Blog Archives

SIGNALS

10/28/2016

   SIGNALS

In this emotional world in which we live,
   we do not have to wait too long before
   we personally experience the emotions
   of fear, anger, worry, or frustration.

Quite often these emotional traits are
labeled sins, and many of us spend our
lives fruitlessly trying to overcome them.

   Perhaps we would be better off if we
   perceived these traits as signals rather
   sins.

   Signals that tell us that we are depending
too much on ourselves and not enough
on God.

   Signals that tell us that perhaps we might
     be better off if we increased our scripture
     reading, or our private prayer time.

We live in world of signals. And these
emotional signals just might be an
indication that we could stand a closer
   walk and talk with our Heavenly Father.

PSALM 119 MEM:97,100,101,103

10/28/2016

   PSALM 119 MEM:97,100,101,103

   O how I love thy law
It is my meditation all the day

   I understand more than the ancients
because I keep thy precepts

   I have refrained my feet
from every evil way
that I might keep
thy word

How sweet are thy words
unto my taste
Yea, sweeter than honey
to my mouth

HOLDING THE BAG

10/28/2016

     HOLDING THE BAG

A few Monday mornings ago while riding
   to work with our wife, Donna, and our four kids,
   we noticed an open box of lunch bags on the car
      seat.
  "Honey," we said, what are those lunch bags
   doing here?"
"I've got to take these back. When I was fixing
   your lunch this morning, the sandwiches fell
   through the bottom."
   "I thought your cheese sandwiches were getting
   a little heavy."
   "Be serious, the bags just didn't have any bottoms
   to them."
   As we rode to school, to drop off the kids, we thought
      to ourselves...
   "At times we are quite like those defective plastic bags
"We go to church on Sunday, and by Monday night,
   any spiritual meat we might have enveloped has
   dropped from our remembrance, and we are simply
   left holding the bag."

   (Written in 1978)

THE ART OF BEGINNING AGAIN

10/27/2016

   There's an art in painting
There's an art in printing
There's an art in skiing
There's an art in seeing
There's an art in everything we do
But, one of the great arts
                                                              Is the art of beginning again

                                                     Every morning, cloudy or clear
                                                     The sun does come up again
                                                     And it is in fact, a new day, every day
                                                     A new day in which new goals may be set
                                                     And old failures forgotten

                                                     Tis an art, this beginning again
                                                     To forget and forgive the past
                                                     To remember no more
                                                     The hurt and the pain
                                                     Caused by the torment and sorrow
                                                     Of yesterday's rain

                                                     Oh, my soul, stoop no more
                                                     Raise up mine eyes to the skies
                                                     Hope lies on the horizon
                                                     Of the sun's golden rays
                                                     Today, we'll begin once more

(Written in 1978)

SOFT ANSWERS

10/22/2016

         SOFT ANSWERS

      "The meek are those who give soft answers
to rough questions." (Author unknown)
Private, uninterrupted prayers softly spoken,
often produce soft answers.

Reading the Scriptures, visualizing their historical
and social content, pondering their connotative as
well as denotative meanings, opening their interpretations
to the Spirit...creates within us... soft answers.

Praising the Lord for our every circumstance,
passing on thoughts and words of love to those we deem
  as unlovable...These open the door to soft answers.

In sum...there are no rough questions that soft
answers cannot overcome.

A soft answer turneth away wrath...and roughness.

BE WITH US THEN

10/21/2016

    BE WITH US THEN

                                        Sometimes our heart grows weak and weary
                                        Sometimes our days seem dark and dreary
                                        In those times when things go wrong
                                        The blue bird's gone, there is no song
                                        Be with us then, Lord
                                        Be with us then

                                        When our faith's been torn asunder
                                        Foolish doubts try dragging us under
                                        When old friends have passed away
                                        And all our hopes have gone astray
                                        Be with us then, Lord
                                        Be with us then

                                        Regardless of the rough terrain
                                        Let love remain as our refrain
                                        Walk beside us, be our friend
                                        And even at our journey's end
                                        Be with us then, Lord
                                        Be with us then

   (Written in 1978)

PSALM 119 LAMED:89,90,92,93,96

10/21/2016

    PSALM 119 LAMED:89,90,92,93,96

Forever, O Lord, thy word
is settled in heaven

   Thy faithfulness is unto all generations
Thou hast established the earth
and it abideth

Unless thy law hath been my delight,
I should have perished in my afflection

I will never forget thy precepts
for with them, thou hast quickened me

   I have seen an end of all perfection
   but thy commandment is exceedingly
   broad

BEYOND OURSELVES

10/14/2016

   BEYOND OURSELVES

   O Lord
Help us
                                                To move out
                                                Beyond ourselves
                                                Away from the spotlight
                                                And center stage
                                                Into the shadows
                                                Of humanity

                                                You know how far
                                                We have to travel still
                                                To get beyond
                                                Our own periphery

                                                Let us
                                                Be unafraid
                                                To travel on
                                                To thy trajectory

                                               And become
                                                A reflection
                                               Of thy own

PSALM 119 CAPH:81,83,88

10/14/2016

  PSALM 119 CAPH:81,83,88

My soul fainteth for thy salvation
   but I hope in thy word

   For I have become
   like a bottle in the smoke
yet do I not forget
   thy statutes

Quicken me after thy loving kindness
so shall I keep the testimony
   of thy mouth

THE NEW TESTAMENT

10/8/2016

  THE NEW TESTAMENT

We have read many books in our lifetime,
and a few we have read more than once.
   But, there is one book, that continues to
beckon us back to its pages. It is ... The
   New Testament.

   This anthology of writers does for us what
few other collection of books can do...

   It can mend our hearts
It can change our direction
   It can refresh our minds
   It can invigorate our souls

The New Testament...We firmly believe that
   if a person were to this book completely
through, just one time, his life would be
changed for the better.

   We encourage you to read The New Testament.
   It can revolutionize your life.