St. Patty’s Day Limericks

Last year’s limericks were fun for us, so we decided to give it a whirl again this year. We had tons of fun doing these, so hope you enjoy them! If you have a clean limerick you’d like to share, put it in the comments!

Celebration Blog

Ode to the Celebration

When asked to join, I felt such frustration

But I said that I might

And now as I write

I do so with exhilaration!

(by Connie)

Andy 

Our apostle has a son named Andy

Who is easily coaxed with candy

But give him your ear

And wait till you hear

His revelations are quite the dandy!

(By Matt)

Madison

A woman who writes with great flair

Who crafts her words with much care

What a delight

To read her insight

About life and Christ as a pair!

(by Matt)

For Apostle David

Apostle David was a new thing to see

I used to question just how this could be

But God had a plan,

It was all in his hand

And Gateway’s the place for me!

(by Connie)

Ricky

Ricky is my own special honey

I get to spend a lot of his money

I’d marry him again

How could I not win

He would say, “Now, Connie, that’s funny!”

(by Connie)

Mrs. Linda

A woman who loves good coffee

Her ambitions for the C Team are quite lofty

A dreamer at heart

Her pen is like a well oiled part

She’s an original who can’t be copied

(by Tammy)

Dr. Matt

This is my ode to Dr. Matt

He could have written “The Cat in the Hat”

Though he lives far away

With Gateway he’ll stay

Now, only God could’ve done that!

(by Connie)

Michelle

Thanks to my new friend, Michelle

She’s getting to know  me quite well

She’s teaching me computer

Probably thinks I’d like to shoot her

But she wouldn’t want to go to …jail

(by Connie)

Ann

Ann rocks the guitar with such power

Each chord she plays causes devils to cower

Though mighty and strong

When the fight may be long

With beauty and grace she grows stronger each hour

(by Matt)

Sherrie

Sherrie is my little sister’s name

For fun and family she’s always game

She and Bev like to cruise

And take a little snooze

Look out their window, nothing ever stays the same!

(by Tammy)

Bev

Bev is really quiet snooky

If you’re around him much he’ll ask for a cookie

He certainly is a sweet treat

With a spoon and a bowl he loves to eat

But only when he thinks no one is looking

(by Sherrie)

For Mrs. Geraldine

We love our sweet Mrs. G

She’s just as pretty as she can be

With eyes big and round

A woman with a sound

She’s Apostle D’s own queen bee!

(by Madison)

Publications Team

Our publications team is off the chain

Many members we have gained

We each play a part

Doing it from the heart

It’s our vision to see many lives changed!

(by Tammy)

Celebration Team (C Team)

Oh, how I love our C-Team

Hanging with us is a scream!

We write, blog and draw

Laugh, snort and guffaw

While fulfilling Daddy D’s dream!

(by Linda)

Anessa

She has a smile that lights up a room

And a supersmart geek as her groom

A lover of tiny purses

She leads our praise team through many rehearsals

Her performance in “An Apostolic Christmas Carol” was better than any cartoon!

(by Madison)

Ricky and Connie

Our new friends are Ricky and Connie

Their smiles are so jolly and bonnie

They’re learning lots of new tricks

Sharing life in the sticks

Hey, at least we’re not in Punxatauney!

(by Linda)

The Gang

We don’t want to leave anyone out

So let’s give Ronda a shout!

Lisa, Monica, and Gay

Each share in their own special way

While Tammy, Christi and Barry round our team out!

(by Linda)

In The Quiet Time

In the quiet time, I sit alone;

The familiar whirring of the computer is all I hear.

I am alone with my thoughts, or so it seems.

I feel a tugging in my heart; He is calling me.

In the quiet time, God speaks.

I am able to listen, soaking in His awesome presence

I am only one person, yet the Alpha and Omega talks with me.

In the quiet time, I am reassured.

He gives me a clearer vision of the path I’m on.

As I see more, I’m overcome with peace.

Jehovah Jireh is all I need.

In the quiet time, I realize even more it’s not about me.

There are people wandering in darkness, unable to see.

God nudges me to pray for them.

I say, “Lord, let Your light shine through the shadows that hide their destiny.”

