On A Lighter Note - That Look On The Holy Spirit's Face When.....

 

You sent to us a loving guide
To teach us to recall
The words and lessons that You shared
While here, among us all.
 
The Holy Spirit walks with me,
I hear him every day,
With nudges to keep me on track
Or lend help on my way.
 
Too many times I know I fail
To properly obey,
Then end up off the path once more,
Stumbling in my dismay.
 
I’ve heard a few “I told you so’s”
And learned the harder way
That, had I listened when He spoke,
It would have made my day.
 
He has to have more than mere grace
To put up, patiently,
With wayward souls who don’t listen.
You know, people like me.
 
I picture the Holy Spirit
With this look of dismay
In that, despite clear instructions,
I’ve chosen my own way.
 
I can just see the frustration,
That look upon His face,
When He sees me, yet one more time,
Failing to share some grace.
 
Yet, for all the annoyance caused,
And doubtless, heavy sighs,
He still keeps herding His wild child
Who’s precious in His eyes.
 
John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Stand Firm In Faith

 

Sometimes the world comes rushing in
So fast that I can’t think,
But I will stand firm in the faith
That You will guard the brink.
 
I put my faith not in myself
For I know I am weak,
But I hold faithfully to You.
You’re all the strength I seek.
 
This world may call me to obey,
To answer its command,
But I will heed only Your Word
And rest within Your hand.
 
Though I may suffer its disdain,
This world and all its kings
Will not shame or turn me from You,
Despite the pain that brings.
 
Lord, You have called and redeemed me,
You freed my heart of stone.
Now I will stand firm in the faith
That I don’t stand alone.
 
Galatians 5:1
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

The Gate I Seek

 

The path that leads us home to You,
The rough and narrow way,
Leads through a gate that’s hard to reach
If we wander astray.
 
The gate that leads us far from You
Is easier to see,
And the path there is wide and flat,
But not where we should be.   
 
Those who do not seek You in life
Will find the easy way.
They’ll dance right through that big, wide gate
into endless dismay.
 
Lord, even some who claim You’re God
Won’t find the narrow gate,
For words and hearts must be aligned
Or grim will be our fate.
 
Oh Lord, I seek the narrow gate
That will lead me to You.
Please help stay upon the path
Until I make it through.
 
Help me to praise You with my heart
And also with my mind,
That the distractions of this world
Won’t be my ties that bind.
 
Help me to walk along the path
However rough it seems.
Give me the strength to turn back from
My shortcuts and my schemes.  
 
Help me to understand the truth
And follow where You lead
Until I reach Your narrow gate.
For Your wisdom, I plead.
 
Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

This photo is another blessing from TAF and Enchanted Rock! 

My Refuge and Rest

I seek no glory in this world,
But give it all to Him,
For He is my refuge and peace
When everything turns grim.
 
He is the rock on which I rest
Without fear or dismay.
He is my strength when I grow weak,
My shepherd when I stray.
 
I call to Him, He answers me,
I trust Him in all things.
He’s always holds me close to Him
Through all that this life brings.
 
All the glory I give to Him
And His praises I sing,
That all the world may know the peace
Only His love can bring.
 
Psalm 62:7
On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

A Once Thirsty Land

 

My soul was parched and broken, Lord,
A dry and barren land,
But You poured Your grace out on me
From Your pierced, bleeding hand.
 
Oh Lord, I called out in my pain
And Your blessings flowed through.
Though I had no reason to live,
I found new life in You.
 
Although my heart was hard as stone,
Your love found its way in
And, though I don’t deserve such grace,
You washed away my sin.  
 
Oh Lord, Your peace, Your gracious love,
Your mercies for the lost
Have brought life to this barren soul,
And bore, for me, the cost.
 
Isaiah 44:3
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

This lovely photo is a blessing from TAF, taken during her trip to Enchanted Rock. 

Running Out Of Time

 

There, in the spring, wild flowers grow
Amid the waving grass.
They share a moment of bright joy
With travelers as they pass.
 
Yet, as the grass and weeds grow tall,
They remain still unmown
For, if they mow them, those bright blooms
Will drop where they have grown.
 
Until the last bloom starts to fade
Those weeds will thrive, also,
But when the blossoms are bloomed out,
Then all the weeds will go.
 
So is it also with mankind.
The weeds of sin will grow
Until the last of His redeemed
Are safe. Then they will go.
 
I pray, that when the harvest comes,
His barn will overflow
With all the weeds that turn to Him,
And blossom where they grow.
 
Matthew 13:28-31
… So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”

These wild flowers in the field are another gift from ATF. 

As God Loves Us

Though we have never seen God’s face
We see His love each day.
That love is reflected in all
We meet along our way.
 
The friendly smile, the helping hand,
In those we easily
See the love we are called to give,
The person we should be.
 
Yet, He is also in the lost,
The lonely, broken soul,
Who seeks a chance to know the grace
That renews and makes whole.
 
We tend to think that God can’t live
Outside of what we know,
Yet, He is God, lest we forget,
He goes where He will go.
 
Therefore, seek Him in every face
Let His love live in you.
Then you will find He’s everywhere,
In all you see and do.
 
1 John 4:11-12
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

Faith Without Works

I’m not redeemed by my own works,
I know that is the truth,
But, if I claim to follow Him,
My works become the proof.
 
We cannot claim to follow Him
If we continue on
The path that we walked while we were
Still sin’s most willing pawn.
 
If we proclaim faith in His word,
And hope to know His grace,
Then we must learn to shift our stride,
And run a better race.
 
It is by His grace we are saved,
There’s naught our works can do,
Except stand proof that, by our faith,
We’re truly born anew.
 
Romans 11:6
But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
 
James 2:17
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

The War's Already Won

 

Life offers sorrows to us all,
But it also brings joy.
For we may live within earth’s bonds,
But His grace we enjoy.
 
Though I will never know great wealth
My heart is satisfied
Knowing the bounty of His love
Will never be denied.
 
My value lies not in my works,
Nor in the words I speak,
But it lies in my redemption.
His Grace is all I seek.
 
Today we weep, but joy returns
As does the rising sun.
The battle may be painful now,
But the war has been won.
 
Psalm 34:18-19
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Your Voice, My Peace

 

The world’s been coming at me fast,
Too much fury and noise.
Today, however, by Your grace,
I can regain my poise.
 
You gave me thunderstorms and peace.
To most that makes no sense,
But I’ve always treasured the sound
That can make others wince.
 
The soft rumble, the crackling roll,
They are my lullaby.
I find myself closest to You
Without mankind near by.
 
In a forest, a windy shore,
Outside the cultured rim
Where I can hear You, loud and clear,
And mankind’s voice grows dim.
 
Tomorrow I will start again.
I’ll rise and make the choice
To walk the path You’ve set for me.
Today I need Your voice.
 
Psalm 29:2-3
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters.