James 2, 3, 4

Have a blessed day dear friends...

Crossing The Timeless Bar

Crossing The Timeless Bar

Throughout the journey of life, we've all had to face the ups, downs, good, and bad.  Question is, which of these emotions have we allowed to control our mindset, and the way we look at life.  

Over the years, I have learned that the world will always bring you down, but I have also learned that it can't keep you there.  We were all destined to achieve, and succeed in this lifetime.  Over the years of my life, I had always written poetry, but I never took the time out to pursue it.  It has been embedded deep within my heart to do for a long time, just like my passion to sing.  About 15 years ago I wrote this particular poem, and kept it tucked away in an old journal.  I remember sitting down, and crying as I wrote it.  No one knew about this poem but, me and God.  At the time when I had written it, I was going through several hardships, and was facing a state of depression.  It seemed to last forever.  But, this poem in itself, seemed different than my other pieces of poetry.  The name of it was "Crossing The Timeless Bar."  I didn't know the reason why I wrote this poem at the time.  I just knew the words flowed so perfectly that even my own will couldn't stop the pen.  Nevertheless, the trails of life had beckoned me, and I lost thought of it, and lost thought of pursing my dreams.  Why should I?  The enemy already had me in a pit of depression, where I felt useless, and hopeless to myself, and the world.  He didn't stop there.  Just within a couple of years the enemy tried to take my life on several occasions.  The last time he tried, everyone around me, including myself, thought he had succeed.  But, God said "No!"  "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." (Isaiah 43:2 KJV).  God's love, and His light filled me so high that all of what the enemy tried to take from me was restored with one touch.  The doctors didn't even know what to think.  I had been clinically dead.  For whatever reason, my throat had closed shut, and I couldn't breathe.  This is how I woke up the morning after I had come home from receiving a thyroidectomy.  I was petrified.  I knew that if I didn't get oxygen it would be over for me soon.  Lying there unable to breathe was a horrible feeling.  I literally wished myself dead.  I couldn't get any air down to my lungs.  Everything was cut off.  When I tried to breathe in, everything back up at the back of my throat.  I had a mass amount of pressure that was going down in my chest, and filling my head like a balloon.  Death itself beckoned to me, and called my name.  And yet, through it all, the enemy kept screaming in my ear, "You are going to die!!!"  You can't go a long time without oxygen, but my experience felt like it went over 30 minutes.  Everything else from then on went in slow motion.  I remember looking up, and thinking, "God just take me."  My brother ran to me, and I recall hearing these last words, "What's wrong, can you breathe?"  The next thing I knew I was inside of a tunnel floating up to an illumination.  There was total darkness all around me, and I didn't see my body.  The only thing I saw was this remarkable light.  No sunshine, no candle, or no electricity could fathom the wonder I saw.  I remember reaching out with my hands to not even see them.  I immediately felt an enormous amount of love and peace.  I can assure it was nothing like I have ever experienced before.  I thought to myself, it is done, and I'm dead.  I was a piece of metal, and He was the magnet, the magnifying light.  I was just drawn to His brightness, His peace, and His love.  I recall thinking I'm here, and I don't have to worry anymore.  Why should I?  I was with Him, and I didn't want to leave.  He stood by my side filling the empty holes, and all the brokenness within me.  He also filled me with what I needed the most.  His love.  I looked over at Him, and asked Him if I could see my mother.  I lost my mother to a massive stroke in 2005.  The last thing I remember after that was hearing doctors all around me screaming, "Hurry up, we are going to lose her again!!!"  I could feel tears fall from my face, and I remember thinking, "Why!"  It was very blurry, but I could see images of people all around.  Then a man came up to the side of me, and said, "It's going to be okay, and you are going to be fine."  The inside of me was screaming no, no I won't.  I went back out again.  I woke up on a ventilator strapped to my bed.  I also saw that they had my hands and feet tied down.  I was coherent, and felt that machine stuffed down my throat into my lungs.  It was a very painful experience, but God saw me through it all.  I had lost my voice behind the whole matter, and lost all of my dreams to start back singing.  They said the ventilator may have played a role, and damage my voice.  They told me I probably wouldn't get my voice back to even talk, and that they would send me to a vocal cord specialist later.  I cried, and prayed for my voice back.  I would see people at church singing, and I would try, but everything was hoarse.  I remember thinking how I had sung all the time at church, and I felt the greatest joy when I did.  I prayed about it, hoped, and continued to sing with my hoarseness.  All I have to say on that is, "But, God!!!"  I got my voice back, and it was given to me even stronger than before.  "And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you."  (Joel 2:25 KJV)  Nothing is ever meant to destroy us, but to strengthen us.  God will turn around what seemed to be bad, and make it good.  I wrote the poem, "My Epiphany", describing the personal experience with God.  Soon after that my dream to write resurfaced into my heart again.  At the time, I was working as a Phlebotomist, and I tried to squeeze in the time to write.  The two didn't work well together.  "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" (Matthew 7:7 KJV). So, I started praying.  I prayed to God that He would grant me the opportunity to be able to write again.  God answered my prayers, and that door I knocked on soon opened.  To make a long story short, I joined a writer's guild, and started presenting my poetry.  "Crossing The Timeless Bar", was one of my first pieces to present.  I felt in my heart to do so.  The feedback was eye opening, and surprising.  What surprised me the most about everything is that I was accused by some, for plagiarizing Alfred Lord Tennyson poem, "Crossing The Bar.?"  I was emailed on the fact that our poems were so much alike, but I didn't take no thought of the notion behind it.  So, I took the beating of being accused of plagiarizing his poem.  I never heard of Alfred Lord Tennyson.  I always read Robert Frost, Edgar Allan Poe, Shel Silverstein, Dr. Suess, Maya Angelou, and several others.  Alfred Lord Tennyson was not one of them.  When you read his poem to my poem, you will see a major resemblance.  I don't fault anyone for thinking in anyway, but sometimes we can be judgmental to each other by lack of understanding, and not knowing the known.  "Crossing The Timeless Bar" is a poem that has been tucked away in my journal for over 15 years, and I refuse to leave it there.  When I look back at all the things I went through, I trust God in this.  I had even changed up the poem up, and was still accused of copying.  Here is Alfred Lord Tennyson "Crossing The Bar."  You can see it here below...

