Behold His Coming!
Poetry For Your Quiet Meditation
By: Doug and Maggie Greenfield
Behold His Coming
BEHOLD HIS COMING
Behold the day is coming
When the world shall be aflame;
The wicked fearful running,
The proud bow down in shame.
Arise the Son of Righteousness
With healing in His wings;
And they that follow Him in grace,
Escape the wrath He brings.
Here lies the choice of everyone
With proud or righteous name;
To fly with Jesus when He comes,
Or face the certain flame.
Malachi four
© 2003 by Doug Greenfield
Life Beyond the Mist
Life Beyond the Mist
I strained to look but could not see
Beyond the mist ahead,
Help ! was my solemn plea
My fear I’d end up dead!
Lift up the cloud, I called on high
And let me see the way,
Fear says I am too young to die
So help me now, I pray.
You don’t enquire wisely,
Came the still small voice of God,
To clear the way for you to see
And travel your own road.
Put your hand in My hand
And let Me lead the way,
With all your soul on Me depend
And trust Me all the way.
So I put my hand in His hand
A happier man was I,
For now I travel this great land
His light to lead me by.
© 2005 Douglas W. Greenfield
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5
Who Looks for Whom
WHO LOOKS FOR WHOM?
Oh, who can know
The ways of man,
His search each day
To understand?
Why he is here
Or what he should do,
With this complex world
He is subject to?
He stands amid
Creation and sky,
Pondering all
And wondering why.
Should I fear?
Is there a God?
What does matter
On this earth I trod?
If I study hard
And strive all day,
Will I find God
Along the way?
“Your duty, O man
Is increasingly plain,
Your days of search
Are but in vain!
For long ago
In another world,
Plans were made
Being now unfurled.
This search, O man
Is not for you,
It’s the Lord your God
Who looks for you!
So rest from the search
Why look for more?
God knocks at your heart
Just open the door!”
© 2004 Doug Greenfield
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Revelation 3:20
For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
Quietly Beautifully
*Quietly Beautifully*
Pastel colours flood the sky,
Quietly filling the land
With swirls of paint from His palette,
A work of the Artist’s hand.
Colours change as the scene unfolds
With divine inspired dimension,
What a mighty brush He freely wields
To capture our attention.
Each day He paints, as the seasons turn
Through winter, spring and fall,
While man looks on and seeks to learn
The origin of it all!
Quietly and beautifully, nature
Undaunted in its secret task,
Turns your attention to its Creator
His gift of grace to ask.
When I consider the heavens far
The work of His mighty hand,
The wonder of the moon and the stars,
How excellent is His name!
© 2006 Doug Greenfield
Based on Psalm Eight.
The Intricate Snowflake
Snowflakes
Fluffy snowflakes drifting down
Gently settling to the ground
Breathless in this peaceful land,
Where ne’er there's a sound.
Winter does exert its claim
On grass and leaves and soil;
To blanket all in powder white,
The summer green to foil.
See the peaceful gentle doe?
So graceful is her form,
Soft eyes loving all she sees
In the pale light of morn.
The forest’s quiet beauty cries
Please do not disturb,
For it is in this peacefulness,
God’s still small voice is heard.
© 2006 Doug Greenfield
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
Psalm 104:24
When You're in Control
WHEN YOU’RE IN CONTROL
It’s a great feeling
When you’re at the helm,
With the wind in your favour
And the water so calm.
When you’re in control
And the sailing is fine,
Reach out to Him
While there is still time.
For beyond the fog
In the thick misty cloud,
Disaster awaits you
If you stand too proud.
So call upon Him
While He is near,
Put your life in His hands
You’ll have nothing to fear
© 2006 Doug Greenfield
The Steps Of Life
STEPS OF LIFE
You don’t remember do you?
those first hours of life
when Mother held you close.
You knew the warmth of her body
her loving touch
you nuzzled in her softness
and were nourished by her love.
Then came the night in which
you slept by yourself
alone in your crib.
Life had begun to change
gently you were offered independence
a virtue you were not sure you wanted.
You grew and developed
life was fun with much to learn.
Each new day the same soft love was there for you
each passing month you grew more and more independent.
You stood at Father’s knee and reached
not daring to risk a step.
You yielded to fear and crawled to the toy box.
Then came the day when your legs were strong
and so was your will.
You made that first tenuous step.
You let go of security and launched out on your own.
You learned that you could go where you wished
on your own power.
Now you are five
your parents are preparing you for the next big step,
soon you will leave the security of home
you will begin your education,
12 years of preparation for life.
All too quickly comes the first night away from home.
Now you stand alone in front of the class.
Then you experience a week at camp
with Mother far away.
