My Poems

To Tell The Truth
Ralph “Yankee” Arnold

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

To tell the Truth, I cannot lie
“But what is truth?” was Pilate’s reply

Was Truth placed on a cross that day?
For Truth was the Life and Truth was the Way

Life paid the Way, if the Truth be known
Truth did not die, though the Seed was sown

To tell the truth, one must know the truth
To know the truth, one must know God

To know God, one must know Christ
To know Christ, one must know the cross

To know the cross, one must know he is lost
To know he is lost, one must know he has sinned

To know he has sinned, one must know the law
To know the law, is to know the truth

To know the truth, is to begin again
So what is truth, and where does it end?

At the beginning with God, who created all men
To Tell The Truth

HAPPY VALENTINE
To the
“TIME OF MY LIFE”
by
Ralph ‘Yankee” Arnold
February 4th 2005

You were the prettiest thing I had ever seen
I’d be your prince and you my queen

We ran away at the midnight hour
Your prince without armour, castle, or tower

Anderson, Anderson, here we come
Athens, Athens, where we started from

The justice of the peace, not the secretary of war
Our love for each other is what we did it for

Your dad drove all night looking for me
Just to park my soul in eternity

With compassion at last, and a Bible in his hand
He led me to Christ, and I became a new man

Growing to maturity seem to take so long
To gain discernment between right and wrong

When it seems as though my wisdom did falter
Your testimony has been like the rock of Gibraltar

No man could ask more, for his wife to be
Than what you have been since you married me

A pearl of great price that is pure and just
A virtuous woman whom her husband doth trust

Out of two billion women, God led me to you
I’d do it again, and believe you would too

Now there’s gray in our hair, and furrows on our face
But your beauty is enhanced by your dignity and grace

Through all these years, this statement is true
I could not have made it, had it not been for you

Well, it’s Valentine’s Day and love fills the air
I wrote you this poem, to show I still care

THE KING

The Lord who Loves
By Ralph Yankee Arnold

Do you know?
Do you care?
Will you go?
Will you Share?

The Lord I know
For the Lost I care
With the Lord I will go
With the Lost I will share

For Eternity is long
And Eternal Hell is hot
Not to go would be so wrong
If the Gospel they heard not

If the place of hell is real
Where the Lost are cast alive
The Gospel must be revealed
Before they leave this side

To those engulfed in flame
Beneath a load of guilt and shame
Our God they cannot blame
For me I pray the same

Every pastor should be so blessed as to have in his church, a
woman like Nancy Louise Smith. She was a Godly woman
whose vibrant zeal touched many lives. Although her suffering
was not a joy, she taught you how to joy through suffering.

PEARL OF GREAT PRICE

A tribute to Nancy Louise Smith
By her Pastor, Ralph “Yankee” Arnold on October 19th , 2002
(Nancy Louise Barber Smith died Friday, October 18th ,2002)
She graduated to her heavenly domain,
To which she’ll never die again.
Poems are written to express our thoughts,
Of those we love and lessons they’ve taught.

We watch their lives and survey it with care,
And stand in amazement as virtue is laid bare.

What you saw was for real; no pretense was found,
She permeated enthusiasm, where love did abound.

A pearl of great price is sure hard to find,
But Nancy Louise Smith was what God had in mind.

She loved her children, the joy of her life,
She honored the church, the Pastor and his wife.

She suffered so much in the last three years,
With the patience of Job, thru heartache and tears.

She asked not for pity, but grace to endure,
The physical afflictions for which was no cure.

She taught her children how to live,
That they may learn in turn to give.

She taught her children how to die,
That they learn thru God the reason why.

To sing for the Lord, was her true delight,
Singing in church, the ICU, or the middle of the night.

What more can be said to the tribute of our search,
Than the warmth she brought, to the bosom of our church.

She’s singing today, perhaps this very hour,
As heaven’s lead singer, in the Zillion Dollar Choir.

Years ago, I had the privilege of conducting the funeral
service for Bill Fergusen. His daughter Shelly (now Shelly
Long), sang one of the prettiest song I’ve ever heard. It was
called “What a Beautiful Day to go Home”. I just got to
thinking about what could have been. Hope you like it.

