My Life In Truth
My Life Story, My Way.
by
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AUTHOR’S NOTE Please take note that those poems contained within this book that express a point of view, or an opinion about life principles, should not be regarded as ‘absolute truth’, but should be interpreted as by the above, as a point of view or an opinion only. I have been with the Lord now for the best part of 32 years, and what I have written about was due to what I have observed within a Church situation, or because of observance through the eyes of a Spirit filled, born again believer. All of the work that I do is actually based on fact, or factual events, and is due to having preference to writing about those things that occurred in my life that are based on truth, or have been experienced by me first hand. I believe very strongly that when the task that one puts one’s hand to is based on fact and truth, then that work becomes an expression of the individuals character, and therefore comes with all the heart felt emotion that the individual has. As for my opinion, or point of view on the work in question, these expressions are how I interpreted the situations and circumstances that I went through at that particular time, what I was thinking, and what I was going through emotionally, and spiritually. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and all should be permitted to express that opinion in a peaceful, non violent way, without duress. I have chosen to express my opinion through my poetry, in order to stir up peaceful, open debate, and therefore open up opportunities for salvation, and maybe bring people into an awareness that, we serve a God who has no wish, or desire, to see anyone go to a lost eternity. God has given us a choice, in which He will not interfere with, but regardless of our final decision, He will respect that decision, and grant your desire, so choose wisely. God bless your choosing, regardless, David T. Gilbert. Written and Edited, 10/ 07/ 2011, by David T. Gilbert. MY SALVATION STORY, BY DAVID T. GILBERT Introduction Of all the challenges I have ever faced, ‘Parkinson’s Disease’ has presented itself as the most challenging of all, and at times, it is almost impossible to enjoy life in a simple and normal way. When I do have a good day, I enjoy the moment while there is a moment to enjoy, but with this disease, no two days are exactly the same, as each day presents it’s own challenges in a unique way, and with each day, one lives moment by moment. So, when the Holy Spirit prompted me to sit down and write this poem, He also emphasized an urgency about it, as if time was extremely short, and the necessity and expedient nature of the situation was not to be taken casually. With this in mind, I chose to be obedient to His call and put pen to paper. I have always had a burning desire to tell my story, but I have never believed, up until now, that my story could be told in a simple, detailed and understandable way. There were many barriers I had to break through, many ‘skeletons’ I had to deal with, many truths I had to face up to, many wounds that needed healing, and all too many tears of past regrets and mistakes where I caused the people I loved the most the greatest pain. There were times when activities of the past were so painful to recall that tears of bitterness, remorse and regret flowed all too easily. But despite the pain of the past, the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit has been paramount in writing this poem, because I have come to realize that obedience to His voice causes things to just flow so very easy, so much easier than trying to work it out myself. At most times, things happened with split second timing and ran to a perfect plan, working out so beautifully that I still stand in total awe of His wisdom and timing, and it is due to this that I have found a deeper trust and faith in doing things His way, and not mine. I have also learned that the ‘skeletons’ and ‘ghosts’ of the past are not to be feared, but as we face them head-on and trust in His enabling, we are able to stand before Him in total confidence, knowing that God is a God of compassion, mercy and grace. But, why tell a story in poetry? I recall one era in my days of youth, during my High School years, that I discovered the romance of poetry, and I enjoyed writing poetry very much, as it suited me very well. But, since there was no one to encourage me, and due to lack of knowledge, the opportunity to be a serious poetry writer passed me by. My desire for all who read my story is that you read it with an open heart and spiritual insight, that you may be blessed in abundance, and that you may be inspired and greatly encouraged to reach far beyond your own limitations and frailty, and tell your story also, and to be so bold as to tell the world, that JESUS is a God of mercy, compassion and grace by way of the story you have, and that there is still hope, but time is so short, so the urgency of the moment would far outweigh any fine sounding argument to tarry, May God richly bless all who read ‘My Salvation Story.’ David T. Gilbert. My Adolescent Years (18) My Dad moved from Woodville, to Largs by the sea, Life was so pleasant, back in 1963. (19) I soon learned bad habits, which upset my Dad, I learned about rebellion, and turned very bad. (20) I would learn many things, in my days by the sea, I learned about girls, and gangs, and me. (21) I held on to grudges, I just would not let go, My Grandma would remind me, ‘you will reap what you sow’. (22) I had heard about Jesus, back in Sunday School, But I was too proud, to be anyone’s fool. (23) I recall one time, when I was 12 years old, I had a dream about death, which made me feel cold. (24) I cried out to Jesus, with tears lining my face, ‘Please don’t ever let me die, or perish without trace’. (25) I never quite realised, that God heard my prayer, Fifteen years later, He would answer my despair. The Loss of Innocence (26) But life was too good, I was having much fun, Life was an adventure, so I followed the sun. (27) I was so full of beans, oh, how great I felt, I loved all the girls, and made their hearts melt. (28) I arrived in old Semaphore, by mid ’65, Life was so exciting, the Carnival, the rides. (29) The air was electric, I was having so much fun, It was great to be free, and live life on the run. (30) The jetty was the place, where the gangs would all be, How awesome it was, to live by the sea. (31) I made very few friends, as independent I was, I pleased only myself, I became my own boss. (32) My energy was boundless, I was strong, free and proud, I was King of my world, yet just one of the crowd. My Dad’s Heartache (33) But, as I grew older, and the years passed me by, Things turned really sour, between my Dad and I. (34) I learned of ‘hard drink’, to his disgust, Revenge was on my mind, upset him, I must. (35) I thought of past years, how he would hurt Mum so, He thought, ‘he’s too young, he would never know. (36) But I was looking on, taking note in my mind, It was his time to lose, so I began to unwind. (37) I would try to hurt him, in any way I could, I recalled my pain and suffering, during my childhood. (38) I made it my mission, to cause him great pain, I showed I was stubborn, time and again. (39) I must have hurt my Dad greatly, I caused him much grief, By holding on to the past, I thought I’d find relief. (40) I never felt proud, about Dad anyway, He would dress like a hobo, the clown of the day.
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The story you are about to read actually happened, the places and characters are real, and many are still alive today, and this story is written in poetry. The reason that it was done in poetry is that it is about my salvation, how I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, and the events that actually happened to bring that about, which was by all accounts a miracle of God. In my Church, my recognised gifts are encouragement and helps, the latter being best known as works of service, and the main reason for having my life story published is to encourage others that they also have a story to tell, and there are times when that story needs to be told in order to encourage others also. We all have a story to tell, and that story is unique, no one else has a story quite like you do, but to be able to put your story down on paper and publish it as a book is something else. I spent many hours recollecting thoughts of my past life, and trying to remember bits and pieces of my past that I had forgotten about, but were essential in telling my story in an exact way. But even in light of the above, never a day goes by where I don’t give some thought to the events of my past and what happened during those past years, not to mention just how far I had come since surrendering to Christ. One thing I have discovered since publishing my first book, unless you are doing things for yourself due to a desire just to put your experiences in book form before your story slips into oblivion, save your money and your time, because it really is a lot of hard work, unless doors of opportunity magically open up and give you a chance in a lifetime to make it big in publishing. I have included other poems as well, some of which have never been published before, but being a re-launch of the original first book, some things had to be modified and added to, as well as changed, in order to have the publishing of this issue as hassle free as possible. Even though the poetry in this book is rather long, I found that it was necessary to accommodate the story as a whole, as it is about my life story, noting that some people have written entire books just on their life. I have attempted to make my story as brief as possible, without going into too much detail, which I felt would cause the reader to lose interest in the story and therefore they would miss the important theme of my story. In any case, I trust that my story would not only encourage you, but would stir you to action in consideration of telling your story, and thereby being an encouragement and inspiration to others. May God bless all who read My Life In Truth, David T. Gilbert.