Isaiah 52:12

Wherever life may carry you,

However long the way,

The lord will keep watch over you

And guide you through each day.

 

Be not afraid to follow him,

To fly as he commands,

For he will guard you on your way

And hold you in his hands.

Isaiah 52:12

But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

The Mists of Sin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I worry that I am lost

My fears start closing in.
Then I recall that I’m redeemed,
You’ve swept away my sin
As you break up the morning mist
Until your light shines in.

Isaiah 44:22

I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.

Patience and Its Lack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If patience is a virtue, Lord,

I’m not too virtuous.
Sometimes I let my temper slip;
It can be disastrous.

It’s not that things should not be said.

It’s how they leave my mouth.
I hold it in until I’m mad;
A flood after the drouth.

It’s not even the words I say

That cause me such dismay.
It’s that I let them spill in rage;
My temper on display.

Oh Lord, please help me find a way

To say what should be said,
Not with anger in my heart,
But with patience instead.

2 Timothy 4:2

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

Summer Ends Too Soon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel the autumn drawing near,

Though summer lingers on.

The flights of songbirds slowly leave,

The butterflies are gone.

 

The winter birds are moving in,

The cormorants and geese.

The sheep out in the pastures soon

Will grow a thicker fleece.

 

I’m not prepared for summer’s end,

Though autumn too can please

With crisp, sharp air and tinted leaves

Scattering with each breeze.

 

The seasons pass so quickly now,

But each one brings its grace,

So I will savor summer’s warmth

And smile at autumn’s face.

Organization

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I cannot keep my schedule straight,

I’m late, or I’m too soon.
I have to write down each day’s chores,
My desk is tossed and strewn.
I run in circles half the time;
A silly, lost buffoon.
Yet with no effort shown at all
You guide the rising moon.

You place the stars upon their track

And keep the sun on course.
The universe bows down to you,
For you’re the greater force.
For all the order that I seek,
My means are crude and coarse,
But yours are effortless and true
For you’re the flawless source.

Job 25:2

Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven.

God's Whole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used to live with daily fear,

My worries ran my life.
Then I began to hear your voice…
And I still face the strife.
But it no longer engulfs me
With fears I can’t control.
For fear is a small part of life
When you live in God’s Whole.

A Bouquet of Joy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You gave me a bouquet of bliss,

Sweet laughter lit my day,
And I could not be more grateful
That you sent joy my way.

Each little smile, a bright blossom

Within my joy bouquet,
And I want that laughter to bloom
Within my heart each day.

Job 8:21

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

Psalm 126:6

I know joy will heal my sorrow,

That laughter follows pain,

But when I’m deep in the sadness

All I can see is rain.

It’s hard to see my way to hope

When all my world is dark.

I try to let your light warm me,

But I can’t hold the spark.

I know you have great things in store,

That you will dry my tears,

But right now I cannot see how

I’ll ever shake my fears.

Oh Lord, I put my trust in you.

Though rain spills from my eyes.

I’ll carry on through these hard storms

To find your clearer skies.

Psalm 126:6

Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

The Things That Didn't Go Wrong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day could have spiraled into dismay

And I would have gone right down too.
But I remembered to step back and pray
And I turned it over to you.
I felt so rattled, I wanted to cry,
I had to kick wrath off my heel.
He wouldn’t let go, but I had to try
So in my heart I bent to kneel.
I told you that I was falling too fast,
That I didn’t think I could rise,
But, because I called upon you at last,
Your joy lit my darkening skies!

You lifted my heart; you stilled my tossed mind;

You reminded me that you care,
Your love is both strong and endlessly kind
And, when called, you’ll always be there!

Psalm 94:18-19  

When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.

Insignificance and Grace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though I am insignificant,

I know I’ll see your face;
And, though I may be imperfect,
I’ll still receive your grace.
I’ll never make a difference
To all the human race
Or heal the wounds that mar the world,
Make it a better place.
Yet still you hold me lovingly
Within your warm embrace,
For, it is not by my poor deeds
That I am granted grace,
But only through your ceaseless love
That I will see your face.