It’s a Beautiful Day to go Home
By Ralph “Yankee” Arnold

To be born in heaven, and not on earth
Would by-pass leaven, and its’ terrible curse

To be born above, and not below
Death could not reign, for flesh could not sow

To be born of spirit, and not of flesh
Man need not work, nor would he rest

To be born divine, without limit of time
Man would not fail, for sin of mind

To be born of God, and not of man
We would not choose life’s shifting sand

To be born incorruptible, without threat of death
We would be indestructible, T’would be no last breath

But be as it may, let God have his say
Not that man has his will, but that God has his way

To be born in heaven, and not on earth
Man could not know Salvation’s worth

To be born above, and not below
Man could not love, as God love so

To be born divine, without limit of time
Man would not learn love, joy, or peace of mind

To be born of God, and not of man
Man would have no hopes, dreams, or plans

The work of God for all to see
Are us trophies of grace for Eternity

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
To
BETTY JEAN PATTON

September 1st Betty Jean was born
Was it day or night, or early morn?
Cute as a button from her head to her toe
Pattons had other children, but wanted one mo

It took 6 days to create the world;
That was planned with her in mind,
But it took 20 years to produce this girl,
Brought forth by special design.

She’s no longer a child, no longer a teen,
A young lady she is, like her mother Irene.
There are many things that are yet unseen,
But I’m sure this Princess will become a Queen.

Wait patiently on the Lord and always do right;
For we walk by faith and not by sight.
Trust the Lord from now and until,
You know his word, his way, his walk, and his will.

Thanks for allowing me to be your favorite uncle.
Yankee Arnold
The old king whose crown is slipping.

A Friend to the End
By
Ralph “Yankee” Arnold
February 1, 2005
A friend in need is a friend indeed
For we are born with an empty cup
For if one falls down, the friend’s around
To encourage and lift you up

A friend is there thru thick and thin
When you’re right or when you’re wrong
Not a judge, but a friend; who helps you to win
And turn heartaches into a song

A shoulder for rest or an ear to hear
Or a tear that says I understand
What a precious gift from friends so dear
As the friendship of Paul and Fran

We drove – we flew – with nothing to do
As we traveled this great land of ours
While the men would share just a word or two
The women could go on for hours

David had Jonathan, and Paul had Barnabas
And God sent Paul Strickland for me
But Betty and Fran were like peas in a pod
Joined together in perfect harmony

If the Lord should tarry, we know the Lord will carry
Our friends to their palace above
But here while we wait, whom there will he take
As the final proof of his love

The older we get we know heaven is next
And the death of a friend will bring pain
But hurt as it may, time will take it away
For the loss of our friend is her gain

What went ye out to see,
A reed shaken by the wind?
Not this man from Tennessee,
To the Spirit only would he bend.

O’ my friend, what went ye out to hear?
The Gospel of Grace made crystal clear?
Salvation by grace, tis the gift of God.
Rewards are earned, but rebellion the rod.

The eyes of God ran to and fro,
Thru a man with a heart of “fire”.
A burning passion to reach the lost,
And make this “blaze” the saints’ desire.

The Flame has died down,
But sparks shot up to descend.
Blown upon by the breath of God,
To produce more “Flames” in the wind.

The Sword of the Lord
was the power of the pen,
but Dr. Curtis Hutson was
the “Flame” in the Wind.

A living sacrifice on the altar was laid.
“Hot Coals” from the altar and Revivals were made.
O’ Lord, this offering was burnt up for Thee.
His reward shall be great, but his salvation was free.

“An Offer I Could Not Refuse”
(written in honor of A. Ray Stanford on his 85th birthday)
by Ralph “Yankee” Arnold on December 9th, 2001

Doctor Clifton L. Flowler presented the Good-News,
To A. Ray Stanford who could not refuse.
The free gift of salvation, that he could not lose,
Then dedicated his life to Christ, for God to use.

The battle was fierce in the mid-night sky,
Planes were filled with men, who were willing to die.
With two engines gone from artillery fire,
The will to live became their greatest desire.

