I woke up early this morning with these ideas running in my head. I put them in poetry form and now I have scrapped what I was going to preach and this will be my "short" meditation.

Christmas 2011
By larry r Linville

What if Jesus was born today
Right in our town
Not far away
Not in a barn but on a back street
Where someone nearby would send a tweet
A cell phone picture would be in place
On a Face Book page with great haste
From there to You Tube it would go
Where the hits would rapidly grow
The networks would cover the story
But they would leave out all the glory
Some people would think it was cute
To others a story of ill repute
Some would hate it because they were poor
But compassion in others would soar
Who would be the shepherds today
What would their Face Book messages say
How would angelic messages be
What would we hear
What would we see
Jesus IS born for us today
When we read the Word and pause to pray
Our life will have a super lift
When we receive God’s greatest gift
Jesus is the best gift we can share
When we let people know we care
How can this birth change your life
In this world so full of strife
How can it change the words you use
Words of peace
Or words that confuse
Will it change actions so uncouth
As it leads you to find real truth
Will this humble birth live in you
And still be there when this year’s through
Since Jesus WAS born again today
Right where you are
Not far away
I urge you to be a living tweet
Spreading God’s love on your own street

Remembering the Past
By larry r Linville

I watched my son direct a band
and thought how far he had come.
When he entered fifth grade band
he just wanted to play a drum.

When he was to choose an instrument
I watched his eyes open wide.
As he blew in a trombone mouthpiece
and so gently he moved the slide.

During the concert my mind looked back
at the progress with each passing grade
and all the hours of practice
and the planning he has made.

I see all he has accomplished,
much more than I’d guessed he would
even though I never doubted
I always knew that he could.

As he was directing tonight
my mind remembered the past
and I thought of his successes
which I knew would always last.

Why is it we remember the past
with joy at what we see?
I guess it’s because we can’t
remember what is yet to be.

This poem completes the Advent poems I prepared for the congregation. I would have had more but my life was rudely interrupted by a case of shingles.

DAY # 20 CLOSING PRAYER

Bless, O God, the poems we’ve read
and the prayers we have shared.
Thank you for the inspirations
which have helped as we prepared.

Enrich us in our devotions
and draw us closer to you
so the power of this Christmas
comes joyfully breaking through.

Help us be like the shepherds
who were first to share the story
and help us live our lives each day
praising you for your glory.

#19 – My March to the Manger.

I celebrated Jesus’ birth
as long as I can recall.
The scenery of the holy birth
was mingled with toys at the mall.

I preached many Christmas sermons
and I think I preached them well
But although my life was blessed
each year
there was only a partial swell.

At a new church where I was sent
a miracle came to me
They had a March to the Manger
which seemed very strange to me.

They insisted that we do it
so I was forced to go along.
It touched my life in a special way
like I had entered in a song.

The babe in a crude manger
placed at the front of the church
set a beautiful paradigm
and completed my life-long search.

It was like I accompanied
those who visited on that night
and my heart and spirit were touched
and everything felt just right.

This year when you make your list
of those to whom you will give
include the most important one
who died so you might live.

Bow down at a lowly manger
at your church or in your heart
and give your greatest gift to him
so with joy you will depart.

#18 – Who Came to the Manger?”

Who else came to the manger
on that great historic night?
Whose lives were touched with majesty
at such a heavenly sight?

It seems the only royalty there
was the baby in the manger.
To the wealthy and the powerful
he was a clear and present danger.

Besides the lowly animals
that would be nice for us to see
all the folks who gathered there
were common folks like you and me.

God didn’t choose the powerful
to experience this great gift
but to the down-and-outers
whose lives needed a big lift.

#17 – A SHEPHERD’S WIFE

Nights at our home are quiet.
You seldom hear the slightest peep.
Children are tucked in their beds
And my husband is with the sheep.

The loudest noise woke me up
and I heard my husband yell
about some exciting news
he said he just had to tell.

“A new baby born in a manger
is the savior for which we wait.
The angels told us and we went
to see his mother and her mate.”

I gathered things around me
and cooked food for them to eat
and hurried to that manger
and saw the baby so sweet.

My life felt so deeply fulfilled
as my actions were so swift.
My joy was beyond measure
to bring him such a special gift.

Christmas would have been lacking
had I not given to that boy
because that generosity
resulted in the greatest joy.

# 16 – A SHEPHERD SPEAKS

It started out like a normal night.
We and the sheep were all at rest.
Nothing much happens in our lives
but on this night we were blessed.

Suddenly the skies lit up bright
and angels appeared with a song
they chose us of all society
we knew they must be all wrong.

Why didn’t they go to the temple
and present these special words
rather than to poor shepherds
and the animals and the birds?

With joy we went to check the news
to see if it could be true
and there we saw the parents
and a baby which was brand new.

He was born into poverty
and poor shepherds were first to see
so we talked about sharing the news
and we were eager to agree.

DAY 15 - ADVENT PRAYER # 3


We continue our trip to Christmas
with our questions of these folks
and we’ve asked serious questions
instead of telling crazy jokes.

Thank you, God, for inspiration
from the scriptures we have read.
And help us hear these messages
from what these people said.

Give us time to pause in our life
to examine where we are going
so our hearts will be at one with you
and our spirits will be growing.

DAY 14 – Mr. Innkeeper


I’ll bet it really broke your heart
when you had no room in your inn.
They were such a pleasant couple
did you feel your head in a spin?

Did you ask your wife for some advice
and did you both rack your brain
to try to find a solution?
Did it cause you hearts much pain?

Was it you or your wife’s idea
to let them stay in the stable?
Did you feel bad to suggest it
as you sat at the kitchen table?

You could have been hard hearted
and everyone would understand.
So what pushed you for a solution
that was the best you had planned?

