God never gives up

God never gives up on us
We give up on Him,
we ignore Him
we pretend He doesn't exist --
at least not in our personal sphere.
He may exist
Somewhere,
but not here,
not right here
and not right now.

We have gone so far away
Yet
God continues

He created us.
He seeks us,
desires we become united
with Him.

We are nothing without Him,
yet
we think we are more
than He ever was.

God is judge and jury,
merciful and loving.

He is the Almighty One,
The King of Kings,
The Great I AM
The Alpha and The Omega
Beginning and End.

Without Him,
what we think is in
the middle --
is meaningless.

Cathy Orrick Luders

10.6.2011

Won't you come, won't you come and meet with Me?

What is Love? ... God

"If I do not have love, I gain nothing." (I Corinthians 13:3 NRSV)

Speech
becomes
meaningless,
obnoxious,
without thought,
noisy like a clanging bell.

Predictions
foretold
of a future time
Fortune tellers
they are -
past
and present -
for personal gain.

Feed
clothe
fund
the poor
the less advantaged.
Do it all

But,
without God,
without Love,
you and I gain nothing
we are of
no value.

Love Is God
It is
more than what may unfold between man and woman
more than friendship
more, much more.

Love Is
God's gift of His Son, The Christ, to mankind

Love Is
patient

... kind

Love
seeks after the truth

.... rejoices in the truth

Love
builds up another,

... encourages

Love Is

... Unselfish

... Unending

... Unfailing

... Undeserved

... and without thought of return.

Love Believes
Love Hopes
Love Endures

What is love?

God.

By Cathy Orrick  Luders
7.19.2011

Mumblings

I think
Therefore I am
If that were true,
I would be much more
than I truly am.

Sometimes thought is just mumblings
Sometimes too life is the same
We stop and think
and think some more
and wonder why we've missed the point
and missed the boat - just didn't get on
when the boat docked for us.

Reading my journal
I see
so much pain
and wonder the whys and wherefores of it all

There are other souls
with more pain
than I
who am I to dwell on it
why should I

To do
what should I do
what should I remember
when should I remember whatever it is

I remind myself of
college days.
oh that was years ago.

sometimes what seems different
is not
it is the same

years go by
but events ...
round and round they go

and vice versa.

however dreary
or elegant
exciting
or blah

I am thankful

for
Jesus

who pursued me
relentlessly
endlessly
continuously

to get my attention
to become His child.

I am thankful
He never gave up
on me

I am thankful
He is my present
and my future

and He knew me
in the past
even
though
I knew Him not.

Cathy Orrick Luders

8.11.2010

The calm before the storm

Still.

Calm is the air
before the storm
brewing
in the morning sky
shatters all
in its path.

Cathy Orrick Luders

7.4.2010

The love of God

The love of God
is not that same love
that revolves between
individuals interacting together

The love of God
came
as Jesus came;
as He became
... a human being

The love of God
is joyous communion
through
His Beloved Son, Jesus
It is a commitment to
fully engulf oneself in
all that Jesus is
and does
at all cost

The love of God
goes forth
subjecting to any and every
misinterpretation
and
prejudice

The love of God
withstands all
is above all
and through ...

Because of His great love
for me and you
all of mankind
we too go forth
subjecting ourselves to all
in the world
but not living the same.

The love of God
surrounds us,
completes us,
reminds us ...

We are one with Him.

The love of God
accepts us as we are.

The love of God
commands us
to love another
just as He has loved us.

John 13:34 --"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

Cathy Orrick Luders
3.17.2010

He is

God knows all.
Beginnings
Endings
The in-be-tween

Your day
My day

Yesterday
Tomorrow

Today.

All that was
All that is
All that is to come

He knows.
He is.

Why do you falter?
Why do you question?

Say Yes to Him.
Open the door
as He knocks.

Don't turn away.
Say Yes to Jesus
before
"All that is to come"
is too late.

Cathy Orrick Luders
11.4.2009

A new day

The day after
The night before
comes early

I am
awakened
with a hug and a kiss

a splash of cold water
a cup or more
of hot caffeinated tea

A thought of
returning slumber
beckons me

The sunlight trickles
through the trees
and upon still colorful
leaves not yet fallen.

God's creatures bit and small
are about their daily tasks.

A new day is dawning.
A new day is here.
So peaceful.
So full of life.
It is God-ordained.

Cathy Orrick Luders
11.4.2009

We are, we say

We are called

we are Christian
But who is

We say
we are followers of Jesus Christ
But are we

A Christian
An Iowan
An American

We say
we are
I wonder

Who is Christian
Are you
Am I

Who follows
Who is Jesus Christ
What is He to you
What does He represent to you?
Is He complete
Are you
Are you in Him
Is He in you
Are you one
Do you follow Him

Do you hear
What do you hear
Who do you obey
What is right
What is wrong
What is truth

God is TRUTH
Jesus is TRUTH

What about you
What about me
Where is truth
Where is all there is
What is the meaning

Are you in Christ
Is Christ in you
Are you united as one
Who do you follow
Who is your master
Who is your leader
your teacher
Who do you praise and worship
Who do you say you are
Who does Jesus say you are
Are you His?
Do you know...

