I Heard My Jesus

The Lord put a tune in my head this afternoon, and a poem to go with it.

I heard my Jesus calling out my name

I heard my Jesus calling out my name

He said I’ll take your grief and shame

Your life will never be the same

I heard my Jesus calling out my name.

My Redeemer He reached out His hand

Yea, My Redeemer He reached out His hand

He pulled me from the mud-n-sand

And set my feet on solid land

Yea, My Redeemer reached out His nail-pierced hand

When my Savior comes to take me home

When my Savior comes to take me home

I’ll be singing with the saints

I will offer Him my crown

When my Savior comes and takes me home

Do you hear Jesus calling out your name

Do you hear Jesus calling out your name

You know, He’ll take your grief and shame

Your life will never be the same,

So answer YES! when Jesus calls your name.

Sit, Stay

The long table is spread out; the feast is prepared and presented.
Come in, come in.
You just stand there and look in.
Come. Sit down and enjoy.
Sometimes you walk up to the table, grab a morsel or even a handful, but then your eye wanders and you run off, leaving, still hungry.

Oh my child; sit, stay.
Feast with me.
All this is prepared for your enjoyment and nourishment.
You are weak and weary because you are starved.
Sit down, eat.
Eat your fill and enjoy your time with me.
You’ve tasted and know how sweet it is.

You must not leave hungry.
If you do, it is your own doing.
Stay.
Stay as long as it takes.
Feast and rest.
Then you will be refreshed and prepared to continue.
You will be better use for me and your work will be easier for you.
But first, stay, sit and feast with me.

The Forest

I was walking through a meadow,

bright warm sun rays shining down.

Wildflowers, showing their glorious colors and beauty,

gracefully sway from side to side.

Gentle breezes broadcast their sweet aroma through the air.

I get to the edge of the meadow,

to the tree-line at the entrance to the forest.

At first it does not look that scary,

but the further into the forest I journey,

the thicker and darker it gets.

There are fallen limbs and logs,

all sorts of obstacles I have to climb over,

making travel a challenge.

I wander on and on and instead of making progress,

I’m only going around in circles,

each path bringing me back to the same spot.

Exhausted, I sit down on the rotted log,

and admit I cannot go any further.

It’s dark. 

I’m cold.

I hear noises that frighten me.

I am powerless.

I am lost.

My heart is crushed with fear and despair.

Who can hear my cries for help?

I hear something.

No, it’s not the breeze.

I hear the soft, still voice,

“Let me help you.  Let me guide you out.

I will clear a path for your feet so that you won’t stumble.  Trust me.”

With both of my hands, I clamp onto His outstretched hand,

“I’m so weary, I can’t go on,” I whimper.

“I will carry you,” He promises.

We get to a canyon.

He sets me on my feet.

It’s wide, too wide for me to jump.

Now what?

Do I try to make a bridge with limbs and logs

from the forest floor and try to walk across?

“I brought you safely to this place of decision.

You can stay here, or you can let me help you go forward.”

“The forest is dark, and lonely, and scary,

and I don’t want to stay here.

“I’m so weary, I can’t go on,” I whimper.

“Trust me.  Hold onto me.  I will not let you fall. 

I will carry you,” He promises.

With both of my hands, I clamp onto His outstretched hand.

He lifts me safely over.

The edge of the forest is just ahead.

I see can brightness through the trees!

I don’t know how far it is to the edge of the forest,

so I will stay close to His unfailing love and faithfulness

and trust Him to walk me through.

A Dog for Jesus

(someone posted this poem for Dylan, I don't know who the author is.)

 

I wish someone had given little Jesus a dog
as loyal and loving as mine
to sleep by His manger and gaze in His eyes
and adore Him for being divine.

As Our Lord grew to manhood, His own faithful dog
would have followed Him all through the day
while He preached to the crowds and made the sick well
and knelt in the Garden to pray.

It is sad to remember that Christ went away
to face death alone and apart,
with no tender dog following close behind
to comfort its Master's heart.

And when Jesus rose on that Easter morn,
how happy He would have been
as His dog kissed His hand and barked its delight
for the One who died for all men!

Well, the Lord has a dog now; I've just sent him mine,
the old pal so dear to me.
And I smile through my tears on this first day alone,
knowing they're in eternity.

