Just A Closer Walk With You

Poems Presented In Church In 2021 to 2022, for about 10 months in the two main Sunday services, I presented poems in church as a ministry. Usually I shared an introduction to the poem (perhaps the story behind it if it was one of mine or if I knew of the events surrounding it), then I presented the verses behind it and a Biblical exhortation to draw closer to the Lord.  While we were recording the sermons preached each service, we did not think to actually record the poem presentations until about the last four months. The poems were a blessing to share and God's hand was definitely upon that ministry, as the poems and challenges I read often went with the theme of the sermons preached, the songs chosen, and many times both - yet the hymns chosen each day and the Pastor's themes or passages were not announced to me in advance. It was a ministry wholly dependent upon the Lord's guiding, and His hand was very evident for all those months. For various reasons, the Lord guided

To continue the idea of Jesus being with us in all the valleys of life we go through, please read this encouraging study. There are so many lessons we can learn in the valleys, but this is probably the greatest one: The Lily Of The Valleys

When I started preaching at the Kelowna Gospel Mission, my first few messages were on the different Valleys of Life. One of my favourite of that series that I called Lessons In The Valleys was The Valley of the Shadow of Death. While I preached Psalm 23 in two parts, I only ever wrote up my study for the first part. It is still worth the read though. The Valley of the Shadow of Death Lord willing, tomorrow I will post another one in this series about how the Lord Jesus Christ is with us in all our valleys.

Yesterday, I was updating some links on a testimony I had put together after my Mom passed away in September 2005, called God’s Grace In Our Trials (Dealing with the loss of my Mom) , and found two really good and encouraging poems that ministered to me at that time. I would love to share them with you here. The testimony is super long, as it is all about how the Lord worked in mine and my sister's lives during the year our Mom went home to be with the Lord. It is worth reading if you are dealing with the loss of loved ones or wondering how you will ever get through The Valley of the Shadow of Death yourself (ie. in the sense of it looming over you as you see the health of a loved one decline over time, and see the shadow of death affecting your lives). Here are the two poems: Fear (Poem by Martha Snell Nicholson) Because You Passed My Way

Comparisons Between Psalms 22, 23, And 24 It is interesting to note the following seven-fold comparison between Psalms 22, 23, and 24 and their New Testament parallels. (Adapted from J. Vernon McGee's comments from Thru The Bible on Psalm 23, where he lists six comparisons between what is often referred to as "The Shepherd Psalms." I am unsure where the seventh point came from.) Psalm 22: 1) The Good Shepherd (John 10:11) 2) The Saviour 3) The Foundation 4) Christ Dying 5) The Cross 6) He Gives His Life 7) Grace Psalm 23: 1) The Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) 2) The Satisfier 3) The Manifestation 4) Christ Living 5) The Comforter 6) He Gives His Love 7) Guidance Psalm 24: 1) The Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) 2) The Sovereign 3) The Expectation 4) Christ Coming 5) The Crown 6) He Gives His Light 7) Glory Comparisons Between Psalms 22, 23, And 24

God Is This poem is a bit long, but it is soooo encouraging! You can read the poem and listen to it being presented in church, if you'd like, by visiting this link below: God Is I hope that it is a blessing to you too.

  The Lord Is My Song The following comes from the Introduction to my poetry blog,  Songs In The Night , but I wanted to post it on my study site as well - for a challenge to each of us to have music that glorifies the Lord: The name is based on the following passages: Job 35:10  But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night. Psalms 42:8  Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. Psalms 77:6  I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. I have found through personal experience that only the Lord Himself can give songs in the night - only He can give His perfect (complete) peace and joy to His children in the midst of their trials and sorrows. It is only through Him that songs can spring up out of troubled hearts - and it is those same songs that truly can touch and minister to the hearts of others.

 "Shine as lights in the world." The Lampstand Shine forth, O light of God indwelling. May the flame burn clear and bright Fed by that pure and endless oil, The Spirit filling me. Let not This flesh, this mortal lamp, obscure The brightly burning flame. O God, Let not the lampstand intervene Or claim the glory for itself. May it be clean, and plain, and yielded To the holding of that precious Oil, flaming, burning brightly That the world may see Christ. - Joan. H. Lyon Hm, it is funny how when you see something worded a little different that you see a Scriptural truth in a whole new light. I always took the references to us being the light of the world as indicating it was our job to shine out among the lost, shining out with the truth of the Word of God. Yet this poem presents it in a way that indicates we are to be the vessel holding the light (and oil) that shines out from us. Now the picture seems a little clearer for me - it is more like a combination of both concepts. M

I wanted to try something new, so I created two new blogs. One new blog, called  The Substance Of Things Hoped For (Faith-based Stories and Illustration) , was created for a place for me to be able to quickly repost all the stories and illustrations that Angela Trenholm (my webpartner) had on her family site (Trenholms Of Kelowna).  EarnestlyContending.com  (our domain and the central hub for all our personal sites) got repeatedly hacked a little over two years ago and we lost all the content and had to rebuild from scratch. It is a lot of work trying to repost articles, stories, songs, etc. that were posted from approximately 21 years ago onwards, but I am making a valiant effort. Doing it in a blog format also gives me the opportunity to easily add new content. The second blog is for posting Daily Devotionals once again - devotionals and poems. I had done that for several years back in 2004 onwards, but eventually it became too much work to keep doing that project and work full time,

  The Lord Is Able What the Lord is able to do in our lives: 1) Able to give you an inheritance. Acts 20:32  And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. 2) Able to fulfill all His promises. Romans 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform. 3) Able to make you stand. Romans 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 4) Able to make all grace abound towards you (able to give you all you need to serve Him). 2 Corinthians 9:8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. 5) Able to do exceeding abundantly. Ephesians 3:20  Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, accor

