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
                                         
                                                               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
 
                                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)
                                
                                
  

                                                                                   
                                                                                   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)

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                                                                                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

                                        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)
 
                                                                  

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                                                         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

                                                                               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

                                       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

                                      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.
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