Absence of Turmoil

sitting on the sand
looking out to the ocean
where the heavens touch the water,
the setting sun warms my shoulders.
the sound of the tide coming in
captures my thoughts and
carries them out
to the place where the water touches the sky.
then i consider the One who told the ocean,
'you can only go this far'
and peace floods my soul.
this is peace-
absence of turmoil.
this,
is peace.

God On The Mountain, sung by Linda Randle

Life is easy when you're up on the mountain
And you've got peace of mind like you've never known.
But then things change and you're down in the valley.
Don't lose faith for you're never alone.

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley.
When things go wrong, He'll make it right.
And the God of the good times
is still God in the bad times.
The God of the day is still God in the night.

You talk of faith when you're up on the mountain.
Oh but the talk comes easy when life's at its best.
But it's down in the valley of trials and temptation
That's when faith is really put to the test.

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley.
When things go wrong, He'll make it right.
And the God of the good times
is still God in the bad times.
The God of the day is still God in the night.

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley.
When things go wrong, He'll make it right.
And the God of the good times
is still God in the bad times.
The God of the day is still God in the night.
The God of the day is still God in the night.

My Father, My Dad

(I wrote this a while ago, and thought I'd re-post it in honor of Father's Day)

My Father created me.

Long ago, His plan for me was laid.

My life was part of the creation,

the world He formed by simply the words He said.

In the same way, my Father also created my dad;

the earthly man who loved, and raised, and supported me;

he carried me when I was tired, and held me when I was sad.

Everyone says I look just like my dad.

I have a lot of his traits;

our love for music is one of the best

and less favorable is how we’re both always late.

Dad taught me about life on earth and after.

Before he left, he said we’ll meet up again, when we’re called

to stand before our Lord, our God, our Father.

Dad worried so about his problem child, but I came around after all.

On that glorious day, when there’ll be only joy and no one will ever be sad,

I’ll be there with both of them, my Father and my Dad.

Ephesians 6:1-4

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.  “Honor your father and mother.”  This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth”.  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them.  Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

I PRAISE YOU, O LORD

I will praise you all of my days
and honor you in all ways.
My heart desires,
like a burning fire,
to tell others what your word says.
No greater joy
than what you placed inside.
No words are sufficient to employ
in an attempt to describe
how tall and how wide
your arms reach out
to embrace us and draw us to your side.
Praise you in the morning,
praise you at night.
Seek you when I’m mourning,
find you with delight.
Praise you with voice,
praise you with pen and paper.
Every day, every night—rejoice!
You are my God, my redeemer, my maker.

Psalm 86:11-13 NLT
Teach me your ways, O LORD that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O LORD my God. I will give glory to your name forever, for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death.

Again

Praise Song
We Fall Down -- Kutless

Romans 7:18-19
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

O Lord, please forgive me and return to me again.
I made some bad moves, said unkind words;
I deliberately disobeyed you.
My heart is so heavy and it hurts.
Unlike me, you are always faithful and never go back on your promises.
I know it’s because of my guilt that I feel abandoned.
Is this your discipline?
Am I being reprimanded?

O Lord, please let me return to you again.
Restore my joy that I so foolishly cast away
because of my short-sightedness, my own desires to satisfy.
By being selfish, your will I failed to obey.
Everything I do to others, I do to you.
Humbly I repent for the wrongs of today.
Please forget my transgressions; forgive my sins.
Take them from me; make them go away.

O Lord, please save me from myself as I am my own worst enemy.
Let my eyes see only what you want me to see.
Protect my heart and my thoughts as well,
so I don’t get confused about what I think and feel.
Again, I’ve shown you how weak I am; I don’t need to tell.
I need your guidance and the firm grip of your right hand.
Fortify my conscience; strengthen my self-control with willpower.
Mold my heart into one that desires to be obedient to your every command.

O Lord, I wish to honor you always.
I long to praise you endlessly.
I gratefully acknowledge that Jesus paid my ransom and set me free.
You created me and I belong to you; you are the owner of me.
Thank you for choosing me, transforming me and loving me still.
Freely, in total submission, I surrender to you, again.

1 John 1:9
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness”

Daniel 9:4 & 9
(4) I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands.
(9) But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.

Post Poles

Cheers,
joyous shouts
proclaiming victory
out loud
from the voters
for their winning candidate.

Jeers,
words of hate
from those opposing;
condemning and disparaging
instead of accepting and respecting,
their new president.

Being part of the history made yesterday,
many fear what tomorrow will bring.
Can this land stand united,
or will it go further to waste?

