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The Fisherman's Lament

Sailing across the ocean blue  Singing shanties with my merry crew We cast our nets into the briny waters To provide for our wives, sons, and daughters. But when are nets grew heavy and taut We heaved them up to see what we caught. And what did our accursed eyes behold? Fish with scales that glistened like gold. We cheered as our nets burst at the seams. We were rich beyond our wildest dreams! But my heart quickly sank to the sea floor As I recalled the warning we got days before. “Should you ever catch fishes of gold Remember the ancient warnings of old: Release them and don’t be slaves to greed Lest you anger the Merfolk with a selfish deed.” With heavy heart, I reminded my crew Of the solemn warning from Old Ms. Rue. They laughed and said, “It’s just an old wives tale!” And our captain said, “Homeward we sail!” I warned them that this was a foolish deed But my voice was one they chose not to heed. As they started to sail home with childish glee A great shadow loomed below the su...
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Church Without the Church

The church had crumbled down from the hurricane last night,

No one was hurt, thankfully, though the loud crash did cause a fright,

Its wooden beams were now splinters, and its frame was battered

Its stained-glass window of Jesus on the cross lay on the ground, shattered.

The church would be rebuilt, of course, there was no reason why not.

“After all, we can’t have church without a church,” the pastor thought.

 

The construction days were mostly rainy, so progress was slow,

The construction was then postponed some more because of unexpected snow.

The weeks turned into a month, and still, there was no preaching,

There were no hymns of praise to God or Sunday school teaching.

“This is no good,” the congregation thought.

“We can’t have church without a church. This is a tough spot.”

 

The pastor sat somberly in his house by his windowsill,

He saw that the church that was supposed to be fixed was a wooden skeleton still.

“This is no good,” the pastor said. “This is not good at all.

We can’t have church without a church. At this rate, it won’t be done till next fall!”

His wife thought for a moment, and overcame her shyness and fear,

“Maybe we should invite the whole congregation here.”

 

The pastor considered this idea, though he wasn’t sure about its merit.

Church was supposed to happen at church, wasn’t it?

But it had been too long since they’ve gotten together in worship and prayer,

Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing, at least not until the church’s repair.

The congregation gathered together at the pastor’s house that Sunday,

It was a fire in the cold of winter; it was a wonderful, excellent day.

 

They sang hymns of worship, the pastor preached the word,

They all prayed together; the voice of God was heard.

They invited the Holy Spirit to come take residence,

Then everyone could feel the house fill with God’s presence.

They couldn’t have church without the church, but the church wasn’t a building with a roof,

It was the gathering of believers who worshipped the Father in spirit and in truth.

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