A New Day Dawns

The old church tower has been replaced;
A constructed edifice stands in its place.
A new ideal has swept the land--
That God is dead--so we deified man.

Today man's pleasures have become his god.
The choices he makes now favors his wants;
No claim on his life, no time on his knees;
No one to direct us, we can do as we please.

A look at the world exposes the flaw
Of self-centered living, and here we all fall.
Our own little world proves fallacious this line;
If God really were dead--then pity mankind!

                                                Thelma Eleam

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Many a person since Mary's time
Have settled at Jesus' feet--
Have listened and searched and tried
To learn what life everlasting means.

They read, and listen, and ponder
And ask, and reason and think--
They want to know what He has to say,
And discover the mysterious, illusive link.

What does He say - What does it mean?
What has it to do with me?
What He said to others again and again
Enthralls and confuses the hearts of men.

Where in God's sight am I standing?
What does He want and decree?
Not a philosophy, a doctrine, or creed,
But a branch of the very same tree.

Me - be like Jesus, I say,
And bow in a reverence profound.
His life in me - My life in Him, Oh -
The link in the chain has been found.

                                       Thelma Eleam

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To be loved for self alone,
Is a tribute few achieve.
So many times love is given
That love may be received.

The noble life of a loving soul
Is rarely loved for self at all,
Because the one we truly love
Looks back at us from the mirrored wall.

                          Thelma Eleam

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An acorn can indeed become
A giant oak tree,
Just as our souls can graduate
To service rich and free.

Oh! But a time goes by before
The leaf begins to show
The warmth of sun and other things
To make an acorn grow.

Our souls are hidden deep like this,
Recessed and unadorned;
Then comes a reading of our heart;
What fruits - what spirit - has been born?

                                   Thelma Eleam    

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A deep ocean bed - the oyster's home
Living and feeding on Nature's fare
Then - a grain of sand enters in
And causes the oyster inward pain.
Compassionate fluids start to flow
And form around the sandy thorn;
Time goes by - the oyster weeps
But survives victorious in waters deep
Because built in -within the shell
There's help to counteract an aching hell.
God's gift to the oyster - an inner balm;
Graciously sufficient to allay the harm
Layers so sacred are slowly formed;
Thus in pain - a pearl is born.

                            Thelma Eleam

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                Awake!

Awake - O mind, and meditate
As you sit at Jesus' feet.
Awake, O heart and feel the sting
When you, the Incarnate meet.
Awake, O soul and start to grow
As you meet the Giver of Life;
Ah, spirit, awake and take your place
Near Jesus the Crucified.

                            Thelma Eleam

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God reached down His hand to fallen man
But man could not, or would not, see.
Then God sent His Son to bridge the gap
To show forth love, Exemplary;
To make straight the path, to set the right goals,
With a yoke of obedience and a burden for souls.
O God, help us be aware of our task,
With an answer of truth for those who ask.
Help us be a bridge between Thee and Those
That live among us amid life's throes;
As we become more conscious of Thee,
An awareness comes--the bridge is me.

                                   Thelma Eleam

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FIRST, there's an altar
And we are the god,
Where others may worship
If they're part of our crowd.

Does any dare cross us
Then off with their head
(One way or the other
They're to us - as dead.)

THEN, the Gospel is heard
And a choice must be made;
Self-will has occupied
The place of the Lord.

A sheep follows quietly
A goat goes head-long
And the kingdom we're building
Reveals which we are.

I've erected an altar
I'm building a shrine
Which one am I building,
God's Kingdom - or mine?

               Thelma Eleam

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It's time for the rapture -
Come as you are.
What are you bringing,
Hate, sin, and strife?

What you are bringing
Is on the inside!

Get ready to meet Him -
It's time for the Christ
To gather His harvest
Are we ready to rise?

Do you know Jesus -
Has He given you life?
Have you overcome
The false idols inside?

We will take what we are
It's too late to reform
When Gabriel stands up
With His judgment day horn.

It's time for the rapture -
Come as you are.
Your troubles and anguish
Are over - my child.

       Thelma Eleam
 

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The devil seeks to destroy us
By heaping guilt and fear
For the things that we've said
And the way that we've lived.

For the mean things we've done
And the hatred we've borne;
For the misery we've caused
As we slighted and scorned.

Let's talk about this;
Let's listen and see.
Just what makes us suffer,
And what sets us free.

We know Jesus came
To set our heart free;
He knew we were guilty
Of sin, we can't see.

We can't pay the price--
It's more than we own.
The sin debt is heavy--
The price was God's Son.

