The Tornado

The sky grows dark as the thunder roars in the distance,
And my heart is stirred as I’m reminded of a similar instance.
Though many years have passed it seems like only a short while ago,
That the Lord saw fit to take to heaven the sweetest one I know.

She stood by me for many years through thick and thin as folks often say.
The details are as vivid to me as if it happened only yesterday.
The wind is increasing and tossing leaves and dust into the air.
I can hardly hold back the tears as I think of the love we used to share.

The lightening is flashing now and it’s beginning to rain.
The trees are swaying as the wind sings through them a mournful refrain.
And though I know above the dark clouds the sun is brightly shining,
This doesn’t keep me, for the dearest one on earth to me, from pining.

The tornado came swirling down from above without warning,
And took my sweetheart away on that awful morning.
They say that time heals a broken heart and to some degree that’s true,
But the memory lives on like a scar remains after the healing is through.

The rain is now coming down in sheets as the water runs along the ground.
I remember how hard I prayed that she’d somehow alive be found.
But the Lord had other plans for her and me as I was soon to learn.
He of course knows what is best, though for her I still often grieve and yearn.

Though I’m lonely and miss her so much, my life has not been destroyed.
The Lord has cheered me with His wonderful presence and filled much of the empty void.
We’ll one day be together again where the skies are always blue,
And we’ll walk hand-in-hand and share our love somewhat like we used to do.

I know the Bible says there’ll be no marriage in heaven and the Bible of course is true,
But I somehow believe that those we’ve loved on earth will be even dearer to us then --- don’t you?
So be sure you know the Lord as your wonderful Saviour and Friend,
So you can forever be with those you love after this life comes to an end!

© Copyright 2008 – Thomas Fortenberry

Friends Forever

Two friends whose lives came together many years ago,
Met again today to visit for a couple of hours or so.
Each of their lives has been different and in many ways varies.
Pat is a retired soldier; Tom was never in any of the militaries.

Pat with his family was stationed in Germany for a while.
Folks enjoy his army tales which often evoke a laugh and a smile.
They each fell in love with their wives and married about five decades ago.
Neither has divorced during all those years --- which is rare as most folks know.

They both have wonderful children and fantastic grandchildren too.
Pat’s been retired for several years and Tom’s been retired for a few.
They sat down and had coffee and bacon and eggs together,
And talked about such things as friends and families and the weather.

Real true friendship is something that can’t be bought or sold,
And each appreciates the other more as they head toward growing old.
The most important thing they have in common is Who they know.
They have Jesus in their hearts and the Holy Spirit proves it’s so.

One friend will likely one day stand by his friend’s grave along with others.
But truthfully they’re more than merely friends --- in Christ they are brothers.
So, though they’ll probably have to say goodbye when one passes away,
Forever in heaven they can have meals again together --- much like they did today.

© Copyright 2007 – Thomas Fortenberry

The House Along The Way

I passed an abandoned house the other day,
As I was going rather thoughtlessly on my way.
It was vexed with age and in much disrepair.
Thoughts of home rushed in as I stopped and lingered there.

It was unusually small as homes go today,
As was the yard outside where children no doubt used to play.
The house looked sad as it stood there all alone decaying by itself,
With its vacant rooms, its flaked-off paint, and nothing left on even one kitchen shelf.

Decades ago it probably enjoyed the warmth of a family’s love,
Expressed in chatter and laughter on cold winter nights around a wood-burning stove.
Babies crying and young children giggling as parents coped with it all;
Precious sounds, these, most likely bounced from wall to wall.

The house that once was a home seems to be weeping now,
With its sagging roof, broken windows, and shutters which are still in place somehow.
I couldn’t help wondering where they all are today,
Who once lovingly called that house their home before they moved away.

The family that lived there was different in many ways from all others, of course,
But in some ways families are alike since they all come from the same Source.
It matters not what color or religion we are --- whether we’re rich or poor or somewhere in between,
That we all have a lot in common is actually quite easily seen.

Though I don’t know those who lived there so very long ago,
I’m sure there were times of happiness and much joy, but also days of grief and heart-broken sorrow.
Likely there were babies born, graduations, weddings, and, yes, funerals too.
They surely went through good times and bad times like all of us do.

