Though I Am Stained With Sin

 

I count my disgraces each day,
My sins pile up and up.
I know it can’t take too much more
To fill my bitter cup.
 
I turn and call out in my shame
To Him who loved me first,
He listens as I count each one,
Deserving to be cursed.
 
I reach to pick up all the proof
Of each sin on my mind,
But an empty and shining cup
Is all that I can find.
 
He cleansed me of each sinful stain,
And told me try again.
Confessed, redeemed, and loved by Him.
It’s all part of His plan.
 
I don’t know why He loves me still,
I try, but always fail
To stay close by the side of Him
Who bore my soul’s travail.
 
I know I can’t walk perfectly,
But I trust in His light,
And though I stumble through each day,
I know He holds me tight.
 
Even today, though still in sin,
He calls me to His grace,
And walks beside me, holds me up.
He counts not my disgrace.
 
His love is patient, forgiving,
And His mercy’s divine.
Though I have stained my soul with sin,
By His grace it will shine.
 
Romans 5:8
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 
Romans 6:14
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
 
Ephesians 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

This fun photo of a muddy Cape Buffalo is another gift from AC and Africa. 

In Spirit And Truth

 

I choose to step out on the path
That leads me close to You.
I know I won’t get there on earth,
But still, I’ll follow through.
 
You walk beside us in this life,
But we can choose to stray.
My soul bids me to turn back now,
Draw close to You today.
 
I do not need to heed the call
Of this world as I go,
But seek instead Your truth, Your Word.
That’s what I need to know.
 
My thoughts should echo with Your praise,
Your spirit should lead me,
Until the path that leads to You
Is all my soul can see.
 
Oh Lord, please help me stay on course
And draw closer to You.
Let Your Word lead and correct me
As You’ve set it to do.
 
Help me to love and follow You
With heart and mind and soul
Until I'm standing at Your throne
And, by Your Grace, made whole.
 
John 4:23-24
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
 
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Be Strong, Have Courage

 

A car had just pulled out of there,
The tire’s tread still clear,
And there, amid the cracked asphalt,
It stood in all its cheer.
 
It didn’t matter, rain or shine,
The joy shone from its face.
Even though cars parked all around,
It stood in joyful grace.
 
I’m not sure why I caught my breath
When I first saw it there.
Perhaps it was its fierce courage
To bloom without a care.
 
If I lived in the cracked asphalt
With cars parked overhead,
I’m not sure, but what I would seek,
A safer, cleaner bed.
 
Yet it stood where God planted it
And bloomed with such delight
That I began to see courage
In a whole different light.
 
I’ve often felt I was misplaced,
Somewhere I can’t belong,
But, with the courage He gave me,
I found I still grew strong.
Almost as if, by His design,
It was right all along.
 
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
 
Psalm 31:24
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!

As He Loves Me

 

I helped a neighbor out last week,
As we’ve been called to do,
But when the chance came to help me,
They didn’t follow through.
 
I got my feathers ruffled up
And muttered, “Not again.
I won’t help them at all next time,
Not even if I can.”
 
Yet, before I finished the thought,
I heard Him speak to me.
Reminding me that’s not the way
That He called me to be.
 
I’m not to love my neighbors in
Mere reciprocity,
But, I’m to love them always and
To do so patiently.
 
I am to give His love to them
Because He loved me first,
And not demand some recompense
In a selfish outburst.
 
I bowed my head in shame and asked
His forgiveness once more.
I felt it wash through me again,
His grace forever more.
 
Another lesson He taught me,
One I gladly will learn,
His love and grace are His blessings,
Not something we can earn.
 
John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
 
Psalm 133:1
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

This sweet photo is a gift from DE on her recent run to the beach. 

My Plan To Rest

 

My plans were laid well in advance,
Today I was to rest.
The chores were done, no errands planned,
This day would be the best!
 
Now I sit here, proud of myself
For sticking to the plan…
Okay, I may have slipped a bit,
I did the best I can.
 
Two loads of clothes have now been washed,
Folded and put away,
While the dishwasher chugs along,
In its own noisy way.
 
The paperwork I had to do,
Is done and set aside,
Though it’s not needed til next week…
One less chore to abide.
 
I guess God’s plans were different
Than those I’d made today,
And, when that conflict arises,
The plans of man give way.
 
As it now stands, I still rested
And have less on my list
Of things I need to do this week.
A blessing I’d have missed.
 
My plan may have been to just chill,
But God’s plans override.
Now I can rest more through the week.
I’m glad He’s on my side!  
 
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

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

Not To Condemn, But To Save

 

He did not come to judge the world,
But to teach us the way
To walk with Him and forgo sin
As we move through each day.
 
