The Closet Monster

At our house, we try to keep
everything in its proper place,
but sometimes items are missing,
taken by the closet monster.
We have yet to see his face.
The monster is a “his”, but it
could very well be a “her”.
Since we haven’t even met the
creature, we can’t be sure.

It is picky about what it takes,
and the items don’t make sense.
I bought a Cub’s t-shirt as a gift
for my wife, and even after many
washes, it hasn’t showed up yet.
Another time we had a roll of film,
which was important at the time.
We looked everywhere in the house
and the monster committed his crime.

The monster turns invisible, but
it prefers to live in the dark.
The only home we can consider
is the closet, behind the boxes
taking things of which we part.
One time a Faulk Middle School
cap was mysteriously returned;
Since that was the last thing lost,
his sharing lesson may be learned.

Have you read a good book lately? Find plenty of free books online at Mike’s Books Cafe.

Eyes Luna

Para ver la versión original en inglés, haga click aquí. 

Eyes Luna

Tus ojos la luna, ojos brillantes, recoger
la energía del día ya reflexionar
de la emoción de la noche.
 
Tus ojos la luna, ojos marrones, observar
todo lo que hay que ver, como un bebé
ver el mundo por primera vez.

Tus ojos la luna, ojos grandes, retire
todos los obstáculos humanos para revelar
un nuevo universo de comprensión.
 
Tus ojos la luna, ojos sonrientes, relajarse
de las tensiones del día, como el vapor de
hervidor de agua, y ellos me hacen reír.

Write a poem instantly by filling in the blanks. Go to Instant Color Poem for a sample and get started.  

Votre Amour 

Votre Amour  (Your Love)

Le vent est ton amour …
Votre esprit souffle autour de moi
Et notre voyage commence
 
La pluie est de votre amour …
Vous me douche avec des cadeaux
Et lavé de toute la douleur
 
La neige est de votre amour …
Vous couverture ma vie de manière
Seulement vous pouviez savoir.
 
Le soleil est ton amour …
Vous allumez le ciel chaque matin
Et je sais que vous êtes l’un.

Pour lire ce poème en anglais, cliquez ici. 

Would you like to start your own poetry blog?  Learn how to do this in three easy steps.  

Children are the Lifeblood of the Church

When it comes to church finances, the amount of money in funds from various church activities or accounts depends on the generosity of adult members, although youth’s contribution should not be discounted.  The youth play a more important role, since they are the lifeblood of the church.  The Bible has many references to our relationship to Him as children, including Matthew 5:9, and the concept of rebirth or “born again” in the Holy Spirit has child-like metaphors.
But let’s face it, a vibrant church has a thriving youth ministry from toddlers on up because when the youth come, especially in the  teenage years, parents like to do things to support  their children, even if it means attending church services and events. If it were not for the youth of this church I serve, I would not only be losing the challenges of my job, I probably would not be employed at my present position.
So the question is, how do I get young people of various ages interested in the Lord and learning more about His message?
I reflected on my youth, and there was a weekly youth meeting at a church with a group that has the words “Christian” and “Youth” in the name.  To some youngsters, this labeling was too obvious, and it was a prescribed form of Bible study that didn’t go beyond the weekly meetings. 
For the last five years, I have achieved great success with a program I developed called “Candleworx Ministry,” and it’s something any church can use.  The candle is used with the quote from a Greek philosopher, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”
We have the Bible reading meetings; but moreover, we have varied activities with many fund raisers which create a bond between the youth and it works.  We use study materials from several Christian publishing houses along with information from health and safety resources. I started with 12 people ages 8 to 16, and they wore their logo on t-shirts at summer camp. The children served as good examples, and the second year, the number of members doubled. The trend continued. After five years, the number of youth involved is now around 200 children.  They gain leadership skills with this positive approach, and the Candleworx Ministry’s goal is to increase the level of self-respect to deal with daily pressures they face.  The lessons are based on the Bible, and the overall attendance on Sunday has increased just as dramatically because of the involvement of the youth.
The organization is officially sponsored by the church as a semi-independent club that reaches out to all the youth in the area and networks with similar organizations in the city. It is a combined effort as a response to stem the tide of gangs, violence, teenage pregnancy, drug use, suicide, crime and other youth issues.
In addition to the logo, the club has a set of complete set of by-laws approved by the sponsoring church. The by-laws call for defined obligations of the secretary, treasurer, vice president, president and chairmen of various committees, including a standing activities committee. Changes in the by-laws can be made through a committee process which allows for a customized organization depending on the community served.  It is practically self-governing and the members elect officers and committee chairmen.
As the club sponsor, I am responsible for what happens, though, and act as the liaison between the club and the church. This is my answer to the question I posed earlier, but it really doesn’t matter very much what the name of the youth club may be.  The main goal of any effort is to engage the children from an early age to learn and eventually accept God’s Word as the truth and filled with the spirit of the Lord, for the children are the lifeblood of the church.  After a while they grow up and replace older members who typically become less active for a number of reasons.

Peace be you with always,

Rev. Paul Abernathy 

Contact Paul Abernathy at paulabernathy@gmail.com.

Want to know more about the members of Lambda Sigma Chi? Click here to meet the members of the unofficial fraternity.

ArtBrushed Barns 5

(Photo by Mike Hall)

A farm along Interstate 70 in Indiana has several barn structures.  To see other ArtBrushed photos, click here.

Who is Elias Tobias? Go to his biography that is also in Spanish.

Your Birthday

Brother Adrian Parker, as a businessman, has a large network of contacts, and when selling insurance, those contacts are people.  He wrote this poem for one of his clients, but just change the number and it works for a lot of people.

