TO THE DOCTOR, AGAIN
R. D. Ice
"Fried!" still tastes better,
but the microwave is OK.
I’m learning, and it is
a new way of life. Also
more fruits and vegetables.
Cholesterol good. Blood pressure
good. Sugar level 94! It must
be working! But weight
is still a problem.
I have been large most of
my life, certainly since 1950.
But my health was
good - exceptional I thought -
until the Big C struck
in 1997.
My crisis caused me to
touch and be touched by
many lives. Surely this is
part of the process which God
is working in and through us.
God brought me into contact
with a team of doctors who
used surgery, radiation,
chemotherapy - and prayer.
I am cancer free for three years now!
I would hope never again
to need extreme measures.
But, life has no guarantees.
I must take whatever comes.
[it's ten years now.]
THE MYTH OF DOGPATCH
R. D. Ice
"We came to see a real mountaineer,
untouched by civilization, close
to nature, a noble example of
life unspoiled by the modern world."
"We expect to find sage wisdom
from a mind not contaminated
by commercialism and greed,
truly attuned to Mother Nature."
"Little Abner" and "Snuffy Smith"
exist in the minds of writers and
cartoonists, who take a reality
and distort it into a caricature.
Rural people have always come in
for more than their share of
ridicule. But the reality would be
much too commonplace
to be interesting.
See that "mountain man?"
He lived in Ohio and made tires.
He worked on the pipeline
in Alaska.
If he lives in isolation now,
it is his choice.
My father was teaching school
in a coal camp when I was born.
By age six I had lived in
four towns in two states.
My children have lived in
five states.
"The noble savage" has the same
foibles as his social counterpart
in our industrialized society;
struggles to keep body and soul
together, and to feed his family.
"Poor people have poor ways,"
Grandmother would say.
Trying to live within our means
when we have almost nothing
requires some imagination,
and may seem unique.
"Use it up, wear it out.
Make it do, or do without."
Grandmother was always
quoting this maxim of life.
She made over old clothes,
and cut them down to fit the
children. Nothing wasted.
Aunt Dora, age 84, was never
out of the county in her life.
Yet she was creative in her own way;
could read and write,
knew how to plug in the toaster,
and turn on the light.
She listened to the radio,
read the newspaper, and
heard from relatives who
roamed the world.
She adored her rural life,
living on the farm, sharing the
world around her, a vital
and living part of America.
We write out of our own experience,
whether real or imaginary.
There is little value in being
unsophisticated.
Life has never been
simple and uncomplicated
to the people who were living it.
www.marssociety.org
R. D. Ice
We stand at night peering into the sky,
seeing the stars the ancients saw.
With the naked eye they mapped
the heavens and were accurate
in many of their truths.
Will we reach the stars?
Will our descendants find homes
on distant worlds, in a future
we imagine yet cannot imagine?
Asimov, in the Foundation Stories
viewed many galaxies settled by
the unique human race. People
modified and changed by
their environment, but still
people from Old Earth.
If people are able to survive in the
frigid temperatures of Antarctica,
could they survive in the extreme cold
of Mars, the Red Planet?
Generate atmosphere and water
from Mars itself? Or must
they ship everything from Earth?
Could they construct greenhouses
to grow food for the colonists?
Could Mars or Venus, or some other
planet be terraformed as Asimov wrote?
Could massive space machines churn
the soil and rocks to produce
conditions hospitable to Earthlings?
marssociety.org is a group of believers
(believers in Mars colonization)
who are getting ready for the time
they expect to come when Mars
will be visited by Earthlings.
www.nmss.org
R. D. Ice
Many are the ills of the flesh
that strike into the lives
of those we love, of
sister and daughter, son and brother.
Multiple Sclerosis.
Autoimmune disease - the body
turning against itself, destroying
and being destroyed. A whole series
of diseases fall into this category.
MS symptoms are caused by
damage to myelin, a substance that
insulates nerve fibers
in the brain and spinal cord.
Imagine the insulation on your
extension cords worn through
in spots and shorting out.
MS creates spots of hardening
in the brain, shorting out nerves,
creating difficulty in walking;
abnormal sensations, numbness,
"pins and needles";
pain and loss of vision.
There is no magic bullet.
What to do??? There are
drugs and treatments, yet
we must play the hand that
is dealt us, and survive.
Look at www.nmss.org
Look at www.wemedia.com
Look at www.mayohealth.org
Look at www.acorda.com
Look at www.ms-cam.org
Look at www.narcoms.org
Look at www.mswatch.com
Information is just a click away.
The internet opens up the
resources of the world.
DR. ANWAR's EYE HOSPITAL
R. D. Ice
You will have cataracts - if
you live long enough,
Sooner or later the lens
in the eye becomes
yellow-green and darkens.
Stronger glasses will help
for a while, but
the day comes when you must
admit you really can't see
clearly anymore.
Dr. Anwar has many associates
who work to prepare
by testing and tests
to know exactly the health and
condition of the eyes.
All day, it seems, and finally,
you are wheeled into surgery.
Dr. Anwar works his magic and
expertise. Using an operating microscope
he moves his hand ever so slightly
to make a tiny incision. Family
watches on a TV monitor, seeing
just what he sees as he operates.
Wow! What brilliant colors!
Everything so bright!
I can see! I can see!
What a great gift of God
is eyesight! I can see!
SUNDAY MORNING ON THE PRAIRIE
R. D. Ice
A brisk wind swept across the prairie
Spreading the flakes of snow
Which spattered the riders coming
From distant ranches.
A Church stood on the prairie
Built by an Easterner
With high pitched roof and gables
A bell tower over the entrance.
A light still shines in the parson’s window
Breakfast over, ready for the worship hour
The congregation arriving, ready
To join voices in song and praise.
Wade Horton in his horse drawn buggy
Wife and child by his side
Earl Gray riding his chestnut mare
Others coming in the distance.
The people gather, ranchers, cowboys
Men, few women, boys and girls
Ben Blue builds up the fire
In the sheet-iron stove.
No organ, no choir, rude benches
But God’s Family, coming together, to
Spend an hour or two in fellowship
A time of praise and devotion.
The parson, Enoch Bell, calls order
Wade Horton gives the prayer
"Old Hundred," announces Earl Gray
And begins the tune, others following.
"Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost."
The After-Christmas Sale
R. D. Ice
We were not poor growing up.
Money was just scarce in
those years of the Great Depression.
Mother had died young, and
little sister and I lived with
our grandparents
on a small farm - The Farm.
Granddad had been a country doctor.
Never making much money,
always dreaming of his childhood.
He bought this farm
with the help of an uncle.
We raised a huge garden,
had a cow and chickens,
lots and lots of chickens!
Plenty of eggs and milk
for growing children.
Grandmother made us clothes
from feedsacks and curtains
and anything that could be used.
We also got clothes from the store
for Christmas presents.
But we wanted toys! Toys!
"Wait for the after-Christmas sale"
Grandmother would say.
"It will all be marked down then."
So the day after Christmas we
headed for Columbus and
the after-Christmas sale.
AMERICA MOURNS
R. D. Ice
[remembering the destruction of the Towers]
Not by huge armies, tanks, planes,
but a handful of intense anarchists,
who attack us with weapons
of our own society.
Not crazy, not irrational,
intensely clever and diabolically focused.
"God has commanded us to destroy
America the land of sinners."
Richard Hughes once wrote of
America as: "the Nation with the
soul of a church" - meaning
America has a sense of divine purpose.
God Bless America! We
reach up to God in anguish,
mourning the incredible loss,
trying to understand.
"The Eagle sharpens its claws."
Government has a vengeance function.
Evil must be opposed.
The world must do this.
God Bless President Bush!
The buck stops with him.
Give him wisdom and patience.
We hold each other in unity.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
VIRTUAL FARM
THE VIRTUAL FARM
R. D. Ice
In 1931 the house on Refugee Road
became the home of K. C. Ice
and Joseph Roberts,
brother of his mother.
This began what was to be
many years at the Ice Farm.
Years have rolled by.
K.C., Rosa, and now McGarvey,
for many years the patriarch
of the Family, have gone on
to their reward.
Change is part of this life,
and change has come to us.
The "Farm" is no more.
Someone else lives
in the house, things
are not the same.
The old house has been
refreshed
with a new roof,
a new foundation,
restored to its pristine glory,
a country farm
in the middle of
Columbus, Ohio,
but no longer ours.
We are the Family, tied
by many memories
of the past we shared together.
Online we keep in touch,
celebrating who we are.
The Farm is still our home,
and through virtual reality
we have our memories.
We have pictures from
the outside and the inside
of this Farm
as it once was when it
was alive with our presence.
Kodak and the CD-ROM
they are now producing,
can keep alive pictures
and thoughts of our past,
to be easily called up.
We click My Pictures
and select scenes we wish
to view to place ourselves
in never to be forgotten
times of old.
We try to pass on this
sense of Family to
children, grandchildren,
future generations who
are still to come.
We hope to provide a virtual Farm,
to create new memories,
to preserve this Tree of Life
which centers around us,
we - the Family.
Other families have
pages on the Internet
monuments to their own
personal Tree of Life.
As we are getting older, family
becomes more important to us.