A. Ray Stanford knew the Lord real well,
He’d go to heaven, but his friends to hell.
He prayed to the Lord to see them through,
And vowed to witness to his entire crew.

When the war was over, Ray renewed his vow,
The time to serve the Lord wasn’t later, but now.
Ray and Sue by faith took a chance,
And began the ministry of Christian Youth Ranch.

With youth in mind, he made the Gospel clear,
To win souls to Christ, year after year.
Thousands upon thousands, and perhaps a million more,
Were reached by Ray Stanford, err he reached heaven’s shore.

A. Ray Stanford went throughout the land,
With a Bible under his arm, and a wallet in his hand.
For the sake of the Gospel, Ray always took the time.
To explain the plan of salvation, from Ephesians 2:8-9.

When he turned 85, he was very much alive,
In his quest for the souls of men.
His one desire, as a burning fire,
Was to be God’s ‘flame in the wind’.

No faults are listed against the hero’s of faith,
That are mentioned in Hebrews chapter eleven.
Tho a man is God’s child, and sins all the while,
All sins are forgiven in heaven.

For the man of old, when dead and cold,
Is no greater than a lump of coal.
But the second birth, when it leaves this earth,
Is greater than purist gold.

Ray touched my life as no other man,
He taught me God’s word and the Gospel plan.
His success and failures, made my schooling complete,
Learning lessons of submission, and lessons of defeat.

Ray has been my friend for over forty years,
I witnessed the rise, the fall, the race and the tears.
His battle is over; his race is run,
Jesus Christ will reward him for the work he has done.

“Golf is Gorilla Warfare”
Ralph Arnold (week-day warrior)
Written after another excruciating day of golf.
October 22, 2001

What possesses a man,
to take a club in his hand,
just to hit a little white ball?
He plans as before,
To better his score,
And plays spring, summer, and fall.

Sometimes I miss it,
Or dub it and chunk it, and
Sometimes I hook it or slice.
Just to grip it, and rip it,
Then hunt it and lose it,
Is to pay the ultimate price.

When I swing to chip,
I lift or I dip,
That causes a blade or a spade.
But a lag is a lay-up,
When you miss your par put,
And this is how bogies are made.

I’m closing in on a perfect round,
When I hit my ball out of bounds.
This game isn’t fair, I’m in total despair,
Because my little bitty putter let me down.

But I’ve come to the conclusion
That’s it’s not my illusion,
That golf is a game of inches.
From tee to green,
And all shots in between,
Is like war when you’re
down in the trenches.

To roll by the cup,
When your partner’s one up,
And there’s no more holes to play.
You lick your wounds,
Because you know real soon,
You’ll be better another day.

DYING GRACE
by
Dr. Ralph “Yankee” Arnold

Written January 9th , 1999,
when I learned that my mother had cancer.
She graduated 2004

Rest assured, that the God of all Grace
will, grant to you and I, at the precise moment it is needed,
the grace to face death, the last great enemy of man.

Today I face the shadow of death,
who seeks my soul, to steal my breath.

Shall I be afraid of the dark unknown?
Shall I fear the grave, the corpse, the tomb?

When the deep cold chill creeps over my soul,
Will I shrink in fear, be numb, or bold?

To what shall I cling, to whom shall I trust?
My hope is all gone, my death is a must.

Lord, I believe you died for my sins,
Rose from the dead, and is coming again.

But Lord, if I die, before that glad day,
Is to be present with you, when I pass away.

I’ll not doubt in the dark, truth revealed in the light,
Believing new grace will brighten my night.

There’s another world in which to sing,
I’ll set my affections on heavenly things.

There are love ones in heaven waiting for me,
To get there from here, death set me free.

Where are you death, I’m waiting for you.
You kill only the old, for I live anew.

Rush upon me, Do your worst,
Plant your sting, commence your curse.

These tears that I shed, and the pain that I feel,
I’m suffering for Christ, My glory is sealed.

In a few moments, Just a brief minute in time,
I’ll step from earth’s sorrows, to glory divine.

Lord, help me face death, that others may see,
Christ only, always, living in me.

Glory, Hallelujah, I’m moments away,
Of entering Heaven’s Eternal Day.