How gracious they must have been
that you went the second mile.
I’ll bet they left your office and
and gave you a big warm smile.

Could you give advice to us
when we don’t have room for God today?
Our hearts get crowded this time of year
and we hardly take time to pray.

Tell us all the blessing you had
because you found room for God
so our Christmas preparations
won’t be just a big façade.

DAY 13 – BEING TURNED AWAY.

How did you deal with rejection
when the Innkeeper turned you away?
You had to be fully exhausted
and now you had no place to stay.

Did you think you would have to panic
or that Joseph would work it out?
Perhaps you had a temptation
to stand in the street and shout.

I’ll bet you just remembered
God’s promise nine month ago
that a son would be born in this town
and you that knew it would be so.

DAY 12 – RIDING THE DONKEY

Was that trip very uncomfortable
on that donkey in your condition?
Were you unhappy with Caesar
who demanded this census mission?

Did you feel sick on the journey
being tossed on that donkey’s back?
Did you have to stop very often
when the sharp pains would attack?

We seldom face all the suffering
that you faced as you traveled each day.
When we suffer help us look to you
to show us a much better way.

Was it tougher for you at nighttime
or was it much worse in the day?
Perhaps you got through the long nights
because you had more time to pray.

DAY 11 – The Donkey’s Owner

Joseph and Mary didn’t have much.
His business wasn’t doing well.
He wanted to buy a donkey
But I decided I wouldn’t sell.

They had to go to Bethlehem
to answer Caesar’s census call
but Mary was so great with child
and she shouldn’t walk at all.

So I gave them a little donkey
and said they could bring it back
My wife knew they would be hungry
so she put much food in a sack.

I could never do enough for God
for all of God’s goodness to me.
They safely arrived in Bethlehem
And later to Egypt they’d flee.

A few years later they came home
and the donkey returned safe and sound.
When Jesus started his ministry
that donkey was hanging around.

He asked if he could borrow it
for a Jerusalem trip one day.
I gave it to him because he asked
what more was there I could say.

He rode that donkey to begin life
and he rode it in his last week.
I’ve wondered what that donkey
would say
if he just had a chance to speak.

The Voice In Your Head
By larry r linville

They say we have a voice in our head
to tell us what’s right and wrong.
I’m not sure there’s only one voice
and I think several sing their song.

There’s a voice that sings, “Me, me me..”
and that voice can cause much pain
but it can be balanced with “others…”
and it brings to us all much gain.

A voice sings “nobody will know..”
but somebody always will
and that voice brings many poor actions
which serves up a bitter pill.

It’s not enough to just hear a voice
but we have to cultivate
the voice that comes from our deepest prayer
and gives reason to celebrate.

Scripture study sorts out the voices
until we hear the right one
and when we have accomplished this
our main task has been done.

DAY 10 – A Girl Mary Grew Up With.

We were so young when she shared her news
of the special way God would use her.
We were amazed because she was strong
and cruel people might abuse her.

We both laughed in our belief
and celebrated with such joy
that a little girl from the country
would give birth to God’s little boy.

She was worried and so was I
if she could perform such a task.
But God must have had an answer
to a question she just couldn’t ask.

She was such a terrific mother
who surrounded her son with love
while she found that her great support
came directly from God above.

DAY 9 – Joseph’s Boyhood Friend.

I knew Joseph all my life
such a committed a friend was he.
He told me Mary would have God’s son
and he was proud as he could be.

I’d never seen him this proud before.
He had a smile from ear to ear.
He seemed to brag in a loud voice
so everyone around could hear.

He taught that boy when he was young
and nurtured his carpentry skill
but he still had time in all of this
to teach him to search for God’s will.

Carpenters seemed to be such rough men
but he showed a more gentle way
so that boy could do the work well
while knowing what kind words to say.

DAY 8 – Advent Prayer # 2

The schedule’s getting hectic, Lord.
Shoppers push and shove in the store.
They spend money on cheap trinkets
while looking for something worth more.

We need your help to keep centered
on the message of this season.
Help our hearts to be drawn to you
and enable our minds to reason.

May a simple carol touch our soul
and a Christmas card share your love
while we give to a special person
a gift they’ll feel comes from above.

Help us bring peace in a war-filled world
where so many hate their brother
as we show a brilliant example
how to give love to another.

DAY 7 – Elizabeth’s Visitor

Elizabeth, it must have been a surprise
when Mary appeared before your eyes.
Did you know before she came
that both of you were in a new game?

You must have felt John jump inside
as God’s Spirit came to reside.
You must have thought it very odd
to be able to host the Mother of God.

I wonder if they communicated
since both babies were related
and even though they were both
in a womb
they lived for a while in the same room.

When they were both little boys
did they have time to share their joys
or were they much like families today
who seem to live so far away.

DAY 6 – Elizabeth’s Husband

As a priest, dear Zechariah
You used your voice most every day
But when you questioned God’s message
there were no words that you could say.

The angel said to shut your month
But he said it with nicer words
So until your son John was born
You were as silent as the birds.

Were you embarrassed you could not speak
when the other priests spoke to you?
Did you try to keep a distance
until you silent sentence was through?

DAY 5 – Mary’s Kinswoman

Elizabeth, you tried for a long time
To have a child but you were
past your prime?
Was there no hope left in you at all
before you received this special call.

Your husband and you were both devout
you trusted God with never a doubt.
Our trust gets weak for us today
but you had a faith that wouldn’t stray.

What did you think when it came to you
that you’d have a son before
you were through?
You knew he’d be special
but did you know
the new direction his life would go?

Did you know John would look so odd
as he became a messenger for God?
And did you know his life he would give
to prepare the way for a relative?