Crossing The Bar

My original version of my poem, "Crossing The Timeless Bar"

Crossing The Timeless Bar

The sunset will fall to an evening star soon

With only one clear call for me

And may there be no nightly moon

For me to go out and see

Such as the morning seems to fall asleep

Can hit you hard like rocks

When that which drew you out of the deep

Has no key to open the locks

Twilight and the ring of a summers bell

Then after it, comes the dark

May there be no letters of farewell 

When the moon comes out and claims the dark

From out of our bound of time and peace

The road just may take me far

I hope to see my maker face to face

When I cross the timeless bar.

Very similar pieces of poetry.  Everyone else thinks the same way.  I have respect for Alfred Lord Tennyson poem.  Enough respect not to copy his work.  I most importantly reverence to God.  I also know He knows and loves each of us deeply.  He can and will rescue us when we are in trouble.  I truly believe that the very One who spoke to me in writing this poem, was also the One who had spoken with Tennyson.  All things are possible with God!  Not some, but all.  "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." - E. E. Cummings.  I choose to ride the clouds dear friends.  We should not allow the enemy of fear to kindle the flames of our faith.  God is working out a divine plan in us all.  "And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God."  (Mark 11:22 KJV). This is only a mere insert to all what happened.  I've always heard that "Your test will be your testimony, Your mess will be your message, and Your storm will be your story."  Choose now, that you will be the defender, and not the defendant.  The victor, and not the victim!  I am victorious through Jesus Christ!!!  

Have a blessed day dear friends!  