There were probably measles, chicken pox, and mumps to endure,
But hot soup, Calamine lotion, and lots of love helped to speed the cure.
There were tears brought on by teenage romances, skinned knees, bumped heads, and teeth breaking through,
But they managed to survive and through it all the family’s character grew.

Like most of us, they may have missed the silver lining in the clouds which kept the sun from shining through.
They may have missed the joy of knowing the dross was being burned away and the pure gold --- they may have missed it too.
Arriving at a hectic journey’s end of raising their family through all those years,
They likely failed to see many of the good things along the way through the dust kicked up by their hard work, sweat, and tears.

If those old faded walls could talk and tell the tale of the family they once knew,
The story wouldn’t differ much at all were it told instead about my family or the one that belongs to you.
Much like our friends and neighbors, we all eat and sleep and work and play.
We’re all akin in the sense that God made each of us out of the same hunk of clay.

There’s a lot to be learned from the house I saw that was broken down and old.
Our lives are precious --- they’re worth far more than silver or diamonds or gold.
God gave his Son to purchase our souls from being eternally lost.
Never was such a price paid for anything else --- never such a cost.

That life is a brief, temporary, decaying thing we’re all supposed to know.
It’s so sad that, like that house, many of us must be old and broken down before we really believe it’s so.
I learned to treasure each moment more as I stood quietly by that house that day.
I hated to see it abandoned again, this time by me, and tears welled up as I turned and walked away.

Jesus abandoned His home in heaven to come to earth for you and me,
God Himself abandoned His Son as He hung there suffering on a tree.
An abandoned house, of course, is a sad sight to behold.
But infinitely more tragic is a soul abandoned forever in a place of awful suffering and agony untold.

So let us give ourselves to Jesus Who gave Himself for me and you.
He abandoned His home in Heaven to do what His Father asked Him to.
Though, David, the psalmist was amazed, that to think of us who are sinners God would even bother ---
Far more, He gave His Son that we might live with Him forever and forever call Him Father.

As strange as it may sound, no human has really seen another human being.
For God made each of us a spirit, like Himself; it’s only the houses in which we live that we’ve been seeing.
And somewhat like the family of the house I saw along the way,
Our spirits have but a few short years in these houses in which we live to stay.

One day these houses of flesh and blood in which we walk about,
Will also be abandoned, left alone and lifeless when we move out.
They too, like that lonely, empty house, will suffer from decay,
And sadly turn to dust again after we have moved away.

Wars and murders, disease, death, and suffering forever in Hell ---
Atrocities untold, could all have never happened --- all could have been well.
But Lucifer committed high treason against God --- the worst sin ever known,
When he sought to take God’s place and sit upon His throne.

Hosts of angels followed his evil leading and with him also fell,
Until then there were no wicked beings; there was no place called Hell.
God in His holy righteousness cast them all away,
And condemned them to eternal suffering; it had to be that way.

Satan in his anger then attacked the creature God loved most.
He sought to win the heart of man away from the God of hosts.
He succeeded in his evil quest; the heart of man to win,
He persuaded him to be like him and, like him, the man committed sin.

However, God in His great love from eternity past had a plan,
To thwart the goal of Satan and win back the heart of man.
And though the price was higher than any ever paid,
He gave His Son to die and the sacrifice was made.

Now each man can choose to whom he’ll give his love,
To Satan here below or to God up above.
Satan doesn’t care for you or me; it’s God he wants to grieve.
He delights in each man suffering forever in Hell without reprieve.

So if you’re in possession of your right mind today,
Give your heart and love to God; don’t gamble and delay.
Now is all you have for certain to make the gravest choice of all.
You may not have another breath to breathe, no more time on God to call.

Just tell Him that you’re sincerely sorry for the sins that you have done,
And ask Him for forgiveness through the death of His dear Son.
Depend only on the price that Jesus paid ---
It was on Him alone that your sins and mine were laid.

Give Him back the authority that Adam took away,
To be the One Who guides you through each and every day.
He’ll miraculously transform you into a child of His own,
And you’ll spend forever with Him in a never-to-be-abandoned home.

