Birds Of The Air

 

They neither sow, nor do they reap,
Yet they have food to eat,
For God has seen to every need.
And His plan is complete.
 
As much as He has planned for them,
His plan holds more for you.
Do all you can to meet your needs,
But trust He’ll see you through.
 
It may not be what you’d expect,
His plans can be unique,
But you can lean upon the grace
Which He’s called us to seek.
 
They neither sow, nor do they reap,
Yet they have food to eat.
I guess God nudged the diner’s guest
To leave food at his seat.

Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

This fun photo is another gift from ATF from along the gulf coast. 

Praise Him Always

 
Sing to the Lord, oh my soul.
Lift up a song of praise.
Hold His words close within your heart,
Follow Him all your days.
 
The world is drifting far from Him,
But He’s taught you His way.
Walk in the path that He has walked
Listen to Him and pray.
 
Sing to the Lord, oh my soul.
Lift up a song of praise.
Hold His words close within your heart,
Follow Him all your days.
 
Psalm 86:12
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.

This photo is a sweet gift from AC and her trip to Africa. 

I Will Rest In Your Shadow

 

I rest within Your peace tonight,
At dawn I’ll rise once more
To run the race and face all that
The new day holds in store.
 
Sometimes it feels as if each day
Moves faster than the last,
Yet, You still offer me the peace
To rest when each day’s past.
 
I try to walk within Your plan
And help where I see need.
Some days I fail to pass the test,
But some days I succeed.
 
Yet, even when I’ve fallen short,
Your grace is there for me.
Though I’m imperfect, You are not,
I trust You perfectly.
 
Tonight, I will lay down to rest
And sleep within Your peace.
I know, for those in Your shadow,
Your grace will never cease.
 
Psalm 91:1
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

The Tide of His Grace

 

We stand upon the shore and watch
As Your grace washes in.
The flood of Your unending love,
Our redemption from sin.
 
While some who will not see the need,
Stand far back from the tide,
Others will hesitate and wait,
Worried they’ll be denied.
 
I’ve lived this life for far too long
To doubt what I will do.
I’m heading out into the flow
And swimming straight to You.
 
I have no doubts about my guilt,
And none about Your grace,
So, I will head straight out into
Your soul healing embrace.
 
I pray that those who hesitate,
And those who doubt their sin
Will join me in Your redemption.
The water’s great, Jump in!!
 
Matthew 26:28
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Another great photo from ATF of Galveston beach! Thank you, ATF!!

Adrift, But Not Astray

 

I seem to be adrift today,
My thoughts, my plans, my deeds,
But even so You kept me close
And helped with all my needs.
 
You got me there and home again,
As You have always done.
I’m grateful You helped me finish
All that I had begun.
 
I always think I am prepared
To face what comes my way,
But most often I still end up
Bowing my head to pray.
 
From now on I will just admit
I am that wayward lamb
Who’s always grateful my shepherd
Still loves me as I am.
 
Matthew 18:12
“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?

With Thunderous Praise

 

Wild, the waves rushing on the shore,
The winds sing a fierce song.
All of the shoreline stands in awe
As the tempest grows strong.
 
And yet He is mightier still.
More fearsome than the storm
Is He who calls forth the tempest,
Who shapes the wild waves form.
 
He who can call the waves to rage
Or calm them with a word
Is the same hand that first formed them
Before earth’s song was heard.
 
Lift up your voices in His praise.
As the waves thunder by,
Let your songs ring out until they
Thunder back through His sky.
 
Psalm 93:4
Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!

Faith Amidst Chaos

 

It seems as if each plan I make
Gets unmade rapidly.
“The best laid plans of mice and men…”
Clearly applies to me!
 
Yet I am still standing upright,
And praising God with joy.
Chaos may be hot on my trail,
But His peace I employ.
 
I handle what I can control,
And give Him what I can’t.
For His plans far exceed my plans.
That truth, I gladly grant.
 
Thus, when the way gets rough and wild
I look to Him and smile
Knowing He’ll keep me on the path
However long the trial.  
 
Psalm 16:8
I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Walk Humbly Before Him

 

However great we think we are,
This life will pass on by,
And, rich or poor, proud or mundane,
One day the flesh will die.
 
Then we will stand before the Lord,
Who knows all we have done,
With no hope of redemptive grace
Aside from His own Son.
 
So great the love He holds for you,
He bore your sin’s full weight
That you might know heaven’s true light,
And not a darker fate.
 
Therefore, while you still know this earth
Praise God with song and hymn.
However great your mortal state,
Walk humbly before Him.
 
Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Reflect His Light To All

She watched the sun shine overhead,
Felt its warmth on her face,
And, in that moment, she shone back
Some of the sun’s bright grace.
 
Sometimes I feel like that blossom
Trying to reflect You
From a soul stuck in the shadows.
Still, some of You shines through.
 
You’re always there to light my way,
Shining out bright and clear.
Your boundless grace cuts through the shade,
A light that’s ever dear.
 
We’re called to share that light with all
That they might see You, too.
We need to reflect to others
The grace given by You.  
 
