Poet's Corner
Welcome to Poet's Corner - an archive of just some of the poetry and prose that our members have written. We hope you enjoy reading these!
FRIEND
What a wonderful friend I have in my Lord
Someone faithful, loving and true
I know that I should depend on Him more
In everything that I do.
He's a friend who will never let me down
He never will leave my side
And all He ever asks in return
Is, to in my heart reside.
My Jesus showed when He walked this Earth
How to live a life so pure
I only wish I could be more like Him
And be less insecure.
My friend is such an awesome God
And loves me oh so much
He only wants me to receive the best
To enjoy His special touch
He never ever lets me down
Even though I deserve the worst
And while I sometimes put Him last
He always puts me first.
The peace I get from my Lord above
Can never be matched on Earth
He wants us all to be filled with His joy
To have that special re-birth.
The most wonderful aspect of God's love
Is that the price has already been met
So just invite my Jesus into your life
And your old life just forget.
I know that I'm going to Heaven
Where I'll meet Him face to face
And all the Angels will be welcoming me
When I arrive in that celestial place.
Dave Bishop
Although I have not recorded the date that I wrote this, I feel it is one of my earliest compositions. It was dedicated to Hilda Barnet (pictured below), a lovely lady who had been a long time member of the fellowship at Radford Semele Baptist Church. She always counted our Saviour as her friend. DB
Hilda Barnet was an active member of our church well into her 90's. For many years she was involved in many aspects of the work of the church, particularly children's and youth work. Some of our members remember when Hilda helped to run our Sunday school which regularly had upwards of 60 children attending each week!
LIFE GIVER
The birth of a child is so special
Yet Lord, no match for what you can do
How merely by your breath created Adam
Formed in the likeness of you.
You gave life to both Adam and Eve
To live lives that were free from sin
Yet they both fell short of your standard
But as the Life Giver you never gave in.
You never gave up on what you began
So sent your only begotten Son
To show how men should respond
And follow Jesus where He had gone.
Jesus was the Life Giver
Who came with a specific intent
To lead His flock to a better life
To understand what He meant.
What He meant as a real Life Giver
What purpose their lives should mean
How they should seek the Spirit
That how their hearts should be clean
How that He is the Potter
And your lives he would mould
That your hearts should be on fire
And never ever go cold.
He will bring life in abundance
Our lives will never be the same
Because He loves each one of us
And knows each one by name.
Our Lord as the Life Giver
Will all our needs provide
And through the power of the Spirit
Will always be at our side.
Dave Bishop (May 2015)
LISTENING
I sit here Lord with pen in hand
Listening out for what you're saying
But all I hear is a silence
I really cannot be praying
I know that there are many things
That you want me to share
Such as your wonderful heavenly love
And the way that you care
There is of course so much more
Your patience mercy and joy
Your comforting and healing hands
Are there for all to employ
In spite of where I'm at with you
On me your blessings you enfold
You value me so much more
Than diamonds silver or gold
So Lord although I may not be hearing
It's quite clear the message is real
That you're using others to comfort me
While my broken heart you heal
Dave Bishop Nov. 2012
His Creation
My God as I walk through the forest
I see so much that Your hand has made
The trees, plants, the birds and more
So wonderfully displayed
Each tree is oh so different
In size and colour and feel
And the myriad number of plants I see
Make the scene appear so unreal
Not only do Your colours abound
But the aromas delight my heart
The sounds only add to my joy
It was always like this from the start
So from the start of Creation
Man has enjoyed all that You provide
And God asks no more than
That you would always in Him reside
So Father we do thank you
For all that your hands put in place
As we gaze on those wonderful sights
We see Your Glorious Face
Dave Bishop
16/11/10
GOD'S HEART
O Heavenly Father when you look down
On my troubled and stony heart
You must wonder where I went wrong
And whether I deserve a fresh start
My heart is imprisoned in all earthly things
And not beating in time with yours
Yet you want my broken heart to mend
And into it your unending love pour
Your heart O Father is holy and pure
And just waiting to entwine with mine
But Lord I need to find the key
So please give me a sign
I need to come to you my Father
To lay all my sin at the door
Then you can start the holy healing
So I can love you more and more
So Father above you have the answer
To make my heart beat with thine
To bring real love into my heart
And make it totally divine
Dave Bishop
19/02/2012
LIFE GIVER
The birth of a child is so special
Yet Lord, no match for what you can do
How merely by your breath created Adam
Formed in the likeness of you.
