Rededication

Many years ago I went to hear a singer at a local Church of England church.  God spoke that night of having a special plan, a special job for me and gave me a promise from Exodus 23:1-30

"See I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared"  Do read the rest of the passage if you are interested as some of this poem is based on it.  Other parts of the poem touch upon Ephesians ch 6 "Finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes"

Sometimes walking the paths that God has appointed us to walk will upset a few people, we may become unpopular with people who previously liked us but didn't this happen to Jesus as well?  Didn't He challenge the religious teaching of the time?

Here is my rededication of myself to the guidance of God and to trusting in Him alone.

Lord I would kneel in solemn dedication
of my intention to trust in You alone
Oh God I'll stand upon the truths you've taught me
Though that might mean I'm often on my own
But what is man if he should turn against me?
what can he do that impacts on my soul?
For futile are the efforts of mere mortals
compared to Your safe keeping, your strong hold
I clothe myself with armour clad with glory
and take my stand gainst any scheme of man
Against the powers, the darkest evil forces
I'll stand my ground against the devil's plan.
For You have said no flame or fire can harm me
No depth of water can dislodge my feet
from that planned path that You have set before me
For You're my shield, my anchor, my retreat.

Lord hear my daily made rededication
May angels guard me and prepare the way ahead
Lord be my food, my nourishment, my healer
In You I trust, by You I'm safely led.


Karen Holmes
20th May 2013

The Heartbeat of Heaven

This week has been important to me and has made me realise how wonderful it is when we are in tune with the heartbeat of God, when we dance to the beat of His heart.


I'm practicing the dance of Heaven
For the steps are written in my soul
I'll choose to move in step with the King of Glory
This must be my one important goal
Though there are many other dances I could join in
The dance of heaven found an echo from the start
I'll dance right here yet in the presence of angels
My steps in time with the beat of Father's heart.
Who else can hear the melody of wholeness
The harmony of tenderness and grace, 
Who else has ears attuned to heaven's glory?
The music that transcends all time and space
Across the land we'll dance as He directs us
And hand in hand we'll move at heaven's pace
The heart of God is beating out the tempo
He leads the way, a smile upon His face.

Karen Holmes
May 19th 2013

Risen Indeed!

He is risen indeed, I know that it’s true
I’ve met with the risen Lord, have you?
He’s shown me the scars in His nail torn hands
And yet now at the right hand of God He stands
In Glorious splendour, in beauty arrayed
The victory is His, the price has been paid.

He is risen indeed, the tomb’s empty and bare
The discarded grave clothes are all that are there
For death’s power is broken, it’s strongholds torn down
Jesus is living, with majesty crowned.
His rule is unending, His might undiminished
The curtain was torn, Jesus cried, “It is finished”

He is risen indeed, our glorious Lord
Ascended to heaven, by angels adored
The one mediator, He opened the door
For us to know God, He redeems, He restores.
From sin we’re delivered, liberated, set free
Come let us declare, “He is risen Indeed”


Karen Holmes
March 2008

Named as His, as He is mine

I have His name engraved in me, not visible to human eye

But there it is, for evermore, most clearly marked until I die

Marked as His own, labelled so clearly

For He declares He loves me dearly

Sealed by His spirit, life's guarantee 

That's why He died, to set me free.

To do away with needless striving

To put an end to deaths cruel threat

And I believe His promise to me

For never has my God failed yet.

He has my name, upon His hands

Engraved forever for His promise stands

He knows my ways, my moments too

He tells me "I know everything bout you,

So have no fear, for you are known

I've seen each day as you have grown

I've watched your moments and your days

I've seen your torment, heard your praise

You're named as mine and I as yours

That's how it is for evermore.

For evermore! He has decreed

I need no further guarantee

It's signed and sealed, it's certain sure

There is no need to ask for more

There is a place assigned to me

For Jesus holds my destiny

I'm known as His, and He as mine

In life, in death, through endless time.

Karen Holmes

March 17th 2013

A Sliver of light.

In recent days the emerging rethinking of well known and well respected evangelical Christians regarding the teaching on gay issues has been much in the public eye.  And my heart has rejoiced and my spirit has danced as never before.  This is my take on the process and my hope for the future.  The "it" at the beginning is the separateness, the silence, the fear of voicing an opinion, the fear of swimming against the tide.  I have long held the view that not only does the church cause more distress to gay men and women but it also makes itself less than whole.  Jesus talked about the "Body of Christ" and the different parts of the body that make up the whole and functioning body.  If for whatever reason we exclude our Christian brothers and sisters we leave ourselves less than whole, less than fully functional, less than complete.........

Dear God let this be a turning point, let this cause many to consider what is true and what is right.  Touch hearts I pray.  Amen.


It resembles a vast, high wall of stone
And few will dare to try
To reach beyond their certainties
Though hearts on both sides cry.
The lonely separation hurts
Divided we cannot stand
Even loved ones cannot find a way
To hold another’s hand.
Families fall divided
Long friendships bruised and battered
For words become as sharpened swords
And lives are torn and tattered.

Oh where is love?  Where mercy?
Where justice, hope and peace?
We’re called the broken hearts to heal
The captives to release.
Where are the hands of Jesus?
Who will be salt and light?
Who’s comforting the hurting ones
Who weep throughout the night?

Now tiny gaps appear there
The brickwork’s not so strong
And hands are reaching through to hold
The ones who have been wronged
There’s hope in once dead eyes again
And tentative relief
For hands are raised to heaven
To grasp long held belief.
God lead us ever onward
Into Your truth, your plan
Forgive our misconceptions
About our fellow man
Oh teach us, guide us, bring us
To where you’d have us stand
And govern every word we speak
So all will understand.

Karen Holmes
19 January 2013

Colour Blind Cat.

Christmas is coming,
We'll all be getting fat
I'm busy making Christmas cards
With a most half hearted cat.
It's really quite a blessing

I think he's colour blind
He's painted Santa purple
And the snow a sort of lime
My promarkers are vanishing
He hides them under chairs
And when I reprimand him
He says "I do not care"
So I'll do the rest myself I think
In colours that I choose
And if he offers help again
I sadly must refuse!

Traces of Gold

This poem was inspired by a friend who spoke of creating something beautiful out of the discarded and the unwanted............for you Helen.

Lord you take the discarded, all we cast aside
And you treasure and nurture, regard with great pride
for you name as your own each and every, bar none
Since you loved us enough to send Jesus your son.
No "unwanted", no "useless", no one "past their best"
Unhindered by age or ill health or the rest
of the things that we feel our worth would deny
Your perception is greater than our natural eye.

You delight in restoring the damaged and broken
with long term solutions, not temporary token
No half hearted "patching up" measures you take
For you deal in wholeness when souls are at stake.
You take broken pieces, the lost you restore
We come with so little, gain abundantly more
Your ways may we replicate, help us to view 
The people around us the way that you do,
To somehow look deeper, more clearly behold
Beneath surface grime lie traces of gold.

Karen Holmes
September 28th 2012