Not An Easy Path

 
The path through life is not easy,
And we’ve all gone astray.
Either by error or design,
We got lost on the way.
 
This is the way that life has been
Since we left Eden’s gate.
Arrogance led us far from Him
And won for us this fate.
 
The one comfort I take in life,
Is knowing, right or wrong,
The path I take, my Shepherd sees,
And His love remains strong.
 
Those lambs who stay close by His side,
Are blessed beyond all doubt,
But those who choose to wander off
Soon learn what fear’s about.
 
The night grows dark, the wolves close in,
And we see our mistake.
We cry out to Him, He is there.
We’re saved for His love’s sake.
 
For that is why He came to earth,
To save those who are lost.
It mattered so much to Him that
He paid a fearful cost.
 
That’s why when He brings lost lambs home,
Rescued from life’s travails,
All of the heavens sing with joy,
For His grace still prevails!!
 
Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
 
Luke 15:7
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Getting Back On Track

 

Sometimes I need to stop and say
What often goes unsaid,
Thank You for that that old two by four
You used upside my head.
 
I wasn’t listening to You
When I went my own way,
But You were watching over me
As I wandered astray.
 
You just kept nudging me to turn,
Get back on the right track,
So, when I didn’t listen, Lord,
You gave my head a smack.
 
Okay, I’m paraphrasing some,
But if You had not done
What it took to get me turned back,
Who knows how far I’d run.
 
I focus my sight on my plans,
But You can see much more.
What I have laid out in my head,
May not be what’s in store.
 
So, once again, I thank You, Lord,
For watching over me,
And making me stop to listen,
Then go where I should be.
 
Psalm 119:132-133
Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name. Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
 
Psalm 23:3   
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

This delightful photo is a blessing from AC taken on her trip to Africa a few years back. 

The Warrior Defends

It’s hard, sometimes, to find the words
That my heart and soul seek.
Today it is of sacrifice
And love that I will speak.
 
Christ set for us the example,
He died to set us free.
Now those who live and follow Him
Know how blessed we can be.
 
Yet, even among mortal men
There are those who give all,
So those they love can know freedom
And peace, not live in thrall.
 
I walked the path of Soldier’s child,
And stood among the brave,
But now and then that meant I bowed,
Heart broken, at their grave.
 
So many cannot understand,
And I don’t call that shame,
All that a child grows up with when
“Service Brat” is their claim.
 
There’s strength and honor, pride and fear,
And so much more to life
For those who live with those who serve
To face down war and strife.
 
I’ve seen so many say goodbye,
And some who can’t let go.
While some, like me, were luckier,
My dad watched his kids grow.
 
Yet, through it all one thread remains,
As Christ assured His friends,
They loved us, fought and died for us.
The Warrior defends.
 
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Healed Through Faith, Not Law

 

It was the laws that God gave man,
Which we have each broken,
That set punishment in motion
For each appalling sin.
 
Like you, I was covered in sin
That I could not wash clean,
But He carried them to the cross.
Now they’re no longer seen.
 
Instead, where sins once covered me,
Blessings adorn me now.
I trusted in Him, and that faith,
His healing did allow.  
 
Each sin that marked a life of shame,
I now view with relief,
For He has turned them from disgrace
Into proof of belief.
 
I stand not in pride for those sins,
But for the boundless grace
That healed them and now lets me wear
His blessings in their place.
 
Galatians 2:16
yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

My Favorite Lullaby

 

The day had been long and hurried,
But filled with great delight,
And it was with satisfaction
That I welcomed the night.  
 
I settled in, said my prayers
And tried to get some sleep,
But my thoughts were restless with
Their own timeline to keep.  
 
I almost gave up, but just then
I heard my lullaby.
The one sound that lulls me to sleep,
And I don’t have to try.
 
A gentle rumble, distant, soft,
But drawing slowly near.
A flash of light, the rolling sound
Of thunder, close and clear.
 
I know that most people don’t sleep
With that much noise about,
But for me that song from heaven
Is what sleep’s all about.
 
My weather app had said no rain
Expected for two days,
But God’s thoughts are higher than man’s,
His ways are higher ways.
 
I settled in and said thank You
To Him who sent me this.
I felt like a small child, once more,
Who got a good night kiss.

