Have You Been to Ocean Grove?

 A Poem About God's Square Mile

at the Jersey Shore...

Image credit: foursquare.com

OCEAN GROVE

 

Ocean Grove—

This tiny Christian community

comes to life in the summertime

Methodist. Camp Meeting.

Boxy tent houses

with colorful flower gardens

American flags and banners

surround The Great Auditorium

with its lighted Cross

facing the ocean

 

It’s just a mile square

Quiet. Subtle.

Not in-your-face-religion

although

church bell chimes

do break the quietude now and then

with a gentle reminder

and there’s a pavilion

on the boardwalk

where Gospel events take place

Folks can walk-in or walk by

and there’s a tabernacle

for morning worship

and solid Bible teaching

but it’s optional

 

Personally, the spiritual amenities

are what draw me

to this particular place

at the Jersey shore

 

What’s surprising

is that many vacationers come

not for the Bible Hour

not for the concerts

not to hear great preachers

from all over the world

not to worship in the great old edifice

with its magnificent pipe organ

not to sing hymns of antiquity

in fact, they come

not for the Gospel, at all

 

but for peace and quiet

for one square mile

of no hawking of tee shirts

and games of chance

roller coasters, carousels

freak shows and body piercing

in fact, there’s nothing for sale

on the boardwalk

and no alcohol for sale

in the grove

 

No, they come

for a sandy beach

and ocean spray

quaint Victorians, B & Bs

curiosity shops on Main

and shady sidewalk dining

oh! and ice cream at Nagle’s or Day’s

 

and they know they can rely upon

good old fashioned

Ocean Grove wholesomeness

and Christian acceptance

even if they’re not necessarily

seeking the Christ of Christianity

 

…and to my way of thinking

stand to miss out on the Best

this precious little gem

has to offer

 

Maude Carolan Pych

Want to read more poems?

Here I am at Barnes & Noble

with a copy of my book,

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

You can order it online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

For information: www.maudecarolanpych.net

Looking for Jesus...

 Every month Pastor Steve selects one of my inspirational poems to feature at Beth Israel Worship Center in Wayne, New Jersey. The poem is set up decoratively, placed in a frame and broadsides are available for the taking. This month we are featuring a timely new poem. I've also decided to share it here on my blog this week. Every opportunity to share my poetry is a blessing to me and I pray the poems are a blessing to you...

Image credit: raydowning.com

I’M LOOKING INTO THE SKY

I’m looking up, up into the sky

like those disciples

at the end of the Gospel of Luke

as they watched Jesus ascend

gloriously into Heaven

 

and thinking about those men in white

who told them Jesus will return

in the same way

descending through the clouds

 

so I’m peering intently into cloudscapes

If my eyes could send lasers upward

to burn through them

perhaps I’d see more

perhaps I’d see Him

 

perhaps He’s getting ready

to return

 

I hear of wars and rumors of wars

watch the nightly news to find

people worried about the pandemic

and variants and global warming

There’ve been slashings on subways

People are depressed and agitated and angry

They’re demonstrating aggressively

pushing, shouting, stabbing, and shooting

There’s unbridled violence and mayhem

It’s obvious, many have plainly forgotten

how to love one another

 

which isn’t surprising

since so many of Jesus’ teachings

have been cast aside

and honor, glory, and praise

are being withheld from Him

 

so I’m praying for repentance

and revival and pleading

for people to return to God’s Word

and His loving ways

 

Meanwhile, more than ever

it feels like the end times—

 

so I keep looking up

peering through breaks

in the clouds, gazing deeply

into the high blue heavens

 

watching to see

 

if my Jesus is coming down

 

Maude Carolan Pych

Want to read more poems?

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"

by Maude Carolan Pych

is available online at Amazon & Barnes & Noble.

www.maudecarolanpych.net

Summer Vacation

 My favorite summer place...

Ocean Grove, New Jersey.

Photo credit: kidsunplugged.org

Photo by Maude

CAMP MEETING WEEK

 

An hour and a world away

is a charming place we love to stay,

where time stands still a little while,

in fact, some call it, “God’s Square Mile.”