You gave life to both Adam and Eve
To live lives that were free from sin
Yet they both fell short of your standard
But as the Life Giver you never gave in.
You never gave up on what you began
So sent your only begotten Son
To show how men should respond
And follow Jesus where He had gone.
Jesus was the Life Giver
Who came with a specific intent
To lead His flock to a better life
To understand what He meant.
What He meant as a real Life Giver
What purpose their lives should mean
How they should seek the Spirit
That how their hearts should be clean
How that He is the Potter
And your lives he would mould
That your hearts should be on fire
And never ever go cold.
He will bring life in abundance
Our lives will never be the same
Because He loves each one of us
And knows each one by name.
Our Lord as the Life Giver
Will all our needs provide
And through the power of the Spirit
Will always be at our side.
Dave Bishop
LISTENING
I sit here Lord with pen in hand
Listening out for what you're saying
But all I hear is a silence
I really cannot be praying
I know that there are many things
That you want me to share
Such as your wonderful heavenly love
And the way that you care
There is of course so much more
Your patience mercy and joy
Your comforting and healing hands
Are there for all to employ
In spite of where I'm at with you
On me your blessings you enfold
You value me so much more
Than diamonds silver or gold
So Lord although I may not be hearing
It's quite clear the message is real
That you're using others to comfort me
While my broken heart you heal
Dave Bishop Nov. 2012
Praise be to God in the Heavens Above
Psalm 150
Triolet
Praise be to God in the Heavens above,
Ponder his greatness and limitless power.
Offer up worship with all that you have.
Praise be to God in the Heavens above,
Dancing with joy in response to his love.
Praise him with tambourine, trumpet and lyre.
Praise be to God in the Heavens above,
Ponder his greatness and limitless power.
Eleanor Possart
AUTUMN
Ever since the dawn of creation
When You formed the world by Your hand.
There has been a time of harvest
To enjoy the fruits of the land.
This nation is blessed by the Autumn
For the canvas You spread all around.
You paint a glorious backdrop
Where myriad colours abound.
We see as we walk through harvested fields
So many different colours displayed.
The reds, browns, yellows and more
All putting man’s canvas in the shade.
Man tries to capture the magnificence
The brilliance that You’ve put in place.
But all his attempts are quite futile
He just doesn’t have the space.
Not only do Your colours bedazzle us
There is an aroma so clear and defined.
And the sun and the sky both join in
With displays that blow our mind.
So Lord we know we should thank you
For all that You do provide.
Not only the food for our tables
But everything else beside.
Lord we thank you for our harvest
But yet there is one more we thirst.
It’s the harvest of all the nations
To come to know Jesus Christ.
Dave Bishop Nov 2010
Wisdom – by Eleanor Possart
Romans 11: 33-36
Triolet
Such depth of wisdom unconfined
Has God, whose knowledge knows no bounds,
What counsel needs so great a mind?
Such depth of wisdom unconfined,
No claim against him can I find,
For through our God all things are found.
Such depth of wisdom unconfined
Has God, whose knowledge knows no bounds.
Hope – By Jenny Alderson
What is hope?
Is it wishing, something good will happen?
Something bad will go away?
Is it wishing "Lock Down" will come
to a permanent end?
Is it wishing for a holiday in the sun?
Is it wishing to meet up with family and friends?
Is it wishing to go to the pub with
family and friends for a drink?
I suppose at sometime we all wish for things.
Is it because we are not satisfied
with life as we see it?
Because we want something more.
Not being sure of what more is.
I believe there is only one hope
that will give us everything we need.
It is summed up in a song from the Salavation Army (733).
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus blood and righteousness,
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
AFTER COVID – Jenny Alderson
How will we live when “Lockdown” ends?
Will we be afraid when meeting friends,
Or be so glad, and go raving mad?
Or, hide in a corner, nervous and shy
Wishing the world would pass us by?
Has it been a time for reflection,
Or, boredom, anxiety, feeling forsaken?
Have we learnt anything that will make life better,
Thinking of others, putting them first,
Noticing if they need a helping hand?
Celebrations at Easter had to be cut down
But we could still remember the thorns and the crown.