We still have a chance late in life
to help lead others in a world of strife.
We might not be the main one who acts
but we can contribute to the facts.

DAY 4 – Joseph’s Dream

Joseph, we’re told you had a strange dream
with an angel telling you of a scheme
to let you know things were okay
with all the news Mary had to say.

How comforting that must have been
and how helpful to clue you in
to the strange events that would come to you
so you would know what you should do.

Do you think you’d have done what was right
if it was not for the dream that night?
It would be great to have those dreams today
to help us do thing the correct way.

Tell us your decision was hard as ours
and it was like scaling up tall towers
so we can’t use you as an alibi
no matter how cleverly we try.

With your new ease I’ll bet you could cope
waiting for the birth with much hope.
I guess when we find what we should do
we can have a great hope like you.

DAY 3 – How did Joseph Feel?

How hard was it to tell Joe the news
you knew he had to know?
You weren’t married yet to this nice guy
but you couldn’t live with a lie.

Joseph was much older than you
but his commitment was very true.
He could have just sent you away
but he knew God wanted you to stay.

He treated you with the greatest love
knowing your mission was from above.
I wonder how did you feel
knowing Joseph’s love was real?

It’s good you weren’t living today
dealing with what nosy folks would say
They wouldn’t give you a second look
before posting it all over Face Book.

As we begin the days of Advent
help us to look for what God has sent
and ready ourselves for Christmas Day
so we can find special times to pray.

DAY 2 – Mary How did you feel?

O Sweet Mary you’re only a child.
Your outlook is so gentle and mild.
At a time when your life’s just begun
you’re told you will give birth to a son.

A messenger came out of the blue
and said God had special plans for you.
You couldn’t believe your ears or eyes
at news that was more than a surprise.

Did you feel unworthy of this call?
Were you tempted to try to stall?
Why not draw up with an excuses list
to remind God of the things He’d missed?

You must have know this change in your life
would fill you with abundant strife.
When we’re faced with great struggles too
we pray we’ll try to follow you.

Advent is our time to prepare
just as if we were standing there
hearing our own special call
to guide us in life’s long haul.

Advent begins Nov. 27th. I have prepared an Advent devotional guide for my church members and will be sharing it during the season. It begins with thise prayer.

DAY 1 - Prayer for Advent


O God who loved us from the start
we enter the season of Advent
when we look at our troubled world
like the world to which Jesus was sent.

Help us use these next few short weeks
to see things from another view
so when we get to Christmas Day
we’ll feel so much closer to you.

Help us live above the glitter
and the parties with all their fuss
while we read the Christmas story
of what you’ve done for all of us.

Let us think more of other folks
than our own self-satisfaction
and extend our best wishesnot just in words but in action

Making Up With My Car
By larry r linville

Before dawn I snuck out to the car
and sat in the driver’s seat with glee
backed out and put the car in drive
and then the car started speaking to me.

It apologized for its rudeness
when it knew I was feeling depressed
and suggested we had some issues
which really had to be addressed.

I could tell my dear car felt some guilt
at the cold fender it gave to me
and sense I’m a forgiving fellow
I took steps to make it guilt free.

Then the radio began to play
sweet music which comforted me well
then my turn signal was on too long
and I had to listen to a bell.

When I drove the car back in drive
and thanked my car and got out the door
and we agreed we’d never argue
since now we had settled the score.

My Car’s Not A Good Counselor
By larry r Linville

I’ve been confined to my house a week
and cabin fever was getting bad.
I’ve been fighting a case of shingles
and the itching gettin bad.

Today it got the best of me
so I went to talk to my car
to tell it why I’d deserted it
but I don’t think my talk got me far.

I don’t think my car had missed me.
It seemed to enjoy all its rest.
It rolled it head lights and shrugged
so now I was feeling more stressed.

I thought it would make me feel better
when I stood there with feelings to share
but it seemed to have no compassion
at least not enough it could spare.

I’ll soon be feeling much better
and I’ll climb in that car with a grin
and I’ll back it from the garage
and drive out for a good long spin.

Accident in the Barn
By larry r linville

When I was a child I never heard
my father use a four letter word.
I never knew his humor was great
Until I’ve begun to cogitate.

“Are we going to clean out manure?”
I thought we were but I wasn’t sure.
“No, I’m going to manure,” he said
But his words didn’t get in my head.

I understood not his bodily need
But I climbed to the hayloft with great speed.
I grabbed a pitchfork that I would use
and hurried back to clean the refuse.

In my haste I fell to the floor
and rolled around feeling so sore.
Pulling up his pants he came to me
and carried me for my mom to see

She started to cry and asked “what’s up?”
while I whimpered like a scared pup.
That’s when my father became a clown
and said “I got caught with my pants down.”

Mozart and Me
By larry r linville

At eight Mozart wrote his first music
which seems to me to be quite scary.
The only thing at did at that age
was look under toad stools for a fairy.

When he played musical instruments
I couldn’t do any music thing
I wanted to be in the church choir
but people said I couldn’t sing.

They say he was a young prodigy.
I didn’t even know what that means.
He was at concerts and other things
but I never took in those scenes.

My family was very musical
Both of my grandpas could play a horn.
One tried to teach me to play trumpet
but soon told me to go plow some corn.

I wanted to be a musician
I bought a guitar on a bet.
They told me it would take time to learn
and insured me that I shouldn’t fret.

I’ve played a guitar for fifty years.
It came pretty easy from the start.
If I start bragging about my skill
I’m reminded I’m not a Mozart.

Wear Out or Rust Out?
By larry r Linville

I’ve been retired for several years
but I’ve kept running all about
I can’t just sit around and loaf.
I’d rather wear out then rust out.

Some folks think I should sit and eat
things like frankfurters and sauerkraut
but I catch my meals on the run.
I’d rather wear out than rust out.

