CHRISTMAS IN A NUTSHELL

A destruction of the plan,
By the fall of man,
The intervention of the divine-a long prophesied process,
A gift of one not conceived by natural process,
A gift given by a loving God for reconciliation,
Thus was the night worthy of celebration,
When that long process was conceived in a special birth,
Signaling the end of eternal death,
A night heralded by angelic voices,
A night celebrated by heavenly choruses,
That all would some day return to the plan,
As we are reconciled eternally with the Father in Paradise-a new plan for man,
That is Christmas in a Nutshell!

So there abounds so much joy and gladness,
Not for the abundance of gifts, clothes and other items,
Not for shopping discounts, parties, drinks and other diadems,
But for the blessed hope initiated by this season,
A hope present in the only reason,
A seasonal joy only perpetuated by the presence of the reason,
In the life of mere mortals, the sole reason for the gift of the season,
Hence, Christmas in a Nutshell remains appreciated only by those who have been saved by the gift of Christmas.

ALL GRATITUDE...NO ATTITUDE (THANKSGIVING DAY POEM)

Just want to take the time to say thank you Lord,
For the days you saw me through,
And the nights you helped me through,
Thank you,
For the battles I won,
And the unseen battles you didn't let me see,
Thank you,
Lord, for the Prayers you answered,
And the ones you didn't answer,
Thank you,
For the accidents you delivered me from,
And the incidences you didn't deliver me from,
Thank you,
For that appointment I made,
And the other disappointment you made,
Thank you,
For my father whose salvation I'm still believing you for,
And for my mother who is getting higher in her faith,
Thank you,
For my brother who just got saved,
And my sister who is growing into a beautiful woman,
Thank you,
So tonight Lord, as we gather by the table,
There is so much to thank you for,
Whether good or bad,
Happy or sad,
Through it all,
Lord, for me,
It's all gratitude, and no attitude.
Happy thanksgiving.

RESTING ON HIS ARMS

In the midst of a turbulent world,
In the face of every struggle,
When my strengths and skills fail me,
When I've tried to run this race on my own power,
I realize I keep failing and falling by the hour,
The more I rely on my wisdom, the more I realize my foolishness,
And my frailties stare me in the face, my weaknesses punch me in the guts,
So I quit trying to make it on my own,
Now I'm constantly looking to His heavenly throne,
Daily resting on His everlasting arms,
'Cause in Him alone lies my true strength,
My anchor and hope is in Christ alone,
He is my mighty rock, my shield and comfort,
He will never leave me alone,
So I'm daily resting, leaning, relying, and just holding unto His everlasting arms.

BEYOND THE PAIN

Often times we are tied down by some of our past failures,
Sometimes the mistakes of our past prevent us from seeing a bright future,
We bottle up the past perplexing pains of our lives,
We live in the darkness of our sorrowful past, and fail to see the light,
We cry, sob, shed tears, stay depressed and dejected,
Wallow in despair, grope in despondency and feel unaccepted,
In the midst of it all, failing to see beyond the pain,
Failing to understand that within every pain is some gain,
Within every scar is a star waiting to shine very brightly,
And within every mess, a valuable and life-changing message can emerge,
If only we learn to look beyond the pains of our past, no matter how painful they may seem,

It may not look like it right now, but you have to believe me,
When I say there is still some good in your life, despite the many bad which screams at you,
The plan of the devil is to tie you down to your past, and deceive you into thinking nothing good can come from your ugly life,
He tells you you are worth nothing, and you believe it, continuing in your sins, thinking there is no other way to go,
Regardless of what your past has been, I want you to know that you are worth more than some of your past mistakes,
You are worth more than the troubles that you have been through,
There is forgiveness and redemption in Jesus Christ,
All you've got to do is, look beyond your pain, look to the future, come to Christ, just as you are and He'll make you whole.
NOTE: Your future is brighter than you think, so please move and don't be deceived by anyone or anything into thinking you are done. If God has not given up on you, you shouldn't give up on yourself. Peace.

