You live up–or down–to your expectations.
From Psalm 90:17: “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!”
Lou Holtz Quote
9
Grace Taking Root
From John 1:16-17: “From His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Best and worst of times
God’s grace always chimes
Loving and caring
Promises bearing
God remains at hand
Faith and hope shall stand
Seeking empty hearts
Molding time’s restart
Life’s melody plays
Offer Him our praise
God’s grace taking root
Peace filling love’s flute
Gloom and doom appear
Allow Him to steer
God’s love shows He cares
Guiding day’s affairs
Hope’s beacon awaits
In His hands, our fate
Witness as His child
Life no longer wild
Forgiveness and love
Shared from God above
God’s grace shapes life’s frame
Praise His Holy name
From Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
This poem is inspired from some past entries in my “Take-Aways” journal. Each entry is based upon something read and studied in a morning devotional.
Oswald Chambers Quote
We can never fathom the agony . . . Gethsemane and Calvary stand for something unique; they are the gateway into Life for us.
From Matthew 26:36-38: “Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then He said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.'”
Spring Calls
Winds no longer blow
From cold Arctic ice
Snow stays far to north
Winter pays her price
Days growing longer
Nature now smiling
Winter’s time shall pass
Spring begins dialing
Nature’s busy tone
Some days, springtime halts
Hibernation plays
Winter’s final waltz
Trees wait with patience
Soon nature will green
Sun replacing clouds
Spring’s finest cuisine
Seasons come and go
Nature makes her call
Time for winter’s end
Spring’s voice now enthralls
Charles Swindoll Quote
Harmonious partnerships are the result of hard work; they never “just happen.” The “hard work” also includes giving just as much as taking. In one word it means being “unselfish.”
From 1 Corinthians 13:4-6: “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.”
Our Lord’s Promises (Haiku Series #124)
Each Day
Daily decisions
God, teach us to trust and love—
Walking in balance
Follow
Grasp His Salvation
Can you hear the Lord calling?
Accepting His grace
Fulfillment
Father Abraham
Trusting God with faithfulness—
Promises answered
Martin Luther Quote
A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.
From 1 Corinthians 9:19: “For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them.”
Monday Memories: Love Conquers
This re-edited poem, written in July, 2019, features an effortless style. The verses are structured with simplicity because this should be how love exists . . . simple and pure!
Love Conquers
Finding its way
With words to say
Boundless and rich
Love conquers
Despite distances great
Unlocking its fate
With faithful hope
Love conquers
Awakens each morn
Feels like being reborn
Lasts and lasts
Love conquers
Between two hearts
Eager for new start
Together at last
Love conquers
Each special day
Adventure comes our way
Exciting and endless
Love conquers
Thoughts to savor
Bringing each a favor
As sunrise arrives
Love conquers
Arriving without sound
Loving actions abound
Every special moment
Love conquers
Forgetting life’s past
Bringing smiles to last
Faithful and forgiving
Love conquers
God’s at hand
Footprints in the sand
Reigns into Eternity
James A. Baldwin Quotes
Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.
For nothing is fixed, forever and forever, it is not fixed; the earth is always shifting, the light is always changing, the sea does not cease to grind down rock.
American-born James A. Baldwin (1924-1987) wrote a variety of works in novels, essays, short stories, and plays. He was also an active participant in the civil rights movement during the 1960s.
Dwelling Within
From John 14:10-11: “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does His works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.”
Lord’s tree of life, saving us
Son of Man, bearing our flesh
Each morning, rising with us
Faith, hope, and love shall refresh
In His death, life be reborn
Like faithful rivers, love flows
Christ’s awesome mystery breathes
From darkened tomb, Jesus rose
Heavenly truth speaks, let’s hear
Love transforms through acts and words
Both mirror journey of Christ
His message, no longer blurred
Christ leading, we will follow
Always near, dwelling within
His hand steadies stumbling steps
Salvation forgiving sin
Much of this poem is inspired by the hymn “Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery,” which is part of a morning devotional I regularly read and study.