I could complain about old age
while I just sit around and pout
but my schedule is so busy.
I’d rather wear out than rust out.

My doctor said my iron was low
lab test revealed there was no doubt.
So I guess I can still wear down
but without iron I can’t rust out.

Hitchhiker and Old Lady
By larry r Linville

He stands beside the highway
all possessions in a sack.
His thumb is lifted upward
and he’s always looking back.

He spent last night in his bed roll
on a picnic table at a park
a stray dog laying by him
watching over him in the dark.

He scavenges in trash barrels
to find something he can eat.
A sandwich and stale french fries
seem like a bountiful treat.

Fancy cars speed right by him
with a big sneer on their face.
They see him as an object
as they speak of such disgrace.

One car stopped to help him
and he saw a bible on the seat.
He didn’t want a sermon
but he had to rest his feet.

“Where are you headed, Sonny?”
asked the old lady in the car.
“I don’t know where I’m going,
but I’ve already gone far.”

She drove to the nearest city
and stopped at a nice café.
She order him a hearty meal
and used her pension check to pay.

“You remind me of my own son
who left one day long ago.”
She patted his rough chapped hand
with her wrinkled face aglow.

“I never saw my boy again.
I don’t know where he ever went,
but the chance I’ve had to help you
is a gift that’s heaven sent.”

He saw her cell phone by her hand
as he reach for his dirty comb
and asked her for permission
to call his mother at home.

When the call was over
and his tears were all wiped dry
bus money was on the table
and the lady said, “Good bye.”

The boy rode a Greyhound home
to his mother’s loving kisses.
The lady’s house was less empty
for her son which she still misses.

The Lamb Without Blemish
By larry r Linville

(sung to tune of “Amazing Grace.”)

Bring out the lamb without blemish
And slaughter it at night
and put some blood on the door posts
to start a sacred rite.

The blood will be a telling sign
that God will surely give
so when the plague comes by your house
your family will live.

The lamb with bitter herbs and bread
you shall gather to eat
remembering that victory
which made you life complete.

Another lamb without blemish
was slaughtered on a hill
and we still gather to this day
remembering him we will.

So eat his body, drink his blood
in this Passover meal
remembering all that God has done
and how our lives he’ll heal.

Red and Green Lights
By larry r Linville

Some days the lights seem only red
other days they’re always green
I guess it really makes much sense
that most days they are in between.

We remember our frustrations
when those stoplights make us wait
because those are the exact days
when we’re always running late.

Those green lights give us amnesia
and we just can’t seem to recall
driving through those intersections
smoothly traveling to the mall.

Life is full of red lights and green
as we travel on life’s highway.
Some days we stop more than we go
while we drive along each byway.

The secret of happy living
comes by not fretting when it’s red.
Instead we need to use that time
by planning what is ahead.

Overcome Evil with Good
(tune: 430 – O Master Let me Walk with Thee.”

Evil is in the world to stay
It may come to you any day
It may show up out of the blue
But God can send back love through you.

When we want to give evil back
God shows us that is not on track
And helps us do just what we should
Giving back a big load of good.

Let love come from a selfless heart
Allowing peace to get its start
Feeding the hungry enemy
So a better way they may see.

Water Jar at the Well
By larry r Linville

Based on John 4:28

She came for water to the well
because she had a great thirst.
She came when no one else was there
so she could avoid being cursed.

While she was conversing with Jesus
another thirst was satisfied.
Her spiritual thirst was nurtured
just as her physical thirst died.

The water jar was left by the well
as she fled to tell the good news
of this special man she had met
who gave her some life changing views.

That jar is more than a symbol
of the new life we have to live.
It speaks of our spiritual needs
that the Living Water can give.

Father and Daughter
By larry r Linville

I watch a dad with his little girl
her cute red dress and pretty brown curl.
She sits in his lap then down on the floor
Then back in his lap to snuggle some more.

It doesn’t seem so long ago
I was the dad in that picture.
A boy and a couple of girls
filled my life with much the same mixture.

It seems very short but it’s not
since a granddaughter sat on my lap
as I tried to keep her occupied
trying to teach her how to clap.

As I watch that young dad today
there’s no way he can understand
how I sit here and recall memories
which he’s experiencing first hand.

Someday he’ll watch such a scene
overwhelmed by all the memories
and he’ll celebrate all those times
he had a child sitting on his knees.

Our Anti-intellectual Society
By larry r Linville

We live in a crazy world today
not like the old days I am yearning.
A day with cool conversation
without a suspicion toward learning.

Scientists seem to be blacklisted
and denied as a possible choice
as we take our cues to discussions
from those who have the loudest voice.

We ignore lessons from history,
philosophy, and holy books.
Compassion’s replaced by egotists
whose words come with angry looks.

We don’t follow the rules of debate
making up facts as we go along
and we speak with false authority
even though we are very wrong.

When we realize we are losing
in what becomes more than just games
we yell and shout even louder
and revert to calling them names.

“Come, let us reason together,”
said the prophet of long ago
though your arguments are like scarlet
they can become white as pure snow.

How helpful if we were soft-spoken
letting Jesus guide every word
turning us all to civility
like sweetest music you’ve ever heard.

Rain
By larry r Linville

Into each life the rain must fall
but it’s not always welcomed by all.
Righteous and unrighteous have wet sod
while they give credit or blame to God.

Some gather in churches to pray
for rain to come the next day
while others see water on their crop
and pray just as hard that it will stop.

Those out-of-banks rivers run very high
while those having drought still stay dry.
Both groups gripe and complain so loud
while some see the sun and others a cloud.

We build some dikes and we irrigate
and sometimes we just contemplate
but nature does the same old thing
that she does every summer and spring.