                 Thelma Eleam

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Too many times we climb upon
Bandwagons passing by;
Without a reason or a look
And do not pause to wonder why!

A way of life - a choice to make
To go my way or God's,
To give my life or keep it,
To get or give, appease or plod.

Deny yourself God's word declares;
His way we find is best.
This shows who is His follower;
This choice becomes the final test.

Do not look back to earth's acclaim
Or else you lose the vision.
Look on ahead the path you took,
God then reveals the reason.

Applause we love and covet so,
How can we e'er forfeit
To plod along obediently,
To do God's will without regret.

Chances come to us each day
To reject or accept derision;
To gain the victory we must pray
When forced into decision.

To drag our feet - or do our share,
Which star to use as guide,
Indulge our self or serve our God;
Some time in life we must decide.

                          Thelma Eleam

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What is within to give thrust
To known desires and aims?
Are the values of worth
In which we place our trust,
Or are we living life in vain?

Well-ordered plans oft go awry;
Our dreams explode; our castles fall.
With tear-dimmed eyes, we wonder why.
Confusion of values oftentimes
Are next to impossible to reconcile.

                                 Thelma Eleam

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The Reality of God is everywhere,
And yet, we're ever unaware,
Because we fail to realize
That God the Father is in disguise.

We see His touch in the sunset hues,
In a waterfall, in scenic views;
We hear His sound in a bubbling brook,
Learn of His wisdom in a Book.

His hand is hidden in a rose;
We feel His Love as our spirit grows,
For buried deep in the heart of man,
Incentives are born to live again.

The truest answers thus we find
When we cry out in inward pain;
In isolation - torn apart,
When faith lies dormant in the human heart.

Then hear a call, deep unto deep,
And in humility awake from sleep,
That dulls our soul where spirit dwells,
And reach for God from inward hell.

When our gifts and effort are ill received,
We then can see why His Spirit grieves;
When man in folly turns aside,
Goes his own way, unreconciled.

Within our soul there then appears,
Thoughts that banish all our fears.
God is unseen, but He is there,
The Disguise unknown - if we're unaware.

                              Thelma Eleam

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A heart full of love 'til one crosses my path,
Forbidding me entrance or blocking my tracks.

Magnanimous virtue abideth in me
Until one I can't stand asks a favor of me.

Then reasons galore quickly come to my mind--
A thousand of them, to replace being kind.

                                         Thelma Eleam

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                      Facing It

Faceless people in a careless world,
Created by our sightless minds;
Distortion of values in a see-less whirl,
Souls entangled like a wild grapevine.

Ignoring the realness of others,
Stepping on heads in our climb,
Parking our souls at the nearest gate
Of greed, of envy, of hating mankind.

People have faces and they have souls,
While we, in our scramble, have missed it all.

                                      Thelma Eleam

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In each of our lives, we see the Lord's hand
Guiding the way we should go.
Sometimes it looks steep, an impossible task,
But He beckons; He supplies; and we grow.

The hand of the Lord is in your life and mine,
For a purpose we know it is there.
He bids us to grow, to become like His Son,
And the troubles of others to share.

By choosing to share, we lighten the load
Of someone who's discouraged or weak;
We find when we help bear another's load
Our burden grows lighter--we pray, and we seek.

We can respond to the hand of the Lord
Or push it away in disdain;
But is causes sorrow in the heart of God,
And our heart feels weighted with pain.

He bids us to follow, beckons each of us come,
Saying, take up your cross, follow me;
It's easier to carry than it is to rebel;
Never falter, My Son set you free.

The fetters of sin, I have broken for you,
And your faith, any knot will untie;
Look up and in faith My Word strengthens you;
The fountain is full, and the Spirit is nigh.

                                  Thelma Eleam

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He gave His love in the form of a child;
His mother wrapped Him in swaddling clothes,
Showing us and all the world
The loving heart of a gracious Lord.

No earthly court proclaimed Him King,
So the angel heralded His birth;
A star lit up a tiny town,
And Bethlehem became center of the universe.

                                            Thelma Eleam

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A self defeating barricade
Erected for protection
Which then becomes a prison wall
Or self-constructed isolation.

A phrase is heard or just a word
"Enlightenment" which shows us,
How utterly senseless this defense,
Defeating our own purpose.

                       Thelma Eleam

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Little people - in a shell
Sometimes - I wish you well
Oft times, I blame you for your plight
You're unconcerned - you lack insight.

Narrow outlook - narrow mind
Forgetting others, too often unkind
How do I know - How can I tell?
I confess, I too live in a shell.

