Going for the Gold

 

Mornings are made for sleeping in,

Unless they come in gold;

And those are made for getting up

Before the day grows old
To gather all the molten light
Your joyful heart can hold!

1 Kings 8:49

Against a perfect azure sky
The mission steeples rise,
Drawing with them to the heavens
This grateful sinner’s eyes.
 
You hear me when I call your name,
You listen to my cries
And fill with peace and confidence
This grateful sinner’s eyes.

You look beneath the face I show,

You see through my disguise,
And find the treasured child you love
Within this sinner’s eyes.

You raised me from my broken state,

The sinner’s harsh demise,
And lit with your redeeming love
This grateful sinner’s eyes.

1 Kings 8:49

 then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.

Riding Out The Storm

The ominous hum of thunder,

The wind that whips the trees,
The lightening streaks, the pounding rain,
The white capped summer seas,

The hurricane is coming in

To shake the quiet night,
Yet there, outside it’s fierce embrace,
A last, lingering light

Holds promise that the storm will pass,

That light will come again;
That there will be an end to all
The darkness, wind and rain.

My Abundant Harvest

I’m back where my roots run deeper

Than even I could know;

The friendships that I make in youth

Still continue to grow.

The soil is rich, my crop is strong

And new plants fill my field.

They mingle with my strong, old crop;

A rich harvest to yield.

I always try to tend my crop

With extra love and care;

And I get back more than I give

Because my crop is there.

So let my roots spread deep again

Within that treasured soil.

Where friendships burst abundantly

And bloom with love not toil.

Psalm 18:10

Tomorrow, Lord, I spread my wings,

Leap to the wind and soar.

I ask that you would guard my flight

To that outlying shore.

Though I may fear to face the sky

And ride upon the wind,

I know you’ll bring me safe to earth

At my long journey’s end.

So I will raise my wings in faith

And soar upon your arm

Knowing that you’ll keep me safe

From stormy winds and harm.

Psalm 18:10
He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.

Psalm 121: 1-2

I turn my eyes to you, my Lord,

When fear wells in my heart;

When I don’t know how I will face

The coming day’s new start.

So much weighs on me now, my Lord,

And much is missing, too;

I don’t know where else I can turn.

So Lord, I look to you.

I turn my eyes to you, my Lord,

I long to see your face.

I’m all alone and lost right now;

I need your precious grace.

Psalm 121: 1-2

 ¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Romans 8:26

Oh Lord, tonight I’m lost.

I have no words

And no thoughts with which to shape them.

I’m frustrated and scared

And angry and lost.

Please help me find the words

That will define the worries

That are tearing at my mind

When I’m not looking.

Please help me.

I’m so lost I don’t even know how to pray.

Romans 8: 26

 ²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

When Things Fall Into Place

I laid my plans well in advance,

It all went smooth as ice.

I had no lines for waiting in,

It all was so precise.

I thought how well it all had worked,

As things went just as planned.

That is, of course, cause you were there

And gave it all a hand.

Oh yes, I know, I did my part

By getting things in gear,

But I know things fall into place

Whenever you are near.

So thanks for getting me through this

With so little trouble

Instead of leaving me waist deep

In a pile of rubble.

Ecclesiastes 12:1

When I was young I ruled the skies

And danced among the stars,

But now that I am old and grey

I cannot fly that far.

When I was young I had no cares,

I knew not how to fear,

But now my wings are weaker and

My cares all cluster near.

When I was young my heart was wild,

Doing as I chose to.

I flew so fast, so far, so high;

Forgetting about you.

But now I’m older and I’ve learned,

However far I fly,

I can’t fly higher than your love

Or farther than your eye.

When I was young I knew you as

Someone who’s always there,

But now I know you’re more than that;

You’re love beyond compare.

Ecclesiastes 12:1
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”

Too Lost to Ask For Directions

They circled round, they were quite lost,

They didn’t know the way.

I tried to ask if I could help,

But they just sped away.

I started to go after them,

Offer a helping hand,

But, before I raced down the road,

You helped me understand

Sometimes the lost choose to be lost

And I must let them go.

I cannot give directions to

Those who don’t want to know.

But I can be there when they stop

And realize they’re lost,

To help them find their way back home

Down all the roads they’ve crossed.

Luke 15: 31

 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Keeping Watch Over Me

You watched me as I took each step

Along life’s weary way,

You helped me when I tripped and fell

Or when I went astray.

You guided me back to your path

When I thought mine was best,

You kept me from the rough cliff’s edge

When I followed the rest.

You’ve never made me walk your way,

It’s what I want to do.

You sometimes let me go astray

Then draw me back to you,

But it is always by my choice,

You never forced my way.

You’ve kept your eye upon me and

It’s still there to this day.

Taking Time to Play

Like water off a duck’s back, Lord,

The worries of my day;

I started with a list of chores,

But found some time to play.

My labors done, my laugh returned,

And with a little luck

My worries will wash off my back

Like water off a duck.

Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The Shot I Missed

I had been mourning for a bit

My lonely, single state;

I longed to have some special man,

But that is not my fate.

I wanted someone who loves me

And gives my heart a lift;

Who likes to give me precious time

Or that “just perfect” gift.

I know some things aren’t meant to be,

So there’s no need to cry,

But now and then I feel a hole

That echoes with each sigh.

So I collected all the tears

That pity tried to spill

And headed out to my back deck

To find a photo thrill.

