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.
Let the world disdain my hope,
But it rests in Him, still,
For there is nothing accomplished
That is outside His will.
To do all that I can,
Then I give the rest up to Him.
My hope lives in His plan.
Within a new day’s light,
If I did not know He was there.
I hope in His delight.
And praise Him as I wait.
He is the hope in which I rest,
His grace is never late.
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is
from him.
The evergreen stood in the yard
Forlorn and without joy,
For all the trees in all the homes
Were decked out to enjoy.
Decorated with rain,
And no hope of bright sparkly lights
To ease its Christmas pain.
The raindrops flashed with light
And somehow that tree’s Christmas dreams
Sparkled in the sunlight.
A tree topper dropped down
And rested on the topmost bows,
A heron Christmas crown.
It’s Christmas wish granted.
He no longer stood without hope,
But with bright joy instead.
But maybe you should try
To just roll with the joyfulness
Of blessings from the sky.
For much like angels on Christmas,
Herons can also fly!
A simple praise of thanks tonight.
Today was such a gift,
But it also seemed to fly by.
Time’s passage is so swift.
For Your patience today,
And for the people who were there
To help along the way.
And for the rains to come.
I know I love the sunshine, but,
That rain… we sure need some.
In the rafters at night,
And for the warmth upon my face
From the sun’s joyful light.
Hope for those in despair,
And strength for those facing the dark.
For always being there
For Your enduring love,
And for the grace beyond belief
You pour down from above.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life,
bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
I praise You in the morning light
And as the night begins,
For You have given more than life,
You’ve freed me from my sins.
And call You Lord and King,
For I have nothing without You,
But with You, everything!
Your wonders never cease!
I rise up in the morning’s light,
And rest in evening’s peace.
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole
heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
Another photo and blessing from DE near the sea.
Where do I start my praise tonight,
With anger or with grace.
Neither will do me any good,
My wishes have no place.
Nor can I make it right.
The only good that I can do
Is trust You and Your might.
The frightened and the lost.
Then place the wicked in Your hands
And let You set the cost.
That’s outside my command,
But all that I can’t do, You can.
I place it in Your hand.
He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the
earth.
The sky wept through the cold
dark night,
Its tears, they did persist,
But as the night gave way to
dawn
Its tears gave way to mist.
That greeted the new day.
The tears had past, yet
lingered still
Across the misty bay.
The mist warmed in the light
And all across the water’s
face
It shimmered with delight.
Described to you above,
But I am surely the dawn’s joy
Reflecting back God’s love.
I still live in His grace.
Though weeping endures for a
night,
Joy quickly takes its place.
For his anger is but for a
moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but
joy comes with the morning.
All of the earth is rejoicing,
Each in its unique way.
From snow washed mountains, standing tall,
To blooms in bright array!
Their delight on display,
For they know the blessings of grace
They live in every day.
Is hard to understand
Unless you, also, recognize
You live within His hand.
And I join in that song.
I turn my eyes toward the Lord,
Rejoice and sing along.
The blessing and delight
That comes from living in His hand,
Rejoicing in His light.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and
let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
He died to wash my sins from me,
Each transgression is gone.
Now it falls upon me to take
His grace and pass it on.
Then I must offer mine
To those who have sinned against me,
All those who’ve crossed the line.
That much I know is true,
But we must forgive, let it go,
As He’s called us to do.
Will tear a heart apart,
But letting it go, forgiving,
Gives that heart a new start.
To me through lies or strife,
It’s small when compared to the sins
He bore to cleanse my life.
Letting bygones be gone.
You have not received heaven’s grace
If you can’t pass it on.
So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you,
if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
The day was filled with so much grace,
So many chores got done
Before I just sat down to rest
And watch the setting sun.
Before it slipped away,
But it was not until moonrise
That peace agreed to stay.
Of a bare, winter tree,
And simply rested there a while
To keep me company.
But none compared, clearly,
To sitting there, the three of us,
Just You, the moon, and me.
More than I thought I could,
But mostly for the time with You.
