Category: Poetry

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, Poetry

May memories – 2024

by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments on May memories – 2024
May memories – 2024

Goodness sakes…what a month! Buckle up, friends, because this isn’t going to be a short post. XD

We are too prone to engrave our trials in marble and our blessings in sand.

Charles Spurgeon

Things worth remembering…

  • finding a bunny while mowing
  • rain…rain…more rain…
  • jamming with music friends, VeggieTales and Springsteen
  • feeling ridiculously proud of my brother and his student address at his commencement ceremony
  • spending a week in Tennessee with old and new friends
  • sharing tears and laughter with this dear friend who always points through the dark to Jesus
  • spotting one of my music heroes in downtown Franklin
  • finally visiting the Rabbit Room
  • windows-down car rides + music swaps
  • Livy and Kiana’s performance of “Santa Fe” when the WiFi was being cantankerous
  • seeing one of my friends get married off
  • tornado warnings and music practice with no electricity (RIP, keyboard and bass guitar)
  • the first songwriting session
  • The Noodle Redemption
  • riding in the tractor with a brother

I realized that I was immortal till my Master’s work was done. – John Patton

What I’ve been reading…

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – C.S. Lewis

“Am I to understand,” said Reepicheep to Lucy after a long stare at Eustace, “that this singularly discourteous person is under your Majesty’s protection? Because, if not–“

My heart has needed a return to Narnia. <3

Adorning the Dark – Andrew Peterson

Sometimes you start with nothing and hope it all works out. Not sometimes—every time. All you really have is your willingness to fail, coupled with the mountain of evidence that the Maker has never left nor forsaken you.

I started a reread of this on the plane to Tennessee. Andrew Peterson’s appreciation of and hunger for hope and beauty is catching.

future flowers, whispered war-cries – Hosanna Emily

i may wake to morning stars or thick darkness yet, but maybe – hope against hope – it’ll be Day. soon, He promises, and that’s enough.

Hosanna and I did a book swap in Tennessee, and I’m savoring the journey through this chunky book of hope-laced poems. Hosanna has a passion for Jesus and His coming that is contagious, and she articulates her heart so well in this poetry collection!

A Light in the Window – Jan Karon

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Everything and nothing. What you did today, what I did today, what we’ll do tomorrow. About God and how He’s working in our lives. About my work, about your work, about life, about love, about what’s for dinner and how the roses are doing – do they have black spot or beetles…”

So far, I’m loving the second book in the Mitford series even more than the first! It feels softer, cozier, even more full of warmth and gentle healing.

Holy Hygge – Jamie Erickson

Even when we’re only given fleeting seconds of connection, we almost always have the opportunity to share the touch of Christ, if not in our actions, certainly in our reactions.

I’m still savoring this book!

Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name…

Romans 1:5

From the journal…

Oh, God! Get it through this hard head of mine that nothing shall be impossible for You, and that You have not left the business of redemption. Open my eyes to see the chariots of fire. Open my heart to wait on You and You alone for provision…there is joy set before me…and so I can endure.

Help me, Lord, as I walk the rim of the darkness, staggering towards the light and holding it in my heart. Thank You for this time of grace…this opportunity to stand firm in the darkness and hold high my torch. You are so good…always, even when the world continues to fall apart around me.

Thank You, Jesus, that You are sovereign, and that Your kingdom shall reign over all the earth.

Instead of seeing every bad thing as a failure of God’s goodness, why don’t I see every good thing as His grace?

Let me not be defined by what I lack. I am not a dry tree. I am planted by Your river.

Liz Snell

What are you taking away from this May?

Stay the course!

<3 Laurel

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you.:)

Poetry

tapestries + timelines – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann5 Comments on tapestries + timelines – a poem

Hello, friends!

Since sending Project Redemption off to an editor, my brain has been freed up to actually write poetry again! Here’s one of my recent favorite pieces…

I can trust my paltry timelines to

the hand of the God who crafted time

and set within this heart His mark:

an ache for the world unsullied by

a death-driven race for

desire unslaked.

behold

He is making

all things new…

untainted by the sin-stained clock,

the God who rules outside of time

is weaving tapestries of tears

and heartbeats – and His story’s end

wastes not a racing one of them.

Poetry

spring’s gift – a poem

by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment on spring’s gift – a poem
spring’s gift – a poem

Hello, friends!

It’s spring in my corner of the world…on the ridges and in my soul. Here’s a new poem to commemorate these days.

the world is coming alive again,

and so

am

I…

spring is yawning green,

pushing its delicate fingers through the loam

that knew death with such intimacy…

but it breathes again,

racing to meet a cloud-studded sky

at the horizon to dance a jig

where death has died.

words flow, inky black

yet so alive

from my pen.

funny how, in the months where

the world stretched barren,

my pen was barren, too…

and now,

as the fields are wooing my heart,

my fingertips spring to life with the words

I fought to snare all winter.

a gift, a gift,

it’s all a gift…

the chorus echoes through my mind

and thunders through my ribcage.

all these God-formed hands can do is

plant,

water,

weed,

gather the increase that comes

from the heart of God and never

from my own sweating brow.

fear melts with the last of the snowdrifts, and

I poke warming fingers into the grasp

of an Almighty hand…

grateful,

eager,

in love.

