Because in each day, no matter how dark or how long, there is a praise to be found. Sometimes our hearts are too weary or too frightened to voice them, but our souls cry out to God... and He is there.
Oh Lord, my soul feels so fragile,
But I know that’s not true.
For, though I may be breakable,
My true strength lies in You.
And, in Your peace, reside.
You do not turn Your face from those
Who, in Your Word, abide.
And, in weakness, might break,
You wrap me in Your perfect peace
And strength, for Your love’s sake.
Lord, my strength rests in You,
And when I feel tossed by this world,
It’s You I hold on to.
May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord
bless his people with peace!
You brought me light in my darkness,
And washed my soul in grace.
I may not fit in with this world,
But You give me a place.
And helped me breathe again.
I may not always be my best,
But I trust in Your plan.
And how to face down death.
I may not have it all worked out,
But I’ll give You each breath.
These always were divine,
But it took me reflecting You
To see they’re also mine.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
A thank you, again, to AC for this sweet photo from her trip to Africa.
Let me now lift my voice in praise,
To You, Lord, I will sing.
For You called me forth from the void
When earth first knew its spring.
Into heaven’s array.
From earth, I cast them to the stars
To speed them on their way.
And through the darkest vale,
To You, the King of all that is!
May my praise never fail.
When mankind’s voice grows still.
Though those who walk this world won’t hear,
Lord, I know that You will.
He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very
stones would cry out.”
They aren’t the first bird on the list
Of those favored by most,
And yet they come to drink each day,
Blessed by their doting host.
Or the colors they bear
That make them welcome at the fount.
It’s just that their hosts care.
They too were given grace,
And they now share what they can give
To others in their place.
And a safe place to nest.
The travelers have safe haven
To find shelter and rest.
These loving hosts instead
Have offered these birds home and hearth
In which to rest their head.
Sometimes it isn’t the big things
That we are called to do,
But all the little blessings that
We help each other through.
So let it also be with man,
Share the grace you've received.
As it's by His grace we are saved,
Our works show we've believed
Then they’re important, too,
And showing rowdy Grackles grace
Is a kind thing to do.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and
you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I want to hold on to Your robe.
To walk close by Your side,
So, I am less inclined to stray,
As I’ve so often tried.
To live in Your shadow.
That is the only hope I have
To flourish and to grow.
The light that guides me through.
The best and only way I know
Is to stay close to You.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.
Amen.
I lift my voice each day in praise
And joyously I sing
To the creator of this world,
To Him, my Lord and King.
To most who pass me by
He knows each feather on my head
And taught me how to fly.
Too small to stop and see,
And yet He deems me of value
And keeps His eye on me.
And to the Lord I’ll sing,
For He has called me to be His
And I will praise my King.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of
them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
They danced with joy upon the beach.
Their footprints marked the sand
Where each step fell as they moved through
Along the windy strand.
Imprinted where they passed,
But, no matter how great their joy,
That remembrance won’t last.
And wash the shoreline clean.
Then it will be as if that joy
Was never felt or seen.
A breath and then it’s gone,
Until even the memory
Has faded and moved on.
To time and winds and tides,
For He has called us His children,
And that blessing abides.
Than footprints in the sand,
But our souls will not wash away.
We’re safe within His hand.
O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of
man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.
You saw that I was troubled with
A burden on my heart,
So focused on it that I missed
What You tried to impart.
A voice You knew I’d hear,
To remind me to focus on
The Lord who holds me dear.
Than that which I can’t change.
I need to do what I can do,
The rest, You will arrange.
A mark of weak belief,
And hold instead to Your guidance.
In You there is relief.
My pride and my dismay,
When neither one is greater than
The Lord, the one true way.
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour
to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that,
why are you anxious about the rest?
I stand before You, once again,
My soul, feeling adrift.
Though I know You are by my side,
It’s as if there’s a rift.
Knowing I often fail
At being who I’m meant to be,
I stressed to no avail.
To those along the way,
But I felt wave on wave roll in
Of worry and dismay.
Gathered to worship You,
And then I went about my day
While grief filled waves swept through.
We both know that I do.