Then, as I opened up the door

I stopped right where I stood,

There, snuggled on my back deck rail,

Was all that proves life good.

A momma bird with three small babes

All tucked up at her side.

They looked at me, I looked at them,

Our eyes all startled wide.

I raised my lens, they all took flight,

The shot I’d never get

Sped quickly from my back deck rail.

A sight I won’t forget!!

I was so sad to miss the shot,

It was so sweet to see,

But then I understood your plan…

That gift was just for me!

So I am not without the love

For which my heart might ache;

And every gift You give to me

Exceeds what man can make.

The Simple Delights

The little moments of whimsy,

My fancy’s quirky flight,

The laughter that lights up a day

Or twinkles through the night;

The miracles you send my way,

To some, may seem so slight,

But you know just what touches me;

You fill me with delight.

Psalm 111:2
Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

Isaiah 60:19-20

As I lay shivering in the shadows
Beneath the cold light of the moon,

I realized that I lived in darkness

Even at the high crest of noon.

I looked to the heavens to light my way

Instead of looking to heaven;

For, however brightly burned sun or moon,

The darkness they could not leaven.

Then, with that vivid realization,

My world lit up with sacred light

I saw my lord as he stood before me

Gentle, loving, with fearsome might,

Reaching his hand to beckon me forward;

I recoiled at the brutal sight,

The shattered hands that reached out to hold me,

His death for my sins shining bright.

No longer shines the sun, moon or the stars

With brightness that I would follow,

That way of life when compared to his love

Now seems to me pale and hollow.

For they are but orbiting rocks of light,

They ask and give, nothing to me.

But he lived his life to guide me from sin

And died so that I would be free.

Isaiah 60:19-20
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
   nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
   and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will never set again,
   and your moon will wane no more;
the LORD will be your everlasting light,
   and your days of sorrow will end.

Genesis 3:10

Oh Lord, I’m hiding in my shame,

I’ve failed you once again.

The task you gave me was so clear

And did not involve pain,

And yet I said those unkind words

When I got too tired.

But that’s an opportune excuse

Whose time has expired,

For it’s as easy to be still

As to speak a harsh word;

And yet a patient silence was

Not the sound she heard.

I know you love me, though I sin,

But still I hide in shame;

I fear hearing disappointment

When you next call my name.

Genesis 3: 10

¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

Psalm 25: 16

Sometimes I feel outside the world,

It’s so much to withstand,

I wish someone would touch me back

When I reach out my hand.

I know that you are all I need,

I truly understand,

But sometimes I just long to feel

Another human’s hand.

But that is not to be my fate,

You have something else planned.

So I will wait outside the world

And hold onto your hand.

Psalm 25:16
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.

Matthew 6: 28-30

Little faces, wet with rain,

Yet smiling through the mist,

Waiting for the sun to come

And dry them with its kiss.

Simple blooms, without a thought

And yet they understand,

That everything they’ll ever need

Comes from God’s loving hand.

Patiently they wait on him;

He turns to them his face

And clothes them in the colors

Of his limitless grace.

Matthew 6: 28-30

 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

Some Days are Just That Way

The day started out a bit rough,

But then it got much worse;

And by the early afternoon

I felt I lived a curse.

Dark clouds hovered all about me,

They just would not disperse,

And as they hovered closer still

My day grew more perverse.

Until I caught a glimpse of joy

That changed my universe!!

Skipping Rocks with the Sun

He woke up in a giggly mood,

He thought he’d have some fun,

So God stepped to the water’s edge

And “skipped rocks” with the sun!!

It’s great to know, with all his might,

He likes some whimsy, too,

And doesn’t mind taking the time

To share a laugh or two!

Walking the Dark Paths

We all must walk on darkened paths,

No way leads straight through light.

The trick is not to be seduced

By the lies of the night.

They’re all so tempting, feel so good,

And “just a bit can’t hurt”,

But they can break you ‘til you fall

Despondent in the dirt.

Pass through the dark ways, for you must,

But don’t linger too long;

Although it may sound sweet enough

Death waits within its song.

Keep walking through the darkest vale,

Keep moving through the night.

He’ll never leave you in the dark,

But you must choose the light.

Step Out On A Limb

Sometimes we step out on the limb

Where holding on’s all we can do;

It may be quite precarious,

But it is hard to beat the view!

So get out on the edge of life,

Give something different a try.

Who knows, if you’re close to the edge

You might even learn how to fly.

A Twinge of Sadness

Please hold me, Lord, in your embrace

For cold, salt tears my cheeks now trace.

I turn to you my weary face

And rest my grief in your embrace.

The Gifts: Love & Honor

There is an essence in love

That reaches beyond the sensible.

It spills out when you think it shouldn’t

And it commits you to giving yourself,

Whether you’re strong enough to give

Or too broken to weep.

 Loving doesn’t allow you to say no

When a heart calls to yours

In need of healing, in need of laughter,

In need of silence and a listening heart.

It is the essence of love

That the heart can but say yes.

It is love’s essence that compels us

To serve when we are weary,

To comfort when we need to weep,

To offer laughter when every fiber of our being

Bids us spill our grief instead.

Love is not easy, but it is essential.

And in the shadow of love stands honor.

It is the offspring of love

And it is follows where love has worn the path.

Where you find love, there you will find honor,

For it grows with its roots deep

In the essence of love.

Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.