Old days are treasured,
memories cherished,
even when they exist no more -
only in days long faded and gone.
VIRTUAL FARM, PAGE 2
R. D. ICE
We take the Brice Road exit
from the Interstate, and
turn toward the village of
Brice, which still exists.
We turn down Refugee Road,
just past the Electric Company,
and turn in the driveway
under spreading trees.
Mom stops our car in
the driveway, I step out
to take a good look,
drinking in the aroma
of familiar loved things.
The barn is straight ahead,
across the parking area.
A row of sheds
is along one side.
The house is behind us,
to our right.
This is country! - even though
the huge Metropolis
is surrounding us
on all sides.
Pull off your shoes and
run barefoot through
luxurious green grass!
To the left of the barn
are the remains of an orchard,
what is left of the chicken-house,
where White Leghorns once lived,
and a shed that housed
a family of ducks, bought to eat,
but kept as pets until
they grew old and died.
Behind the barn, what was
once a pasture is now
overgrown with spindly
trees and bushes.
Behind that is now a swamp,
since drainage tiles
were damaged
by the Electric Company
in some of their digging.
We walk toward the house
to the back porch,
go in the screen door
which bangs shut behind us.
We go down a hallway
with peeling linoleum
on the floor. Turn
the door knob and
step into the kitchen.
Ella May looks up.
She is chopping carrots.
She gives us a hug,
then goes back
to chopping again.
She is dressed in a
faded denim jacket
with her boots on.
Two kerosene heaters
provide the heat in
winter, and even though
summer seems to be here,
she still wears them.
McGarvey is sitting in
his chair, watching TV
with a book in his hand.
Behind the television
a dysfunctional door
leads onto a time-ravaged,
broken front porch.
The living room is dark,
but rich in tone.
The door-frames
are original wood,
dark, intricately carved,
crooked. In the place
of doors hang heavy,
musty curtains.
McGarvey puts the coffee on,
placing just one spoonful
in the pot and boiling it
until it looks black enough.
In the downstairs bedroom
Western paperbacks line
three of the walls.
The bed was removed
some time ago.
There still is a cot in
my old room, where
R.D. slept forty years ago.
When the doctor came to
examine McGarvey the
day before he died,
he placed him on that cot.
I enter the "family room,"
used for special occasions,
always chilly because of
broken, airy windows.
An old stove -
which I have never seen used -
stands tall and black,
a pipe issuing from its top
that leads into a wall
and away to some
unknown someplace.
Sheet-draped chairs
face each other across
the room.
A dusty green couch
stands guard over
fragile games from
my mother's childhood.
An elderly piano, out of tune,
with broken strings and
clunking pedals stands
before a water-stained wall.
Old Mad magazines
and paperback books
line two walls.
The window-glass is
held together with
duct tape.
As my sister picks out tunes
on the old piano, I pick up
a MAD magazine from
September '66, sit down
in a sheet-preserved chair,
and begin to read.
But this is the Farm!
It's character is given
by the people who
live here - lived here -
even though they
are now gone.
It is an oasis of "folk culture"
breathing the years of
four generations or more
of Ices and their families
and "in-laws" and "out-laws."
Ices have been many things:
doctors, teachers, preachers,
writers, workers,
often in a supporting role,
but people who have made
a difference in the world
in which they lived.
We are all human beings,
given talents of many kinds,
but talents that we must use
to be a blessing
to others in our world.
Thank God for memories,
for families and
good times and bad,
times we can hold
and cherish
and take out
and reexamine.
The Virtual Farm can
still be real to us
even though it
has become home to
another family
not known to us.
[adapted from The Farm 1991]
VIRTUAL FARM, PAGE 3
R. D. ICE
The country is a great place
for children to grow up.
Being close to nature
brings an appreciation
of life.
Animals smell, they
sometimes bite or scratch,
and they require
constant care.
Chores are
never done it seems.
Chickens need to be fed,
cows always require milking,
weeds grow in the garden,
but the rewards are great!
Money was in short supply,
food was not, and
the land was good to us
as we reaped its benefits.
I did a lot of cooking for
the other children. It was
natural to fry large skillets
of potatoes and onions,
all in bacon grease, of course,
as we had no concern for
cholesterol then.
Pinto beans were also
a favorite, with dumplings
made of white flour.
Lots of milk and cream,
provided by a Jersey cow.
But the most important
item was that we were
a church-family. This
was our "folk-way"
and was integral to
our normal way of life.
Our family were heirs of
The Restoration, although
we didn't think of it that
way then. For much of
the depression years we
attended the 5th Avenue
Church of Christ in
the edge of Columbus.
Mostly factory workers,
transplanted from rural
areas and keeping
the rural flavor.
We accepted each other
and helped each other
in spite of cultural
differences.
The Ices were education
oriented, with my mother
and father both schoolteachers,
granddad a medical doctor,
grandmother a teacher also.
I learned to read before
I went to school.
Books were cherished
and thoroughly read.
Church was our way of life,
and The Christian Standard
was a weekly visitor
in the mail.
Sunday mornings we
were up early
to drive into town
to worship God
with our loving church family.
In later years the people
of Project Italy made
the Farm a place to
visit frequently.
Twenty or thirty might
sleep on the floor in
the "family room."
Before TV, meals were
more formal, a time to be
together, yet not really a
time of communication.
We were not that talkative.
But, grab your plate
and run to the TV
became the way.
The radio ran on batteries
in depression years,
and electricity had not yet
come to the Farm.
Listening to the radio
was a treat, seldom done.
Batteries cost money!
But around WWII
wires were strung and
Rural Electrification
became the order of the day.
Now radios play on and on
with no one really listening.
TVs are turned on in
the morning and
off at night - but
is anyone watching?
Yet life is about people
and families. Relationships
exist. Old people said,
"Blood is thicker than water."
Each of us is woven into
the tapestry of life, each
relating to and touching
those who are part of us
as we are part of them.
Perhaps some of us are
halfway around the world
in a foreign country. Yet
we are still "family" and
our love and concern
will always exist.
VIRTUAL FARM, PAGE 4
R. D. ICE
We look to the future!
New days lie ahead
and our children and
their children and
new generations will
build new memories
as they seize the
opportunities which
come their way.
I grew up with Space,
which was fantastic
then, but what will be
the new reality?
New generations are
growing up, and
future doctors, teachers,
preachers, and others
will come from our roots.
We are part of what God
is doing here. He
created us and
gave us life!
When Jesus Comes,
the Church will be waiting
as we who are alive
are caught up together
with Him!
Until then life will go on
with much more of the same,
yet for those who live
it is all new and fresh.
Thank You Lord!
You give us so much!
How will You surprise us today!?
R. D. Ice
In 1931 the house on Refugee Road
became the home of K. C. Ice
and Joseph Roberts,
brother of his mother.
This began what was to be
many years at the Ice Farm.
Years have rolled by.
K.C., Rosa, and now McGarvey,
for many years the patriarch
of the Family, have gone on
to their reward.
Change is part of this life,
and change has come to us.
The "Farm" is no more.
Someone else lives
in the house, things
are not the same.
The old house has been
refreshed
with a new roof,
a new foundation,
restored to its pristine glory,
a country farm
in the middle of
Columbus, Ohio,
but no longer ours.
We are the Family, tied
by many memories
of the past we shared together.
Online we keep in touch,
celebrating who we are.
The Farm is still our home,
and through virtual reality
we have our memories.
We have pictures from
the outside and the inside
of this Farm
as it once was when it
was alive with our presence.
Kodak and the CD-ROM
they are now producing,
can keep alive pictures
and thoughts of our past,
to be easily called up.
We click My Pictures
and select scenes we wish
to view to place ourselves
in never to be forgotten
times of old.
We try to pass on this
sense of Family to
children, grandchildren,
future generations who
are still to come.
We hope to provide a virtual Farm,
to create new memories,
to preserve this Tree of Life
which centers around us,
we - the Family.
Other families have
pages on the Internet
monuments to their own
personal Tree of Life.
As we are getting older, family
becomes more important to us.
Old days are treasured,
memories cherished,
even when they exist no more -
only in days long faded and gone.
VIRTUAL FARM, PAGE 2
R. D. ICE
We take the Brice Road exit
from the Interstate, and
turn toward the village of
Brice, which still exists.
We turn down Refugee Road,
just past the Electric Company,
and turn in the driveway
under spreading trees.
Mom stops our car in
the driveway, I step out
to take a good look,
drinking in the aroma
of familiar loved things.
The barn is straight ahead,
across the parking area.
A row of sheds
is along one side.
The house is behind us,
to our right.
This is country! - even though
the huge Metropolis
is surrounding us
on all sides.
Pull off your shoes and
run barefoot through
luxurious green grass!
To the left of the barn
are the remains of an orchard,
what is left of the chicken-house,
where White Leghorns once lived,
and a shed that housed
a family of ducks, bought to eat,
but kept as pets until
they grew old and died.
Behind the barn, what was
once a pasture is now
overgrown with spindly
trees and bushes.
Behind that is now a swamp,
since drainage tiles
were damaged
by the Electric Company
in some of their digging.
We walk toward the house
to the back porch,
go in the screen door
which bangs shut behind us.