Another rain falls in every life
some rain of joy and some of strife.
It may come like a sudden shower
Some so gentle and some with power.

Complaining seems to change nothing.
We’re better if we just pray and sing
and make the best of what we face
and thank God for sustaining grace.

Skippy’s Winding Path
By larry r Linville

Skippy was a little dog
who lived out in the country.
Fluffy, a long haired kitty,
met him by a maple tree.

They talked with one another
and soon they became good friends
following a curvy path
to try to find where it ends.

When they neared a little pond
out hopped Jeremy the frog
and when they passed a big barn
they welcomed Herman the hog.

They continued down the path
up to a fork in the road
and couldn’t make up their minds
so they asked Thomas the toad.

“To the right or you’ll be left,”
said Thomas with a smile
and they followed after him
for what seemed like a mile.

The path’s end was just ahead
it was a big surprise
they looked at one another
and couldn’t believe their eyes.

They were back where they started
it began just where it ends
but now it was different
because they were now all friends.

When you life goes in circles
and you don’t know where you are
just look at the friends you have
when you haven’t traveled far.

God is the God of circles
watching us from above
and helping us find new friends
with which we can share God’s love.

Brunch in the Flower Garden
By larry r Linville

She was blessed with such a green thumb
Her plants grew and blossomed with great ease
She has tulips and marigolds
And a fence row of bright sweet peas.

There were beautiful rows of roses
And gladiolas to make you glad
While your eyes beheld the irises
Next to the pond’s green lily pad.

The bachelor buttons spread their hue
Around the big lilac bush
Near the bubbling water fountain
Where the beautiful goldfish rush.

The garden was such a lovely place
To entertain all her close friends
So she wrote out on nice stationary
Invitations with her colored pens.

“Come to my morning garden brunch.
We’ll call out the Army and Navy
We’ll fry up some sausage and bacon
And feature hibiscus and gravy.”

First Morning at Camp
By larry r Linville

Standing outside the cabin
campers sleeping in their cot
air smells good and so refreshing
before the day get very hot.

The birds and little creatures
sing the songs they’ve always sung
it’s like the day of Pentecost
their message comes in every tongue.

This symphony of nature
seems to be for me alone
which I hear uninterrupted
by the ringing of a phone.

Within me is a feeling
of nostalgia and great bliss
from many years of camping
which busy lives seem to miss.

The new campers will awaken
to create a special time
and some day may stand right here
with those feelings so sublime.

So standing here beneath these trees
in the early morning shade
I take time to remind myself
this is the day the Lord has made.

Camp Counselor Prepares
By larry r Linville

I’m settled in my room and bunk
Soon the campers will arrive
I’ll start with abundant stamina
And hope til the end to survive.

I’ve done this many times before
And I know I can do it again
But I still get a little nervous
When it’s time for each camp to begin.

I was a camper at the age of twelve
My first time away from my home
My mother had packed my suitcase
And forgot to put in my comb.

This time the suitcase was also full
I had all that I needed I felt
Although I don’t need a comb today
My suitcase was lacking a belt.

I have lost all my bright red hair
But I’ve added much weight don’t you see?
Lacking a belt instead of a comb
Could be embarrassing to me.

The campers have started coming now
I guess I should swallow my pride
It may be very hot outdoors
But most of the time I’m inside.

Time With God at Camp
By larry r Linville

The campers are all swimming
and here it’s just God and me.
There are no big distractions
no radio or TV.

I sit in the sweet stillness
my mind open to God’s Word.
Perhaps it will be sent
in the singing of a bird.

When they come back I’ll tell them
a Bible story of old
which gives a modern message
so simple their minds can hold.

We’ll season it with action
so it will have an appeal
leading them to Jesus’ day
and make it seem so real.

I pray the Spirit enter
into my soul and heart
so I can share it with them
before we have to part.

Now that I’ve had my time with God
and the kids are coming back
I’m prepared for the study
and I know we’ll be on track.

Golf Cart Blues
By larry r Linville

He used to own a golf cart
and drove from home to the club.
He covered well the fairways
and seldom did he flub.

He could drive in bad weather
with an iced tea in his hand
and keep up with the best of them
with all four tires on the land.

Sitting at the steering wheel
he knew he still had his skill
with two nice ladies with him
he started up the hill.

Rounding corners gracefully
so well he thought he’d pop
but the nightmare soon developed
when he finally tried to stop.

He gently touched the pedal
to cause the cart to stop
but it accelerated
and at the curb took a hop.

The more he hit the pedal
the faster that missile sped
and everyone was watching
as he wished that he was dead.

He clung to the steering wheel
his rear was far from the seat
the ladies with white knuckles
tried to act so discrete.

When all the dust had settled
and they learned they all were fine
he looked down to the pedals
and then he began to whine.

He understood the feelings
of that senile guy in his town
who drove into the drug store
and could never live it down.

Little Girl at Church
By larry r Linville

They put her in a pretty dress
with a fancy bow in her hair.
But she was six and couldn’t see
and was so bored setting there.

She got off the uncomfy chair
And sat in the middle of the aisle.
She looked around at her mother
who’s face wasn’t wearing a smile.

She came to life when the children sang
a song they learned at Bible school.
She put on her white sun glasses
and gave her arms a big wide whirl.

When she got back to her seat
a little baby was baptized.
She sat up very attentively
to see what was before her eyes.

As the preacher started the sermon
she climbed up by mother on a chair
and though she squirmed a little bit
she continued sitting there.

Sometimes I’m like that little girl
I’d like to sit on the floor.
And there are times I’m restless
at the things that seem to bore.

It’s only when I get involved
that I see the boredom go.
It’s then and only then
that my faith begins to grow.

