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.