© Copyright 2006 – Thomas Fortenberry

What Am I Living For?

Some live for fame and fortune, which as we all know happens to few.
Others live for fun and laughter --- exciting places to go and exciting things to do.
Some live to help others enjoy better lives --- a very honorable goal.
Few, however, live to glorify God Who alone can save their eternal soul.

Some are always trying to be someplace other than where they are.
So they live out of a suitcase and travel coast to coast in their car.
There are those who are never happy with today --- tomorrow will be better they hope.
Today is the day the Lord has made --- rejoice and be glad --- even if your birthday gift was a soap-on-a-rope.

Many are never satisfied with what they have --- they always seem to want more.
Even the man who makes a million usually wants another three or four.
We always seem to want something else, thinking it will make us glad.
The Bible tells us to be content with food and clothes --- which most of us have always had.

We’re also told it’s much better to give than receive ---
This is something many people never seem able to believe.
The only way to really keep something is to give it away.
We’ll find it then becomes ours forever in heaven some day.

What we should be living for was by Jesus made abundantly clear.
But many refuse to obey the greatest commandment of all --- year after year.
Without question every man and woman lives for that which they love.
So Jesus said to love others and above all else love God in heaven above.

In spite of what the Constitution says, happiness will always elude those who make it their life’s pursuit.
God said, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Happiness is, of being holy --- a fruit.
Happiness can’t be ours by seeking it anymore than can a star.
It can only be ours when loving God and others is what we are living for!

© Copyright 2007 – Thomas Fortenberry

God Wants To Help Us Know Which Way To Go

It’s very unfortunate, unwise, and extremely odd,
That men often set major goals in life without consulting God.
He knows what is to come, down to the smallest thing,
While a man has no way of knowing what tomorrow will bring.

A man says, “I’ll be an airline pilot and really do well.”
Then diseased eyes destroy his dream --- he had no way to tell.
Another chooses professional football as his life’s major quest,
Not knowing that a broken back would put those plans to rest.

A young woman says, “I hope to have a large family some day.”
But later learns that a barren womb would take her hope away.
A man decides to work hard, save a lot, and retire at forty-five.
How could he have known by that time he’d no longer be alive?

Proverbs 27 tells us not to boast about tomorrow,
What a day will bring forth we have no way to know.
James 4 says we are to say about all our future living,
“We shall do this or that in the days ahead if God is willing.”

It’s true God won’t write across the sky,
What we are to do with our lives before we die.
But He has promised to every woman and man,
That He is willing to lead us each day by His hand.

We are to learn His Word which is a light unto our way.
Then ask for His help in our decision-making process each day.
Others may think our choices are made the same way as theirs ---
But they can’t see God guiding our thoughts by His Word and through our prayers.

© Copyright 2007 – Thomas Fortenberry

When Jabel Rawlings Moved Away

When Jabel Rawlings suddenly without notice moved away,
Friends, neighbors and even closest relatives were very surprised that day.
It happened on the twelfth of December in 1902 while the snow was on the ground.
It saddened those who loved him that he would no longer be living in their town.

He told no one he was thinking of leaving ---
He arose that morning and was gone by that evening.
He had lived alone in their small Michigan town for many years,
And though his wife had died over a decade before, memories of her still moved him to tears.

He was known and loved by most everyone in town.
Folks both young and old hated he’d no longer be around.
On his daily walk he greeted everyone with a wave and a smile.
He gave candy to the children and often stopped and talked with them for a while.

They remembered how much he loved Jesus and how he spoke often of heaven.
He was looking forward to seeing his Savior and again being with his dear Helen.
He was often seen sitting on his front porch reading his Bible,
And he never missed a night each time his church had a revival.

The church was packed to capacity as everyone gathered to honor his leaving.
He left his body behind when he moved to heaven that day and the whole town he left was grieving.
He had talked about how this world was not his home and how he was homesick for heaven.
They knew that’s where he’d gone when he moved away at a quarter past seven.

Each of us sooner or later will one day from these bodies move away.
I wonder what folks will think about us then and what they will say.
If you don’t know for certain that you’ll be moving to heaven when you die,
Give your heart and life to the Lord so you’ll know you’ll be moving there bye and bye.

