Each Saturday between now and Christmas, we will be sharing with you the Christmas poetry of Armour Patterson.
Armour has been married to his wife Rachel since June, 2001. They have no children and they live in Kingman, which is in northwestern Arizona near the borders of Nevada and California. They attend an Independent Baptist church in Kingman called Gospel Light Baptist Church. It is small, but more traditional and reminds them of what most Southern Baptist churches used to be like. As Armour told us, “No praise band, no skits or drama team, no barefoot guitar players, no hula dancers in grass skirts or fat preachers in aloha shirts, no interpretive dancers, no slide shows with Jesus in various outfits and poses, no snow machines, no cappuccino bar, no Amy Grant or Michael W. Smith, no pizza bar, no helicopter pad, no alternative Christian Metallica service, no bedroom suites, no swinging ropes over the pulpit, generally no animals other than those assisting the disabled, no juice bar fasting rooms, no alternative lifestyle bible studies, etc…. We like it and offer ourselves there for whatever services we can contribute either in the church or in the community through the church.”
It has been Armour’s custom the last several years to write two poems at Christmas time, one that is whimsical and fun and another that is more devotional in nature. We will present one of each type today and the next two Saturdays. Here are this week’s installments.
- The funny: The Night Before Christmas in the Saloon
- The serious: The First Christmas Eve
We hope you enjoy a good laugh and a devotional message, and we’re grateful to Armour for allowing us to publish his work.
Armour Patterson is a subtle poet with a beautiful mind and heart. The introductory statement regarding his church had me rolling, the Santa poem gave me a chuckle or two, and the poem on the first Christmas called me back to the seriousness of discipleship.
I don’t understand the purpose of the introduction, what does it have to do with the man’s poetry?
i f,
Let’s see…It has to do with the man and his background–a “get to know you” introduction.
His poetry is his poetry.
By Grace Alone!
There once was a man named Armour
who stopped short of becoming a farmer.
A call he did hear, to go far and near
with faith and a Bible as gear.
While walking about to shepherd the blind ,
he turned a few words in his mind.
The Truth he did preach was simple and plain;
the muse in his soul a complex refrain
to all who receive it for gain. selahV
i do not work my soul to save,
that work my Lord has done;
but i will work like any slave
for love of God’s dear Son.
david :)
My apologies for the misspelled words in my previous post. I was typing fast and didn’t proof my post.
Randy