Serving Jesus Poetry
  • Author's Testimony & Introduction--FAQS
    • Table of Contents
  • 1 His Kingdom to Prepare
  • 2 My Choice Companions
  • 3 Companions
  • 4 Companions II
  • 5 A Mother's MTC Farewell
  • 6 Who Will Dare for Christ
  • 7 To a Chosen Generation
  • 8. I Feel Such a Strangeness
  • 9. Not Me
  • 10. My Brother's Father
  • 11. Not Far Away
  • 12. Questions for Our Leaders
  • 13. Questions From Our Leaders
  • 14. The Visit
  • 15. Show and Tell
  • 16. Within Our Slumber We Will Dream
  • 17. Servants in the Shadows
  • 18. Joya Escojida/Chosen Jewel
  • 19. Las Aguas Del Senor/The Waters of the Lord
  • 20. Come Fasting to the Meeting House
  • 21. As Voices Join in Sacred Sabbath Worship
  • 22. A Child's Baptismal Day
  • 23. In Temple White
  • 24. Temple Hill
  • 25. This Precious Day
  • 26. The Translators
  • 27. I Your Husband Who Have Fallen [First Poem of The Repentance Trilogy.]
  • 28. The Wife's Song
  • 29. Remember Not Past Years
  • 30. A Priesthood Lullaby
  • 31. The Season of Our Need
  • 32. Cherished Daughter, Valiant Servant
  • 33. Daughter, Hear and Heed Your Savior's Voice
  • 34. Bird Mom
  • 35. Eric's Song
  • 36. A Wedding Song of Praise
  • 37. Testimonies to My Daughters
  • 38. Prayer for a Caring Granddaughter
  • 39. Firstborn Son and Firstborn Daughter
  • 40. Father's Day
  • 41 The Hospital
  • 42. The Children of the World
  • 43. For the Healers of the World
  • 44. Simple Heroes of Our Day
  • 45. To This World So Prone to Peril
  • 46. Somewhere
  • 47. Servant of Servants
  • 48. We Wish That You Were Here
  • 49. The Teacher
  • 50. To Protect Marriage and Family
  • 51. Earth's Unborn Children Weeping
  • 52. Prayers for the Peacekeepers
  • 53. That Patriot Dreams Will Come to Pass
  • 54. We Would Do It All Again
  • 55. So Much More
  • 56. Passage and Pilot
  • 57. Because of the Son
  • 58. Growing Up
  • 59. The Olive Leaf
  • 60. Until All Are One With Him
  • 61. Death Has Not Won, But Lost
  • 62. Call to Arms
  • 63. When All Is Done
  • 64. How Rarely Have I Come This Way
  • 65. At a Place So Very Different
  • 66. My Best Years Lie Ahead
  • 67. Sons of Zion, Jesus Calls You
  • 68. Come, Sing Your Song to Me
  • 69. May It Be Always So
  • 70. Until Safe in Heaven's Embrace
  • 71. Seek the Spirit
  • 72. Undertow
  • 73. If I Am Given Time
  • 74. Sons and Daughters, Heirs of Promise
  • 75. Wrestling for a Call
  • 76. When Everything is Ready
  • 77. One Thousand Times
  • 78. Tearful and Fearful I Prayed Through the Evening
  • 79. Tell Us, How Do Servants and Teachers Like You Come Along?
  • 80. Blessings for Beloved Servants
  • 81. Our Gayla's Free at Last
  • 82. I Am a Witness of Your Worth
  • 83. I'll Live With You Again
  • 84. Brother, Friend, and Fellow Servant
  • 85. Grieve Not for Him
  • 86. Press On From Payson's Hill
  • 87. The Righteous Live in Me
  • 88. Homecoming
  • 89. In Honor of My Friends Unseen
  • 90. [An Invitation] We Call to You
  • 91. Fellow Americans, Let Us Talk
  • 92. Brothers and Sisters, Fulfilled Together
  • 93. What We Have Lost in Our Digital Paradise
  • 94. Running Out of Time
  • 95. Ere You Hear the Sound of Battle
  • 96. 21st Century Gadiantons
  • 97 The Setting Apart
  • 98. What Do You Say?
  • 99. To a Woman of Tempered Steel
  • 100. A Correction Soon Begins
  • 101. The Quiet of the Morning
  • 102. Slippery Slope
  • 103. Stormy--We've Got to Stop Meeting Like This
  • 104. Warriors of the Mind and Soul [Poetic Process Discussion]
  • 105. He Wrote Just as He Lived
  • 106. Life Singer
  • 107. Zion's Daughter Leanore
  • 108. Does Your House of Worship Now Seem Lonely
  • 109. Crucify the "Old Man of Sin"
  • 110. We Loved Them Once
  • 111. Winter's Mothers God Holds Most Dear
  • 112. Lord, Please Forgive Us Anew
  • 113. Patriot's Faith Will Triumph Yet
  • 114. Indexing
  • 115. I Am Liberty
  • 116. The Beauty
  • 117. To Aid the Innocents Abused
  • 118. A Noble Bugler Has Returned
  • 119. The Music of the Lord
  • 120. Frog Cat
  • 121. God's Storms
  • 122. The Daughters of the Lord
  • 123. Come Back, Before Our Souls for Error Yearn
  • 124. Don't Tell Me That My Time Has Come
  • 125. From the Dust [Comes The Book of Mormon]
  • 126 To See the Sun Again
  • 127. Mourning America
  • 128. For Baby Adam
  • 129. Despedida Ansiosa/Anxious Farewell
  • 130. Between the Lines
  • 131. Will You Ever Ask the Questions
  • 132. The Days I Spent With You
  • 133. For Nelda
  • 134. The Covenant Path
  • 135. Heartland Dream
  • 136 We Sent Our Very Best
  • 137. Sisters of the Covenant, Daughters of God
  • 138 Sisters Share Their Cheerful Hearts
  • 139 God Looketh On the Heart
  • 140 What of Me?
  • 141 The Return
  • 142 Latter-day Defenders
  • 143. "Come and See, Come and Help, Come and Share"
  • 144. The Best of Father's Seed I've Known
  • 145. He Sleeps But Does Not Rest
  • 146. When the Days of Wait Are Over
  • 147. Red Kettles and Silver Bells
  • 148. Victory
  • 149. He Lacks Not Faith
  • 150. "Am I a Friend of Jesus?"
  • 151. Christ is Our Refuge Once Again
  • 152. Until We Kneel at Our Savior's Feet
  • 153. Where You Stand, You Should Still Lift
  • 154. No Day Shall Pass nor Night Shall Fall
  • 155. We Pray for You
  • 156. Bountiful Harvest
  • 157. A Message of Peace and Love
  • 158. Israel, Israel God Shall Save Thee
  • 159. For Those Who Wait
  • 160. Friends Who Intercede
  • 161. Young Women's "Frog Camp"
  • 162. A Daughter of Zion
  • 163. For the Worthy Widows of Zion (A needed variation of 162)
  • 164 United for Christ
  • 165 The Challenge of a Firstborn Son
  • 166. In Honor of Grizzly Cadets
  • 167. When the Warrior Has Gone Home
  • 168. Christmas: Covenants Past, Present, and Future
  • 169. The Days We Spend With You
  • 170. The Two Are One, Once More
  • 171. The Wanderer
  • 172. I'll Follow Him
  • 173. God's Blessed Hands

