Patti Wolf

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Matthew 23:37

The fern has passed, song birds gone,
as winter settles between sheets of ice.
The false prophet’s empty words linger
as the soul is led towards damnation.

Tall evergreens are stately and striking,
across a barren landscape housing
skeleton trees undressed of their leaves,
rich emerald pines towering upwards.

Chick-a-dees nestle in prickly pines;
poking feathers of white, grey and black.
Little fellows with BIG voices cheering
those passing by in a dormant world.

A voice echoes from the past, crying out
to barren souls, a populace empty of truth
traveling a road leading towards eternal
death without the presence of their God.

Men who with imposing and impressive
voices fill busy streets. Flagrant, flashy in
their religious behaviors, white washed tombs, now filled with dead men’s weary bones.

Look to the skies, not men without hope!
See the tiny birds in the air; they sow nor reap. They gather to the place their Marker has prepared. It is there eternal hope is found.

The fern has passed, song birds gone,
as winter settles between sheets of ice.
The false prophet’s empty words linger.
as the soul is led towards damnation.

P. Wolf; author& poet

References: Matthew 23:27-28; 6:25-27

And Mary said, my souls magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

Luke 1:46-47

During my early morning walk, just before Thanksgiving, I heard a single cricket frog singing a melancholy song. Above, in slate gray skies, a crane was on a journey towards warmer weather. Across a frosty field, a well feed deer lingered munched on debris. We all had something in common, we were alone.

It’s days just before Thanksgiving. The holidays are upon us. Six weeks of nonstop action. Family reunions, gift giving, delicious food and memories are all bundled up in one great package.

Yet, there are those who will be alone and might not even leave their homes. It may have been a tough year for many people. They may have lost a loved one, lost their job or just lost any hope for the future. The holidays to them will be a time of isolation and pain.

In these early weeks of the holiday season I find myself in the book of Luke. It is in this book of the Bible we find Mary alone and in a rather challenging situation.

Mary was visited by an angel and told she would be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah. How lonely she must have felt. Mary went to visit Elizabeth and is greeted with great praise and encouragement. Some of Mary’s fears pale in light of knowing someone else knows her secret.

How does Mary react to Elizabeth’s praise?

Mary’s words, in her song of praise, are saturated with scripture from the Old Testament. She knew the word of God. Deuteronomy asks us to teach our children of God. To teach them at all times in preparation for what God has planned for them. However, we cannot teach what we don’t know. Being in the Word is life to the soul. It brings us through the lonely times.

Mary then gives God the credit for His salvation. She recognizes her own need for a Savior, even though she was the mother of the Savior. There is no greater gift which we could give to a loved one than to share Jesus Christ this Christmas. To explain Jesus’ great sacrifice at the cross. To spend time praying their hearts are open to hear the great news!

This holiday season spend time in the Word of God. Whether you are celebrating alone or gathering with several people find time with God. We are never alone. God is always available for the person willing to come to Him. Remember to share this good news of Jesus Christ with a loved one.

Happy Thanksgiving, P. Wolf

Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.

Psalms 25:4-5

Snow settles in the pines
making moist every needle.
Morning skies are gray,
as wet pavement shines.

Late autumn brings chill:
seasons ever-changing,
moments of brilliant color,
then barren landscape.

Lessons seep into my mind;
making fertile my empty places.
Morning Bible study is bright;
my parched spirit left behind.

Late autumn brings warmth
between the pages of light,
truth and love from my Father.
No longer dry, but now alive.

P. Wolf; author & poet

For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our Guide even to death.

Psalms 34:14

Sandhill crane’s have turned a snowy gray with feathers fluffed. It’s migration time. Skies are burden with dense, dark, dreary clouds. November is well on its way. Trees stand and sway in late autumn’s cold breeze. Crisp leaves tumble on hard ground. The air is brisk and chilled. Autumn is passing.

I trek down my empty country road hoping for the rising sun. Winter jacket, heavy boots and cozy hat are my accessories. Seasons are changing, once again, in my little area of the world. Things are different as winter sneaks in to begin the holidays.

It is here among the last oak leaves, that are still clinging to trees, I find solace. Sturdy trees which grasp long and tight to their leaves. Almost in slow motion while rapid changes occur. After a few months pass, they too will drop their leaves.

Am I like that? Like a mighty oak tree clinging to something. Am I grounded in rich earth? Or am I shaken by the struggles of life’s storms and changes?

I then remember, we only walk through this world for a little while. When frigid times come I want to be as those oak trees still holding on to what they believe is theirs. I want to remember, through all things, God is with me and I am His.

P. Wolf; author & poet

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Hebrews 11:1-3

Is my faith like hidden lilies?
Buried deep beneath
trials and sorrow’s
sweet.

Is my faith like hidden lilies?
Lofty stalks of blooms
bowing deeply to
greet.

