Blog Archives

THE NEW YEAR (1977)

12/31/2013

THE NEW YEAR (1977)

Wrote Benjamin Franklin, "Be at war
with your vices, at peace with your
neighbors, and let every New Year
find you a better man."

Ah, excellent advice from one of our
greatest founding fathers.

Once again, as we look back on the
old year just past, it would appear that
we were, once again, at peace with our
vices, at war with our neighbors, and
remained, for all practical purposes, the
same old, average, ordinary, mediocre
man.

Maybe that's one reason God keeps giving
us new years, new months, new days.
He knows that most of us are ever so slow
to listen, to learn or to love fully.

May this new year find each of us reaching
for, and travelling on, higher ground, so that
when we look back twelve months from now
we may say this was truly our best year.

(Disclaimer: when this article was first written
in 1977 we were just beginning to wander in
the wilderness, but now in 2014, we have been
living in the senior citizen shire for quite a few
years, and though our progress has always
been slow, we believe we are making some
progress upward and forward. (Well, okay,
sometimes, once in a while, maybe.))

Our hope lies in the new year to come!

MILES TO GO

12/28/2013

MILES TO GO

At wintertime, we have always enjoyed
reading these lines from the poet, Robert
Frost...

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep.

Recently, we rode through the countryside,
and with quiet awe enjoyed the felicity
of the whitened evergreens that bowed
gracefully low and greeted us as we
drove by. And as we did so, a familiar
scripture came to mind...

"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall
be white as snow; though they be red like
like crimson, they shall be white as snow."
(Isaiah 1:18)

With this scriptural verse in mind, let us
remember that we have promises to keep,
and miles to go before we sleep.

A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW 562

12/26/2013

  A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW 562

No matter how far we have travelled
                                 No matter how far we have roamed
                                  There's a light in the window that beckons
                                  Calling and guiding us home

                                  Sometimes during life's journey
                                  When misfortunes have laid us quite low
                                  'Tis only a light in the window
                                  That illumines our path with its glow

                                  We may wander astray if we wish to
                                   Down trails of pathos and sin
                                 But there'll still be a light in the window
                                   Lighting our path as a friend

                                  Oh, there's a light in the window that's shining
                                   It's shining for you and for me
                                   Placed there by the Lord of all lanterns
                                   For all, who would, to see

(First published on December 8, 2012)

GOD GIVE US MEN

12/26/2013

GOD GIVE US MEN

Many years ago, we read the poem
by Josiah Gilbert Holland, "God Give
Us Men." The first verse went like this...

"God give us men!
A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts
True faith and ready hands"
(The full poem was spoken by Richard
Todd in the movie, "A Man Called Peter")

In these perilous times, these qualities
are needed by us all.

We need...
Strong minds
That we might think straight
Great hearts
That we might be pure
True faith
That holiness might be our fate
Ready hands
That our nation might endure

God give us men and women true
God give us confidence in you
God give us strength to stand
God give us grace for this promised land

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2013

12/25/2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF OUR VISITORS
MAY YOU CONTINUE TO GROW IN GRACE AND LOVE
IN THE COMING YEAR

With love and caring, Bill and Donna Morgan

THAT STABLE IN THE WAY (1976)

12/24/2013

THAT STABLE IN THE WAY

  Many years ago
Even yesterday
When our world
Had crumbled
And we could not
Seem to see
The light of day
'Twas in our travels
We blindly stumbled
On that stable
In the way

We climbed down
   Off our mount
Called Pride
And Entered in
And knelt beside
A humble cradle
As the glory of
The Christ child
Filled that place
And there we met
Our Savior
Face to face

Although it seemed
Unusual at the time
We now realize
It was no accident
That an unseen power
Should guide our feet
Down a lonely street
That we might quietly
Kneel and pray
At the stable in the way

Come now dear friends
And journey with us
On this most joyous
And holy day
That your lives
May be changed
And your hearts
May be filled
With prayer
And praise
For that stable
In the way

OUT OF THE TUNNEL

12/20/2013

OUT OF THE TUNNEL

An unknown writer has written...

"Some of us may enter the light sooner
sooner than others. But we are all moving
towards it."

A train in a tunnel does not bring each
passenger at the same time out of darkness
into the light of day.

Those in the front part of the train are the
first to see the glimmer of light.
They leave the tunnel behind while their
fellow passengers are still in the dark.

But even while the train is in the tunnel
all are moving towards the light.

So all who have started on the journey
towards health of body and soul...may
reach their destination as long as they
continue toward the light.

Out of the tunnel
Into the light
Hello to sunshine
Goodbye to the night
Farewell to wrong doing
We cling to the right
Victory is ours
If we'll stay in the fight

YUCKERS

12/17/2013

YUCKERS

Once upon a time, a long time ago, as our
wife was leaving for the bank, our youngest
daughter, Heather, called out to her and
said, "Bring me some yuckers, Mommy."

Over the years, we've come to realize that
regardless of how old we become, we never
outgrow our need for "yuckers."

Oh, we may change the label to "a pat on the
back," "respect," "attention," or a "warm fuzzy,"
But, they all essentially mean the same thing:
"notice me, I am important."

Every person cries out through his words and
actions for that recognition and praise which
only you or I may be able to give them.

Life may not always be a bowl of cherries, but
if we're willing to uplift our neighbors with our
love and attention, perhaps we shall one day
hear them exclaim with childlike faith...

"Life is just a bowl of yuckers."

GRATITUDE

12/17/2013

GRATITUDE

We read a good thought the
other day by Connie Connolly...
"Gratitude can change our attitude."

We have noticed that there is,
in many of us, a tendency to complain
or grumble at every closed door or
problem that comes our way.

We are fortunate, especially here
in America, that our blessings have
not been poured out upon us in direct
proportion to our giving of thanks to
God, else we should be poor indeed.

In this season of thanksgiving and
Christmas holiday cheer, let us be
thankful for family and friends, for
our God and our country. Let us not
take our life for granted, but live our
life joyfully, with gratitude.

THE OLD HAT TRICK

12/14/2013

THE OLD HAT TRICK

Fred Bauer once wrote...

"How naive to believe that God
only pulls for good guys in white hats.
How doubly naive to believe your hat
is all white."

Now, we've known for some time that
our hat has not always been white. In
fact, all too often it has been a dingy,
dirty black, and has continually needed
a good cleaning.

Up until the past few years, we were of
the erroneous opinion that God really
loved the good guys in the white hats,
and had no liking for the bad guys in the
black hats.

Every day now though, He is teaching us
that he loves us in our present condition.
Yes, he wants us to be better, to greatly
improve, but He absolutely loves us where
we are.

As we release ourselves to Him, His love
continues to lift us to where He is.

His is the fifth symphony of love and power.
Hi, ho, Silver, away.