We go down a hallway
with peeling linoleum
on the floor. Turn
the door knob and
step into the kitchen.
Ella May looks up.
She is chopping carrots.
She gives us a hug,
then goes back
to chopping again.
She is dressed in a
faded denim jacket
with her boots on.
Two kerosene heaters
provide the heat in
winter, and even though
summer seems to be here,
she still wears them.
McGarvey is sitting in
his chair, watching TV
with a book in his hand.
Behind the television
a dysfunctional door
leads onto a time-ravaged,
broken front porch.
The living room is dark,
but rich in tone.
The door-frames
are original wood,
dark, intricately carved,
crooked. In the place
of doors hang heavy,
musty curtains.
McGarvey puts the coffee on,
placing just one spoonful
in the pot and boiling it
until it looks black enough.
In the downstairs bedroom
Western paperbacks line
three of the walls.
The bed was removed
some time ago.
There still is a cot in
my old room, where
R.D. slept forty years ago.
When the doctor came to
examine McGarvey the
day before he died,
he placed him on that cot.
I enter the "family room,"
used for special occasions,
always chilly because of
broken, airy windows.
An old stove -
which I have never seen used -
stands tall and black,
a pipe issuing from its top
that leads into a wall
and away to some
unknown someplace.
Sheet-draped chairs
face each other across
the room.
A dusty green couch
stands guard over
fragile games from
my mother's childhood.
An elderly piano, out of tune,
with broken strings and
clunking pedals stands
before a water-stained wall.
Old Mad magazines
and paperback books
line two walls.
The window-glass is
held together with
duct tape.
As my sister picks out tunes
on the old piano, I pick up
a MAD magazine from
September '66, sit down
in a sheet-preserved chair,
and begin to read.
But this is the Farm!
It's character is given
by the people who
live here - lived here -
even though they
are now gone.
It is an oasis of "folk culture"
breathing the years of
four generations or more
of Ices and their families
and "in-laws" and "out-laws."
Ices have been many things:
doctors, teachers, preachers,
writers, workers,
often in a supporting role,
but people who have made
a difference in the world
in which they lived.
We are all human beings,
given talents of many kinds,
but talents that we must use
to be a blessing
to others in our world.
Thank God for memories,
for families and
good times and bad,
times we can hold
and cherish
and take out
and reexamine.
The Virtual Farm can
still be real to us
even though it
has become home to
another family
not known to us.
[adapted from The Farm 1991]
VIRTUAL FARM, PAGE 3
R. D. ICE
The country is a great place
for children to grow up.
Being close to nature
brings an appreciation
of life.
Animals smell, they
sometimes bite or scratch,
and they require
constant care.
Chores are
never done it seems.
Chickens need to be fed,
cows always require milking,
weeds grow in the garden,
but the rewards are great!
Money was in short supply,
food was not, and
the land was good to us
as we reaped its benefits.
I did a lot of cooking for
the other children. It was
natural to fry large skillets
of potatoes and onions,
all in bacon grease, of course,
as we had no concern for
cholesterol then.
Pinto beans were also
a favorite, with dumplings
made of white flour.
Lots of milk and cream,
provided by a Jersey cow.
But the most important
item was that we were
a church-family. This
was our "folk-way"
and was integral to
our normal way of life.
Our family were heirs of
The Restoration, although
we didn't think of it that
way then. For much of
the depression years we
attended the 5th Avenue
Church of Christ in
the edge of Columbus.
Mostly factory workers,
transplanted from rural
areas and keeping
the rural flavor.
We accepted each other
and helped each other
in spite of cultural
differences.
The Ices were education
oriented, with my mother
and father both schoolteachers,
granddad a medical doctor,
grandmother a teacher also.
I learned to read before
I went to school.
Books were cherished
and thoroughly read.
Church was our way of life,
and The Christian Standard
was a weekly visitor
in the mail.
Sunday mornings we
were up early
to drive into town
to worship God
with our loving church family.
In later years the people
of Project Italy made
the Farm a place to
visit frequently.
Twenty or thirty might
sleep on the floor in
the "family room."
Before TV, meals were
more formal, a time to be
together, yet not really a
time of communication.
We were not that talkative.
But, grab your plate
and run to the TV
became the way.
The radio ran on batteries
in depression years,
and electricity had not yet
come to the Farm.
Listening to the radio
was a treat, seldom done.
Batteries cost money!
But around WWII
wires were strung and
Rural Electrification
became the order of the day.
Now radios play on and on
with no one really listening.
TVs are turned on in
the morning and
off at night - but
is anyone watching?
Yet life is about people
and families. Relationships
exist. Old people said,
"Blood is thicker than water."
Each of us is woven into
the tapestry of life, each
relating to and touching
those who are part of us
as we are part of them.
Perhaps some of us are
halfway around the world
in a foreign country. Yet
we are still "family" and
our love and concern
will always exist.
VIRTUAL FARM, PAGE 4
R. D. ICE
We look to the future!
New days lie ahead
and our children and
their children and
new generations will
build new memories
as they seize the
opportunities which
come their way.
I grew up with Space,
which was fantastic
then, but what will be
the new reality?
New generations are
growing up, and
future doctors, teachers,
preachers, and others
will come from our roots.
We are part of what God
is doing here. He
created us and
gave us life!
When Jesus Comes,
the Church will be waiting
as we who are alive
are caught up together
with Him!
Until then life will go on
with much more of the same,
yet for those who live
it is all new and fresh.
Thank You Lord!
You give us so much!
How will You surprise us today!?
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Religious Poems
HE IS ALIVE! R. D. Ice
We saw Him die.
We were women, and they ignored us.
Priests, Elders, Soldiers
Didn’t even know we were there.
But we watched it all.
He was a holy man.
And He respected us! I was that girl
From Magdala. He changed my life.
He changed all our lives and
Led us from sin to holy joy!
We went that Sunday morning
To the tomb, with spices and things,
To give Him a proper burial.
Who’ll roll that stone away? How will
We get in there, to do for Him?
But the stone was already rolled away!
Angels standing in the tomb.
"He is alive!" they said.
"Go back and tell the others."
"Meet Him in Galilee."
They would not believe me.
They came, looked in, went away.
But I had seen Him, touched Him, I knew!
I knew when He spoke: "Mary!"
"Rabboni! It’s really You!"
MARY AT THE TOMB R. D. Ice
They nailed Him to a cross!
He is dead and buried now.
No threat to them any longer.
But I wanted Him to live!
What’s that? An earthquake?
Who rolled that stone away?
Where have they taken Him?
I must tell Peter and the others.
"Woman, why are you weeping?"
"Sir, tell me where you have laid Him?"
"Mary. "Rabboni!"
"It’s You, Master, alive!"
"I am here, I have not yet ascended."
"Go and tell the brothers."
"I am going to My Father and yours,"
"To My God and your God."
"I saw Him, Peter, I put my hand
on His shoulder, I touched Him!"
"He is alive! He is alive!"
"My Lord and my God is alive!"
PENTECOST R. D. Ice
Feast of Pentecost - Sunday morning.
About one-hundred twenty of us
were all waiting, as Jesus said to do.
Suddenly a loud noise filled the house
Like a strong wind blowing! What is this?
We began shouting and singing!
Praising God, in different languages.
The sound echoed through the city streets.
People came running to see and to hear.
God’s Power! The Holy Spirit!
It was only nine o’clock in the morning.
Peter said that Joel spoke about this.
I, God, will give My Spirit
when the last days come,
to sons and daughters, everyone!
Visions, dreams, miracles, wonders,
Blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
In the sky above, on the earth below.
Salvation has been brought down!
Jesus came! God the Son!
"I give you an open door," Jesus said.
"No one can close it, not the gates of hell."
"I send you with power to the world."
"Lift Me up for all to see."
"I will call everyone unto Me."
"You will do greater works," Jesus said.
We, His disciples, went everywhere
and preached everywhere!
From the east to the west
We proclaimed the sacred
and everlasting Gospel
of how God saves people forever!
THE SHIP OF ZION R. D. Ice
Tall sailing ships still reflect
the glory of man against nature.
"Jesus, Savior, pilot me,
over life’s wild boisterous sea."
We strive with all our might
to conquer everything that life
can throw at us. We look
to Jesus - who will guide us.
We picture the Lord’s church as
as ship sailing toward Heaven.
This world and the next are
intertwined, since we shall
answer for deeds done in the flesh.
But as Noah was safe in the Ark
when the rains poured down, so
we are safe in our new life -
Safe - in Jesus Christ.
In the Spiritual Church
we sail the seas of life,
being helped by Him,
helping one another.
CHRIST IS COMING R. D. Ice
The End is near! But,
not yet. Many things
must first take place.
Jesus spoke of terrible things:
Nations and Kingdoms will
go to war against each other;
Some will starve to death;
Earthquakes and floods;
Disease, terrorism;
But God will crush Satan
again and again, beneath
the feet of God's People.
God makes us strong by
the Faith which is Christ Jesus.
The Gospel is good news that
HE has overcome the world!
Jesus is the world's Savior!
He Came as flesh & blood,
one of us, tempted on
our human level, yet
never sinning.