A weary body heals with rest,
A soul needs time with You.
For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every
languishing soul I will replenish.
The simple fact is family
Will never be easy.
We stand so close for all our lives
That we often can't see
The thorns we hide from most strangers
We share with family.
We've known each other for so long
We often do not hear
The painful words and thoughts we share
With those we hold most dear.
We see the faults that we watched grow
In those who shared our life,
While somehow failing to notice
The thorns of our own strife.
Each blossom in the flower bed
Has beauty, that is real.
Yet, standing so close brings in view
The thorns they each conceal,
And those closest, most deeply cut,
Bear scars they'll always feel.
We can't neglect to forgive those
Who grew up by our side.
For we can't trim another's thorns
By using our own pride.
Those thorny blossoms shared the life
In which you learned to bloom,
And if their thorns prick now and then,
Just give them extra room.
For family is always hard,
But they're right by your side
Through all the storms and droughts that come,
With hearts and arms stretched wide.
It might be time to love the blooms
And let the thorns abide.
Oh Lord, my heart sings out to You,
Though I’m a bit off key,
The songs of praise fill up my days
And that’s alright with me.
To lift up with each dawn,
But those old hymns of joyful praise
Help me to carry on.
Though most say I should not,
All of the old songs I still love,
Though many have forgot.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing
praises to your name, O Most High
This life keeps coming at me fast,
Sometimes I can’t keep pace.
Yet, I know I stand in Your strength,
And endure through Your grace
For I have lived my past
And learned, thereby, however great,
The hard times will not last
With no one to hear me,
I’ve never cried out for Your help
And not heard You clearly.
What tomorrow may hold,
Because I know that You hold me.
Knowing that, I am bold!
that according to the riches of his glory he may
grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being
Blessings and hard times, they go hand in hand,
But both are a part of life.
You can’t treasure blessings in your heart
Without some struggle and strife.
Though things seem rocky today,
Those blessings of joy and happiness
Are before you every day.
For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so
through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
I find my peace within Your grace.
A stillness in my soul
That calms the tempest of my thoughts
And makes the broken whole.
The answers that I seek
To all the questions of my heart
That my tongue cannot speak.
And Your word comforts me.
There is no burden on my heart
That Your peace can’t lift free.
I rest in Your stillness.
It is in You that I find peace,
Your name I praise and bless.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me
lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
I thought that I was overlooked,
Too small and plain to see,
But You have proven I was wrong
For You’ve clearly seen me.
You calmed my frenzied state.
In worry and anxiety,
You gave me peace in spate.
Despite my doubts and fear,
Your Word, Your love, Your endless grace,
They’re always ever near.
I get lost in plain sight,
But I am always in Your view.
And that truth’s my delight!
Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy
and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare
of his servant!”
Work diligently in all things,
Rejoice in all you do.
For when you work for others here
You’re working for Him, too.
Reflect His Word to all.
When you let His love live in you,
The lost may hear His call.
Has touched another’s heart,
But you can trust that He’ll complete
Any blessing you start.
Praising Him every day.
Let your labor help mark the path
For those seeking His way.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not
for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your
reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Skunk cabbage, that is what it’s called.
That really is its name,
And even though it’s accurate
That’s not its greatest claim.
Where the saltwater flows,
That cheerful blossom sweetly blooms
Where the tide comes and goes.
Within the dank mudflat
Then there is hope that we can bloom,
Though we may still doubt that.
And redeemed us from sin.
The muck and mire of our past…
We’re not who we have been.
That you still stand in mire,
Instead, praise Him for every chance
To bloom and to inspire.
Will do much more for you.
His love is greater than your sin,
For His grace blooms in you.
In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you
in me, and I in you.
How wondrous are the works of Him
Who formed them with a word.
The oceans, rolling in their depths
Where voices are not heard.
Into the dark washed night,
Beyond the dawn of a new day,
Forever out of sight.
As great as are the works of man,
They’re paltry when compared
To Him who called us into life
And, from our sins, then spared.
Creation calls Him King
And it is to His name alone
That all praises should ring.
And seek His holy face.
Sing to the Lord in joyous praise
For His unending grace.
Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make
known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of
all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who
seek the Lord rejoice!
I stood alone on a wind swept shore
Knowing I could not win,
Until a wave of His sweet grace,
Once more, came rolling in.
I just forgot how much.
There is no struggle I can face
That I don’t feel His touch.
But He never fails me,
Though when I’m standing in the storm
That can be hard to see.
Another wave of grace
Comes rolling in with new blessings
To fill the empty space.
Yet I can promise this:
His love does not depend on us,
But we depend on His.
For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the
faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!
How often do we see the sins
That others perpetrate
Without noticing our own sins
Until it is too late?
That hurts another’s heart,
And simply posing “a clean slate”
Does not make a fresh start.
It hurts others and you.
Although you try to take it back,
Your hurtfulness shines through.
Be ever vigilant
For all the sins to which I’m prone,
Avoid cause to repent.
That I have set for me,
But I work on it every day,
As it is meant to be.
I call upon His grace
And confess that I’ve sinned again,
Admitting my disgrace.
And sets me right once more,
That’s why I stand in vigilance
And seek to sin no more.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This vigilant seagull photo is another gift from ATF in Galveston.
If You have got a moment, Lord,
I’d love to chat a while.
I’m feeling battered by this day
And I could use a smile.
To get me back on track.
Would You mind giving me a bit
Of the peace that I lack?
And let Your love flow through.
Whatever this world throws at me,
I find my rest in You.
You do a lot of those,
But thank You, too, for the small things…
Like this moment’s repose.
But give more in return,
For this peace I find here with You
Is something I can’t earn.
And process this day through.
I’m always better for the time
I spend sitting with You.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle
and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
The Sabbath is fast approaching,
A day of rest and praise,
An ending to a busy week
Consumed by this world’s ways.
Lift up your voice in song,
For heaven’s King is on His throne
And His Word is still strong.
Trust in the grace He shares,
Rejoice in the sweet redemption
That proves to us He cares.
A day holy in His name.
For He’s the Lord of heaven and earth,
His glory and wonder proclaim.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
I wonder if I’ll ever know
The plans You’ve made for me
Until I stand before the throne
And my life’s history.
I try to stand up strong
And hold onto the promised grace
That’s been mine all along.
I listen for Your voice.
I understand that You calm storms;
In that truth, I rejoice.
I doubt I’ll ever know
Until the last one brings me home,
Then I will gladly go.
Through all the winds that blow
And listen for Your voice saying,
“I’m here, I won’t let go!”
And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little
faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great
calm.
He formed the stars and gave them names
The mountains call Him Lord.
The winds that sweep the ocean waves
Praise Him in full accord.
No creature goes unseen,
For all creation calls Him Lord,
Powerful, yet serene.
Beyond all we can know,
And greater still, the boundless love
He never fails to show.
He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of
them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his
understanding is beyond measure.
The church is called to many things,
And first among them, still,
Is share the gospel He taught us;
His words and truths, instill.
Lead those fresh in their faith
To the wisdom to distinguish
The Word from the world’s wraith.
And needs no man-made laws
To give them precedent or strength.
Teach them faith, not applause.
And His redeeming grace
Are theirs to claim and then to share
With all the human race.
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.
I count my blessings, one by one,
As I sit here tonight
Watching the sun setting into
A sea filled with its light.
Displayed in vast array,
From little moments filled with joy
To heaven’s bright display.
The chance to speak of You,
Even the windy tempests that
I had to struggle through
At the edge of this night
Counting blessings beyond belief,
Each one born in Your Light.
Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
Another delightful blessing from ATF and Galveston!
You cannot claim the grace of God
And then deny His word.
There’s no relief from sin for those
Still sinning undeterred.
You cannot walk salvation’s path,
Dragging your sin behind.
The deeds you do, the words you speak
Reflect your heart and mind.
Of Christ’s pure sacrifice,
Then you, too, must follow closely
The one who paid that price.
And guard your words, your heart.
For from dead branches no fruit grows,
As from a sin filled heart.
Matthew 12:33 & 37
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make
the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. … for by your words you will be justified, and
by your words you will be condemned.”