Jesus said, “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”
Oh it’s true our bodies will be lifeless when we move to that home beyond the sky.
But we who know the Lord will never die --- we just move away.
Our address is all that changes and there’ll be no more moving --- we’ll finally be at home to stay.

© Copyright 2007 – Thomas Fortenberry

A Parable Of A Homeless Man

His gait was slow and labored and his clothes were wrinkled and dirty and torn,
As he walked down the road by himself --- lonely, weary, depressed, and forlorn.
The bags he carried on his back held all of his earthly possessions,
But the heaviest burden he bore was in his heart --- broken by life’s bitter lessons.

His face was like leather, rugged, and grooved and he had an unkempt beard that was grey.
His thoughts were focused on happy days he once had known that were suddenly all taken away.
A lovely wife was once by his side who filled his heart with unspeakable bliss and joy.
They had a beautiful two-year-old daughter and a brand new baby boy.

Through the fog he couldn’t see the car that was headed their way,
That crashed into them and took his whole world from him that day.
His precious wife and children lay dead right before his eyes.
Something awful happens in times like these --- something inside us dies.

All he had left was emptiness and what seemed like a bottomless void.
Everything he lived for was taken away --- everything in life he enjoyed.
There was no longer a reason to get out of bed and go to work each day.
The pain he suffered inside was more than he could bear --- impossible for words to convey.

He lost his job, his car, and his home, and by then his savings were also no longer there.
He put a few things in his bags to eat, a few clothes, some soap, bandage strips, and toothpaste for bodily care.
The first night away from the home he once knew he slept under a bridge to get out of the rain,
But the discomfort of sleeping on a concrete bed was nothing compared to his emotional pain.

The hours turned into days and the days into weeks as he trudged from town to town.
He begged and worked odd jobs for food to eat and it hurt to know that no one ever wanted him around.
Where he had been and where he was going didn’t really mean a lot.
If he tried to settle somewhere the police would make him move from his spot.

So on he went on his pointless journey just to get somewhere for no reason.
He traveled without hope through the heat and rain and snow of each season.
The years went by and he finally began to think about just ending it all.
Why go on living for no reason when it could be over instantly if from a tall bridge he were to fall?

It was Sunday morning as these thoughts passed through his head.
He was thinking all of his pain would be over as soon as he was dead.
He happened to be walking past a church off the road about a hundred feet or so,
And he heard some children singing, “Jesus loves me this I know.”

He began to think about that song and wondered in his mind, “Could it be
Though I’m a homeless, hopeless sinner that Jesus could love even me?”
He didn’t think anyone loved him since all his loved ones had died in the wreck that day,
But he turned aside and walked in the door of the church he happened by on his way.

“Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me.” he heard them singing.
Tears welled up as those hope-filled words deep in his heart kept ringing.
Though his hair and beard were matted and dirty and his clothes were tattered and worn,
He stepped inside the sanctuary and the people held out their hands to let him know their welcome was sincere and warm.

He felt the love of God in that place like he’d never felt it before.
He walked all the way to the front where the pastor was calling people to God and he knelt down on the floor.
He gave his heart and life to Jesus in that country church he found,
And he never felt unloved again --- as in the sea of God’s love he did and still does abound.

He got his life back that he tragically lost so many years before,
But more than that He got eternal life that will one day take him through heaven’s door.
There he will be with his wife and children never to be parted again.
And he’ll be with Jesus of Whom the children were singing the day he knelt and invited Him in.

This story is a parable which means it’s not really true,
Although we know that things like this do happen to people much like me and you.
Jesus used parables to vividly illustrate the point He was trying to make,
And the purpose of this story is to help people the right steps toward God to take.

Our lives are all empty and hopeless before we find Jesus as that homeless man did in our story.
We may feel we have it all, but the Bible says it’s all wood, hay and stubble, if we’re not living for God’s glory.
So give your heart and life to Jesus and let Him live His life through you,
And He’ll one day take you to heaven where you’ll have a home forever too!

© Copyright 2007 – Thomas Fortenberry