  Just A Little Sparrow (Dedicated to all the little children) I’m just a little sparrow – Oh, please don’t forget me, Lord! I’m trusting in Your promises, Still believing in Your Word. I’m just a little sparrow – With these tears, it’s hard to see, But I know my Heavenly Father Is always watching over me. I’m just a little sparrow – So small and scared, I know; But Jesus died for all my sins, He washed me white as snow. I’m just a little sparrow – But one thing I know is true: Jesus loves all the little children, And I know He loves me too! I’m just a little sparrow – Sometimes it’s so hard not to cry, But my Saviour is in Heaven, He’s made a home for me when I die. I’m just a little child – I don’t know what life has in store, But in God’s eyes, I’m like a sparrow, And to Him I’m worth so much more! I’m just a little sparrow – So small and scared, that’s a fact, But God takes care of all His sparrows, And I thank You, Lord, for that! July 24th, 2003 Jerry Bouey Luke 12:6-7 Are not fi

  When I Stop Praying When I stop praying – my whole life falls apart, No joy thrills my soul, no peace fills my heart, My compassion soon dies and my desires are not met, The future seems uncertain, and there’s no end of debt. When I stop praying – it is obvious, the Lord I have not sought, I have not seen Him work in my life and heart as I ought, The things that I loathe about myself are still there, And the plans that I am making are castles built on the air. When I stop praying – I have let reign fear and doubt, I have taken the reins of my life and left the Master out; To other Christians and the world, I have let it be known That I am prideful and think I can do it all on my own. When I stop praying – it’s obvious to the Lord that I fell From my own steadfastness while others are on their way to Hell, I am not standing in the gap, nor caring for the lost, I am not plucking brands from the fire, nor counting the cost. When I start praying again – the reverse is quite true, I have

What happens when we don't obey the Lord fully, when we just obey Him halfheartedly? This study is taken from the story of Haman in the book of Esther. It is a bit of a long read, but it is simple and straightforward. My challenge to you today is to pick up the areas of your life where you have pulled back the reins from the Lord, and choose to obey Him fully. Be like the hymnwriter, and be able to say sincerely from your heart, "I Surrender All." The Disobedience Of King Saul

  For A Season For a season, there will be troubles, For the needed time, then they will go. God has a purpose for every trial; They are only for a season, you know. Overwhelmed with sudden loss and anguish, With a heavy heart, broken in despair. Look up to Jesus for His comfort - Even for this season, He will be there. For a season, sufferings are our portion, But, then, in a moment, they will pass away. And after the season of our sorrows, Heaven's glory will shine bright as day. February 24th, 2002 Jerry Bouey (Dedicated to the Lockharts) Romans 8:18 and 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season , if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. 1 Peter 1:6 The Bible teaches that we will have manifold (many kinds of) trials. That we are to rejoice in them. That there is a need for us to go through them, that the Lord has a purpose for every trial He allows in our lives. There is also a bright ray of hope shining through that verse, wh

  The following is taken from chapter 15 ( Paul's Prayer for the Ephesians... ) of  The Epistle Of Paul The Apostle To The Ephesians  by Oliver B. Greene: - The origin of love is divine (1 John 4:8). - Love has been from everlasting (Genesis 1:1, Psalm 90:1-2). - The source of pure love is God (2 Corinthians 13:11). - We love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). - Love is the evidence of saving faith in Jesus (1 John 4:16). - Love is the royal badge of true discipleship (John 13:35). - Love is the assurance that we have passed from death unto life (1 John 3:14). - The love of God in our heart is unmerited (Colossians 1:12-14). - The love of God is the most costly thing known to Heaven or earth (Ephesians 1:7). - The love of God is free to all who will receive it (Romans 3:24-25). - The love of God is universal in its offer (John 3:16). - The love of God is unbounded in its work (Ephesians 2:4). - The love of God is unbroken in its ministry (Romans 8:39). - The love of God i

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 Through This Valley There's a shadow looming over me, and the pain is often near; There's a storm cloud on the horizon, and the thunder causes fear; But in the midst of this uncertainty, MY LORD IS ALWAYS HERE! Through this Valley, with these tears, walking onward I go, Not running in a hurry, nor lagging behind too slow; For there's a peace within my heart - MY LORD IS HERE - I KNOW! The journey can't be much longer - oh, this body aches and moans; Though just around another corner, ahead is my eternal home; And I know within THIS Valley, I AM NOT WALKING ALONE! There's a hand that I am holding, though the path is rough and steep; There's a promise that I can cling to, that I know my Lord will keep - FOR THE LORD IS STILL MY SHEPHERD, AND I AM STILL HIS SHEEP! Oh, what is that on the horizon? A glimpse of gol

Yesterday marked 18 years since my Mom went home to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. This poem was written to mark the first Mother's Day since she went home to glory. To hear this poem presented in church, please visit the link below. Mother's Day In Heaven It's your first Mother's Day in Heaven - I'm so thankful that you're not alone; As you behold the face of our Saviour, And are blessed to worship at His throne. Mom, I would love to send you flowers, Though their fading glory could not compare To the beautiful sights and sounds of Heaven, And your very own mansion over there. I never thought so much about Heaven, As I have since you've gone home to that place - Oh Mom, I miss you so very much, And I long to see your precious face. You see, this earthly home now seems more empty - Its glitter and glamour can no more impress; For Heaven is the place of God's truest riches - Where our Father only keeps the best! Since you turned and trusted in the Saviour