Simple Days

She doesn’t care that it’s a weed,

A mere nuisance to me.
To her there is no other place
That she would rather be.
 
She doesn’t stop to look for more,
What she has meets her need.
In fact, with the world at her feet,
She has no need for greed.
 
She finds contentment in a life
That’s filled with simple days
And that’s enough for her to raise
A simple song of praise!
 
Psalm 100:1
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Gratitude For Grace

I think upon the Lord each day

And thank Him for the Grace
That carried me thus far in life
And for this peaceful place.       
 
The world is torn by pain and strife
And I have known my share,
But He has given me this time
To shelter in His care.
 
I know some day I’ll face once more
The troubles that plague man,
But I am grateful for this time
To find what peace I can.
 
Samuel 12:24
Only fear the Lord and be faithful to worship Him with all your heart. Think of the great things He has done for you.

Look Up!

You cannot catch the morning dew

If you are looking down.
You cannot see the rising sun
When focused on the ground.
You cannot live a life of joy
If you’re living a frown.
So turn your face up to The Light,
There’s Glory all around.

Obscured Vision

The mist obscured the horizon

So I could barely see
The first traces of the night’s moon
Rising behind the tree.
 
Yet as it rose its light grew bright
Enough even for me
To know that it was rising up
Above the quiet sea.
 
Its path and timing had not changed,
It was as it should be,
The only thing that really changed
Was what my eyes could see.
 
Thus is it with the Lord Himself,
His plans are laid firmly.
He knows what they are even now,
While they’re obscured to me.  
 
Someday I’ll see what He now sees
And thank Him joyfully,
But until then I’ll wait and watch
To see what is to be.
 
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope.

More Memes!!

Light and Dark

I’ve stood in shadows and in light,

And this much I can say,
Though shadow can be alluring,
Light is the only way.
 
I lived in shadow for a while
But, like the moth, I knew
The Light was filled with what I need,
And closer still I drew.
 
Now I choose to live in The Light,
I’ve left the dark behind,
Though now and then I find it still
Lingers within my mind.
 
Yet, in those moments when it calls,
The Light shines brighter still.
The siren song of temptation
No longer holds a thrill.
 
Psalm 18:28
You make my lamp bright. The Lord my God lights my darkness.

Seeking You

I love You and I seek You, Lord,

With every new day’s dawn.
I love You and I seek You when
The day is past and gone.
I love You and I Seek You, Lord
With all my faithful heart
And I know I will find You, Lord,
So let my seeking start!
 
Jeremiah 29:13
You will look for Me and find Me, when you look for Me with all your heart.

Gathered In His Name

We gather joyfully to sing

And praise His holy name
For He has lifted us from death
And released us from shame.
 
We gather here with open hearts
Our faces washed in light
For when we gather in His name
We bring Him great delight.
 
We gather and lift up our voice
In faith that He will hear,
For He’s promised when we gather
That He is always near.
 
Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am with them.

Proverbs 8:34

I listen for Your voice each day,

I watch to see Your face,
I wait beside Your door, Oh Lord,
Rejoicing in Your Grace.
 
You are the music in my song,
The dawn that warms my night,
And I will wait upon You, Lord,
With jubilant delight.

Proverbs 8:34
Happy is the man who listens to me, watching every day at my gates, waiting beside my doors.

I Look Up

I look up when I call to You

And I can feel You near,
Though I still cannot see Your face
I know that You can hear.
How vast the heavens seem to me,
Yet they are much too small
To hold the Lord who formed their shape
Yet answers when I call.

Counting My Riches

I count my treasure every day,

Riches pile up for me.
In fact, I am much wealthier
Than I’ve a right to be.
But you won’t find me passing up
The opportunity
To count the riches that are mine
As far as I can see.
So let me count them now once more,
My one, two and my three
Would be the Grace, the Redemption
And the Love You give me.
 
The rest of it all falls in place
With simple certainty
When I count as my greatest wealth
The fact that You love me.
 
Matthew 6:21
For wherever your riches are, your heart will be there also.

Going Sideways

There are those days I would give up

If I did not have You,
But I hold on and walk in faith
Because You help me through.
 