STILL LOVED

Probably sitting there,
Wondering if He still cares,
Thinking about your past mistakes,
And pondering over whether He will take,
You just as you are with your imperfections,
Some have told you to just forget about redemption,
They have said there is no future for you in God,
That your type cannot be forgiven by God,
Not for the many sins you have committed against man and God,
But regardless of what your past mistakes have been,
Regardless of what the devil wants you to believe,
I want you to know that the devil is a liar and the father of all lies,
The master of deception who wants you to remain depressed and dejected,
Who wants you to feel unaccepted and rejected,
But I've come to announce to you,
That all of your sins were nailed to the cross a long time ago, even before you were born,
The blood of Jesus Christ was shed for you,
And in spite of your past mistakes and failures,
Just know that you are STILL LOVED by the one who first loved you and gave up His life for you.
So go back to Him in prayers, confess and forsake your sins and let Him come into your life.
JESUS LOVES YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE. PEACE.

GREAT WEBSITE FOR POETRY

Just discovered this great website for Christian and Inspirational poetry. Check it out and spread the word: http://p4cm.com/p4cmwp/ministries/poetry/

TILL THE WORLD HEARS

Even before I was conceived in my mother's womb,
I was given a mandate,
Before I was delivered into this vain and worthless world,
I was given a purpose, from my birthdate to my deathdate,
So I have a message in my heart,
So intertwined with my spirit it cannot be torn apart,
A message so alive in my soul, it cannot be stifled,
A mandate so lively in my being, it cannot be trifled,
So I say, it's a new age,
And I have a message,
I will shout it from the rooftop,
Sing it from the mountaintop,
Spread like raindrops,
From the north to the south to the ends of the earth,
With my own hands, my own feet and my own mouth,
Until the whole world hears it,

So even if I get knocked down,
Even if I get pushed to the ground,
Even if I'm suffering in the valley,
Like an ever rising lily,
I shall arise and continue with this mandate,
For not even my circumstance,
Stands a chance,
Whether good or bad,
Happy or sad,
Regardless of my situation,
In spite of my disposition,
I'll shout it from the rooftop,
Sing it from the mountaintop,
Spread it like raindrops,
Until the whole world hears it,
For it is a message of hope,
A mandate of restoration,
And a purpose of reconciliation,
That the broken shall become the risen,
The crying shall become the singing,
The dejected shall become the accepted and the celebrated.
This is what I live for: to reveal God to my world in all I do.
And I will do this till the day I die!
So help me God.

MY IDENTITY

That I rock Gucci,
Wear Prada, and show up in Loui Vuitton,
That I rock Ralph Lauren,
Wear Versace, and show up in Steve Madden,
That I roll in Bentleys, cruise in Porsches,
And pull up in Rose Royces and push Lamborghinis,
That I eat specially made foods, dine and wine with A-listers,
The ballers, the pros, the big boys, those that matter from the world's perspective,
Does not mean I'm the clothes I wear, the cars I drive, the food I eat, the wine I drink,
Neither am I defined by the cash in my flash, or by those I roll with,
So who am I and what's my identity? 

My identity cannot be found in vanity,
My sense of who and what I'm worth cannot be seen in artificiality,
But who I am, if I'm anything, what I am, if I'm anything is found in Jesus Christ,
For I am nothing but a wretched, hopeless sinner who was saved by divine mercy and grace,
Scooped out of the dust by He who gave up His life and took my place,
So I live to glorify He who saved me by by His blood, I live to seek His face,
I don't let the standard of this world; the figures, the stats, and the charts,
Define my sense of who I'm worth, my only true worth and identity is found in Christ alone,
For if my satisfaction and identity comes from Gucci, Prada, Lui Vuitton and the designers series,
Then I am lost,
If my joy is based on that which is earthly and material,
Then I have missed my true purpose,
So though I like to look good, I realize that my image and beauty can only come from Jesus Christ.
He is my identity.

BEYOND DESCRIPTION

If I have to search through all the dictionaries of this world for the right words,
If I have to look through every library on our planet for the right lexicon,
To adequately describe you,
To exhaustively explain you,
It would be an exercise in futility,
It would be a wasted effort, in its entirety,
For you are beyond mental perception,
You are beyond human description,
Your beauty is beyond artificiality,
Your nature is beyond perceptibility,
You are God!

