We Gather and Pray - Re-posted

We called upon Him, all as one,
To hear His children’s cries
And heal us from the sins that we
Have lived, but should despise.
 
We asked that He would guide the lost,
And give the sick new life.
We prayed for peace to touch the earth
Now scarred by pain and strife.
 
We thanked Him for each day we’ve lived
And for the joy we’ve known.
The hopes we hold for tomorrow
From today’s seeds we’ve sown.
 
We lifted up a song of praise
That He was with us there,
Fulfilling His promise to join
When we gather in prayer.
 
Matthew 18:20
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

I Feel Old Today - Re-posted

I’m feeling older today, Lord,

Than I am meant to feel,
And all the little aches and pains,
Today, seem very real.  
 
I know I’m whining quite a bit
For someone who’s so blessed,
Yet I can’t help but feel that I
Am failing one more test.
 
I have too little energy
For all I did today,
And, when I try to focus in,
My mind has gone astray.
 
I see those younger than I am
Bursting in perfect bloom,
I feel as if I’m in their way,
Taking up too much room.
 
I don’t like feeling this way, Lord,
It’s not my normal state,
But I have felt it coming on
And now it’s in full spate.
 
I know that by tomorrow’s close
The worst will be behind,
But if you’ll keep an eye on me,
You know I wouldn’t mind.

You're Always Near - Re-posted

What a blessing in each day

To know that You are there

Standing right beside me, Lord,

Through every joy and care.

I feel You near me when I cry;

You’re right there when I sing.

You’re near enough that I can face

Whatever life may bring.

 

Thank You, Lord, for being there,

Whatever I must face.

I may not always hear Your voice,

But I can see Your Grace.

Memorial Day - 2017 - Re-posted

Red poppies and remembrances
Are everywhere today,
Reminding us of those we love
Who have been torn away.
So many faces, names we knew,
That we now speak in grief,
And there is nowhere we can turn
To find our heart’s relief.
 
They rose to stand against the dark
That we might live in light,
And, though they wanted to come home,
They fell in that great fight.
Though they have gone from us for now
We know we’ll meet once more
When God calls us to join them on
Heaven’s bright, deathless shore.  
 
Until then it’s the little things
That capture all we feel,
Like poppies, and remembrances,
And hearts that don’t quite heal.

Last Roll Call - Re-posted

Tears trickled softly from the clouds
Down the face of the sky
They spilled into my empty heart
And welled up in my eye
Too many tears fall in the night
Too many tears I’ve cried
Too many tears for each young man
Who lived and fought and died
I stood beside their empty boots
Beneath a tear streaked sky
And when no voice answered the roll
All I could do was cry

If you have ever attended a Military funeral, then you know that the most heartbreaking part of the ceremony is the Last Roll Call. When no voice answers that that repeated call... my heart has broken too many times at that unanswered call.

Someday I'll Fly - Re-posted

I watched it soaring through the sky,

Pure majesty in flight,
With every feather burnished by
The morning’s vibrant light.
 
I know that I am bound to earth
A stranger to the sky,
But my heart still leaps up with joy
To see it passing by. 
 
For I have placed my hope of life
On my Lord’s promising,
That I will rise myself, someday,
On wings, untiring.
 
Isaiah 40:31
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Another Hole in My Heart - Re-posted

There’s a hole in my heart tonight

That I can’t seem to fill.
The one who's name was written there
Has passed beyond earth's will. 
They say with age the mind may go,
But speak not of the heart.
Yet there is no repairing it
Once it’s been torn apart. 
 
And as the days and years go by,
Claiming those that I love, 
I wish that I could call those back
Whom You have called above. 
 
Still, little bit by little bit,
I bid my heart adieu,
Trusting I'll find the missing parts
In heaven, Lord, with you.

For all of us who have lost too many of the people we love... I ask You, Lord, hold them in your arms until we can gather with them, once again, within Your Grace.

Earhly Treasures - Re-posted

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,

His Perfect Will - Re-posted

When all is at its busiest

It’s harder to keep track

Of all the little rules I broke

Or virtues that I lack,

 

But when the sun drifts to the sea

And all the earth grows still,

That’s when I take time to reflect

Upon your perfect will.

 

I try to recognize mistakes,

My failings of the day,

And all the words I should have said

That I let slip away.

 

I seek forgiveness for my flaws

And thank you for your grace,

Then pray that I will some day learn

Your whole will to embrace.

 

Romans 12: 2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Comparatively Easy - Re-posted

Oh Lord, my life has not been hard.