School Days
By larry r linville

I didn’t know how school would go.
They kept teaching things I didn’t know.
I attended a country one room school
where older kids thought I was a fool.

When my answer was wrong they would stare
making me wish I wasn’t there
but the teacher asked them questions too
which they missed before they were through.

They were smarter than when they came
so if I studied I’d do the same.
The next year I looked at a new class
seeing what I had learned to pass.

Each year had more for me to learn
and I was filled with great concern
that I’d soon sing a different song
because I’d stayed there much too long.

I made it through my college day
so seminary came my way.
At each step I worried a lot
thinking my ignorance would get caught.

When that last diploma was earned
and I though of all I have learned
I told myself I’d finished school
and no one could call me a fool.

With school done my learning goes on
and it seems like I’m never done.
Wisdom tells us we’re always a fool
and every day we are still in school.

Obesity Guidelines
By larry r Linville

Who decides how much I should weigh?
Where’s their authority to say?
Are they also fat like you and me
or just as skinny as they can be?

Do they know they want me to weigh
less than I did on graduation day?
I know I’m fat as fat can be
but I’d look bad at one thirty-three.

I had my feet in the stirrup
until that crazy fructose corn syrup
was placed in everything I ate
which was piled high upon my plate.

It seemed that the tempting food
that looked and tasted very good
was not the thing good for me
but I just couldn’t let it be.

I just don’t like someone fat
wanting to make me like Jack Sprat
with anything short of a knife.
I must settle to be like Sprat’s wife.

My Best Sermon
By larry r Linville

“What’s the best sermon you’ve preached?”
she asked me out of the blue.
I’ve preached over three thousand
how could I pick one or two?

Did she mean the one I liked best
or one that the members preferred?
I don’t have a single sermon
that all of the people have heard.

Sometimes the people seemed to like
the sermons I thought were poor.
They came to the door with a smile
requesting I preach it some more.

Sermons I thought were very good
often had no response at all
and if anything positive was said
I simply do not recall.

Since that question I’ve thought a lot
and there is not one I can give.
So I really think my best sermon
was preached by the life I live.

Little Boy at the Auto Garage
By larry r Linville

I made a new friend yesterday
whose skin was much darker than mine.
He asked me to sit beside him
and this boy was only nine.

He said his name was Michael
as he ate apple slices and sauce.
Soon his mother entered the room
and I cold tell she was the boss.

What a good boss she was to him
I could she the love in her eyes
as she helped him to be polite
so he wasn’t rude like other guys.

We talked about our diabetes
and how I was sixty years older
then he talked about bugs and snakes
as his ease with me became bolder.

We shared our common interests
even deaths we both have had.
He lost an older brother
and I’d lost my mother and dad.

When he went to the restroom
I bragged on the good child she had
and I complimented her
on raising such an nice lad.

I may never see those two again
our paths may not ever meet
but for one short hour of bliss
I shared time that was so neat.

A Bird’s Family Tree
By larry r Linville

Mother bird was full of pride
as her babies filled the nest
of all her eggs that had hatched
she knew these babies were best.

She brought them food all day long
greeted by their little tweets
thinking of the work she must do
because of all each baby eats.

Soon she decides to tell them
as she approaches the tree
about the reason they are there
and she tells their history.

She tells them of thousands of years
every bird has built a nest
and laid their eggs and waited
while Mother Nature did the rest.

She said when they grew older
they would give their wings a try
and every single one of them
would find out how to fly.

Next year it would be their turn
to build their own little nest
and she knew she could teach them
so they could all pass the test.

Next time you hear the chirping
while the feeding is taking place
remember their conversation
with a knowing smile on your face.

Too Overly Redundant
By larry r Linville

“Did you mean to say what you said?”
a parishioner asked of me
following a Sunday sermon
and his face was full of glee.

What had I said in that sermon
that gave him such a laugh
as he pointed out to me
my latest grammatical gaffe?

“You said right in the middle
it was too overly redundant.”
I was so embarrassed at that
sentence with errors so abundant.

How expressive it must have been
like a lady so wordily dressed.
It covered the subject to well
and the point so completely stressed.

“I didn’t mean to say it this time,”
I said with an ear to ear smile.
“But next time I’ll do it on purpose
and I’ll do it with power and style.”

Have A Good One
By larry r Linville

There is a phrase I hate to hear
It seems to stick hard in my ear
After all the business is done
They seem to shout, “have a good one!”

“Have a good one”, I hear them say
“a good what?” I ask – they say “good day.”
Say what you mean and mean what you say
It’s not a “good one” it’s a “good day.”

A “good one” is so inconclusive
And furthermore is so allusive
Why don’t they just say what they mean
And don’t use words which are in between?

If “have a good day” is meant
They should show their real intent
But if they mean have a good cry
They can let their comments pass me by.

“Thank you” used to be good enough
But someone added this other stuff
So, my friend, I bid you adieu
When my business with you is through.

Looking Back At Ministry
Larry r Linville

I look back on my ministry
and think how it could have been better
If I’d known then what I know now
even though I was a go-getter.

I know I gave it all I had
and tried to improve every day.
Each experience helped me grow
and follow God along the way.

New methods have been introduced
and computers have been employed.
We have upbeat music to sing
with the hymns we’ve always enjoyed.

Many old experiences
with fresh approaches from today
provide me with new excitement
converting my work into play.

They say a preacher never retires
and I’ve discovered that is true
even when I don’t serve a church
there is always so much to do.

I must get back to Sunday’s sermon
and make preparations at my best
so I can give inspiration
to the members and any guest.

A Child’s Musings About Flies.
By larry r Linville

Why do flies come in many sizes
Some with big feet and long thighses.
Some have small bodies and tiny eyeses
Each fly is full of big surprises.

