"For the Love of God, Think on These Things is a collection of beautiful and thoughtful meditations on the heart and soul of Christianity. Much of one's own spiritual beliefs can be gained through reflecting on them."

-Bishop L. Bevel Jones III, trustee emeritus, Emory University

The poems in this beautifully inspiring collection focus on the author's spiritual life, from "Meditations" to her thoughts in "My Prayer of Thanks".

God's Family

Dear God, should any religion suggest your rejection
Of others outside its own connection?
We don't have to accept everything we hear;
If we've strong faith, there's nothing to fear.
When exposed to new ways through which some have grown,
Could it be your suggestion that we search our own?
We need not leave the religion we're attending;
Just use what will help to make ours more depending.
So help us not look for the difference in our brother,
But look deep inside and your presence discover.
For we are all here, your family, to be
Not competing, but working together with thee,
Caring and sharing all that we can,
Building your kingdom to fulfill your plan.

For the Love of God, Think on These Things

By Frances S. Carson

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Frances S. Carson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-0851-3

Contents

Meditations...............................5The Church................................7The Bible.................................9God's Will?...............................13The Messiah...............................15Thy Kingdom on Earth......................17God's Family..............................21The Trinity...............................23Communion.................................25Reawakening...............................27Suffering.................................29Temptation................................33Hell?.....................................35Struggling with Doubt.....................39True Atonement............................41Plan of Salvation.........................45God's Plan................................47Perseverance..............................49God Is Love...............................53Caring....................................55Leaving This Life.........................57Have I Done Enough?.......................61Traveling On..............................65Acknowledgment............................67My Prayer of Thanks.......................69In Conclusion.............................71

Chapter One

        Meditations

    To those whose faith
    Has suffered in stages
    When exposed to beliefs
    Discussed in these pages ...

    I don't expect agreement
    With all I here perceive.
    I only hope you'll think
    About what you believe.

    Faith that doesn't know why
    Is faith without reasoning.
    Faith that doesn't know why
    Is like food without seasoning.

    So expose your faith to questions;
    Use the doubts that might arise;
    Ask and it shall be given;
    Earnestly seek for sound advice.

    When at last we discover
    God as he is, we'll feel
    Nothing ever again
    Our faith and devotion can steal.

    How can we honestly commit ourselves
    To God in our endeavor
    Until we understand him
    As the one we can trust forever?

    For new thoughts and experiences
    Are hurled at us each day
    And either draw us closer
    Or thrust us blindly away.

    And so I humbly offer,
    For whatever it is worth,
    Some beliefs I feel God has taught me
    In my journey on this earth.


         The Church

    Dear God, It is sad to me how the church,
    For some, has lost its respect.
    They don't understand its importance,
    And its survival they seem to neglect.

    So I come to you asking
    For guidance in its defense.
    I want to know for certain:
    Does loyalty to churches make sense?

    I'm sure you're aware of excuses
    From those who stay away.
    Perhaps we should examine
    Some of the things they say:

    The hypocrite in church on Sunday,
    Pious, righteous, and pure ...
    Too difficult to live with on Mondays,
    Is more than most folks can endure.

    Sometimes outsiders, however,
    From their own points of view
    Assume that pious hypocrites
    Sit in every pew.

    Most of the people
    Sitting there in the congregation
    Come recognizing, humbly,
    Their need for transformation.

    If we limit association
    Where hypocrites are not,
    We'd better live in a zoo
    Where they don't talk a lot.

    Some find the church unfriendly
    To strangers who need a warm touch;
    They go away feeling so lonely
    That the sermon can't help very much.

    There are many other reasons
    Why religion has lost its savor;
    Some dogmas and beliefs
    Spoil, for some, its favor.

    When there is cause to reexamine,
    Please guide us as we do ...
    To change, if change be needed,
    To make your message true.

    Even though it is imperfect,
    The church—not a building with a steeple—
    Is a body divined by your spirit
    To reach the needs of your people.

    So, thank you, dear God, for this insight;
    It's made my decision quite clear.
    You can count on my efforts with others
    To build your church better each year.


         The Bible

    Dear God, We thank you so much for the Bible,
    For the inspiring truth it holds,
    For the closeness and warm understanding
    Of your love and your will it unfolds.

