In The Dawn

Breathlessly, in the growing dawn,

I wait to hear from You.
I turn my face toward the light
As sunlight glances through.
                   
I’ve found, for me, it’s in the line
Between the dark and dawn,
When all the world’s holding its breath,
And all night’s fears are gone
 
That I can sit in reverent peace
And, sometimes, hear Your voice.
Thus I can face what comes each day,
For I have made this choice-
Before I step forth in the day,
I take time to rejoice.
 
Matthew 4:16
the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

My Foundation

My foundation is on the rock

That rises above all.
It lifts me up above the storms
That break against its wall.
 
Sometimes I think I’ve got the strength
To climb up on my own.
Right up until I slip and fall,
Broken upon hard stone.
 
Each time it lifts me up again
Above the storms, unfurled,
To shelter me until I’m strong
Enough to face the world.

Psalm 61:2

From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

His Glory

Hosanna, Oh Lord, Hosanna!

I praise Your Holy name.
Your smallest thought easily puts
All earth’s glory to shame.
 
I praise You with a grateful heart,
Through all that this life brings,
Your glory is the source of light
From which all my hope springs
 
Psalm 72:19
Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.

The Light

I did not understand, at first,

How great a love could be,
Although I’m an eager student
Of ancient history.
 
But when I studied the grim world
Into which He was born
And came to understand the means
By which His flesh was torn,
 
I gained a clearer insight to
The love He bears for me,
A love so great that He endured
What didn’t have to be.
 
I still don’t fully comprehend
A love that strong and bright,
But, through the darkness of my sin,
I now can sense The Light.
 
1 John 4:7-8
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

By Design

New hope whispers on every bough

As spring begins anew
The promise of returning life
Once more comes bursting through.
 
Is spring’s renewal by design
Intended to remind
The wayward earth of Christ’s rebirth,
The death He left behind?

Valentines

I have no words of praise tonight

That can encompass love
More aptly than this photograph
Of two, now called above.
 
They loved each other all their lives.
Even after his death
She still remembered she loved him
Until her dying breath.
 
We cannot all speak of such love,
For it is truly rare,
But I watched them live it each day
With tenderness and care.
 
If that’s the bar that has been set,
Then it has been set high.
And I might not live up to it,
But I will surely try.
 
1 Corinthians 13:7
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Lessons and Scars

Take my advice, learn well from me,

Don’t walk the path I’ve trod,
Believing that you got this far
Without the help of God.
 
Each time I feel it’s by my works
That I have come this far,
I find my ego takes a hit
And failure leaves a scar.
 
I’ve learned to put my plans in place
And done all I could do,
But only after I have asked
The Lord to see me through.
 
Psalm 20:4-5
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

Through the Storm

With every storm that passes through

I find myself grateful anew
That, regardless how the storm blew,
I came through holding on to You!
 
Psalm 55:8
I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”

Grief and Good-byes

Sadness settles in me tonight.

Another friend is gone,
And though I know that he’s at peace
Those left, must carry on.
 
A tear wells up, then a few more.
It seems I’m prone to cry
Each time I have another friend
That I must bid good-bye.
 
Oh Lord, I know that he’s with you,
That each life has to end.
And yet, tonight, I cannot help
But grieve for my lost friend.

Castaway

I found myself cast upon rock,

Washed there by the deluge.
And, though I thought that all was lost,
I found, instead, refuge.
 
There are those times in every life
When we pause to take stock,
And that was what I faced when I
Was cast upon the rock.
 
With all the storms that harried me
It seemed to no avail
That I should try to carry on
In the face of that gale.
 
But with my feet upon the rock,
Its shelter at my back,
I found the place that I could stand
And withstand each attack.
 
So I will build my fortress here,
Where God’s my shield and lock,
And bless the grace that raised the storm
That cast me on The Rock.
 
Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.