Wisdom

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."  (Proverbs 9:10)

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all menliberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  (James 1:5)

"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.  (James 3:17)

Wisdom
(Yirat Adonai) "Fear of the Lord"

She seeks the heart of no man, 
yet she yearns the desire only to be sought
Subdued to voices who are moved, 
by times catered to experienced thoughts.

Her peaceable and pleasant virtue is invaded,
 by the wicked in spirit at any cost
Often mistaken by rules in book theories,
 her precious treasures are mislead, and lost.

Her understanding is knowledgeably true,
with an up most intention to save
For it is she, Wisdom, in all cost,
that teaches knowledge to behave

Knowledge is a broad spectrum of notes
to the objective information
Wisdom is the Holy One's understanding
to the subjective application.

When you ask to receive her from the Father, 
with a pure heart you must be
She will beckon her fruits unto you and say,
"How wise of thee to seek me"

She will be given to serve under Him,
and He alone with righteousness
To guide you closer with His spirit,
and to teach you love and faithfulness.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

"I am Wisdom, I abide prudently to give credence
I have knowledge, and discretion, aligned with ingenious
Fear the Lord, fear the Father, hate evil, and obstructive language
Dwell, and abide within me, I will keep thee heart from anguish
Righteous counsel, and sound judgments are obtained, inside my lowly tower
My Father created me in the beginning with His understanding, and incredible power."

Poem by:  Kenya Hodge 2015
Picture taken by:  Kenya Hodge 2015

Epiphany

Epiphany

Powerful essence of overwhelming peace
Magnifying illuminated guiding light
The sun or the moon can not equate the release
Of the divinity that shone so bright

Unconditioned love so wondrously strong
He wiped away all of my tears
Darkness encompassed as I drifted along
With reverence there was no need to fear

Electrifying ascension to the One well-nigh
No candle light burned for the radiance lit
Only that needed walk between He and I
And everything else seemed to fit.

My being shouted out chosen to serve for the call
My soul rejoiced in its own symphony
As I travel along to share His love with all
In my spiritual epiphany.


Poem by: Kenya Hodge
Picture from the web
No copyright infringement intended

Dear Patient One

Dear Patient One
(The Essence of Solitude)

Dear patient one, I know, you feel helplessly alone,

Uprooted by the trials of life, your body feels prone.

The path up ahead seems dark, there is no lucid light,
You are about to let go, and give up, you no longer want to fight.

All your hopes and dreams, like glass, they too have become shattered,
What you once thought would always be, now never really mattered.

Everyone mocks at the sight of your struggle, and gloats in the torture of your pain,
Effort soon becomes effortless, where there is no visual gain.

Dear patient one, I know, the journey seems hard to bear,
Shackled by the transcendental fear, you no longer desire to care.

You feel that life has ceased its means, it has been brought to a sudden pause,
There is no knowledgeable reasoning, or an obtainable supportive cause.

The time quickened into day, where the nights seemed to tarry long,
You reminisced back to the past of days, when your heart had a lovely song.

Heightened by a sudden outbreak, of the primitive silent rage,
You close up the fearful animal, and you lock it within a cage.

Dear patient one, I know, you have screamed loud on the inside,
You have wondered if this time would pass, if these feelings could subside.

You have prayed to God up above, and foolishly ask Him why,
You are reminded to have hope in Him, like an eagle you mount wings and fly.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

You then began to cry.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Suddenly, you stop, and deep within your heart you hear,
That sweet, lovable, gentle tone, from the one who knows you dear.

Embraced by the sound of His glory, in a peaceful, harmonious voice,
Your soul is overwhelmed by His grace, where your inner being sufficiently rejoice.

Dear patient one, there is a reason, behind your lost, and lonely season.  
Allow the spirit to guide your heart, and endure the test of fortitude.
Take this moment alone with God, into the tranquil solitude.

There, you will subsequently find, the divine destiny that awaits you.

Written By: Kenya Hodge - 2015
Image from the web
No copyright infringement intended