Grace

Your grace comes in so many forms,

Some we’re too blind to see
Though they are right before our eyes
As plain as they can be.
The sunshine breaking through the clouds,
The ripe fruit on the tree,
The wind whipping the waves to foam
Upon a winter sea,
But most of all those in our lives
Who love us completely
Are gifts of grace we should cherish
And never fail to see.  
 
Thank You, Lord, for my gift of Grace.

For my Grace, who is struggling right now with cancer and a worried "mom".

Faith Walk

I don’t know why I feel afraid,

Or why I feel alone.
I only know I feel an ache
That cuts me to the bone.  
 
I’m pretty sure I’ll be alright,
But still there is this doubt
That I might not have my whole life
Properly figured out.
 
I want to run away and hide,
But where am I to go
When I the one I’m running from.
Though, why, I still don’t know.
 
These are the times that test the soul
To see if our faith walk
Has strength enough to push on through,
Or if it’s just all talk.
 
Oh Lord, though I may quake in fear,
Or weep alone at night,
I plan to rise up rejoicing
In each tomorrow’s light.
 
My walk may not be quite as strong
As I wish it could be,
But still I rise up in Your light
And step out, faithfully.

The Moon is Back

I don’t know why it made me smile

To see it rise tonight.
But after last night’s dark display
It needed something bright.
 
It’s just a little thing, I know,
A comfortable sight,
But sometimes it’s the little things
That set the world a-right.
 
So let me take a moment, Lord,
To thank you for moonlight
That scatters itself on the bay
Solely for my delight.

In Arrogance

I understand the how and why,

The science of it all.
Yet in the end it’s all in place
In answer to His call.
 
The heavens recognize His voice
And move at His command
In ways that science postulates,
But can’t quite understand.
 
It is the arrogance of man
Which leads us to believe
That we can understand all things
It took God to conceive.

A Gentle Night

The day was busy, running wild,

With so much to be done,
But I had finished, exhausted,
By setting of the sun.
 
Then, as I settled down to rest
Beneath a purpled sky,
A harbinger of peaceful dreams
Happened to catch my eye.
 
The moon had risen in the dusk
To sweep the sky with light
And turn my weariness into
A quiet, peaceful night.
 
Thank You, Lord, for a day of hard work that lead to a gentle night.

This Day's Grace

Thank You, Lord, for this day’s grace,

It is beyond belief.
I’d had no luck upon my quest
And You brought me relief.
 
I’d searched with little good result,
Before my need was great,
But lately I’d begun to doubt
Whether it was too late.
 
And then, when I was ready, Lord,
Suddenly it was there.
As if You’d had it planned that way,
In answer to my prayer.
 
Now I will do my part in this,
To put things into place,
But first I needed to thank You
For this day’s gift of grace.

Romans 11:6
And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

Continued Beginnings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had thought I would take a break

When five years reached their end.
I wasn’t thinking I would quit,
I just planned to suspend.
 
Yet, in the chaos of my life,
That big day came and went.
Lord, I can’t help but wondering
If that was Your intent.
 
For when I realized today
That I was still on track,
I thanked You, with a brimming heart,
For not letting me slack.
 
So I will persevere, my Lord,
In working to Your will,
And, since You’ve helped me come this far,
I know You’ll help me still.
 
Hebrews 10:35-36
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Autumn's Gift

Exquisite is autumn’s array,

Breathless I gaze in awe
At God’s mastery on display,
Beauty without a flaw.
 
How was it that I dreaded this?
Autumn seemed here too fast,
But I’m reminded now of why
I’ve relished autumns past.
 
Each season brings its gifts to bear,
Unique, perfect and grand.
Autumn’s gift undoubtedly is
Leaves, painted by God’s hand.
 
So let the cool winds chill the air
And bring the autumn on.
I’ll stand in awe of autumn’s gift
Until the leaves are gone.

Time With Friends

Lord, for the chance to sit with friends

And reminisce a while,
The chance to share a tale or two,
A laugh, a tear, a smile,
The chance to hold the world at bay
For just another mile,
For all of this and for the peace
That’s marked this little while,
Thank You, Lord.

Missing the Point

I climbed up through the misty wood,

The pathway was obscured,
But I was intent on the climb
And to all else inured.
 
I thought the climb was all the plan,
I forced myself higher.
I felt reaching the top was all
To which I should aspire.  
 
Yet when I reached the mountain peak,
I found I’d been so wrong.
The point was not the peak, at all,
But the climb, all along.   
 
The beauty through which I had passed,
The Lord’s splendid design,
Were meant to matter more to me
Than those efforts of mine.
 
