We’ve Made It

 

 

We’ve made it

Through another year,

By God’s mercy and compassion

We are here.

 

We’ve made it

Though oft encumbered,

With life’s many aches and pains

And constant danger.

 

We’ve made it

Despite the naysayers

And we owe this to Jesus Christ

Our Saviour.

 

Who shepherded us

All along life’s way

And brought us back to himself

Those times we strayed.

 

 

 

We’ve made it

And conscious of it too,

We’ve got a lot to be thankful for;

Both me and you.

 

We’ve made it

God being our helper

For without him we can do nothing

Now or ever.

 

We give Him thanks

For bringing us through

And we ask His continual help

In all we have to do.

 

 

 

So, Happy New Year

To both friend and foe

Bearing in mind if considered foe

I wouldn’t know.

 

To me you are friend.

 

Stewart Russell © January 1, 2026

 

Must Be A Joke

 

 

Ha, ha, ha,

He must be a joke

In the middle of nowhere

He builds a boat

 

How will he move it?

This massive boat

Without water

How will it float?

 

He mentions a flood

That is to come

Let us all taunt him

And have some fun

 

 

Seven people only

Were assisting Noah

So building the ark

Was quite slow

 

It was a long time

Before the flood

For the naysayers

This was good

 

One hundred years

And twenty more

Noah and family

Had to be sore

 

Bearing the brunt

Of everyone’s jokes

A warning he gave

Every time he spoke

 

A flood is coming

He preached to them

But not one convert

What a problem!

 

 

Building a boat

And preaching too

Such a long time

Breeds a dim view

 

The more he preached

The less they heard

And building a boat

Was just absurd

 

A long time passes

After a long time

Something simple

Strikes the mind

 

Only animals respond

To Father Noah

Two by two

They begin to show

Into the ark

These animals went

But the human beings

Refuse to repent

 

Still they laughed

At Father Noah

And they totally enjoyed

His free show

 

Ignoring the signs

The animals displayed

Must be a joke

So they say

 

“What is that?”

One of them asked

This time of course

No one laughed

 

“Water,” one said

And up they looked

  But by this time

The ark’s door was shut

Must be a joke

But the joke’s on them

Not one of them

Knew how to swim

  

Drowned they all did

Every single one

But for all in the ark

Came a new dawn

 

It was after the flood

When they disembarked

Noah and his family

Made a new start

 

Must be a joke

I am hearing you say

The joke will be on you

One of these days

 

Heed the call now

The bridegroom comes

He could be here

Before this day is done

 

 

Must be a joke

But you won’t laugh

If you don’t get in

Before time is past

 

Ha, ha, ha,

You’ll be the joke

In the middle of nowhere

Without a hope

 

Stewart Russell © September 2019

 

 

Some Don’t Believe

If you don’t believe

There is going to be a hell

Then believe this, my friend,

There’s one the Bible tells.

 

Jesus said more about it

Than he spoke about heaven,

We don’t have to dread it

If we’ve been forgiven.

 

There is a fancy I know

We can argue things away

But believe God’s word

It is here to stay.

 

 

Hell was created;

In the Bible you’ll find this

So it won’t go away

However hard you wish.

 

Interesting enough,

It wasn’t created for man

But for the devil and his angels,

This was the plan.

 

However, all who reject Christ

Will be cast into hell

And it is not a place of comfort

But a place of dread.

 

I have heard it said

Hell is right here right now:

Some manner of retribution

God has avowed.

 

Death will end it

It won’t forever abide,

Perhaps this is the reason

Some commit suicide.

 

There is a hell

That many go through here

But for this type of hell

It is man we must fear.

 

 

 

His selfishness and greed

Is responsible for this

But there is no comparison

If heaven we miss.

 

God’s great salvation

Is the only way of escape,

If you are on the broad way

Hell is your fate.

 

I know some will laugh

And call this baloney

But I say to all naysayers

Hell is a reality.

 

God does not operate

After the fact,

Oh no, my friend,

He’s not a God like that.

 

That god is human

Spelt with a common ’g’,

Certainly not Almighty God

That exists eternally.

 

God is not reactive

As humans tend to be.

The entirety of life’s future

Is God’s history.

 

 

History is different though

From His story,

God’s narrative is man’s redemption

In the Bible that’s what we see.

 

A narrative of hope

But also, one of dread:

Heaven for the spiritually alive;

Hell for the spiritually dead.

 

I will be too busy

Shaking hands with friends

Was what one critic said

Of his destined end.

 

He doesn’t believe

But this doesn’t change the fact

That hell is a real place

And there's no way back.

 

Stewart Russell © March 16, 2024