Troubles Surround Me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Lord, as troubles surround me,

I need you more and more.
I’m trying to hold on in faith
While fearing what’s in store.
 
I know that you are holding me
As I look up in fear,
But I still long to see your face,
To feel that you are near.
 
So please, Lord, hear me when I call;
I’m lost without your grace.
For I’m surrounded by despair,
And searching for your face.
 
Psalm 40:11-13
Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord; may your love and faithfulness always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. Be pleased to save me, Lord; come quickly, Lord, to help me.

Your Crown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some wear their treasures before man,

Adorned for all to see,
Believing that the more they hold,
The finer life will be.
But all the treasure in the world
Will not set one soul free.
So I wear Your crown in my heart
And that’s enough for me.
 
Psalm 103:4
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion

As I Grow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though, over time, my face may change,

My heart remains the same,
And it will always blossom at
The sound of your sweet name.
 
The joy that touched me in my youth
Sustains me as I grow
For I know you have blessed my life
And I will let it show.
 
Isaiah 46:4
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Faithful in Prayer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I turn my eyes unto the Lord

And thank him for his grace;
I ask each dawn that, at day’s end,
I’m in a peaceful place.
I thank him for the day to come,
Whatever it may bring,
And ask for help to find the joy
In every little thing.
I pray for strength to face the dark
And keep joy in my heart.
I ask that, when I see a need,
I rise and do my part.
I pray for patience, every day,
With those who share my walk;
That I might live the life I preach
And not just talk the talk.
But most of all I praise his name,
That my sins, cruel and grim,
Are washed away, freeing my soul,
In thanks, alone, to him.
 
Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Memorial Day Observed 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When all the rifles fall silent,

The flag is folded tight;
When tears are all that’s left to hold
Behind the eyes squeezed tight;
That’s when the warrior will march
Into the endless night,
Knowing full well those left behind
Will carry on his fight.

Rest well beneath the close mown grass,
Your service here is done,
For God has called your name on high,
Your victory is won.
But there will always be a place,
Beneath the burnished sun,
To mark the sacrifice you made
When all is said and done.

Psalm 144:1-2

Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; 2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

Seeds of Hope

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

You have an overarching plan

That I can see or know,
But you have planted many seeds
And each of them will grow.

I can’t be sure which one’s for me,
But each seed holds your name
So they grow as you intend
And blossom just the same.
 
Please help me have the patience, Lord,
To let each seed take root
And let me have the faith I need
To grow like a strong shoot.

Hanging with Friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not the day that I had planned,

But your plan was the best.
You filled the day will joyful friends
And not much time for rest.
We all are very different,
As mixed as we can be,
But oh I love them all so much,
They’re all the world to me.

1 Peter 2:2

I am always reaching out, Lord,

For little earthly things,
Instead of for the gifts of faith
That reaching for You brings.
But all the things I think I need
Won’t really set me free,
Like reaching out for more of You
To make a better me.
 
So help me, Lord, to reach for more
To feed my growing soul,
For all the “things” that fill my life
Will never make it whole.
 
1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

Rain and Light

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The morning sky was drenched with rain

The wind blew light, but chill
A wash of color swept the sky
My heart leapt with a thrill.
 
I’d spent a long and dreary night
Cursing the ceaseless rain,
But since that rainbow shared its smile
I no longer complain.
 
No color would have swept the sky
Without a burst of light,
Nor could the light have birthed such joy
Without that rainy night.
 
While I may not enjoy this rain,
A rainbow has begun,
And I can savor each down pour
That’s followed by the sun.

Genesis 9:13
I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

Work Joyfully

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although my task is very small,

I do it faithfully,
For I am working in the place
That you had planned for me.
 
I may not leave a lasting mark
For all the world to see,
But I will work with all my heart,
And do it joyfully.
 
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

The Light of The World

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are the light that warms the world

And lifts the weary heart;
You dry the tears the heavens weep
And heal the broken heart.
 
You warm the cold and fallow earth
Until new life sprouts through,
And each new bloom springs up with joy,
They long to be like you.

Choose Joy

I look for joy in all I do,

The labor and the rest,
For attitude can turn the worst
Into the very best.

Don’t focus on the rain that falls
But what the rains will bring,
The summer fruit, ripe on the vine,
The blossoms of the spring.

For life is made of work and toil,
Of laughter and of joy.
And you determine your life’s course
By which one you employ.

So look for joy in all life brings,
Don’t wallow in despair.
The world is filled with sweet blessings,
Look up and find them there.

Ecclesiastes 8:15
So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.

Remembering to Be Happy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

The moments, when the sun breaks through

And everything is bright,
Warm my heart, however sad,
With God’s comforting light.
 
The gentle humming of the bee,
So cheery in his chore,
Reminds me that each day's a gift
With blessings still in store.

