Monday, April 30, 2012

I Miss Paul Harvey ...


I Miss Paul Harvey
                      By Ken Hanson

Hello Americans, this is Paul Harvey, stand by for news!
How many of you remember that name?
We lost him quite a few years ago,
Since then, it hasn’t been the same.

How far back can you remember?
At what age do your memories begin?
I remember being five years old,
Several vivid memories from way back then.

I remember when Dave started first grade,
And I was left at home with mom all day,
I remember waiting by the door for hours,
When he got home we could go out and play.

I  remember riding with dad in his car,
We would go to the Dr Pepper plant on 4th street,
He would buy a case off the loading dock,
Watching the bottling machine was such a treat.

I loved riding around in that old car,
We’d get a hamburger at the drive in and I’d know
At noon we’d always listen to Paul Harvey,
That was dad’s favorite program on the radio.

When you’re five you don’t care about current events,
But dad did, he’s shush me  when I’d make a sound,
Paul Harvey was America’s most trusted newsman,
All across America on some station he could be found.

When I got older, I still listened to his broadcasts,
It seemed just a natural part of my day,
I would schedule my lunch to be in the car at noon,
I always seemed to find a way.

I agreed with his political views and opinions,
He had a style and delivery all his own,
He could sneak in an ad that sounded like the news,
America’s love for him was well known.

Every year at Christmas he’d have a reoccurring story,
I loved the message, I’d wait for it all year,
He had a way of explaining things that made sense,
This story is the one I hold most dear.

It’s about a man, kind to his family and a good provider,
But he wouldn’t go to church with them,
He didn’t accept that Jesus died on the cross,
And arose on the third day to save us from sin

One Sunday evening he was at home alone,
While his family was at the church in town,
He was enjoying a cozy warm fire,
When he was startled by a sound.

He turned on the porch light and looked outside,
To find the source of the noise he’d heard,
He didn’t see anything until he looked down,
There in the snow was a shivering little bird.

The poor little thing had flown into the window,
Trying to escape from the snow,
Then several more one after another,
Attracted by the windows glow.

Pretty soon there was a whole flock of them,
He knew he had to help them somehow,
Then he had an idea, he would lead them to shelter,
In the barn out back where they kept their cow.

He opened the door and turned on the light,
But they wouldn’t go inside,
He tried to catch them but he couldn’t,
Nothing worked no matter how hard he tried.

He made a trail of seed to lure them through the door,
But they just flopped around helplessly in the snow,
And as badly as he wanted to help them survive,
There was no way for them to know.

He waived his arms and tried to shoo them inside,
But they scattered in all directions, terrified of him now,
If only I could tell them I’m trying to help,
I’ve got to make them understand somehow.

I need to show them that they can trust me,
But they don’t know what I’m trying to do,
They wont last much longer in this freezing weather,
I’ve got to think of something new.

He stood there shivering thinking of a solution,
And then it occurred to him,
If he could be a bird he could speak their language,
But he would have to be one of them.

Just then the church bell rang in the distance,
He looked up and said, “Lord, now I know”,
“It finally makes sense and I understand”,
And he bowed on his knee in the snow.

Paul Harvey had a way of telling a story,
On his popular radio show,
That made it easy for us to understand,
I miss him more than you know.

He left the world a better place,
For all of us, so I’ll say,
On behalf of all Americans,
We miss you, Paul Harvey… good day.






Monday, February 27, 2012

Coulda Shoulda Woulda


By Ken Hanson

Years ago I lost a good friend,
Just after he lost his wife,
They just couldn’t beat their nicotine addiction,
Cigarettes cost them both their life.

Carl was my friend for 25 years,
A friendship based on motorcycles, pizza, and beer,
I didn’t get to say a proper goodbye,
I didn’t think his end was so near.

He would ride over with a cold six pack,
Or we would meet at a pizza place down the street,
He always had a new joke to tell me,
Our time together was such a treat.

The cancer in his throat that took his life,
He thought was just a lingering cold,
Turns out it was pretty far along,
Far enough to keep him from growing very old.

Chemo and radiation made him weak,
But it killed the cancer and kept him alive,
When they cut him open to take it out,
He wasn’t strong enough to survive.

I knew Carl during a time in my life,
When I was young and knew everything,
I miss him more than I can say,
Without him it’s just not the same.

When I was young I thought I’d live forever,
Nothing could hurt me and I’d be OK no matter what,
In my arrogance I turned my back on Jesus,
I didn’t need anyone, at least that’s what I thought.

Me and Carl we tore up the town,
Drinking and riding and acting cool,
We thought that it would go on forever,
Little did I realize I was such a fool.

During all those years of road trips and bars,
While we partied and avoided trouble somehow,
I never asked my friend if he knew Jesus,
More than anything, that’s what haunts me now.

I coulda’, because I knew Jesus,
I was saved at an early age many years before
But my lifestyle made me stray from the path,
I just didn’t care about that anymore.

