From This World

When from this world you do depart,

Where will your life then make its start?

Will you kneel on streets of gold?

Or burn in hell like you were told.

If you say I just don't know,

Then to our Lord you should now go.

Get on your knees and start to pray,

That God will take your sins away.

Accept his son that died but lives,

And accept the blessing he has to give.

But if today you die in sin,

The devil will laugh as you go in.

And in heaven the angels will start to cry,

For you have chosen this way to die.

Jesus died to save us all,

If we will just listen for his call.

For when he came to earth you see,

He shed his blood to set us free.

And then he took death's sting away,

When he arose upon that day.

Now death it cannot hold me down,

For I feel God's spirit all around.

And when each day I kneel and pray,

I feel God's peace throughout that day.

And when I praise my Lord above,

With all I want to share his love.

Amen.

6/5/2011

Rusty Jones

Hands in the Garden

by Charlene Rubush

I while away the hours in my garden so serene
It seems that here I find myself and connect with
my lost dreams. I wanted to be an actress, perhaps

a singer too. But that man of mine said "you
ain't got it" so I just wail my blues. Now
I'm singing for one in my garden delight-

singing the blues to the trees. They answer me
with a balmy rustle of their red and golden leaves.
I grab a spade, I break the ground, it's waiting for

my touch. I plant petunias of rainbow colors, they
brighten up my mood. My garden helps to keep
me sane, it always gives back to me- multitudes

of beauty and great measures of tranquility.


Our Friends the Opossums

by Barbara P. Snell

One day while driving through Bainbridge
I came upon a sad, sad sight,
A little dead opossum in the road
In the early morning light.

After saying to myself a silent prayer
And thinking what words to say,
I had to question, Why people,
Was it necessary to kill this way?

Why do people kill these innocent and creatures
I know they look bizarre
Is it just the thrill of killing
When you're in the safety of your car?

Did you know or did you ever think
Why God put opossums here?
You know He had to have a good reason
And His justification should be very clear.

Opossums help take care of the environment
And they don't bother you and me
However they move so very slowly
And when frightened are unable to flee.

Now we feed an Opossum most every night
And gave Pogo as his name
He eats the cat food and a few table scraps
We saw him last time he came.

He doesn't bother us or the cats
He just fills himself with food
And doesn't come every night to eat
Only when he's in the mood.

So please watch out for this docile wildlife
When you are driving in your car
Opussums are also members of God's family
Just the same as you and me are.

Please check out www.opossum.org/facts.htm to learn more about opossums.


There Was a Tree (Erutan Yob- Nature Boy) inspired by the song

by Charlene Rubush

There was a tree, a
very ancient grapefruit
tree. It traveled skyward

on, wings hither and yon,
bearing fruit for me. And

then one day, its bark
just peeled away. And
that majestic tree, fell

dead and gone.


Made Different

We are made different but yet the same,

As we stop to praise God's name.

For God has made us all you see,

And if we believe then we are free.

Free to live within God's love,

And free to praise our Lord above.

We are not free to live in sin,

For God's spirit now lives within.

So we are now to shout his name,

As we help others to do the same.

For now as teachers we are to be,

For our Lord has set us free.

So let's raise our voice and shout today,

As we chase the devil far away.

Make a joyous noise throughout the land,

And help our brothers now to stand.

For without God all was lost,

Until Jesus died upon that cross.

He then arose to set us free,

And now his spirit lives in me.

So I praise my Father every day,

As I walk within his way.

5/19/2011

Rusty Jones

Train Our Tongues

Train my tongue today I pray,

And teach it what it needs to say.

Teach it not to fuss or fight,

But how to speak within your light.

In my soul let all words start,

And let them flow out through my heart.

For the words that heal that's full of love,

Are always straight from God above.

For when our hearts our open wide,

God's words can come and live inside.

And since his words now live in me,

My pen can set my feelings free.

I'm free to say I love you so.

And to you I want to go.

For when my heart is open wide,

This world can your love inside.

So in God's love let's walk today,

And show to all his narrow way.

 05/10/2011

Rusty Jones

Bainbridge College Japan Week Haiku Winners

   On Wednesday Bainbridge College students had participated in a haiku contest and the first and second place winners read their poems for the vigil. In Japanese tradition a haiku is a poem with three stanzas in five, seven and five syllables that do not rhyme. When asked where he got inspiration for his haiku,  first place winner Blaine Edwards said “haikus are typically about nature and the first thing that popped in my head was a view of earth from space.“ Blaine is 29 years old, lives in Pelham and is majoring in political science. His winning poem reads:

Blue light separates

Magnets create curtains and quiet arcs

The Earth seen from space

Brandon Cox won second place for a haiku that he took from a song he wrote while in an Atlanta-based band called Last. He condensed the last four lines of his song called “The Displaced” into a haiku. Brandon is a 27-year-old from Grady County majoring in psychology. Oddly enough, he and Blaine have been good friends for 10 years. Brandon’s haiku reads:

To see this wave crash

Makes it hard to swallow but

Another follows

    The simplistic style yet the depth of meaning conveyed by the haiku is the true beauty of it as displayed here. The third place for haiku went to Kristan Whatley from Blakely. Thomas Finan and Alyson Elam received honorable mentions.



Easter Colors Bright and Gay

I see the colors so bright and gay,

As it comes to Easter day.

Dresses of yellow, pink and blue,

Don't match the beauty I see in you.

For I see the scars on hands and feet,

When I see my Savior who is so sweet.

For he gave his life upon the cross,

To reach out now to those who are lost.

For we are his voice and his hands,

And we are to help our brothers stand.

We are to praise his Holy name,

As we help others to do the same.

So open your heart and start to pray,

For a revival to come our way.

For revival lives within our hearts,

And in our prayers is where it starts.

So if you want to live God's way,

Open your heart and start today.

Just lend a hand to all you can,

And pray to help our fellow man.

For Easter is a day of love,

When we should praise our Lord above.

4/22/2011

Rusty Jones

Three Crosses

Three crosses stood up on that hill,

When Jesus died for our souls to heal.

He gave his life so all could see,

That through God's grace we are set free.

So I choose to live my life today,

As a light to show all his way.

I chose to walk within his love,

As I praise my Savior God above.

I chose to give my life away,

As Jesus died upon that day.

When his cross stood there for all to see,

And God sent his grace to set us free.

Others may see it just as a tree,

But with Christ's blood it's life to me.

For through his blood I found God's grace,

And now his spirit does fill this place.

For the Holy Ghost lives in my heart,

And with my Lord each day I start.

So let's praise our God who lives on high,

As we let our voices touch the sky.

4/10/2011

Rusty Jones

Olivia

Her body is perfect lines and curves,
graceful, the hidden woman I can see.
Pirouettes, and Sissone flawless,
She is untamable, limitless, and carefree.

Her laughter commands returning smiles
bubbling over with comfortable ease.
She is my dancer, my poet,
my artist, and my tease.

Happiness is her constant companion,
the light in her youthful eyes.
So girlish in her lavish costumes
her outlandish poses and her overly dramatic sighs.

Her love is given without condition,
and in that love I find I am free.
My remarkable child, so long awaited,
Her future a story yet to be.

By: Rayna Andrews