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Anti Vaping Poems

Anti Vaping Poems Popcorn Lungs What flavour are your popcorn lungs? Sweet and salted? Unsalted? What flavour are my popcorn lungs? Secondary smoky flavour. Passive- Aggressive- Smoking When people around me smoke I passive aggressive smoke: Not just for my own health’s sake But for their’s  And angry at the system That hooked them in the first place. Puff the Magic Dragon Puff was a magic dragon His lungs turned into popcorn. Maybe he wasn’t magic after all Perhaps it’s just that he smoked. Vape Battles I have a battle With vapers on the bus: If they antisocially do it, I open windows, Even if it’s freezing! Precursive Smoking Smoking is a precursor To burning forever in hell So repent of self harm And let your body become A temple of the Holy Spirit As you worship the One Who endured hell for us. A Confession I tried smoking in the past. I must have smoked scores of cigarettes. Thankfully I repented before I got too addicted Hopefully my lungs aren’t scarred for life. I’m not telling
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Generosity

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Malachi 3:10 (NIV) It's debatable whether tithing is required in the new covenant era. People get fixated on 10%, when in reality, with all the other offerings, it probably amounted to 20-25% of people's income. In the new covenant, where deliverance isn't just from slavery in Egypt but an eternity in hell, if anything we should be more generous. I think it was John Wesley who as a young man got a pay rise and said that when our income increases, we shouldn't raise our standard of living. Instead, we should raise our standard of giving. If we have enough for our needs, then anything extra we should be generous with. Of course, God doesn't need anything from us. Yet everything we enjoy is a gift from Him. Even our
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Shalom

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9 (ESV) The Apostle Paul had such integrity that he could write this verse with no sense of irony. He learnt, received, heard and saw from the Lord, and he passed what he learnt on to the Philippian church. He called them to follow his example. I'm blessed to have come from a home with Christian parents. I've learnt, received and heard and seen a lot about God and living for His glory. It's not enough to just observe from the outside looking in however: we need to put what we learn into practice. If we don't put what we learn into practice, we're metaphorically stuck up in an ivory tower, frittering away our lives. If we claim to believe in the God of peace, we need to be peacemakers who live for Him. If we're not glorifying God, we're wasting our lives. I love the promise in this verse. If the God of peace is with us, it do
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Nearness

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 (ESV) Throughout life in this fallen world, surely we all know something of brokenheartedness and a crushed spirit. Maybe we try and brush such feelings under the carpet. Yet God is near to those who feel like that. We might feel like God is distant when we're brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. We might assume He blesses those who are rich and 'have it all together'. We might think He's some distant, unfeeling force way out there in the universe. Thankfully, God doesn't just sympathise with us in our weaknesses. He's able to empathise with us. The Lord Jesus Christ became one of us so that we can become saved from our crushed spirits and brokenheartedness. God hates pride and loves humility. Sometimes it takes our hearts to be broken and our spirits to be crushed before we realise our need of Him. God doesn't sadistically let us be hurt. He wants to save us to hurt no more f
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Poem by Luke Sheldrake

 This is a poem by a friend of mine called Luke Sheldrake: When eyes of faith are growing dim, Behold, the tempter enters in With strokes of darkest black he paints the God of love and truth and grace. All filled with hate and craft and smart He seeks to draw away our hearts A twisted image he erects From deep inside his darkened breast. 'A God of love?' o hear him scoff, 'God's left you all alone to rot A God of grace, this cannot be, for look He has abandoned thee'. 'Forgive your sins: this cannot be, Behold your guilty look and see Yes, hell shall be your home at last  And all your days of grace are past'. The Christian's soul in turmoil stands Until the Lord stretch out his hand: 'These wounds of love I bear for thee The payment's made to set you free'. The cross alone's my only plea The Man who hung upon the tree He took the nails and bore my guilt and now my blood will not be spilt. O vilest serpent full of hate, Behold the God of t
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Declare

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NLT We're not to be shy if we believe that Jesus has defeated death. If He has, this is the best news ever. Salvation is possible, in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not enough to believe in our heads, We're to openly declare that Jesus is Lord. I'm not sure there's such a thing as secret believers.  We might get persecuted for openly declaring Jesus as Lord. Yet we need to count the cost. If He defeated death, then not even death itself can separate us from His love. Christ's resurrection changes everything. Persecution isn't enough to make us reject Him. He is the only way of salvation: we must trust in Him. 'Heavenly Father, please help us to be bold to confess Christ as Lord, and to believe that He is risen from the dead. In His name we pray, amen'
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Plans

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) God has plans for His people. They might be exiled for a lifetime in a pagan land, but He'll eventually call them home. In the meantime, they're to settle and to trust in Him. God's people were scarred by the exile to Babylon. Yet God assured them that if they trusted in Him, He would be faithful to them. Judgement was over and there was hope for them yet. Similarly, we as God's new covenant people aren't destined for disaster. We can expect a good, hopeful future from God. He is for us, not against us. God has plans in the plural for us. We don't just have to stick to plan A. God can multitask and help us to have a great destiny in more than one way. 'Lord our God, please fulfil Your perfect plans in our lives, and give us hope and a future. In Jesus' name, amen'
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Commission

Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” Isaiah 6:8 (NLT) Isaiah had an awesome vision of the preincarnate Lord Jesus Christ, a theophany. Jesus was looking for someone to represent Him to His people. Isaiah volunteered. It was a brave thing for Isaiah to do. The vision was fearsome. Even the angels were awe inspiring, never mind the Lord Himself. I'm not sure Isaiah knew what he was letting himself in for. His ministry to God's people was a largely thankless task over many years. Tradition reckons that he was sawn in half by those who hated his rebuke of their iniquitous lives. Isaiah knew he wasn't up to the task, humanly speaking. He knew he was a sinner before the Holy One. Thankfully God made atonement for him, and for all who trust in Him. 'Lord our God, please help us to be willing to serve You. For the honour of Your name, amen'
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Commit

Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3 (NLT) Too often, we drift through life with little thought as to what we're doing. We need to be 'intentional' about aligning our actions with the will of God. We're not necessarily going to become billionaires, but we will make it to glory if we commit ourselves to God. Even Jesus said to His Father, 'Your will be done'. He didn't dictate to God. He didn't 'manifest. Similarly, we need to commit whatever we do to God. He won't necessarily make us win the lottery. Yet He will provide for our needs. We need to align our plans with the will of God. If God wills what we plan, it will assuredly come to pass. We just need to trust Him. 'Lord, please help us to commit our actions to You, and may our plans succeed. In Jesus' name, amen'
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Purpose

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10 (NLT) Everyone has a purpose. Even Jesus and satan have purposes. The devil's purpose is to destroy us. The evil one wants to ruin our lives. He wants us in hell with him, miserable for eternity. Thankfully, Jesus is more powerful than that. Jesus wants something better for us. He wants to give us life, and life to the full. He wants to give us abundant life. A rich, satisfying, abundant, life to the full doesn't necessarily mean to say we'll be filthy rich materialistically. Yet God will provide all we need. Not even the thief can thwart God's purposes. 'Heavenly Father, may You realise Your purposes for our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, amen'
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