So now as I climb down again,
I pause along the way
To gather up the sights, the scents,
The essence of the day.

Held Up By Grace

Even when I’m falling apart

You reach out to hold me,
And I may fall, but not too far,
For You won’t let me be.
It is by grace, and grace alone,
That I am holding on,
For if Your grace had not been there,
I’d be already gone.
 
2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Pumpkin Secrets

All the pumpkins in the garden

Have secrets they won’t tell,
Though the crispness of autumn’s kiss
Breaks through summer’s sweet spell.
 
The sunshine warms less thoroughly
And leaves turn brown, then pale.
Yet still they hold their secrets close,
Faithful and without fail.
 
What is the secret that they keep,
Despite the coming cold,
That lets them face, with cheerful grace,
The fact they’re growing old?
 
I wish I knew the secret to
A faith that strong and true,
But until I figure it out
I’ll just hold on to You.
 
Or is that their secret, too?

On Quest

I’ve come so far from where I was,

Yet still have far to go.
No matter how much I have learned,
There’s much I still don’t know.
I think I understand so much,
Then something comes along
That leaves me wondering just where
My thinking all went wrong.
 
Still, while I quest to be much more
Than what I am right now,
I’m grateful to have come this far,
And learned so much somehow.
But this I know, without a doubt,
That all I hope to be
Is meaningless without You, Lord.
Please keep on leading me.

Missing the Light

I need a little sunshine, Lord,

My spirit’s growing pale.
My attitude is crumbling
And my hope’s getting frail.
 
The day has been so weary, Lord,
And I am growing weak.
I know You’re the only source of
That light for which I seek.
 
And so I turn my eyes to You,
My face I lift in praise.
You are the sunlight that I need
To bring me brighter days.
 
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.

Beauty and Glory

Oh, what beauty was on display,

God’s great glory in full array,

Caused me to pause, bow down and pray,

“Lord, thank You for this brand new day.”

I felt my soul rise up on high,

Sweeping across that splendid sky,

Praying that faith would lead me nigh

God’s boundless Glory. Oh Let Me Fly!

Romans 8:21 

that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

Time To Think

Why is it, in quiet moments,

My thoughts turn back to You?
With all the hopes I’d like to live
And all that I’ve been through,
How is it that I always find
My mind is fixed on You?
 
There are so many plans to make,
Of things I’d like to do,
And all the mistakes that I’ve made
Require a thought or two.
Yet when I find the time to think
I find I think of You.
 
I don’t know how it came to be,
I just know that it’s true…
When I have quiet time to think,
I always think of You.

Rejoicing in Autumn

As the last blooms of the summer

Are tickled by the final bees
And the leaves drop from the branches
Of the soon hibernating trees,
I sit here waxing nostalgic
For the summer’s long lost days
When such an abundant harvest
Ought to inspire me to praise.
 
So let me lift my voice in singing,
Rejoicing in the cooling world,
And thank you, Lord, for the autumn
With all its majesty unfurled!

Behind Me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m putting the dark behind me.

Though it will still be there,
My focus will be on The Lord
For He has Grace to spare.
 
I’m putting sorrow behind me.
Though I still feel the pain,
I’ll let the Lord fill up my heart
Until it’s well again.
 
I’m putting anger behind me.
Though it tugs at me so,
I’m giving it up to The Lord
And then I’m letting go.
 
I’m putting all the things that hurt
The person I should be
Behind me so that, by His love,
The Lord can set me free.

Close To You

I’m seeking the peace that I need.

I long to hear Your voice
Over the chaos of the day,
The turbulence and noise.
 
I long to walk beside You, Lord,
To know I’m close to You.
I want to live within Your peace
Whatever I move through.
 
I know that, more than I want You,
You want to hold me near.
Yet I live in a fallen world,
My thoughts aren’t always clear.
 
Thus I know, when we drift apart,
It’s I who slipped away,
But I know, too, You won’t let me
Go very far astray.
 
For, even in this broken world,
Your make Your presence known
And You won’t give up easily
On any of Your own.

Not Like The Rest

We had a choice, sit still or fly.

Sitting seemed dull, at best,
And I knew I would get nowhere
Sitting there like the rest.
 
Deep down in me my courage hid,
But I lured it on out.
Then, with it strengthening my faith,
I gave a joyful shout
 
And rose up on hesitant wings
To fly a foot or two.
Although it doesn’t seem like much,
It’s more than they would do.
 
And as I tried a few more times,
I felt my wings grow strong.
I understood this was the plan
That God had all along.
 
