Poetry Celebrating Christ-like Service

PictureChristus from ChurchofJesusChrist.org

























These are original poems, all but two in true verse, with rhyme and meter, which memorialize my testimony of the divinity and reality of God the Father, His Only Begotten Son (the Great Jehovah, mortal Savior, and, now post-mortal Messiah and soon to be Millennial Messiah), and the Holy Ghost--which are three distinct beings unified in their immortality, powers and purpose. Deity calls us to serve each other, and God the Father, even as Jesus set the supreme example of service through his ministry, crucifixion, atonement, and resurrection two millennia ago.

                                Author's Testimony

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I bear fervent, personal witness that the resurrected Jesus of Nazareth, Savior and King, visited the boy-prophet Joseph Smith in 1820; charged him with the translation of ancient records now known as The Book of Mormon, and later authorized and commanded him to restore His true gospel by means of the church which bears His holy name.  These pieces, of whatever value they may possess, were inspired by awesome acts and accounts of true Christ-like service--past, present, and future.  All good I have ever had, or shall ever receive, comes from the Divine, and I share it with all freely--retaining all commercial usage for myself.                

Russell Bennett Hicks

                                            PRINTING ALERT AND FAQS   

The hosting methodology used is more "author friendly" than "user friendly" and this makes printing more difficult than usual.  If the reader gives a simple "print" command, the name of every poem found on the list at the left will be included--an unwelcome waste.  To print, use either the "highlight" or "cut and paste" methods.  Note, even then reports of extraneous letters or symbols have been received.  Total revision, with perhaps a new web creation and hosting service, will be attempted at some unknown future date.

THIS IS TOTALLY FREE POETRY presented without ads, subscriptions, solicitations, registrations, sales or gimmicks of any kind.  No record is made of any visitors hereto.  This website is neither presented by nor endorsed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  All errors or defects are the responsibility of the author, who has no background or training in poetry or publishing.

UNLIMITED NON-COMMERCIAL USAGE ALLOWED, No commercial usage allowed.  All poems are the subject of either/both formal federal copyright (including, without limitation, Library of Congress Number 2003104373) and/or common law copyright.  Anyone may PRINT, COPY, E-MAIL, FAX, ATTACH, or "WALL THEM"--FREELY, and WITHOUT LIMITATION, but may not charge any fee for the same.

PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS.  Most photos were downloaded from the media library of lds.org, pursuant to its limited non-commercial license, and their artists are thanked for their marvelous creations.  These include the Christus found above together with all subsequent photos which have a small "lds.org" caption on them.  Other photos come from the author's family album; from "public domain" sources; or were purchased from "stock" publishers by payment of royalty fees.

NON-INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION  The work speaks for itself.  I have no facebook page, no public e-mail address, nor the ability to receive/respond to opinions or questions from readers by means of "comments" or otherwise.  If any of these pieces is deemed meritorious, then praise God, who is the source of all good—see, James 1:17; Alma 26:11-12; Ether 4:12; and Moroni 7:12-13.  Anyone who needs to contact the author may readily find him. 

FIXED FORMATTING  This website is designed with “fixed-page” formatting, and is intended to be viewed on a full size computer screen or a large tablet. The pieces may not present well in any of the common “flowing” text methodologies, used by smart phones or similar small screen devices.  

CONTEXT. Each poem was received for specific persons or situations, past or future.  Some pieces call for explanation—notes or comments required to understand a poem or provide a setting for the same. However, no true names are supplied in order to maintain the subjects' privacy.  To provide structure to the work as a whole, the first 90 service poems are grouped in the Table of Contents into ten “sections”--which are merely general sub-themes.   The "poetic process" given me is explained at some length in No. 104.  
                                              
CONSTANT REVISIONS. This will always be a "work in progress".  New poems are added from time to time.  Periodic reviews affirm a need for editing or "tweaking".  A version of a poem you read today may be slightly different from the same titled poem you read last month. 

RECOGNITION AND INVITATION.  Christ-centered service is seen everywhere, every day. The author acknowledges and commends the myriad organizations, religions, groups, and individuals who fulfill Jesus' command that we be our brothers' and sisters' "keepers".  We pray, daily, for all such fellow-servants. 

In this regard, the LDS "Newsroom" contains information about both past world-wide service projects and ongoing disaster relief efforts around the globe.  For all such efforts, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not ask: "Are you Mormons"; "Are you Christians"; or "Are you believers"--the only question asked is:  "Are you needy?"    

MP3s in 2023?
  These pieces were made to be read aloud.  However, Multiple attempts to produce recordings at home, using semi-professional microphones and software, both free and for a fee, have failed.  It appears I must delay my goal until I can use professional recording studios.  "Next year in Jerusalem."

Anticipated future revisions

The challenge of printing poems from Weebly, as presently configured, while not impossible, is cumbersome.  A complete revision of the site, with better formatting and printing options, is needed.  However, such a "re-do" will only take place after mp3 recordings are complete.