I never doubt that You are there,
Though things may go astray,
But without doubt I know for sure
I get in my own way.
 
So thank You, Lord, for being there
To pull me through those days
When everything I do or say
Seems to go all sideways.

Blooms and Debris

Despite the debris of winter,

The crocus sweetly bloom.
They are not lost in the decay
Nor crushed by lack of room.
They do not bow down to the chill
That tints the ground and air,
For they are rooted in the faith
That God knows they are there.
They turn their faces to the light
And grow through the decay.
They do it all with simple joy
For God made them that way.

Matthew 6:29

But I tell you that Solomon in all his greatness was not dressed as well as one of these flowers.

 

 

My Path or His

I walked in confidence the path

That I’d picked out for me,
Enjoying all along the way
That I found there to see.
 
I thought I had it all worked out,
My plan was well in place,
Until the path suddenly stopped
Before my startled face.
 
The way had been easy and smooth
Until it disappeared
And I was left face to face with
All that I had most feared.
 
As I cried out, “Lord, it’s not fair!
How could you let this be?
Why did I walk down this long path
If it’s not right for me?”
 
It was as if I heard His voice
Whisper inside my head,
“I asked you to walk My path, but
You chose your path instead.
 
And, though it looked so smooth and straight,
When you looked out ahead,
You’ve now learned you won’t get too far
Along a path that’s dead.”
 
So I have a long walk ahead,
Back to where I began.
But this time I am on God’s path,
My trust is in His plan.
 
Matthew 7:13-14
“Go in through the narrow door. The door is wide and the road is easy that leads to hell. Many people are going through that door. But the door is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life that lasts forever. Few people are finding it.

A Place To Rest

Lord, I needed a place to rest

And I found that in You.
This world can wear me out some days.
Lord, I know that is true.
Yet, when I feel I’m at wit’s end
And nothing else will do,  
I let the world slip far away
And find my rest in You.

To Hold me Over

A momentary memory,

A little taste of spring
To fill a dreary winter day
With the joy spring can bring.
 
I needed a small spirit lift
And they seemed just the thing
To hold my heart over until
The first warm breath of spring.

I Love

I love my family and friends,

I love the work I do,
I love the world that I live in,
But mostly I love You.
 
I love the wind that sweeps the sea,
I love the sandy shore,
I love the waves whipped into froth,
But, Lord, I love You more.
 
I love the star filled winter night,
I love dawn’s burnished sky.
I know the love You have for me,
But, Lord I don’t know why.
 
1 Corinthians 13:13
And now we have these three: faith and hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.

One Single Tear

I only cried a single tear

When they gave me the news.
I vowed to keep my grief in line,
But it was just no use.
For that one tear that I let fall
Brought all its friends a long
And that would be the point at which
It started to go wrong.
 
The one tear that I chose to cry
Brought all its rowdy kin
Who spilled across my sodden cheeks
Again and then again.
I tried to get them all to leave,
But they stayed on too long,
And that one tear that I let fall,
That tear’s still going strong.

A Lullaby

Hush now! The Lord is whispering,

I hear Him on the breeze.
His voice is soft, a murmuring
Like gently rustling leaves.
He speaks of how much He loves you,
How you are His to keep.
So hush now, angel, close your eyes
The Lord will guard your sleep.

Simple Prayer

I got so busy through the day

With all that work and, yes, some play
That I forgot along the way
To stop, be still and simply pray.
 
So, Lord, I thank You for this day,
For all the fun along the way,
And for the work and, yes, the play.
In Your Son’s name, Lord, this I pray.

Being Still

I’m taking time out to be still,

To breathe in the dark night,
To wash my mind clear of the thoughts
Of what went wrong or right,
And set my focus back on You,
My truest source of light.
 
Even when all the world is dark
Your light is bright and clear.
I never have to wonder if
You’re close enough to hear,
For each time I call out to You
I find that You’re still near.
 
So, for tonight, I’m letting go
Of all that worries me,
Because I know that this world’s woes
Will one day cease to be
And I will find them meaningless
In Your eternity.  