How can I ever describe you,
Who spoke the universe into existence,
How can I ever possibly explain you,
Who commanded our cosmos into a perceptible essence, 
Lord, I long for words to totally illustrate,
I long for words to really explicate,
You who ride upon the heavens with your name JAH!
You who live beyond our galaxy with your name ALPHA!
You who are seated on your throne, elevated in glory, with your name OMEGA!
You who are seated on your throne, elevated in majesty, with your name JEHOVAH!
When I think of you, and all you made, your awesomeness, your might and your power,
I'm speechless, dumb-founded, awe-struck, flabber-whelmed and over-ghasted,
For the mind of mere gullible and fallible mortals like us, cannot fully comprehend you,
'Cause you are God!

Lord, what more can I say?
If I say I'm amazed at you,
That will be an understatement,
If I say I'm in awe of you,
It will still not do you justice,
'Cause truth is, lord you are beyond description,
Beyond comprehension,
Far beyond perception,
And greater than human explication,
So I bow in adoration and total submission,
'Cause you alone are God!

SOME DAY, SOME WHERE

As I drove home from work today,
Listening to a song on my way,
The reality of this life saturated my mind,
As I reflected on the life we live,
As I thought about working nine to five,
Daily living, daily hustling, daily striving,
To make ends meet, to make a living,
And then a question came to my heart,
Is it possible for there to be complete rest?
And the answer came right back to me,
Yes, it is possible, but not in this world,
Then the words of this poem were vaguely formed in my heart,
And today, as I write, I pray they shall be clearly formed in your mind,

For someday, somewhere,
In a place beyond the sky,
A place void of all the sufferings,
A place void of all the "toilings",
We shall all be at home with out maker,
Someday, somewhere,
When the stars shall cease to shine,
When the sun shall no longer give its light,
When life as we know it shall be changed forever,
We shall be at home with our savior,
Someday, somewhere,
In a place where there is no night, but only day,
In a city beyond the sky, no yet known to man,
In a country whose builder and maker is Jehovah,
In a universe where the streets are covered in gold,
A place, a city, a country, a universe, and a world called beautiful,
We shall be at rest, at home, in heaven with our father,
So don't be discouraged, for our lord Jesus Christ,
Is coming back for us like He promised,
And yes, in His father's house, our father's house-heaven,
Are many mansions which He has prepared for us,
So hold on, for your home, you true and final home, is beyond the sky.

I LOOK TO THE CROSS

Sometimes in this misleading, deceptive, vain and turbulent world,
I'm caught in between pleasing you and the world,
Sometimes lord, I let my lack of change lead me to a change,
A change in my faith, a change in my attitude to your word,
So I complain, worry and forget the assurance of your word,

In the midst of a fast-paced society,
A world filled with so many practices, in its entirety,
A world where it is easy to get caught up in the mix and chase vanity,
A world where it is easy to think my life is all about me, me, me, only,
Sometimes even the challenges of my life push me to the ground,
Sometimes I fall, in a moment I let go off my faith, and follow the crowd,
But then when I find myself caught in between you and the world,
Where to turn to, my world or your word,
When confusion, frustration, and discouragement sets in,
I look to the cross,
For then I am reminded of why I'm here,
And the price that was paid for me to be standing right here,
Saved, delivered, forgiven, restored and changed,
I'm reminded of the blood that was shed for me,
I'm reminded of the fact that my strength can only come from Christ,
I'm reminded that my home and place of final abode, is beyond the sky-in heaven,
So I look to the cross, and then I take up my own cross and follow hard after my savior.
For if the cross doesn't move me, then I'm better dead than alive,
Lord please help me.