Poetry Celebrating Christ-like Service
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<-- Mobile users, click MENU symbol above to select poem; ROTATE TO LANDSCAPE MODE.

ALL USERS, see PRINT warning at Note 1

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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.          Russell Bennett Hicks

1. PRINTING ALERT AND FAQS.  The hosting methodology used is more "author friendly" * than "user friendly" and this makes printing more difficult than desired.  If the reader clicks on a given poem's name and gives a "print"command in their upper right browser line, or commands "print" after clicking on the poem's title, the name of every poem found on the list at the left will be included--a frustrating and unwelcome waste.  To print, use either the "highlight and print" or "cut and paste to new document, then print" methods. 

2.  NO SIDEWAYS CLICKING/SWIPING SUPPORTED!  The hosting service template used does not support, "flipping" right or left to go to the previous/next page.  Mobile users must select the next poem desired by giving a "back" command, then using the left margin menu bars (three horizontal bars at the upper left corner of this "splash" page [First Page] and then selecting the poem desired.  This is "old style formatting"--see Note 10, below.


3. 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 in punctuation, verse, or doctrine are the fault of the author, who has no background or training in either poetry or publishing.
 
4. UNLIMITED NON-COMMERCIAL USAGE ALLOWED, No commercial usage is 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.
 
5. PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS.  Most photos were downloaded from the (extensive) media library of churchofjesuschrist.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 "churchofjesuschrist.org" or "lds.org" caption on them.  Other photos come from either the author's family album or "public domain" sources, or were purchased from "stock" publishers with the payment of royalty fees.
 
6. NON-INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION  The work speaks for itself.  The author has no facebook page nor any other social media presence. He has 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 for legal purposes may readily find him.
 
7. 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.  If one to three words extends beyond a cell phone into a new line, switch to "landscape view". 
 
8. 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, provide a setting for the same, or provide scriptural support for the concepts presented.  As time progressed, more and more notes, of increased complexity, were added--author's prerogative.  The author recalls hearing somewhere that "all truth can be circumscribed into one complete whole".  Thus, over time, the inter-relationship of scriptures and conference talks supported increasingly more and longer cross-references. 
                                             
9. 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. 

10.  *  This website started some years ago when the author had little money and neither training nor skill with publishing online. The hosting service the author chose was "cheap and easy".   Furthermore, when this site was first published, mobile phone usage was much more modest.  WYSIWYG & YGWYPF. 

Now, years later, the rapid economic devolution of our nation, and our world, precludes switching to a superior hosting service which uses Word Press or WIX formatting or site bulding.  The author still plans to publish as many of these pieces as possible in MP3 formatting--"Next year in Jerusalem".  For early 2025, a major revision of the collection was made to correct the most glaring errors and to better accommodate phone users.  Lamentably, mistakes still remain.