Category: Religion

God gave us the will to fight
His battles as well as our own;
Transplanted His strength and His might
In all of these seedlings He’s sown;

And when, with His aid, we have finished
The task He has set us to do,
We discover our strength undiminished,
Is not that “A Sign Unto You”?

by Ray Romine Thursday, October 5, 1944

One Star that night in Bethlehem outshone
All others in the scintillating sky.
The shepherds saw, and did not pass it by;
They knew the Star for Christ’s, and worshipped, prone,
As though for all men’s sins they might atone.
Though gleam they followed there was surely dim,
They saw, ana heard, and knew, and went to Him–
For them no test of faith but faith alone.

For nineteen-hundred years our minds have moved
And stumbled into things, and so improved
The mundane things of earth; and yet ignored
The side of life we should have underscored.
We’ve had of living proof two thousand years;
The shepherds had their faith–we have our fears.

by Ray Romine Sunday, November 28, 1943

There are, of course, a lot of ways
To show my doubt is one more wraith;
But perfect golden autumn days
Bolster perfectly my faith.

The feather touch of dropping leaves
That richly carpet smiling hills
Are sweet protection earth receives
For trilliums and daffodils.

Ten thousand times I see the proof
God holds my soul above the sod;
And yet somehow remain aloof
From Him till fall binds man to God.

by Ray Romine Saturday, October 13, 1951

Services by candlelight
Are never, to me, very bright.

by Ray Romine Monday, January 1, 1951

God gave me life.,
God lets me learn–
God asks small favors
In return:

Believe in Him,
Do what is right,
And pray before
I sleep at night.

by Ray Romine Wednesday, March 31, 1954

A preacher? Yes, he was all of that;
But I didn’t know, til we parted,
That he was so very much more than that,
And where others leave off, he started.

A preacher? A poor, inadequate term
That can never begin to say
The multitude of things he was
In his own inimitable way.

A preacher? He kindled for all of us
A fire we shall always stoke–
That causes the glow which for him will burn
In the hearts of us Salem folk.

(A. Non Emous)

by Ray Romine Thursday, August 24, 1944

I cannot pray somehow for gain,
Nor power over fellow-man;
I, rather, thank Him for this world
And for my being part of plan.

Enjoyment of our verdant earth
Will never give me time to cry.
There’s love; there’s laughter; and there ‘s you–
And time to watch a butterfly.

by Ray Romine Friday, September 12, 1952

(With apologies to WSL)
There is but little I can add
To what’s been said of Good and Bad,
Except that Evil, rightly done,
Has this on Good:–it’s lots of fun!

by Ray Romine Wednesday, September 12, 1945

He hasn’t time to worship God;
That’s for others, see?
Yet he’s been known to call on Him
In an emergency.

And God is more than fair with him,
Treats him really fine,
Except that regulars are first–
The others stand in line.

by Ray Romine Friday, June 19, 1953

It may be true, for all I am aware,
That God is Love: His love is everywhere;
That Christ, His Son, was born, and died, and rose
Again; that nothing here that breathes or grows
But of His love can claim a rightful share.

And yet–consider now my black despair,
A burden sometimes more than I can bear;
Have I been overlooked? Perhaps–who knows–
It may be true.

But then, what have I done to pay the fare,
That He should pause and listen to my prayer?
Can I, in truth, expect relief from woes
If I affect an independent pose?
Have I then, Father, been a bit unfair?
–It may be true.

by Ray Romine Friday, January 21, 1944