The blood of His Sacrifice
washes away our sins;
we can stand before God
accepted in God's Son.
Whatever may come
we need not struggle in
fear and anguish.
Christ is Coming Again!
To receive His People,
to be with Him forever!
HOW SOON, OH LORD R. D. Ice
John saw the souls of martyrs
under the Altar in heaven,
men and women who had been killed
for their testimony to the Gospel of
Christ's Doing & Dying & Rising again.
How soon, O Lord, how soon?
How long can this world last?
You will come in flaming fire
taking vengeance!
What a Mighty God You are!
oh Holy and True, may Your
will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
How long, Oh Lord, until You
step in and avenge our murders?
for in killing us,
they have rejected You!
Take this white robe of victory.
Sit back and wait. It is not yet time,
because thousands and millions
of martyrs will share with you
before I Come Again.
We share with the martyrs.
Our faith and their faith
in Christ Jesus the Lord.
The purpose and will of
God All Powerful must
come to completeness.
PRAISE HIM R. D. Ice
Worthy, Oh Lord! Yes! Our God!
Take the glory! the honor!
the power! You created it all
because You wanted it so!
Holy, Holy, Holy is God our Lord!
Our Father! We, Your child.
Bought back to You from all over
the Earth! Bought back by the
Blood of The Lamb!
We worship You The Living One!
You, Oh God, are sheer beauty!
All generous in Your love!
Loyal always and ever!
We thank You and praise You!
WHY DO YOU HOPE R.D.Ice
Stand up and praise the Lord your God!
Praise Him forever and ever!
Let everyone praise His glorious name,
although no human praise
is great enough.
Today is holy to our Lord,
so don't be sad.
The joy that the Lord gives you
will make you strong.
Do as the Lord says,
and you will be safe from sin.
The long history of the church is filled
with the wonders of The Spirit.
Who would dare to say that the love
and imagination
of God were exhausted?
I believe in the surprises
of The Holy Spirit.
The ways of Providence
are by nature surprising.
We are not prisoners of "fate,"
nor of the gloomy predictions
of sociologists.
I believe that God
is "born anew"
each morning.
I believe that He is re-creating the world
at this very minute.
He did not create it only at a distant
and long-forgotten
moment in time.
It is happening now!
We must therefore be ready
to expect
the unexpected
from God!
To hope is a duty, not a luxury.
To hope is not to dream,
but to turn dreams into reality.
Blessed are those who dream dreams
and are ready
to pay the price
to make them come true.
Think of the prophets and
the great men and women
of old.
Who, in times of darkness,
discovered a spring of grace
and shed beams of light on our path.
I am a man of hope - not
from human reasons
nor from a natural optimism.
God is here, near us,
unforeseeable and loving,
working in the world
at this very minute.
To those who welcome Him
He gives each day fresh liberty and
renewed joy and trust!!!
HE CARETH [writer unknown]
What can it mean? Is it aught to Him
That the nights are long and the days are dim?
Can He be touched by the griefs I bear,
Which sadden the heart and whiten the hair?
Around His throne are eternal calms,
And strong, glad music of happy psalms,
And bliss unruffled by any strife;
How can He care for my little life?
And yet I want Him to care for me
While I live in this world where the sorrows be;
When the lights die down from the path I take,
When strength is feeble and friends forsake;
When love and music, that once did bless,
Have left me to silence and loneliness.
And my life song changes to sobbing prayers,
Then my heart cries out for a God who cares.
When shadows hang o'er me the whole day long,
And my spirit is bowed with shame and wrong,
When I am not good, and the deeper shade,
Of conscious sin makes my heart afraid,
And the busy world has too much to do
To stay in its course to help me through,
And I long for a Savior - can it be
That the God of the universe cares for me?
Oh, wonderful story of deathless love!
Each child is dear to that Heart above;
He fights for me when I can not fight,
He comforts me in the gloom of night;
He lifts the burden, for He is strong,
He stills the sigh and awakens the song;
The sorrow that bowed me down He bears,
And loves and pardons because He cares.
Let all who are sad take heart again;
We are not alone in our hours of pain;
Our Father stoops from His throne above
To soothe and quiet us with His love.
GOD HAS A PLAN FOR ME R. D. Ice
God has a Plan for me.
As the oak is hidden
within the bud, so this Plan
is hidden within me.
I am put here to find God
through Jesus Christ.
I find Him through people
whom He has chosen me to know.
I find Him in the Bible as He speaks
to me. Knowing these
things frees my mind and heart
from all fear, greed, jealousy.
Anger and resentment are overcome
by faith in His Plan and His love.
When God closes a door to me,
it is to open another, which I
often must search to find.
God uses this searching to
help me face myself and to see
the new opportunity before me.
I thank my Father for each
experience, which draws me to His will.
For only as I lose myself in
consciousness of His Great Presence
can His Plan for my life then
be fulfilled.
FLESH & BLOOD R.D.Ice
Jesus The Son came in human form;
flesh & blood, in order to defeat
the devil and the forces of evil.
Why is our world the way it is???
A wise man said: "How can you
have a top without a bottom?
or a front without a back?"
The contradictions of our world
are part of God’s Plan. He gave
us freewill and we are allowed
to choose Him.
And yet He chooses us in Christ.
Because He loves us, He wants us
to love Him and draw near to Him
with clean hands and a pure heart.
To make this possible, He sent Jesus
to be The Lamb Who Takes Away
Sin - by the sacrifice of Himself.
We love Him because He first loved us!
THE LIVING GOD R.D.Ice
What a mighty God He is!
The Old Testament shows us God.
The Living God - always and forever!
The strict Judge - demanding our obedience,
Utterly ethical and moral, holy and pure.
The Righteous One - springing out of
the pages of the Bible to meet us.
God is truly righteous. And so He
reveals Himself in a world of tragedy
and moral failure. His Purpose
is being fulfilled in all who believe
because He has suffered, the righteous
for the unrighteous, suffering more
than any man, in total innocence.
Jesus raised from death!
This gives us hope and assurance!
When Jesus Comes Again, we will rise
to meet Him and to be with Him
f o r e v e r !
The overriding theme of the Old Testament portion of the Bible is the living God, the strict Judge, punishing the sinner, loving the penitent and guiltless and evoking fear and awe, utterly ethical and moral, the Righteous One leaping out of those pages and demanding our obedient response. If God is truly righteous, and if we are truly to let God be God and to let His righteousness be revealed in a world of tragedy and suffering and moral failure, there is only one way in which this can happen. There is only one way in which a fully personal and truly just God can realize His purpose in such a world as this. That is, by Himself bearing the suffering of the world and the consequences of our transgression. How can He be the just God of the Bible unless He suffers more than any man in total innocence.
LAMENTATIONS R.D.Ice
I, the LORD, am your GOD;
you shall make and keep yourselves
holy, because I am holy.
Every July, in Synagogues, the Book
of Lamentations is read out loud,
remembering the devastation of
the Captivity to Babylon
that came in 587 BC.
Jerusalem’s streets, once bustling
with people, stand silent.
Like a widow, alone, tears streaming,
Jerusalem sits in grief.
Betrayed by friends and allies,
her princes like starving deer,
too weak to run from enemies.
Jerusalem has sinned greatly,
now tossed away like a filthy rag.
All she can do is groan and hide her face.
She has been plundered of everything,
even the sacred Temple, the holy place
where the LORD came in glory.
Seventy years she must spend.
Seventy years in slavery.
"Make the best of it," Jeremiah wrote.
You will be there seventy years.
But God’s love never fails!
Even in slavery, He takes care of
His people Israel.
The unfailing love of the LORD
never ends! By His mercies we have been
kept from complete destruction.
Great is His faithfulness! His mercies
begin afresh every day!
LORD, You are my lawyer!
Plead my case!
For You have redeemed my life.
AND ON EARTH, PEACE AND GOODWILL R.D.Ice
God, the All-powerful, has been speaking
to our fathers in different ways,
through the prophets in ancient days,
keeping in touch with men and women.
At the right time, God spoke directly
through Jesus The Son.
The Son perfectly mirrors God,
and is stamped with God’s nature.
The Son holds everything together
by the word of His power.
Of Christ Jesus, God said,
"All angels must worship Him."
For a Child is born to us, Isaiah wrote.
His royal titles will be:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
God brought God The Son into our world
through Mary the virgin, conceived
by God The Holy Spirit, born in
Bethlehem of Judea, in a ox’s stall.
The angels sang and praised Jesus -
the Savior who is Messiah and Master!
Peace to all men and women on earth!
To all who love and please Him!
Since you and I are flesh & blood,
it makes great sense that He - The Son -
took on flesh & blood to rescue us
from sin and death.
He embraced death, taking it
to Himself, to destroy the Devil’s hold
on us who are scared to death
of death.
God loved us so much that He
became the Sacrifice - to put us right
with Himself by means of
the once-for-all death & resurrection.
Thank You, God, Thank You!
I take my ordinary life, sleeping,
eating, going-to-work, walking around,
and place it before You as an offering.
Everything comes from Christ Jesus!
Everything happens through Him!
Everything ends up in Him!
Always glory! Always praise!
