Poetry Breathes Life into Bible Characters

By Pat Morrell-Donnelly

Pats fifth book is a book of poems based on the lives of people in the Bible. She hopes these Bible poems will in some way bring to life information about each person, their faith, their strength, and for some, their failings.

Just wherever the spirit has led her has been her way.

She does not profess to be a Bible scholar. Her aim and hope is to use any talent she possesses to glorify God.

She didnt start out with a plan about which person she would write about first. In the beginning, it was going to be about lives of women in the Bible, then it branched out to the men also.

Many times she would hear a sermon or her sister or a friend would mention a Bible person, and she would then write a poem about that person.

Or when writing about a particular person, she would then feel compelled to write about their spouse or someone connected to them.

Her information was collected from the Bible and other sources.

To make the verses all rhyme and still tell the story was another challenge. Her hope was to make it more interesting for a novice or for young people to understand.

Many in this country have turned their backs on God. We have even been told, This is not a Christian nation.

Believers in God have made this country great. Millions of lives have been sacrificed for our freedom. Sadly, as in the book of Jeremiah, we have become a divided country.

Pat believes only if we turn back to God will our country remain great and free.

May the pleasure of reading these poems about lives of people in the Bible bless each reader and bring to life the story of each Bible character.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524606985

Pat Morrell-Donnelly

Pat Morrell-Donnelly was born in Texas and raised during the 1930’s depression era. Her family had little in the way of material things. There was no indoor plumbing, running water or electricity. The toilet (out-house) was out behind the back of the house. There was no telephone in the home. Pat’s family was very close. Pat, her parents, and three siblings spent much time with her paternal grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. In 1943 Pat’s family moved to California. Pat was fourteen. She immediately found a job at a cake and cookie factory working four hours a day, attending school four hours a day. During the war, World War II, most anyone could find a job. After graduating High School at age sixteen Pat was able to work full time. There was no money for college. In those days people understood if they wanted something monetarily in life you went out and worked for it. There was no welfare and no give away programs. No “free lunch.” After working various jobs such as office work, modeling in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles, Pat worked fifty one years in the real estate profession in the Bay Area of Northern California. She received her Brokers’s license in 1964, and opened her brokerage office in1965. Pat holds the unique distinction of being the only member of S.A.C.B.O.R, her real estate board, to be honored “Miss Realtor” in a contest in 1960. Pat has had articles and poems published in the RealToro Magazine, SACAR Realtor Guide, SACBOR TODAY, all real estate publications. Starting with nothing but hard work, some knowledge, and “OPM” (It’s called other people’s money) borrowing on one property to purchase another Pat was able to acquire twenty eight rental units. In the nineteen nineties, because of the real estate down turn in California, she lost it all. She got “upside down” in her properties owing more than they were worth. At that point in Pat’s life it was too late to make it all over again. Pat published eight books in fourteen years. Her first book, “The Climb Up Life’s Mountain” was published when Pat was eighty years of age in 2009. Then the following seven books published in sequence. “Poems For Conservatives,” “My Journey As A Realtor,” “Honoring,” “Poetry Breathes Life Into Bible Characters.” “Poems And Stories About Cats and Dogs and Various Critters,” “The Best For Last,” and “Poems For Conservatives.” Volume 2. Her ninth book, “All About Love” poems. Pat writes Personalized Poetry about people’s lives. She has written over 1800 poems. Patriotic, political, religious, motivational, inspirational. Over forty five of Pat’s poems have been read at memorial and funeral services and used in church bulletins. Pat has had thank you responses to her poems from Queen of England, four U.S. Presidents, two First Ladies, and other dignitaries. Pat has written poems for and about a Governor, a U. S. Senator, four U. S. Congressmen and two Georgia Representatives. Also, for businesses and restaurant chains. Pat was baptized at age eleven and is a member of the Church of Christ.

Book preview

© 2016 Pat Morrell. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 05/13/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-0697-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-0696-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-0698-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016907222

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

NKJV

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

NIV

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Contents

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Abel

Abigail

Abraham

Achsah/Acsah

Adah And Zillah

Adam

Adulterous Woman

Barnabas

Bathsheba

Bernice

Cain

Cain's Wife

Daniel

David

David's Ten Concubines

Deborah And Jael

Delilah

Dorcas/Tabitha

Elizabeth

Enoch

Esther

Eve

Hagar

Hannah

Huldah (The Prophetess)

Isaac

Jacob

Jeremiah

Jeroboam's Wife

Jesus

Jezebel

Job

Job's Wife

Jochebed

John The Baptist

Jonah

Jonathan And David

Joseph

Joseph (Husband Of Mary)