I stand in awe of The Great I Am because He continually uses me.

~by Madison Sanders

Tritina tuo Mama

I often find myself in awe of your labor

Striving to be the best you can while maintaining peace

And it shows how great is your love

The things you most love

Are the things for which you labor

Still applying your all to find peace

And even though you don’t always have peace

And sometimes it’s hard to feel the love

And you grow weary of the labor

Remember that we see the fruits of your labor, feel the created peace, and we love you too.

 By Andrew Frederick

Jesus My Deliverer

My heart worn down with fear and pain 

Eroded years of guilt and blame

Covered face and blushing shame

I am my own worst critic

The more I have the more I want

Not satisfied with more than enough

Grabbing, groping for more dumb stuff

I am my own whore-monger

My heart beats dead beneath my rib

Silent, numb since I was a kid

Can’t move from this place it’s hid

I am my own dread monster

But one day I saw the truth of my life and knew

Just knew

That my failures are not the end and my

Frailty

Does not define me

Or constrain me

In my weakness His strength is perfect

Realizing my inequity

Exposing truth for all to see

Bound no more, I walk free

Jesus, my Deliverer

The Blank Line

In illustrating the importance of the spirit-world, we wanted each youth in our teen class to create their timelines. We created a blank birth certificate and blank tombstones for the occasion. After the activity was finished, I found myself flabbergasted. There were more tombstones than birth certificates.  Upon a closer examination, I saw that many of the youth did not fill in the blank for “father’s name” on their birth certificates. Others simply put “I Don’t Care” in the blank space or did not create a birth certificate at all.

It saddened me and I found myself starring at one birth certificate with tears in my eyes. That blank line was a reminder that they once were abandoned and unwanted.  The truth was, in fact, that I was that kid roughly fifteen years ago and those were the thoughts circulating through my head and soul. I seriously do not know where I would be without the word and knowledge of God. I’m not saying I’ve arrived, but I’m not where I was.

The more I contemplated what I witnessed, the more I realized the affects that the blank line has had on my own life.

————–

I watched as my young ones glared at you, loathed you with gnashing teeth

Detesting with every ounce they possessed

See, their caress was limited by your existence

Abandonment confirmed by your act of omission

What was it that proved to them that empty-space pained? I know . . .

It’s that blank line that should have carried your name

 

 

Even from the day I was born, you plagued me with your emptiness

And that lover’s caress you bestowed only a few months earlier was gone

And it was her name that was alone-My mother’s

As she lay in a pool of her own sin, tears and red water

Cradling in her arms, with burdensome joy, a ghost’s daughter

What was that which gave her no choice as she looked down to where I lay? I know . . .

It’s the blank line that should have carried your name.

 

What were You teaching me? What was it a part of Your plan

To let stand at a distance a love I could not touch, an aromatic hope I could not smell

Worthiness I could not behold lest I lust for it?

There was no hand to hold there in the separation of that vacant streak

Though my fragile heartbeat, I feared, would not survive should we convene

What was that which created this vast, bottomless void of sheer darkness and rain?

I know…

 

It’s the blank line that should have carried your name.

 

Yet, here I am, Jehovah Elohim. Here am I, shouting across the aloofness

Because the truth is that I cannot live as a child without a face, detached from Agape

A child inundated by a blank space

Therefore, My Creator, take this clay I call my flesh

Hurl it onto your Potter’s wheel and mend the ego fractured by shame

Knead with Your thumbs the solidified rubbish of malice, guilt, anguish and hate

Shave off dead weights that hold me hostage from sublime,

Imprisoning me to be a victim of that void line

 

Render null and void time, Elohim

Refold that flat span with Your vast hands that laid mountains and oceans

Go back past the children of my youth, a child at every age

Pass that babe at her mother’s bosom, before the ailing through which I was born

Spin until the world is without form and without nights and days

And there, I see, You knew me and gave me Your name

I am you and You are me, My Love

There, I heard His voice echo and let the sound waves invigorate the depths of my being

Completing in me the song I thought was lost until I arose with my feet dancing

My hands waving, my heart singing as I became one who was entire, lacking no thing

 

You see, only then could I love you

Only then could I embrace you and your good intentions

Taking no care to mention the acts of the past

Only then could I understand, discover and find

That your heart, too, was afflicted by the presence of that vacant line

 

When they ask what gives me the right to edify youth though my womb’s seen no heir

If they dare inquire how my young age will help turn the hearts of children to the heart of our Father

Without bother, I will tell you what I will proclaim and know . . .

