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POETRY WRITTEN by W.W.Gibson

A THOUGHT OF LIFE

We live and laugh and love and cry,

And memories produce a sigh.

To God who dwells in Heaven on high,

Our hopes, our thoughts should ever fly.

O give us grace His ways to try,

Till in His arms we gently lie.

GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS,

THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.

They fought together, inspired by one desire,

To prove their worth in undiminished fire.

Their cause was freedom for mankind,

Their efforts for us are forever enshined

In our hearts\ in our minds.

They went with no hesitation or doubt,

"We will never surrender!" was their spirited shout.

The future of our country was in their hands~

Our safety from the marauding bands,

The protection of our lands.

In their struggle they thought not of power or fame,

For us, for you and me, were they slain,

They suffered and died in agonizing pain,

For our sakes they went through shot & flame,

To everlasting glory, & remembrance of their name.

1 Nov 1984

A COMPASSIONATE & MERCIFUL GOD

He reaches out with tender care,

All our troubles and trials to share.

He seeks to enter every golden heart

Ready, always, His constant love to impart.

Will you answer, then, His urgent plea?

Enter His presence on bended knee?

Will you come with deference into His company?

His mysteries grandeur for yourself to see?

He loves the humble, the gentle, the mild.

With the penitent heart He will eagerly abide.

Anyone seeking His encouragement and help,

Should reach out in longing, losing all thought of self.

For, always urgent is God’s desire to please,

Every opportunity to succour He will seize.

With the wayward one He will kindly persuade

That he should reform his ways, and seek

The Master’s Aid

20 May 1983

GOD IS AVAILABLE WHEN NEEDED

The trials and stresses of existence are laid upon me.

I find my God , and am raised above all misery.

With His help I learn once more to cope,

Without Him I live in darkness, without hope.

His presence gives me a solid foundation on which to rest,

He opens my eyes to reality, and I am greatly blessed.

I ride at ease above the clouds of time and place,

And find consolation and relief in the nobleness of space,

The dwelling place of universal love and solace.

6 Nov 1984

JESUS CAME

Not in power, not in fame,

But in gentleness and meekness,

The God of love to Proclaim.

WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

RETURN TO ME, DEAR

HEAVENLY FATHER.

My God absolve me from all unkind thought,

My friendship at a dear price you bought,

Throughout my life my full support you sought,

Were your help and kindness all for naught?

Great was my delight and gladness when you came to me

And so overwhelmed when I was able to see

That you were really there, and willing to set me free,

Able to persuade all my troublesome doubts to flee.

Alas, from Your presence I allowed myself to stray,

Perhaps, in remorse, I’ll return again some day,

Return without conditions, and with no delay,

Determined, for all time, with you to stay.

O God, you are my life, my bliss, my ultimate end!

Allay all my uncertainty, and be my friend,

Your reconciling Spirit, to me quickly send,

For all this spirit I’ll always completely depend.

For now I know I cannot live without You

Each day I search my mind for what is true,

Search for the possible ways I can renew

The feelings I once had, the joys I knew.

CHRISTMAS 1981

Christmas nineteen eighty one,

Once more we welcome God’s only Son.

For our redemption He was born,

For our happiness he comes on Christmas morn.

He comes to bring us lasting peace,

That the cruelties of war may forever cease.

To greet him church bells merrily ring,

And children their sweet Carols sing.

At Christmas we a joyous welcome make

To our Saviour; and Him, promise never to forsake.

For he wants to free us all from grievous wrong,

So let us salute Him with a triumph song.

As the dawn of another year breaks,

Each one of us a resolution makes.

That no more will bad habits remain.

Never again will things be quite the same.

For God is waiting to enter our eager hearts,

Waiting to enter as the New Year starts.

Let us banish the many faults we had,

And try to bring in the good, and expel the bad.

God Comes in Many Ways

An inner voice is telling me,

"Seek and you shall find,

You too can have my company

My presence of mind."

An unknown power is prompting me,

"Make haste and let me in,

Open to me Your heart, and see

That I change everything."

A warming love is urging me,

"Come unto me in peace,

Come, and I will set you free,

And help your trouble cease."

A guiding hand impels me,

"Come and be at rest,

Take my yoke and forever be

Uplifted and refreshed."

A holy influence speaks to me,

"I give you the rightful way to live,

The way that brings eternity,

This to you I freely give."

Calm and restful in repose,

I gratefully thank my Lord,

That He has deemed to come so close

In gesture and in word.

AN ODE TO OUR ETERNAL GOD, CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE; LIMITLESS AND CHANGELESS, FULL OF GRACE BEAUTY AND HARMONY

Our, God you dwell in heights unknown,

In unknown brilliance dost thou shine.

We, and the countless multitudes yet unborn

All belong to thee, and will forever thine.

