Sunday, December 30, 2012

"His Little Lamb"




HIS LITTLE LAMB

Dedicated to my friend, Lynn

 

The Shepherd loves you, little lamb

He holds you to His breast

He strokes His hand along your back

with utmost tenderness

 

The hand He runs along your back

is scarred from long ago—

A nail pierced it upon a Cross

because He loves you so

 

You are the lamb in Jesus’ arms

safe in His loving care

Because He gave His life for you

you may ever nestle there

 

Maude Carolan Pych

 
The above poem is dedicated to my friend and former co-worker, Lynn, who has been battling cancer. She retired at the end of August and moved to Arizona. She is often in my prayers.
 

 

 

Sunday, December 23, 2012

A Special Christmas Poem for Children: 'Twas the Night of all Nights!




‘TWAS THE NIGHT…OF ALL NIGHTS!

 

Children, gather round. It’s time for a story,

one that’s filled with hallelujahs and glory.

 

It’s about the glorious night of all nights,

angels and magi and sight of all sights!

 

About God, a virgin, the birth of a king,

wooly sheep, poor shepherds and gift giving!

 

My story takes place long ago, far away

and starts with a Babe in a crib full of hay;

 

His mother’s a virgin, His father is God,

the birth, a miraculous Heavenly nod.

 

The Baby is born in a Bethlehem barn

near a few smelly animals, like on a farm.

 

Poor shepherds in a field shudder with fright

when suddenly the dark sky fills up with light

 

as beautiful angels, bright splendors winging

tell of the birth with hallelujahs and singing!

 

So, the shepherds and sheep the very next morn

set off to visit this special Newborn.

 

Rich wisemen follow a bright beaming star

to the Bethlehem barn; the journey is far.

 

They ride astride camels, carrying treasures

to give to The One they’ll worship forever.

 

Why in the world would they do such strange things?

Why travel so far? Why great treasures bring?

 

The reason is simple, The Babe in the hay

becomes the world’s Savior, Who takes sin away.

 

His name is Jesus and He loves you and me

and wants us to love Him for eternity.

 

That was the night of all nights here on Earth…

the wonderful story of Jesus’ birth!

 

Maude Carolan Pych


 
This poem was written for my precious grandchildren...and for children of all ages, everywhere. Merry Christmas!
 

Saturday, December 15, 2012

It's all about...THE LAMB




December 15, 2012
Vol. 12, Issue 4

 

 

 

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…

 

 

FIRST THINGS FIRST. Precious Lord, I call upon your name for an outpouring of your love and mercy upon the people of Newtown, Conn. and all the grieving people nationwide and worldwide who have been stunned by yesterday’s tragic killing spree. Lord, comfort the brokenhearted and help us to know how to prevent so great an evil from ever happening again. Amen.

 

 

POETICALLY SPEAKING, IT HAS BEEN A VERY EXCITING TIME...In October I was invited to be interviewed on video by a dear poet/friend of mine, Gloria Rovder Healy, at Seabrook in Tinton Falls, NJ. The program will be available via closed circuit television to the approximately one thousand residents of the retirement community in January. During the interview I spoke about my life as a writer of family and inspirational poetry and was pleased to read several, some old favorites and a few from my new chapbook, A Pilgrim’s Quest—A Poet Visits the Holy Land. It was a lively exchange, a very interesting experience and great fun, too. I look forward to seeing the finished video soon.

 

Then, last month, I was invited to speak at a MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) meeting at Bible Baptist Church in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. The topic was The Pearl of Great Price. I spoke to a group of young moms, some with babies bouncing on their knees, about motherhood, grandmotherhood and faith in Jesus Christ, with plenty of family and inspirational poetry woven into the message. Thank you, Jane Sparling, for asking me to speak. It was truly a delightful evening.

 

 

PASTOR/RABBI JONATHAN CAHN OF BETH ISRAEL WORSHIP CENTER and author of NY Times best-selling novel, The Harbinger, has been invited to be the keynote speaker at The Inaugural Prayer Breakfast, January 21st in Washington, DC.

 

Many members of our congregation plan to travel from New Jersey to our nation’s capital to attend the breakfast and to join our beloved pastor in praying for the United States of America.

