In The Shadow Of The Cross

By Lucy Wall

Having reached the end of December 2015, I had been experiencing the joy of being surrounded by all the festive lights and nativity scenes. I’m a huge fan of Christmas time and all that it brings, but one thing I had become very aware of was how romanticised the image of the birth of Christ has become.

The brutal reality of that cold night is replaced by warm, cosy stables, sweet-looking animals and twinkling starry skies. I don’t have an issue with this, of course, as I love a nativity scene, but I began to reflect on how different the actual event must have been for all involved.

The thought of a desperate and frightened Mary giving birth in a gloomy stable while surrounded by stinking animal filth is quite a different picture. It’s certainly not the ideal environment for a young mother to bring a baby into the world!

Rest In Peace

The first video is a recording of the full version which I wrote for my Grandmother and the second is an edited version which I hope can be used by others to honour their loved ones who have gone to be with the Lord. By Lucy Wall

I wrote this poem especially for my Grandmother. After a long battle with Alzheimer's disease she was called home to be with her Saviour in September 2015.

During her ninety four years on Earth she made quite an impression on pretty much everyone who met her and my Gran could certainly be described as a lady ahead of her time! I wanted to write a poem that would express my gratitude for having been a part of her life but also my gratitude for our Saviour Jesus Christ. There never seems to be a time that more readily highlights the awesome power of the Cross than when we lose a loved one in the faith.

Dear Mr Atheist...

I started to write this poem in August 2015 as I had been hearing quite a few very heated opinions coming from some well known and outspoken Atheists who are in the British public eye. What I found interesting was that they often like to voice their displeasure and their judgement on the actions of other human beings and often in a rather aggressive and vitriolic way.

Until We Meet Again

By Lucy Wall

I was attending a family funeral recently and as I sat through the ceremony I was thinking about how sad death is. No matter what the circumstances are at a funeral, no matter how young or old the person may have been, the loss of a loved one is a tragic and difficult event to handle in our lives and process within our hearts.

I began thinking about how the only comfort and hope we have in these situations is the fact that Jesus is risen. If we don't set our focus on this then sorrow and despair can definitely threaten to overwhelm us. The more I felt the pull of sadness on my heart the more I felt it was imperative to counter this inner pain with focusing on the truth of the resurrection. It's here that we have the promise of life after death as well as the promise of being reunited with those who have gone before us in the faith. What a wonderful peace this can bring to a heart that is grieving.

The Thief

One day my husband told me about an acquaintance of ours who had undergone an operation on his back and was struggling to recover. I was suddenly overwhelmed with compassion for this man and also felt quite a strong sense of sorrow and frustration for his predicament.

As one who has struggled with my own health issues in the past, I was surprised to find I was suddenly transported in my thoughts back to some very dark and difficult times during painful, physical trials. I began to recall how debilitating the pain was in my life and found myself thinking with anger, "Pain is such a thief! It robs you of so much!" I was soon writing down my thoughts and my poem, "The Thief" is what came from my heart.

My hope for the first part of this poem is that it may be able to offer an honest insight into what it can be like living with chronic, physical pain. It's a hard thing to understand until you've experienced it first hand. My words and descriptions may differ to what another person might express or feel but it's how I've felt at times in the past and so hope it can offer even just a little insight into the limitations and frustrations pain can bring.