A Poem Inspired by Fall

Help! My Leaves are Falling!  Just as I excel in all I do— Hitting my prime My features dry up and fall off like leaves in autumn time. At thirty it was my waist The hourglass forever erased. At forty it was my eyes With glasses I had to accessorize At fifty it was my hair— Some of it no longer there! At sixty it was my ears— The sound just disappears I learn from life lessons quite a few But often can’t remember what I was about to do! As I grow older I ask for God’s grace, His peace and strength to finish the race.

 

 

                       

 

                                   

                       

 

 

 

 

 

                       

 

 

 

 

                                   

                       

 

 

 

 

 

                       

 

As I'm writing a new lesson for the Bible study, Individualized Retirement Assignments: Seniors in Scripture, I re-examined two poems which I wrote years ago about Moses. I'm posting the update here, a combined version :

Go, Moses

On an ordinary day,

The extraordinary God

From an ordinary bush

Now burning, though not consumed,

Spoke to an ordinary man.

Go Moses, I'll be with you.

Who are you?

The LORD God Almighty

But I'm not eloquent.

I'll give you My words.

They won’t believe you sent me!

I'll give you My power.

Can’t you send someone else?

You’re making me angry, Moses!

GO! No more excuses.

The extraordinary God

Burned up forty years

And sent Moses back

Not as Prince of Egypt,

But Shepherd of His enslaved people.

God delivered them,

Parted the Red Sea,

Led and sustained them.

But the extraordinary God spoke to Moses

Face to face, as to a friend.

Written by Nancy Baker in 2003, revised 2017

Not quite a year later! A new post. And news. I have sent a book proposal to Kregel for Individualized Retirement Assignments: Seniors in Scripture. I added a new Lesson: Noah. After the rejection from AMG, I made the mistake of stopping. I waited to hear from them, then couldn't write for a while, then heard that Kregel was interested, then tried to return to writing the Bible study. After six months of interruptions--both good and bad, including a cruise, illness, a conference, writers' block, I experienced new life: Noah was born--written, that is.

I will not stop writing this time while I wait to hear. Moses and I are becoming good friends. I know God wants this Bible study written, and I'm experiencing His Presence as I write.

Well, AMG rejected my book proposal--they are "not in acquisitions mode right now."

I am therefore going back to my original idea of a devotional booklet instead of a Bible study. My devotions are expositional--containing much scripture and interpretations besides applications to contemporary life.

 
The new book will be the same topic and title:

Individualized
Retirement
Assignments:
Seniors in Scripture

I'll probably include some questions for Bible study as Denise and I do on the website: www.Digdeeperdevotions.com. The format is not clear at this time: I've only received part of the assignment!

Meanwhile, I'm resting, teaching and attending Bible studies at church, finding my house under accumulated clutter, reading, and doing all the things I put off while writing the book proposal. I'm drinking at the well.

Well, I did it--I sent in a book proposal to AMG Publishers. It's for a Bible study on Retirement:

Individualized
Retirement
Assignments
Seniors in Scripture

or IRAs for short.

I looked at seven seniors in the Bible and the assignments God gave them, then at how to apply the principles to our lives. 

Hope to hear soon--could be four months to process.
It's in God's hands.

I'm back.

Two years! Life's been keeping me busy. Still writing biweekly for www.Digdeeperdevotions.com.
I'm working on a book about retirement, a Bible Study. Hope I can send in the book proposal in May or June.

Maybe if I have short posts, I can write more often?? Anyway, that's all for now.