Peace with God! That’s what Jesus
accomplished for us. Peace
with laughter and singing, peace
because we keep on believing!
How fortunate and blessed we are!
Angels would have given anything
to be in on this great blessing
that God has poured out on us!
O Lamb of God! By Your
sacrificial death You bought us
for God - people from every tribe,
nation, language, and race.
Lamb of God, You are our future!
You will Come Again, when
all things are to be made new.
Come, Lord Jesus, Come.
[references: Hebrews 1:1-4; 9:27-28; 10:4-7; 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:10-12; Rev. 12.]
SHAKING THE EARTH R.D. Ice
God will rock the heavens!
One last shaking, from top to bottom,
from stem to stern, thoroughly
cleaning house, getting rid of
historical and religious junk, so that
the unshakable essentials will stand
clear and uncluttered.
Do you see what we have!
A kingdom which cannot be shaken!
How thankful we must be, and
not only thankful but filled with
love and praise and worship.
Our God is a cleansing fire who
purifies us because He loves us!
We stay on good terms with each other,
held together by bonds of love.
We are not carried away by
material things, by casual sex,
by lust and envy and pride, by
wanting to have our own way, or
by wanting to appear important.
WHEN ALL OF GOD'S SINGERS GET HOME [Old Hymn]
What a song of delight in that city so bright,
Will be wafted ‘neath heaven’s fair dome,
How the ransomed will raise happy songs in His praise,
When all of God’s singers get home.
As we sing here on earth, songs of sadness or mirth,
‘Tis a foretaste of rapture to come;
But our joys can’t compare with the glory up there,
When all of God’s singers get home.
Having overcome sin, hallelujah amen
Will be heard in that land o’er the foam,
Every heart will be light and each face will be bright,
When all of God’s singers get home.
When all of God’s singers get home,
Where never a sorrow will come;
There’ll be no place like heaven my home,
When all of God’s singers get home.
[Stamps-Baxter Music Co.]
HE IS ALIVE!!!
The body of Jesus lay dead in the tomb.
Death had worked its thing on Him.
Perhaps the devil thought he had won?
But God had other plans.
God The Holy Spirit, silent and unseen,
entered the cold rock tomb of Jesus,
perhaps hovered over the body of Jesus
as He had hovered over the earth at Creation.
In a flash the spirit of Jesus returned!
His body, once locked in death,
was changed, loosed, set free, made alive!
The mortal body had put on immortality!
He who once had died, could never die again!
Not a reanimated corpse, no zombie.
His whole flesh & blood body is set free!
Homo in excellsius - transformed -
into what we shall become!
He reached up and removed the cloth,
swung to His feet, carefully folded
the linen cloth and laid it neatly
on the rock shelf, like you would make
your bed upon leaving the home of a friend.
And then He was gone! Just walked out,
walked out through the stone
which sealed and guarded the opening.
With nail-pierced hands, He is alive!
Death has no more dominion over Him!
Jesus is alive forevermore!
Death is destroyed by Christ Jesus!
And we will rise in the Resurrection!
God The Holy Spirit will transform us!
A Song of Praise and Thanksgiving
R. D. Ice (adapted from Psalms)
Praise God with shouts of joy!
Sing to the glory of His Name!
How wonderful are the things You do,
O God our Redeemer and our Savior!
Your power is so great, and
everyone on earth will praise You!
They sing praises to Your Name!
Our God, it is right for us to praise You,
and keep our promises to You.
Because You answer prayer,
everyone will come to You, to
Your Throne of Grace and Mercy.
Our sins and faults defeat us.
We confess our sins and weaknesses
to You, O God who forgives sin.
Happy and blessed are all those
who You call and bring into
Your sanctuary. Your House
will be our home as long as we live.
REMEMBER
R. E. Winsett
I remember how my Savior died for me,
On the rugged Cross of dark Mt. Calvary,
I remember how He cried,
how He bowed his head and died,
I remember dark Calvary.
cho: I remember how He paid the debt for me,
How His blood was shed on dark Calvary
O the blood of Calvary’s brow
I can see it flowing now,
I remember dark Calvary.
THE UNFOLDING OF THE ROSE
A young man was walking with his wise and loving Grandfather in the garden one day. Feeling a bit insecure about life and what he should do as he grew up, he was asking his Grandfather for some advice.
His Grandpa walked up to a rosebush and handed the young man a rosebud and told him to open itwithout tearing off any petals.
The young man looked in disbelief at the elder and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know what he should do with his life and future.
However, having great respect for his Grandfather, he proceeded to try to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact.
It wasn't long before he realized how impossible this was to do.
Noticing the youngsters inability to unfold the rosebud without tearing it, the Grandfather began to recite the following poem...
It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.
The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so sweetly,But then in my hands they die.
If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design.
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?So I'll trust in Him for leading
Each moment of my day
I will look to Him for His guidance
While walking each step of life's way.
The pathway that lies before me,
Only my Heavenly Father knows.
I'll ask Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.
MY LIFE via Present Truth
When I contemplate this Life of mine-
This one faultless Life, the Man divine
Who lived in my stead-by faith I see
This Life has fulfilled the law for me.
This history-pure, without a spot-
Was wrought out for me, oh blessed thought!
And when on the cross my Saviour died,
In Him sinful flesh was crucified.
In Him guilt was buried, put away.
In Him I was raised one glorious day.
In Him I sat down at God's right hand.
Now perfect and pure in Christ I stand.
Now all things are ready-"It is done."
I come to the marriage through the Son-
Come boldly without the fear of shame,
For I may draw near in Jesus' name.
His righteousness meets the law's demands.
My Saviour holds out His wounded hands.
Though I may be wretched, poor, and blind,
In Christ not a stain the law can find;
So I need not fear how God views me,
For Christ's life is all that He can see.
Christ's birth, life, and death stand in my place.
I witness in awe such boundless grace.
Above human thought, my Father's plan
That He should accept me in this Man.
My Substitute, Surety, Lord is He;
Amazing His love beyond degree!
I praise You Oh Lord in Jesus' Name!
THE THREE BOOKS OF GOD R. D. Ice
[adapted from Peterson’s language]
God - the Creator - is not far
from any of us. In Him we
live and move and exist.
He speaks to us in Three Books.
First - The Book of Nature
The heavens declare the glory of God.
How plainly they show what He has done.
His glory is on tour in the skies.
How plainly God’s work is on exhibit across the horizon.
Madam Day holds classes every morning.
Professor Night lectures each evening.
Their words are not heard, but
their silence fills the earth; and
unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.
Secondly - The Book of human nature
Reverence for the Lord is good, and
reverence is written on my heart.
The judgments of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
Clean the slate, O God, give me a fresh start today.
Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking
that I can take over Your work.
Deliver me from hidden faults.
Accept my words of praise and thanks
when I place them on the morning altar.
Third - The Book of Holy Scripture
The revealed word of God is whole
and pulls our lives together.
Then I shall be perfect and
free from the evil of sin.
The signposts of God are clear and readable.
The life-maps of God are right and point to joy.
God's word warns us of danger, and
directs us to hidden treasure of The Spirit.
May my words and my thoughts
be acceptable to You, O God.
O Lord, my refuge and my Redeemer.
C A T
J. R. R. Tolkien
The fat cat on the mat
may seem to dream
of nice mice that suffice
for him, or cream,
but he free, maybe,
walks in thought
unbowed, proud, where loud
roared and fought
his kin, lean and slim,
or deep in den
in the East feasted on beasts
and tender men.
The giant lion with iron
claw in paw,
and huge ruthless tooth
in gory jaw;
the pard* dark-starred,
fleet upon feet,
that oft soft from aloft
leaps on his meat
where woods loom in gloom -
far now they be,
fierce and free,
and tamed is he;
but fat cat on the mat
kept as a pet,
he does not forget.
[* leopard]
REMEMBERING THE ASTRONAUGHTS
R. D. Ice
God teaches us to number our days,
to prepare for the unexpected.
Redeem the time - make the most
of every opportunity that comes along.
God has put in us an unquenchable spirit.
We hunger and thirst for knowledge
People look to the stars
and try to reach up and climb higher.
God has ordained that we strive and struggle
to pass our days in this world of time.
Citizens of heaven - citizens of earth.
We live in two different worlds in our thinking.
Disaster and death are common things,
yet this destruction of the Challenger
touches hearts in a very special way -
this was "us" hit by tragedy.
Perhaps God will allow mankind to spread out
to the stars and distant planets. Perhaps
billions and trillions of humans
will live in Space to the glory of God.
But again, Earth may be the only home
of mankind, because the difficulties
may be impossible to overcome, and
may prevent any outward migration.
Jesus is Lord of the Universe!
All things that exist are upheld by
the Word of His Power.
The heavens declare the glory of God!
We thank You, Jesus, for Your love.
While we were yet sinners You came
into our world to be our Savior!
Bless us and save us Lord Jesus!
The greatest knowledge is to know God.
HE is Father, we are child.
Jesus is Savior, The Holy Spirit is
Living Water pouring out from our heart.
(John 7:37-39).
REMEMBERING
R.D.Ice
Thirty years ago, April 4, 1973
the newly completed Twin Towers
called the World Trade Center
were dedicated as a "living symbol
of man's dedication to world peace."