 

WITH CHRISTMAS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, I made a few revisions to a poem written last year during the holidays, and then arranged it decoratively on paper that has a bright red border and mailed the poems to family and friends. This is one of my favorite holiday traditions and a definite labor of love. I carefully penned a greeting on each page in my very best handwriting, thinking about each person as I did, sometimes stopping to offer up a prayer on their behalf. I folded each one neatly and placed it in a hand-addressed envelope. Bob sealed every envelope (about 200) and affixed a Christmas stamp and an address label embellished with an angel design, specially ordered to compliment this year’s poem. The title is, The Winged Ones. I’ll include it in this poetry letter. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

 

 

FEATURED POET: ANN CREDIFORD

 

At the annual Christmas Brunch of The North Jersey Christian Writers Group (NJCWG), held recently, we went around the table reading our Christmas writings. Ann Crediford delighted us with a very timely poem. I’m pleased that she so readily granted me permission to share it with you. It is entitled, The Day Before Christmas. I’m sure it will make you smile and that it will reach you with its deeper sentiment.

 

 

+++ THE POEMS FOLLOW +++

 

 

THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS

On the day before Christmas the tree is not trimmed.

Not a stocking is hung, not a package is wrapped,

Not a cookie is cut, not a pie is prepared.

But Mom does computer, while Dad loves TV.

Today his fifth show is The Price is Not Right.

Son Jimmy lies prone on the living room couch

while he texts to a friend and plays music he likes.

Little Suzy has earbuds with wires to her IPod

and types on a laptop to play a new game.

Zing zing goes the doorbell but no one gets up.          

At last Mom says to Dad, “Will you please see who’s there?”

When he opens the door, it’s Grandma and Grandpa,

Who enter the house with their smiles and good cheer.

But mom keeps on computing with, “One minute, please,”

so Grandma hails Suzie with “Hi! How are you?”

Her granddaughter smiles but she misses the question,

then lowers her eyes and keeps playing her game.

So Grandma sits down by herself in a corner,

and Grandpa greets Jimmy, who gives him a high-five.

But that’s all he has for him. Texting comes first.

Frozen out Grandpa sits down next to Grandma.

And Dad goes on watching The Price is Not Right.

Then all of a sudden Mom looks at the floor

where the wire to her PC is burning with fire.

All screens go to black and it gets very quiet.

She unplugs the cord and the fire fizzles out

but the cable is dead and the gadgets don’t work.

Since the power is on, they all start to feel festive.

Grandpa and Jimmy put trim on the tree,

Grandma and Suzy make pies and some cookies,

while Dad wraps the presents and Mom cooks a meal.

By the end of the evening the stockings are hung,

the mess is cleaned up and the dishes are done.

That night in his room Grandpa falls to his knees

and thanks God for a non-electron Christmas eve.

Ann Crediford

© 2012

 

 

THE WINGED ONES

 

As Zacharias tends

the temple altar of incense

there’s a sudden swirl

of fragrance and smoke

Lo! A resplendent angel

appears before his very eyes—

 

It is Gabriel

who stands in the presence of God

 

The winged one startles the old priest

by proclaiming—

 

Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear a son…

He will be the forerunner of Messiah

 

Astonished at the announcement

(for his wife is advanced in years)

Zacharias dares question

God’s messenger

and is duly struck dumb—

 

and will not utter another word

until the Heavenly proclamation

comes to pass

 

As grey-haired Elizabeth blossoms

with approaching motherhood

Gabriel alights again

all wings and gleam and glory

in a visit to Mary, a Nazarene maiden

He foretells that she, too, is with child—

chosen to be the virgin mother

of the Holy Son of God—

 

Breathless, Mary runs

to Joseph, her betrothed

eager to tell of the angelic visitation

and Gabriel’s marvelous word to her

 

but it is too much for him to comprehend—

Feeling deceived and disheartened

he considers ending their engagement

 

until one night, while tossing in sleep

an angel of the Lord appears in a dream

to assure him

Mary is indeed pure and righteous—

miraculously overshadowed

by the Holy Spirit of God

 

so Joseph marries her

and together they await the coming

of The Savior of the World

 

and when that wondrous event occurs

a multitude of angels fill the Heavenlies

with most glorious splendors

The Bethlehem night becomes brilliant

startling lowly shepherds

reclining in fields with their flocks

 

and all the beautiful celestial beings

with wings and robes and gladness

proclaim good news of great joy

for all people:

 

Glory to God in the Highest—

Jesus, The Messiah, is born!

 

Maude Carolan Pych

© 2011

 

 

Permission to forward or copy is automatic and encouraged as long as credit is given.

 

 

Comments are welcome and appreciated.

 

Look for the next edition of It’s All About…The Lamb, March 15, 2013

 

 

 

A FEW CLOSING WORDS…

 

Dear Subscriber,

 

I wish you a peaceful and joyful Christmas surrounded by people who love you. May it be tenderly reflective of the spotless and holy precious Lamb of God Who was born to save us…Jesus/Yeshua.

O Praise Him!

 

…And Happy Hanukkah to those of the Jewish faith…

 

God be with ewe,

Maude

 

 

 

After God’s Own Heart Publishing

P.O. Box 2211, Woodland Park, NJ 07424

 

 



 

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Thinking about Hanukkah & Christmas...