Though I have faced travail,
I’ve never lived life with the doubt
That I might not prevail.

There are so many who face death
Each day that they awake,
While I live in safety and ease
With every breath I take.

The woes I face are simple things,
Inconvenient at worst.
Yet “woe is me” still seems to be
The place that I go first. 

I don’t live with the threat of death
That many others know.
Yet, I tell myself life is hard
When, for me, that’s not so.  

So let me not lose sight of this.

When I fuss and complain,
Remind me that my life is free
Of the worst fear and pain. 

For self-pitying thoughts I've had
Now and again today,
I ask You for forgiveness, Lord.
Help me cast them away.

That Day Will Come - Re-posted

You caught me looking up for You

When things grew rocky here.
Though my eyes cannot see You there
Still I can feel You near.
 
I don’t know why I look around,
When I sense You nearby.
I know I will not see Your face,
However much I try,
 
But for some reason I still look,
Believing I’ll see You.
I just have faith the day will come
When that belief proves true!

Through Generations - Re-posted

They snuggle close into her side,

Not ready yet to bloom.
Her petals curl out of the way
To give them enough room.
For someday they will spread their blooms
And she will watch them grow
Into a world that they will see,
But she will never know.
 
For her time on this earth is brief
And then she will be gone,
But those small buds, as yet unbloomed,
Will blossom and live on.

Psalm 33:11

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Promises Ahead - Re-posted

It’s one thing to count your blessings,

When you look, they’re easy to see.
But counting promises in faith
Is harder than it needs to be. 
 
For promises of things to come
Cannot be spotted here and now,
But with a heart filled up with faith
Your soul can count them anyhow. 
 
So look with eyes that see by faith
And count the promises ahead,
Then lift your voice in songs of praise
To Him from whom promises spread.
 
Luke 1:45
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Life From Death - Re-posted

Although it slumbered peacefully,

Death smoldered at its heart,
And in the quiet light of dawn
The mountain blew apart.
 
It shattered the world in its reach,
Blasted it past all hope,
Destruction flourished in its wake
On every hill and slope.

But time has passed and in its course
God’s love has shown its face,
For where destruction once had ruled,
New life bursts in its place.
 
So, though the world seems to be lost,
Do not let your faith fail.
For God alone calls life from death,
And His love will prevail.
 
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Finding The Peace - Re-posted

Lord, take me back to find the peace

That seems to elude me.
The peace that came from knowing You,
And who I’m meant to be.
 
There are so many demands now
That pull my peace apart,
And I feel that I am losing hold
Of some part of my heart.
 
I don’t want to be who I am
When I lose track of You,
So help me find my way back, Lord,
To that peace I once knew.
 
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Rise With Thunder - Re-posted

Oh Lord You rise upon the winds

With thunder in Your hand.
Fiercely You ride above the waves;
They dance at your command.
Glory defines your countenance;
Heaven heeds each demand.
Yours is the voice that quells the storm
And soothes the broken land.

Psalm 29:3
The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

The World Can Wait - Re-posted

His glory sweeps across the sky

Waking me from my sleep,
Reminding me of promises
That I still have to keep.
But I don’t want to turn away,
For He is calling me.
The world can wait a little while,
He’s where I want to be. 

Your Mother's Teachings - Re-posted

They grow beneath her loving eye,
Learning the way to live,
The way to hold their heads up high
And still reach out to give.
She shows them that they are strongest
When they stand side by side
To make the world a better place,
With their hearts open wide.
They grow in faith and honor God,
They lift His praises high,
For love is what she teaches those
Who grow beneath her eye.
 
Proverbs 6:20
My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

Not Perfect Yet - Re-posted

I am not quite perfected yet,

I’m still awash in sin,
But I’ve learned that, to finish, Lord,
It’s crucial to begin.  
 
So I rise up with each new dawn
And try it yet again,
To live my life as You desire,
Without the stain of sin.
 
As You can see I’m not there yet,
Much to my own chagrin,
But Christ paid such a price for me,
That I will try again.

Faith to Carry On - Re-posted

The sky was touched with golden light
As I rose in the dawn
To pray that I would find the faith
It takes to carry on.
 
Some days are harder than others
To face with grace in mind,
But I have found that what I bring
Is often what I find.
 
So, as I stood within that light,
I let it fill my heart
And turned in faith to face a day
That had a grace filled start.

A Mother's Love - Re-posted

There is no question when you see

A mother’s loving gaze,
For it is filled with hopes and dreams
For all her children’s days.
 