    Most of what I believe
    Is found somewhere in the Bible.
    But all that is there, dear God, I don't dare
    Believe is the truth undeniable.

    As we earnestly read the scriptures
    Of humans' progress toward you,
    We see the probability
    Of errors that come through ...

    Old Aramaic scrolls
    Could have been confusing
    If a fly mark was included
    In translating a word they were using.

    A dot above a word
    Or one placed below
    Could indicate opposite meanings;
    So, with flies, how can we know?

    We also know the influence
    Their culture had to play
    When they wrote down the messages
    You needed to convey.

    So your message comes to us
    Always clear and true,
    But we sometimes add
    Our own prejudices, too ...

    We've read that women and slaves
    Must bow down in submission
    To men who knew it all, then,
    In every condition.

    These cultures transferred
    To scriptures back then
    Reserved opportunities
    Of growth just for men.

    And so, in ignorance,
    The woman and slave
    Exploited in the background
    Lived subdued till the grave.

    So many of the stories
    In the Bible were told
    Symbolically, not literally,
    A lesson to hold.

    The story of Jonah
    Being swallowed by a whale
    Reminds us of the misery
    That devours us when we fail.

    Today, we often say
    We're simply in a jam,
    But we don't mean that literally,
    No more than he's a ham!

    Although our blessed Holy Book
    Is our greatest gift of directions,
    I wonder if we'll ever consent
    To make some needed corrections.


        God's Will?

    Dear God, Did Moses quote you right
    In Numbers 15:36
    That they stone a man to death
    If on Sabbath he picked up sticks?

    It seems so confusing
    That this should be your will
    After giving the sixth commandment
    That we shall not kill.

    To accept Jesus Christ
    As my personal savior
    Surely doesn't exempt me
    From responsible behavior.

    That God has chosen favorites,
    As some proclaim,
    Belittles your nature
    And puts us to shame.

    Perhaps you do choose leaders
    With responsibilities to bear,
    But never more for one
    Over another would you care.

    No wonder there are some
    Who think God is dead
    When Revelations closed the book
    On what's believed you said.

    Dear God, couldn't we add some more,
    And please leave some of it out?
    For when we know you as you are,
    We'll believe—without a doubt!

    I heard a preacher
    Expressing his view
    That reading the newspaper
    Has become a sin, too.

    He said, "Reading the Bible
    Is all we folks need;
    The news of our world
    Is too worldly to read."

    He was on television
    Preaching this view.
    I wonder, God:
    Should I turn that off, too?


        The Messiah

    Dear God, Long ago, they looked
    For a messiah to crown king,
    The kingdom of David
    Restored to bring.

    Christ, God's spirit in action,
    The promised Messiah, was sent ...
    Born in the baby Jesus,
    This world's greatest event.

    Great multitudes followed
    When they saw and felt his power.
    The authorities tried to stop him
    As they watched him every hour.

    Fearing a revolution,
    They soon devised a plan
    To crucify the Messiah
    They could not understand.

    They crucified his body
    Between thieves on a tree.
    In three days, he came again,
    Just as he said it would be.

    In his new body,
    At first, none could see
    The spirit within
    With no doubt was he.

    He had to assure them
    Their faith should not end.
    He returned to show them
    That life does transcend.

    As God's spirit lived in Christ,
    He gave us the plan
    That, after he was crucified,
    He'd return to live in man.

    Yet some still look for
    Christ's return with force:
    A powerful ruler
    Like David they'd endorse.

    Just as they failed to know him
    When they nailed him to a tree,
    Many today don't see him
    As he comes through you and me.

    This is God's way of coming
    Through all who let him be king,
    Committing our lives to his presence,
    His kingdom of love to bring.


      Thy Kingdom on Earth

    Dear God, A theme in some novels
    And films portrays strife,
    Impossible to conquer
    To save human life.
    If the prophesies portrayed
    Are really true,
    We might as well give up;
    There's nothing we can do!

    Why should we humans
    Pray and work for right relations?
    Why should a summit
    Be called for heads of nations?
    If it's a sure thing
    That there's inevitable destruction,
    Why even bother
    For peaceful construction?

    Man thinks, like himself,
    You'll finally lose your patience
    And give up the potential
    Of human-divine relations.
    I believe you'll never fail because
    You planned to enjoy us,
    And you'll never in wrath
    And vengeance destroy us.

