I Missed December

I Missed December

The 2013 calendar hangs there.
I notice it’s still on November.
But now January 2014,
I realized I missed December.

Through Christmas motions I went.
But didn’t think about it much.
Busy going here and there,
Caught in the crunch.

It all went by like a blur –
Traffic, lines, cooking, presents.
No time for the Birth of Jesus.
No time for His presence.

I didn’t want to miss it.
I wanted the carols to sing,
And with others fellowship.
But, alas, no time for the King.

The 2014 calendar now hangs there.
I placed a reminder to remember,
So during this New Year,
I won’t again miss December.

— Charles B. Mayes

Illustrations/graphics supplied by GospelGifs.com are copyrighted and used with permission.

Things at Christmas can go in a whirlwind, but we don’t want to miss the
Reason for the Season, Jesus Christ.

I thank Senior Pastor Roger Edrington and Jolie Cooper, Publications and Worship Support, at Central Christian Church in San Jose, CA for
publishing my poems for several years in “The Caller” and “eCaller”. Roger also serves on the Board of Trustees at William Jessup University, Rocklin and San Jose, CA.

Please see I Missed December on page 3 of the “eCaller”. The link is below:

Click to access December+eCaller+2013.pdf

If you would like to use this poem reading as a performance; or on your website; in your newsletter; bulletin; speech; sermon; class; etc., you must indicate on the communication that the author is “Charles B. Mayes” and it is “Used by Permission”. If it is used on a website, please add our website address, or link to http://www.ChristianPoetryPublishing.com which can be connected to from outside this site.

If I Missed December is used for other years, you have my permission to change the years for the poem to make sense.

Other poems are available in a chapbook titled, A New Year Resolution and Other Poems (including The Missionaries) by Charles B. Mayes. It contains 22 poems. The foreword is written by Dr. P.T. Mammen, Senior Pastor of San Bruno (CA) International Christian Center.

” . . . creative energy evidenced through every line . . .” – Dr. P.T. Mammen

If you would like to purchase a copy of the above book, please fill out the form below and I will get back to you with the description, price, payment, and mailing arrangements.

I would love to do Poetry Reading for your group in the San Jose, California area. If you are interested, please fill out the form below.

If you receive these poems by email, to use my form to answer me, just forget the form on the email and go to the bottom left and click on farsails which will take you to my blog. Then choose this poem and you can use the form with the poem.

Thank you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

ChristianPoetryPublishing.com – ”As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ ” (Holy Bible – Acts 17:28)

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Posted on November 30, 2013December 18, 2013 by farsails

Where Would We Go Today?

Where Would We Go Today?

We remember the Pilgrims,
And what they went though,
Echoed through the years,
To me and you.

Going for religious freedom,
To a New Land,
From England,
That brave band.

Where would we go today,
From the U.S.A.,
As our religious freedoms,
Are being chipped away?

What land has even a potential,
Where people could worship as they please.
And live out their faith,
At home and workplace with ease?

So, the question rises,
To be answered this Thanksgiving Day –
The Pilgrims came here,
But where would we go far away?

— Charles B. Mayes

” . . . creative energy evidenced through every line . . .” – Dr. P.T. Mammen

If you would like to purchase a copy of the above book, please fill out the form below and I will get back to you with the description, price, payment, and mailing arrangements.

I would love to do Poetry Reading for your group in the San Jose, California area. If you are interested, please fill out the form below.

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

ChristianPoetryPublishing.com – ”As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ ” (Holy Bible – Acts 17:28)

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Posted on November 28, 2013 by farsails

Children Know the Gift: A Christmas Day Reading (with Actions)

Children Know the Gift: A Christmas Day Reading (with Actions)

Angels to the earth descending,
Full of Christmas joy.
Powerful is their message blending,
“It’s a baby boy.”

Soaring in the sky,
Shepherds see the band.
Saying, “Glory to God in the Highest,”
With Peace to all the land.

They go with haste,
To where the baby lays.
Then worship God and praise Him,
Telling all, along the way.

Then two years pass,
Since the Wise Men saw the Star,
And follow it to Bethlehem.
They follow it afar.

And when they come into the house,
See the Child King!
Gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh,
To Him they humbly bring.

As we think on Christmas Day,
Of this story, very old,
We know the gift that God gives us
Is Jesus, long foretold.

— Charles B. Mayes

Children Know the Gift: A Christmas Day Reading (with Actions)

Angels to the earth descending,
(Hands, palms down, from way up to quickly down.)
Full of Christmas joy.
(Hands quickly outward.)
Powerful is their message blending,
(Both hands, to side, with fists closed as making muscles.)
“It’s a baby boy.”
(Hands, in front, as rocking a baby.)

Soaring in the sky,
(Hands from above position, then outward and up.)
Shepherds see the band.
(Hand cupped over eyes – looking up.)
Saying, “Glory to God in the Highest,”
With Peace for all the land.
(Hand up, with fingers closed, as giving a blessing.)

They go with haste,
To where the baby lays.
(Walking in place.)
Then worship God and praise Him,
Telling all, along the way.
(Hands, in front, slanted down with palms toward audience in worship. Then out to sides for “all”.)

Then two years pass,
Since the Wise Men saw the Star,
(Hand cupped over eyes as looking up at Star.)
And follow it to Bethlehem.
They follow it afar.
(Walking in place.)

And when they come into the house,
See the Child King!
Gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh,
To Him they humbly bring.
(Both hands, as holding and then giving gifts, with each gift.)

As we think on Christmas Day,
Of this story, very old,
(Put finger on temple as thinking.)
We know the gift that God gives us
Is Jesus, long foretold.
(One arm way up, with index finger pointing up, as #1 gesture.)

— Charles B. Mayes

Embolden Text – Say more loudly.

Illustrations/graphics supplied by GospelGifs.com are copyrighted and used with permission.

Production Notes:

Children Know the Gift: A Christmas Day Reading (with Actions) is written to be used as a Choral Reading, but could also be a Readers’ Theater by dividing up the verses among the children and having them read different parts. It is meant for children in the Elementary grades.

A narrator could do the reading and the children could do the actions only.

Notice that the accented words (in bold) are to go right along with the actions. I put these here not only so the actions would reflect the text, but also that the director would get away from any sing songy interpretation of the reading (i.e. a strong accent on the end of each line and/or the rhyming words) so the that the attention of the audience would be centered on the actual meaning.

These motions are only suggestions and the director has the freedom to change them. Some motions could be removed especially if the children are younger. The ideal would be to have one person leading the words; and another, sitting close by, leading the motions.

I hope that you will enjoy having your children perform this; or reading the poem itself!

” . . . creative energy evidenced through every line . . .” – Dr. P.T. Mammen

If you would like to purchase a copy of the above book, please fill out the form below and I will get back to you with the description, price, payment, and mailing arrangements.

I would love to do Poetry Reading for your group in the San Jose, California area. If you are interested, please fill out the form below.

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

ChristianPoetryPublishing.com – ”As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ ” (Holy Bible – Acts 17:28)
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Posted on November 9, 2013 by farsails

christianpoetrypublishing

to rally 'round – a little closer to Heaven

christianpoetrypublishing

Month: November 2013

I Missed December

Where Would We Go Today?

Children Know the Gift: A Christmas Day Reading (with Actions)