I shoulda’, because I cared about my friend,
That’s what you do, make sure your friends are OK,
But alcohol and arrogance blinded me to the truth,
My decadent lifestyle had pulled me away.

I woulda’, if I was on the right path,
But I had strayed through years of sin,
I turned away from Jesus but He stood by me,
By His Grace, I’m back on the path again.

When Carl started treatment, he did pretty well,
I was sure that he would prevail,
He had a strong will and a fighting spirit,
Turned out to be to no avail.

When he went in for surgery, I told him,
“I’ll see you when this is through”,
When I was told that he didn’t make it,
A part of me died too.

If I would’ve known what was going to happen,
I would’ve turned it around and changed my way,
I would’ve made sure that he was saved,
But I didn’t, and I regret it to this day.

Coulda’ Shoulda’ Woulda’ are all words of regret,
Something we wish we’d done or didn’t do,
But it’s easy to change that and turn it around,
You can make it a positive if you really want to.

Now I say, I can, because Jesus is in my life,
I’ll never neglect a friend again,
I say, I should, because that’s what we do as Christians,
We help people find Jesus so their new life can begin.

I say, I will, because His Holy Spirit is in me,
He gives me the means to spread His Word,
I’ll never again fail to talk about salvation,
I can, I should, and I will make sure everyone has heard.

You can avoid the regret that I live with,
I’ve been there, so believe me when I say,
If there’s someone that you’re not sure about,
Tell them about Jesus, do it today,

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Got Your Back ...



By Ken Hanson

I have a friend I’ve known for years,
He lives about 3 blocks north of me,
We don’t get together as much as I’d like,
He works just about all the time you see.

We both have a passion for antique tractors,
We display them at our annual tractor show,
We met at a meeting of an antique tractor club,
That I was president of several years ago.

We restore these old machines as a hobby,
To make sure that they survive,
We take them to shows and parades when we can,
To help keep their history alive.

My friend has quite a collection,
Mostly John Deere’s but Farmall’s too,
He’s always looking to add to the fleet,
Most don’t run but a few still do.

He says he’s going to restore them all,
I hope he does, that would really by neat,
He will discover the secret to immorality,
If he lives long enough to accomplish that feat.

My friend Chris has a brother,
He’s someone that all of you know,
Kyle is a member of this congregation,
He usually sits in the second row.

These two brothers are so much alike,
Kind of like Dave and me,
They look alike, they talk alike,
The family resemblance is there to see.

They’re both friendly and outgoing,
Full of energy and full of spirit,
I call it switched on all the time,
It will rub off on you if you get anywhere near it.

Kyle adds a lot of flavor to these services,
You can tell how much he loves the Lord,
He’s what people call a real character,
Hang around him and you’ll never be bored.

He’s also a testament to the power of Holy Spirit,
There is nothing in your life that God can’t fix,
He can snatch you back from the grasp of your demons,
“With God all things are possible”, Matthew 19:26,

One of the nice things about having a brother,
There’s always someone who’s got your back,
That means someone’s watching out for you,
He will help you stay on the right track.

Chris and Kyle, me and Dave,
We enjoy the advantage of having a brother,
He’s got my back and I’ve got his,
We’re always looking out for one another,

I’m sure it’s the same way with sisters,
But there’s not one in our family tree,
He’s the older one, I’m the younger one,
It’s always been just Dave and me.

But our family’s way bigger than that,
Some our age, some younger, some old,
We are all brothers and sisters in Christ,
Born again Christians with a common goal.

We are all here to serve the Lord,
It is our mission to help spread His word,
We must tell others about the salvation He offers,
Everyone needs to have heard.

How do we do that? We each have our way,
Some kick off a service with music at the start,
Some lead the children with a time just for them,
Some of us hope our poems touch a heart.

Some teach a class, some work in the nursery,
Some teach the young ones to rope and ride,
Some serve as an elder, some as a mentor,
We all serve The Lord with a humble sense of pride.

We also carry His words beyond these doors,
That’s the mission of any church of course,
Some witness to others at work or at school,
Some do it from the saddle of a horse.

Serving The Lord should be a priority in our lives,
There’s lots of ways to do that every day,
As many as there are people on earth,
We each have to find our own unique way.

Some might say “I don’t know how”,
“I don’t know what I should do”,
Don’t worry about that, we’ve got your back,
This whole congregation will stand behind you.

This family of God stands untied,
I’ve got your back and you’ve got mine,
Kyle and Dave have got both of ours,
And the whole church has theirs in kind.

Our pastor has got every ones back,
And Jesus stands behind him too,
God our creator started it all,
He made all of them, and me, and you.

When you open your heart to His Holy Spirit,
Your cup runneth over and your new life will begin,
Jesus provided the path to His Kingdom,
When He died on the cross to save us from sin.

It’s a trickle down theory of the Righteous kind,
From God Our Creator, through Jesus, to you,
Embrace His Holy Spirit and ask for His help,
He will show you what you can do.

In Jesus name, open your heart in prayer,
If you don’t know what to say, for you see,
In a quiet moment He will give you the words,
Just as He does for me.