Do little flies always stay small
Or after a while do they grow tall?
Are the big flies so much wiser
Or do they spend much time on ‘fertilizer”?

No matter their size, flies are a pest
Certainly not a welcome house guest
Not what we’d want as an insider
Although that would please every spider.

One fly woke up and away he flew
But was replaced by another fly or two.
I slapped at them and they were soon gone
So when I counted I found there were none.

When it’s winter where do they go?
Do they leave to avoid all the snow?
Or do they fly south like they were a bird?
I don’t think so – that’s so absurd.

Long Time – No Poems
By larry r Linville

A good friend complained the other day
I’d done no poems for a while.
“He’s correct”, I said to myself
but how long it’s been I cannot tell.

Was I lacking the discipline
that would make me do the hard work
as I settled back in laziness
trying all my writing to shirk?

I became busy at Easter time
and was tired when it was ended.
So I seemed to take a mental rest
as my poetry was suspended.

During the time things went unnoticed
which would earlier have caught my eye
so I will try to pay attention
and not let those things pass me by.

I'll try again to post a poem and see if it ends up in prose form.

Enduring a Bad Sermon
By larry r linville

What do you do when you’re setting there
as the preacher speaks and you must be fair?
His subject you are ready to hear
but to that topic he isn’t near.

It’s like eating only the pizza crust
and the center leave like it was rust.
When he begins to come near the point
he slips like a bone in a sprained joint.

You feel like you have been on the road
which bypassed the town and never slowed.
The topic he chose sounded real good
but it’s been so long I’ve lost the mood

My calendar I begin to check
I’ve wasted my time but what the heck
I haven’t even made a peep
and I couldn’t even go to sleep.

It makes me wonder what others think
when I preach a sermon that might stink
But I don’t think it could have this smell
Even if it was as bad as hell.

This blog is really messing up. I can't figure it out. I'll keep trying.

Communion Shirt by Larry R Linville I'm looking for a purple shirt. The pattern can be plain. I'll wear it to communion and it won't show a stain. I dip that bread into the cup but when I raise it to my lip a purple drop lands on the chest of my light shirt which isn't hip. Perhaps I should just wear a bib which other people would think strange or have another shirt we me and go to the bathroom and change. What would you do my dear fine friend if this kept happening to you? Maybe I'll try your suggestion or a polka dot shirt will do.

I don't know why my previous entry didn't take poetic form. I've tried to revise it several times. Perhaps in a day or so I can edit it and it will take proper form.

A poem about a special friend

Reunion for First Grade Friends By larry r Linville We started first grade together at a small one room country school. Both at such a tender young age today you’d say each was a fool. In December a bright star shone in the skies each night after dark which the teacher said was the star that over the manger did park. I became very excited but was shocked Joe didn’t believe. I gave a Bible comic book to Donnie Joe for Christmas Eve. A year later my family moved and we each went separate ways. He spent his life as a truck driver and as a preacher I gave God praise. I often wondered if he believed but I figured I’d never know. I didn’t know he met a girl and at her church his faith would grow. I received a message from Joe inviting me to visit him at his room in the hospital where his illness was very grim. We talked about so many things and he gave a special look as he said words that touched my heart telling me he still had that book. I went back to his room today as the old men we were teary eyed. While I spoke words holding water and Donald Joseph was baptized. Sixty three years ago these boys would never have guessed this day could bring such a blessing to both leaving them without words to say. He could have done this years ago but it wouldn’t have been the same for some other humble preacher to speak his special Christian name.

The Lawn Wakes Up
By larry r Linville

The yellow yard woke up today
and tried to decide what to say.
It shouted to the sleepy grass
that winter was about to pass.

Dandelions would seek a head start
along with weeds that we call smart.
Crab grass needed no second call
like other weeds next to the wall.

With a little shower and sun
the sap in trees started to run.
The grass’s envy could be seen
as it began to turn bright green.

The lawn began to feel very good
as the spreader applied plant food
and just like in a barber’s chair
the mower trimmed everything there.

It was just a few weeks ago
that the yard was covered with snow.
Now until the summer is spent
we will enjoy its fragrant scent.

The All Too Real Dream
By larry r Linville.

It must have been a dream
I guess I’ll never know.
It began to appear
Like melting of the snow.
There stood a tall schoolhouse
A splendor in its day.
The children studied hard
Then went outside to play.
They were very happy
And they looked very smart
The great joy of learning
Encompassed every heart.

Then the scene seemed to change
Right in front of me
People in black suits
Wearing a white DC
Began to make changes
Each causing more doom
Throwing out good teachers
And crowing every room
With kids who had no books
Or other equipment
For scientific looks.

They threw out paint brushes
And horns and music stands.
Football games at halftimes
Devoid of marching bands.
So with all their savings
They remodeled mansions
Down at the country club
Where the wealthy prances.
And they built a tall wall
So nobody could see
The product they turned out
Defined as poverty.

And they go to their churches
And proudly ask their god
To take care of the kids
Who act so very odd.
This must have been a dream
Although it seemed so real.
This just couldn’t happen
No matter how we feel.
Not a dream – a nightmare
Recurring every day
Which we watch in horror
Not knowing what to say.

The Farming Gamble
By larry r Linville

My father taught me not to gamble.
He tried to make it very plain.
But he planted seeds in the spring
and gambled that it would rain.

He worked from dawn til after dark
and never traveled very slow
doing all within his power
to help all on the farm to grow.

Gambling’s getting something for nothing
but that’s not a farmer’s lot.
He works on the coldest winter day
and is there when its very hot.

To milk a cow in a barn that is cold
two hours before the sun rises
is a difficult way to begin
a day of hard work and surprises.

When he tries to sell what he’s raised
he has to take what he’s given
and settle for the best he can get
adjusting his method of livin’.