Warts and All

I can be a bit distracted

And often grumpy, too.
I forget to think of others
Like I know I should do.
I get wrapped up in all my fears
Instead of trusting you,
And I’ve started many projects
That I’ll never see through.

I’ll never climb to reach the stars,

I’m too afraid I’ll fall…
I cannot carry simple tunes,
In fact I caterwaul,
I wouldn’t dare to dream big dreams,
I only dream real small.
But none of that seems to matter,
You love me, warts and all.

I wish that I could be a prince,

But frog is all I do,
And I am grateful that my frog
Is prince enough for you!

A Different Path

I set out along a familiar path

That would have led me to the sea,
But somewhere I wound up being sidetracked,
Ending, not where I thought I’d be.
I still ended up down by the shoreline,
Not far from my intended goal.
A place where I’d ultimately have stood,
But not as I’d planned, on the whole.

Sometimes God takes us down different paths

Than those that we might have outlined.
Even if we’re headed where he directs,
He might have something else in mind.
I’ve learned that I shouldn’t be so startled
When he changes plans that I’ve made,
For I don’t really care which route I take
If I’m walking the path he’s laid.

Proverbs 19:21

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Matthew 5:6

Oh Lord, I thirst for your wisdom,

Your righteousness I claim.
For I long to belong to you,
To live within your name.
Please, fill me with your righteousness.
Teach me, that I may grow
To live within your perfect word.
Fill me, that I may know.

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Faithfulness

The morning dawned in misty grey,

And yet you smiled to see.
Turning sweetly to greet the Lord
You rose from bended knee
And sang a song of joyful praise,
Rejoicing in your glee.
I watched you, humbled by your faith,
Being who you should be.
Your cheerful joy, despite the gloom,
Taught faithfulness to me.

Upon The Rock

Although the seas are quiet now,

I know the storms will come.

Before the winds that shred the waves,

My world might well succumb

If had built upon the sands

A house that could not stand,

But mine is built upon the rock

Of your eternal hand.

So let the storm waves rise and fall

And let the winds rage on.

For, though I’m battered by the storms,

I’ll stand when they are gone.

Matthew 7:24-25

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

Philippians 4: 4-5

Within the flurry of each day

Take out some time for peace,
Be gentle with those in your path,
Rejoice without surcease.
For God is watching over you,
He loves without caprice,
And he will wrap you in his grace,
Your blessings he'll increase.

Philippians 4: 4-5

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 

The Bouquet of Life

Today you filled my world with blooms

Of absolute delight,
A great bouquet of fellowship
That set my world alight.

The family that touched the day

With laughter so sublime;
The friends who went out of their way
To bless me with their time!

The fragrance of each precious bloom

Still dallies in my mind,
Their beauty lingers in the rooms
That they’ve now left behind.

I close my eyes, weary tonight

From over flowing bliss,
And feel again the comfort of
Each parting hug and kiss.

The world could be a drab, dull place

Through which we trudge each day
If not for all the loving blooms
You’ve placed in life’s bouquet.

A Prayer of Thanks

For the food when I was hungry

For the safety beneath your wing
For your bounty ever flowing
Oh Lord, my grateful soul will sing

2 Corinthians 1:2

When I seek peace, I turn to you,

And you are always near.

When I fell lost and all alone

I call out and you hear.

All of the joy and peace I’ve known

Were born within your grace

And living close beside you, Lord,

Remains my favorite place.

2 Corinthians 1:2

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's A Blessing To Be You

Though you don’t look quite like the rest,

Or you don’t think like they do,
God made you in his own image.
It’s a blessing to be you.

You don’t have to be just like them,

Nor revise their point of view.
You only have to recognize
It’s a blessing to be you.

Don’t taint your days with bitterness

When his love will get you through
For you are precious in his sight
It’s His blessing to be you.