On September 11, 2001, these symbols
were reinterpreted in their destruction
by the act of terrorists.
Today our world has changed forever
and a New World Order is in place.
Our Nation is at war for better or for worse.
Ideologies are fiercely competing.
Loyalties are being tested, new alliances formed,
political lines redrawn, boundaries changed.
The future is uncertain.
"One Nation Under God" applies to all nations.
God the All Powerful is on His Throne.
The Old Testament shows us God -
The Living God - always and forever!
The strict Judge - demanding our obedience,
Utterly ethical and moral, holy and pure.
The Righteous One - springing out of
the pages of the Bible to meet us.
Two thousand years ago, one Man
was nailed to a cross near Jerusalem.
Crucified with Him were two thieves -
terrorists, rebels, who had committed murder
in the riot and rebellion against the
Roman Occupation Forces.
But Jesus was The Innocent Man.
Two thousand years ago, Easter happened!
The One Man was raised up from death!
Jesus is alive forevermore!
He became the symbol of true peace,
the amazing peace with God.
Because of Easter it is possible
to forgive and be forgiven, to be at peace
with others and with ourselves.
"GOD GAVE HIS OWN SON
as a ransom for us,
the holy One for transgressors,
the blameless One for the wicked,
the righteous One for the unrighteous,
the incorruptible One for the corruptible,
the immortal One for them that are mortal.
For what other thing was capable of covering
our sins than His righteousness?
By what other one was it possible that we,
the wicked and ungodly, could be justified,
than by the only Son of God?
O sweet exchange!
O unsearchable operation!
O benefits surpassing all expectation!
that the wickedness of many
should be hid in a single righteous One,
and that the righteousness of One
should justify many transgressors!"
(Epistle to Diognetus, about A.D. 130.)
PEACE
R.D.Ice
Isaiah speaks to a time when Peace becomes real.
Come, let's climb God's Mountain,
go to the House of the God of Jacob.
He'll show us the way He works
so we can live the way we're made to live.
Zion's the source of the revelation.
God's Message comes from Jerusalem.
No more will nation fight nation;
they won't play war anymore.
Come, family of Jacob,
let's live in the light of God.
The world is full of hokey religion,
Philistine witchcraft, and pagan hocus-pocus,
a world rolling in wealth, stuffed with things,
no end to its machines and gadgets.
People with a big head are headed for a fall,
proud and arrogant brought down a peg.
It's God alone at front-and-center
on the Day we're talking about,
The Day that God-of-the-Angel-Armies
is matched against all big-talking rivals,
against all swaggering big names;
Against every soaring skyscraper,
against all proud monuments and statues.
Clamber into caves in the cliffs,
duck into any hole you can find.
Hide from the terror of God,
from His dazzling presence,
When He assumes His full stature on earth,
Towering and Terrifying!
We saw Him die.
We were women, and they ignored us.
Priests, Elders, Soldiers
Didn’t even know we were there.
But we watched it all.
He was a holy man.
And He respected us! I was that girl
From Magdala. He changed my life.
He changed all our lives and
Led us from sin to holy joy!
We went that Sunday morning
To the tomb, with spices and things,
To give Him a proper burial.
Who’ll roll that stone away? How will
We get in there, to do for Him?
But the stone was already rolled away!
Angels standing in the tomb.
"He is alive!" they said.
"Go back and tell the others."
"Meet Him in Galilee."
They would not believe me.
They came, looked in, went away.
But I had seen Him, touched Him, I knew!
I knew when He spoke: "Mary!"
"Rabboni! It’s really You!"
MARY AT THE TOMB R. D. Ice
They nailed Him to a cross!
He is dead and buried now.
No threat to them any longer.
But I wanted Him to live!
What’s that? An earthquake?
Who rolled that stone away?
Where have they taken Him?
I must tell Peter and the others.
"Woman, why are you weeping?"
"Sir, tell me where you have laid Him?"
"Mary. "Rabboni!"
"It’s You, Master, alive!"
"I am here, I have not yet ascended."
"Go and tell the brothers."
"I am going to My Father and yours,"
"To My God and your God."
"I saw Him, Peter, I put my hand
on His shoulder, I touched Him!"
"He is alive! He is alive!"
"My Lord and my God is alive!"
PENTECOST R. D. Ice
Feast of Pentecost - Sunday morning.
About one-hundred twenty of us
were all waiting, as Jesus said to do.
Suddenly a loud noise filled the house
Like a strong wind blowing! What is this?
We began shouting and singing!
Praising God, in different languages.
The sound echoed through the city streets.
People came running to see and to hear.
God’s Power! The Holy Spirit!
It was only nine o’clock in the morning.
Peter said that Joel spoke about this.
I, God, will give My Spirit
when the last days come,
to sons and daughters, everyone!
Visions, dreams, miracles, wonders,
Blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
In the sky above, on the earth below.
Salvation has been brought down!
Jesus came! God the Son!
"I give you an open door," Jesus said.
"No one can close it, not the gates of hell."
"I send you with power to the world."
"Lift Me up for all to see."
"I will call everyone unto Me."
"You will do greater works," Jesus said.
We, His disciples, went everywhere
and preached everywhere!
From the east to the west
We proclaimed the sacred
and everlasting Gospel
of how God saves people forever!
THE SHIP OF ZION R. D. Ice
Tall sailing ships still reflect
the glory of man against nature.
"Jesus, Savior, pilot me,
over life’s wild boisterous sea."
We strive with all our might
to conquer everything that life
can throw at us. We look
to Jesus - who will guide us.
We picture the Lord’s church as
as ship sailing toward Heaven.
This world and the next are
intertwined, since we shall
answer for deeds done in the flesh.
But as Noah was safe in the Ark
when the rains poured down, so
we are safe in our new life -
Safe - in Jesus Christ.
In the Spiritual Church
we sail the seas of life,
being helped by Him,
helping one another.
CHRIST IS COMING R. D. Ice
The End is near! But,
not yet. Many things
must first take place.
Jesus spoke of terrible things:
Nations and Kingdoms will
go to war against each other;
Some will starve to death;
Earthquakes and floods;
Disease, terrorism;
But God will crush Satan
again and again, beneath
the feet of God's People.
God makes us strong by
the Faith which is Christ Jesus.
The Gospel is good news that
HE has overcome the world!
Jesus is the world's Savior!
He Came as flesh & blood,
one of us, tempted on
our human level, yet
never sinning.
The blood of His Sacrifice
washes away our sins;
we can stand before God
accepted in God's Son.
Whatever may come
we need not struggle in
fear and anguish.
Christ is Coming Again!
To receive His People,
to be with Him forever!
HOW SOON, OH LORD R. D. Ice
John saw the souls of martyrs
under the Altar in heaven,
men and women who had been killed
for their testimony to the Gospel of
Christ's Doing & Dying & Rising again.
How soon, O Lord, how soon?
How long can this world last?
You will come in flaming fire
taking vengeance!
What a Mighty God You are!
oh Holy and True, may Your
will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
How long, Oh Lord, until You
step in and avenge our murders?
for in killing us,
they have rejected You!
Take this white robe of victory.
Sit back and wait. It is not yet time,
because thousands and millions
of martyrs will share with you
before I Come Again.
We share with the martyrs.
Our faith and their faith
in Christ Jesus the Lord.
The purpose and will of
God All Powerful must
come to completeness.
PRAISE HIM R. D. Ice
Worthy, Oh Lord! Yes! Our God!
Take the glory! the honor!
the power! You created it all
because You wanted it so!
Holy, Holy, Holy is God our Lord!
Our Father! We, Your child.
Bought back to You from all over
the Earth! Bought back by the
Blood of The Lamb!
We worship You The Living One!
You, Oh God, are sheer beauty!
All generous in Your love!
Loyal always and ever!
We thank You and praise You!
WHY DO YOU HOPE R.D.Ice
Stand up and praise the Lord your God!
Praise Him forever and ever!
Let everyone praise His glorious name,
although no human praise
is great enough.
Today is holy to our Lord,
so don't be sad.
The joy that the Lord gives you
will make you strong.
Do as the Lord says,
and you will be safe from sin.
The long history of the church is filled
with the wonders of The Spirit.
Who would dare to say that the love
and imagination
of God were exhausted?
I believe in the surprises
of The Holy Spirit.
The ways of Providence
are by nature surprising.
We are not prisoners of "fate,"
nor of the gloomy predictions
of sociologists.
I believe that God
is "born anew"
each morning.
I believe that He is re-creating the world
at this very minute.
He did not create it only at a distant
and long-forgotten
moment in time.
It is happening now!
We must therefore be ready
to expect
the unexpected
from God!
To hope is a duty, not a luxury.
To hope is not to dream,
but to turn dreams into reality.
Blessed are those who dream dreams
and are ready
to pay the price
to make them come true.
Think of the prophets and
the great men and women
of old.
Who, in times of darkness,
discovered a spring of grace
and shed beams of light on our path.
I am a man of hope - not
from human reasons
nor from a natural optimism.
God is here, near us,
unforeseeable and loving,
working in the world
at this very minute.
To those who welcome Him
He gives each day fresh liberty and
renewed joy and trust!!!