The Moment in Between

We’ve all been caught in that moment,

Between the dark and light,
When we must make a choice between
What’s half wrong or what’s right.
 
It’s easy when the difference
Is clear as it can be,
But when they’re blurred, the lines of choice
Are not as clear to see.
 
I guess the best that we can do
Is do all that we can
To make the choices that keep us
Close to the Son of Man.
 
Those fleeting moments in between
The darkness and light
Offer us one more chance to make
The choices that are right.

This amazing photo of the mountain's shadow reflected in the inlet is a gift from AT. What a blessing!!

Psalm 17:8

Hide me beneath Your mighty wings,

Let me fly close to You.
For I am lost without You there,
I don’t know what I’d do.
 
Please keep me safe within Your sight,
Tucked close beneath Your wing.
It’s only when I’m close to You
That my spirit can sing.
 
Watch over me, teach me to fly,
Above the rocky shore
That someday I might truly know
The faith it takes to soar!
 
Psalm 17:8
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings

Like Melting Snow

I wouldn’t say I cling to guilt,

To anger or sorrow,
Instead I feel they cling to me
And pile up like the snow.
They bury me in layers deep
Until I disappear
And there is nothing left to show
That I was ever here.
 
But I have learned that, when they come
And settle in on me,
If I lift up a song of praise,
Then joy will set me free.
At first, it simply warms my heart,
But then, I feel it grow
Until the anger and the guilt
Drop off like melting snow.
 
Psalm 126:3
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

This wonderful photograph is a blessing from Russ Vaughn. Many thanks... I just love it!

Sunlit Clouds

They were but clouds, layers of clouds

Piled high above the earth.
The mountain, shrouded in their mists,
Awaited the day’s birth.
 
Then the fierce sun burst from the dark
And fringed the clouds with light,
Turning the mountains robes to shades
Of heavenly delight.
 
I felt my voice leap in my throat,
His praises filled my heart.
How can I not rejoice today
With such a splendid start.  
 
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

A Quiet Place To Rest

Come with me to a quiet place

And find your rest in Me.

I am the peace that you have sought

And I will always be.

Be still within My company

And find that which you seek.

I know what you are looking for,

There is no need to speak.

The world is not an easy place

Its burdens can be great,

But I will give you respite, child.

I’m here, don’t hesitate.

Come with me to a quiet place

And find your rest in me.

I am who I am, you are Mine,

As you will always be.

Mark 6:31 

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

This photo is a blessing from Carol Hawley of A Gallery Visit. I found this verse this morning and saw her photo this afternoon. Thanks, Carol, for the perfect photo. Perfect!

1 Peter 5:7

I’m putting it all behind me,

I’ve carried it enough.
The past can’t hurt me anymore,
Though it’s often been rough.
For I have cast my failures off,
The doubts that haunted me.
I gave them to my Savior, who
Then set my trapped soul free.
 
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Close By Me

The moments slip slowly away,

Disappearing with time.
They seem to pass more quickly now,
Without reason or rhyme.
Yet when I reflect back on them,
In each one it is clear
That no matter what I faced then,
I see now, You were near.
I don’t regret the minutes past,
Though they won’t come again,
For each one was spent close to you…
Though I knew it not, then.

Isaiah 55:12

I came to the hills to find peace

But that eluded me,
For all the Hills cried out with joy,
Birds sang from every tree.
 
Your praises rang across the sky
And echoed down each vale,
For all the earth knows You are Lord
And Your grace does not fail.
 
So I no longer seek the hills
As a peaceful domain.
I go instead to feel their joy
Lift me in its refrain!
 
Isaiah 55:12
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Mythical Fears

I worry about little things

Until I make them large,
When I should turn them over to
The One who is in charge.
 
I fret on what might come to pass
And dread what I can’t see,
Working myself into a froth
For what might never be.
 
I tell myself You have this world
In hands most competent,
Yet it’s in worry, not in faith,
That so much time is spent.
 
So help me step back from the myths
That worry won’t make real
And trust in Him to be my strength,
Those false worries to heal.
 
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

This picture and the challenge to write a praise that would fit it come from our wonderful meme creator, TAF. I have to say, that was FUN!!