Phil 1:9,10 Whose words do we seek As we hear others speak? Are they the words of truth That in us will bear fruit? As believers do we know God’s word Or do we only know what we have heard? Do we ever make the time to know What God’s word says so we may grow? Do we have the desire to understand Where it is God wants us to stand? Do we search his word, do we make the time to study So that when someone speaks we are not just putty? Do we know when the words are from God and not from man? To understand your word we must have a yearning To listen to others and not overlook our own learning. Through prayer and reflection in our time alone With you, Father, we will mature in our love for the cornerstone. The cornerstone of your church, of our faith, your Son Jesus, Is fully known as we seek in your word how you see us. We must read so we know the truth when we hear it And know what is not from you so we may not be near it. You, Lord, love us every day So every day we must pray That as we read we know what you say About the truth of your grace and your way. Thank you, Lord, for what you do, Help us to be more than just a few, Help us to know and spread your word So others cannot say they never heard. The last on is found on page 152 I HAVE NOTHING I have nothing to add to the word of God. I have nothing to add to his love for me. I have nothing to offer to make me worthy. I have nothing to add to God’s rhymes. That is true, but . . . I can believe in His word. I can accept his love for me. I can accept that through Jesus I am worthy. I can become one of God’s rhymes. I can offer my life to God. I can spread the Good News of...

28, 3-8 – SHOW NOTES and COPYRIGHTS, TERRI HILL INTERVIEW Today we are interviewing Terri Hill. I met Terri at an event for Martha’s House this summer. After asking Martha about an interview, something led me to ask Terri. She is the founder of Executive Document Productions. Her resume encompasses so much more than that as I found out talking with Terri at another Martha’s House event. It’s amazing what you can find out over dinner. I did ask her if she would look through the three books and find three poems she liked so they could be read before and after the interview. I’ll read 2 short ones now. This one surprised me and yet it didn’t. From God Still Rhymes (© 2018, by Tim Carter), pg. 25 This one surprised me and yet it didn’t. FIRST VALENTINE (written in 1973) love is a valentine and you are mine all of life starts when you give your heart to shine as the sun on that special someone and all that you are is what you share being sure always to care for the ev’ning star all your giving is what I am living you have given your gift giving my spirits a lift giving yourself to my keeping not knowing the weeping of a broken valentine we haven’t the time for it is filled with happiness everything from our togetherness love is a valentine and you are mine From God Still Rhymes (© 2018, by Tim Carter), pg. 130 WHO AM I? Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am”? Who did they think he was? And in times of doubt I ask myself, “Who do I think I am?” At these times in my life I know I must reply, I am reborn, I am saved, I am forgiven, I am redeemed, I am made holy in his sight, I am blessed, I am loved, I am a child of God! And there, without words, Is the rhyme of who I am, I am one with God! Forever in his sight I am now made right. Though I may stumble and fall, My name he will always call, Always and forever, He will leave me never. Yes, I am a child of God. That is who he says I am. INTERVIEW Let’s finish with her third choice. This is from Living In God’s Rhyme (© 2017, by Tim Carter), pg. 72 And one we did last week. THE HEALING OF FORGIVENESS “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Eph. 4:30,31 What needs to be said about this verse? Though some words may sound terse, They are covered in the blood Jesus shed for those he loved. He has loved And still does. Though we have sinned He has sent a mighty wind To lift his people up As we drink from his cup. We are hurt in so many ways, Slander, malice, anger and rage. We are left alone, left defeated. That’s what we do to those God loves. Sometimes we are they, the other one, To whom the harm and hurt is done. We all keep a running total, we tally the sum Of each and every day they block out the Son. We are told to forgive throughout God’s word, Told enough that we should have heard, If with God we live We are called to forgive. If God can forgive, so must we. It is by his forgiving of our sin That over death we do win. Why is it so hard for us to see? God loves so much that he died. Died in the form of his Son For the times we lied, For all we have done. A death we deserved, A death we did earn, But now as we turn Our place is reserved. Jesus died once for all, For all who hear his call, The call of God’s holy grace That one day we may see his face. We are but mere mortal man. How can our sin against another Be greater than our sin Against he who created man? We are commanded to forgive, So then we must have the trust To accept the word we have heard That for God and his children we live. God loves us And if we love him, We will...

27, 3-7 – SHOW NOTES AND COPYRIGHTS, 10/23/2021 Today we are going to discuss me and my writing relationship with God. I have talked about praying before, but for an introvert, which I am, there is a reason for writing. Writing poetry is me. I am more comfortable expressing myself on the written page than on a personal level. At least that was me until . . . . . . The 3 poems I have chosen today are from Living In God’s Rhyme. (©2017 by Tim Carter) AN INTROVERT’S VOICE (pg. 39) It is that voice inside, Inside his brain, his mind, That is like a moving train. Silently, it is that kind. Thoughts like the wind, Blowing brain matter around, Scattering rhyming letters Everywhere without a sound. It’s not that he has nothing to say, And it’s not that he has lost his way. It’s more like he has turned to stone From feeling safe when being alone. He can smile For a while. Yes, he can talk, But would rather walk. I guess it’s hard to explain This silent running train. Thoughts are there having formed words, So many words that no one has heard, Words that haven’t found a voice, Unsure of how to make a choice. For him, uncertain, He closes the curtain. Unable to explain, His voice is quiet. So he writes Words of rights, Words of wrongs. It is here Where he is strong So you can hear. An unspoken after thought: Not sure it makes any sense. More an exercise in Rhyming introspection Than an explanation. Or maybe it is more. THE BOOK ON THE SHELF (Pg. 153)_ I asked the Lord, what do I write He replied, write of yourself Take the book of your life off the shelf Open you heart and turn on the light So, here I am, where have I misplaced that book The many nooks and crannies where I have looked Were empty, as if they had been visited by a crook When did I last use it, that memory someone took I prayed, Lord, show me what I have missed At which he led me through a fine and foggy mist To the place on a shelf Where I found myself. Sometimes I close the cover to my life And then I find that every day is a fight As I fail to follow the light he has shining on me A light that does reflect from him so that I can see I have these days when I lose my way When the world around me tears at my heart When the world around me leads me astray When I awake sleepy eyed at the day’s new start Maybe it was a word, a thought, a slight I did perceive Something I was unprepared that day to receive Maybe it was just me Maybe I just didn’t see The book on the shelf is where I was found The book where the story of my life is bound Where God placed me to keep me safe As the world around me runs its race Sometimes I get off track in the race I run When I confuse God’s blessings with earthly fun When I get caught in life’s struggles before the day is done When I distract myself from the life I have with God’s Son My story is one of God’s love for me A story of his infinite grace in my life His forgiving of my many wanderings A story of my faith in God and his in me Reflection on The Book on the Shelf There is no punctuation when the day is a run on sentence A sentence without bars, but one that can easily become a prison THE WRITER OF WORDS (Pg. 76) The writer of words of thoughts and dreams, A never ending stream flowing through his mind, Sometimes, most times, not knowing what he will find. In reflection, wondering what it all means. There is a call that his quiet voice Will without sound become his choice To be the messenger of your glory, Of all the ways only you, God, are holy. Oh, there are day dreams And every day schemes That make his life seem To be without a rhyme. There are the times without rhymes, There is the day with nothing to say. There are wanderings in his head That are better left unsaid. But when he does pray that what he does...