May they be blessed with happiness,
More than she’s ever known,
And may they have enough to eat
Until they are full grown.
 
May they live lives that touch with grace
The lives of those they meet,
While also finding what it takes
To make their lives complete.
 
May they live life purposefully
That they may rise to soar
To heights greater than she has known.
She prays all this and more.
 
Yes, you can see the love she holds
In every mother’s eyes,
And that her children love her back
Should come as no surprise.

Unfurl Your Gifts - Re-posted

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
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.

Peace, On the Edge - Re-posted

She stands within the rushing stream
Upon the falls steep edge,
And yet she feels no fear at all,
Teetering on the ledge.
 
For there is peace in solitude,
And few will join her there.
That leaves her free to face her fears
And challenge her despair.
 
There’s so much that she has to face,
So much to still get through,
That sometimes she doubts “getting through”
Is something she can do.
 
Yet she has faith in God’s great plan,
So she’ll get up and try.
Who knows, she might just take a chance,
Leap off the edge and fly.
 
Isaiah 66:12
For this is what the Lord says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees.

Seasons of Grace - Re-posted

How hard and cold the winter world,

Sheathed in its robes of ice,
The trees line up on rocky slopes
In rows, cold and precise.
 
And yet beneath the winter’s cold,
Just one warm breath away,
Are joyful blossoms of the spring
Waiting for a new day.
 
Thus are there seasons in each life
Where joy’s trapped out of sight,
But with the breath of God’s sweet grace
It bursts forth in delight.
 
So do not fear the winter’s cold,
For seasons come and go.
Remember that the Grace of God,
Can thaw the coldest snow
And bring forth blossoms born of joy
Which flourish as they grow.

Pause, and Make a Joyful Noise - Re-posted

The crazy pace I always run

Seems to keep me from You,

And yet You keep your eye on me;

I’m grateful that You do.

 

And there, amid the crazy whirl,

I stop to regain poise,

And realize the peace You bring;

I make a joyful noise.

 

Oh sing with me, all of mankind,

Thank God for each day's joys.

Step back from chaos for a while

And make a joyful noise.

 

Psalm 98:4

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;

I Consider and Meditate - Re-posted

I contemplate the vast cosmos

That wheels across the sky,
The microscopic creatures
I can’t see with my eye
The song the wind sings in the trees,
A robin’s plaintive cry.
How mighty and how varied are
Your works, Oh Lord on High.
 
How is it that You hear each voice
That’s lifted up in prayer
Or see tomorrow’s bright promise
Though night still chills the air.
Oh Lord, I cannot understand,
My mind cannot conceive,
How You can do all of these things,
And yet, Lord, I believe.
 
Psalm 77:12
I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

Building My House - Re-posted

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.

Patient in Affliction - Revised and Re-posted

Joyful in hope, faithful in prayer,

Those things come easily,
But patience is much harder, Lord,
Faced with adversity.
 
I ask that You show me, again,
How patience ought to look.
Though You have taught me that before,
The lessons never took.
 
Oh Lord, I’ll work on faithful prayer,
And hope most joyfully
That someday I will grow enough
To suffer patiently.
 
Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

On The Rock - Re-posted

When all my world is at the edge

And there’s no place to go,
Then I will stand upon The Rock
Until I feel faith grow.

When there is no place in my world
That offers solid ground,
Then I will walk upon The Rock
Until faith can be found. 

When I am tossed by every wind
That tears at heart and soul,
Then I will cling fast to The Rock
Until my faith is whole.

You are The Rock that is my strength,
You’ve held me up through worse.
I’ll trust my life within the hand
That shaped the universe. 

Psalm 40:2
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

Near the Brambles - Re-posted

The brambles aren’t that far away

On any given day,
But if we keep our eyes on them
We give them too much say.
For we will walk where our eyes look
And mine are turned away
From all the brambles that grow up
Along my daily way.
That doesn’t mean they are not there
To be dealt with someday,
It just means they won’t change my path,
They can’t turn me astray.
For I keep my eyes fixed on Him
Who answers when I pray.

Through His Grace- Re-posted

It is not by my hand alone

That anything gets done,
Nor is it through my special strength
That any battle’s won.
 
No song that I may choose to sing
Comes from my heart alone,
And nothing springs forth from the earth
That isn’t, by Grace, sown.
 
For it is only through His Grace
That blossoms robe the earth,
And it is through His Grace alone
Our words and deeds find worth.
 
Thus it’s not through our words and deeds
That we may see God’s face,
But only through His sacrifice.
And that’s a 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.