Shadows in My Heart

Flood my heart with your light, Oh Lord,

Wash away all that’s dark.
Leave no shadow to trouble me,
Ignite in me Your spark.
 
For Lord I have dark thoughts sometimes,
That leave me feeling shame.
They’re not thoughts that would glorify
One living in Your name.
 
They linger from a time long past,
When I was a lost soul,
But there’s no reason for them now
That You have made me whole.
 
So fill my heart up with such light
That shadows have no place
And let my thoughts be only those
That are born in Your grace.
 
2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Faces of Spring

The little faces of the spring

That cheer my winter heart
Assure me that the rains will end
And summer time will start.
 
I love the cool, grey winter skies,
The dark days washed in rain,
But I am glad to see the sun
When springtime comes again.
 
So I watch faithfully to see
The first bright blooms of spring
For with them comes all of the warmth
The summer sun can bring.

See the Grace

Each day I have to spend with You

Is one more day of grace,
When troubles that may come my way
Get set back in their place.
 
You did not promise perfect days,
But this, I’ve found, is true,
Whatever troubles come my way,
You’ve always seen me through.
 
You stand beside me, lift me up,
And give me back my smile,
However hard the fall might be,
However long the mile.
 
So, let it come, bring on the day,
I cannot wait to see
The gifts of grace that You have planned
To fill this day for me.

Abundant Gifts

Thank you for the bounty, Lord,

With which You fill each day.
Don’t let me be distracted by
The things that go astray.
And if those gifts get lost among
The weeds along the way,
Please help me focus back on You
And all Your love, I pray!
 
1 Timothy 1:14
The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

In Desolation

Oh hear me, Lord, I cry in grief.

I call out in Your name,
For I am broken, heart and mind;
Nothing will be the same.
 
You called home someone whom I loved
Far more than my own life,
And, while I know Your plan is wise,
That death cut like a knife.
 
It tore away the best of me,
I weep that I still live,
And I am not at all convinced
That life has more to give.
 
So I cry out to You, Oh Lord,
Through grief that I can’t bear,
My world is shattered, desolate
Beyond any repair.
 
You are the only hope I have,
Your mercy’s what I need.
Please hold me til the pain has passed,
Oh Lord, hear me, I plead.
 
Psalm 31:9
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.

For a friend who recently lost his wife of 57 years. He called today and simply wept, broken and lost. I had small comfort to give him, because only God can offer balm to heal that deep a wound. It broke my heart.

The Simple Truth

Lord, it’s the simple things in life

That help me recognize
That everything was born in You,
Despite the doubts and lies.
 
The worlds may have burst into life
Within a blink or two,
But there’s no doubt left in my mind,
The one who blinked was You.
 
The sun will rise and set again
As it does every day,
Yet I cannot question whose hand
Has set it on its way.
 
I watch the tides dance in and out
In rhythm with the moon
And I know with all of my heart
It’s You who wrote the tune.
 
Yes, Lord, I recognize the hand
That’s shaped all that I see
And all the doubters in the world
Can’t hide that truth from me.
 
John 1:9
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Pure and Steadfast

The day to day of every life

Often gets in the way
Of lifting up our hearts to God
And taking time to pray.
It’s not that we do wicked things,
Or that we’ve gone astray,
But God becomes an after thought
In what we do each day.
So I am asking God tonight
To wash the world away,
Then give us a pure, steadfast heart
And strength to stay that way.

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Trust In God

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An illness came on, oh so fast,

To one I hold so dear,
And as I wept I heard a voice
Saying. “Child, I am here.”
 
“Give me your worry, I’ve got this.
 All you need do is trust.
Your faith is all I need this time,
But Child, it is a must.”
 
And so I gave it all to Him,
I surrendered my tears,
And when the Vet said it was bad,
I turned from my worst fears.
 
Today I woke with wariness
That soon became relief,
For God fulfilled His word to me.
He took away my grief.
 
I know, someday, I’ll face the tears
That God won’t take away.
He’ll give me strength to face them then,
But this is not that day.
 
Psalm 25:1
In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.

In God's Sight

While I am nothing much to see,

Even I look quite grand
When I am nestled in the world
Created by His hand.
 
For every creature, dull or great,
Was formed within God’s grace
And each has beauty of its own
In heart or soul or face.
 
Don’t look at others as they seem,
But see them through God’s eyes.
You may be startled that you find
A glorious surprise.
 
