As A Hen With Her Brood

 

I cried out to Him in my pain,
“Why is this life so hard?”
I thought then, as if He replied,
My wrists and feet aren’t scarred.
 
Complicated still isn’t hard,
And worry’s not defeat.
Even more so when I can lay
Those worries at His feet.
 
I don’t know what tomorrow holds
Or what I’ll have to face,
But I know who is holding me
Within His perfect grace.
 
Forgive me, Lord, for self-pity
When You faced so much more.
You trusted God, I’ll trust in You
And face what lies in store.
 
Matthew 23:37-39
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Cleansing The Temple

 

He called them out for corruption
In that once holy place.
Their avarice was palpable,
He condemned their disgrace.
 
He spoke hoping to turn them back
From the course that they chose,
But they would not heed the Lord’s words.
They had no time for those.
 
It wasn’t all the animals
That filled the place with sin,
As much as the pride and the greed
Of all those “holy men”.
 
He came to cleanse that holy place,
Make it holy once more,
But, even more, He came for us,
To cleanse and to restore.
 
Matthew 21:12-13
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Once again, the sweet photo is a gift from AC, taken in Africa a few years back. 

Hosanna To The King - Palm Sunday 2026

 

Near fifteen hundred years before,
They knew this had been planned.
The Psalms and Prophets told them, but
They didn’t understand.
 
A man of sorrows, donkey colt,
The cornerstone disdained,
They had been warned, but over time
No clarity remained.
 
He didn’t fit the plans they’d laid
While ignoring God’s plan.
They had their own image of who
Should be the Son of Man.
 
By failing to understand Him,
They proved the Prophets right.
Upon a donkey colt He rode
To bring His Kingdom Light.
 
His people praised Him, Hosanna!
Oh, save us, Lord, they cried.
Well, that He did, just six days hence,
When on the cross He died.
 
He knew they’d not truly believe
Until He came again,
But they cried Hosanna to Him,
Their King, The Son of Man.
 
Psalm 118:22-25
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!

Stiving After Wind

 

Riding the wind, calling it life;
Watching it pass below.
What will you do when the wind stills,
Which way, then, will you go?
 
Too many have no course in life,
They shift with any breeze.
Giving each new passion control,
Living life as they please.
 
Until the day the winds whip up,
Or settle to dead calm,
Then they must face the consequence
Of pain without a balm.
 
At that point they find no refuge
Within the storms of life,
And end up huddled in despair
From self inflicted strife.
 
Step out of life lived for yourself
And into one of grace.
Ride not the winds of wild whimsy
Which often bring disgrace.
 
Choose for yourself a life in Him.
Thus, when you sail the sky,
You do so with His word as guide.
Beneath His watchful eye.
 
There is nothing beneath the sun
That He does not command.
Live close to Him, and through life’s storms,
Rest safely in His hand.
 
Ecclesiastes 2:11
Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

My Rock, My Redemption

 

I’m glad it isn’t up to me
To win my redemption.
I set out with big plans each day,
Then fail to get them done.
 
I rise each dawn hoping to live
The day I walk His walk,
And quickly find I’ve failed even
To simply talk His talk.
 
I let my pride get in my way,
Or forget to give grace,
And suddenly I find I am
Back at my starting place.
 
It’s not in my works or my words
That my faith has to rest,
But in His, who bore all my sins.
By His grace, I am blessed.
 
He is the rock on which I stand,
And the song my soul sings.
The only hope of redemption
I have, is what He brings.
 
Thus, I will stand upon that Rock,
The cornerstone of grace,
And I will thank Him forever
For healing my disgrace.
 
Psalm 62:7
On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Praise Him Continually

 

I will lift up my praise to Him
Within the new day’s light,
And I will praise Him as the dusk
Grows into the dark night.
 
He keeps His eye upon my path
And guides me on my way.
I’ll praise Him with a thankful heart
Each night and then each day.  
 
Let His praises be on my heart,
My mind, and on my tongue,
That this world will know of His grace
Through every song I’ve sung.
 
Psalm 34:1
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Learning Not To Bite Back

 

You told us this life would be rough,
But following You through
Would help us deal with the hard parts.
My hope, Lord, rests in You.
 
You called us to love each other
As You have so loved us.
I suspect that also includes
Those who seem prone to fuss.
 
The world is full of cranky folk,
Insisting they are right.
It doesn’t matter if they are,
They’re looking for a fight.
 