Each passing day you learn that you must stand alone,
be your own person
learn to make good decisions.
As the years slip by
your maturity is measured by your independence.
A young adult now
grade school is behind you.
You step out on your own once again this time it’s not your first step
or your first night away from home
but more seriously your first “life” away from home.
The small apartment is at first cold.
There is food in the refrigerator and a familiar photo hangs on the wall
thanks to Mother.
These are small remembrances of home.
If school was a foreign land compared to home
university becomes a whole new world.
All the morals and values that you were taught as a child
are challenged here on a daily basis.
Will you stay strong?
Or will you concede to new values,
strange philosophies, different morals.
Mother and Father are now far away.
You must stand for what is right,
but what is right?
So many choices.
The world is full of people.
Different people than you knew as a child.
Some are warm and kind,
many are cold and selfish.
Who am I?
What will I do in this world?
Can I do what I wish?
go where I want?
or be who I would be?
I will try pleasure.
This is good -- for a moment!
but I find no lasting satisfaction.
Possibly I will join those who spend time in the bliss
of an induced utopia away from reality.
I don’t think so; I find little meaning in their lives.
Sports are the answer -- maybe.
They are strong and healthy
here I find team worth,
acceptance and order.
I am somebody here, I am needed
I can make a difference.
Times goes by, I made a difference,
In the game -- but not in the world.
I am empty again.
I feel alone; I need.
Love comes like a sweep of glory.
My partner is wonderful
I am appreciated anew
life is sweet.
However,
my partner isn’t quite perfect.
I am responsible.
Daily decisions are hard,
I don’t have all the answers.
I feel inadequate.
Our love is sweet but life is hard.
So many roads to travel, so much to do.
I have a job that pays the bills.
I have a home that is secure.
But,
something is missing
I visit Mother and Dad,
Good memories, laughs.
I still need something;
direction or meaning or something.
I am not just a number, a primate among many
am I?
I pour my life into work, I excel.
Now my marriage is uncertain.
The love of my life that I depend on
is looking for new love.
I am crushed.
My heart is crying out
Help, HELP, HELP
My friends all have their own troubles
they cannot help.
All that is precious is leaving
I am dying inside.
There is none to help.
I walk by the water
quiet and in pain
I – have – need – of -- life
If life is only pain,
if I am not needed,
if this is all there is
why should I remain?
I consider the consequences of this option.
It feels dark and cold.
Foreboding
Fearful
I don’t like this option.
Is there no one to help?
Will anybody understand my pain?
I call out once again,
to the sky, the air, the distance,
no one answers.
Then comes a person,
there is kindness in their eyes.
They seem to care.
I let them.
Relief
someone does care!
I lean on them. Yet I do not trust.
They assure me that there is more to life,
but what can there be?
My love is gone,
so are my work and my life.
I tolerate their teaching for their love.
New philosophy, religion.
I don’t care for it,
I don’t trust.
Out of respect I learn
I am taught to hope.
I find acceptance, meaning, direction.
But all are words - just words.
Could some far away being
be interested in me?
I doubt that.
I am but one of the millions of primates on this sorry planet
and I have failed, like so many others.
I can’t see that I have any value outside of this world.
Like sheep outside the flock
we live and die and no one really cares!
But
I am assured that
this is not true;
There is One who loves us no matter what.
Still in the pain of loss and failure
I patiently listen.
I wish it were true.
It sounds too good, too easy.
But I could use a friend like this.
Again by the water, I look to the sky.
Again I find myself searching, wanting.
My lips are shut but my heart cries out.
Help HELP HELP
Tears.
But wait - there is that warmth again
But no one is here.
I have questions.
More questions.
I hunger for the truth
I am handicapped by doubt.
My old friends are all against me.
My heart longs for home
but I have no home.
Each day I cry out,
Each day - I am heard
at last!
There is someone! I know love once again.
Not physical love.
My love grows. I seemingly walk alone
but not alone.
Life is changing, fear is fading, doubt is dissolving.
I have new friends -- no, family
once again.
I again have value
Significance and acceptance strengthen me.
I am offered a job; I am not ready for a job.
The job is good.
My boss is understanding.
Security is growing.
What great luck to find a job this good,
Thank you.
A year goes by, I am strong now, and life is full of meaning
I live daily with satisfaction.
I have good friends, secure, honest, caring.
I walk by the water again
I am thankful.
I contemplate all that I learned,
having spent most of my life developing independence
how ironic to discover that
true life consists in absolute dependence.
Each day we walk and we talk.
He tells me
He has been waiting for me for a long, long time.