HE CARETH [writer unknown]
What can it mean? Is it aught to Him
That the nights are long and the days are dim?
Can He be touched by the griefs I bear,
Which sadden the heart and whiten the hair?
Around His throne are eternal calms,
And strong, glad music of happy psalms,
And bliss unruffled by any strife;
How can He care for my little life?
And yet I want Him to care for me
While I live in this world where the sorrows be;
When the lights die down from the path I take,
When strength is feeble and friends forsake;
When love and music, that once did bless,
Have left me to silence and loneliness.
And my life song changes to sobbing prayers,
Then my heart cries out for a God who cares.
When shadows hang o'er me the whole day long,
And my spirit is bowed with shame and wrong,
When I am not good, and the deeper shade,
Of conscious sin makes my heart afraid,
And the busy world has too much to do
To stay in its course to help me through,
And I long for a Savior - can it be
That the God of the universe cares for me?
Oh, wonderful story of deathless love!
Each child is dear to that Heart above;
He fights for me when I can not fight,
He comforts me in the gloom of night;
He lifts the burden, for He is strong,
He stills the sigh and awakens the song;
The sorrow that bowed me down He bears,
And loves and pardons because He cares.
Let all who are sad take heart again;
We are not alone in our hours of pain;
Our Father stoops from His throne above
To soothe and quiet us with His love.
GOD HAS A PLAN FOR ME R. D. Ice
God has a Plan for me.
As the oak is hidden
within the bud, so this Plan
is hidden within me.
I am put here to find God
through Jesus Christ.
I find Him through people
whom He has chosen me to know.
I find Him in the Bible as He speaks
to me. Knowing these
things frees my mind and heart
from all fear, greed, jealousy.
Anger and resentment are overcome
by faith in His Plan and His love.
When God closes a door to me,
it is to open another, which I
often must search to find.
God uses this searching to
help me face myself and to see
the new opportunity before me.
I thank my Father for each
experience, which draws me to His will.
For only as I lose myself in
consciousness of His Great Presence
can His Plan for my life then
be fulfilled.
FLESH & BLOOD R.D.Ice
Jesus The Son came in human form;
flesh & blood, in order to defeat
the devil and the forces of evil.
Why is our world the way it is???
A wise man said: "How can you
have a top without a bottom?
or a front without a back?"
The contradictions of our world
are part of God’s Plan. He gave
us freewill and we are allowed
to choose Him.
And yet He chooses us in Christ.
Because He loves us, He wants us
to love Him and draw near to Him
with clean hands and a pure heart.
To make this possible, He sent Jesus
to be The Lamb Who Takes Away
Sin - by the sacrifice of Himself.
We love Him because He first loved us!
THE LIVING GOD R.D.Ice
What a mighty God He is!
The Old Testament shows us God.
The Living God - always and forever!
The strict Judge - demanding our obedience,
Utterly ethical and moral, holy and pure.
The Righteous One - springing out of
the pages of the Bible to meet us.
God is truly righteous. And so He
reveals Himself in a world of tragedy
and moral failure. His Purpose
is being fulfilled in all who believe
because He has suffered, the righteous
for the unrighteous, suffering more
than any man, in total innocence.
Jesus raised from death!
This gives us hope and assurance!
When Jesus Comes Again, we will rise
to meet Him and to be with Him
f o r e v e r !
The overriding theme of the Old Testament portion of the Bible is the living God, the strict Judge, punishing the sinner, loving the penitent and guiltless and evoking fear and awe, utterly ethical and moral, the Righteous One leaping out of those pages and demanding our obedient response. If God is truly righteous, and if we are truly to let God be God and to let His righteousness be revealed in a world of tragedy and suffering and moral failure, there is only one way in which this can happen. There is only one way in which a fully personal and truly just God can realize His purpose in such a world as this. That is, by Himself bearing the suffering of the world and the consequences of our transgression. How can He be the just God of the Bible unless He suffers more than any man in total innocence.
LAMENTATIONS R.D.Ice
I, the LORD, am your GOD;
you shall make and keep yourselves
holy, because I am holy.
Every July, in Synagogues, the Book
of Lamentations is read out loud,
remembering the devastation of
the Captivity to Babylon
that came in 587 BC.
Jerusalem’s streets, once bustling
with people, stand silent.
Like a widow, alone, tears streaming,
Jerusalem sits in grief.
Betrayed by friends and allies,
her princes like starving deer,
too weak to run from enemies.
Jerusalem has sinned greatly,
now tossed away like a filthy rag.
All she can do is groan and hide her face.
She has been plundered of everything,
even the sacred Temple, the holy place
where the LORD came in glory.
Seventy years she must spend.
Seventy years in slavery.
"Make the best of it," Jeremiah wrote.
You will be there seventy years.
But God’s love never fails!
Even in slavery, He takes care of
His people Israel.
The unfailing love of the LORD
never ends! By His mercies we have been
kept from complete destruction.
Great is His faithfulness! His mercies
begin afresh every day!
LORD, You are my lawyer!
Plead my case!
For You have redeemed my life.
AND ON EARTH, PEACE AND GOODWILL R.D.Ice
God, the All-powerful, has been speaking
to our fathers in different ways,
through the prophets in ancient days,
keeping in touch with men and women.
At the right time, God spoke directly
through Jesus The Son.
The Son perfectly mirrors God,
and is stamped with God’s nature.
The Son holds everything together
by the word of His power.
Of Christ Jesus, God said,
"All angels must worship Him."
For a Child is born to us, Isaiah wrote.
His royal titles will be:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
God brought God The Son into our world
through Mary the virgin, conceived
by God The Holy Spirit, born in
Bethlehem of Judea, in a ox’s stall.
The angels sang and praised Jesus -
the Savior who is Messiah and Master!
Peace to all men and women on earth!
To all who love and please Him!
Since you and I are flesh & blood,
it makes great sense that He - The Son -
took on flesh & blood to rescue us
from sin and death.
He embraced death, taking it
to Himself, to destroy the Devil’s hold
on us who are scared to death
of death.
God loved us so much that He
became the Sacrifice - to put us right
with Himself by means of
the once-for-all death & resurrection.
Thank You, God, Thank You!
I take my ordinary life, sleeping,
eating, going-to-work, walking around,
and place it before You as an offering.
Everything comes from Christ Jesus!
Everything happens through Him!
Everything ends up in Him!
Always glory! Always praise!
Peace with God! That’s what Jesus
accomplished for us. Peace
with laughter and singing, peace
because we keep on believing!
How fortunate and blessed we are!
Angels would have given anything
to be in on this great blessing
that God has poured out on us!
O Lamb of God! By Your
sacrificial death You bought us
for God - people from every tribe,
nation, language, and race.
Lamb of God, You are our future!
You will Come Again, when
all things are to be made new.
Come, Lord Jesus, Come.
[references: Hebrews 1:1-4; 9:27-28; 10:4-7; 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:10-12; Rev. 12.]
SHAKING THE EARTH R.D. Ice
God will rock the heavens!
One last shaking, from top to bottom,
from stem to stern, thoroughly
cleaning house, getting rid of
historical and religious junk, so that
the unshakable essentials will stand
clear and uncluttered.
Do you see what we have!
A kingdom which cannot be shaken!
How thankful we must be, and
not only thankful but filled with
love and praise and worship.
Our God is a cleansing fire who
purifies us because He loves us!
We stay on good terms with each other,
held together by bonds of love.
We are not carried away by
material things, by casual sex,
by lust and envy and pride, by
wanting to have our own way, or
by wanting to appear important.
WHEN ALL OF GOD'S SINGERS GET HOME [Old Hymn]
What a song of delight in that city so bright,
Will be wafted ‘neath heaven’s fair dome,
How the ransomed will raise happy songs in His praise,
When all of God’s singers get home.
As we sing here on earth, songs of sadness or mirth,
‘Tis a foretaste of rapture to come;
But our joys can’t compare with the glory up there,
When all of God’s singers get home.
Having overcome sin, hallelujah amen
Will be heard in that land o’er the foam,
Every heart will be light and each face will be bright,
When all of God’s singers get home.
When all of God’s singers get home,
Where never a sorrow will come;
There’ll be no place like heaven my home,
When all of God’s singers get home.
[Stamps-Baxter Music Co.]
HE IS ALIVE!!!
The body of Jesus lay dead in the tomb.
Death had worked its thing on Him.
Perhaps the devil thought he had won?
But God had other plans.
God The Holy Spirit, silent and unseen,
entered the cold rock tomb of Jesus,
perhaps hovered over the body of Jesus
as He had hovered over the earth at Creation.
In a flash the spirit of Jesus returned!
His body, once locked in death,
was changed, loosed, set free, made alive!
The mortal body had put on immortality!
He who once had died, could never die again!
Not a reanimated corpse, no zombie.
His whole flesh & blood body is set free!
Homo in excellsius - transformed -
into what we shall become!
He reached up and removed the cloth,
swung to His feet, carefully folded
the linen cloth and laid it neatly
on the rock shelf, like you would make
your bed upon leaving the home of a friend.
And then He was gone! Just walked out,
walked out through the stone
which sealed and guarded the opening.
With nail-pierced hands, He is alive!
