A Voice for My Soul: Reflections on God’S Grace and Faithfulness

By Anna Beth Fore

A Voice for My Soul is a book of inspirational poems and prayers that speaks from the authors soul. The poems and prayers are reflections on Gods grace and faithfulness to his children during all the circumstances in a persons life.

Some of the poems declare the glory of God in creation and in the beauty of Jesus and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. God is always present with his people when they face trials and suffering, and he draws especially near to them as they journey through death and dying.

Regardless of the circumstances of life, God is always present and close to his children. Man desires to have a real relationship with God and with other people, and God will fulfill his promises and bless all people who truly seek to know Him and to obey him. One of the greatest of these blessings is knowing that there is always hope in this life and in the life to come when a person seeks to love God and submit to his will.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512773552

Anna Beth Fore

Beth Fore is a retired public school teacher who taught in public education for thirty-four years. She received her undergraduate degree from Abilene Christian University and her Master’s Degree in Educational Supervision from the University of North Texas.

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 Anna Beth Fore.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-7356-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-7357-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-7355-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017901418

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/10/2017

Contents

1. The Glory of the Lord

2. The Awe of God’s Creation

3. Relationships of the Heart

4. Jesus the Bright Morning Star

5. The Comfort of God’s Holy Spirit

6. Drawing Close to God through Trials

7. A Journey through Death and Dying

8. Hope for Tomorrow

If I Could Choose a Sister

If I could choose a sister,

she’d be someone just like you.

She’d laugh and be silly and crazy

and have fun just like you do.

If I could choose a sister,

she’d be straight and honest with me.

We’d have meaningful conversations

and share a special intimacy.

If I could choose a sister,

she’d be generous and kind to people.

She’d be merciful and caring

and always see the cup half-full.

If I could choose a sister,

she’d have a sincere, smiling face.

She’d have a heart for everyone

and show them mercy and grace.

If I could choose a sister,

we would share spiritual things.

We’d sing and dance together

up high on angels’ wings.

If I could choose a sister,

she’d be someone just like you.

She’d be a friend and encourager

and love me like you do.

Love,

Beth

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Judy Kaye Thompson Hollis

October 17, 1944–February 13, 2014

I dedicate

this book

to the Lord of my life

and to my sister, Judy Hollis,

who was my best friend and

encourager in all things

good.

Acknowledgments

Most of these poems were written during the year my sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and during her journey over a period of eight months until her death. I accompanied my sister, Judy Hollis, on this journey physically, emotionally, and spiritually; this experience brought me face-to-face with dying and death.

I’ve included a whole chapter in this book about dying and death because my sister and I were so close, and I felt as though I were facing it with her. Some of the poems are written from my point of view as I attempted to express my thoughts and feelings about my sister’s impending death. Some of the poems are written from my sister’s perspective as I tried to empathize with her and to imagine what I might be thinking and feeling if I were the one dying.

There is no way to honestly and completely portray one’s thoughts and experiences in dying and death from a subjective point of view; however, I believe that my sister’s journey gave me more insight into death than any other experience thus far. My sister was a great inspiration in the writing of many of the poems in this book. I am eternally grateful to God for allowing me to walk alongside her during this time and for giving me wisdom and insight and words to express myself during this crucial part of my sister’s journey.

Judy has always been my best fan and encourager. I am forever grateful to God for giving me such a wonderful sister and faithful friend.

I would also like to acknowledge some dear friends who proofread this manuscript and made some suggestions in the format of the book. These friends are Roylene Burns, Mary Ann Robinson, Marilyn Coody, and Mae Green. I offer a special thanks to Bill and Linda Adkins for their continuous encouragement and support of my first book, Whispers in the Wind, Shouts in the Storm, and for sharing my poems with many people. Thank you, dear friends and family, for supporting me and encouraging me in the completion of A Voice for My Soul. Most importantly, I acknowledge almighty God who has blessed me immeasurably and deserves all of the honor and glory that may come from this book.

Introduction

Poetry is an outlet