 

Our spiritual retreat vacation

at this gem within our nation

is where we find more than we seek,

at Ocean Grove, Camp Meeting Week.

 

The Great Auditorium’s surrounded

by quaint tent houses, abounded

by flower gardens, every hue;

coral, magenta, lavender blue.

 

Great preachers come from far and near,

expectant pilgrims come to hear

the preaching and angelic choir

as the great pipe organ sends its fire

 

of resounding music through the air,

inviting all who will to prayer.

All this takes place beside the sea

in a grove of sweet tranquility.

 

Stroll tented lanes in ocean breeze,

past tabernacle, B & Bs;

Victorian landmarks give a show

of “painted ladies” row on row.

 

Visit eateries, little stores

and take the garden trolley tour.

This Jersey shore town gives to each

respite, chapels, sandy beach,

 

a quiet boardwalk and pavilion,

where perhaps, more than a million

over the years have stopped and heard

Gospel concerts and God’s good Word.

 

So come, find more than you may seek

at Ocean Grove, Camp Meeting Week.

 

Maude Carolan Pych

Would you like to read more of Maude's poetry?

"Behold the Lamb...poetically!"
by Maude Carolan Pych
is available online at Amazon & Barnes & Noble.
For more information visit her website
at www.maudecarolanpych.net

 

 

The Statue of Liberty

4th of July, 1984

 A Star-Spangled Day

In Our Family's History...

Frederick Leo Harris, July 4, 1984

UNCLE FRED AND THE TORCH OF MISS LIBERTY

In memory of Frederick Leo Harris

 

Uncle Fred was an unassuming kind of guy—

a master crane operator who ran

a long-necked crane for Canger, Inc.

He never boasted about it

didn’t speak of the special skills required

or dangers or the scope

of projects he was working on

 

nor did we even think to ask

except perhaps to inquire, conversationally

about where he was working

It could have been Jersey

or New York or sometimes Pennsylvania

He just put on his work clothes each morning

put in his eight hours, and came home

to their three room apartment

in Paterson, every night for dinner

 

On the 4^th of July in 1984

Uncle Fred was the engineer

chosen to remove the original torch

from the hand of Lady Liberty

 

That particular Independence Day

marked the start of restorations

on the Statue of Liberty, with completion

targeted for her 100^th birthday, in 1986

 

I don’t recall our uncle telling us

about it in advance. If he had

we undoubtedly would’ve been there

with our young children

to witness his feat

 

He probably dressed for work that morning

just like every other day

had his coffee, drove into the city

got himself to Liberty Island

and quietly set about doing 

exactly what a master crane operator

would be expected to do

 

There was a special ceremony

that Independence Day

with pomp and circumstance

a brass band and dignitaries—

 

and in the cab of the tall crane

hunched over the controls

sat our Uncle Fred, confidently

doing what needed to be done

to expertly bring down the old torch

 

The honor bestowed upon him

was completely lost on our Aunt Carol—

She was at home and unhappy

because he had to work on the holiday

and therefore they had to miss out

on normal 4^th of July festivities

like a parade or a cook-out or fireworks

When a news reporter called

to ask her some questions

she let him know exactly how she felt

and what she said was directly quoted

in the newspaper the following day

 

It wasn’t until she saw a picture of him

standing next to the old torch

on the front page of the Paterson News

that she realized the illustrious way

he spent the 4th. Suddenly

she became overcome with pride

and fussed over him to no end

even though, I’m certain, Uncle Fred

could easily have done without

anybody fussing over him, at all

 

The original torch is on permanent display

in the base of the Statue of Liberty

with a plaque telling of its removal

and the statue’s restoration that followed

It includes no mention of our uncle’s name

which, surely, would not have bothered him

 

but we know, and we’re proud

and this poem is written to keep

that special memory of him alive

 

Maude Carolan Pych

Happy Birthday, America!

The above poem appears in my memoir in poetry,

"Wonderhoods"

For ordering information

visit my website at www.maudecarolanpych.net

or inquire via email to maudecpych@gmail.com.