when-i-was-young.txt

Dear Earthlings,

I just listened to Wes King's "COMMON CREED" album 3 times in a row!
http://WesKing.com
What a masterpiece! Especially the songs "Fisher Of Men," "Lazarus," and "Do You Tremble."

Wes King and I were fellow students and friends at Covenant College http://www.covenant.edu in the late 1980's.

Here is one of my poems. In it, I quote, from Wes King's song "Lazarus," the one line that has stuck with me ever since I first heard it, “Come out of that tomb of shame.”


"WHEN I WAS YOUNG" by JTK.CA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I was young,
I was every parent’s dream,
A compulsively obedient child.
Not so much afraid of spankings,
I was more concerned with
My eternal consequences.

Tempted by the allure of
Works-based righteousness;
Knowing Christ’s cross,
But not fully grasping its power,
I lived an anxious and worry-filled life.

Yet I hunger for those days of devotion
To my creator and sustainer.
Love for God was my motivation
And fear of God, the spark,
“The beginning of wisdom,”
Psalm 111:10a.

As years flowed across the sands of time,
I left behind faith in my faith
And faith in the historical accuracy of the Bible,
In exchange for faith in Christ.
My faith is as stable as my moods,
And, as “Star Trek” has taught me,
“History is written by the victors.”
Faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross
Is all I will cling to.
All my striving for perfection
Is vain without him.

The older I get;
The more God sanctifies me;
The more I see my depravity,
Killing any illusion I can earn my salvation.
The only death that can save us
Is the death of Perfection,
The Son of God,
Who paid our debt
And rose for us
To give us life.

Without Jesus Christ,
We are lost forever,
Not by his choice,
But by ours.

To all he calls.
No sin so great he can’t forgive.
Take his gift;
Rise to life;
As Wes King sings,
“Come out of that tomb of shame.”

Many gain the world,
Their souls to lose.
Salvation comes from Christ,
The only salve to soothe
A broken world;
For God so loved you and me
And even loved our enemies--
He takes no side,
But freely offers life to all.
Be reconciled to God
Through his Son,
The only begotten way, truth, and life.
Eternity awaits
With or without your Creator’s love.
Embrace him now.
He longs for you,
With outstretched hands
And scars to show
His love is true.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://JTK.CA
Copyright © JONATHAN TAD KETCHEN

Love in Christ
(the best kind),

Jonathan Tad Ketchen
http://JTK.CA
Tad@NudistPoet.com
Guelph (pronounced "Gwelf"), Ontario, Canada, eh?
(519) 780-1057