This isn’t saying it’s okay
To go ahead and sin.
The whole point was that He came here
To heal the sins of men.
 
His words to the woman not stoned,
Were go and sin no more,
Because those who do not repent,
His blood will not restore.
 
He wasn’t judging the first time,
But, when He comes again,
You need to understand He’ll come
With judgement, per God’s plan.
 
Accept His grace, and set your pace
In line with His on earth.
These are the standards by which He
Will judge each soul’s true worth.
 
Life without the grace of His blood
Holds torment evermore.
Live the advice He gave to her,
Go forth and sin no more.
 
John 8:10-11
Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.
 
John 3:17-18
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God
 
Acts 10:42
And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

Be Humble And Draw Near

 

Be humble in your walk with Him,
Lift up His praise each day.
Listen to Him and heed His voice,
For He will guard your way.
 
We seem to forget, now and then,
That we are not in charge.
We speak out with authority
In voices loud and large.
 
Yet, it may be a shock to us,
He’s more inclined to hear
All those who call on Him humbly.
To them He turns His ear.
 
The earth answers to Him alone,
And He has set its course.
We cannot take control from Him,
Nor push our plans by force.
 
Instead, be thankful for His gifts,
Not always seeking more,
For He knows what we need each day,
And He holds that in store.
 
He gives to those who honor Him,
Far more than what we need,
If we seek Him with humble hearts,
Not spirits flushed with greed.
 
Lord, help us fix our eyes on You,
Not on ourselves, our pride.
Help us to humbly trust Your grace,
And keep us by Your side.
 
James 4:6-8b
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Abiding In Him

 

Each time I tried to write this praise,
The world got in my way,
So, I stepped away from the world
To listen and to pray.
 
Within that silence I could hear
Your Word speaking to me
Over the chaos of the world.
As it was meant to be.
 
I know I’m not the only one
The world seeks to distract
From what You most want me to hear,
Your Word, clear and intact.
 
I don’t pray that You remove me
From this world’s frenzied pace,
But that I learn to not get lost
In the course of the race.
 
Let me keep my eyes fixed on You,
My heart fixed on Your Word,
And, when I need to hear Your voice
Let it be all that’s heard.
 
Tonight I thank You for the chance
To set the world aside
And let Your Word take root in me,
Forever to abide.
 
John 17:15-17
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from evil. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
 
John 15:9
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

In Looking Back

 

In looking back on all my years,
There are more than a few,
I see the missteps of my youth
Still led me straight to You.
 
The arrogance of youthful pride,
Much like the turning page,
Led me to the often painful
Wisdom of my old age.
 
Each trip, each stumble on the way
Landed me in Your arm,
Until I realized not I,
But You, kept me from harm.
 
When I look back at each crisis,
I recognize Your grace,
For I can see where You turned me
Back to Your strong embrace.
 
You held me up and led me through
Until I learned to see
That it is not by my wisdom,
But by Your love I’m free.  
 
Your formed me and then, patiently,
Oversaw my wild youth,
Then led me to find my way back
To Your wisdom and truth.
 
Now in the days that I have left
I will not hesitate
To tell the world to seek Your grace
Before it is too late.
 
Job 12:12
"Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days."
 
Isaiah 46:4
"Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save."

Your Peace Washes Through

 

In perfect peace the sabbath ends
With stillness in my soul.
Tomorrow I will rise and stand,
Renewed and, once more, whole.
 
It doesn’t matter where I am
Or what I’ll walk into,
As much as it matters to me
That I’ll walk in with You.
 
You are my rock when life is hard,
The strength I need to rise,
But in Your perfect peace I rest
Beneath Your watchful eyes.
 
There is no stillness in my soul
Unless You’ve put it there.
For this world is filled with turmoil,
With anger and despair.
 
Yet, on Your everlasting rock,
Beside Your still waters,
I know I’ll find that perfect peace
That no trouble deters.
 
One week has passed, and one comes on,
But I will rest in You,
Between that end and the new start,
Where Your peace washes through.
 
Isaiah 26:3-4
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

Turn Back From Pride

 

Oh, you who live with prideful hearts,
Disdaining one and all,
Be cautious that self-righteousness
Does not cause your downfall.
 
Yours isn’t the voice in command,
Despite what you hold true,
And many on whom you look down
See false pretense in you.
 
Turn back from your self-worship, child,
And turn instead to Him
Whose hand has formed what you deem yours,
Even to heaven’s rim.
 
Be careful that your pride does not
Lead you too far astray.
For there will be a reckoning
To which we’re called one day.  
 