I am finally home.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:11
© 2004 Doug Greenfield
The River Of Time
The River of Time
Time, powerful, intangible and inescapable, that silent medium upon which the whole universe is directed, as it were on some great assignment. This irrepressible flow holds every living creature captive from inception to decay.
Each life flounders anxiously in the froth of this torrent, each spark of existence, desperately grasping for some hint of life's meaning. Like amoeba, microscopic in relation to the vastness of the universe, seemingly insignificant - - assigned to the flow.
We say, oh that we could control our fate, transcend the flow and escape the looming cascades ahead. Tenuous and vulnerable are we, but precious creations of the Master of the water; our purpose is His, our meaning in Him.
Many struggle against this great flood and attempt to attract other insurgents to defy the Master; theirs is a futile effort to change the River's course for selfish purposes. The torrent sweeps on, unending, undaunted! Indeed, who is worthy of a different course and who can find the peaceful shore?
This secret is not found in the water but in the purpose of the Master of the water! The rapids and the foam hold meaning unknown to us, created for our testing, charted for our destiny, a proving ground that will ultimately determine our end --- or our beginning!
Those who desire to learn of the meaning of the River must inquire of the Master, what is their purpose in the flow. To those alone, will be granted quiet water and the gift of a bridge.
"Seek Him while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near, let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and the Lord will have mercy upon him and the Master will abundantly pardon."
Douglas W. Greenfield © 2006
My Mandate
My Mandate
I stood in the quiet meadow - and observed the hand of God,
I saw His design in the petal - of life He instilled in the sod.
Bird song gave me pleasure
The sun was warm overhead;
All His creatures were happy,
Who seek His hand to be fed.
In the restful quiet of the wild
As the seasons come and go;
He taught me there as a child,
Of His wisdom, manifold.
Go out, He said to my spirit
Into the world of men;
With all you learned from the quiet land - and share My love with the pen.
My glory is seen the world around
In the beauty of the land;
That men can know My love abounds,
And turn to seek My hand.
© 2006 Douglas Warren Greenfield
"What may be known about God is plain to you, because God has made it plain to you. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:19
In The Beginning
In The Beginning
BEFORE there were fish in the sea
BEFORE there were tracks in the sand
BEFORE the nations came to be
I AM !
BEFORE the creatures were all formed
BEFORE the dinosaur could stand
BEFORE Darwin was born
I AM !
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD AND THE WORD WAS GOD. HE WAS WITH GOD IN THE BEGINNING---
And He still is -------
© 2005 Doug Greenfield
All The World's Wealth
All The World's Wealth
I considered all the world's wealth
As I dreamed of being rich,
I didn’t need the luxury or fame
What I really wanted was the power
To give me more control.
Controlling others was not my hope
But to just direct my life
In such a way as I would want
And to do it MY own way!
So no one else could tell me
Do this or that for me
But to go where and when I want to
At my bidding not theirs.
So now for 30 years or more
I’ve been spoiled to say the least
Going where I want to
And making my own way.
If you would ask
If I were happy now
I’d have to say alas
That life is not so great
I tried it all
Lived life to the top
Bought what I wanted
Lacked nothing.
What I learned was that
Happiness does not depend
On money or things or prestige
I was lonely and sad and broken.
Then one day I answered the call
That the Lord had extended to me,
There I gave Him the power
My life to direct instead.
Today my life is better
With my knowledge of His word
With the Spirit resident within
And His seal upon my soul.
D. Greenfield
The Secret
The Secret of the Sunshine Coast
Now here’s a land so outstanding
This place nestled down by the sea,
Where many people come travelling
Majestic mountains to see.
You arrive from Vancouver by ferry
Your eyes open wide by the scene,
Grandeur is splashed on the setting
Like nowhere else you have been.
This land, you say to your partner!
It must be the perfect place
To flee from our stressful life
And escape the fitful pace
“I’m here” you state, so triumphant
“No one can send me away,
Now that I’ve seen all this beauty
I want to get out there and play.”
But soon you notice a difference
In the people you see around town,
You squint and you ponder and study
‘Til the puzzle starts getting you down.
You see the sadness and sorrow
You find, as you look at the place,
Folks so depressed and dejected
It’s painfully etched on their face.
“It must be the hippies that’s different”
You say to your friend as you walk,
“Or maybe it’s pot that I’m smellin’ ”
As you brush by the folks in the shop.
You notice that people are cursin’
And smoking this stuff as they go,
Clearly you see what’s the matter
And you chock it up to the dope.
The wackie tobackie they’re smoking
Has damaged their brain to the core,
Sensible thoughts now avoid them,
And leave them wanting for more.