When I forget, I hear Your voice
Reminding me to shine,
I stand up and reflect with joy
The grace that You made mine.
 
Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

The Conundrum That Divides

 

I’m caught in a conundrum, Lord,
And need guidance, it’s true.
I’m being asked to walk a path
That’s not grounded in You.
 
It’s not far off, I do suspect,
From the way You would lead,
But it is shadowed by a sin
That undermines Your creed.
 
Yet, I wonder if there’s more harm
In speaking what I see,
Causing a breach even greater
Than what there needs to be.
 
Though I can see the stumbling stones,
There’s much good in it, too,
But, if they’re shouting that I’m wrong,
Their rage will drown out You.  
 
Oh Lord, I seek Your perfect peace
And Your great wisdom, too.
I love them and I want them safe.
I know You, also, do.
 
1 Corinthians 14:33
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

Walking In His Faithfulness

 

What has the Lord laid before me?
What will I face today?
Am I walking into a storm
Or strolling on my way.
 
It really doesn’t matter which,
I walk with faith in Him.
Thus, I can handle clear blue skies,
Or clouds, angry and grim.
 
He taught me how to walk His path
And, when the way grows rough,
I keep on walking in the faith
That His strength is enough.
 
So, I will rise to greet the day,
Whatever it may be,
Trusting that He is by my side
And watching over me.
 
Psalm 26:2-4
Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.

Teach Your Children

 

As You have taught us how to live
Let us teach our children,
That Your word will forever grow
Within the hearts of men.
 
Let us show them, living our lives,
How they should live in theirs,
That they may walk this earth knowing
They’re called to be Your heirs.
 
Let us teach them to love the Lord,
Sharing with all, Your truth.
Let Your word live within their hearts,
Wisdom, even in youth.
 
Let us teach them to walk the path
Through dark valley or peak,
Trusting Your light to lead them on,
Your will, the goal they seek.
 
As You have taught us in the past,
Lord, help us teach the young
To lift to You hearts filled with faith,
And let Your praise be sung.
 
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

The sweet family photo is another blessing from AC, taken on her trip to Africa. 

HIs Patient Love

 

When things don’t go the way we plan,
We tend to give God blame.
We question if He heard our prayer,
Or just denied our claim.
 
Like children, caught up in ourselves,
Thinking that we know best,
We tend to chastise Him and ask
Why He spurned our request.
 
Though now my trust is all in Him,
Back in my wayward youth
I often questioned why His plan
Outweighed my view of truth.
 
These days I thank Him for His grace,
For His steadfast mercy,
But, most of all, I’m so grateful
He loves me patiently.
 
Psalm 103:8
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Coveting and Stealing - Just for Fun

 

I know that we are called to lead
The lost into the Word.
I must admit, I watched him steal
And then leave undeterred.
 
He clearly coveted the fruit
That grew upon the tree
That he had not planted or pruned.
He stole it and ran free.
 
I question my conscience with shame
When I look back these days
And wonder if I could have helped
Him change his thieving ways.

 

I wonder if he’d have listened.
Should I have tried my luck
Helping him beat covetousness,
And be a better buck?
 
I know, I tell this tale in jest,
I don’t mean to make light,
But watching him enjoy those plums
Truly brought me delight!
 
Luke 12:15
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Under The Fig Tree

 

Nathaniel sat beneath the tree
And called out to the Lord,
Believing he would be ignored.
Yet, God heard every word.
 
That single moment then became
The turning point of faith.
Nathaniel understood His God
Was real and not a wraith.
 
I wonder if he felt his heart
Stop, and then start again,
As it dawned on him, without doubt,
This was the Son of Man.  
 
The moment when he saw the truth,
Standing there, face to face.
I can’t help but rejoice with him
At heaven’s wondrous grace.
 
What a blessing it must have been
To walk the earth with Him.
Praising His name, sharing His word
In a world, dark and grim.
 
I know that it was not easy
Sharing that victory.
Yet still I feel such boundless joy
When I see a fig tree.
 
John 1:49-50
Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”

In Faith, Not Fear

 

There are those times we all must face,
Not knowing what’s ahead.
We’re not sure what we’ll walk into,
Except for fear and dread.
 
Yet, in those times we still must walk,
We cannot sit and hide,
For life is coming at us fast
And will not be denied.
 
It’s in those times that we must stand
And choose what we will do.
Will we step forward through the mire
With fear? Or faith in You?
 
We can’t walk through what we don’t know
Without a sense of fear,
Unless we’re stepping out in faith
That You are ever near.
 
For You have seen what lies ahead,
And Your plan is in place.
If we are walking in that truth,
Then Your peace sets our pace.
 
It’s not by courage born in us
That we can face travail,
It is our faith in You alone
That keeps us on that trail.
 
2 Corinthians 5:6-7
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.

Stop Looking Back

 

It’s one thing to look back in joy
On how blessed life has been,
But it is something else indeed
To anguish over sin.
 
