What you Feed will Grow

We wake each day with a choice,
With what and who will we feed.
We can be miserable or rejoice,
Focus on our blessings or our need.

Our food is the fuel that grows us,
Transforming us into someone new.
Growing to become more like Jesus,
When we feed on what’s pure and true.

Our flesh and 5 senses keep calling,
To feed them with our selfish desires.
Whilst our spirit’s growth keeps stalling,
Getting choked out from what it requires.

We need to crucify our flesh,
And starve it’s needs to death.
So that our spirit can arise afresh,
And feed on our worship breath.

Our spirit’s willing, our flesh is weak,
We must look above and not around.
For the spiritual food that we seek,
Is where our maturing growth is found.

We need to feed on God’s Word,
To read it, listen and meditate.
Making sure that our spirit is stirred,
As we daily finish what’s on our plate.

We need to feed on earnest prayer,
To talk to and hear from our Lord.
Knowing that He is always there,
Offering us blessings as our reward.

We need to feed on joyful praise,
To worship our God with a song.
Take off our focus on what preys,
Feeding together makes us strong.

We won’t grow with fast-food junk,
Gobbled up in a hurry, on the run.
Savoring long, on a decent chunk.
Is where our best growth is done.

So wake up each day and choose,
To feed your spirit and not your flesh,
Resisting self, making no excuse,
Until your flesh becomes hungry less.

And as you feed your spirit well,
By abiding and snacking all day,
Others will soon be able to tell,
And will want to eat of your buffet.

Wash my Feet, Lord


Wash my feet, oh Lord,
My filthy, black, muddy feet,
With their smelly, stench of sin,
Ugly and wrinkled from the heat.

Cleanse my feet, oh Lord,
Will you wipe away their shame?
Let your grace rinse them clean,
By the Power in your Name.

Wash them with your blood, Lord,
Let your living waters pour on me.
Soften my cracked, coarse, callouses,
Unshackle me from the enemy.

Help me expose my ugly feet, Lord,
In close intimacy and with humility.
Stop me from covering up with barriers,
Or trying to make them look all pretty.

Help me Lord, to be a good example,
To wash the feet of my neighbour.
To help clean and heal their dirtiest parts,
And to share the load of their heavy labour.

Teach me Lord, to walk in your shoes,
To take off my coat of pride, yet feel secure.
To be a willing servant to wash and clean,
And co-administer Your healing pedicure.

Lord, let me shake off the dust of this world,
So I can leave deep footprints in their hearts.
Let me walk upright and in your righteousness,
As I learn to serve to clean their sinful parts.

Inspired from a sermon by Daniel van Schalkwyk – Shofar Church


Life is like a Vineyard

 Our lives are like a vineyard
We all grow fruitful like grapes
We need God’s full Son and Water
To make beautiful landscapes

Our diseased parts get healed
When we’re grafted to the true vine
It’s when our Spirits sap gets sealed
That helps us yield the best wine

Like grapes, we’re crushed and pressed
To bring out a better character
We can yield a bountiful harvest
That’s ready to pour and decanter

What kind of grape are you growing?
Are they sweet, smooth or full-bodied?
Or are they dry, bitter or sour to taste?
Were they ripened with patience or hurried?

Some grapes are grown to be wine
Whilst others are drunk or eaten as fruit
God knows which ones to dry for raisins
For it’s in Him that our branches take root

Are your fruits small or bountiful?
Do you have many seeds to offer?
When you are planted in the right soil
Your skin will ripen much softer

The fruits of our labor are juicier
When we grow clustered in a bunch
All kind of grapes can be delicious
When enjoyed together with lunch

We need training to grow upright
With supports that secure our roots
Our branches need watered and pruned
To yield the best kind of wine or fruit

Be sure to stay connected to the Vine
Drawing His strength to grow you best
Wait well, look up but hang low
As you wait on your eternal harvest

Life is like a Computer

 Your life is like a computer,

You need the right programs installed.
If you want the correct output,
You must take care of what is stored.

At times you may need a reboot,
For God to debug your system,
To restore your life to His default,
With His program full of wisdom.

Sometimes you just need a refresh,
Or an undo when you make an error.
Delete them from your cache memory,
And keep your focus on Life’s cursor.

Your sin and bad habits are like a virus,
That corrupts your life’s output data.
Your inner code may need to be rewritten,
In God’s Biblical version of Java.

You will need constant updates and scans,
In order to function and operate well.
Search the Bible like you do with Google,
To find life’s answers for you to excel.

You must stay plugged into God,
To keep your inner power constant.
Let His Holy Spirit be your modem,
To help you start up in an instant.

Let your Church be your network server,
So you can join and grow in life.
When you share and gain from others,
You'll find help to face all life’s strife.

Do you sign in with purpose each morning?
Have you got God’s Bible program installed?
Is God your chosen Operating System,
So your life can be protected and firewalled?

Not a Christmas Catastrophe

(WCWC Dec 2020 - Catastrophe, Elf & Tinsel Word Prompt)

T’was the night before Christmas, & all through the flat,
The family were asleep, even the dog and cat.
No stockings were hung, no presents by the tree,
No gifts for Christmas seemed quite a catastrophe. 
 
The years before there had been gifts aplenty,
But sacrifices had to be made in the year 2020.
With jobs lost, & no blessing of a Christmas bonus,
Would leave most people feeling sad & anxious. 
 
But not this family who knew the true Christmas spirit,
Wasn’t about the gifts or luxury food for a banquet.
It was about having family & friends & showing love.
And celebrating Jesus, their greatest gift from above.
 
So even though there’d be no gifts from Santa this year,
The family’s heart & home were still filled with good cheer.
Silver tinsel sparkled the edges of their bookshelf,
With plenty of ornaments, even Buddy the Christmas elf. 
 
The family awoke on Christmas, happy, singing Carols,
About Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem & Hark, the singing angels.
They hugged & they laughed & they still had food to eat,
Ready to spread the Christmas spirit to everyone they’d meet.

Chocolate is the Answer

What do you do when it’s your child’s last day of school
And you’re feeling emotional, but you smile and act cool?
How do you cope, when you’re losing your hope
And you’re 3 months into lockdown without wine
But you smile and pretend everything’s just fine?
What do you eat when you need a bit of comfort
And a diet or restraint is just too much effort?
Where do you turn when you’re stressed from too much work
And your unsympathetic boss keeps acting like a jerk?
How do you get everything done that needs doing
When the hours are few, but you left still queueing?
What do you do when there are bills to be paid
But you want to trust God so you’ve asked and prayed?
How do you survive when it’s that time of the month
When you’re grumpy and mad and sad and feel bad?
What do you do when you have writer’s block
And you’re staring into space and watching the clock?
Where do you turn when your plans don’t turn out
And nothing goes right and you just want to shout?
Jesus and Chocolate are the answer, my friend…

Re-taking Life's Tests

Some storms in life seem to reoccur
Or the same steep mountains to climb
Giving us another chance to pass
God’s lesson and test, one more time

I had hoped things would work out okay
I have tried to keep a positive attitude
But it’s hard not knowing the future
And still try stay in a hopeful mood 

When those 3am fearful thoughts come
That leave a tightness in your chest
When you’re trying so hard not to quit
And to not feel defeated or stressed

Lord, I need your strength to cope
I can’t go through this again on my own
Please help me to not lose hope
And keep my focused on you alone

To help me pass this test this time
I will study your Word in preparation
Sustained by your calming peace
Passing well will be cause for celebration