Storm

Tempest tossed
Teapot boiling
Seas are dying
Shores are oily

Who's in charge here?
Do you know?
Whom are you seeking
To take control?

There's only one answer
Wisdom cries
Fall on your knees
And look to the skies

For you must acknowledge
The power of God
Is the only solution
Out of this fog

Holy Spirit arise
And stir up your people
For as we unite
Every giant's defeated

God's army arise
If united we'll stand
We'll take this storm
And we'll take this land

~ Della Smith 6/16/2010

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Father's Day Quiz

1. Who was the first father in the Bible to lose a son to violence?

     a. Abraham

     b. Adam

     c. Abel

     d. Alkaline

2.  How did Noah save his family?

     a. He smuggled them out of Sodom and Gomorrah in the middle of the night.

     b. He used a rope and basket to lower them out of the Tower of Babel.

     c. He built an ark to save them from a flood.

     d. He taught them the ways of the Lord.

3.  Whom did God choose to be father of a great nation?

     a. Aphrika

     b. Mekziko

     c. Joshua

     d. Abram

4.  Which of the following refers to Jacob's offspring?

     a. The twelve tribes of Israel

     b. The Abomination of Desolation

     c. The Sanhedrin

     d. The apostles

5.  How is the fifth commandment, "Honor your father and mother," different from the other nine?

     a. It is the only commandment with a promise attached to it.

     b. It is the only commandment that doesn't begin with, "You shall not..."

     c. It is the only commandment that speaks of human relationships.

     d. It is the only commandment that was later overturned in a Jewish court of law.

6.  Which of the following begins with the words "Our Father in heaven"?

     a. The Shepherd's Psalm

     b. The Lord's Prayer

     c. The Love Chapter (1 Corinthians 13)

     d. The Song of Songs

7.  What was young Jesus referring to when he said, "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house"?

     a. The temple

     b. Heaven

     c. Joseph's home in Nazareth

     d. Mount Sinai

8.  In the parable of the lost son, what did the father do when his prodigal son returned?

     a. He hired him as a servant.

     b. He had him thrown in prison because he did not recognize his son.

     c. He threw a huge party.

     d. The parable doesn't say.

9. Whom did Jesus call the father of lies?

     a. The devil

     b. Peter

     c. Caiaphas, the high priest

     d. The man who causes one person to stray from the path of righteousness

10. Which of the following words is an affectionate term for "father"?

     a. Abba

     b. Corbin

     c. Nazareth

     d. Petra

To see the answers, click here

Bitter Seed

Words were said

The pain went deep

I tossed and turned

I couldn't sleep

The more I thought

The more I burned

My anger grew

My stomach churned

The thoughts kept coming

To my mind

Why did you treat me

So unkind?

A bitter seed

Went in my heart

Would I let it grow?

Or stop its start?

As I pondered

What to do

I heard your words

The words of truth

"A bitter root

Will many defile
For its poison spreads

To many lives"

I made a choice

To pull that weed

To stop its start

While still a seed

I prayed for the one

That hurt me so

And as I did

Forgiveness flowed

Not all at once

It took some time

But as I obeyed

Your grace was mine

Now I am free

The turmoil's past

Your peace has come

I'm free at last

Heb 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

More Tombstone Riddles

The poems below could have been engraved on the headstones of famous Bible people. After reading each one, try to guess who is being described.

11. I had a captive audience with the one who filled the stands. But when I gave in to the crowd, I simply washed my hands.
12. When I left Haran, I walked through barren land till God said stop. He alone knew when the trip would be through and if I'd ever be called someone's pop.
13. The prophecies within my book announce the Lord's anointed. Although I don't come out and say it, it's clear to whom they pointed.
14. With boils and heartache and trouble I sat in some sackcloth and said, "Why is it that God keeps me living? I would surely be better off dead!"
15. The king had a way to fire us up for the task we were called to perform. All three of us prayed he would let up someday on his edict to make all conform.
16. His mother told him, "Stay away, Son, from Philistine girls, though they look like fun!" Like me, a pagan woman from Sorek Valley, to whom Samson was just another tally. Don't blame me that he lies in his grave; all I did was give him a shave.
17. I stood head and shoulders above all the rest; my words were always profane, till a shepherd boy took a stone from a brook, spun it round, let it go - what an aim!
18. Balak, king of Moab, was pretty scared. The Israelites stood on his plain. So I was hired to curse them and send them back east again. On my way to visit the king, my donkey's words left their mark. And so I became a blessing to all who called Abraham patriarch.
19. The servant knew when I watered the camels I would be given to Isaac to wed. And after our marriage I blessed him with twins - one a schemer, the other nicknamed "Red."
20. My husband lost a rib one day in a most unusual way. He fell asleep, and when he woke, he fell in love, and that's no joke!

To see the answers, click the link at the top of the page