Author: Lynne Collier/Author

Hello. My blogs are primarily about my work as a writer, faith as a Christ follower, gardening and my childhood in mid-century England. I hope that something I say will make you smile today and encourage you in your journey.​

Poem For Ephesians

Have you ever received a fantastic review for a book or had someone buy a bunch of them for a study group? Feels amazing, doesn’t it? If not yet then plod on, author. It took me quite some time to get a review on Amazon or have a piece chosen for an anthology, but it did come eventually. Fellow authors have said the same. Plodding pays off.

I attended an online conference by The Word Guild this past summer and one of the courses was a 4-week Poetry Intensive by D.S. Martin who’s a Poet-In-Residence at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. Students had a weekly assignment to write a poem on a specific topic and have the group critique it. One of those assignments was to write a contemporary poem about a segment of our choice from the Book Of Ephesians. And I’m very honoured to announce my poem was published today in Poems For Ephesians!

You can read my poem here in the e-pub.

Man and woman wearing the symbolic Full Armour Of God
Art by Kirstie Shanks from the book “The Fellowship Of The King”.

I’m very thankful to The Word Guild for making such a rewarding conference available as we all socially distance and to D.S Martin for sharing his knowledge and creativity with the group. And especially for choosing one of my poems for publication. I am totally chuffed!

I’m also grateful to fellow Christian poets in the group who gave such encouraging critiques on my attempts. I’m fairly new to poetry-writing and had many errors to correct as we edited and revised. It was an amazing experience.

How are you doing with your writing? Have you reached a goal, set a new one, or are you busy planning and plotting for your upcoming NaNo novel? I’d love you to share your WIPs in the comments.

Til next time, know you are loved by the One who created you in His image–and plod on, author 🙂

Lynne

Previous poetry:

“CONTENTMENT“

“SONG OF THE BENEVOLENTS“

“SPENT“

Contentment

An instructor from one of my online poetry classes gave us a list of words and asked us to choose one to write a poem in any form we chose. I chose to write in simple rhyme about the word “contentment”. I find I’m more at peace and full of contentment in my garden.

How do you find contentment?

CONTENTMENT

Children grown

Life’s my own.

Friends are few

That will do.

Birds they sing.

No phones ring.

Flowers dance,

Bunnies prance.

Slow now – good.

As I should.

It’s not hard

In my yard.

‘Til next time, remember you are loved by the One who created you in His image.

Blessing,

Lynne

The Lead Trout

The Lead Trout

The trout thrashed wildly as it swam upstream, darting side-to-side against the undercurrent and rising above the rapids on its quest to reach the final goal. It weaved in and out of fallen branches, searching for the perfect path. Once found, it swam freely to a calmer place where it could rest and gather its strength.

But the fish didn’t keep going after its well-deserved rest. Instead, this fish turned around and headed back the way it had come.

You see, this trout was stronger than the rest. He was prepared to battle the river and face possible death to get the others through. I saw the smaller trout waiting in a shallow recess way behind where the bigger fish had been struggling. They waited for the bigger fish, stronger and more experienced, to show them the way. More and more gathered to wait with them.

No doubt, their smaller bodies would have succumbed to the rapids and whirlpools on the way to spawn. But the leader came back for them and again started on the path through, patiently waiting for each one to follow, and turning back if one was swept downstream by the current.

I watched in utter amazement as these fish followed the leader, and the leader, in turn, refused to let any of the group be left behind.

We Follow Our Lord

I thought of our Lord, leading His disciples and how they followed His leadership, knowing He was a good teacher. He didn’t give up, and He finished his mission; to lead everyone who would accept, to salvation.

John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Here, Christ is teaching His followers to follow His example and love each other. As His disciples, we are called to follow Him as He shows us the way we need to go. Without Him we would suffer amidst the evil of the world, or be swept away by the deceptive undercurrents. Yet, following our great Teacher, we persevere toward the goal with the assurance He will lead the way.

Lord, teach us Your ways so we may be willing to show others how much You love them.

Written as a lesson for a devotional course. This is an actual event I observed as I sat by the river. I was there for quite a while, fascinated by the scene playing out before my eyes.

Til next time, know you are loved by the One who created you in His image.

~ Lynne

Resource – if you’d like to learn how to write devotionals, email Marcia Laycock at vinemarc@telus.net

Song Of The Benevolents – from “WARAG”

A misty mountain
The beautiful photo is by Ray Majoran. You can view his collection in Compassion Gallery which donates all profits to charity.

THE SONG OF THE BENEVOLENTS

Good people come, hear of the King.

Rejoice with us, break bread and sing.

Dance the merrier free from fear.

For peaceful ones find solace here.

Our town is hidden in the veil,

The King’s legacy to prevail.

His great love is bequest on all

Who seek his grace in Hallowed Hall.

But woe to those who would do ill

For the King is just to do his will.

Hark evil ones with vile intents

The words of The Benevolents.

This song is sung by the people of the Town Of Refuge when they gather together for celebrations and prepare for confrontation with encroaching armies.

Book cover of Warag, a child's fantasy novella by Lynne Collier.
Warag by Lynne Collier

Til next time, remember you are loved by the One who created you in His image. Be safe, be well, be blessed.

Lynne

Spent

I enjoy writing the occasional poem, although I continue to take classes to hone the art. Here’s one of my poems from a few weeks ago when we were in the middle of the pandemic and I was exhausted from trying to do too much. I’d been taking in too much information from social media and the news and fallen into the trap of “shoulds.” I’d become SPENT.

How are you fairing these days? Are you too overrun with information and drained from lack of fresh air and socialization? I hope you’re connecting with those who fill you up and not so much with those who leave your spirit spent.

woman in black cloak with fishing pole standing in beach
Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

SPENT

Spent.

All of it spent.

Nothing left to give.

Words lay dead as brown leaves covered by icy cold white.

Barren.

Empty soul

Why do you torment me?

I desire

But there’s no life,

No expression,

Only an empty vessel.

A tornado of stories

Half-written,

Half-lost

To me.

I’m not this.

Let me be.

Be safe, be well, be blessed, and remember — you are loved by the One who created you in His image.

Til next time

Lynne