1 Peter 3:4
Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Wildflowers

The wild grass blows beneath the breeze

As if His gentle hand
Had brushed it softly as he moved
Across the warming land.
And there, amid the blowing grass,
Their colors, sweet and bright,
The blossoms turn to see His face,
Rejoicing in His light.

Risen In Him!

Oh lord, you died to save my soul,

Then rose to set me free.
How can I thank you enough, Lord,
For who I now can be?
 
A child of Grace, walking in faith
Upon the path You choose,
Instead of walking a dark path
Where I can only lose.
 
Oh Lord You rose upon this day
That we, the lost, may live,
And I will thank You ever more
For the new life You give.

The Long Wait

And so they waited through that night

And through another day.
Then, as a second night grew long,
All they could do was pray.
 
They waited, despite all their grief,
Bound by an ancient law
That would not let them visit Him
To clean each bruise and flaw.
 
The bitter night stretched on and on,
Their sorrow grew to pain,
And tears enough to flood the earth
Fell pouring down like rain.
 
The moon rose up and crossed the sky
To settle back once more
But all that they could do was wait
For what might lay in store.
 
Luke 23:55-56
The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

Good Friday 2014

The darkness fell when he was dead,

As if the world was lost,
And it was then that those who watched
Understood the full cost.
 
They stood beneath the blood stained cross,
Where He drew His last breath,
And recognized how great the love
They’d witnessed with His death.
 
So, as the darkness swept the sky,
Turning noon into night,
They laid Him in an empty tomb
And cold death held Him tight.

Luke 23:44-46

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Thirty Silver Coins

How much silver is one life worth;

What’s the price of your soul?
Will there ever be coins enough
To make your lost soul whole?
 
Were thirty coins enough to ask
To kill a once dear friend,
And did you realize the price
That you’d pay in the end?
 
Were thirty silver coins enough
For such a brutal death,
And did you linger close enough
To see His final breath?
 
Oh tell me, you who set the price
Upon the Son of Man,
Do you regret the choice you made
When you devised your plan?

Matthew 26:14-15

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 

A Gentle Love

The little purple butterfly

Flitted around his head
And, while he could have crushed its wings,
He let it live instead.
 
He let it dance around his face
And flutter past his nose.
He seemed to shrug, as if to say,
“That’s just the way it goes.”
 
Although he has the strength to kill
A creature small and frail,
He has a heart so filled with love
That it simply can’t fail.
 
And so they shared the afternoon
The dog and butterfly,
One sitting on the other’s head
Beneath a sunny sky.
 
Romans 13:8 NIV
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.

Blossoms in Light

The day held both sorrow and joy,

Some sadness and some hope,
But, through it all, I found that I
Was still able to cope.
 
I took the sorrow of the day
And tucked it out of sight,
Then let the joy lift up my heart
Like blossoms in the light.

Growing into the Light

It’s never quite as simple, Lord,

As I think it should be
There are so many facets of
The person I should be
That are not quite yet in the place
To make a better me.
 
All I can do is start right now,
Growing into the light;
While blooming brighter every day
Striving with all my might
To live the life that I believe
Will bring My Lord delight.
 
Psalm 147:11
the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Heaven's Gate

Sometimes I think of heaven’s gate,

How grand that sight must be.
I picture all the finest gates
That I have lived to see
And that is how Heaven’s own gates
Have been described to me.
 
But I prefer to see them as
A cheery garden gate,
With blossoms brighter than the dawn
That seasons can’t abate.
I see them, warm and welcoming,
Not looming fierce and great.
 
But there is nothing on this earth,
That man can know or see,
That is as perfect, in its place,
As Heaven’s meant to be.
So I will wait excitedly
For what Heaven shows me.
 
1 Corinthians 2:9
 “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him

Riverside

We gather by the river side,

But fear to step on in.
For if we make that commitment,
Who knows what will begin.
 
The first step is an easy one,
The rest might take some work.
While there may be some steps we face,
That we would rather shirk.
 
All of the pains, the sacrifice
That we may have to face,
Right now seems inconvenient,
But they lead us to Grace.
 
Though much may well be asked of us,
More than we want to give,
Still He did not once hesitate.
He died that we might live.
 
So do not linger riverside,
Stand up and walk right in.
Let His Grace baptize you in life
And wash from you your sin.
 
Luke 3:3
He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

The Shadow of God

I could not see the little bird

That feasted on the seed
My view was blocked by other things
But it was there, indeed.
 
