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from my upcoming book of poetry
My name is John,
If you are Hebrew—
Mark,
If you are Greek.
I was a quitter once.
St Paul and Barnabus—
Cousin Barney, if you will—
Took me on their epic
Missionary Journey.
I couldn’t hang.
I couldn’t stick.
I ran for home and safety
And sanity.
Paul was dismayed.
He determined never
To take me with him
Again.
He chose Silas,
A great companion,
And a fair choice,
For his next adventure.
Barney chose me.
You know Barney’s very name
Means “Encourager.”
My God, how he earned
That name—first with Paul,
Then with me.
Paul would later welcome
Me back into his
Circle of trust.
I was a quitter once…
But I have now concluded
My Magnus Opus,
My Coup de Grace,
The sum of my life—
It’s work, worth, and meaning,
In this—
The Gospel of Jesus Christ,
According to me,
John Mark,
The Quitter
Who wouldn’t quit.
Mark 1:17
“And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.”
Mark 2:17
“They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Mark 4:39
“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”
Mark 8:36
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Mark 9:23–24
“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
Mark 10:14–15
“Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.”
7. Mark 10:45
“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
8. Mark 12:30–31
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 14:36
“And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
Mark 16:6
“And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here.”
End Note🔚
I am preparing what I believe is a powerful collection of poetic musings. I plan to release the work for publication—print and ebook—by Thanksgiving. Want to reserve yourself an autographed copy? Drop me a note. We’ll settle up later. This one will be worth the investment and will make a fine Christmas gift for the the reader and the one who ought to read more.