Let us be dignified, unified,
and together as one,
restore our great nation
from division and discrimination.

Let us continue
what our forefathers have begun:
build-up our land of liberty
our land of freedom
our land of justice,
into a land of prosperity
for everyone, not just for some.

United we must stand
faithfully giving our leaders
support and respect
lifting them up in prayer,
integrity and honor to project.

Our stars and stripes
we proudly display.
Yesterday, tomorrow, forever.
Only if together can we stay
the greatest country ever born
the greatest nation in the world
America the beautiful
the good ol’ U.S.A.

Scriptures

2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land

My Father, My Dad

Praise Song
He Reigns -- News Boys

My Father created me.
Long ago, His plan for me was laid.
My life was part of the creation,
the world He formed by simply the words He said.
In the same way, my Father also created my dad;
the earthly man who loved, and raised, and supported me,
and carried me when I was tired, and held me when I was sad.
Everyone says I look just like my dad.
I have a lot of his traits;
our love for music is one of the best
and less favorable is how we’re both always late.
Dad taught me about life on earth and after.
Before he left, he said we’ll meet up again, when we’re called
to stand before our Lord, our God.
Dad worried so about his problem child, but I came around after all.
On that glorious day, when there’ll be only joy and no one will ever be sad,
I’ll be there with both of them, my Father and my Dad.

Scriptures:

Ephesians 6:1-4
Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth”. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

Inexpressible

Praise Song
How Can I Keep From Singing

What did it feel like when I got saved?
Well, I got this awesome feeling in my heart and soul.
Because I believe in Jesus, and have faith and put my trust in Him alone,
I’ve been made whole.

You want me to describe it?
Okay, here's the thing: I can’t find the exact, proper word.
Surely no solitary one would fit.
At least none that I’ve ever heard.
You see, it’s indescribable, incommunicable,
indefinable, and ineffable.

I can’t fully describe the feeling because it’s so immense,
so enormously huge.
It’s extensively intense
and of stupendous magnitude;
of such inconceivable massiveness
and unimaginably voluminous.

So if I could use only two words,
I would choose these:
INEXPRESSIBLE JOY!

Scripture:

1 Peter 1:8-9
You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

The Grandparents

Praise Song
I'll Trust You Lord -- Donnie McClurkin

the grandfather, he’s eighty-six
and still provides for his kin.
what will they do if he gets sick
and can’t make the trip in
to the food bank for the charity provisions?
he says those boys are not living like they should
all the time getting into trouble and up to no good.
he hopes someday they’ll step up
and be men of integrity
fulfilling their responsibility
as good citizens of the country he fought for.

the grandmother just lost her life-long spouse.
she has to leave her home next week
and go live in her daughter’s house
for the time being.
sorrow and poor health have left her weak.
she fights back tears when she speaks,
says no one will help her pack
or carry boxes out.
she has diabetes. her legs are tired and so is her back.
she’s got other ailments too that she didn’t talk about.
she always did for them what she could,
ever since they were babies.
now, if they would
help her, just once, and not be so lazy.

two different people
yet their stories are the same.
they suffered and sacrificed,
two pawns, playing along in life’s game.
in the end, who decides
who walks and who rides?
so many people today are in the same boat
while others are selfish,
they stand by and gloat
just thinking about themselves
not realizing they contributed to the pain.
how sad that the love they received
was given in vain.

Leviticus 19:32
" 'Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.

18 Sept 2008

Just Like A Child

Mark 10:15 "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

amazed and in awe,
with wide-eyed wonder.
too excited for slumber.
impatiently waiting,
anticipating.
to see for ourselves.

just like a child,
maybe a bit wild
perhaps naïve
with uninhibited trusting
where how and why, unending questioning

just like a child,
dependent and needing guidance
openly speaking lovingly.
new honesty and refreshed innocence.
playful and carefree
singing with glee
your wonders now see.
obediently follow
wanting more, more, more
of your love,
of your love.

I Gotta Let It Go !

I say it all the time,
your will be done,
not mine.

I give up all my cares
to you; to share,
help bear.

I keep taking one back.
Is it cause faith
I lack?

You cannot take control
if I keep a
tight hold.

I know, I know I know,
I gotta let
it go!

Then, you can redeem me
and I can be
set free.

Get this junk off my mind
and just leave it
behind.

And, commit to never
claim it again,
ever!

Thank you for forgiving.
Life’s so more worth
living.