Yet if I’d never tried my wings,
Risking a painful fall,
I’d still sit waiting, like the rest,
And never fly at all.

One Last Star

You woke me from a peaceful sleep

Stirring me to look out
And find a star filled midnight sky
Glittering all about.
 
I saw them sweeping the night sky,
Like cool and distant flames.
They say You know each one You made,
And call each by their names.
 
I found that thought so comforting,
Yet I knew that by dawn
All of the stars that brought such joy
Would fade and then be gone.
 
You truly must love me so much
For when dawn touched my face,
One last star lingered in the sky
And whispered of Your Grace.

Psalm 147:4
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.

The Chat

I spoke about you today, Lord,

While chatting with a friend.
It seemed as if her patience thread
Was frazzled at the end.
 
She spoke of all the day to day
Frustrations that she felt,
All the concerns and worries that
Her long, hard day had dealt.
 
She spoke of sorrow that had sparked
The many tears she’d cried
When she recalled the loved one who,
Two years ago, had died.
 
I felt so burden by the pain,
The worries and the woe
That I wanted to hug her then
Turn like the wind and go.
 
But I knew that she needed me
To offer her some hope
And try to help her find a way
To live with life and cope.
 
I also knew I couldn’t leave
Her standing in my wake,
Because that woman standing there
Was me, for pity’s sake.

And so I spoke about Your love,

The Grace I know can heal.
I spoke about the many ways
You’d let me know You’re real.
 
I told her how You’ve eased my pain,
In troubled times I’ve known
And how You watered into joy
The seeds of hope I’d sown.
 
Then, as I spoke, I remembered
The peace that You can be
And I feel so much better since
I had that chat with me.

Where His Gift Leads

They started in a bundled group,

All standing straight and tall,
But soon they each went their own way,
Answering their own call.
 
Thus is it when we serve the Lord,
With varied gifts in play,
For though we start within His Grace
Each gift leads its own way.
 
So follow where His gift leads you,
Serving with loving heart
The God who blessed you purposely
Before creation’s start.

Both Photo and Premise of  this praise were from CS. Once again, she brings her great gifts to bear to bless us all.

A Small Part

I’m more than I might seem to be,

Not just a pretty face.
In fact, I’m part of the great plan
Which God has put in place.
 
My part is not significant,
But, even though it’s small,
I will answer joyfully
When I hear my Lord call.
 
For even the tiniest ones
Still have a role to play,
And I’ll gladly do my small part
Within His plan each day.

Smelling the Blossoms

Today I took some time off, Lord

To smell a bloom or two.
I know I left a lot undone
That I needed to do,
But I also needed the time
To rest and to renew.
Now, with a full and thankful heart,
I lift this day to You.

Autumn Comes Too Quickly

The autumn is approaching fast

And I’m not ready yet.
The warmth of summer fills my thoughts
And I cannot forget.
 
Yet all the signs that autumn nears
Are showing everywhere
And cooler breezes settle in
To chill the morning air.
 
I know that seasons come and go,
But I would hold this back
And keep the summer a while more…
If I just had the knack.
 
As with all things, I must accept
That God plans for the best.
But this autumn comes on too soon
And puts that faith to test!   

A Gift of Peace

Who would have thought such majesty

Could fill my sky tonight,
And touch my heart with humble awe
At such a splendid sight?
 
The day had been filled with chaos.
I felt so overwrought,
As I’d had no time to find peace
Or just a quiet thought.
 
But, when I saw the burnished sky,
That peace came rushing back.
For God knew just what I would need
To ease that sense of lack.

Sunset and Dawn

The colors of the dying day

Drift into coming night,
Defying darkness’s onset
With one last burst of light.
 
It will not admit all is lost,
Though night is rushing in.
For it knows full well, with the dawn,
That it will come again.
 
It’s easy to believe I’m lost,
When darkness looms ahead,
But like the day that drifts to night,
I’ll watch for dawn instead.  

Searching for Joy

I searched around to find my joy,

I looked both high and low,
But I would not have looked so hard
Had I known what I know.
For joy was never far away,
Through all that time I sought,
Had I but looked within my heart
I’d know what joy You brought.
 
Job 33:26
then that person can pray to God and find favor with him, they will see God’s face and shout for joy; he will restore them to full well-being.

Peek-A-Boo View

Often the world gets in my way,

Blocking my view of You,
But I always find some way to
Improve my point of view.
 
I never see quite clearly, Lord,
But I keep peering through
In confidence that, in the end,
I’ll see You, clear and true.