Cathy Orrick Luders
9.22.2009

Have you prayed today?

Thought for the Day:
Jesus says in John 10:10-11: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."

Have you prayed today?

Are you searching
for answers
... perhaps in all the wrong places
or from people who really do not know
what you search for
let alone the answers.

Do you feel alone ...
lost and out of place

Does it seem no one understands
and no one helps

The darkness closes in**
you struggle to find release
from all your pain

Where to go
What step do I take
Where does my reaching hand extend?
Who is the one who grasps it
Who will answer

Have you prayed today?

Jesus hears your plea
sees your pain
grasps hold of you
answers your questions
heals you.

Have you prayed today?
Do you hear Him calling,
'Come, my Child.'

**The following poem was written in the early 1970s during my college years before I knew the Lord. It illustrates the darkness closing in.

I found them today
They weren't where I thought they would be
In the grass, behind a few shrubs
They glistened, wet with dew

It seemed I had looked forever for them.
And now at last, I had found them.
I knelt down, gently pushing the tiny branches aside
My eyes opened wide with surprise
A maze !! How lovely. And involving such intricate work too.
I picked up a stick and probed
A cry rang out
Ooh, I cringed, for I had hurt one of them.
And they were my friends.

I saw them coming
for me
My feet seemed rooted to the ground
I couldn't escape.
I saw them keep coming.
I saw them on me.
At first it tickled, then they began to bite.
I lost consciousness
And when I awoke, I was gone.
(c 1973)

Cathy Orrick Luders
7.24.2009

All to His glory

All we do
He sees

All we say
He hears

All we feel
He understands

All we think
He knows

All we are
He created

So ... ?

All should not be in vain
To His glory
we to strive.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:58)

A Summer Picnic

It was
the
first
full day
of
summer
and
95
degrees
Fahrenheit
in
the
shade.


Early evening
a
picnic
for
two
at
lake's edge
near
Palo
where
fishers
of
fish
and
swimmers
alike
stoked
the
waters.


Slipping
into
another world
It seems...
underneath
a tree
whose
leaves
provide
quick relief
from
intense
heat.

Watching
the
bright sun
as it shines
upon the water
or
the
occasional
page turn
of a
novel
just beginning.

The heat
from
two
strikes
of a
match
upon
dry leaves, paper and twigs
blazes.

Time taken
for a
game
of
Scrabble
Even
without
a
dictionary
one
can
"cheat."
C'est la vie

The
return home
such a short jaunt
by automobile
past fields upon fields
25 minutes gone
and
we're back
in the
city.

Witnessing The Truth in Love

Witnessing
to
you
and
you
and
you

Have you
Are you

How?

What?

"You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

To your
next door neighbor
To the
grocery checker
To members
and visitors
of the church
you attend
or visit
To your
co-workers
To those
of different nationalities
and lifestyles

To all

The truth ...
in love
All in love

God
commands
His
believers
to
follow

to be
obedient

to do
all
in love

for it
was
because
of love
for the world ...
for all
that
"He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Witnessing
to
bring you
to
an
understanding

a belief...

Faith.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:17)

No belief?
No understanding?
No faith?

All the
love the
Father
bestows
upon
you
is
meaningless
when
you
proclaim
God is Not
Jesus is Not

The truth --
God's word

When you
read it
and
claim it false
or
claim it
doesn't apply to you
or
claim it
is useless
ancient history

Your unbelief
condemns you
You are like
many
who have heard
The Truth
that
"the light has come in the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19)

The olden days
of Sodom and Gomorrah
The current days
of
a new Sodom and Gomorrah
of
abortion
and
same-sex marriages
and
pornography
and
the list goes on

We
are
still
to witness

The Truth

to bring
another
to
Jesus

So
his life
can be
redeemed
so he
can live

Really live
in
Christ

who came to save us from our sin
to bring us hope eternal.

It was a dream

I woke
it was 6:06 on the clock dial
Too early
So I returned
to slumber awhile longer

It was a dream ....

Standing on the stairs
near the second floor window
I saw it
a twin-engine
a bi-plane
like a crop duster
gliding past

I waited
for it to clip
the corner of our house
but it did not

I rushed up the stairs
to a third floor landing
to see its massive wings
narrowly miss its surroundings

I wondered
why
where
who

But it was gone.

It was a dream.

What might it mean? Is there a lesson here that God wants me to pick up on? There may be, but only the dream is awake, not the interpretation thereof.

