The Poetry of Brian McKay


Hold to the Hope

Single mother of three with no food to feed
With only a soup kitchen to meet the need
Welfare pays the rent but the rest is all spent
Not a dollar, nor a dime, not even a cent.

She dreams of the time when her closet was full
Draped in silks and furs and the finest of wool
Then one night the love of her life was gone
Everything else just seemed to tag along.

All treasures on earth were no longer her own
She realized things are just on loan
Except for the promise which she holds on tight
Her faith is in Jesus, her true life light.

She holds to the hope when she thinks she can't cope
She holds to the Hope of her Saviour
She holds to the Hope when life overwhelms
She holds to the Hope of forever.

You remember a time when God was dear
Between then and now there's been many a year
Life's become shallow, sin and greed wrapped so tight
Darkness has engulfed any shimmer of light.

No longer are you satisfied just to put yourself first
No earthly treasure quenches life's thirst
You desperately cry out and go on a knee
And remember the song, yes Jesus loves me.

Hold to the Hope, when you think you can't cope
Hold to the Hope of the Saviour
Hold to the Hope when life overwhelms
Hold to the Hope of forever.

Copyright © 2008 Brian McKay


To Bethlehem You Must Go

It's time, My Son
For the job to be done
To Bethlehem you must go
To live among men
From the start to the end
To Bethlehem you must go

To Bethlehem you must go
To Bethlehem you must go
From a humble beginning
With angels all singing
To Bethlehem you must go

Now Gabriel go tell
Mary and Joseph all is well
To Bethlehem you must go
In a manger you'll lay
But not long will you stay
To Bethlehem you must go

As a baby you'll flee
A carpenter's son you'll be
To Bethlehem you must go
As a young boy you amaze
And the teachers will rave
To Bethlehem you must go

You'll heal the lame
They'll praise your name
To Bethlehem you must go
Called the Son of Man
That is my plan
To Bethlehem you must go

From a stable born
To a man of scorn
To Bethlehem you must go
A friend will betray
So short your stay
To Bethlehem you must go

On a cross life will end
With no attempts to defend
To Bethlehem you must go
In a cave you'll lay
Three days you'll stay
To Bethlehem you must go

You'll arise my Son
For the job will be done
To Bethlehem you must go
With the sin price paid
The foundation will be laid
To Bethlehem you must go

To Bethlehem you must go
To Bethlehem you must go
From a humble beginning
With Angels all singing
To Bethlehem you must go

Copyright © 2008 Brian McKay


The Carpenter

The carpenter looked upon the work he had done
He had chosen the wood with the greatest of care
The saw had been carefully drawn across each board
And then assembled, as he had done too many times before
But this one was special, they said it was for a King.

Pleased with his work, he stood back and paused
Awaiting the time that it would be put to its use
Not wanting to think of the agony soon to be endured
Knowing that before long the price would be paid
And the price was high, it was the life of a King.

They had beat Him and scorned Him and crowned Him with thorns
He had been denied and mocked and spat upon
Then made to carry the carpenter's labor
The wood never painted, now heavily stained in red
Somehow, it doesn't look like a throne for a King.

Hoisted high upon it, for all the throng to see
Stripped of all His clothes and any decency
Nails pierced His hands and through His feet
A spear penetrated His side to make sure the deed was complete
The only charge was that He was the Jewish King.

Darkness suddenly replaced the light of the day
And lightning bolts ripped through the sky
The carpenter's labor had done its job
A tomb was to be his final resting place
But the bonds of death could not keep this King.

For you and I, He left His heavenly throne
For you and I, He lived here on this earth
For you and I, He took our sins to the cross
For you and I, He arose up from the grave
For you and I, the decision is ours
And we must choose.

Copyright © 2005 Brian McKay


My Life

If my last breath has just been taken
Would you look from your Heavenly Throne
And see me as a child of yours
Would you see me as one of your own?

If my life ended this very moment
Would it have been in vain
All that I had accomplished
Would it bring glory to your name?

If there were no further beats of my heart
And you looked at the choices I'd made
Did I choose your one true Son
Who arose up from the grave?

But my life has not ended yet
And I still have a choice to make
Between Jesus and a fallen angel
My eternal life is at stake.

For me I choose the risen Savior
There's no other choice for me
For the evidence has shown me the truth
And the truth has set me free.

Copyright © 2006 Brian McKay
I wrote this for people who may be sitting on the fence, not having made a personal decision on their salvation.

Passion

I want to have
Passion for my Saviour
Compassion for his people
Be broken of my will,
Desiring you alone
I want to be
Humbled before you Father
Filled with your Spirit
A servant not a master
Bowing before your throne.

Copyright © 2008 Brian McKay
A little about Brian:

Living and working in Canada, Brian has been married to the same understanding lady for 28 years and has one son. He also teaches Sunday school to a class of two-year-olds and continuously get asked the same question: "Can you teach two year olds anything about the Bible?" and his answer is always "Absolutely".

Brian has been a visitor and contributor to MotivateUs for almost 9 years. His first article was published in April 2000 - it's titled: Tears and is about the value of tears. The second article followed in June 2000 - titled: Walk . In this article, Brian speaks about the power behind the word "hi". Along with contributing many quotes over the years, Brian has always been joyful in his emails and a delight to communicate with.


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