I might have been that way myself,
One time, or maybe twice.
I’m grateful You reminded me
To settle down, be nice.
 
I’m still working on patience, Lord,
And learning to give grace,
Even to the most annoying
Of all the human race.
 
I’m not the worst, still not the best
At loving as You loved,
But I have learned not to bite back
When I am pushed or shoved.
 
Instead, I heed the instructions
You gave while You were here.
I pray for them, I give them grace,
Knowing You hold them dear.
 
I’m learning to see them as Yours,
Ignore their call to fight.
When I focus on loving them,
I’m less inclined to bite.
 
John 15:12
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Don't See That Every Day

We pass beside the amazing
Without a second glance,
Because we see it every day…
The same old song and dance.
 
Yet, now and then, you see something
That takes your breath away.
You find yourself saying with awe,
“You don’t see that each day.”
 
Such was it when this shot came up
In old photos I took.
It was the sun shrouded in clouds…
Until I stopped to look.
 
I realized it was the sun
In clouds, behind a tree,
But I had not been looking up
When this shot came to be.
 
It was reflected in water,
The tree was a downed bough.
I saw it clearly, and yet not
As clear as I see now.
 
I recalled taking this photo
Because it was unique.
It wouldn’t say spectacular,
But beautiful and bleak.
 
Seeing it now, it is more so,
Because it reminds me
That so much we ignore in life
Is because we don’t see.
 
If I look up and see the sun
Shrouded in clouds of grey,
Then I shrug and just carry on.
I see that every day.
 
Yet when I see the sun in clouds,
But not where it should be,
Then suddenly I’m stricken by
Its perfect symmetry.
 
It may not make much sense to you,
But I’ll thank God tonight
That, what I could have walked right by,
Still gives me such delight.
 
Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

The Light Is Returning

 

The darkness is never far off.
Like the tide comes and goes,
It, too, sweeps in upon the world.
The darkness ebbs and flows.
 
The darkness does not easily
Let go its hold on earth,
But slowly its power will wane
Under the light’s rebirth.
 
Now, many who’ve lived in the dark
And walked its broken trails,
Have seen the light begin to shine
On this world of travails.
 
They speak to those still in the dark
Of the light they have seen.
A promise of a world from which
The darkness is washed clean.
 
One day we’ll see the light return,
While darkness fades away.
Until that time, we wait in faith.
Our Light is on His way.
 
Isaiah 9:2
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

The Viper And His Brood

 

The false prophets and false teachers
Still speak to us today.
They know the truth, but seek to lead
The unknowing astray.
 
He gave us all His instructions,
His law was sharp and clear.
Yet, the false prophets, vipers brood,
Whisper lies in our ear.
 
They smile and bid us trust their truth
And not what we have heard
Spoken by Christ, His apostles,
The truth that’s in God’s Word.
 
They seek to lead God’s children back
Into the sin He healed,
Knowing that, by the lies they preach,
The weak soul’s death is sealed.  
 
They stand upon a false pulpit
Speaking in silken tone
The lie that no obedience
Is needed to atone.  
 
No need to turn back from our sin,
To go and sin no more.
They say it knowing the dark fate
Such a life holds in store.

 

Christ bruised the serpents head upon
The cross at Calvary,
But there remains the viper’s brood
That’s hunting you and me.
 
Be careful then, do not let them
Take your soul by surprise.
Keep your soul fixed upon God’s Word
And not on satan’s lies.
 
1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Even On Crazy Days, I Praise

 

I can’t recall what day it is,
Or what I planned to do.
This really was one of those days,
But this I know is true…
 
That I will rise up in each dawn
And sing my praise to You,
Then when the sun is going down
I’ll sing them all anew.
 
However wonky life can be,
I’ll make a point to raise
A song of praise and rejoicing
To You through all my days.
 
You stay close by me through it all,
And I’ve made it my choice
To praise Your name to all the earth.
I’ll sing out and rejoice.
 
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Finally, Rejoice

 

The ending of each week, it seems,
Finds me weary and weak.
Yet, it is Your peace, not my rest,
That my heart and soul seek.
 
For, in Your peace, is rest secured,
And healing for what aches.
When my mind needs restoration,
Your peace is all it takes.
 
The week may set me scurrying
Until I want to weep,
But I am never far from all
The peace my soul can keep.
 
