Cross Way Publications Monthly News
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Poem of the Month
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The Signature Of His Love
By: Joanne Standfield
I see God's hand in His creation,
the signature of His love,
surrounded by this beauty
given freely by our Father above.
I see His delight in the animals,
by their magnificent design,
the vibrant colors of the flowers,
the luscious fruit of the vine.
Don't doubt He wants to bless you,
look around and see His love,
then look to the cross of Calvary
to His Son, who shed His blood.
His grace abounds so freely,
His mercies are new every day,
so dont focus on the dark things,
see His love and lift your voice in praise!
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Poet Notables
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1. Thank you to Gabriele Embry and Laurie Jenkins for their financial contributions in January.
2. Welcome to our January 2011 members. Please be sure to stop by their Poet Pages to enjoy their poetry:
Melisa Aros-McFarland
Aaron J. Bartmess
Jasmin Brown
Vallery Lynn Burris
Tomás Ó Cárthaigh
Neal Allan Carl
Melbourne Conrad
Van Davis Corwith
Brandi M. Fannell
Dave Foster
Micah Lee Green
Carolyn Louise Keeton
Patricia Ann Kubicki
Leslie Marijan
Javier F. Matias
Chantel Matthee
Valerie Miller
Raymond Moncho Negron
Raymond Niro
Melbourne Pinney
Lizette Porter
Kristofer Grant Roberts
Sheila Sheen
Cecelia Kay Smith
Lori Jean Strube
Tangela Yvette Walker
Kathern Welsh
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Staff Notes
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1. We are developing a new Front Page for our website, and will be creating an "In Memory Of" section for Jerry Hoffman, the founder of Cross Way Publications. If you knew Jerry and would like to include a quote or short poem about him for his page, please email us at webmaster@christianpoetry.org.
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Scripture of the Month
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Job 39:13-18 (NKJV)
13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s?
14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground,
And warms them in the dust;
15 She forgets that a foot may crush them,
Or that a wild beast may break them.
16 She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers;
Her labor is in vain, without concern,
17 Because God deprived her of wisdom,
And did not endow her with understanding.
18 When she lifts herself on high,
She scorns the horse and its rider. …”
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This Month's Devotional Thought
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It is interesting to note all the various animals that are described for us in the Bible and more particularly in the book of Job. These passages that detail these animals are sometimes overlooked or paid little attention to, but Biblical real-estate is at a premium, and since God has chosen to use some of it to describe these creatures, we must conclude that it is for a very good reason. There are various animals found in Job 39, (the wild mountain goats, deer, the wild donkey, the wild ox, the ostrich, the horse, the hawk and the eagle), which Job describes with respect to the observations he has made and with regard to their uniqueness. This is done in an effort to convey God's infinite wisdom and power in the creation and care of those animals. In chapters 40 and 41 God speaks to Job and further reveals His creation and control over other more formidable creatures such as the behemoth and the leviathan. Interwoven throughout all of these portrayals is the presupposition that these amazing creatures were designed and created to survive in their environment and they exist and thrive by the providence of their Creator.
In Job 39:13-18 is Job's description of the ostrich. Some may debate whether all the conclusions he has made from his observations are accurate, but there is no one who can argue against the appearances he poetically portrays of the ostrich. The main point or the overriding emphasis is not on the ostrich or its apparent carelessness, or brutality, (Lamentations 4:3), but on the God of all wisdom who cares for this strange and unusually large flightless bird. There is something beautiful in everything that God does with this magnificent creation of His.
The ostrich is designed for speed with long strong legs that have a killer kick to them and two-toed feet that some have suggested adds to their ability to reach speeds of up to 40 mph. Job said, "when she lifts herself on high, she scorns the horse and its rider."
They were created with very large eyes and were given a keen sense of sight and hearing, as well as a cleaver way to hide themselves by simply laying flat on the ground and looking like a pile of dirt.
They make their nests on the ground and may have anywhere from 15 to 60 eggs in a nest, but many of the eggs are taken by predators and the survival rate, to maturity of the ones that hatch, is only about one per nest; and yet God has preserved this incredible species.
The idea of the ostrich putting its head in the sand, thinking that it is hiding itself, is a myth. What happens from time to time is that sand is being piled up while the ostrich is scrounging for food, and as it lays its head flat behind the pile of sand it gives the appearance it has buried its head. This myth however, may be used as an illustration of what otherwise intelligent human beings do, metaphorically, with reference to the fact of creation.
Philip Hoffman
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Quote of the Month
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"One does not have to be an engineer or a probability mathematician to see that the animals and plants of the world - not to mention the stars in the heavens and the very laws of nature themselves - could never have evolved out of primeval nothingness. Evolutionists think that, if they can even imagine how things might have organized themselves into higher levels of complexity, that is sufficient proof that it must have happened!"
"Furthermore, the origins issue is mainly a historical question, not merely one related to the complexity of organisms. Not 'could it happen?' but 'did it happen?' The historical evidence for Creation and the Flood - and against evolution - especially as recorded in the Word of God, is so strong that the apostle Peter calls it willful ignorance not to accept it! (II Peter 3:3-6)."
From Henry Morris, Ph.D.