Peaks ... Valleys

Where Lord where
Where will you have me go
Where will you lead
What goals do you have for me
What plans
What is your desire

Where do you want my writings to take me
Do I stay
Do I go
Is there more
Or less

Do I write books
or short stories
Non-fiction
or make believe
Devotionals
Poetry
or prose

Do I capture
a new thought, a new idea
of You
through my experiences
or
is none of this
for me

Do I return to school

What Lord
What do you have for me

Am I
anyone
anything
Does it matter
Is my labor in vain
Or does it
come to fruition

Are you pleased
or are you sad
and disheartened
with me

When I fall down
will you lift me up
When I am blue
will you make
the sun shine upon me
When I struggle
with fears and doubts
will you wrap yourself
around me
encompass me
with your greatness
and remind me again
that I am your child

Will you?

Where Lord
When Lord
How Lord
Are you sure Lord
Help me Lord

I want
I desire
Are they the same
wants
and desires
that you have for me

Are they?

I pray Lord it is so.
But I do not know.

Time will tell
Your time
Not mine.

When the time is right
Then I will know.

Help me to be okay
with whatever
your desire for me is
Help me achieve
whatever
your desire for me
is
Help me,
Enable me
to be all
you desire for me.

In Your Name Alone I pray
and seek guidance.

"For to me, to live in Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I
shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you." (Philippians 1: 21-24)

Waiting ... and then

Waiting
People sitting
Reading
"It's cold in here."
Quiet
Noisy
Early morning sun
gives way
to dreary glum
Waiting rooms.
also
listless
colorless
drab.
Waiting
and thinking
Waiting
and reading
Waiting
and boredom
Waiting
time marches on
yet stands still.
... and then your name is called

Shadows ... stripes

Shadows
tall, gangly
like human legs
standing still
beneath the sky
upon the earth
flat
stripes
row upon row
endless

like Jesus
beaten
His stripes
upon Himself
were ours
Our sin
row upon row
endless

Our sin
Our stripes
Our punishment
Jesus
took it all
To bear
at Calvary

So we
could be
set free

Have you
accepted
all He
has done
for you?

Have you
accepted
all He
continues
to do
for you?

Have you
accepted
Jesus
as your
personal
Lord and
Savior?

Are you
one of
His?

God alone

Reading
into
the
writings
the
speakings
the
tones
of
another
is
not always
beneficial
to
you
or
to
them.

Thinking ...
your
mind
can
play tricks

Thinking ...
is
that true
is
that real
?

Thinking ...
can
cause
trouble,
more trouble
than
is
warranted.

God
tells us
to
keep
our focus
sharp
by
pursuing
excellence.

Which is?

Abiding
with
Jesus
...

Always
looking
to
Him
...

Always
seeking
His
wisdom.

Not
becoming
inundated
with
outside
influences

Not
veering
into
unknown
spaces
that
you
think
you
know
what is
and
what is not.

No matter
what
we perceive,
God
is the
only one
who
fully knows.

To
stay
on
the
right path,
the path
God
has chosen
for
you,
must
listen
more intently
to His
leading ...
and
follow Him.

Not
me.

God alone.

IF

I wonder how I would act IF ...
The real IF I mean
Not imaginings amidst the turmoil
Not the questions that come,
that came
and left us with more
of the same.

I wonder ...

Friends, former colleagues
and others I'll never know
are now in the IF.

Pondering how
and why --

Because of the national recession
Because of the nearly statewide natural disasters
-- the flood of '08
-- the tornadoes
Because of decreased sales
Just because
All good reasons, yet
No good reason.

We seek peace
We seek joy
We seek life.

I can say
I can suggest
I can be

As can you
and you
and you.

There is no peace
Not in the world
Only in Jesus Christ

There is no joy
No exuberance
Only despondency
and dismay
in this world
"under the sun."

But in Jesus
there is joy.
Through Him
we can overcome.
He did! He rose from the dead! He's alive!

There is life.
But of what does it consist?

"and you, being dead in your trespasses, ... He has made alive together with Him"
(Colossians 2:13)

Jesus' resurrection renews in us hope and joy and life.

The IF we have coming or are in the midst of now
is NOT The End.

It is an opportunity for new life, a chance to rebuild ... with Jesus at the helm.

A weekend get-a-way

A weekend get-a-way.
a three-day retreat
traveling paths
not quite forgotten
gathering with friends
to share laughter,
good eats,
shelter,
games,
worship.

Such a pleasant time.

One day
the bleakness seems to
overwhelm you
and the next day
the sun's shining rays
peak through
brightening
straight to the core of
your inner being.

Childhood memories
even if
you grew up
elsewhere
bring a smile

like baby chicks
underneath
a heat lamp

Dreams
and possibilities,
visions of a brighter
tomorrow

A weekend
long coming
arrives
and now,
is soon gone.

Need to hold on
to all
those pleasant moments.
Relive them
over and over
and over again.

Even though ... God still is

The land
lays
like death ...
bleak
desolate
naked and bare.

The hills
are not alive
like
in the
"Sound of Music."

Alas,
it is still winter
with patches
of ice
lakes and rivers
still frozen over
with trees
like sticks
protruding

white birch trees
add
but slight coloration
to the
stark dullness
of the
landscape.

Even the
sun's
shining rays
do not
filter
through the
cloudy skies.

But still,
God is.
... above, beyond, over
all.

I must remember.