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A BACKWARD GLANCE WHILE LOOKING FORWARS The mountains are full of snow The ground is blotchy tho' Now that the year is almost gone I wonder where I shall go In the new, new year ahead Will I be rich or shall be poor I'm really not that sure Will I again be racked with pain What a year this has been Will I have to see it once again Or shall past remain the past What shall the future yet unfold Only time shall tell, as it always will (Written on December 31. 2020)
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NEVER MIND THE STORMS 638 We recently saw a bookmarker with these words printed at the top, "Never mind the storms." Below this inscription was a beautiful canyon scene with myriad shades of brown and black with white and misty pinks and purples on a narrow opening of a canyon gorge. And, down at the bottom of the depths of the small gorge languished a soft colorful rainbow. Never mind the storms. They will pass. They always have. They always will. And the Maker of Rainbows will will remain with us as a trusted friend, like a brother committed to our well being and safe keeping, now and always. (First published on June 30, 1979) Merry (tough year) Christmas
and a Happy Hopeful Grace filled Faithful New Year (2021) to you all from: Bill and Donna (morganofriverton.com) "the Open Road" AT THE ALTER 228 Have you got burdens that bother Have you got troubles and woe Give them to your Master and Savior Just drop them at the alter and go With a heart that's filled with mercy Jesus is looking for you He knows all your faults and follies Now there's only one thing to do Drop your sins at the alter Your years in battle with strife Come, take the hand of your Master Let Jesus be Lord of your life Go, go in peace Go in peace, sin no more Go, go in peace And sin no more (Frist published on October 17, 1976) THE MASTER CRAFTSMAN Near the close of summer, we are did a bit of remodeling in our home, patching ceilings filling cracks, and painting walls, At first, it seemed as though we would never finish. And yet, as each day progressed, we could see further progress, and this gave us hope that we might eventually finish our tasks, which after a few weeks we actually did. That's the way it is in our personal lives. At some point in our lives we realized that we need a refurbishing. Damage, to our soul, due to lack of concern and care, had taken its toll through the years, and the task of renovating called for the skills of the Master Craftsman. We needed to have Him restore our soul. It was obvious that we badly needed Him to be our interior decorator. We were greatly in need of repairs. Because of the material he has had to work with, progress has been slower than we would have desired. We often become impatient with Him. We so often have wanted immediate results. We have wanted the job done yesterday. But, we are learning to be still and trust and have faith in Him. And, we are confident that the results shall one day be grand. They always are when the builder's tools are wielded by the hand of the Master Craftsman. (First published on November 15, 2012) 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 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 FUTURE CONCERNS "We should all be concerned," wrote Chrales Kettering, "about the future because we will have to spend the rest of our lives there." Perhaps the reason most of us may wind up being ill equipped to live in the future is that we spend too much time squandering the present and fretting about the past. Can we not see that our present thoughts quite often determine our future actions. And, we cannot escape our future anymore than we can ignore the present or deny the past. We would speak well of the past, for it is by remembering the past that we become educated. We would applaud the present moment, for only in the present moment does any action take place. We would extol the virtues of the future, for the future permits us to dream, to envision, to hope and to plan. Without the future, there could be no past, and our present would be shallow indeed. FAITH IN GOD AWARD 643 Recently our son, Billy, and on of his friends, Charley Grogan, earned and received a Cub Scout "Faith in God" award by fulfilling certain church duties and requirements. While basking in the natural pride parents should have on such an occasion, we also reflected on the possibility of one day having to stand before God and declaring whether we would be worthy of a "Faith in God" award. We suspect that many of us who claim to be Christians have staked our lives on our own weak abilities much more than in God's capabilities...trusting much more in our own finite frailties and much less in God's infinite power and wisdom. Faith in God...Perhaps we all have sufficient for our needs...We simply need to utilize and exhibit what we have. LIBERTY 642 "Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." (Leviticus 20:10) Liberty give us the privilege to boo the the umpire...even when he's right. Liberty permits us to travel from town to town and state to state...without unwarranted search or seizure. Liberty lets us all call the president a crook...and boot him out of office if he is one. Liberty provides us with the oportunity to achieve and become what we will...sol long as we do not infringe upon the rights of others. "Life, liberty and the pursuit if happiness"...But the greatest of these...is liberty. (First published July 10, 1979) COVID-19 AND I (ME, YOU, WE, US, THEM)... and all the ships at sea. (Okay, forget the ships, we'll talk about them, next time.) Actually, I don't know, at this time, where this article is going or how it will eventually end. (Sounds like the coronavirus followed by the experts, doesn't it. It is obvious, that this article has been written in a light vein, while paying little attention to the darkness felt by the hundreds of thousands who have lost family members and loved ones the past ten months. Awareness of sicknesses and deaths have hardly been noticed by my family in spite of the fact that five friends, one close relative, and one lovable cat (J.J.) have all passed away in 2020. And, not one of them contracted or died from the coronavirus. Where will we be three months or a year from now? I have no idea. But, we will keep our eyes and ears open and let you know what is happening, from time to time. BM (Written and published on December 13, 2020) |
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