A random thing that made me laugh
And I hope that it will make you laugh as well. Tenth's Choir Directer sometimes writes poetry other than Hymns. He wrote one for Christmas, which I will undoubtedly post nearer to that time. But now he has graced us with yet another of his poems.

Written by Paul Jones to honor Bruce McDowell and Phil Ryken on reaching their 50th and 40th birthdays.
A rumor's been heard in our halls
And through Tenth's innermost walls-
It seems that among us,
With no lack of ruckus,
"Birthdays 'r Us"-hit the malls!

Forty years old now is Phil.
He's officially "over the hill."
But few have writ' more
Than he in two score
With so much panache and great skill.

With six parishes under his care
And pastoral needs everywhere
'Twixt time on his knees
He's still able to squeeze, in
Some board games and Cardinals' fare.

At fifty is our good friend Bruce,
He's older than Bullwinkle Moose.
With five decades done
He's still on the run
And often seen bounding up Spruce.

Among his most obvious features
A moustache that may hide small creatures,
But everyone knows
That wherever Bruce goes
He's loved by both converts and preachers.

The two men oft' travel the earth
From pulpit to living room hearth
Turkey, Columbia,The cape of South Africa,
Of teaching and missions, no dearth.

The "Birthday song" seems a bit trite,
(The short version's also not right);
This requires a toast
In which we can boast
Of the grace God bestows 'midst the fight.

Therefore, today from Tenth's tribe,
To God, our due thanks we ascribe,
For brothers now older,
Whose service is bolder,
And so "to their health," we imbibe!

Semper reformanda!