No one goes through the Pearly gates
Without St. Peter’s holy nod.
Nobody is allowed access
To the Heavenly Throne of God.

So he was stopped at Heaven’s gate
And told that to atone for sin,
He must name good things he had done
To earn enough points to get in.

He said that he had been married
To his wife for fifty years,
And had been a faithful husband
Through times of strife and sometimes tears.

“That’s worth three points,” St. Peter said,
And entered it into his book.
The man complained, “Only three points?”
And gave St. Peter quite a look.

“Well, I have always paid my tithes,
And always given to the poor.
And when a stranger needed help,
I always had an open door.”

“Well, that’s good for another point.”
St. Peter wrote it as he said,
“And I will add another point
For all the hungry souls you fed.”

The man asked, “How am I doing?”
How many points to enter in?”
St. Peter said, “One hundred points
Are needed to atone for sin.”

The startled man said, under breath,
“Well that would take the Grace of God!”
“Bingo!” St. Peter told the man,
And then gave him the holy nod.

He had great fear of the unknown,
Fears he knew he should not abide.
He asked the doctor if he knew
What waited on the other side?

He said, “I’ve always believed in God,
But with the threat of death so near
I know not what awaits me there,
And it’s that unknown that I fear.”

Just then his faithful wheelchair dog
Scratched on the doctor’s office door.
“Looks like your dog wants in,” Doc said,
“He’s never been in here before.”

“He has no dread of what awaits,
And never even thinks of fear.
The unknown doesn’t bother him
Because he knows his master’s here.”

As grown-ups we
Also must try.
The sign said, “Wet;”
The paint looked dry.

God said, “Don’t eat
Fruit from that tree!”
But surely, God,
You don’t mean me.

The Bible says,
Not once but twice;
Obedience
Beats sacrifice.

I sat unmoved at my desk,
Diplomas on all the walls.
I said, “Have your mom come in;
I no longer make house calls.”

She said, “Mom is way too sick,
I’m afraid she’s going to die.
I know that you can help her.
Won’t you please just come and try?”

I could see she was sincere.
She would not accept a, “No”,
So I grabbed my doctor’s bag,
With a scowl, I said, “Let’s go.”

She guided me to her house,
Took me to her mother’s bed.
I could feel the heat of fever.
Without help she’d soon be dead.

I would not let this child down,
To save her mom would be a fight.
I took her to the ER
And I stayed with her all night.

I’d found a picture of her daughter
I’d brought and placed it by her bed.
Without this sweet and loving child
I knew this mother would be dead.

The first thing on the mother’s mind
I thought would be her little one,
But not one word about her child
Just words of thanks for what I’d done.

I pointed at the photograph.
“Your daughter saved your life, you know.”
She sadly shook her head and said,
“My daughter died three months ago.”

His first day in Heaven
He was touring the grounds;
All the Heavenly sights,
And the Heavenly sounds.

He couldn’t help wondering,
“What’s happening below?”
How were things at his church?
He wanted to know.

With the Heavenly TV,
He could look down below.
He would find his church service,
And then he would know.

He saw his friends singing;
Why was there no sound?
“Can someone adjust it?”
He asked looking ’round.

“Oh, the TV’s not broken,
It’s doing its part,
For sounds to reach Heaven
They must come from the heart!”