We Gather and Pray - Re-posted

We called upon Him, all as one,
To hear His children’s cries
And heal us from the sins that we
Have lived, but should despise.
 
We asked that He would guide the lost,
And give the sick new life.
We prayed for peace to touch the earth
Now scarred by pain and strife.
 
We thanked Him for each day we’ve lived
And for the joy we’ve known.
The hopes we hold for tomorrow
From today’s seeds we’ve sown.
 
We lifted up a song of praise
That He was with us there,
Fulfilling His promise to join
When we gather in prayer.
 
Matthew 18:20
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

I Feel Old Today - Re-posted

I’m feeling older today, Lord,

Than I am meant to feel,
And all the little aches and pains,
Today, seem very real.  
 
I know I’m whining quite a bit
For someone who’s so blessed,
Yet I can’t help but feel that I
Am failing one more test.
 
I have too little energy
For all I did today,
And, when I try to focus in,
My mind has gone astray.
 
I see those younger than I am
Bursting in perfect bloom,
I feel as if I’m in their way,
Taking up too much room.
 
I don’t like feeling this way, Lord,
It’s not my normal state,
But I have felt it coming on
And now it’s in full spate.
 
I know that by tomorrow’s close
The worst will be behind,
But if you’ll keep an eye on me,
You know I wouldn’t mind.

You're Always Near - Re-posted

What a blessing in each day

To know that You are there

Standing right beside me, Lord,

Through every joy and care.

I feel You near me when I cry;

You’re right there when I sing.

You’re near enough that I can face

Whatever life may bring.

 

Thank You, Lord, for being there,

Whatever I must face.

I may not always hear Your voice,

But I can see Your Grace.

Memorial Day - 2017 - Re-posted

Red poppies and remembrances
Are everywhere today,
Reminding us of those we love
Who have been torn away.
So many faces, names we knew,
That we now speak in grief,
And there is nowhere we can turn
To find our heart’s relief.
 
They rose to stand against the dark
That we might live in light,
And, though they wanted to come home,
They fell in that great fight.
Though they have gone from us for now
We know we’ll meet once more
When God calls us to join them on
Heaven’s bright, deathless shore.  
 
Until then it’s the little things
That capture all we feel,
Like poppies, and remembrances,
And hearts that don’t quite heal.

Last Roll Call - Re-posted

Tears trickled softly from the clouds
Down the face of the sky
They spilled into my empty heart
And welled up in my eye
Too many tears fall in the night
Too many tears I’ve cried
Too many tears for each young man
Who lived and fought and died
I stood beside their empty boots
Beneath a tear streaked sky
And when no voice answered the roll
All I could do was cry

If you have ever attended a Military funeral, then you know that the most heartbreaking part of the ceremony is the Last Roll Call. When no voice answers that that repeated call... my heart has broken too many times at that unanswered call.

Someday I'll Fly - Re-posted

I watched it soaring through the sky,

Pure majesty in flight,
With every feather burnished by
The morning’s vibrant light.
 
I know that I am bound to earth
A stranger to the sky,
But my heart still leaps up with joy
To see it passing by. 
 
For I have placed my hope of life
On my Lord’s promising,
That I will rise myself, someday,
On wings, untiring.
 
Isaiah 40:31
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Another Hole in My Heart - Re-posted

There’s a hole in my heart tonight

That I can’t seem to fill.
The one who's name was written there
Has passed beyond earth's will. 
They say with age the mind may go,
But speak not of the heart.
Yet there is no repairing it
Once it’s been torn apart. 
 
And as the days and years go by,
Claiming those that I love, 
I wish that I could call those back
Whom You have called above. 
 
Still, little bit by little bit,
I bid my heart adieu,
Trusting I'll find the missing parts
In heaven, Lord, with you.

For all of us who have lost too many of the people we love... I ask You, Lord, hold them in your arms until we can gather with them, once again, within Your Grace.

Earhly Treasures - Re-posted

I am always reaching out, Lord,
For little earthly things,
Instead of for the gifts of faith
That reaching for You brings.
But all the things I think I need
Won’t really set me free,
Like reaching out for more of You
To make a better me.
 
So help me, Lord, to reach for more
To feed my growing soul,
For all the “things” that fill my life
Will never make it whole.
 
1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

His Perfect Will - Re-posted

When all is at its busiest

It’s harder to keep track

Of all the little rules I broke

Or virtues that I lack,

 

But when the sun drifts to the sea

And all the earth grows still,

That’s when I take time to reflect

Upon your perfect will.

 

I try to recognize mistakes,

My failings of the day,

And all the words I should have said

That I let slip away.

 

I seek forgiveness for my flaws

And thank you for your grace,

Then pray that I will some day learn

Your whole will to embrace.

 

Romans 12: 2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Comparatively Easy - Re-posted

Oh Lord, my life has not been hard.

Though I have faced travail,
I’ve never lived life with the doubt
That I might not prevail.

There are so many who face death
Each day that they awake,
While I live in safety and ease
With every breath I take.

The woes I face are simple things,
Inconvenient at worst.
Yet “woe is me” still seems to be
The place that I go first. 

I don’t live with the threat of death
That many others know.
Yet, I tell myself life is hard
When, for me, that’s not so.  

So let me not lose sight of this.

When I fuss and complain,
Remind me that my life is free
Of the worst fear and pain. 

For self-pitying thoughts I've had
Now and again today,
I ask You for forgiveness, Lord.
Help me cast them away.