Just Checking In

(Inspiraional poem - from unknown source)

A minister passing through his church, in the middle of the day,Decided to pause by the altar, and see who had come to pray.Just then the back door opened, an old man came down the aisle,The minister frowned as he saw, the man hadn't shaved in a while.

His shirt was kinda shabby, and his coat was worn and frayed,As the man knelt down, he bowed his head, then rose and walked away.

In the days that followed, each noon time came this chap,He knelt just for a moment, a lunch pail in his lap.

The minister's suspicions grew, with robbery a main fear,He decided to stop the man and ask him, "What are you doing here?"

The man said he worked down the road, lunch was half an hour.Lunchtime was his prayer time, for finding strength and power."

I stay only moments, see, because the factory is so far away;As I kneel here talking to the Lord, this is kinda what I say:

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP, AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.SO JESUS, THIS IS KEVIN, CHECKING IN TODAY."

The minister feeling foolish, told Kevin that was fine.He said he was welcome to come, and pray just anytime.

to go, Kevin smiled, said "Thanks" and hurried out the door.The minister knelt at the altar, he'd never done it before.

His cold heart melted, warmed with love and met with Jesus there.As the tears flowed in his heart, he repeated old Kevin's prayer:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.SO JESUS, THIS IS ME, CHECKING IN TODAY."

Past noon one day, the minister noticed that old Kevin hadn't come.As more days passed without Kevin, he began to worry some.

At the factory he asked about him, learning he was ill.The hospital staff was worried too, but he'd given them a thrill.

The week that Kevin was with them, brought changes on the ward.His smiles and joy contagious, changed people were his reward.

The head nurse couldn't understand, why Kevin was so glad,No flowers, calls or cards came, not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by Kevin's bed, he voiced the nurse's concern:No friends came to show they cared, he had nowhere to turn.

Looking surprised, old Kevin spoke up and with a winsome smile;"The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know, that in here all the while,

Everyday at noon he's here, a dear friend of mine, see, He sits right down, takes my hand, leans over and says to me:

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, KEVIN, HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP, I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY, ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,SO KEVIN, THIS IS JESUS, CHECKING IN TODAY."

-- Without Him, I will be nothing. Without Him, I am nothing but with Him"I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." Phil 4:13

Look To This Day

(a poem by the great Indian poet, Kalidas)

Look to this day:
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.
The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The splendour of achievement
Are but experiences of time.

For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision;
And today well-lived, makes
Yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well therefore to this day;
Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn!

The Living God

(a poem by Swami Vivekananda)

He who is in you and outside you,
Who works through all hands,
Who walks on all feet, Whose body are all ye,
Him worship, and break all other idols!

He who is at once the high and low,
The sinner and the saint,
Both God and worm,
Him worship — visible, knowable, real, omnipresent,
Break all other idols!

In whom is neither past life
Nor future, birth nor death,
In whom we always have been
And always shall be one,
Him worship. Break all other idols!

Ye fools! who neglect the living God,
And His infinite reflections with which the world is full.

While ye run after imaginary shadows,
That lead alone to fights and quarrels,
Him worship, the only visible!
Break all other idols!