The victorious victory on Easter Day,
Darkness dispelled and pushed away.
A newness in life given to us
From the King of Kings in heaven above.
**************************************************
Samson: The Last Judge-Deliverer – Eleanor Possart
Symbol of a nation, set apart by God,
Yet unto his calling, faithful he was not.
Driven by his ego, not by God’s design,
Samson mirrored Israel’s spiritual decline.
Anger, lust and vengeance marked the hero’s deeds,
Yet, through Samson’s weakness, God met Israel’s needs.
Israel was delivered from its enemies;
Despite Samson’s failures, God had victory.
Shackled, he was humbled, left without his sight.
Then at last he prayed God would restore his might.
And the sacrifice of one imperfect man
Fulfilled and foreshadowed God’s redemption plan.
*******************************
My Mouth Will Sing – Eleanor Possart
Psalm 71
My hope, my confidence since birth,
A rock throughout my days on earth,
I’ll praise your splendour all day long –
My mouth will sing my heart’s love song.
For my own sins I can’t atone,
Salvation comes through you alone,
And, as my failings I confess,
My mouth will sing your righteousness.
From youth you taught me hour by hour,
I saw your mighty deeds and power,
And even when my end is near,
My mouth will sing to all who’ll hear.
And though my life is marked with pain,
I know I’ll be restored again.
Because from depths my soul you raised,
My mouth will sing this song of praise.
EASTER POEMS by Dave Bishop
SO MANY MANY YEARS AGO
WHEN GOD CREATED MAN
HE MADE A SINLESS IMAGE
HE DID THE BEST HE CAN
BUT SIN CREPT IN SO EASILY
AND SPOILT THE BLESSED BOND
MAN DID NOT LISTEN TO OUR GOD
BUT TO SATAN DID RESPOND
SO MAN CONTINUED TO TRANSGRESS
AND WALK AWAY FROM GOD
HIS LIFE BECAME SO FULL OF WOE
HE WAS UNDER THE DEVIL'S ROD
GOD WOULD WATCH WHAT MAN DID
IN TOTAL AGONY
AND DESPITE THE EFFORTS OF HOLY MEN
HE COULD NOT MAKE MEN SEE
SO IN THE END GOD DID
WHAT HAD BEEN ALWAYS PLANNED
HE SENT HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON
THE ONE FROM HIS RIGHT HAND
JESUS WALKED THIS EARTH SO BOLDY
SHOWING ALL WHERE THEY SHOULD BE
YET STILL THE SO CALLED HOLY ONES
HAD A DIFFERENT STRATEGY
THEIR PLAN WAS VERY SIMPLE
TO SEE HIM CRUCIFIED
YET THAT WAS ALREADY PRE-ORDAINED
GOD'S PLAN WAS REALISED
AND SO OUR LORD WAS RIDICULED
AND MADE TO BEAR HIS CROSS
A PAINFUL WALK TO CALVARY
TO HIS DISCIPLES A TRAGIC LOSS
OUR LORD WAS NAILED UPON THAT CROSS
IN THAT DARK AND DISMAL PLACE
ALL THE AGONY OF THAT PAINFUL DEATH
WAS ETCHED IN JESUS' FACE
AND WHEN AT LAST OUR SAVIOUR DIED
HE KNEW THE VICTORY WAS WON
THEN GOD CAUSED HIM TO RISE AGAIN
HE'D NEVER DESERT HIS SON
SO WE NOW HAVE THE VICTORY
THANKS TO GOD'S SACRIFICE
AND WE SHOULD ALWAYS HONOUR THAT
IN THE WAY WE LIVE OUR LIVES
As you hung on that cross, your arms outstretched
You must have wondered why.
Why did your Father send you to Earth
Well knowing you had to die.
But what happened two thousand years ago,
Was all part of the greater plan.
It was already written in scripture
It happened to try to save man.
For ever since Adam & Eve disobeyed
Man has lived in sin.
And the only way to defeat it
Is through our Heavenly King
So now thanks to the great sacrifice
All our sins can be forgiven.
And Jesus' death upon that cross
Gives us a stairway to Heaven.
If you want a sure hope for the future,
The solution is in your hands,
Just give your heart to Jesus
And become part of His plans.