                 Thelma Eleam

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A heart that's hardened must often be
Crushed! and reshaped in humility.
The things we want is all we seek;
The spirit within grows anemic and weak.

Our hearts desire becomes our goal
In relentless pursuit, we lose our soul;
To fill a need - to be content
A life misused - a life illspent.

Let your troubled turmoil cease
The life Christ lived brings its own peace.
First the cross and then the crown
As He breaks up the fallow ground.

                 Thelma Eleam

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Little foxes and little minnows
Steal away our peace of mind.
Little foxes with a firebrand
Create havoc - steal us blind.
Slipping in - and taking over
Stealing all that we've acquired;
Leaving only desperation
Fear, and uttermost despair.

Little minnows keep on nibbling
Taking toll - day by day;
Frustrations keep on building,
Taking joy and peace away.
Little foxes - and little minnows
Cannot ever be our guide;
If we have the Holy Spirit's
Gifts and Graces - deep inside.

                          Thelma Eleam

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        Looking unto Jesus

I have seen the face of Jesus
As I bowed my head and knees.
And His words and ways then
Entered in among my frantic pleas.

Oh, God, do this; Oh, God, do that,
I sincerely and selfishly cried,
Then I looked at Jesus and saw how He lived,
And on my knees I stayed.

I opened my heart and His word entered in
And I saw indeed, the greatness of sin.
Caring only for me and my own,
Self and selfishness being enthroned.

But looking at Jesus enlarged my view,
For He cared for His own, and a lost world, too.
He reached out to others, to bring them to God;
I made Him my Lord, my example, and guide.

                                   Thelma Eleam

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So full of self - I cannot see
The image you have placed in me.
A distorted reflection, an image effaced,
Brings woe to mankind and moral disgrace.

So much of our love is unreceived;
We then can know how His Spirit grieves.
God calls thru prophets and thru His Son,
All men are called - but so few come.

Once His purpose is clearly known--
God's claim is love and He claims His own;
Then the Creator becomes our Lord--
Because our wills are in accord.

                           Thelma Eleam

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"Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep."

To have deep faith within my heart
That withstands pain and does not part
From faith in God when things go wrong.
Nor dip and sway with the clambering throng.
Oh, for the faith of a little child
For the innocence of a cherub's smile.
To be once more whole and clean
To turn aside from the base and mean.

"I cross my heart and hope to die
If I should ever learn to lie."

Give me a truth that is a rock,
That keeps me firm when others mock.
To be upright, to sacrifice
When called upon to pay the price,
Of belief in Him who came to live
In hearts that love, in hearts that give
Of self to others with greater need,
To live in harmony with the Master's Creed.

                       Thelma Eleam
 

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         Only God

Only God can open eyes
That's blinded by this world.
Only God can give us strength
When Satan's darts are hurled.

The hunger He alone creates
Within heart's empty space,
Remains unfilled until His love
Can find its rightful place.

Our conflicts are overpowering
And it's ever thus with man,
Til God's enthroned in our own heart,
Our God, then, dwells within!

                            Thelma Eleam

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    Our Littleness - A High Mountain

This is a prayer whispered each night:
Renew within me a spirit aright.
With power to love our fellowman,
Help me be willing to lend a hand.

Selfishly withholding love we should share,
No interest in others for whom we should care.
We worry o'er trifles; we're annoyed without cause;
We need Thee, O God; teach us as we pause.

We must overcome this state we are in--
Smallness of soul is our greatest sin.

                        Thelma Eleam

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We find in pursuing our life's goal
So many selves within us grow--
When we reach out to please a friend,
The self within must make amends
To be the person that friend wants;
But in our heart the thought then haunts,
I'm not myself and cannot be
When chained to another's image of me.

God has sent forth a pictured goal
Of what He expects of a human soul.
He sent His Son to show us how
To grow in wisdom, grace, and power.
We give our life, and He fulfills
A life committed to His Father's will.
Our fondest dreams for a better self
Will meet defeat without His help.

True Selfhood:
Working in harmony with all of God's other ideals.

                               Thelma Eleam

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                               Pathways

I took a look at the beaten paths:
Where do they lead? Where do they go?
What a shock as I took a look
At neglected pathways in my soul.

Well-worn paths to my inner self
Are not the ones I wish they were;
Eternal values were not valued at all;
Weeds were growing where the path should be worn.

Take a look at your beaten pathways;
Are you surprised at where those paths lead?
Are the ones well-worn you thought would be?
Or filled with brambles, briars, and weeds.