ROOTED

 

I love to see a Star of David on a Christmas tree,

Reminder of our Jewish roots in Christianity...

I love to see a Hanukkiah on a churchyard lawn,

Adjacent to a manger, dimly flickering at dawn;

Am awed by the Paschal Lamb, crucified at Calvary...

Who rose victorious from the dead to set all sinners free!

 

I hear the Rosh Hoshanna trump forewarning with its cry,

Reminding us the Day of God is surely drawing nigh;

I marvel every Yom Kippur at graciousness of God...

Lavish with his mercy; He spares the chastening rod;

Fervently read Old Testament’s fruition in the New,

With the Messiah’s story interwoven through and through.

 

In Shabbat tapers I behold Yeshua, Light of World;

Before my very eyes I see God’s prophesies unfurled.

Was blessed to pray at Israel’s Wall and empty Tomb

Of our Hebrew Savior, born of the Virgin’s womb.

At Gethsemane, I have seen an ancient olive tree

And knew within my spirit that one grafted branch is me.

 

I’m born again and spiritually circumcised of heart;

I’m blessed to be a Gentile, who’s become a part

Of Covenant promises sealed by the Blood of God...

I’ll forever praise His Name as I walk this earthly sod.

 

Maude Carolan

The above poem is from From My Heart to Yours at Christmas: Cookies & Poems. To order, write a check to Maude Carolan Pych for $7.00 plus $1.00 p&h, and mail it to: P.O. Box 2211, Woodland Park, NJ 07424.

 

Sunday, December 2, 2012

We Set Up the Creche Last Night...




SETTING UP THE MANGER SCENE

 

A few snowflakes drift in wintry air

as I carry the carton down the stairs

and unwrap the antique fragile things—

a manger, some camels and three kings.

 

I set them on the polished tabletop,

being careful not to chip or drop

them as I do. Sheep and shepherd men

are arranged as entering Bethlehem.

 

An angel, gilded, with one chipped wing

is affixed above; her place to sing.

There’s a cow and donkey, nibbling straw,

Joseph, kneeling, with a look of awe

 

and Mary, new at being mother

gazing adoringly at none other

than her swaddled, holy, infant Son…

Jesus, Our Savior, on day one.

 

As I move each figure, to its place,

I call upon God’s loving grace…

pray each who stand before my manger,

to Jesus, will never be a stranger.

 

May this heirloom crèche, made long ago

recall the event that sets hearts aglow.

May He be for them, as He’s been for me—

 

Sweet Love …

for now

and through eternity.

 

Maude Carolan Pych

 I hand-painted my ceramic Nativity scene in 1965 and have been setting it up every Christmas since.

 This poem appears in "From My Heart to Yours at Christmas...Cookies & Poems". If you would like to order the 32 page booklet, send a check for $7.00 plus $1.00 p&h made out to Maude Carolan Pych to P.O. Box 2211, Woodland Park, NJ 07424.

 

 

 

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Have You Begun Christmas Shopping Yet?


Maude's Christmas Chapbook
"From My Heart to Yours at Christmas:
Cookies & Poems"

 
CHRISTMAS AT THE MALL
 
Day after Thanksgiving, at the mall, what is this I see…
Santas sledding in the air and a tinseled Christmas tree,
a roly-poly Frosty, red-nosed Rudolph with some elves,
glittery garlands, balls and bows, bedazzling on the shelves?
The shops are alive with music, “White Christmas,” “Jingle Bells;”
there are “ho, ho, hos,” “let it snows” and cinnamon-y smells.
 
It certainly all seems festive, so cheery and so bright,
but what oh what does it have to do with that Holy night?
I cannot find a manger scene, an angel or a star,
I do not see the wisemen…wonder where the shepherds are.
I do not hear a carol or the story of the birth
of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, Who dwelled right here on Earth.
 
Many, it seems, have cast aside the things that matter most.
By replacing them with fairy-tales, The Treasure became lost.
My heart fills up with sorrow, and I feel the need to prod
the waning faith of restless souls who live apart from God.
We all need to remember the virgin and The Child…
Revive, O Lord, the rock of faith that’s been so long exiled.
 
Maude Carolan Pych
 
 
The above poem appears in my 32 page booklet of Christmas poems and luscious cookie recipes that I've been baking for my family and friends for years. It would make a fitting hostess gift or stocking stuffer. To order mail a check made out to Maude Carolan Pych for $7.00 per copy, plus $1.00  p&h for first copy and .50 p&h for each additional copy. Send it to me at P.O. Box 2211, Woodland Park, NJ 07424.