Isaiah 55:9
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
 
Psalm 107:8
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

In Awe And Wonder

 

He rested there above the pond
With four feet in the air,
Peacefully balancing himself
Without worry or care.
 
He reminded me of the psalms
That call the Lord our rock,
Our refuge in times of worry,
And that made me take stock.
 
Do I see Him as my refuge,
My fortress in each gale?
Do I hold the Lord as my shield
Whose strength will never fail?
 
I pray I don’t just check the box,
Then blah blah blah amen
When talking to, or thinking on
The creator of men.
 
The wondrous King who formed the earth,
And called light from the dark.
He who redeemed His wayward lambs,
Renewed in them His spark.
 
The fortress, the deliverer,
Wondrous beyond all thought!
The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords,
Who, all creation, wrought.
 
I know someday I will see Him
In His splendid array,
For now, I’ll hold Him in great awe
When I reach out each day.
 
I may need to remind myself
Of that truth every dawn,
So I can then rest on the Rock
That David rested on.
 
Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Even in Brambles, Rejoice

 

It stood alone among the weeds
And bloomed with great delight,
It gave no notice to the rest,
Its joy shown clear and bright.
 
The weeds and brambles, fierce and grim,
Could not deter that joy.
It chose to rejoice despite all
Their efforts to annoy.
 
I stood confused that such delight
Thrived in such disarray,
Until I realized the truth
So clearly on display.
 
It doesn’t matter where we are
Or what we’re walking through,
If our roots run deep in Your Word,
We will rejoice in You.
 
Philippians 4:4-5
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

To Quench My Thirst In You

I have this unquenchable thirst
That’s too common these days.
It is a thirst for time with You,
In Your Word and in praise.
 
I find myself at a fast pace
More often than I’ve planned.
I’m chasing my tail when, instead,
I should rest in Your hand.
 
Oh Lord, I praise You that just now,
In the midst of my day,
I found myself, by grace, no doubt,
With a moment to pray.
 
I lifted up to You my plea
For time to quench my thirst,
And wisdom to put my pace last
That I may put You first.
 
I turned away from this day’s race
To read Your Word and pray.
To quench the thirst that parched my soul
And make this a blessed day.
 
I thank You that You understood
Before I ever knew
That what this world drains out of me
Is always there in You.
 
Matthew 6:31-32
Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 

Give Comfort In Times Of Grief

 

We each have carried the burden
Of grief too great to bear,
And yet we’ve had to find the strength
To live with our despair.
 
Because we understand such grief,
You’d think we’d know the way
To comfort someone who now fights
To keep such grief at bay.
 
Alas, that is not how grief works.
For each, the pain’s our own.
Try though we might we cannot heal
The pains we haven’t known.
 
I cannot heal their broken heart
Or mend the hole it leaves,
Nor can I take away the fears
And pain of one who grieves.
 
I cannot bid them walk my path,
For their healing’s not mine.
What I can do is give their grief
To the healer Divine.
 
For He can heal the broken heart
And make it whole again.
That’s comfort beyond the power
Of any mortal man.
 
I know because He has healed me
From more than one heartbreak,
And I know He will heal them, too.
His comfort’s theirs to take.
 
The greatest comfort I can share
Is God’s love and His grace,
And simply staying close until
God’s healing can take place.
 
2 Corinthians 1:4
who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
 
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

I Will Follow You

 

I thought I heard You call my name,
But it could not be so,
For I’m not worthy to be called,
As You and I both know.
 
I heard You call my name once more,
And felt my soul cry out,
“Oh Lord, You know the life I’ve lived.
Of that I have no doubt.”
 
“How could You call me to Your grace,
Knowing who I have been?
The life I’ve lived has been far from
A life lived without sin.”
 
I heard You call me one more time,
Reminding me that You,
Having full knowledge of my sins,
Have cleansed me of them, too.
 
I realized that You have called
Those worse than I have been,
And taught them how to find the lost,
Become fishers of men.
 
If those who once were lost, then found
Can serve You faithfully,
Then I know You have grace enough
For a lost soul like me.
 
Lord, I have heard You call my name,
And I will follow You.
Please lead me with Your truth, Your light,
That I may serve You, too.
 
Psalm 43:3
Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!

This sweet photo is a gift from AC and her trip to Africa a few years back.