Hiding In You

When the world has overwhelmed me

And I must run and hide,
You offer me a place of peace
Where stillness will abide.
For only in your loving grace
Can I find what I need,
And so I turn to you, My Lord,
Give me respite, I plead.

Isaiah 4:6

It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.

To Cherish Our Elders

Now and then the younger blooms

Will tease her for her age,
But she just smiles because she knows
That she’s a wise old sage.

For every petal she’s seen fall

Reminds her of a time
When she reached out a helping hand
or faced a peak to climb.

They might remind her of a smile

From someone she once knew,
Or maybe they reflect a dream
That she got to see through.

Yes, those young blossoms like to tease,

But they love her sweet face
For she's taught them how to address
All that life brings with grace.

And so those cheery younger blooms

Lean close because they know
That they will miss her loving heart
When God calls her to go.  

Job 8:21

Though sorrow may reach out to you,

Don’t let it change your heart.
Let every tear drop that you weep
Be the place joy can start.
For laughter always dries up tears
Like rain melts with the sun
And joy will burst forth everywhere
As soon as weeping’s done.

Job 8:21

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

1 John 4:11

Even a prickly little bloom

Can have a sweeter side.
A loving heart will find a way
To bring out what’s inside.

A gentle soul will take the time

To work around each thorn
Until it finds a way to reach
The place where love is born.

For once he wore a crown of thorns

Because he loved us so;
And he’s asked us to seek that love
Even where thorns still grow.

1 John 4:11

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

The Lighthouse

Far out on the desolate point

The battered lighthouse stands.
So small against the heaving waves
And yet one understands
That, if it were not standing there
Through all the storms that rise,
So many precious souls would drown
With none to hear their cries.

We may not be the brightest light

That God placed on the shore
But there are those tossed in life’s gales
Whom we must not ignore.
They are the ones clinging to life
While storm winds rage inside
And your light might be all that keeps
Them riding on the tide.

Don’t seek great praise for shining out,

But let your light grow bright.
God made you to be his lighthouse,
Stand strong, reflect his light
That you might lead the lost back home
Or save a drowning soul.
You may not be the brightest light,
But it’s a trusted role.

Again, thanks to Kelli Kercheval for the perfect photo to embody today's praise.

Mighty Is The Lord

The heavens echo with your voice,

The mountain breathes your word.
Within the depths of the cold sea
Your every thought is heard.

Oh Lord, how mighty are your plans;

What splendor you command.
How far beyond my humble thoughts
Are the works of your hand.

Oh Lord I dwell where mountain peaks

Reach to the boundless sky,
Where bounty greater than my dreams
Is laid before my eye,

And I am often overwhelmed,

Lord, when I understand
The endless power you possess,
The love at your command.

Psalm 89:8

Who is like you, LORD God Almighty? You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

My deepest thanks to Kirby and Kelli Kerchval for permission to use their wonderful photo of Mt Rainier

Waiting Quietly

Much noisy laughter filled the day,

And many busy chores,
But, with the setting of the sun,
Peace falls upon our shores.

I listened through the busy day
To hear your loving voice,
But little could be heard above
The laughter and the noise.

So, as the evening settles down,

I wait upon your word,
For I know, with a quiet heart,
Your voice will soon be heard.

Lamentations 3:26

it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Another Thank You to Family

Family is God’s greatest gift,
The one that will come through;
When all you want to do is hide,
There right there, beside you.

There may be squabbles now and then,

But when the times are tough,
It’s family that sees you through;
And some time’s enough.

So thank you, to my family,

For everything you do.
You are the best gift God gave me
I’m so blessed to have you.

Resting in the Lord

My labors finished by day’s end,

I rested in the sun.
Oh thank you, Lord, for this fair day
And for the work that’s done.

Exodus 33:14

The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Just.... Thank You

Tonight my thoughts are simple, Lord,

I’m glad you’re there for me,
Cause things got so much rougher than
I thought that they would be.
Yet you were there to see me through,
Like I knew you would be,
And so I‘ll simply say thank you
For watching over me.