It’s the blank line that should have carried your name . . . That now carries His.

~by Vickie Bowman

Editor’s Note: It is with deep humility and gratitude that we post this heart wrenching poem by Vickie. It took great courage for her to write it, and we share it here with hope that it will inspire others to allow God to step in and fill that void for them as He did so faithfully for Vickie.

St. Patrick’s Day Fun

Okay… so just for fun, I had a limerick writing session with some of my team this week. It was really just to try to stretch ourselves creatively, and we had a lot of fun trying. Turns out limericks are pretty hard to write if you want them to actually make sense! Anyway… I hope you enjoy them! If you can come up with a CLEAN limerick to add to our list, submit it in the comments!

Coming to Gateway

Sweet and sour on a stick

Encourage the children’s tongues to lick

To get on the bus

And party with us

At Gateway for candy, music, and a flick

x

x

For Apostle David

No Yellow-bellied sissy dogs here

No Micky-Mouse filled up with fear

Gotta grow you a spine

And you better not whine

Or you won’t last around here for a year!

Our House

This is a place to be spirit-led

Where you follow God instead of your head

The love is tough

But it’s more than enough

And the best days are still up ahead!

Mrs. Linda

There was a woman so tall

Who made us all feel small

She once was agnostic

Her temper quite caustic

But now she’s not so bad at all

Back at you, Joshua

There once was a drummer named Josh

A lot of drums he did squash

A bang with a stick

And a head like a brick

My God, how I wish he would wash!

Purple

Raised me to royalty

Seated me at Your right hand

Promised me family

Brought me into Your land

You wrapped me in purple

Placed Your scepter in my hand

How could You do this

Knowing what I am?

I look at my filthy rags

I can’t get past my stains

You see me as a righteous one

And call me by Your Name

When all the earth has turned away

You beckon me to come

And step into Your place for me

As Your beloved son

You wrapped me in purple

Placed Your scepter in my hand

I’ll magnify You eternally

And praise You as I am

 

 

by Linda Frederick

Pretty

What if today you heard heaven yell,

“Hell is up ahead!” Wouldn’t you listen?

And we all like to sing a thing called pretty,

and make it our reality. Isn’t that religion?

Well, I don’t want pretty; I want beauty,

because pretty doesn’t cut it for what’s been done for me.

 

Pretty is fine, but treasure is meant to keep.

What does it mean to put it deep, and also make it shine?

Heaven help me, because I’m going to trash

the treasure You gave me and make it just another

fashion trend. Let me wear what I need to wear,

and I know You’ll appear where I appear.

 

To lose a voice is hard, but to gain one is harder.

I hope it doesn’t sound pretty to You. I hope

it sounds beautiful just like You are. I know

it doesn’t sound right, in fact I’m sure its out of tune,

but You are welcome to coach me. I will sing of

how all the knees will bow. Even the pretty ones.

 

~by Josh Brannen, guest writer

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

 

 

We come to many crossroads in our lives. My hope is always that the road I choose, though it be not popular or well-traveled, is the road on which I find myself following closely after God. I am not a critic, and I do not know what Frost may have intended for this poem…. but it has always spoken deeply to me of the choices I have made, bringing me to this place in my life and taking me far from the destructive path on which I once walked. I hope to find you on this path one day as well.

 

~Linda

I’ll Cover You

The darkest hour of my life
When it seemed I can’t go on
Beaten down by all the things I’d said
And the things I had done wrong
I cried unto the Lord
And I heard this word break through,
“Look up, My son
It’s all been done,
and I will cover you.”

“I’ll cover you when you get weary
I’ll cover you when you fall
I see you when you stumble
But My Blood will cover all.”

“I’ll cover you.
I’ve covered you”