Deepening Understanding

By Cheryl Merrick

Reading through my required 
scripture assignment,
I merely sip the Spirit,
but only when 
I read to understand,
taking time to ponder
related scriptures,
do I truly drink of 
the waters of life.

The Empath

by Cheryl Merrick

Open to the energy around me
     I feel both others warmth and their joy,
     and their fears and anxiousness to be loved.

I cringe in pain
     when I see an animal hurt or
     a tree with a branch broken.

Cruelty, selfishness, and violence
     are incomprehensible to me.

Feeling others pain, suffering, and stress,
I yearn to heal them.

Picking Fruit

by Cheryl Merrick

When the day is still fresh and new
and the sun glows softly,
before mundane thoughts
muddy spiritual hopes
and divert us from the eternal path
of light and truth,
In those quiet moments
inspiration can best be heard.
This is the time
to pluck and savor the fruit
from the Tree of Life.

Fortress

by Cheryl Merrick

Founded on correct principles,
    block, by block, by block,
As I study, pray, and ponder,
    it becomes strong,
Becoming a fortress
    that will withstand storms,
a house of faith and learning,
a refuge of order, comfort,
    and peace.