March 14, 2014
Vol. 17, Issue 1
It’s all about…The Lamb
Maude Carolan Pych/Quarterly Poetry Letter
“Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches
and
wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” Rev 5:12 NASB
It’s all about…The Lamb is a quarterly publication for lovers of the Holy Lamb of
God, who also enjoy poetry. The purpose is to magnify our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, and inspire an ever-deepening relationship with Him, the lover of our
souls…
I’m so glad it’s March…March carries the
promise of spring and after this
particularly harsh winter, spring is exactly what we need! I have my eyes
primed to see the first robin red-breast and the first yellow forsythia buds
and the first purple crocus popping through the snow.
Bob
and I managed to escape the ice, snow and sub-freezing temperatures for ten
balmy days in beautiful Aruba. What a treat that was! We lounged on the beach,
walked along the water’s edge and swam in the sparkling turquoise sea every blessed
day. Ahhhhh, paradise! Thank You, Jesus.
VERY SPECIAL EVENT…I’m sending this
poetry letter out one day early for the benefit of people in New Jersey,
especially Northern New Jersey, to encourage attendance at a fabulous annual event for lovers of the arts:
St. Catherine of Bologna Patron of the Arts Association
15th Annual Photography, Art & Poetry
Exhibition & Sale
featuring Musical Performances
Grab your jacket! The
event begins this evening, Friday, March 14
from 6 to 11 p.m. with the Photographers’ Reception. Then tomorrow, Saturday,
the Artists & Poets’ Reception will take place from 3 to 11 p.m. with a
Poetry Reading in the Poetry Gallery from 7:30 to 9 p.m. On Sunday the
exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. with a Student Recital from
12:30 to 2 p.m.
The
show will be held at St. Catherine of Bologna Parish Center, 112 Erskine Road,
Ringwood, NJ. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. This is truly my
favorite event of the year. I will be exhibiting and participating in the
poetry reading as will Elizabeth Marchitti and Barbara Williams-Hubbard, whose
poems you have read in this publication over the years. My husband Bob will
exhibit a photograph for the first time and my friend Patricia Ley’s paintings
will be on display in the gallery. If you’re able to attend, please be sure to
say hello.
FEATURED POET—
PASTOR TOM SMITH
I
met Pastor Tom Smith at a writer’s conference in New Mexico, seven or eight
years ago and have featured his poetry here on occasion. He publishes, Morning Manna, a daily devotional
message for email subscribers and sometimes his message takes the form of a
poem.
In
November, he posted a poem titled, “My Beloved is Mine.” It caught my attention
because my husband and I have gold wedding bands engraved with those words in
Hebrew. When I asked what inspired it, he said, “I was simply reflecting on the
intimate relationship we have with the Lord Jesus and how He loves us more than
we can ever know. Too often we forget how much He loves us and, as someone
said, referring to when Our Savior was on the Cross, Jesus basically told us,
‘I think you’re to die for.’ Glory!”
Pastor
Tom is currently serving as the wing chaplain for the 188th Fighter
Wing, Air National Guard, Fort Smith, Arkansas. He also serves as a
bi-vocational pastor of Vine Prairie Baptist Church, just outside of Fort
Smith.
Anyone
who would like to receive his uplifting daily email message may contact Pastor
Tom at: pressingon@hotmail.com to subscribe. Mention that you heard about him by way of
this publication.
To
stay with the theme, I will also include the poem I read to Bob on our wedding
day, October 21, 2006. It is titled, “Dodi Li”.
+ + + THE POEMS
FOLLOW + + +
MY BELOVED IS MINE
Song of Solomon
2:16a, 17a
He
holds me close to His own Heart,
This
Beloved of my soul;
His
Love is new every morning
And
never grows weak or old.
In
sorrow, He’s my comfort;
In
trials, my stay and strength.
He
comes to me when I need Him,
For
He is Heaven-sent.
Although
there are times I fail Him
And
try to do things my way,
He’s
there to quietly correct me
And
rescue me when I stray.
Yes,
He, the Christ, is my Beloved
And
I know that I belong to Him.
He
loves me more than I can say
And
never, ever condemns.
When
I am weak and weary,
He
renews my strength each day.
And
when the darkness overwhelms me,
He
comes and drives it all away.
In
His arms I find such comfort
As
I look upon His Face.
And,
it’s as I stay close to Him
That
I feel His strong, yet tender embrace.
Oh
what a Friend is Jesus, my Lord;
How
precious His Love so dear!
He
always knows just what I need
As
He catches all my tears.
How
wonderful is Christ, my Beloved,
The
Friend of sinners is He.
I
pray I’ll always surrender to Him
As
a captive who He has set free.
Tom
Smith
©
2013
DODI
LI
"I am my beloved's and my
beloved is mine."
Song
of Songs 6:3
Shirley says
my heart is a thimble
and God's love is the ocean
and He wants to pour all that love
into my little heart
I have learned that the Lord
has made my heart
a little like His own
that the heart is limitless
in its capacity to love
that it may seem
the heart's chambers
are about to burst
…yet there's still room
that bodies grow older
…but not our hearts
I have learned
that God
is the Restorer of Hearts
The Master of mending
broken ones
that although sorrow
may visit us
the heart keeps its rhythm
…hope is not shattered
utterly
I grew tired of the Titanic song
weary of Celine's heart going on
and on and on
but now I understand
the heart does go on
I've also discovered
my heart is undivided
when it professes
Ani
le dodi ve dodi li
and speaks of
two bridegrooms
One of my soul…Jesus
and one of my heart…Robert
and I believe
one of the best things there is
about knowing God
is that He is Love
…that we love
because He first
loved us
He just keeps on
filling our thimbles
with inexhaustible oceans
so we'll always
always, always
have Love
to give
Maude Carolan
© 2006
Comments
are always welcome and appreciated. Please post them directly to the
website. Just click on "comments" at the end of this blog post.
Look
for the next edition of It’s All About…The Lamb, June 15, 2014
A FEW CLOSING WORDS…
Dear Reader/Subscriber,
Since a theme of Love has been established in this
edition and since this is the season of Lent, let us take time or make time to
consider how much Love Our Savior has for us, that He would willingly die on
the Cross to atone for the sin of the world.
Oh! How He loves you and me!
May God be with ewe,
Maude
After God’s Own Heart Publishing
P.O. Box 2211, Woodland Park, NJ 07424