P.S. I had to revamp my newsletter because I was running into some issues with my hosting site…so if you were subscribed to receive my newsletters, you’ll have to re-subscribe here if you’d like to continue receiving them!

(And, hey…if you weren’t subscribed in the first place, now’s your chance. ;))

Poetry, Uncategorized

entry – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann4 Comments on entry – a poem
entry – a poem

Hello, friends!

This is my first poem inspired by the Holy Week prompts I posted on Instagram! Happy reading…✨

what causes a crowd who

welcomed You with praise

to turn on You within a week,

demanding blood?

oh, the power of delusional expectations…

You entered and I answered with joy,

making way for You into the fortress of my heart,

laying down my cloak and willing to lay down my very life

for the King of majesty.

but something changed in my loyalties when

You walked a rocky path spattered with Your own blood

and bid me walk beside You.

this, You whisper, is the test of my love, begging it to become

a love that is not contingent on bloated expectations,

but a love that trusts even when

blood runs into the eyes

and pain carves canyons in the heart.

You ask for humility, not royal robes…

my loyalty, not only my cloak.

Poetry

Holy Week poetry prompts!

by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment on Holy Week poetry prompts!
Holy Week poetry prompts!

Hello, friends!

I just wanted to pop on the blog and let you know that I have some poetry prompts for you all.

Lent and especially Holy Week is one of my favorite times of the year as we look back on what Christ has done for us and look forward to an eternity with Him. It’s a reflective time of year for me, and that usually means poetry!

I put together some poetry prompts for each day of Holy Week, and if poetry is your thing (or if you want it to be your thing…) please feel free to join me in using them to inspire some new poems!

I’ll be sharing some poetry each day of Holy Week (hopefully!) over on my Instagram account and will post a roundup of my favorites on the blog after Easter.

Happy writing!

<3 Laurel

Poetry

rest – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann3 Comments on rest – a poem
rest – a poem

Hello, friends!

This poem was inspired by the events related in Matthew 14, if you’d like some more context.:)

teach me to rest, Father…

tell me the stories of

the Man who slept through the storm,

who retreated from the crowds,

and returned from such retreats

to have compassion…

not just to feel it throbbing in His chest,

but to surrender self-pity and pride

to the flames on the altar of truest love.

the Man whose love brought Him

through the wildest storms,

the deepest heartbreak,

the most torturous death

(and the ultimate death of death)

and finally to a place where

He receives His beloved

in the everlasting arms that

never weary now.

Poetry

priceless love – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann8 Comments on priceless love – a poem

Hello, friends! I unearthed an old poem to share today…happy reading! <3

I asked to learn love, and so

affection flew away on silver wings,

desire at its heels.

the rose-colored glasses slipped from

the bridge of my nose, and

I was left silent,

words stolen by

shock.

indignation burned

hot in my ribcage, and words I hate

bubbled to my lips.

this, God? You expect me to love

this???

as I fumed, I felt quiet eyes on

my clenched fists.

I turned and saw confusion glinting

in the eyes I met through His Word.

“but I love you.

I died for you.”

shame burned a mottled mask

across my face.

I remembered the ugliness

He sees each day.

I glanced at scarred wrists and saw

the receipt of redemption.

how could I ever refuse to give

a shred of the love

He’s lavished on me?

Poetry

topsy-turvy year – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann5 Comments on topsy-turvy year – a poem
topsy-turvy year – a poem

Hello, friends!

I shared this poem on Instagram last month and still really appreciate it…so I thought I’d share it here, too.:) I hope you enjoy!

at the end of this topsy-turvy year, I find myself

crumpled, wrapping the pages of truth around my shaking body as

I brace myself for

one more disappointment,

one more slaughtered dream,

one more “no, not yet…”

and I’m afraid.

I’m afraid of crumbling

beneath the weight of all that’s missing.

why, God?

I know the words are foolish, but

I voice them with Habbakkuk,

sobbing at the feet of Christ as

I wait for His answer,

for I know that He is

good,

never late,

ever-seeing.

He has not forgotten me and my bruised heart.

I am only blinded…

blinded to the mercy of this day,

blinded to the wisdom of this way.

oh, my Lover, open my eyes so that I may see

the beauty You’ve unfurled before me!

bandage this heart and carry it along,

filling it with the strength to

love the unloved,

bind up the wounded,

carry the weary

just as You have done for me, for

even when this heart is broken, it is still

the hands and feet of Christ.

even if I’m limping, You still want my all.

oh, give me strength for today

just as You hold out bright hope for tomorrow.

Poetry

walk with me – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments on walk with me – a poem
walk with me – a poem

Hello, friends!

I wrote this poem after reading Psalm 103, specifically verse 14. I guess this is my shoutout across the centuries to David.:)

walk with me, Father, for

I don’t know well this road I’m on.

You alone know how many times I’ve begged

for deportation,

for transplant,

for rescue…from what?

a rescue from Your will?

You know my frame, my Builder.

You know that this atmosphere

should have crushed me long ago…and yet…

Your breath in my gasping lungs is

the only oxygen I need to survive

in this world that’s so foreign to

this blood-washed soul…

so I plead,

not for rescue,

nor for transplant,

nor for deportation, but for

more of You within me.

melt my inward dross with Your holy flame,

and weld this identity to Your name until

I know

I am nothing without You,

and all that I need is within You.