Where are the secret places of thy dwelling?

What great power lies beyond this space and time?

We look to your Son, our Saviour, for the telling

Of your nature, and your night sublime.

For who else can possible let us know

About that majestic centre of all creation?

For who else can positively show

What lies in store for every nation?

Our Saviour has said in words both exacting and clear,

That for our future life our God has prepared a great adventure.

Another kind of existence, free from sorrow, pain and fear.

A life of untold happiness, Endless joy, and infinite splendour.

But to earn and worthily deserve that spiritual life,

We must toil and struggle and strain

To overcome all the misery and sin that is rife,

And help straighten out our self inflicted pain.

For great is our Creators joy and delight,

When we are modestly submissive, and praiseworthy in His sight,

When his followers we earnestly seek to become,

And when for His kingdom on earth we constantly long.

He is waiting to welcome all his friends,

Waiting to receive them into his dwelling place,

His loving concern and care for us never ends,

One day we shall meet Him, and see his face.

GOD’S CONCERN FOR US

ON THAT HOLY NIGHT

All creation was set alight.

Humanity was faltering in God’s sight,

The time had come to put things right.

The rescue us in our plight.

For our God it was time to fulfill

hiss promise of that friendship and goodwill,

Which was needed in order our hearts to fill

With understanding of what may make us more at peace, more tranquil,

More close to him still.

That we needed his Help could not be denied,

Bring us Your presence the people cried!

Come to us quickly and dwell at our side!

Open up the curtain wide!

Do not ever from us hide!

And He sought us in our dwelling place,

Came to all shades of kindred and race,

Showed us all, His human face

The face of modesty and grace,

Meek, and virtuous, and chaste.

AN APPEAL TO A CARING GOD

Make Whole my broken heart,

And show me the Treasures of your heaven.

Let me newly make a start.

Bring to my mind Your Spiritual Leaven,

And in Your Creation let me play a helpful part,

Under Your Tender Care.

Allow me not a backward step, show me the rightful way to go.

Many times I have quietly wept, That I may ward off the deeply blow,

That from Your way I have crept,

In deep despair.

But never have you let me falter,

Always by my side you stayed.

And when I was apt my ways to alter

Your closeness caused me to dissuade.

You were ever near ; my guide and shelter,

Listening to my prayer.

GOD IS EVERYWHERE

I see God in the swelling seas,

I see him in the mountainside,

I see him in the rustling trees,

I see him wherever I abide.

I see God in the starry skies,

I see him in the cliffs so bare,

I see him in the quiet sighs~

That murmur in the placid air.

I see God in the caring hand

That reaches out with healing balm;

God shows Himself throughout the land,

His Spirit is present in storm or calm.

For no-one can ignore His call,

That we should recognize His Earth,

With all it contains both large and small

As meant for us to know its worth.

God is waiting to attend our need,

Waiting to give us His help and support;

We should affirm His nearness by word and deed,

And see that to his loved ones His blessings are brought.

When Gods Spirit is used to bring us aid,

Our resolution is renewed and refreshed;

The recovery from our afflictions is no longer delayed,

And our turmoil is turned to rest.

GOOD FRIDAY

As the Saviour sadly bowed his tortured head,

I the most awful moment of his life.

"My God, why have you forsaken me!" He said,

His body scarred with sorrow, toil and strife.

Is there anyone in this darkened world

Who will care for the tragic figure on the cross?

The broken body in which God's spirit lay unfurled,

A life that appeared a complete loss.

But that apparent frailty and weakness,

Was soon to turn to splendour, joy and gladness.

For, the death so gallantly given in meekness,

Was designed to bring us eternal love and happiness.

When we think what happened so many years ago,

We must sometimes wonder what the outcome of it all has been.

Sadly, our lives with love have not been set aglow,

And true happiness has not, as yet, been greatly seen.

But on hope our heaven hearts must rest,

For hope is still our greatest friend.

Perhaps, one day, all will turn out for the best,

And the sacrifice of Jesus will triumph in the end

1 April 1983

JESUS COMES TO TELL US ABOUT THE TRUE WAY TO HAPPINESS

He came to us in a lowly stable,

Watched by His mother with adoration.

No one thought then that he would be able

To make in us a transformation.

His sweet presence radiated tender love,

He gave us the example we were seeking,

He brought God's Glory from above,

And with our God he arranged a meeting.

HE said that the meek would inherit the earth,

That we could all find God in our native land,

That we would, each one, be judged by his worth,

And that our future is safe in Gods Guiding Hand.

Shall we, then, pay heed to his Gospel Call,

And Like HIM, make GOD OUR CONSTANT GUIDE,

Let us make sure that what, er befall, ~ ~ ~

We will pronounce our SAVIOUR WITH DEVOTION

& PRIDE.

In a Moment of Deep Feeling

Come to me O GOD; I weep for Thee.