Something for nothing? – I think not
but there’s something down deep inside
that keeps him out there working
filled with a priceless pride.

New House – Old Barn
By larry r linville

When in a car riding down the road
as a young boy with my dad
he pointed out many things to me
which were both good and bad.

It was his way of transferring
his values on to me.
He knew the words were much better
if there were objects I could see.

At a farm with a modern house
and barn that had seen better days
he said they had it all backwards
because a new house never pays.

When one builds a barn and property
they will bring income to the place
then there will be enough money
that a new house one could embrace.

Infrastructure is our country’s barn
and education grows the crops
which build a solid foundation
and prosperity that never stops.

We need to get priorities straight
like those farmers in days of yore
and put the horse ahead of the cart
and find what bring joys galore.

Before the snow's all gone, I wanted to finish this poem which I started back during the blizzard.

A Squirrel on a Snowdrift
By larry r Linville

The hungry squirrel is very bold
but his paws are getting icy cold
on a snowdrift of at least three feet
looking hard for something to eat.

Those acorns he had put in the ground
where they could be easily found
when the winter’s cold would arrive
so he would be able to survive.

He’s asking if there’s a better way
to store his food for another day.
Perhaps there’s a big acorn bank
or would that be a crazy prank?

Now there’s only one thing to do
but it will cause trouble when he’s through.
He’ll have to find a feeder for birds
and plead with them in clever words.

But none of the feeders had any seeds
for the birds nutritional needs.
The people hadn’t put seeds out there
because of deep snow covering the stair.

So the birds and the squirrel had a plan.
They stood on the patio by a can
and looked as pathetic as they could
as a caring person inside stood.

Soon the door opened and lots of seeds
were thrown out to satisfy their needs.
They ate their fill and turned to go
as they played joyfully in the snow.

Judas Ponders

I was asked by the pastor at North Star to write a poem about Judas betraying Jesus to be used in the Ash Wednesday service. I pondered it a week and here's what I came up with.

Judas Ponders
By larry r Linville

I don’t know what got into him.
Jesus started out giving me hope
But he took a cowardly turn
and all I could do was to mope.

I thought he’d be a true messiah
and throw out Herod and all above
but he spoke words about meekness
and forgiveness and even love.

I knew I needed to force his hand
so to the church leaders I went
and agreed to turn him over
for thirty pieces which they spent.

At the meal he said I’d deny him
and I knew I already had
but since it would force him to act
it really wasn’t all that bad.

When I planted a kiss on his cheek
he calmly turned to me the other
reminding me in a subtle way
how he’d said to treat one’s brother.

Denial is something we do
when we think we know more than God
and we seek to do things our way
to give Jesus a gentle prod.

I pray you can learn a lesson
from my selfish mistaken way.
Align you life with his teaching
and let his love lead you each day.

Trying to Stay Awake
By larry r linville

What do you do when sitting there
with feet propped up in your easy chair
or sitting in that Sunday pew
with others looking right at you
and those eyelids begin to droop
as your shoulders start to stoop?

It isn’t really very odd
that as your head starts to nod
you blink your eyes and shake your head
and move your numb leg that feels dead
then as time continues to creep
you find you’re almost back to sleep.

You pick up something from the floor
to wake you up before you snore
you fight to keep your eyes open wide
so your wife won’t jab you in the side
and nonverbally put you down
with her very expressive frown.

Perhaps a bathroom trip will do
but you go to sleep before you’re through
and you wake up looking at your feet
and find your way back to the seat
but almost let out a loud curse
when you trip over your wife’s big purse.

When you finally leave the place
the preacher smiles in your face
as you say the sermon was great
you put more in the collection plate
and drive home and find your chair
and finish doing your sleeping there.

I wrote this poem during a worship service and used it before we served communion.

A Prayer Before Communion
By larry r linville

O Christ we take your body broken
and your shed blood as more than token
of a love that is beyond all words
which loves as you do little birds.

We come with nothing as a price
knowing we can never be that nice
so bless this loaf and cup we pray
and place your love in our hearts to stay.

Please pick us up and send us out
to let our lives your message shout
and send us out to serve your people
under your great world wide steeple.

A Robin and the Blizzard of 2011
By larry r linville

I saw a robin a while back
I think in the month of December.
I asked why he came north so soon
he said he couldn’t remember.

I told him he may be sorry
because we’d likely have more snow
and I wondered if he’d given thought
to where he would decide to go.

He said his father brought him north
and thought they really should.
So he didn’t know his father’s answer
but he’d ask him first time he could.

Now we have a great big blizzard
with deep snowdrifts all around.
I’ve looked for that robin everywhere
and he is nowhere to be found.

I wonder if he talked to his father
and found out where he should go
and is safely in a safe warm place
or shivering in the cold, cold snow.

I hope to see him when the snow melts
and I hope that he’s okay.
Perhaps next year when he heads north
he’ll decide on a week’s delay.

Read Me A Story
By larry r Linville

“Mommy”, said the little girl
“will you please read this book?”
Mom knew it was the three pigs
she didn’t even have to look.

“Once upon a time” she began
as so many times before
with her daughter wearing a smile
while comfy seated on the floor.

“What funny names” said the girl
as her mother started to read
without missing even a word
with a nod to show she agreed.

“The hair on my chin” brought laughter
as did the “ I’ll huff and puff.”
She acted as if she was surprised
as the wolf blew down all the stuff.

I thought we should be like this child
when the bible stories we hear
and when we read of miracles
we should stand up as we cheer.

Jesus said we must be like children
as we face each coming day
trying to mature in our faith
so we can learn to obey.

“In the beginning” the story starts
we can get comfy in our chair
and hear with newness each story
even though it was always there.