Don’t let a prideful heart destroy
All that His grace provides,
But live in humble gratitude
That His grace still abides.
 
The choice is yours, by His decree,
But please remember this,
There’s only one Lord over all.
Your pride you must dismiss.
 
Obadiah 3-4
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord.
 
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Finding His Peace

 

In times of sorrow or of stress,
May your soul seek His peace.
When life is too busy to think,
May your soul seek His peace.
 
It is in Him, true peace is found,
And He gives it to all
Who turn to Him and call to Him.
He will answer that call.
 
The world may still be turbulent,
The storms may still roll through,
But you’ll face them with peace and joy,
For He’ll give that to you.
 
He is the strength, the hope you need,
In Him they both abound.
Yet, even more, He is the source
Where peace and joy are found.
 
So, when life’s outside your control
And troubles will not cease,
Then turn your heart to Him and know
Your soul will find His peace.
 
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.

Being Strong And Courageous

Getting up and stepping out
Would be too hard to do
Without knowing that where I go,
I’ll be going with You.
 
I’m not sure I could rise and go,
As I did in my youth,
Without having You next to me,
An embarrassing truth.
 
The road can be long and quite rough,
When faith calls us to go,
But it is easier to walk
A path I know You know.
 
Lord, I have called upon Your name
To guard and lead me through
Too many times for me to count,
But I can count on You.
 
So, if you tell me to get up
And go do as You’ve asked,
I’ll get up and step out to do
That with which I’ve been tasked.
 
I’ll face all of the things I fear,
And take them all in stride,
But only because You’ve promised
You’ll be right by my side.
 
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
 
2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against evil. 

His Light Shines Through

“The night is coming,” said the Lord,
Knowing what was to be.
Yet, knowing, too, how much this earth
Needed His light to see,
He set His light to shine on through
In folks like you and me.  
 
It cannot shine in us quite like
It shone when He was here,
But still, we can reflect His light
To others, far and near,
Who remain trapped within the dark,
With all its pain and fear.
 
Those who walk with Him in this world,
Take up His light and shine.
Reach out to those who don’t know Him,
For that was His design,
That they, too, may come to live in
His light, pure and divine.
 
As long as He was in the world,
His light shone bright and true.
Even now, living in the night,
You’ll see Him shining through,
And, from each heart that calls Him Lord,
He’s reaching out to you.
 
John 9:4-5
We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
 
John 8:12
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

My Eyes Are Fixed On Him

 

Let me keep my eyes on the Lord,
Not on what this world’s planned.
For there is nothing in this life
Greater than His command.
 
I’ve been known to let my gaze drift
Beyond His call to me
Only to find it fixed upon
Places it need not be.
 
I don’t need to fix my heart on
The treasures of this earth,
When His grace offers more to me
Than all of this world’s worth.
 
Because I’ve kept my eyes on Him
And trusted in His will,
He has poured His grace out on me,
And it keeps flowing still.
 
So, I’ll keep my eyes fixed on Him,
My heart fixed on His Word,
And I’ll keep my feet on His path,
Walking it undeterred.
 
Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
 
Colossians 3:1-2
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Blessed With Rest

This is the day the Lord has made,
He made it just for me.
For it contains all that I need
To be still gratefully.
 
No place to go, no chores undone,
Nobody dropping by.
Just Him and me, a cup of tea,
And a thunderstorm sky.
 
The lullaby of rumbling clouds,
Leftovers warming up.
His Word reminds me that my life’s
An overflowing cup.
 
Tomorrow will be busier,
This week holds a fast pace,
But for today I can be still
And rest within His grace.
 
Psalm 118:24
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
 
Psalm 23:5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

Creation And The Creator

 

Your creation, in its glory,
Can take my breath away.
From mountain peaks to ocean depths,
I’m awed by its display.
 
From tiny bees to elephants
And everything between,
There’s more than I can comprehend,
Much more than I have seen.
 
Yet, when I stand in deepest awe
Of what I most adore,
It isn’t Your creation, Lord,
It is the Creator.
 
You are the Lord, the only God,
The creator of all.
For life was without light or form
Until it heard Your call.
 
You were the first, You called to life
All that my eyes can see.
You filled the earth with a small glimpse
Of Your vast majesty.
 
Yet, even that was not enough.
What we broke, You made whole
By giving us the redemption
That heals a damaged soul.
 
There is one Lord, one God on high,
That fact I know is true.
You were the first, You’ll be the last,
And I’m in awe of You.
 
Genesis 1
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
 
Isaiah 44:6
Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.

The Lord Watches Over Us

We do all that we can in life,
We work, worry and pray,
But His plans supersede our own
At the end of the day.
 