I’m so hooked on you, Lord.
I need you so.
For sure!

Cat Angel

( for T )

Dear friend,

To you, this message I ask the helpers to send.
You loved me and cared for me,
my broken parts you tried to mend.

Our nature is to roam,
we have no permanent place to call home.
We live on the street,
in abandoned places,
and sometimes we meet
people who look past the scars on our faces
into our eyes and our souls.

If I could speak, I’d say
thanks for your love.
I like it here, but I can’t stay.

Don’t take my leaving
as a sign of failure on your part;
please don’t be sad and grieving.
You’ve given me the best gift: your heart.

Love like yours I’ll never again know.
but it’s time for me to move on.
I have another adventure and must go.

I’m not one to say goodbye.
Don’t lock the door,
because I might return
to see you once more.

While I’m away, continue to care for my pals,
the toms and the gals
the abandoned, the feral and the strays,
that have accepted you and trust you,
who unlike me, aren’t called away.

The Runaway

( for T )

I will never know
where you were before you came to me,
and since you left, where you are now.

I only know that you are gone.

You didn’t give me the chance
to say so-long,
to wish you a safe journey.

No final embrace
to look into your face,
your eyes, your soul.

You probably don’t know
your life made mine
a little more whole.

Be safe, be well.
If our paths cross again,
only time will tell.

Good Morning, God… Good Morning, Jesus

Before the ground and my feet meet,
my heart and thoughts greet
God, my heavenly Father, and Jesus my savior:

Good morning, God! Good morning, Lord!
(I ask) What is your will for me today?
Jesus, please show me your way
and protect me from me.
Hold me close so my feet
don’t stray from the path
my Father hath
laid out for me to follow.
Fill me with your love
so my soul isn’t hollow.
Father, watch over me from above.
Meet all my needs; remove all my fears.
I will share the fruits
of the Holy Spirit;
proclaim your goodness, so all can heart it.
In me,
your light shines bright -- all can see it;
and your love’s so great -- all can feel it.
As I go out and about
to share your love and speak your word,
in your name, do good deeds
for those in need.
Help to feed
the hungry, love the unlovable,
offer hope to the fatherless;
visit with the widow
as she sits by herself, at the window,
waiting for you to come and take her home.
I know I’ll never be alone
for where ever you send me,
there, you will be.
Walking in faith, through the desert to the garden
till the day you call my name
and Jesus face I see.
Totally submitting myself to thee,
to guide me and advise me
so your will
in your way
and in your time,
not mine,
will be done, through all eternity. Amen.

Un-hardened Heart

heart didn’t want to feel that way.
everyday, still say,
“love you”.
heart didn’t feel right anymore,
no longer warm, the way it used to.
heart turned cold.
now that love is old,
no longer new,
heart doesn’t spark
like it used to.

words like “you, I hate”
at night, when it was late,
would hear the other say.
when full, go to bed.
hurtful things said
so much
heart-skin grew tough.
every night,
closed eyes, closed ears.
no tears after so many years.

oh what joy! Jesus filled heart with love
Father in heaven above
said, “all sins are forgiven”.
heart had to forgive
in order to freely live.
heart surrendered to the Lord.
saturated with the word.
a new creation.
the old, gone.
heart sings a new song.

even so, cloud still covered the sun.
“Father, can this battle ever be won?”
it’s an illness,
a disease.
“get some help, please”.
heart still loves him
not on a whim
betrothed.
with cloud over them they married.
that burden both carried.
suffered together, raging storms weathered.
calm seas sailed on happy days.
the Lord said “do not part, don’t go separate ways.”

“Lord, heart needs to feel something
inside, deep within.
not cold, numb, emptiness.”
for them, heart did pray,
every night. every day.
Father spoke;
heart felt a poke.
“remove that plank from your own eye.
stop pointing out faults, for shame,
not long ago, your indulgence was the same.”

“when one cheek feels the burn
give the other, sideways turn.
it’s at these times you must love the most”
battles fight, the lord said he will;
keep quiet and be still.
one short phrase
uttered on a dark rainy day
“un-harden this heart, Father.”
a cold stone,
revived love once known.

praise God for un-hardened heart.
praise the Lord! gone, the rough part.
faith so strong, so real.
every worry, every care,
given up, for him to bear.
God un-hardened heart.
His spirit never to depart.
filled with his love,
His light to shine
in heart, for all time.