In all the world, Thee only would I see.

I beg for the light & knowledge of thy guidance,

I plead in desperation for Thy nearness & assurance.

For as long as I breathe, I ask this,

That I may hereafter live in joy and bliss.

May the blessedness of the saintly heart be mine

And may my thoughts toward Thee

Forever Incline.

14 May 19983

AN ANSWER to the suffering and hardship we are called upon to endure

In despair, tragedy and sorrow, man reaches the pinnacle of his compassion, tenderness and sensitivity towards others.

There is no other way of bringing forth these finest and noblest expressions of his nature. Thus, it would appear, that these sober aspects of his being are of the utmost importance; and vital to the moulding of his humanity.

Our tears are dried in the warmth of God’s habitation, and our heartbreak is soothed upon His firmament.

Our anguish is eased in God’s eternal love; His kiss of forgiveness relieves the darkness of our sins.

In turmoil and strife we are comforted by the revelation of his peaceful and gentle caring; and in adversity, affliction and distress, we draw strength from the offering of Himself as the suffering Saviour on the cross.

2 March 1981

To My Father and the Fallen of Two World Wars

Once more ‘tis Armistice Day,

With memories of far away;

The heroes go marching by

With thoughts of comrades who quietly lie

In foreign fields where poppies grow,

The flower which we know

Is the symbol of brave hearts and true,

Hearts which were stilled for me and you.

Let us remember for as long as we can,

How they fell to the very last man,

To secure for us all

A Richer Heritage ‘ere We fall asleep.

Remembrance Sunday 1981

GOD IS EVERYWHERE

I see God in the swelling seas,

I see him in the mountainside,

I see him in the rustling trees,

I see him wherever I abide.

I see God in the starry skies,

I see Him in the cliffs so bare,

I see him in the quiet sighs~

That murmur in the placid air.

I see God in the caring hand

That reaches out with healing balm;

God shows Himself throughout our land,

His Spirit is present in storm or calm.

For no~one can ignore His call,

That we should recognise His earth,

With all it contains both large and small

As meant for us to know its worth.

God is awaiting to attend to our need,

Waiting to give us His help and support;

We should affirm His nearness by word & deed,

And see that to His loved ones His blessings are brought.

When God’s Spirit is used to bring us aid,

Our resolution is renewed and refreshed;

The recovery from our affliction is no longer delayed,

And our turmoil is turned to rest.

August 8 1983

The greatest sacrifice that love can make

Is when a life is given for someone’s sake.

No greater love than this can ever be found

As when a soldier falls dying on the ground.

Without love, our spiritual growth will not exist.

Without love, even evolution is at risk.

Without love, all our efforts for good are in vain.

Without love, our moral progress is on the wane.

Love is a constituent of the spirit.

It must be nurtured every passing minute.

God’s hand must play a vital part

In bringing out that live from every willing heart.

Love is God’s greatest gift to man,

It is the most important part of the heavenly plan.

We must welcome love wherever it may be found

An on finding it, spread it happily around.

Let us, then, trust hope and endure.

Let us remain ever upright and pure.

When we reflect on the skies above,

Let us remember that God is love.

16 Nov 1982

A HYMN TO OUR GOD

God how wonderful Thy ways,

How great thy Power through all our days.

O, mighty Redeemer, how vast the place,

From where Thou sendest us Thy grace.

O, mighty God, the joy you impart,

To those who follow you in heart.

Help to walk forever by your side,

And in your Heaven let us there abide.

We live for a while in this worlds ways,

Then in paradise for the rest of days.

The loveliness of this other unseen life,

Be ours, only after wordily toil and strife.

When we ponder on the joys that are ours,

In music, art and friends and flowers.

We know for certain that at the end

Thou wilt Truly be our Constant Friend.

4 November 1978

HELP ME TO BELIEVE

LORD, although for you I deeply care

My heart is full of doubt and dark despair.

I turn to you in solemn and in silent prayer,

In the earnest hope that you are surely there.

And then I see Your wonders everywhere!

Held by their charm I can but stand and stare.

I sense the fragrance of your flowers in the air,

And of their glorious colours I became aware.

Then I am persuaded that You will not impair

My Faith and Love so lacking and so rare;

That you will assuredly come to me and declare,

That I of Your Friendship may have a constant and unfailing share

23 August 1983

How Great Thou Art

Our God, you made us all,

You fashioned us from clay,

And on us you did call,

Sending your son on the appointed Day.

Our God, how great Thou art,

living in eternal light.

With You there is no end or start,

nor neither depth nor height.

How wondrous is your firmament,

how splendid is your dwelling place,

From there to us is your spirit sent,

from there we shall always receive Your grace.

Come near , o God & enter our anxious hearts,

and stay close by in case of need.