Dense
twined foliage
laced with colors
of faith, hope, charity;
searching for undying love.

Hope
like petals;
are fragile things
in need of nurturing.
Abiding faith is from above.

P. Wolf; author and poet

I believe we are at a time of the year in which great expectations are stirred within our lives. Weather it’s the homecoming of loved ones or the excitement of a little more time at home; we wait in anticipation for the holidays.

As a child, the bubbly feelings of holidays started with Thanksgiving. Family gathered around a roasted turkey, children playing hide and seek, and grownups chatter around the table. Then, finally, a piece of homemade blueberry pie was dished out to top off the day. It was a time of celebration for my family.

Why do we embrace the expectation of change and gathering together for the holidays? Perhaps, day to day life becomes common place. When a celebration comes along things are shaken up, like a snow globe. Our environment it transformed. What may have been mundane is refreshed.

How can one capture this transformation on a regular basis? Or should one even try?

I think the answer lies in the Scriptures. Think of the multitude of decades the chosen people awaited their promised Messiah. Waited, waited, and waited.

More often, we remember Christ’s arrival and the celebration which surrounded His birth. Mother waiting for her Child to be born. Shepherds anticipating to see the great thing which the angles announced regarding the Savior’s birth. And the kings following a sign in the sky which would fulfill the old prophecies. That was the big event. Decades earlier, it must have been difficult for the people to remain excited about God’s promise.

That inner, deep feeling of expectation should fill our hearts daily. It needs to be nurtured. We need to remind each other of another great event. Christ promised to return and bring His own to Himself for eternity. This won’t be a fleeting celebration, but one that will last for infinity to those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior.

Let’s remember the greatest event of all is still waiting to happen.

… according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain,

Philippians 1:20-21

P. Wolf; author & poet

…know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:19

In cloak of twilight,
towering trusses move
as winged creatures
in dimness of timber;

waterless wadi
hidden beneath
mounded snow;
enveloped in

darkness of night.
Weary is my view
where jaded fern,
no longer grow

on woodland bed;
lay barren of critters
tucked snuggly
within bleak terrain.

My soul, like
empty wadi,
needs daily filling
to bring me peace.

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

I Peter 2:1-3

On my drive home from Slinger, a small town about ten minutes from my home, I drove through Pike Lake State Park. It was a gloomy Friday with a late fall chill in the air. I noticed the brilliant color of the forest and decided to meander through the area.

What I saw, as I moved in closer to the woods, was more than just golden mature trees. I stopped to study the forest floor. A multitude of new growth blanked the ground. Trees only a few feet tall swayed in the cool breeze.

Many of these young trees would not make it through the frigid winter. Others would be choked off by thorny weeds come spring. Still some may die in drought-like conditions when the heat of summer comes again. Only a few may survive to become sturdy maple trees.

Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander are the thorny weeds in our lives. We should long for spiritual milk to counter the temptation of evil. God created us with a spiritual well-being along with our physical body.

I hope many saplings will grow within the forest of my family and friends. Winters are cold in Wisconsin. May you keep warm with the Word of God.

My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word. I have declared my ways, and You answered me; Teach me Your statutes.

Psalm 119:25-26

Dusk settles as dust 
across earthen land,
as warmth seeps 
slowing from woodland
stretched before me 
like a downed comforter.

Come warmth, come
and slip between leaf’s 
edges, slide down 
empty limbs as
luminous sun grins 
across the autumn sky.

Autumn charms
man’s inner soul,
tricks the body’s
brisk well being;
but the mind knows
this is November!

Breathe in the last
of lingering warmth;
let it radiate, resonate,
regurgitate before
the killing frost returns
to blanket the earth.

May I cling to
Your blest Word,
as sunshine on
the chilled earth
warms this soul.
Teach me…

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Revelation 3:20

I’ve been digging through the Old Testament for prophecies on the first coming of Messiah. Most of us know Him as Jesus. Think about it, those who had the opportunity to speak of the Messiah did not know who He was, yet they obediently shared the message God gave them.

These special messengers from God told of His birth, early life, ministries, betrayal, death and resurrection. We who have the whole story, the Bible, sometimes struggle with its truths. There are many people who even refuse to believe that anything in the Bible is true.

Now put yourself in the shoes, maybe sandals, of an Old Testament citizen. Some weary prophet is standing in the synagogue or street corner disrupting your day. He’s more of an annoyance than help. The women just want to get water from the well. Men are setting up market stands or chatting about their religious beliefs. Some of the children stop to listen, curious about the loud man standing alone. Everyone just wants to live their day out.

Obviously, there were those who stopped to listen. Some maybe even took to heart the message being sent. However, mankind has a tendency to live the now and just keep moving.

Who’s voice are we missing daily? What important message are we avoiding because we are just too busy?

When you view that next sunset remember, God has a bigger world for each of us.