I heard it sing, just out of view,
And though obscured from sight
I saw its shadow on the fence
A dark form in the light.
 
That small bird and its shadow there
Reminded me of this,
Though You’re not in my line of sight
You awfully hard to miss.  
 
I see Your shadow in my life,
In everything I do,
And, though my view may be obscured,
I still see signs of You.

Sorrow and Joy

Pale is the heart that’s scarred by grief,

And lost to all delight.
It holds no hope to see again
True joy’s elusive light.
But over time, the pain will ease,
The scars grow thin and slight,
And joy will always find a way
To slip through as it might.
 
So as you weep, hold on in faith,
For joy is ever nigh,
And you will see it flicker through
Between the tears you cry.

Jeremiah 8:18

You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me.

For two friends who have lost the love of their lives this week. Hold onto the faith, for joy will return.

Too Busy Today

I’m just too busy, Lord, today

To stop and chat, or even pray.
I’ve go to run both here and there;
My mind is scattered everywhere.
“Oh Lord,” I say, “just wait on me,
I’m sorry, that’s how it must be…”
Until I realize, mid-flight,
I need Your help, something’s not right.
 
Yet, I don’t need to slow my pace
To speak with You or live in Grace,
For You were always by my side
In all that I have done or tried.
When I look back over my wing
I’ll see You there, my heart will sing
And I will realize it’s true…
I didn’t spend time without You
For You’ve been with me all along.
It’s You that kept me going strong!!

Leave Joy

Lord, let me leave joy in my wake

Where sorrow dwells today,
Let me lighten the weary load
Of those met on my way.
 
Let me use kind words in the place
Where harsher words would do,
And let me not forget to share
A cheery smile or two.
 
Let me remember the stranger,
The one I pass each day,
That I may lift him up each night
When I bow down to pray.
 
I may not have too many gifts,
But one thing I can do,
Let me leave joy behind me, Lord,
That I may honor You!

Philemon 1:7
Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

Night Watch

Please guard this home and all within

Protecting them from hurtful sin.
I’m okay watching in the light,
But even I fear the dark night.
So, as we near the end of day,
Please keep Your eye on us, I pray.

Work and Joy

We work and toil throughout our lives,

But life can still be sweet,
For there are joys along the way
That make a life complete.
 
They are just little things, I know,
But they add up so fast,
And all those little moments form
The joys of life that last.
 
So work with will, for work is good,
But pause along the way,
To recognize the little things
That make a perfect day.
 
Ecclesiastes 1:3-4
What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

Stay In The Light

I try to live within the Light

Though others think it odd.
That I’d choose to live narrowly
Within the lines of God.
 
It’s easy to be drawn into
A life just in the shade,
Not so far in to be full dark,
But enough to have strayed.
 
I see so many cross that line,
I know that I have too,
But always I’m drawn back into
The Light that’s born in You.
 
How sweet the thought of that bad choice
That’s outside of the Light,
But, just because I want a thing,
Does not make that want right.
 
So I’ll try to stay in the Light,
Though others walk away,
And pray for strength to resist that
Which might lead me astray.
 
Genesis 3: 4-5 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Peek A Boo

Peek a boo, Lord, I see You,

Your Light touches my face
And I am filled with wond’rous awe
At your enduring Grace.
 
Peek a boo, Lord, I see You,
I bloom within Your light
And growing ever in Your Word
Will be my life’s delight.
 
Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

I Hide In Him

I hide myself in You, Oh Lord,

You shield me with Your strength,
And I will praise You for Your love
Til my life’s run its length.
 
When my heart fails within me, Lord,
You fill me up with joy
And I am shielded in a grace
That no fear can destroy.
 
You are my strength, my hiding place
My shield in times of fear
And my heart leaps with joy to know
That You are always near.
 
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

Spring's Face

My world has been awash in rain,

In worry and in grief,
I choose, today, to live with joy,
Awaiting spring’s relief.
 
That time is almost on us now,
When new life shows its face,
Then all the tears and rain will flee,
While sunshine takes their place.
 
Although I’m still caught in the mist,
I see the sun ahead,
And spring will surely show its face
When winter’s rains have fled.
 
Jeremiah 31:13
Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

Wonderfully Made

I may not look like much to you

But God sees me His way.
I’m a child formed wonderfully
And thankful, every day,
That God knew me, still in the womb,
And shaped me with great care.
That’s why I sing so joyfully
My simple morning prayer.
 
Psalm 139:14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.