John Evans

Dear Friends of the Fellowship,

Hey, I've been busy reading your good poetry submissions of late, friends. Guess I've read dozens upon dozens of them, and I'd say we're getting "gooder and gooder" with all these. The following examples, found in the Most Recent Poems category of the library, have caught my eye and "poetry appreciator" the past few days. Truly I've been blessed by them--but by too many to give adequate credit to all who wrote. You'll forgive me, I hope, if I don't recognize your poem/poems here. Jesus does take note, that's for certain; do be assured of this.

"Ephesus, Where Is Your Love?" by Mark Brown of Rosedale, MD, is one such God-blest poem. But isn't it sad to think our Lord's blood-bought church could leave its love for Him? Well, we've all been guilty, and Mark has poignantly touched on the sad fact. Your didactic poem hits the mark, friend, and it's so moving!

"Kyrie Eleison," meaning "Lord Have Mercy, " is done up in a beautiful spirit of poetic mastery by Anya McConnell of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. I like her repetition of the two Greek words again and again. (I think they're Greek, but it's been a long time since seminary days!) Repetition is a wonderful tool in writing effective verse, and Marie Williams's "The Same Jesus," she of Bluejacket, OK, is another excellent poem utilizing repetition as an emotionally pleasing tool. I would not overlook hers here while commenting on repetition. Good going, Marie.” He is Jesus," by Kevin Hartnett of Gaithersburg, MD, is still another such in which we see this tool utilized, and we commend Kevin for it also. (I think "my appreciator" is leading me to write a poem with the emphasis on repetition myself! And, seriously, this should be a lesson to all of us: Reading others' good poetry inspires the reader to do the same!)

"God Is Still on the Throne," by George Thurlow of Scarborough, ME, is a topnotch poem too. And you keep turning out the gems, Bro. George. We like them.

A friend from far away--yes, I'm speaking of Sweden!--has given us one fine poem in "Friends In Need." I refer to David Bingham of Uppsala in that Nordic land which has given us so many good citizens here in the melting pot of the USA. We do need to recognize our indebtedness to friends while we still have them with us. Thanks for reminding us in your talented way, David.

Our own editor, Juanita DeHart of Houston has, as always, come through with a perfect poem, "Drawn to Dream." She does do such a good job with alliteration and figures of speech especially, doesn't she? I especially like "Belief that's birthed in dream's cocoon" in one of the lines. I think another excellent title might have been taken from it.

Chuck Wilkins of Boiling Springs, SC, has given our fellowship a thought-provoking poem in "The Bus Stop in the Shade." It chronicles an experience of Chuck's in his youth when he boarded a bus--had to go the back section (shame on us and our awful laws of yesterday!)--But was so blessed by the happy bus driver's whistled song, "How Great Thou Art!" that he brought the incident back in poetry form to the present for our enjoyment. Chuck has the gift of poetic genius to thus draw from emotional experiences and put them in written form for others. You're a winner Chuck, we want you to know! I liked your "Magnificent Glory," also, by the way.

Well, friends, there are several other poets' works that I do want to at least simply list here, and they are: "Epistle-Ese" by Reason A. Poteet of New Albany, IN; "Nothing Shall Be Impossible" by William Oren Adams of Plano, TX;; "The Best Part" by Cathy Roberts of Beavercreek, OH; "Back to Life" by Bob Rich of Agoura Hills, CA; "Who Says There Ain't No God?" free verse by Ralph G. LeMoon of Erie, PA; and Mother's Prayer" and "My Father," beautiful though short poems by Karen K. Davies of Orange, CA. Time and space told me I must cut short the comments, thus the listing. As I indicated before, I'm too human to really do an adequate job of commenting on all your God-given efforts. I hope you'll grant me this weakness. Do forgive if you seem to have gotten "short changed." God Himself will give His blessing to you for all you do for Him, I am positive of this!

However, notwithstanding the fact that I feel unworthy and unable to properly notate much that's been written lately, I do have to humbly honor in my column this month Poet Gary James Smith of Champion, Alberta, Canada. Three poems he's written recently have jumped off the page at me, but "I've Seen My God in Action,” seen to your right, especially came to my attention. You'll note that Bro. Gary uses well iambic trimeter lines here in the ABCB stanza pattern. Other excellencies observed are: "When trouble comes my way," containing an example of personification; "I've sheltered in His loving arms" and "Safe in the arms of Jesus," good metaphors; as also are "Nestled there in comfort" and "I cast on Him my cares." "He delights to lift our burdens" is still another I shouldn't omit.

Finally, though, I want you to know it's the spiritual message this month that God helps us in trial that is the main selling point of "I've Seen God in Action," in my estimation. We all have these trials Gary writes about, don't we? My daughter's four children being caught in a house fire a few months back has been our family's latest and worst. No, none of the grandchildren were injured in the fire, praise God, but they have had to endure the entire house's being renovated as a result and have been in rented quarters for many weeks now. Good insurance is paying for it all, and they're just this week getting back into their home. Gary says God will always see us through such trials, and that's a blessed fact! Adown my many years I'll attest to it! Gary concludes his fine poem emphasizing this with "Hallelujah! What a Savior!" Do we as one say, "Amen!"?.

I'll leave you now, friends of the poetry muse, asking you not to work too hard with spring clean-up, washing, planting, spraying mowing, pruning, building, sorting, rearranging, discarding, etc. etc. etc. Do take time to pray and praise our God in the midst of everything, okay? –

John Evans,
Jacksonville , Florida , USA
joevans@comcast.net