It did my soul such good.
Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt
bountifully with you.
It’s true life has its ups and downs,
Maybe even dismay,
But you are working for the Lord,
So be glad every day.
Because He knows you can.
Though you may doubt you have the skills,
Rejoice! This is His plan.
Leave you doubting your worth,
For He knew all you would achieve
Even before your birth.
That this life holds for you,
Work joyfully, as for the Lord,
In everything you do.
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.
Each day Your blessings overflow,
Each night I sleep in peace.
My worries scatter like the mist,
I feel them fade, then cease.
But what I do not doubt
Is that You know, and I have faith
That You’ll guide me throughout.
But it will also hold
Too many blessings to number,
And I’ll watch them unfold.
Beneath the star filled sky,
I find Your peace nesting in me,
For You’re always nearby.
My soul wrapped in delight,
For all the blessings each day brings
And for Your peace each night.
It’s good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to
your name, O Most High: to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your
faithfulness by night,
The beautiful photo of the sunrise is another blessing from DE.
The world keeps rushing in at me
Like waves upon the shore.
Yet I do not fear its swift tides,
For I’ve seen them before.
It called me and I came,
But I no longer hear it now
When it calls out my name.
The voice I will follow,
And neither was born of this world.
That’s all I need to know.
Was purchased at a price
Far greater than it warranted.
My soul, His sacrifice.
Keeping my eyes on Him,
That I will not be swept away
When life once more turns grim.
As He’s called me to do,
But only as sojourner.
I’m following Him through.
The call of temptation.
The only voice I listen to,
Is that of Heaven’s Son.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain
from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Another amazing photo from ATF and the beach!
It lay there on the beach today,
Washed in upon the tide.
As it waited for the next wave,
It drew me to its side.
If that wave never came,
But it lay there in perfect peace
And praised God’s holy name.
Of Christ on Calvary.
It reflected back heaven’s light
And not earth’s misery.
A verse I knew by heart,
“Be still and know that I am God”.
It surely fit the part.
Wearing its faith out loud.
Just being still, trusting in Him,
Humble in awe, not proud.
So I went on my way,
But I won’t forget the lessons
Learned on the beach today.
That I was there to see;
Being still in His glory or
Faith in adversity.
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted
among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
This amazing photo of a jellyfish on the beach is another blessing from ATF!
This world can lead us far away
From our own native land,
But we can’t travel far enough
To slip out of Your hand.
Or ride the wind swept sky,
We cannot travel out of sight
Of Your adoring eye.
The world is ours to see.
Though, when the stormy winds rise up,
We know where You will be.
When You hold us so tight.
You are the wind that fills our sails
And You’re our guiding light.
Or settle by the sea,
But either way, I’m in Your hand.
Right where I want to be.
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the
uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right
hand shall hold me.
Another sweet beach photo from ATF! What a beautiful photo.
They had a neighbor stop by today
To check that all was well.
He wanted to brighten their day,
But couldn’t reach the bell.
Offering neighbors grace.
Yet, he found frustration instead
Of a neighborly face.
His neighbors, as he should,
And that was when God’s plan stepped in
To turn this loss to good.
More neighbors stopped by, too,
And they were tall enough to do
The ringing he can’t do.
Helping in all we do,
Was magnified in that visit…
Friendly neighbors times two!
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.
Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his
neighbor.
Thanks to ATF for this fun photo of a random turtle showing up to a friend's door... just ahead of her arrival.
The day was filled with lots of joy,
And blessings everywhere.
Tonight is time to just be still
And lift, to You, my prayer.
My coming and going,
And for blessing me with the joy
That friendships always bring.
For helping me to grow
In understanding more fully
All You want me to know.
And for all those who care.
Most of all, Lord, I thank You
For always being there.
For comfort when I cry,
And, if I find myself astray,
I know that You’re nearby.
There is something of You,
Your love, Your mercy and Your grace.
Lord, I give thanks to You.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his
steadfast love endures forever!
Lord, I think my train of thought
Has jumped the track today.