Joshua

Lois And Eunice

Lydia

Martha And Mary

Mary Magdalene

Mary Of Nazareth

Mary

Melchizedek

Mephibosheth

Michal

Miriam

Moses

Naamah

Nehemiah

Noah

Noah's Wife

Parable Of The Lost Son

Paul

Peter

Peter's Mother-In-Law

Pharaoh's Daughter

Phoebe

Pilate's Wife

Potiphar's Wife

Priscilla And Aquila

Puah And Shiphrah

Rachel

Rahab

Rebekah

Rhoda

Rizpah

Ruth

Salome

Samson

Samson's Mother

Samuel

Sapphira

Sarah

Saul

Saul's Wife

Solomon

Tamar And Judah

Tamar Of The Bible

The Canaanite Woman

The Crippled Woman

The Menstruating Woman

The Samaritan Woman

The Widow With The Mite

Thomas

Vashti

Zipporah

A-B-C's Of The Bible

Burdens

Church Family

Daily Prayer

Gifts From God

Heaven, My Home

His Word

Honoring Ministers

Jesus

Roy F. Osborne

Somewhere Beyond

Speak To Me

The Christian's Mission

The Church Of Christ

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

After much searching, and a number of phone calls, i was unsuccessful in finding a picture of the original church of christ church building in petrolia, texas to use in my book. Finally, i contacted norma jean ruiz-hearne.

Norma is the library director at the edwards public library in henrietta, texas. After much searching on her part she contacted lucille glasgow with the texas clay county historical society. Finally, my prayers were answered. Lucille glasgow was able to search through and find the picture of the church building.

The church building has much significance to me because of the many years my family and extended family attended there. My great uncle john gerard (my paternal grandmother's brother) and his family, attended there in the late eighteen hundreds. Then uncle john's daughter, susie gerard-dokey and her husband, james, helped keep the church going for over fifty years of their life until they passed away.

When there was no preacher available from wichita falls, a town about twenty miles away, james and victor allen would take turns bringing the lessons, leading singing, and serving communion. Susie and eloise allen taught classes for the young people and teenagers. Both families did great work for the lord and devoted their life to his cause.

And that is where i accepted jesus, and was then baptized in gage lake there in petrolia at age eleven. My family and i attended there until we moved to california when i was fourteen.

James dokey was partly responsible for investing the funds/contributions in the nineteen seventies when interest rates were high, resulting in their ability to have the funds to pay for and build a nice, larger building in the nineteen eighties.

DEDICATION

Pat dedicates this book to her husband, alan b. (Don) donnelly, who encourages her to follow her dream, and is always there to assist and support her. He is responsible for most of the pictures in the book, also obtaining the correct pixel count for the pictures.

The book is also dedicated to her mother and father for their constant love, and support, and to her cousins, the james dokey's, for their examples as dedicated christians, devoting their life to the lords work.

And to her sister, sondra fairman, who helped with the many scriptures, searching them out, and to sondra and carolyn canha who would suggest different characters in the bible to write about.

To the father, son, and holy spirit that they might always be glorified and honored.

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original Church of Christ church building in Petrolia, Texas where Pat and her family attended until they moved to California when Pat was fourteen.

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pat reading Bible

ABEL

Genesis 4:1-17

Abel born after cain

Adam and eve's second son

Abel brought an offering to God

The lord's approval he won.

Abel tended the flocks

Cain, his job, crops to grow

Abel offered his best

Cain, fruits of the soil to bestow.

The lord favored abel's offering

But not the offering of cain

Cain's offering not acceptable

From anger cain could not refrain.

Cain suggested to abel

Let's go out into the field

There cain attacked his brother

In a jealous rage, abel, cain killed.

The lord questioned cain

Asking where abel might be

"Am i my brother's keeper

Why are you asking me?"

For the crime cain committed

God put a curse on cain

No longer will your crops produce

A restless wandered cain would remain.

Abel held nothing back

He would offer God his best

Cain would his best withhold

Abel happily fulfilled God's request.

When we disobey God's commandments

Consequences we must bear

Paying the price for our sins

Missing out on God's love and care.

Abel, a man of faith

An example for us today

Offering God our best

Always to trust and obey.

ABIGAIL

I Samuel 25:2-38

Abigail, her story

A great beauty it's said

An intelligent, Godly woman

To nabal she was wed.

Nabal liked his liquor

Was mean in his dealings

A very wealthy man

Ignoring others feelings.

David in the desert

Heard nabal was sheering sheep

Sent his men to greet nabal

A new friendship to reap.

They gave nabal the message

Asking for food to eat

Nabal said "who is this david

That i should give him bread and meat?"

The men returned to david

Bringing him the news

To take the news lightly

David would refuse.

He decided to kill nabal

Angry at his wicked ways

A servant would tell abigail

About nabals numbered days.

Abigail went to david

Taking bread and meat and wine

Cakes of figs and raisins

For david and his men to dine.

She bowed down before david

Falling at his feet

Apologizing for nabal

Hoping david's forgiveness to greet.

David praised abigail

For kind words she brought

Stopping the blood shed

His actions would have wrought.

Abigail went to nabal

He was in a drunken state

She would say nothing

About his possible fate.

But in dawn of morning

Abigail gave nabal the word

How david had almost killed him

This shocking news nabal heard.

On hearing abigail's remarks

Nabal's heart would give out

In ten days he died

From the shock no doubt.

When david heard the news

A proposal to abigail he sent

Abigail quickly accepted

To david's side she went.

Abigail respected david

Her manner to him appealed

A messenger for God

Indifference's were healed.

A great example for women

As we go about our day

Trust in God always

He will show you the way.

ABRAHAM

Genesis 12:1, 23:20

Abraham, patriarch

In God he did abide

Always a faithful believer

God