I simply have to turn to You
And listen for Your voice.
Then peace, and rest, and healing grace
Fill me and I rejoice.
 
2 Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Sailing In Faith, Not Fear

Life’s a breeze, I have heard it said,
Just hoist anchor, set sail.
The problem happens when that breeze
Becomes an outright gale.
 
When life’s a breeze sailing is smooth,
But, when the wind turns rough
And the keel tilts into the waves,
A blithe heart’s not enough.
 
That’s why I lift a praise of thanks
As each tempest moves through,
For I have seen Him calm the waves
For me a time or two.
 
I’ve heard Him tell me, “Peace! Be still”
And felt my fear abate.
Thus, when the horizon grows dark,
I don’t just sit and wait.
 
I call out to Him, lift my praise
Of thanks knowing He’ll hear
That my trust still rests in His grace.
I sail in faith, not fear.
 
Mark 4:39-40
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

The God Of Hope

 

My life has never been tidy,
The pieces all in place,
But when I stand amid my mess
I still can see Your grace.
 
You wake me up with each new dawn
And guard me while I sleep.
Your promise to keep loving me
Is one I’ve seen You keep.  
 
I can’t hold onto much in life
Unless I start with You.
You are my anchor in each storm,
The light that leads me through.
 
I find I’m on the edge of tears
When some days get too wild,
But each time that happens I hear
You say, “I’m here, my child.”
 
You are my hope, my joy, my peace,
And You always will be.
I don’t think I’d be standing here
If You did not love me.
 
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Pain That I Can't Heal

 

I feel a little lost these days,
So much pain everywhere.
Although it isn’t mine, I still
Feel the weight of despair.
 
So many loved ones have been lost,
Too many tears are shed.
They are not mine, yet still I grieve
And wish them peace instead.
 
Oh Lord, I know that pain will ease
And tears will dry one day,
But until then I’m saddened that
All I can do is pray.
 
Although I cannot heal their pain,
I feel it in my heart
And I am grateful that You can
Complete what I can’t start.
 
You take the broken hearts of man
And bind them with Your grace
Until they heal enough to let
Your peace take the pain’s place.
 
Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Let Your Light Shine

 

There is no light that shines on earth
As brightly as the grace
That is embodied by the love
Of my Savior’s embrace.
 
He holds me when I start to weep,
From sorrow or from fear.
I may not feel His arms as flesh,
But I know He is near.
 
He guides me when I end up lost
Nudging me back on path.
He corrects my rebelliousness,
With mercy, not with wrath.
 
I hear Him laugh when I rejoice.
His blessings amaze me
For they pour out without ceasing.
They’re everywhere to see.
 
He is the light upon my path
And I hope everyday
To reflect His grace as I can
To others on my way.
 
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.

His Grace, His Choice To Give

He did not save us based on works,
Nor was it based on worth.
He did not save us based upon
Our status at our birth.
 
He saved us based upon His love,
His choice to offer grace
To those of us who follow Him,
His word and truth embrace.
 
The choice was His, as was the grace
That’s restored our value.
There’s nothing we can do to make
Our broken souls brand new.
 
Rejoice now in His priceless gift
And serve Him with delight,
For He has love and grace enough
To set your wrongs to right.
 
2 Timothy 1:9
who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began
 
Matthew 20:15
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?

We Will Rejoice Again

A rose from a summer long past
Blooms in my memories.
Though I may grieve for those I’ve lost,
I will hold on to these.
 
So many loved ones now are gone,
And grief tears at my heart.
Yet, all those memories of joy,
They’re still the better part.
 
Those sweet memories bring me peace,
But more so does knowing
That they’re rejoicing at the throne
Of heaven’s gracious King.
 
I could hold on to crushing grief
Or hold instead onto
The promise that death holds no sting
For those who’ve lived in You.
 
I look upon my father’s rose
And wipe my tears away.
For though I still feel sorrow now,
I will rejoice one day.
 
John 16:22
So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 

Obeying His Voice

I think I went astray again,
I seem to every day.
I set out, fixed upon Your path,
Then get in my own way.
 
I might have said a word or two
That I should not have said,
Or had a thought that had no place
Being heard in my head.
 
In point of fact, I need to say,
There’s no “might have” at all
I will confess I did it, Lord,
And You, You saw it all.
 