To linger on the shame and stains
That He has washed away,
Belittles the great gift He gave
On Calvary that day,
 
You sinned, but by confession and
Repentance you are free.
Stop turning back to remember
The shame that used to be.
 
Keep your eyes fixed upon the Lord,
The Word He gave to man,
And with joy, step forward into
The Lord’s call and His plan.
 
Let yesterday lie in your past,
Keep your focus ahead,
Straining forward toward the prize
That is His love, instead.
 
Philippians 3:13b-14
But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

My Rock, My Cornerstone

 

I’m standing firmly on the rock.
I feel the wind and rain,
But I can stand up through it all
knowing He will remain.
 
I used to think I held to Him,
That’s how it’s meant to be.
Yet, I have come to understand
He’s holding on to me.
 
Through all that this life throws my way
He will not let me go.
I cannot be torn from His grasp.
In that truth, I can grow.
 
So, I will stand upon the rock
And trust in Him alone.
There is no strength, no love as great,
My rock, my cornerstone.
 
1 Samuel 2:2
“There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.

Though We Rage

 

You formed the sun, the moon and stars
And set them on their course.
Mankind can neither slow nor speed
Such displays of Your force.
 
Man can distract or briefly block
Our view of Your design,
But we cannot delay, deter
Or hamper Your timeline.
 
Though wildfires may fill up the air
With smoke, and such debris,
That sun and moon look discolored,
They’re both still there to see.
 
Man may pretend that we can change
The truth of creation,
But all we do is block our view.
Your work can’t be undone.
 
We praise our fantasies in vain,
For Your will carries on.
The sun and moon will still be there
When man has come and gone.
 
Why then should You waste any time
On rebel souls like ours?
We are but thoughts that come and go,
And short are our lives hours.
 
Yet it was for the lost You came,
And for such fools, You died
To rise again, redeeming us,
That we may, with You, bide.
 
I cannot understand Your plan,
And I am not called to.
But I can understand clearly
That all my hope’s in You.
 
For, by Your love and grace alone
You hold us in Your plan.
You watch us through our defiance,
Then call us home again.
 
Psalm 8:3-4
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

This photo is of the moon rising through a smoke filled sky during the wild fires a few years back. 

To Run In The Way

 

Show me the path I am to walk,
Teach me what I should know.
Then help me find the faith I’ll need
To rise and swiftly go.
 
Yours is the only path I seek,
I do so joyously,
And pray that I will stay on course
To be who I should be.
 
Show me the narrow way, oh Lord,
That I may follow through
And run the race with all my heart
Until I’m home with You.
 
Psalm 119:32
I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!

A Love Note

 

We watch the stars move through the night,
The storms across the sea.
Even the mountains rising up
Are wondrous sights to see.
 
The great, the grand, the hard to miss,
Those really catch the eye,
But it is the simple wonders
That we often pass by.
 
How wondrous is the butterfly,
The spider’s web in dew,
Both miracles of creation
And both a gift from You.
 
Such simple things, so often seen,
And each formed by Your hand.
Yet we pass them with just a glance
And fail to understand
 
That, even though they are mundane,
They’re miracles no less.
Those little gifts of loving joy,
The small love notes that bless.
 
I know that I am guilty, Lord,
Of not noticing, too,
But when I saw this sweet love note
I knew it came from You.
 
Psalm 86:10
For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.

This spider's web covered in dew was taken long ago on my back deck railing, yet it is still remarkable and breathtaking. 

From the Rising to the Setting

 

I praise You in the morning, Lord,
For the new light I see
And for the day that lies ahead,
That You have set for me.
 
I praise You as I rise to go,
And as I work each day.
I pray that each step that I take
Will keep me on Your way.

I pray that I keep my eyes on
The light that’s born in You
And that I reflect back that light
In everything I do.

 

Lord, when the sun begins to set
And my steps homeward turn,
I praise You that Your light still shines,
And, for that light, I yearn.  
 
You are the true light of this world,
I pray we don’t forget
To praise You at the rising sun
And when the sun has set.
 
Psalm 113:3
From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!

Both photos of the sun rising and setting on Galveston Beach are blessings from ATF. Thank you, again, A! 

The World May Rage

 

Loud is the song of the wild wind,
The waves roar harmony.
I could get lost within the song,
Its crushing symphony.
 
He, too, walked in this storm swept world,
And shared with us His Word.
Though all the world shrieked in its rage,
He still stood undeterred.
 
The world sings fiercely of its wrath
And I still hear its song,
But I won’t let it distract me.
In His Word, I am strong.
 
John 17:14
I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Not By Bread Alone

I hunger for Your Word, Oh Lord.
In all the world, I cling
To the wisdom and instruction
Your Word alone can bring.
 
It feeds a soul weary of pain
And burdened with great care.
It is the fount from which love flows,
It’s hope, amidst despair.
 
It’s all the food that my soul craves,
The water of life’s flow.
Please help me live within Your Word
And help my faith to grow.
 
Lord, I will feed my hungry soul
Upon Your Word each day
And hold it closely in my heart
That I may never stray.
 
Deuteronomy 8:3
And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.