Blog Archives

ISAIAH 40:25,28,29,30,31

7/28/2018

     ISAIAH 40:25,28,29,30,31

To whom then will ye liken me,
(Saith the Lord, or to whom)
  shall I be equal, saith the Holy One

  Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard,
that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator
  of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,
  neither is (he) weary

  There is no searching of his understanding
  He giveth power to the faint

And to them that have no might,
he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
and the young men shall utterly fall

      But, they that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles
they shall run, and not be weary
and walk, and not faint.

COOKING BUTTER

7/24/2018

     COOKING BUTTER

The other evening, we asked our
oldest daughter, Tammy (almost eleven)
to get some butter out of the refrigerator.
(Actually, it was margarine, but anything
yellow, outside of lemon or a banana...
we call it butter.)

She was not able to find any. At least, she
couldn't find any in the squatty plastic container
still sitting in the 'fridge.

Then we spotted a box of one-pound sticks
of "butter."

"Here's some, lets use these," said we.
"Daddy, that's cooking butter. That's
what Mommy uses for cooking."

Well, Donna and I had a good laugh
over that. It let us know we were born
before the age of plastic.

In just a few short years, Tammy will
be wanting to drive the car. Can you
imagine us trying to explain what a
clutch was?

(First published on September 28, 1978,
#532.
Some revising done on on July 24, 2018)

ISAIAH 40:21,22,23

7/21/2018

   ISAIAH 40:21,22,23

Have ye not known
Have ye not heard
Hath it not been told you
from the beginning
Have ye not understoodt
from the foundations
of the earth

It is he that sitteth upon the circle
of the earth
And the inhabitants thereof are
as grasshoppers

(It is he ) that stretcheth out the heavens
as a curtain
and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in

   (It is he) that bringeth the princes to nothing
He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity

MARBLE MONUMENTS 156

7/15/2018

      MARBLE MONUMENTS 156 15 APRIL 1976

Wrote Benjamin Franklin...

"Write injuries in the dust,
benefits in marble."

To the dust we bequeth...
Every slight received
Every act that sowed ill feelings
Every thought that dragged us down

To marble we shall inscribe...

Every warm hug from our family
Every encouraging word from our friends
Every act of kindness received
Every blessing from God on high

Blow away old dust
As quickly as you can
Let our monuments of marble
Continue to shine

(Published on 4.15.1976 #156,
with revisions on 7.16. 2018)

ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS' NAME 531

7/15/2018

   ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS' NAME

A few Sundays ago, we were listening
to the radio, and the words of a familiar
hymn, learned in our boyhood, majestically
came over the air waves...

"All hail the power of Jesus' name
Let angels prostrate fall
bring forth the royal diadem
and crown him
Lord of all"*

In our trials and tribulations, there is
a name and a power that transcends
them all. The name and power of...Jesus

In Him we live and overcome
Without him there is only
death and defeat
With Jesus Christ there is
Resurrection and eternal life

Over time to many of us have learned
to use his name in a casual, careless,
derogatory way

Perhaps it would be better if we learned
to use Jesus' name in a more glorious,
magnificent way, that we might receive
victory over our enemies...without and
within

*Lyrics written by Edward Perronet (1790)
Tune written by Oliver Holden

(First published on September 26, 1978 #531.
Some revisions made on July 15,2018)

ISAIAH 40:17,18,19,20

7/15/2018

ISAIAH 40:17,18,19,20

   All nations before him (God) are as nothing;
and they are counted to him less
  than nothing, and vanity

   To whom then will ye liken God?
   or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

The workman melteth a graven image,
and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold,
and casteth silver chains.

He that is so impoverished (so poor) that he
hath no oblation (no offering), chooseth a tree
that will not rot; he seeketh unto him
a cunning workman to prepare a graven image
that shall not be moved

PENNIES ON THE TRACK

7/15/2018

PENNIES ON THE TRACK        
                                        
We've traveled down, oh many times
                                             To the railroad tracks
                                             And laid our pennies there
                                             Just Pop and me

                                             We've heard the mournful whistle howl
                                             As the train creaked clackily
                                             Down the rails
                                             And flattened out our pennies
                                             Into memories long ago

                                            And now our children have experienced 
                                            This same sweet joy and excitement
                                            Of boxcars passing o'er 
                                            And bending slow
                                            And moving on 
                                            Into eternity 

LAST CHANCE

7/15/2018

   LAST CHANCE

                                        "Marriage, wrote Joseph Barth, "is
                                        our last, best chance to grow up.
                                        And, in fact, many of us don't even
                                      begin to grow up until long after we've
                                        left the alter.
                                       For it is in and through marriage that
                                        we learn...

                                        The art of give and forgive
                                        The art of live and let live
                                        The art of sacrifice
                                       The art of being nice
                                      The art of sincere prayer
                                        The art of being overly fair
                                        The art of giving in and letting go
                                        The art of permitting love to flow

                                        Marriages really never fail...
                                     People are the ones that fail
  to grow, when given their
best chance

(First published on February 8, 1976,
  #130 with some revisions on July 3, 2018)

ISAIAH 40:13,14,15

7/5/2018

ISAIAH 40:13,14,15

Who hath directed the Spirit
of the Lord, or being his counsellor
hath taught him

With whom took he counsel
and who instructed him,
and taught him in the path
of judgment, and taught him
knowledge,
and shewed to him
the way of understanding

Behold, the nations are a drop
in a bucket
and are counted as the small dust
of the balance
Behold, he taketh up the isles
as a very little thing

AMERICA (1975) 28

7/5/2018

   AMERICA (1975)

                                America...We've just have to sing
                                of you...
                                of your high mountain peaks
                                of your silken shining shores
                                of your fertile verdant valleys
                                of your steeples tall
                                of your children small...and
                                trusting

Never in the history of mankind has
                                any nation ever given so much
                                of her wealth...and of her self...
                                to others

                               Let church bells chime
                                Let poets rhyme
                                At this Centennial time
                                Let us give thanks
                                With words sublime
                                For America...our God-given,
                                Native clime
                                (First published on June 8, 1975 #28)

Note: My paternal grandparents
legally immigrated to the United States
just prior to the beginning of the 20th
century. I am glad they did. I also know
that I can write these lines because other
men and women sacrificed their lives
for their country, for you, and for me.
Therefore, you will never see me disrespecting
the American flag or the National Anthem.

There will be no bended knee by me.
I shall stand tall and proud that I am
a citizen of the United States of America.
(Written on February 3, 2018)