Category Archives: life

YOU RULE

blessing, God, king, life, ruler, , , , , , , , , ,

From my book: Voices of Life

We listen to our voice, Satan’s voice, and God’s voice. Why should we listen to God’s voice? He is ruler over all!

YOU RULE

You rule, O God
O'er all the earth
No higher one
Over life and death.

For you are king
There is no other
To rule and reign
Yet you're my Father.

Your rule is just
In righteousness
To serve you Lord
Is life that's blessed.

THE OLD YEAR OUT; THE NEW YEAR IN

Age, change, God, grieving, growing old, life, New Year, pain, sorrow, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

“Time marches on” as the old saying goes. Things never stay the same. As I think of the passing years with its joys and sorrows, I look forward not just to a new year, but the never-ending year God has for those who love Jesus Christ. And there, I will have no sorrows, only joy. I hope many others join me there.

ALL THINGS NEW

What was can never be again.
The landscape of the present day
is now the shadow on the wall
no matter how I bid it stay.

There's now no mother kiss to heal
my wounds, no father's arms to hold
me when I weep, no bouncing child
to keep my heart from growing cold.

My auburn strands of hair have turned
to gray. My skin, in years gone by,
so soft and smooth, now shows the lines
of years that passed just like a sigh.

If I could hold the reins of time
and from its endless journey free
the joy of moments past, then they
could always be a part of me.

Though not just joys, but sorrows too,
would never leave and never heal.
Perhaps what seems a glorious thought
would simply be a gross ordeal.

And yet inside of me, a part of me
yearns to never say goodbye
to mother, father, child, or friend,
as years are days that ceaseless fly.

The changing days are part of life
for blessings, sorrows, much or few,
until God stills the earthly clock,
and with one word makes all things new.

PRAY AND PRAISE

Christmas, God, God's deeds, hope, Jesus, joy, life, Praise, saying thanks, thankful, , , ,

Christmas is a glorious time to step aside every so often and meditate on Jesus’s coming so many years ago and now how he has a center in my life. So I bring my needs to him, but also my praises for what he has and will do. 

AS I PRAY

As I pray, I see your work
in others' lives and in my own.
So patiently I lift the needs
of those I love and of my own.

May you be praised in all our deeds
as we go forth in praising you,
living for your glory, Lord,
walking in your power, truth.

THE WORD WAS GOD

Christmas, death, God, Jesus, life, light, , , , , , , , , 
THE WORD WAS GOD

It was God who came that day
to live a life on earth.
No beginning, always God,
becoming man at birth.

It was God who left his throne
on high to wear our form,
coming down to give His peace
to quell sin's awful storm.

It was God who came to die
to spread on earth His light,
that we could walk with Him each day,
delivered from our plight.

May God give us the realization of what Christmas truly is.

Jesus, life, suffering, , , , ,


CANDLE OF HOPE
God’s candle blazes in the dark
among the shadows, cold and stark.
It sends its warmth against the chill
of death that lurks, waiting to kill
the seeking heart. But this bright light
draws close to seeking hearts with might
to fill with light where there is none.
It lights the way, bids seekers come
to find the kingdom of Jesus Lord
who fights the dark with Truth’s sword.
The dark dispelled, the light is cast,
God’s hand will hold the seeker fast.
2016

Life is never easy. About the time it settles down, something else happens.

Last December, I totaled my car and dealt with a sprained shoulder. My kind sister gave me her car, old and needing some repair, but got me around. After a couple months, for various reasons, I gave it to my daughter for her son. It wasn’t that I was ungrateful, but decided it was the best procedure for me. I asked my sister if it hurt that I gave away her gift to me. She said no, it had a good home.

Last June, I fell and sprained my right (I am right handed) wrist. It is hard even to write. At times it feels like it is healing, but the past couple weeks, it feels as if the healing has stalled.

The arthritis in my knee and hip have been acting up. I am grateful for the exercises I have. They help.

Now my kind sister tells me she has lymphoma. My baby sister. I lost my dad in 1978, my brother in 2012 (my younger brother) and my mom in 2014. My heart grieves for my baby sister as I pray for her healing.

So what do I do in the face of trials and suffering? It is easy to let the suffering get me down and honestly, at times it does. But I know God has a purpose for it. I live in a broken world. I reflect that Jesus came to a dark world, caught in the enemy’s grip to bring life. Jesus’s suffering gave life to those who embraced Him. Then He rose, and I see His promise to me is real. I am eternal being and He points me to life eternally in joy.

But how does that speak to my trials and suffering? Just as Jesus suffering brings comfort and life because He understands what I am feeling, so my suffering can help others experience life.  I wrote a poem book of my emotions on the deaths of my loved ones. As I give it to people who are experiencing loss of loved ones, they express how grateful they are. One lady said she knew I understood; I had been there. I see life birthing into people’s hearts through my understanding.

I see my own understanding grow when someone ministers to me through their trials as they put their arms around me and give me their love. Or even as I watch their lives and see how they deal with their situation.

It will never get better until Jesus returns and sets all things right, fulfilling His promises to His people. This time on earth seems long to us, but as I get older, I see how short it is. Then He will dry my tears and as I live with Him, I will be able to serve Him in joy.

Meanwhile, I take stock of my blessings and ask God to give me a grateful heart for His many gifts. Key to living through my sufferings.