Death has no more dominion over Him!
Jesus is alive forevermore!
Death is destroyed by Christ Jesus!
And we will rise in the Resurrection!
God The Holy Spirit will transform us!
A Song of Praise and Thanksgiving
R. D. Ice (adapted from Psalms)
Praise God with shouts of joy!
Sing to the glory of His Name!
How wonderful are the things You do,
O God our Redeemer and our Savior!
Your power is so great, and
everyone on earth will praise You!
They sing praises to Your Name!
Our God, it is right for us to praise You,
and keep our promises to You.
Because You answer prayer,
everyone will come to You, to
Your Throne of Grace and Mercy.
Our sins and faults defeat us.
We confess our sins and weaknesses
to You, O God who forgives sin.
Happy and blessed are all those
who You call and bring into
Your sanctuary. Your House
will be our home as long as we live.
REMEMBER
R. E. Winsett
I remember how my Savior died for me,
On the rugged Cross of dark Mt. Calvary,
I remember how He cried,
how He bowed his head and died,
I remember dark Calvary.
cho: I remember how He paid the debt for me,
How His blood was shed on dark Calvary
O the blood of Calvary’s brow
I can see it flowing now,
I remember dark Calvary.
THE UNFOLDING OF THE ROSE
A young man was walking with his wise and loving Grandfather in the garden one day. Feeling a bit insecure about life and what he should do as he grew up, he was asking his Grandfather for some advice.
His Grandpa walked up to a rosebush and handed the young man a rosebud and told him to open itwithout tearing off any petals.
The young man looked in disbelief at the elder and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know what he should do with his life and future.
However, having great respect for his Grandfather, he proceeded to try to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact.
It wasn't long before he realized how impossible this was to do.
Noticing the youngsters inability to unfold the rosebud without tearing it, the Grandfather began to recite the following poem...
It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.
The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so sweetly,But then in my hands they die.
If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design.
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?So I'll trust in Him for leading
Each moment of my day
I will look to Him for His guidance
While walking each step of life's way.
The pathway that lies before me,
Only my Heavenly Father knows.
I'll ask Him to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.
MY LIFE via Present Truth
When I contemplate this Life of mine-
This one faultless Life, the Man divine
Who lived in my stead-by faith I see
This Life has fulfilled the law for me.
This history-pure, without a spot-
Was wrought out for me, oh blessed thought!
And when on the cross my Saviour died,
In Him sinful flesh was crucified.
In Him guilt was buried, put away.
In Him I was raised one glorious day.
In Him I sat down at God's right hand.
Now perfect and pure in Christ I stand.
Now all things are ready-"It is done."
I come to the marriage through the Son-
Come boldly without the fear of shame,
For I may draw near in Jesus' name.
His righteousness meets the law's demands.
My Saviour holds out His wounded hands.
Though I may be wretched, poor, and blind,
In Christ not a stain the law can find;
So I need not fear how God views me,
For Christ's life is all that He can see.
Christ's birth, life, and death stand in my place.
I witness in awe such boundless grace.
Above human thought, my Father's plan
That He should accept me in this Man.
My Substitute, Surety, Lord is He;
Amazing His love beyond degree!
I praise You Oh Lord in Jesus' Name!
THE THREE BOOKS OF GOD R. D. Ice
[adapted from Peterson’s language]
God - the Creator - is not far
from any of us. In Him we
live and move and exist.
He speaks to us in Three Books.
First - The Book of Nature
The heavens declare the glory of God.
How plainly they show what He has done.
His glory is on tour in the skies.
How plainly God’s work is on exhibit across the horizon.
Madam Day holds classes every morning.
Professor Night lectures each evening.
Their words are not heard, but
their silence fills the earth; and
unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.
Secondly - The Book of human nature
Reverence for the Lord is good, and
reverence is written on my heart.
The judgments of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
Clean the slate, O God, give me a fresh start today.
Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking
that I can take over Your work.
Deliver me from hidden faults.
Accept my words of praise and thanks
when I place them on the morning altar.
Third - The Book of Holy Scripture
The revealed word of God is whole
and pulls our lives together.
Then I shall be perfect and
free from the evil of sin.
The signposts of God are clear and readable.
The life-maps of God are right and point to joy.
God's word warns us of danger, and
directs us to hidden treasure of The Spirit.
May my words and my thoughts
be acceptable to You, O God.
O Lord, my refuge and my Redeemer.
C A T
J. R. R. Tolkien
The fat cat on the mat
may seem to dream
of nice mice that suffice
for him, or cream,
but he free, maybe,
walks in thought
unbowed, proud, where loud
roared and fought
his kin, lean and slim,
or deep in den
in the East feasted on beasts
and tender men.
The giant lion with iron
claw in paw,
and huge ruthless tooth
in gory jaw;
the pard* dark-starred,
fleet upon feet,
that oft soft from aloft
leaps on his meat
where woods loom in gloom -
far now they be,
fierce and free,
and tamed is he;
but fat cat on the mat
kept as a pet,
he does not forget.
[* leopard]
REMEMBERING THE ASTRONAUGHTS
R. D. Ice
God teaches us to number our days,
to prepare for the unexpected.
Redeem the time - make the most
of every opportunity that comes along.
God has put in us an unquenchable spirit.
We hunger and thirst for knowledge
People look to the stars
and try to reach up and climb higher.
God has ordained that we strive and struggle
to pass our days in this world of time.
Citizens of heaven - citizens of earth.
We live in two different worlds in our thinking.
Disaster and death are common things,
yet this destruction of the Challenger
touches hearts in a very special way -
this was "us" hit by tragedy.
Perhaps God will allow mankind to spread out
to the stars and distant planets. Perhaps
billions and trillions of humans
will live in Space to the glory of God.
But again, Earth may be the only home
of mankind, because the difficulties
may be impossible to overcome, and
may prevent any outward migration.
Jesus is Lord of the Universe!
All things that exist are upheld by
the Word of His Power.
The heavens declare the glory of God!
We thank You, Jesus, for Your love.
While we were yet sinners You came
into our world to be our Savior!
Bless us and save us Lord Jesus!
The greatest knowledge is to know God.
HE is Father, we are child.
Jesus is Savior, The Holy Spirit is
Living Water pouring out from our heart.
(John 7:37-39).
REMEMBERING
R.D.Ice
Thirty years ago, April 4, 1973
the newly completed Twin Towers
called the World Trade Center
were dedicated as a "living symbol
of man's dedication to world peace."
On September 11, 2001, these symbols
were reinterpreted in their destruction
by the act of terrorists.
Today our world has changed forever
and a New World Order is in place.
Our Nation is at war for better or for worse.
Ideologies are fiercely competing.
Loyalties are being tested, new alliances formed,
political lines redrawn, boundaries changed.
The future is uncertain.
"One Nation Under God" applies to all nations.
God the All Powerful is on His Throne.
The Old Testament shows us God -
The Living God - always and forever!
The strict Judge - demanding our obedience,
Utterly ethical and moral, holy and pure.
The Righteous One - springing out of
the pages of the Bible to meet us.
Two thousand years ago, one Man
was nailed to a cross near Jerusalem.
Crucified with Him were two thieves -
terrorists, rebels, who had committed murder
in the riot and rebellion against the
Roman Occupation Forces.
But Jesus was The Innocent Man.
Two thousand years ago, Easter happened!
The One Man was raised up from death!
Jesus is alive forevermore!
He became the symbol of true peace,
the amazing peace with God.
Because of Easter it is possible
to forgive and be forgiven, to be at peace
with others and with ourselves.
"GOD GAVE HIS OWN SON
as a ransom for us,
the holy One for transgressors,
the blameless One for the wicked,
the righteous One for the unrighteous,
the incorruptible One for the corruptible,
the immortal One for them that are mortal.
For what other thing was capable of covering
our sins than His righteousness?
By what other one was it possible that we,
the wicked and ungodly, could be justified,
than by the only Son of God?
O sweet exchange!
O unsearchable operation!
O benefits surpassing all expectation!
that the wickedness of many
should be hid in a single righteous One,
and that the righteousness of One
should justify many transgressors!"
(Epistle to Diognetus, about A.D. 130.)
PEACE
R.D.Ice
Isaiah speaks to a time when Peace becomes real.
Come, let's climb God's Mountain,
go to the House of the God of Jacob.
He'll show us the way He works
so we can live the way we're made to live.
Zion's the source of the revelation.
God's Message comes from Jerusalem.
No more will nation fight nation;
they won't play war anymore.
Come, family of Jacob,
let's live in the light of God.
The world is full of hokey religion,
Philistine witchcraft, and pagan hocus-pocus,
a world rolling in wealth, stuffed with things,
no end to its machines and gadgets.
People with a big head are headed for a fall,
proud and arrogant brought down a peg.
It's God alone at front-and-center
on the Day we're talking about,
The Day that God-of-the-Angel-Armies
is matched against all big-talking rivals,
against all swaggering big names;
Against every soaring skyscraper,
against all proud monuments and statues.
Clamber into caves in the cliffs,
duck into any hole you can find.
Hide from the terror of God,
from His dazzling presence,
When He assumes His full stature on earth,
Towering and Terrifying!
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