CHILDREN (Matthew 18:6) (Mark 9:42)

HERE

WHEN SOMETHING IS BAD FOR CHILDREN

WE SHIELD THEM

LEST THEIR YOUNG MINDS BE HURT

BUT IF A HUNGRY CHILD

IS SHOWN ON TV

WE LET IT RUN

SHOULD WE NOT CARE FOR THAT CHILD TOO

WHEN I WAS A CHILD

WE WERE SENT TO BED WITHOUT SUPPER

FOR ANY FORM OF DISOBEDIENCE

WHAT FORM OF DISOBEDIENCE

DID THIS HUNGRY CHILD DO

TO BE BORN POOR

TO BECOME POOR

TO BE RACIALLY DIFFERENT

TO SING PRAISES

TO A FOREIGN GOD

TO BE UNECONOMICALLY FRUITFUL

TO BE PAWNS IN A POWER GAME

WHATEVER THE REASON

WHAT CHILD

SHOULD BE DENIED

A WARM BED

A FULL BELLY

A LIFETIME OF PROMISE

AND OPPORTUNITY

IT IS WELL TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN

BUT ALL ARE OUR CHILDREN

WE WOULD DO WELL TO REMEMBER THAT

 

AS CHRIST SAID

IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THEM

TO BE THROWN INTO THE SEA

WITH A MILLSTONE

TIED AROUND THEIR NECK

THAN TO CAUSE ONE OF THESE LITTLE ONES

TO STUMBLE

FRANK A VOLLMER



THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE (2 Samuel 11:1)

IN SPRING

WHEN KINGS GO OFF TO WAR

SO MANY THINGS IN LIFE

ARE CYCLIC

TIDE

SEASONS

PLANTING

HARVESTS

THE BIG ONE

FROM BIRTH TO DEATH

WHICH WE ALL MUST SHARE

AND GIVES MEANING TO ADVENT

THE YEARLY CYCLE

OF THE LIFE OF THE CORN KING

THE WHEAT KING

THE FISH KING

THE LIFE KING

THE CIRCUMFERENCE

OF THE WHEEL OF LIFE

IS VARIABLE

SOME

SO SMALL

AS TO BE A SPECK

OTHERS

HUGE

OLD

AND CREAKING

GRIND UNGRACEFULLY

TO A HALT

WE ARE GUILTY

OF WAITING MESSIAH

AS IF HE WERE A MAGICIAN

WHO WILL HEAL ALL OUR WOUNDS

NO EFFORT

ON OUR PART

BUT A WAVE OF A HAND

WHICH LEAVES US IN DARKNESS

LOOKING FOR LIGHT

BUT THE LIGHT IS IN US

WE WON’T LET IT SHINE

WE’D RATHER SIT IN DARKNESS

ASKING HIM TO COME

WHEN HE’S ALREADY HERE

FRANK A VOLLMER

SNOW (Matthew 27:46)

THE SMELL OF JEW WAS IN THE AIR

AND FLAKES LIKE SNOW CAME FALLING DOWN

CRISP PIECES OF FLESH

LIKE SNOW FELL DOWN

THE SLAVES KEPT FILLING THE OVENS

WITH AN UNENDING SUPPLY OF BODIES

NO EMOTION ALLOWED

IF THE NEXT ONE WAS KNOWN

PARENT

CHILD

FRIEND

SPOUSE

LIKE A LIFELESS MACHINE

THEY HAD TO KEEP ON WORKING

DEATH WAS A HARRASED GATHERER

AS SHOWER HEADS DID THEIR WORK

THE CHILDREN ASKED THEIR PARENT WHY

THE PARENT STRUGGLED TO REPLY

BUT FOUND NO WORDS ADEQUATE

TO EXPLAIN

WHY THE CHILD WOULD NEVER FIND SOMEONE

AND PLAN A FUTURE

BUT WITH CHRIST

IN WHOM THEY DO NOT BELIEVE

CRY OUT

WHY

FRANK A VOLLMER

FATHER’S BUSINESS (Luke 2:49)