Be near at hand when trouble starts,

and help us then your rules to heed.

21 August 1982

Seek and You Will Find

There is a God |I know

I found him in my heart.

My way to him is slow

But I have made a start.

He came to me when I was ill,

He came close and warmed my sole.

And I can find Him near me still

If his help I but enrole.

For He has promised not to desert

One so much in need of care,

And he will never never hurt

One who seeks him everywhere.

In seeking Him, how can I falter

If it is done with real desire?

If I declare my ways to alter

He will not let me fail or tire.

Nearer and nearer I come to You,

Every passing day and hour.

If I search my whole life through

Then I search my whole life through

Then I shall know Your guiding Power

MY COUNTRY

England! O England!

Land of my birth.

To be born of you

Is to me of great worth.

Land of Hope and Glory!

Will always be my story.

Mother of the free,

I shall forever be

Enchanted & Enthralled

With Thee!

For in my heart there lies

The deepest pride for this my home

And from this vale of earthy paradise;

From this abode I ne’er again shall roam.

What shall I gain by leaving you behind?

Only a great yearning in my saddened mind,

A longing to be back with you,sublime,

To stay with you till the ceasing of my time.

For you have forever filled me with content,

To you from God I was undoubtedly sent,

And back to God I will quietly go,

Back to a place I don’t yet know.

I only know that God must love you so,

All His many Blessings to you must surely go,

For he has made you into a land both great and free,

A peaceful sanctuary set in the crystal sea.

My country you are a haven of delight,

Inhabited by those who brought you might.

Let no one misunderstand their tranquil manner,

They will always be true to their glorious banner.

When my tie time comes to say goodbye to this Dear Land

I shall only one more thing demand,

That my Country remain as it as always been,

A place where loss of freedom ~ Never Never Seen

26 January 1982

LOVE

Love is patient, love is kind,

Love to each other does us bind.

Love has no limits to its power,

It produces beauty, as a flower.

Love is not jealous or conceited,

It never gives up, is never defeated.

It does not approve of selfishness or pride,

Anything distasteful it seeks to hide.

Love is granted to us all,

We all possess it, be we great or small.

It is given free of all conditions,

It frees us from all our inhibitions.

Love shows the face of caring and concern,

Of other people’s distress it seeks to learn.

It keeps no record of misdeeds that are done,

It seeks to forgive and mend the things that are wrong.

This love from God does not complain,

From making trouble it will always refrain.

It approaches all people with goodwill and grace,

Within each one of us the Love of God can find a place.

Love sets no limits to its Faith and Hope,

It accepts any weakness and learns to cope,

A steadfast belief in goodness it is never without,

And of its sincerity there is never any doubt

With love, being ill mannered is not permitted,

And being happy with evil is never remitted,

Only with truth is happiness acquired,

Only in the absence of sin is true love fired.

Love must be wanted above all desires,

In the search for love the virtuous man never tires.

Love should be put first in everyone’s life.

Without love, unrest & disturbances are rife.

To Ivy on Mothers Day :

Once again ‘tis Mothers Day,

With memories of far away ~

When a mother you might have been.

With a child on your knee,

you’d have felt like a Queen.

But alas it was not to be,

That’s the way it is you see.

Sorrow and love go hand in hand,

And you must try and understand

That God who loves you dearly,

Will lift you up when you are weary.

He’ll come and gently press

His hand in yours, and bring happiness.

So that you, for all time, can treasure

His many gifts, designed to bring you pleasure.

Bill 1981

To Ivy on her birthday:

Gentle Ivy, meek and mild,

Sweet and innocent as a child.

As the years go softly by

For more reward should be your cry.

A richer life should be your prize,

A greater wealth of paradise,

All your days on earth should be

Calm and pleasant and sorrow free.

Bill 1981

JESUS SPEAKS to THE PEOPLE

And they listened to His words with rapture,

No one had ever spoken like this.

He talked of God, salvation and the hereafter,

Filling them all with joy and bliss.

There were so many hearts to win,

So many burdened with the guilt of sin,

So many searching, ever searching

For knowledge of their Heavenly King.

And He told them:-

"Come to me and I will give you rest,

I am the way, the truth and the life,

Take my yoke upon you and be greatly blest,

Follow Me and find freedom from all your strife."

THE LAST PAGE

I see my photo and say

Was that me yesterday?

In the mirror I look in dismay,

My youth has slipped away.

Was that me so well and straight?

The present was then to be my fate.

Should I now myself just hate?

Or seek solace in my present state.

The past is now a fleeting dream,

All to so little purpose it would seem,

No great achievements or high esteem,

Only a fragment in life's passing stream.

There are now a few years more,

Then God will come and close the door.

Should I at the end feel sore?

Should I for more time implore?

There’s nothing to restore

Only God’s indwelling Spirit left

Nothing More