Isaiah 12:2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please stay beside me through this day

And guard me through the night.
For I am weak and fallen, Lord,
Please shield me with your might.
 
Watch over me while I am down,
Please stay close by my side.
For I’m afraid of what’s to come
And have no place to hide.
 
Oh Lord, I rest beneath your gaze,
Knowing that you are near.
You are the only shield I need,
And I’ll sleep without fear.
 
Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

Prickly People, Loving Choices

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

As I get older I have found

I have less tolerance
For people who need conflict to
Liven their existence.
 
The pricklier they seem to be,
The more they irritate.
And I no longer have patience
For those who aggravate.
 
But just before I fill the air
With words I can’t unsay,
I ask myself if I love them,
And then, I walk away.
 
For I was once a youthful voice,
Expounding on each thought;
Believing speech imperative,
Whatever pain it wrought.
 
I learned, with time, when I should speak
And when to just be still,
For prickly words make matters worse
And wither all good will.
 
So when you hear the quarrel start
In someone else’s voice,
Just leave them to their prickly thoughts.
You make the loving choice.

1 Timothy 1:16

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

Black and White

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My world is never black and white,

The edges sometimes blur.
So often, when I say I’m right,
I’m really not that sure.
 
But there is one thing that I know
Beyond all trace of doubt,
When I get trapped where my fears grow,
You’re there to lead me out.

To Soften the Landing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we spend all of our time in flight,

Winging our way aloft,
There is no doubt we’ll sometimes fall,
And hope the landing’s soft.
 
Or, better still, we can trust God,
Whatever the weather,
To hold us as we fall to earth,
Lightly as a feather.
 
For God, who watches over us,
Will answer when we call
And He will reach out, willingly,
To catch us when we fall.
 
Matthew 10:28-30
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

1 John 2:8

I feel the darkness closing in,
But dawn whispers nearby;
The darkness passes as I watch
The new light sweeps the sky.
I will not quiver in the night
When I know God’s close by,
For the darkness will soon be past,
The true light’s drawing nigh.

1 John 2:8

Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

Busy Work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When life becomes too much to bear,

I find work I can do
To keep my mind from thinking of
The things I can’t work through.
By now, you’d think that I would use
My proven, tried and true,
And sit in stillness, name my fears,
Then hand them off to you.
And yet, I still scurry about,
Doing what I can do,
To keep my mind off what I fear…
Until fear turns to rue!

True Beauty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A beauty, rich and radiant,

Was hers through all her days,
But it was not her pretty face
That earned such loving praise.
For, though she was a stunning lass,
And grew lovelier still,
Her beauty was her loving heart,
In service to God’s will.

Prov 31:30

Beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised

When Labors Become Delights

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though many seem to think it’s work,

I love to have to mow.
Which turns out to be fortunate,
Because grass likes to grow.
 
It’s not that I like seeing things
Looking clean and neat,
But it's that, when I cut the grass,
It always smells so sweet.
 
What a clever God we have,
Who planned each labor through.
For, when the finish smells this sweet,
The chore’s a joy to do.  

Unfurl Your Gifts

You gave us each our special gifts
To share with all the earth,
Blessings that we are meant to share,
Given to us at birth.
And yet we often hold them tight,
Secret from the whole world,
When we are meant to live each day
With those blessings unfurled.
 
Whether through fear or just through pride,
We hoard what we should share.
So help me to open my heart
And loose the blessings there!
 
Matthew 18:18
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Broken, But Not Cast Away

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You had so many plans for me,

When you first shaped my life,
But I have broken what you made,
Through turbulence and strife.
 
Yet still you love me, flaws and all,
You’ve made new plans for me,
And, though I am a broken pot,
I’ll serve you willingly.

Psalm 31:12

I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.

Reflections of Grace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I smile each time I see your face

In dawn’s first golden light
Or in the cheery dancing stream,
The stars that light the night.
 
The things I see in every day
Reflect your loving face,
Just as the happiness they bring
Reflect your loving grace.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My life can be quite prickly

When viewed from day to day,
That’s why I take time out with Him,
To chat a bit and pray.
 
This isn’t where I want to be,
But God has placed me here.
And I know that, when things get rough,
He’s always very near.
 
He may not save us from all pain,
If that pain’s in His plan,
But He will walk us through the pain
And bring us out again.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

No Bad Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a simple thought today,

Which brought on a great big hooray;
Since God loves me in every way,
There’s no such thing as “a bad day”!

I Will Build My House

I’ll build my house upon the Lord

And He will make it strong.
I’ll set the footings in His Word
And fill them with bright song!

But God has built another house,
Stronger than twigs and stone,
And one day I will join Him there
To sing before His Throne!

2 Corinthians 5:1
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

Reflected Love

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However dark the night may grow

The sun will always rise
Reflecting God’s love down on earth
From His golden skies
 
He planned it that way from the start
His reason, I surmise,
That man might see proof of His love
Each day, with our own eyes.