We lay the patterns of our lives,
Yet, despite every plan,
His is the final say in all
The paths of mortal man.
 
How blessed are we that He keeps watch
Over those who love Him,
And more so that the plans He’s laid
For us are rich, not grim.
 
They are not always what we’ve planned,
But they are made to bless
Those who call upon Him as Lord,
Through good times or distress.
 
We make our plans, then trust in His,
Knowing that what we do
Will never prosper without Him
To guard and lead us through.
 
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
 
Psalm 127:1
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 

The Desire Of My Heart

 

Noise and unneeded distractions
Keep getting in my way.
The things that my mind trips over,
They’re a part of each day.
That’s why, when each day gets too loud,
I try to slip away.
 
I could go sit within the woods,
Nestled beneath a tree,
Or seek the silence of the shore
Beside the wind-swept sea.
Yet, my preference is that old barn,
Where I can just be me.
 
It’s surprising how much silence
I find where horses graze,
beneath a blue sky, on green fields
That stretch beyond my gaze
Into the stillness and the peace
That my soul seeks most days.
 
I’ve wandered far in this life, Lord,
And found You’re everywhere,
But there beside that old red barn
I find my answered prayer.
In safe pastures and perfect peace,
Lord, I can hear You there.  
 
That’s all I look for in most days,
The chance to hear Your voice,
And step beyond the distractions,
Just be still and rejoice.
 
Psalm 37:3-4
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and find safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Grounded In Him

 

The world is filled with so much rage
That rushes in at me,
And I must stay above the waves
Or be lost in that sea.
 
I see the evil frothing there
And hear it call my name,
Demanding that I wade on in
To share its wrath and shame.
 
If I keep my eyes on the waves,
I tend to drift down near,
But if I keep my thoughts on Him,
His peace is all I hear.
 
I struggle with anger, some days,
No matter how I try,
But I hold to His strength, not mine,
And let it wash on by.
 
When I fear I might let Him down
And give in just once more,
He leads me back from the tempest,
Farther up onto shore.
 
His is the hand to which I cling,
His is the strength I need.
His is the peace that turns the tide,
And assures I succeed.  
 
I walk upon that windswept shore
And watch the rage roll in.
If I were not grounded in Him,
I would be drowned in sin.
 
Isaiah 41:10
fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
 
Isaiah 26:3
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Tears And Gratitude

 

Though we know that our broken souls
Have been restored by grace,
We’re still inclined to see the sin
Lingering in its place.
 
It’s not that we doubt we are saved,
But know we’re unworthy
Of the grace You’ve poured out for us,
The blood that sets us free.
 
We’ve lived so long chained to our sin,
It’s our habit to feel
That weight bearing down on our souls,
Though it’s no longer real.
 
We hear satan reminding us
Of all the ways we’ve failed,
That we deserve eternity
Hellishly bound and jailed.
 
It is with tears of gratitude
That I stop and recall
I am no longer stained by sin,
But redeemed before all.
 
I need to shift my focus from
Seeing the worst of me,
And fix it on my Savior ‘til
His glory’s all I see!
 
Romans 4:7-8
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
 
Colossians 1:13-14
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

His Word Is My Light

 

His Word is light upon my path,
Golden as dawn’s first glow,
And I’ll follow with faith filled heart
Where I am led to go.
 
I’ll rise up and I’ll start each day
Rejoicing in His light,
Then follow where His light leads me,
Even into the night.
 
For there is no darkness yet formed
That can subdue His light.
Even when buried in the tomb,
It burst forth with His might.
 
It shines its brightest in the dark,
For those lost on the way.
Though others may not see it there,
To me, it’s bright as day.
 
His Word is the eternal light
That leads us to His grace,
And I’ll keep walking ‘til I’m home,
Then rest in His embrace.
 
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
 
Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

A Glimpse of Insight

 

By Your command the mountains rose,
The rivers flowed in spate.
All the heavens gathered in awe
At what You would create.
 
Even today, I hold my breath
Amazed by such displays.
When I am soaring through the clouds,
Your works stun and amaze.
 
It was in recounting my awe
That I caught a brief view
Of something I’d not thought before,
As it applied to You.
 
I rode there in the cloud swept skies
Thinking man has come far,
That we now ride above the clouds.
What wonders we now are.
 
Until it hit me, Your design
Is what has brought us here.
You gave us minds that learn and grow
Because You hold us dear.
 
We are not close to Your power
Nor we will never be,
But You still give us glimpses of
The wondrous things You see.
 
You’ve marked each step that we will take
With echoes of Your grace
That we can hold onto until
The day we see Your face.
 
Romans 11:33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
 
Psalm 139:16
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”