Lockdown couplets by Duncan Daniels
We all have been in lockdown,
Some shielding on their own,
We're missing friends and family,
And visits to the town.
Now some have been quite busy,
And lots of things did make,
Others digging gardens,
And bakers making cakes.
The weather has been glorious,
Indeed, it's been a treat,
And some went walking in the lanes,
I need to rest my feet.
The days to me pass quickly,
Whilst others find them long,
The spring has made us cheerful,
The birds have been on song.
And whilst our Chapel's doors are closed,
It's not all doom and gloom,
Katherine's with us twice a week,
With help from Rob and Zoom.
Outside our home it's great to see,
Moorhen chicks with bright red beaks,
With goslings, and fluffy ducklings,
New life arrives each week.
But though we sometimes feel alone,
Our feelings we may hide,
No need to worry or be concerned,
With Jesus by our side.
Heroes by Eleanor Possart
I want to hear tales of the heroes of old,
Whose triumphs and failures through scripture are told.
Of Moses, the shepherd, who tended the herd,
Yet spoke unto Pharaoh with God-given words.
For you create heroes from those who are weak,
By giving the timid the courage to speak,
By gently refining and setting apart.
O God work in me to create a new heart.
I read about David, the least of his kin,
In whom mighty God saw the heart of a king.
Who, through vain desire, committed great wrong,
But whose words of repentance are captured in song.
For you create heroes from those who are weak,
Forgiving the sins of the faithful who seek
The ways of the righteous, to make a new start.
O God work in me to create a new heart.
With a covenant God promised Abram a son,
And a nation through whom God would bless everyone.
And though Abram doubted and made his own plans,
He learnt faith by putting his son in God’s hands.
For you create heroes from those who are weak,
You offer up hope when the future is bleak,
You build a new path when the way ahead’s barred.
O God work in me to create a new heart.
After Covid 19 by Jenny Alderson
I haven't found isolation boring
Or time beginning to drag,
I've kept myself quite busy
With all my little scribbles.
I won't be afraid to go out
When once I am set free
To join again in normal life
Whatever ‐------- normal might be.
Will there ever be a "norm"
Like what we had before?
I don't think it really matters
If we've learned a better way.
A way of consideration and concern
For those who live close by.
A way of being friendly to those we hardly know,
Ready to give a helping hand to those who are in need.
Looking out for others, not just for ourselves.
For then the world will be
By far a better place.
Maybe we've all learned lessons
From being in "Lock Down"
Learned to appreciate more of the folk
That usually are around.
We've missed the chatter and the banter,
The laughter and the quarrels
The smiles and tears and newsy bits
Which are a part of life.
Daniel by Eleanor Possart
Faithful from the first,
He lived a life apart.
Tamed hunger and thirst,
And steadfast was his heart.
Loyal he was deemed,
So God improved his mind –
Taught him to read dreams
And visions of all kinds.
Humble in his power,
To God all praise he brought.
In the needful hour,
The help of God he sought.
God answered his plea
And so convinced a king,
Of God’s sovereignty,
He gave an offering.
Upright were his ways,
Corrupted he was not,
Thus his enemies
Condemned him with a plot.
Yet out of the den
Of lions he was raised.
Through his trust all men
Knew God and gave him praise.
Change By Eleanor Possart
Is change something that we should fear?
That step into the great unknown;
When paths ahead are blurred, unclear,
And certainties are overthrown?
Can we resist the pull of time
That tears apart the safety net;
Those constructs, routine or sublime,
That comfort, soothe, or stay regret?
Or should we stand with heads unbowed,
And shed illusory control;
Embrace each chance that life allows
And set ourselves a different goal?
For all that’s wonderful and strange
Comes from a period of change.
What Is Freedom? By Jenny Alderson
Freedom from lockdown
What will we do?
Get in the car and go to the zoo?
Or go to the shops to have a look round.
Will that make us happy
Or that make us sad?
When we can go anywhere
Will that make us glad?
Is that what freedom really is
To please ourselves in the way we live
Freedom from Christ gives freedom from sin
Reconciling us to Him.
Everlasting life comes after death.
Eternally in His presence to rest.
Darkness all gone in His wonderful light
Overcome by His death on that terrible night.
My Jesus, my Lord I thee adore.
And I will love You forever more.
For You have shown us what true freedom is,
Also the way our lives we should live
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