I’m not quite sure when it happened
Or what drove it astray.
With my plans well in place,
But here I sit, at this day’s end,
Of my thoughts, there’s no trace.
That fall outside our plan.
I’m grateful that You can control
The things I never can.
My thoughts scattered about,
But I know You love me enough
To show me the way out.
And for Your patience, too.
Even if I can’t find my words,
They still belong to You.
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will
praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have
my being.
The scientists explain the skies,
They map the land and sea,
But they so often overlook
The wondrous mystery.
The tides that rise and fall.
They chart events and track their course,
Missing the best of all.
Is in place by design,
And fits into their maps and charts
By a plan most divine.
Our own rational view
And recognize they’re still wonders
Set into place by You!
Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever
and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is
unsearchable.
This precious photo is a gift from HRF from her time studying in Denmark.
I wanted to be still today,
But life got in my way.
It seemed as if there was no peace
To be found in my day.
Without stopping to hear
The still, small voice for which I longed,
The wisdom I hold dear.
Enough to hear His voice,
And then He whispered quietly,
“I’m right here, child. Rejoice.”
As peace washed over me.
It took me all day, but, at last,
I’m where I want to be.
Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.
We speak of standing before God
To answer for our sin
As if it’s just a “check the box”
Then head out with the win.
But I must stand and face
The list of sins, of all I’ve done,
A tally of disgrace.
That such a life should bring,
But I must hear each one declared,
A shameful reckoning.
Each day and try once more
To walk closer beside the Lord,
Than I have walked before.
That I have always been,
To live my life with much more grace
And with less and less sin.
As each of us will do,
I’m just trying to keep the count
Down by, at least, a few.
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the
throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book
of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according
to what they had done.
I praise the name of Heaven’s King
And call Him Lord of all.
The earth and every star on high
Answer His holy call.
Then sets that it may sleep,
And all is done by His command.
His are the laws they keep.
Unfold throughout each day,
And it’s with awe and gratitude
That I rejoice and pray.
Through all each day may bring,
And, in my joy and gratitude,
I feel my soul take wing.
From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of
the Lord is to be praised!
The crowns of earth sparkle with gold
And gems of vast array.
Yet they are nothing when compared
To heaven’s grand display.
Upon this troubled earth,
While we tend to be focused on
Treasures of lesser worth.
For honor, wealth or fame,
While greater treasure lies in reach
For each of us to claim.
In the soul’s redemption
And there’s abundant glory in
following Heaven’s Son.
Away from the mundane
And fix your eyes, your work, your hope
Where true treasures remain.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where
moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.
And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the
unfading crown of glory.
This amazing photo is another gift from ATF! What a blessing!
It seemed to be duplicative
When I first read the verse,
But as I’ve come to understand
Its message is quite terse.
Love God with all you are.
Yet there is much more to be said,
And done, much more by far.
is stored like precious gold.
All that we treasure most in life,
Is that which our hearts hold.
And lay the path we’ll walk.
It’s the center of hopes and dreams
That are more than mere talk.
The race that we must run.
It’s one thing to have plans in place,
Much more to get things done.
We are and who we’ll be.
It’s knowing what’s right from what’s wrong,
To live accordingly.
Each piece tucked in its place.
We are a cord of four fibers
Woven by heaven’s grace.
All have their own purview.
Yet, each one, entwined with the rest,
Combines to make you… you.
From every point of view,
And know that, even that great love,
Is less than He loves you.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
This photo was a gift from AC taken on her trip to Africa a few years ago.
He drew a line across the sky,
Running from left to right,
One half of heaven dark with clouds
And one half washed in light.
Errands I had to run,
But I stopped and I held my breath
Seeing what He had done.
But it was shining through.
As if obeying Him despite
All that the clouds could do
Those who do as He asks
Will have their efforts magnified
By His help with the tasks.
So that, in all I do,
The grace You’ve poured into my life
Will shine on others, too.
And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake
you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.
Apologies! A phone, pointing into the sun's light, so it's not the best photo.