                                      Thelma Eleam

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Jesus, my Savior,
Please lead me and guide me.
I feel so lost
In this heathenous land.

So much confusion
Of motives and reasons,
I pray you will find me
And hold to my hand.

Can I escape sorrow;
Is sickness my lot?
Is there magic in serving
The Christ of the cross?

You said, "I'll go with you;
I'm suffering, too,
I see you in anguish;
I've noted your loss."

Lord Jesus, come in
To own and to bless.
Remake me and mold me
As I pass thru the test.

           Thelma Eleam
 

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When God looks down and sees our heart
He knows what reigns within.
He knows which force we give first place,
Which motivates us--grace or sin.

A grape contains the pulp and seed,
And nothing else is there;
We squash the hull, the pulp breaks thru
And in our hand, the seed lays bare.

Just so, our hearts when given chance
Will show what reigns within.
If everyone is pleasing self,
Self is ruling everything.

Temptations come to us each day,
And expose a soul we cannot hide--
An open door to our inner life
That forces us to look inside.

Who is our King; who is our Lord?
Is God the ruler of your universe?
We give allegiance to God's Son
Or live our life in emptiness.

We then resist, or we respond,
Which clearly shows what has a hold.
The throne within is occupied--
What e'er we serve becomes our Lord.

                                     Thelma Eleam
 

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There's a large group of people
Who are being ignored--
It's our small fry.
Frustrated and bored,
They are frozen inside,
Scared to try, and paralyzed.
Fearfully trained,
Shackled and shamed--
They're our small fry.

Where can they go
Where can they turn
To be appreciated
And not be spurned.
Not just tolerated,
Not to be manipulated
Who will help them
Be their best--
Who will love our small fry?

                   Thelma Eleam

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When Jesus comes to earth again
With His Kingdom in full view,
We'll see for ourselves
For the very first time
How vital our choice
To make Him Lord of our life.

The heavenly choir are those
Redeemed, and only then
Can we clearly see
The curse on the earth
Has been reversed
And Christ the Redeemer is King.

Oh, what a song we then can sing--
We are redeemed.
We are redeemed--the power
Is broken--the curse is removed;
We are citizens of Heaven;
We're a child of the King.

              Thelma Eleam

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A hero - a clown, what difference?
Each an actor, the part absurd!
Both covered over from head to toe
With something other than what they are.

The face that's hidden behind the smile
Is really not a clown at all;
His smile is one that is painted on.
When the face is washed, the smile is gone!

The hero brave, his face aglow
Because the crowd expects it so.
He's swift to do what they expect
And bids adieu to his self respect.

The bravery he knows is a played out part
The paint is on--it's on his heart.

We find we too, chameleonate,
To prove a point, to compensate,
Because we cannot reconcile
Acts of courage with peace of mind.

We distort our self to please a man,
A teacher, or a king.
In fact we will not be our self
For anyone or anything.

                  Thelma Eleam
 

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The meaning we search for
Is an inevitable quest!
What am I here for;
What is life's greatest test?
Is it humility of spirit?
A hunger to learn?
The most cherished values
Too often we spurn.
I sought 'til I found
My soul's deepest needs,
And the answers I searched for
I found on my knees.

                   Thelma Eleam

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When I needed you most,
You knew it least--
And this was meant to be.
By this you lost your vicious hold
On who I used to be.
My God said come; I took one step;
He took me by the hand.
He let me have a closer look
Into His greater plan.
The scales fell off - my eyes did see.
Because you could not see my need,
You lost your hold, O world, on me.

                   Thelma Eleam

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The darts of Satan miss their mark
Because we kneel in prayer;
God sees a child dependent on Him
And blesses as we seek Him there.

The evil without and evil within
Threatens on every hand.
The fiery darts come thick and fast,
But His help is there, as we stand.

The devil's task is to win your life,
The loyalty of your heart divide;
His offer seemingly very worthwhile,
Behind a good purpose he hides.

Saying, you will be happy, you will be rich,
Or much honor on you this bestows;
The hidden hunger in your heart it will fill
If you fall down and worship, you know.

But this is the voice of temptation
And the promises offered are false.
He promised Eve a lot of things;
It brought ill to the world, and a cross.

She could have refused the temptation
By consulting the Father above.
He walked with them in the garden
And was waiting with guidance and love.

We, too, are beset with temptation;
It drives us to prayer in distress--
Seeking God's wisdom and seeking His care,
Always He answers - to own and to bless.

                                Thelma Eleam

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