    Dear God, in our blindness
    We can't understand
    Why things happen
    As they do in this land.
    We just can't conceive
    The bigness of you,
    And keep measuring you
    By our own human view.

    Dear God, I'm persuaded
    This morbid prediction
    Of the end of time
    For this earth lacks conviction.
    We must remember that
    Christ taught us to pray
    For your kingdom to come
    On this earth someday.

    We waste and pollute
    This earth now, as then,
    Causing nature's unbalance
    Again and again.
    Once, we were frightened
    By lightning and thunder;
    Now, we've learned to use them
    In electrical wonder.

    But the world can't stop
    On its axis and wait.
    Man must catch up
    And learn to relate.
    With the free choice
    You've granted to man,
    Will we actually learn
    To live by your plan?


        God's Family

    Dear God,

    Should any religion suggest your rejection
    Of others outside its own connection?

    We don't have to accept everything we hear;
    If we've strong faith, there's nothing to fear.

    When exposed to new ways through which some have grown,
    Could it be your suggestion that we search our own?

    We need not leave the religion we're attending;
    Just use what will help to make ours more depending.

    So help us not look for the difference in our brother,
    But look deep inside and your presence discover.

    For we are all here, your family, to be
    Not competing, but working together with thee,

    Caring and sharing all that we can,
    Building your kingdom to fulfill your plan.


         The Trinity

    Dear God, Of all the confusing beliefs
    Arising about divinity,
    I'm thinking people differ most
    On the matter concerning the Trinity.

    God the Father, Christ the Son,
    And the Holy Spirit ...
    Still, our minds are puzzled
    No matter how we hear it.

    I believe God is like a father,
    Sovereign source of all that's good.
    And Christ, God's spirit in action,
    Was in Jesus most understood.

    Jesus, the Messiah, his all did give,
    And left the spirit in Christ to live
    In each of us. He lingers still—
    To act for God, to do his will.

    Do we become part of the Trinity,
    God's spirit in action to bear,
    When accepting his great commission
    All over the world to share?


         Communion

    Dear God,

    We come to Christ's table in remembrance,
    Confessing our guilt and our lack of dependence,
    Asking forgiveness and cleansing renewal,
    Making us fit for your spiritual refuel.

    When, symbolic of his body, we take the bread,
    Help us dedicate our own in his stead,
    Remembering he was loaned to us long ago,
    The potential of thy kingdom within to show.

    When, symbolic of his blood, we drink the wine,
    Fill our beings with your presence divine,
    And then help us go forth sharing your spirit,
    Resurrected anew wherever you steer it.


        Reawakening

    Dear God, A prominent evangelist
    On TV was preaching,
    And I can't help questioning
    Some of the things he was teaching.

    He said, "We are all born
    In the world as lost sinners."
    ... Beautiful babies, your creations?
    For Adam's sin—lost beginners?

    Aren't babies born innocent
    With a purpose pure and good
    Until some of life's encounters
    Make your way misunderstood?

    Though an infant arrives
    For greatness in potential,
    Environment and consequences
    Determine character, so essential.

    Perhaps the original sin
    They preach about at a revival
    Is simply the human instinct
    For recognition and survival.

    But sometimes in life, we discover
    It's not enough just to survive,
    And a spiritual experience
    Turns on another drive.

    It's a deep stirring longing
    For a power beyond our own,
    And it frees the inner being
    More than anything it's known.

    Then, like dormant lily bulbs
    When planted in the ground,
    We, too, can blossom
    In a new life we've found.


         Suffering

    Dear God, A young man in an accident
    Was left mangled and unaware,
    "Like a vegetable," they said in the hospital;
    He lingered in intensive care.

    He lived a long while,
    And then finally died,
    No matter how hard
    The specialists tried.

    I heard someone
    Say he was killed
    In this manner
    Because God so willed.

    I asked how this
    Could be blamed on you.
    The answer: "To make us
    More submissive and true."

    When we suffer
    And anguish in pain,
    We often reach out
    For answers in vain.

    Some believe suffering
    Is one of your ways
    Of punishment when
    We indifferently stray.

    But when we outwardly submit
    To a God we feel unjust,
    We're kidding ourselves and others
    With a faith no one can trust.

