Straight From The Hart

Here's a fairly recent one, written just a year ago. I definitely seem to favor the Fall season as a poetry theme when you look through my whole portfolio. The Painter of The Leaves He’s the God of all Creation He’s the maker of the rain His voice resounds like thunder His touch relieves our pain. His strength renews us daily He clothes us with His love The seasons are HIs wardrobe From heaven’s closets above His music created by songbirds The pattern of life He weaves But most of all He's an artist The Painter of the leaves. He chooses HIs colors carefully And from HIs palette retrieves The reds and golds of autumn He’s the Painter of the leaves When October turns into November And the doubter wants to believe It always helps to remember That He’s the Painter of the leaves. And should we ever wander And our spirit starts to grieve When life has lost its color He’s still the Painter of the leaves. Written by Joan Rowden Hart October 31, 2014

Here is a poem I wrote 8 years ago and it turned out to be rather prescient. At the time I was a pastor and wrote this poem for my people. Now I am rarely able even to go to church and I hope others have me on their prayer list. THE CHURCH'S PRAYER LIST I see your name each Sunday on the prayer list; I know your pain seems more than you can bear; I wonder if you know how much we miss you; How very much we wish you could be there. I tuck the Sunday prayer list in my Bible. I check it every day before I pray. It’s hard sometimes to understand God’s workings Especially when things don’t go our way. But He is in control, He never leaves us; He’s promised to sustain us all our days; And as you’ve testified, He keeps His promise And in the midst of pain you sing His praise. So as I pray for you MY faith grows stronger; It’s in God’s plan that we should bring your need Into the throne room of His gracious presence As at His feet we bow and humbly plead. That we woul