“So that’s why this place is so secret”
You turn to your friend and say,
“Prosperity flees from a people
Who squander their lives this way.”
“Shall we stay?” you ask of each other
“Can we not be affected by this?”
Seeing so many that suffer
With drug induced laziness.
We thought for a while over coffee
Then made our decision strong,
We’d move right in beside them
And we’ll bring the Good Book along.
Our wisdom won’t come from the prairies
Or from Eastern Meditate,
It won’t come from the Government
Tending affairs of state.
If you found it alone you’d be lucky
While wandering the world around,
Only because you weren’t looking
In a place where it could be found.
You couldn’t have guessed its location
That’s because it is open to view,
So cleverly printed on pages
And stored at the front of the pew.
It’s a book that contains all the wisdom
For living life to the full,
And lovingly christened “The Bible”
Food for our spirit to grow.
This book shows the way to find Jesus
Printed neatly in chapters unfurled,
For those hungry souls who are searching
For power to change their own world.
© 2005 Douglas W. Greenfield
Jesus, through the eyes of John
Jesus, through the eyes of John
The Word made flesh
Who spoke the world into being;
Came down from the Father
So the blind could become the seeing.
He made the world
But him it did not recognize;
He came to his own
Who did not receive Him, nor apologized.
The true light
Shining in the dark;
One and only Son of the Father
Who asked, "To Me, will you hark?"
The Son of God
Who testified to the truth;
Did exactly as the Father commanded,
Conducting himself as living proof
Proof of the Father's love
And to take away the sin of the world;
To rescue from sin and death,
Those who into hell would surely be hurled.
Lamb of God
Messiah, the Christ;
Jesus of Nazareth,
The living Bread of Life!
Giver of grace and truth
He spoke with authority and wisdom;
And in Him was life,
Sharing equally with the Father in His Kingdom.
He challenged unbelief head-on
Not shying away from adversity;
Born a Jew, yet died for Jew and Gentile,
For all races of diversity.
This Jesus spoke miracles into being
And was learn-ed without earthly education;
Unblemished and spotless,
Causing religious leaders great trepidation.
This heavenly King
Who led His followers by example;
Revealed his wondrous power
Both in and outside the temple.
Protective of His Father's house
He threw the moneychangers out!
People of Jerusalem soon learned
Here was a man with spiritual clout.
They called Him "Rabbi" and "Teacher"
But hated Him without reason;
His own brothers did not believe in Him,
Even mocking Him for a season.
The Good Shepherd who knows His sheep
Knew all things and all thoughts;
Though knowing all that was within man,
With the ultimate price, our salvation He bought.
He was God and yet human
Taught openly in synagogues and the temple;
Became tired, hungry and thirsty,
Compassionate with the lame, the blind and the sinful.
Jesus grieved and wept openly
Over the death of a close friend;
His intense and deep love
For humankind did not end.
Protective of His disciples
In the garden He did stand;
"For whom are you seeking?
I am that man."
He loved His disciples the same
As his Father loved Him;
Calling them His friends
Even though they deserted Him.
All He learned from his Father
Jesus made known to His own;
And the faithful who have come after
Receive the same, and have their sins atoned.
He is the vine, we are the branches
Appointing us to bear fruit;
Apart from Him, we can do nothing,
To bring the Father glory we must follow His suit.
Jesus showed the world
The full extent of His love,
Becoming the sacrificial Passover Lamb
Though feeling rejected from Above.
Mocked, shamed, beaten and tortured
He willingly went to the cross,
Knowing the full price would be paid
And that "none of His" had been lost.
Not one of His bones were broken
But His side was pierced with a sword;
He declared, "It is finished!"
Knowing all was accomplished for his LORD.
He brought glory to the Father
By completing what He gave him to do;
Buried with kingly honours
He was laid in a new and pure tomb.
Our Saviour, victorious over sin and death
Accomplished what no one else has done,
Arising triumphantly from the dead
Knowing that victory had been won!
Appearing first to Mary
Then his disciples, times three;
Thomas had to see the nail prints
Before, from unbelief he was set free.
Jesus did many things
Not written in John's book;
Too bad they haven't been recorded,
As many would love to have a look.
The Messiah overcame the world
Saying he would return to the Father;
"I will go to prepare a place for you,
And then later, you may follow."
"Let not your hearts be troubled
My presence and love for you shall be this proof
I will send you the Counsellor
The Spirit of truth.
He promised the disciples His peace
Commanding them to testify,
Saying, "I am the resurrection and the life,
On Me you can always rely."
The disciple who witnessed these things
Wrote them down for all to know;
And for those who may be skeptical
He wished to convince by the fine details he told.
© 2002 Maggie Greenfield