    Whether we admit it
    Or harbor it inside,
    Resentment and separation
    Develop feelings we cannot hide.

    Dear God, it's a pity
    Some "Christians" forget:
    Christ created no problems
    But healed each one he met.

    You sent him to prove
    You're a god who really cares,
    Not one who manipulates tragedy
    To remind us of our prayers.

    Sometimes, we wonder
    Why healing is not ours,
    Why some completely recover
    And others seem denied your powers.

    Perhaps, when our physical bodies
    Deteriorate with disease,
    Death becomes your better blessing
    To give merciful release.

    We may never know for certain
    Why things happen as they do.
    God, help us learn to trust
    The loving nature of you.

    May we find faith to believe
    There will come a brighter day.
    Please help us pick up the pieces
    As stepping stones along our way.


       Temptation

    Dear God, It seems that devils and demons
    Have the limelight much too much
    By some who preach scared devotion
    To you, in fear of such.

    There is indeed much evil,
    And hate and vengeance to fear,
    But not from our God of love
    Nor red devils lurking near.

    I will concede, however,
    When temptation becomes too strong,
    I'd rather blame it on a devil
    Than myself when I've done wrong.

    Is it lust for power in some people
    Who forget or don't know who they are,
    Who become selfish devils and demons
    Allowing their freedom too far?

    I believe there is but one god
    Whose power is beyond mankind,
    And lesser gods of evil
    Must not possess my mind.

    I choose to spend my efforts
    Showing devil-believing souls
    The loving, caring feeling
    The presence of God enfolds.


          Hell?

    Dear God, Some believe in hell as
    The literal fire and brimstone place
    Where you send your bad creations
    To burn eternally without grace.

    I just can't believe this,
    No matter how I try,
    For you never conditioned your love
    Just until we die.

    If, as a human mother,
    I could never give up on my child,
    How could I ever imagine
    My God needs to be reconciled?

    I believe we make our hells
    Of heartache, sorrow, and pain
    When we live in disobedience
    And hurt others again and again.

    The longer it takes us
    To come to our senses,
    The sicker and more disastrous
    The hell of consequences.

    If we're bad until we die,
    Sin sick, and don't repent,
    I hope you have another place,
    For healing, to be sent.


      Struggling with Doubt

    Dear God, There is so much
    I've questioned in doubt
    As I've read and listened
    And traveled about.

    When bad things happen
    To good people each day,
    I can't believe you've
    Predestined that way.

    Even the Bible,
    I have to admit,
    Has passages in it
    Your nature won't fit.

    I'm sure it's inspired
    And your message comes through,
    Although some lines seem
    From man, not from you.


    True Atonement

    Dear God, A blood sacrifice
    Was believed of old
    The atonement required
    To save a soul.

    Once they used a beast,
    And then your perfect son,
    But it puzzles me, God:
    Who was the appeased one?

    Could a devil, if there is one,
    Prove his power so strong
    In demanding the ransom
    Of one who did no wrong?

    Or was it reconciliation
    To you that must be won
    By willing the murder
    Of your pure and blameless son?

    Could this plan be yours, God,
    As I am told?
    Oh, how I hope not;
    It leaves me so cold.

    This belief of substitution
    By another for my sin
    Never could relieve me
    Of any guilt I feel within.

    Dear God, please forgive us
    For the nails we keep driving,
    When this way of salvation
    We keep preaching and reviving.

    I love that old cross,
    We sing in refrain,
    Because by it I'm saved!
    ... No matter his pain?

    No, the cross is a symbol
    Of ignorance turned to hate,
    The painful cost when closed minds
    Learn the truth too late.

    And I can only cry;
    My heart won't let me sing.
    I loathe that old cross
    For the hurt it brought my king.

    Dear God, I've done things
    For which I am ashamed,
    But nothing so bad
    As for Christ's death to be blamed.

    Heaven can wait
    If he must bear
    Such horrible torture
    For me to get there.

    Oh no, God, I believe
    You sent him to live
    In this world of turmoil—
    Your love power to give!

    He taught that our body temples,
    Like his, are to hold
    The power of God
    Alive in each soul.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from For the Love of God, Think on These Thingsby Frances S. Carson Copyright © 2011 by Frances S. Carson. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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