FIGHTING FOR LOVE

When it seems like the struggles of everyday life,
Are beginning to get in the way of your love,
When things like who is making the most money;
Who left the toilet seat up, who didn't pick up the kids and the likes,
Start getting in the way of your relationship with the ones you love,
When it seems like the wife and family which once gave you joy,
Has now become the source of your worry and sadness,
When the seed of discord begins to crop up, and the winds of insignificant quarrels,
Begin to threaten the unity of your family,
Fighting for love becomes the only way to go,

Sometimes the love of your life may become the pain in your flesh,
But please remember that she is still bone of your bones and flesh of your flesh,
Sometimes the man who made your heart skip, may start making it bleed,
But always remember that for better for worse, was the pledge you made at the altar,
Nobody said marriage and family life was going to be a bed of roses or walk in the park,
But when infidelity, disrespect, secrecy, dishonesty and all other agents of marital destruction,
Begin to threaten your marriage, fighting for love may the only way to go,
And sometimes you may need to fight for this love by fighting with yourself and your own demons;
You might need to fight that nasty habit which always makes her sad,
You might need to stop the attitude which always makes him feel belittled and disrespected,
Whatever it takes, it is worth it; if peace and harmony is what you desire in your home,
If you truly love that man, if you truly care about that woman,
You might wanna consider fighting for her love, and waging war for his love.
'Cause after all is said and done, love, true love and the ones we love, is all we've got. Peace.

THE BEAUTY I SEEK

It's not the beauty of cosmetic embellishment,
Neither is it the beauty of artificial adornment,
It's not the beauty of superficial glamor,
Nor the beauty of outward glow,
It's not the beauty of curvy figure,
Neither is the beauty of a frame shaped like the figure eight,
It's not the beauty of  boobs and booties, 
Nor the beauty of a spotless face, or mascaraed lashes;
Foundation, lip-sticks and eye-shadows,
It's not the beauty of pretty eyes and straight, spotless legs,
Nor the beauty that stops traffic, literally,
Neither is the beauty that make some brothers grow weak, literally and figuratively,
It's not even the beauty of "Who is that?"
Nor the beauty of "She is so fine!"
For all of these are aging, passing and ephemeral beauty,
That whose artificiality and lack of originality breaks down with the passage of time,
But it's the beauty that is ever glowing, that which is continuously renewed by nature,
It's the beauty that makes the heart merry, makes the soul glad and makes the spirit leap,
It's the beauty which is refreshed by the waters of time, nourished by the winds of the passing years, and preserved by the clock of age,
It's a beauty that shines outwardly from an inward location, a beauty you never get tired of,
It's a beauty that is divine, spiritual and natural, a beauty which can never be cloned,
It's a beauty of character, of integrity, of a gorgeous attitude, an attractive personality and a ravishing nature,
A beauty that doesn't strive for perfection but excellence; a beauty that strengthens, comforts, consoles, encourages and inspires,
Such folks, is THE BEAUTY I SEEK.

SATISFIED YET? TRUE SATISFACTION

This has been the question on my heart,
As I continuously meditate on where my satisfaction lies,
And time and time again, I realize,
That even if I had it all, I still will not be satisfied,
For sometimes I feel as though there lies a void within me, which I try to fill with material things,
Even when I know that vanity upon vanity is all vanity, I still chase that vanity,
Even when I know that this world is not my home, I'm just passing by, I still make myself feel at home,
For after all is said and done, I realize that it's only when I draw close to God, seek His will and not mine,
Live for Him and not myself, please Him and not others; it's then and only then that I become truly satisfied!
Here is a food for thought: Where does your satisfaction lie? Isn't in money, fame, sex, pleasure, materialism?
Take a moment and think about what really satisfies you and if you find out it's not God, you are bound to continually feel empty for the rest of your life, 'cause nothing can take the place of God in your life.
Satisfied yet?

UNTIL I MET HIM

Used to think I was the biggest boss,
Captain of my ship, so fly, so sharp,
Used to think I rule the world, king of my castle,
Used to think the world revolves around me, the throne to be watched, 
Until I met Him who created the universe at the command of His voice,

Everything was at my beck and call, I was too big to fail, to high to fall,
I was afraid no one, regarded no one, living in a world of my own,
Thought I was a legend, someone larger than life, seated on my throne,
Millions adored me, thousands respected me, and hundreds more looked up to me, 
I was at the forefront, the point one man, the world's greatest,
Then I met the I am that I am, the one who made something out of nothing, the miracle worker,

Used to think I was so connected like a spine to a bone,
When I throw a party, anybody who was somebody must be there,
Everything I did, I did it big, didn't think I was accountable to anyone,
Until that fateful day, when my fallibility and gullibility was revealed to me,
Then I realized that my financial and material security was nothing without eternal security,
I realized that I was nothing but dust living on borrowed breath, the breath of the almighty,
When I met Him who was, and is and is to come,
The one who destroyed a whole nation by the blink of His eyes,
He who sits on His throne, and yet the whole world is before Him-omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient,
When I met Him, I had no choice than to bow and submit to His supremacy,
And ever since my life has been filled with so much meaning and promise-the promise of a better place beyond this worthless world.

