Daniel and the Lions' Den

Under the bed is a whole 'nother world
Where sneakers, old toys, smelly socks have been hurled,
Where crayons, gum wrappers, and shoestrings abound,
Where all the lost treasures can usually be found.

Under the bed, a dark scary place,
Where menacing monsters in shadows we trace!
But can you imagine just what you would do
Alone in the dark finding lions with you?

For that's just what happened to Daniel, you know,
Alone in the darkness he paced to and fro.
I'm sure you are asking, "Just why was he there?"
With great hungry lions a den he must share!

A few men grew jealous of Daniel's success,
For he governed the people with so much finesse.
They probed, they examined, to find any flaw,
But there were no grounds for charges at all.

So how could they fault him, remove all his power?
They schemed, and they plotted, and spied by the hour.
For Daniel was faithful to seek out God's way,
And three times each day he was kneeling to pray.

Convincing the king a law to decree...
To the king, the king only, all prayer should be!
There is only one God, and this Daniel knew,
He continued to pray to his God in full view.

For breaking this law he was cast in the den
Where great hungry lions for him had a yen!
The king was distraught, yet the law he enforced,
The door of the den, he then reinforced.

The king in his anguish could not eat or sleep
And rushed out at dawn to the den just to peep.
"Daniel, O Daniel, are you still alive?
Did God in His mercy help you to survive?"

"My God sent an angel and I am unhurt,
I didn't become the lions' dessert!"
The king, overjoyed, then set Daniel free,
No blood was found on him, no wounds...not a flea!

There is nothing, no nothing, that's bigger than God,
No mountains too tall, no valley too broad.
When we're in a "dungeon", don't know what to do,
With eyes fixed on Jesus, He'll "lions" subdue.

Daniel 6

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is no option,
It's required for God's grace,
For in forgiving other's wrongs
His peace we'll then embrace.

The bitterness we harbor
Is cancer to the soul,
It eats away our peace of mind
And we then lose control.

Death is the final outcome...
Contentment is no more,
And we have lost our joy and peace
Because we're keeping score.

Resentment knows no boundaries,
Our minds list every wrong,
And every moment we are bound
We're deaf to God's love song.

For in releasing bitterness
That person can't control,
Our change of heart, our attitude
Brings freedom to our soul.

We know we are not perfect,
We've been forgiven much,
How can we then refuse to give,
Forgiveness to us clutch?

Forgiveness is no option
If we God's grace would know,
For in forgiving other's sins,
God will His grace bestow.


"In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part." Matthew 6:14-15 (The Message)

"And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive--only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins." Mark 11:25 (The Message)

We Simply Shout, "Amen!"

Prayer defeats the enemy,
We know that still is true.
God's promises, His faithfulness,
At last come shining through.

So often worry fills the mind,
We reason it all out,
Until one day we realize
God's weapons it will rout.

With both feet standing on His Word,
We raise His banner high,
And clasp His promises of truth
When enemies draw nigh.

It is not ours to question,
The why, the how, and when,
But when our answer finally comes
We simply shout, "Amen."

God's given every weapon,
A purpose of each one.
His words the sword we wield
And the enemy's undone.

His helmet of salvation
To guard our thoughts and minds,
The belt of truth we tighten,
By truth all lies it binds.

The breastplate of His righteousness
So morals are not blurred,
Held closely to our hearts
We stand upon His Word.

Our feet shod with His Gospel,
Firm footed we thus stand,
And faith we lift up as a shield,
All doubts and fear withstand.

God's written Word our sword,
We wield with truth and grace
To fight off all life's enemies
And mental darts we face.

Penned by the Holy Spirit,
God's Word still holds the key,
And standing firm upon this base
All enemies will flee.

It is not ours to question
The why, the how and when,
But when the answer finally comes,
We simply shout, "Amen!"


"Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day (of danger), and having done all (the crisis demands), to stand (firmly in your place)." Ephesians 6:11-18 (Amplified Bible)

My Mother's Hands

My mother's hands are beautiful to me.
I see loveliness in them that others may not see.
The skin covering them is so very thin
That it's unable to conceal the veins within.
The loose skin that's folded into wrinkles is so fine,
That it reminds me of desert sand blown line upon line.
For years, the skin was work-worn, calloused, dry, and chapped;
Now, it's like that of babies she once held while they napped.

My mother's hands are beatuiful to me.
I see loveliness in them that others may not see.
I remember how they soothed my feverish brow,
And how they often "showed me how."
I recall how her hands always found work to do,
Seldom being idle these 86 years through.
They stored hay into the barn loft many a day,
And fashioned feed sacks into clothes just right for play.

My mother's hands are beautiful to me.
I see loveliness in them that others may not see.
I am awed by all her skillful hands have done--
How they've worked constantly from sun to sun.
I'm grateful for all they've done--so much, much, much!
I'm comforted by the memories of their gentle touch.
I'm also thankful for the love her hands have shown
As, through the years, they've cooked and washed and soothed and sewn.

(C) December 3, 2002, by Johnnie Ann Burgess Gaskill

Note: Mother is now age 93 and, sadly, no longer knows any of us who love her dearly. But we remember her! And the remembering makes us cherish her all the more and increases our gratitude for her life and the wonderful example she set for us.

Together Again

Always there to give advice,
To listen for awhile,
But most of all I knew your love
And pride was in your smile.

I miss you more than you can know
My mother, dearest friend,
Because you were God's light of faith
We'll meet at day's long end.

Poem: Danger of Zealous Fervor

Yes, the goal is to reach souls;
but at what further cost?
Unacceptable is using fear as mind control
for reaching those considered 'lost'.

When not as an example of victorious living,
the principles of God appear to lose credibility.
If not demonstrating a God that's loving,
then appeal of the Kingdom lacks desirability.

To berate skeptical souls with Hell's threat
will deliberately cause immediate offense.
Salvation is not a game with souls to bet -
Offer encouragement to get off the lukewarm fence.

Our responsibility is to share Salvation's plan,
not forcing people to immediately decide.
We are to be God's vessel to reach Man
and not propagate the Eternal Divide.



From my book: Reaching Towards His Unbounded Glory
The ISBN is: 1-4196-5051-3

Learn more about me and my poetry at:
http://www.squidoo.com/book-isbn-1419650513/

Poem: Eternity

In the quiet garden of Heaven,
one day I'll walk beneath the trees
with the coolness of God's Spirit
flowing more gently than an Earthly breeze.

In the royal kingdom of priests,
I'll run barefoot on streets of soft gold,
overwhelmed by the perfection of peace,
following where angels had previously strolled.

Before the awesome throne room,
I'll exude continual heartfelt praise
as part of God's familial host
safe and secure in everlasting days.



From my book: Reaching Towards His Unbounded Glory
The ISBN is: 1-4196-5051-3

Learn more about me and my poetry at:
http://www.squidoo.com/book-isbn-1419650513/