DID YOU NOT KNOW

I WAS ABOUT MY FATHER’S

BUSINESS

THIS FROM A TWELVE YEAR OLD BOY

EXPLAINING WHY HE WANDERED OFF

A COMMON PROBLEM

AN UNCOMMON EXCUSE

THAT HAS PUZZLED SCHOLARS

SINCE IT WAS WRITTEN DOWN

IT PUZZLED HIS MOTHER

WHO KEPT THE MEMORY OF THIS

IN HER HEART

ALONG WITH THE WORDS

OF ANNA

AND SIMEON

BUSY WITH MY FATHER’S BUSINESS

A SENSE OF URGENCY

AT AN EARLY AGE

BUT HE WAS TWELVE

HE HAD PARENTS

HE HAD TO LIVE AS A MAN

THE PEAKS AND VALLEYS

OF ORDINARY EXISTENCE

HE HAD TO LEARN

TO LAUGH

AND CRY

TO OBEY

COMMAND

LEARN A TRADE

LEARN HIS FAITH

LIVE HIS FAITH

BE BUSY

AS A SON

MAKING HIS PARENTS PROUD

AND WE

ARE WE MAKING OUR PARENTS PROUD

AND OUR FATHER

FRANK A VOLLMER

BODY-BLOOD (1 Corinthians 10:16)

1 Corinthians 10:16

Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

IS NOT THE CUP WE SHARE

A MAKING OF US ONE

IS NOT THE BREAD WE SHARE

A MAKING OF US ONE

ONE WITH CHRIST

AS FOOD BECOMES

ONE WITH OUR BODIES

HOW CAN THERE BE DISSENSION

IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

BUT THERE ARE THINGS

WE MUST DO

IN THAT BODY

WHICH WE DO NOT WANT TO DO

THERE ARE THOSE

WE MUST LOVE

IN THAT BODY

WHICH WE ARE UNWILLING TO DO

CAN WE SAY

I ONLY WANT A PERCENTAGE OF CHRIST

IN ME

OR RATHER

I ONLY WANT A PERCENTAGE OF ME

IN CHRIST

I WANT HIM AS A SPECIAL ASSISTANT

BUT NO MORE

I DON’T WANT THE NIGGLING THOUGHT

DO BETTER

FOR WHICH HE IS FAMOUS

I ONLY WANT HIM

WHEN I’VE FOULED MY NEST SO HORRIBLY

I NEED OUTSIDE HELP

IT’S THEN I KNOW

WHAT IT MEANS

TO BE POOR IN SPIRIT

AS THE HARVEST OF THE WHEAT

AND THE WINE ARE CYCLICAL

SO CHRIST COMES CONTINUALLY

SAYING

THIS IS MY BODY

THIS IS MY BLOOD

TAKE AND EAT

AND BE ONE

FRANK A VOLLMER

A MAN SHOULD BE WILLING

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” –Greek proverb

 A MAN SHOULD BE WILLING

TO PLANT A TREE

UNDER WHO’S SHADE

HE WILL NOT SIT

A TRIBUTE

TO THE FUTURE

A SIGN OF HOPE

FROM THE PAST

A TREE

WHERE OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN

CAN CARVE THEIR LOVED ONE’S NAME

WE ARE TOLD

TO PLANT WHERE WE WILL NOT REAP

 TO REAP

WHERE WE HAVE NOT SOWN

TO BE THE DOER

NOT NECESSARILY

THE ACHIEVER

TO PLANT A TREE

WHERE OTHER’S CHILDREN

CAN HANG A SWING

AND PRACTICE GOING HIGHER

FRANK A VOLLMER

WANDERING THOUGHTS

ONE OF THE LASTING IMPRESSIONS I HAVE

OF THE HOLOCAUST

IS A SHORT FILM

OF A YOUNG BOY

SITTING ON A TABLE

SHAKING

SHIVERING

HE WAS BEING SUBJECTED

TO REPEATED BLOWS

ON THE HEAD

TO STUDY THEIR EFFECTS

HE WAS A JEW

A NON-PERSON

USELESS AS A STONE

THROWN IN A LAKE

RINDS OF MELON

THROWN IN THE GARBAGE

TOOLS TO BE USED

TILL THEY BREAK

THEN DISCARDED

IT WOULD BE NICE TO THINK

THAT IT HAPPENED

IN ANOTHER PLACE

IN ANOTHER TIME

BUT IT’S HAPPENING NOW

AND HAS HAPPENED NOW

WHILE DIVES DINES

LAZARUS DIES

LIKE A PIECE OF PAPER

A TOY OF THE WIND

PLAYED WITH

THEN FORGOTTEN

WHEN WILL YOU COME

LORD JESUS

WHEN WILL YOU COME

TO RESCUE US FROM OURSELVES

TO GIVE DIGNITY TO DIRT

WATER TO DRY LAND

VISION TO THE BLIND

DREAMS TO THE DUNG HEAP

AWARENESS OF THE NEEDS OF OTHERS

AND A HELPING HAND

FRANK A VOLLMER