UNSTOPPABLE

Separate the church and the state,
Was the misinterpretation,
Create a secular state,
Was the intention,
Shut the church folks up, eliminate Christianity, 
Was the resolve,
But through it all,
We still remain unstoppable,

Don't mention Jesus Christ, don't talk about the Cross,
"I feel discriminated against when they say Jesus is the savior of the world, 'cause my religion is different,"
What a shame! Some still think it's all about religion,
Well, I'm not sorry to say that Jesus is the savior of the world, the one true and only way,
How can I stifle such grace and love that scooped me out of the dust of sin and vanity,
How can I hold back the move of the Holy Spirit who empowers me daily on this journey,
When something great as salvation happens, we don't whisper it, we scream it,
So pass this message on to the world, begin with the United States,
It doesn't matter what they try to do, or what laws they try to pass,
They still can't shut us down or shut us up,
For this gospel shall always be unstoppable,

The gospel that we preach is far bigger than us,
So we spread it around,
The power we carry is far greater than us,
So we let it out,
It's not about us, but about Him,
"For upon this rock shall I build my church,
And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,"
So this is not about some puny minded believers who are stupidly radical,
It's about the great I am than I am,
The one who shut up the lions mouth, 
So powerful,
The one who turned a king into a beast,
So incredible,
The one who divided the red sea,
So unbelievable,
The one who created man out of the dust,
So unfathomable,
If the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church,
No institution, no government, no musician, nobody dead or alive, spirit, or whatever, can,
Because the God force is so unstoppable!
Kill us, crucify us, ostracize us, punish us, shut us up,
The gospel will still continue to spread-SO UNSTOPPABLE!

HOME CALL

He was young and ambitious,
Like a man with a vision,
I still recall he was headed for L.A,
Like a man on a mission,
When it all happened,
All I can remember was the grimace on his face,
At the hospital, as he asked me to pray for him,
I wasn't even done praying,
Before he gave up the ghost,
It all felt like a dream, but it wasn't,
Everything happened so fast,
Home Call, my homey was gone!

She was daddy's little girl,
Mommy's little angel,
I still remember her 18th birthday,
We talked about how she would be going to college,
There she said she would be free of every restriction to "live" her life,
But when it happened, I couldn't believe my ears,
I was home with my family, when I got the call,
It was spring break and she was riding with the girls, 
The driver was reported to have been drunk, they were all drunk,
50 miles per hour on a 25 mile road, somewhere around college,
Two years after she left for college, she was only twenty,
But Home Call was the reality, my young niece was gone!

I could go on and on, but it will mean more grief for me,
Each time it crosses my heart, I can't help but think,
"When shall my Home Call be?", "Are my ready to meet my lord?"
I know it shall come one day, but that day is still unknown,
So in the midst of a busy and crazy world, I stop to reflect,
On my life in the past 21 years, how have I lived it,
We all celebrate birth dates but no one ever celebrates death dates,
But we must understand that our mandates begin with our birth dates,
The fulfillment of which defines our death dates,
So before I hear that knock on the door,
Before death comes to take me away,
Before my Home Call comes,
I pray and strive to live to the glory of my lord,
Each and everyday, that I may depart this worthless world in peace!
How prepared are you for your Home Call?
Remember, no man knows when his Home Call shall come,
So live each day like it's your last, and live it with God in mind.