Your Birthday 

For some people,
 it’s just another day in this year,
but for you it’s a special time
 to smile and cheer.
You blessed your parents when
  you were born 31 years ago today,
and you have blessed the lives
 of many people along the way.
Happy Birthday!

Start writing your own poetry in four easy mini-lessons at the World of Words by Elias Tobias.    

The First Snow 2

During the silence of the night,
the earth is invaded by visitors from the sky.
By the time morning comes,
the world is covered with a white blanket.
Kids, from 9 to 99, smile as the
promise of winter glows.
Girls giggle as they fall.
Boys everywhere throw snowballs.
Coat sales boom while mothers fear
the cold and flu’s gloom.
Now winter is officially here,
and enjoy it while you can.
Soon the sun will shine longer
and melt all the different snowmen. 

Do you have a poem that you would like to share? Submit your work to the Free Open Poetry Forum.

February 2010 newsletter

Newsletter for the World of Words by Elias Tobias

Poetry site celebrates third year in blog format

Indianapolis, Ind. - The World of Words by Elias Tobias celebrates its third year in a new format and a new host this month. On Feb. 12, 2007, Poet Elias Tobias has launched the transformation of his then nine-year-old Web site to a professionally-designed poetry blog .
The revised Web site retains many attributes of the older self-designed Web site, created with a public Internet host, such as a biography, publishing history, other poetry links, new poems, and tips on writing poetry.
“The new Web site, created by WSI, has much more potential to have those coming to the Web site to be active, rather than passive,” Tobias said when the new format was completed.. “That was one reason I decided to upgrade to a blog-style venue.”
Since then, more than 200 poems, in three languages have been added along with several dozen photographs,  the ArtBrushed photo gallery, a dozen or so videos on the World of Words Video Channel on You Tube, a series of  podcasts from the Love Notes collection, the addition  of work by the brothers of Lambda Sigma Chi and a weekly column by one of the brothers,  and the expansion of a companion Elias Tobias Fan Club website.
“There is certainly reason to celebrate, however, one should realize not all the opportunities to improve are accomplished,” Tobias said.  “Now that advertising has been included, there are some monetary goals that coincide with the increase in readership, he added. Once at the site, readers need to stick around longer.”

 Get the print version of The Exponet

The latest edition  of the February 2010 Exponet, the official newsletter of The World of Words, is available in PDF format, and can be sent to any specific email address upon request. To request a printed edition, contact the webmaster at contact@eliastobias.net.

Join the World of Words Fan Club
Be a part of the World of Words official fan club. The webmaster of the World of Words by Elias Tobias has created the Official Fan Club Web Site for the poetry blog.  The Fan Club Web site is free, and those who want to join are urged to register for the main site with the link in the bottom right portion of the page.
The World of Words by Elias Tobias Official Fan Club web site is for those who want more from Elias Tobias and read all there is on the web blog. The Fan Club has many added benefits and the goal of the fan club is to create a true community of the webs site*s readers. Benefits include a personal blog by Elias Tobias called Between the Lines, Faces and Places, the Exponet Insider, free downloads and free classified ads for those who register. A special Official Fan Club Web site video has been created and is available at the World of Words web blog or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KrCcg4NMyE.

“Celebration” Theme for February

The theme of poetry for the month of February 2010 is “celebration,” for all daily posts, including the Poem of the Month below. The choice  in theme is a this web  site’s reflection of the third year as an extended blog in a professional format  and changes since WSI became the host of the World of Words by Elias  Tobias.
 Poem of the Month

Promises of Love

She said,”I love you,
but I must go now.
I’ll return to you,
make love to you,
and become your wife.”
She came back to me
with a smile on her face,
and then I promised to love
her the rest of my life. 

La oración del hombre pobre

Para ver la versión original en inglés, haga click aquí. 

La oración del hombre pobre

Señor, por favor me ayude de nuevo.
Mi suerte, finalmente se ha agotado.
Te necesito más que nunca.
Yo no sé qué hacer.
Yo trabajo 12 horas al día
y dar cuenta de cada centavo,
pero antes de que siquiera parpadear
todo mi dinero ha sido gastado.
No importa lo mucho que lo intente,
Nunca me parecen mantenerse a la vanguardia.
Me salto las comidas para ahorrar en la comida.
Mis cuentas bancarias están en números rojos.
He vendido mi coche por 50 dólares
después de un accidente de auto freak.
Ahora espera por el camino
con mi mano, se inclinó el pulgar.
¡Válgame Dios de nuevo.
Mi suerte, finalmente se ha agotado.
Te necesito más que nunca.
Yo no sé qué hacer.

Who is Elias Tobias? Go to his biography that is also in Spanish.
 

Le Auttabee 

Le Auttabee

Il existe une rarement vu, mais souvent parlé,
genre d’insecte appelé le Auttabee.
Je crois avoir vu l’un sur l’affichage une fois chez l’
Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
Les informations à ce sujet a déclaré qu’il s’agissait d’une réflexion
de petites, mais d’importants changements dans la société
liées aux avancées de la technologie.
Il réagit à ce que certains appellent la réalité.

Il s’agit d’un cousin éloigné du Wannabees, mais
il ya beaucoup d’eux et ils sont faciles à voir.
Ces créatures prouver que l’imitation est vraiment
la forme la plus sincère de la flatterie, et il a été
documentés qu’il ya au moins 57 espèces.

Le Auttabees voler vite, et seuls les piqûres reine.
La réaction est-il allergique à certains êtres humains.
Faces devenir rouge, et les têtes commencent à gonfler paraît.
S’il vous arrive d’attraper le Auttabee, s’il vous plaît me voir.

Pour lire ce poème en anglais, cliquez ici. 

Learn 10 ways how you can harness the Power of Words with modern technology.