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The Zax , According to Billy
It is a tale as old
As the Bible itself
Whether you carry it around
Or it sits on a shelf.
“Stubborn” and “stiffed-necked’
are the biblical names
Whether you’re reading
The Message, NIV or King James.
Today we use terms like
“Stalemate” and “Gridlock”
We keep asking ourselves
“Who threw up this roadblock?”
We might be surprised
To learn and recount
We contribute to this problem
a significant amount
“I’m a conservative”, “I’m a liberal”
We proudly declare
Like the Zax with arms folded
heads held high in the air
We’re contributors to
the ongoing despair.
Whether you favor “The Newt”,
Obama or Romney
If you put ketchup on eggs
Or cheese in your hominy
You cannot afford
Just to stay in one place
For when you do
You’ll be missing the best of God’s grace
You see the Tale of the Zax
Seems all fun and not scary
‘til you consider the fact
That we reside on the prairie
Are we open
to ways that are strikingly new?
Haven’t we literally seen
The new highway come through?
I’ve seen it too often
in churches that settle
their stubbornness boils
like a stew in a kettle.
I’ve heard it and heard it
til my ears have gone sore
“At our church we’ve never done it
that way before.”
Paul says we must choose
the path from above
Not the path of the stiff-necked
But the pathway of love
When we do this we find
we are perfectly able
to find new possibilities
at God’s Holy Table
For in Communion we find
A new face to face
Where we discover our purpose
Is not just taking up space.
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
According to Billy
From there to here
And here to there
Glorious things
are everywhere
I look around
And I say “WOW”
I think that God
Should take a bow.
For all the things
God does endow.
For our free will
God does allow.
Is it wrong to exclaim
“Holy Cow” ?
Instead we tend to say
“Oh Dear”
We fill our lives
with lots of fear
We grumble
when we oughta cheer
We say “Oh No”,
“The end is near”.
The Psalm says
let’s be crystal clear.
God is the one
We must revere.
Dear Lord, Good Lord
Oh Lord, My Lord,
We use the name
Like a sword.
We use the name
for our reward.
In the rule of Ten
It did explain
We should not use
God’s name in vain.
The Lord, Our Lord
strikes a more
Responsive chord
It brings us into
One accord
And unity can be restored.
Maybe this should be explored!
Did you know we are
made for praise?
When our hearts are in malaise
When our heads are in a haze
When our gaze is in a daze.
We have the chance to give God praise
And when we choose to give God praise
We remember grace that does amaze
We have new passion set ablaze
We acknowledge God in all our ways (Proverbs 3:6)
Is it clear
or should I rephrase?
Are you living under stress?
Are you lacking in success?
Are you likely to obsess?
Does your life feel like a game of chess?
Maybe it’s time to reassess.
Maybe we should all confess
God called us not to judge, but bless.
And maybe if we learned to bless
Our lives we would not second guess.
Is this something
that we should address?
I’m anxious about
the state of my soul
It’s hard to describe
and hard to control
It’s hard to explain
and hard to extol.
Does it simply mean
I’m on the church roll?
Has my sin been placed on
some kind of parole?
No, as far as the west
is from the east
To God our sin
is as good as deceased
Remembering Jesus
is our High Priest
Because of Christ
We have all been released.
I would hope that our thankfulness
would be increased.
In the end it comes
down to hope.
Whether you’re a pauper
Or you’re the Pope.
Whether you live by the ocean
Or live on a slope
Hope is the one thing
We cannot forget
As the sun starts to rise
And the sun starts to set
God’s love and forgiveness
cannot be offset.
I promise praising God is something
You’ll never regret.
The Lorax
According to Billy
What in the world
Is this story about?
A Lorax, A Once-ler
My faith or my doubt?
What does it mean
"God gave us dominion"?
Are we in charge of the world?
What's your opinion?
The Bible is clear
We are made in God's image
As simple as that sounds
It's a fine line of scrimmage
Some think we should civilize
Conquer and subdue
We should use the things of nature
So our riches may accrue
Others shout like the Lorax
And call themselves "green"
They point fingers at Once-lers
And call them unclean
So If you're a world beater,
Does that make you a mugger?
If you're a lover of nature,
Are you a tree-hugger?
It seems to me name calling
Isn't the answer
Cause when that starts, it grows
Like a run-a-way cancer
Instead of a moniker
God gives us a chore
On day six of creation
God gave us the store
God said: "The world's in your care"
"All that's domestic and wild"
"It's your responsibility"
"Every man, woman and child"
Yes we are in charge
Over all God's creation
But God's still the owner
And we have vocation
We are simply stewards
Of the sky and the land
Of the birds the air
And the snakes in the sand
Of the fish in the ocean
And mammals in caves
We can't think of ourselves
As masters or slaves
Stewardship is the key
To the created order
It must be our lifestyle
From border to border
When stop trying to dominate
And we learn how to bless
We'll stop being haunted
By the Lorax's "Unless"
What in the world?
What in the world indeed?
When we care for God's gifts
We have all that we need
What in the world;
Is a the question to ask.
Remember that God calls us
To care for the world
And that is our task.
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Even the kids got in the act...Look at some of the poetry they put together!
God is old,
God is not cold.
God has pawr.
God mit hav a shawr.
God is not small
He gave his love to all.
Christopher Locke- 1st grade
God loves us every day,
God loves us in every way.
Spencer Olson- 4th grade
God is good
God is great.
Everyday he gives grace.
Avery Archer – 2nd grade
God is not hot.
God givs us a lot.
Cade Braaten – kindergarten
God is strog.
God is not wrog.
Cade Braaten – kindergarten
I love the love,
oh, you know that I do.
He gave so much for me and for you.
Child-unknown
The Youth Choir put on a GREAT show!
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