LOVED ANYWAY

Sometimes I reflect on my past,
Where the lord has brought me from,
His plentiful mercies in my life, His everlasting love,
His grace and hands upon my life,
Then I realize that I'm undeserving of His love and mercy,
But I also realize that regardless of my many inadequacies,
I was loved anyway,

And that message of love is what I bring your way today,
Don't know what somebody has told you,
About how you wouldn't amount to anything,
About how you are nothing but a piece of trash,
Don't know what your past is and how many times,
You have sinned against the almighty, 
Don't know why you keep living in self-pity,
Thinking you're not worth anything,
But regardless of your situation, no matter how bad it is,
I've come to announce to you sir, madam, young man, young woman,
That you are loved anyway,

May be the reverse is the case for you,
May be some guy has told you young girl,
That you're beautiful and that he loves you,
He has also bought you some nice things,
To prove his love for you or the lack of it,
And right now you feel like you owe him your body,
As a way of saying, "thank you,"
Well, first of all, love that is built on physical pleasure is no true love,
Stop trying to find your worth in a man who intends to use and abuse you,
Return to the one who loves you anyway, 
The one whose arms are ever open to receive you,
Regardless of how many times you have despised Him,
The one who gave it all up for you on that old rugged cross,
The one who loved you enough to offer you an inheritance in His father's kingdom,
The one who loved you in spite of you,
Jesus is calling you today,
Please don't refuse His precious, true, real and divine love.

REMEMBERED FOR...

There I was at the graveside,
Captivated by the many tombstones,
That spread across the cemetery,
But as I walked past, something caught my attention-the varying epitaphs,
One read: "1920-2009-he was a loving father,"
Another read, "1990-2010-a short but unforgettable life,"
And yet another read, "1980-2011- a man who loved humanity,"
By these, a  lesson was etched within my heart-
We shall all be remembered not for how long we lived,
But for how well we lived,
It struck me that every tombstone had a different epitaph,
These dead people were remembered for different things,
Their legacy, their story, was a reflection of the life they lived,
Then it occurred to me that one day, I too will be lowered six-feet below,
But the question that bothered me was, "What shall you be remembered for?"

And today, I pose the same question to you,
What shall your world remember you for?
Will you be remembered as the husband who never cared?
Or the father who was never there?
Will you be remembered as the faithful wife?
Or the adulterous married mother?
Will you be remembered as the boy who was killed in a gun battle?
Or the young man who served God with his life?
Will you be remembered as the girl who kept herself for God,
Or the young lady who knew the bed room of every man on the block?
What shall you be remembered for?
Always remember that dead men don't write their legacies in the grave,
Legacies are written, epitaphs are inscribed by the lives we live.
What shall be your story?
You have only one life to live, so live it right and don't waste it!
Peace.

TO MAKE IT THERE

When I was a child, all I ever wanted were ice cream,
Candies, nice clothes and shoes; I had no worries, no responsibilities,
I was just being a kid,
Then I became a teenager, and the struggles began-which way to go, decisions to make;
Who to follow-peer pressure, but I still didn't worry about many things:
Tuition, money for clothes, a house and the likes, my parents thought about those,
But fast forward, years later, I'm now 21 and suddenly I feel like time is running out,
I'm suddenly concerned about my career, job, the bills and sometimes the choice of the right spouse,
But in the midst of all these, the struggle of everyday life and the many stress and pressure of living;
The rat race, trying to keep up with the Joneses, I realize that my ultimate goal is to make it to heaven,

For after all is said and done, there's really nothing that can compare to my soul,
All the vanities and emptiness that I crave for, stay awake for and work for,
Will all fade away at my departure from this worthless world,
 I just want to cross over to the other side, to make it there-to heaven,
After all the trials and tribulations, the prayers and fasting, preaching and teaching,
The challenges, the difficulties, the pains, the tears and the sorrows,
After all the singing, the joys, the celebrations, the testimonies, and the thanksgivings,
After my life here is over, I just want to make it there, 
So, I'll run if I have to, I'll jump if I have to, crawl if I have to, until I make it there,
For I don't live for the worthlessness, the craziness and the repulsiveness of this world,
I don't live for fast money, fast cars riding on fast lanes, the bouncing and the popping,
I don't live for the designer clothes, the high mansions, the endorsements, the girls;
I don't live for the fame, the fortune, the flash and the cash,
But I live to die, to die to this world and its lusts and to make it there,
I live to be raptured with the saints, to see the glorious face of my lord,
And to hear Him say, "Well done,"
I live everyday, just to make it there.
So help me God.