OUR SOVEREIGN LORD
Ah, sovereign Lord,
you have made the heavens
and the earth by you great power
and outstretched arm.
Nothing is too had for you.
Jeremiah 32:17 (NIV)
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OUR SOVEREIGN LORD Ah, sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by you great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too had for you. Jeremiah 32:17 (NIV)
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SPIRITUAL POETRY Through the years, we have discovered that one of the most powerful sources of motivation in our lives has been inspirational or spiritual poetry. Rather than give you a long drawn out explanation or persuasive argument regarding the uplifting value of spiritual poetry, we will simply leave you with a few simple lines by one of our favorite Canadian authors, Anna Johnson Flint. "He giveth more grace when the burden grows greater, He sendeth more strength when the labors increase; To added afflictions, He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace." "When we have exhausted our store of endurance; When our strength has failed e'er the day is half done; When we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father's full giving is only begun." "His love has no limit; His grace has no measure; His power, no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth, and giveth again." (First published October 22, 2013) GREAT NEED O Lord, I am blind And cannot see Please have pity On a wretch like me O Lord, I am deaf And cannot hear The gentle words Of thy spirit, clear O Lord, I am lame And cannot run Away from the crowd To meet thy son O Lord, this day I have great need Of Thee Great need, Indeed (First published on August 2, 1981) THE GATES ARE OPEN WIDE 224 Wrote Charles Sorley... "The gates are open on the road that leads to beauty and to God." No walls, no matter how thick No fences, no matter how high No guards, no matter how many Can keep us encumbered or bound If our hearts are right with God. If our hearts are right with God Those walls become thresholds Those fences become rose trellises Those guards become our friends For no chains may fetter The upward bound soul God's gates are always open wide To all those who would enter in (First published on October 3, 1976) OOPS! Wrote Alexander Pope, "To err, is human, to forgive divine." Now, can you beat that. We always thought that line came straight out of Shakespeare. Oh well, "to err is..." as they say. Through the years, we have noticed a "slight" tendency on our part to rationalize, justify and forgive ourselves in areas of poor judgment and shoddy conduct. But, when it came to others, boy, could we lay it on the line when calling attention to their mistakes. Of late, however, we are becoming more conscious of the law of life which says that divine healing is often accomplished through human forgiveness. Thou, Oh Lord, who forgiveth us hourly, by thy grace, may we learn to forgive our fellowman, daily. (First Published on October 24, 2013) THE DOORKNOB Problems come, problems go May it ever be so A few days ago, some of my family members came over for Sunday dinner. The group included several grandchildren, ranging in age from four to eleven. Just before the crowd left, Maguire, our youngest grandson brought us our garage door doorknob. "Look Granny, doorknob broke." Suspicious me: I suspect there was a mighty tug of war on both sides of the door while someone was playing keep out, keep in. Later, my wife, Donna, and I, valiantly and painstakingly tried for almost an hour to put on a new doorknob. Alas, to no avail. A few days later, our oldest son, Bill(y) came by for a short visit. Just as he was about to dash out the door. I said, "Bill(y), do you know how to put a doorknob on?" "Yes," he replied. In less than five minutes, we had a workable doorknob in place. I've lived long enough now to suspect that we shall always have problems, for it is through problem solving that we learn and grow. I also suspect that every problem we have comes with a solution(s). And, it is up to us to find and apply the satisfactory solutions. Hail to the problems. I'm now ready for my next three. (Truth Be Told Disclaimer: My patience and my problems don't always get along too well together) (Written: October 23, 2013) . IT'S A TURVY-TOPSY WORLD I don't know about you, but lately, I have been feeling a bit ambivalent. Sometimes, I don't know whether I'm coming or going, even when I'm standing still. At least once a week, now, I have to ask my wife, "Donna, is it Friday or Saturday?" For the past nine months, I have sailed through this COVID-19 pandemic as though I were immune, untouchable, unprocurable. But, noting that President Trump and the First Lady had contracted the virus, it quickly dawned on me that there was the thin possibility that maybe I also could become infected. However, I intend to press forward, even if it is with an upside down backward swagger. And, even though I plan to walk around with a bag over my head and swallow my one a day vitamins three times a day, I still remain the proverbial optimist. It is possible at some future date, this present generation could be known as the "next to the greatest generation." For, they will have fought the good fight and defeated a world wide indominable foe. (Written on October 5, 2020. Published on October 6, 2020) GOODBYE TO SUMMER We ride the surf No more Nor dive beneath The breakers Nor tumble Toward the shore We leave behind The friendly sand crab To burrow in the soft, Silky sand All alone Rusty buckets And tiny toy shovels Gone for another season Good times Fun Times Gone But not forgotten FIRST CHONICLES 29:9 Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord... EDUCATION "Education," wrote Robert Frost, is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence." With this definition in mind, we wonder... How many parents or teachers are educated. Certainly, by Mr. Frost's definition, we often tend to be somewhat ignorant and ignoble. Would we make friends with others this day? Then, we must listen without condemnation, and without losing our temper. At the beginning of every new school year, thousands of educators attempt to define education. We suspect that any definition that omits the ability to listen with compassion shall shall remain inadequate. |
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