Help me recall that selfishness
Is not born of Your grace,
And is, therefore, an attribute
That I should not embrace.
 
Please help me get back on Your path
And fix my eyes on You.
Help me to guard my words and thoughts
In all I say and do.  
 
I know I’ll likely stray again,
Much to my great dismay,
But, when I hear You call me back,
I won’t get far astray.
 
Daniel 9:9-10
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 

So Many False Prophets

I hear the words of false prophets
And my heart aches for those
Who listen and who then follow
Where each false prophet goes.
 
They claim to share The Word and yet
With each and every breath
They twist It and they hide Its truth
With lies that lead to death.
 
The souls who turn to them in faith
Are following the call
Of him whose only purpose is
To assure mankind’s fall.
 
The silken words in soothing tones
That mark the easy way,
Are all intended, in the end,
To lead us far astray.
 
Beware the voices who promise
Their truth’s the better one.
Turn back from that path to the dark
And seek again the Son.
 
Matthew 24:11-12
And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 

I Shall Not Dread

 

The fears that used to weigh me down,
No longer trouble me,
For my hopes rest upon Your grace,
As it is meant to be.
 
That doesn’t mean they don’t pop up
To haunt me now and then.
Yet, when they do, I pass to You,
That which is beyond men.
 
I work hard to do all I can,
But I no longer fear
That which I can’t see or predict.
For, Lord, I know You’re near.
 
I don’t go out seeking trouble,
But, when it seeks me out,
I do my best, give You the rest,
And trust You without doubt.
 
Deuteronomy 7:21
You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.

Even Weeds Can Bloom

 

The world is full of amazing
People who bloom with joy.
They know Your Word and live in it
With faith life can’t destroy.
 
Their blooms can brighten a dark day
Or, too, a dreary room.
I look at them with true delight,
Though I am not a bloom.
 
I think I may be more a weed,
Not quite as bold and bright,
But I too cherish living in
My Savior’s golden light.
 
I tend to stay more out of sight
And have a thorn or two.
You might not think it about weeds,
But we are cherished, too.
 
We each are redeemed through His grace.
While some light up a room,
Others will praise Him quietly…
And even weeds can bloom.
 
Romans 15:7
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

As You Have Blessed Me

 

Please guard my going out, Oh Lord,
And, too, my coming in.
Keep my feet set upon the path
That leads to You, not sin.
 
Grant me the wisdom to see truth
And turn away from lies,
That I may bring glory to You,
Not give cause to despise.
 
Let me rejoice, even in pain,
Knowing that, by Your grace,
I will walk through each dark valley
Into a brighter place.
 
Lord, most of all, I ask that I
Share Your mercies with all,
That I may help reflect Your Light
So others will not fall.
 
You’ve poured Your blessings out on me
In an unceasing flow.
Now help me share that flowing grace
That all the earth may know.
 
John 7:38
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.

Praying and Listening

Are you praying to the Lord, or
Merely praying at Him?
Lifting up demands for grace
Whenever life is grim,
 
Or a wish list of wants and dreams,
Not grounded in His word?
Too often we will prattle on,
Demanding to be heard.
 
I’ve found that He’s less likely to
Engage with such demands
From those who place small value on
His laws and His commands.
 
Instead, when I ask for His aid
As it fits what He’s planned,
Then He will often answer me
In ways I understand.
 
The simple act of listening,
Letting the noise go still,
Helps me to pray to Heaven’s King
And live within His will.
 
Even those days when I ramble,
Too lost to find a thought,
He lets me know He understands
The pain this world has brought.
 
A prayer is a conversation,
His answers are best heard
When I stop talking and listen
To Him and to His Word.
 
Matthew 6:7-8
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

This is one of the precious photos from AC and her trip to Africa a few years back. 

Rejoicing As It Rains

 

The gospel says we’re to rejoice
Even in grief or pain.
I never really understood,
But the gospel was plain.
 
Then came the time when, blow on blow,
The world beat down on me.
That was when my heart finally
Helped my mind clearly see.
 
When all that grief weighed down on me,
I heard His voice saying
Rejoice until the pain eases
For all the joy I’ll bring.
 
Rejoice for brighter days ahead,
For sunshine follows rains.
When all the tears you’ve cried are dry,
The rejoicing remains.
 
Life seems to bring more storms these days,
And age adds to their weight,
But it is to His word I hold.
I’ll rejoice while I wait!
 
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!