Books are a form of political action. Books are knowledge. Books are reflection. Books change your mind.
Let your face speak what’s in your heart.
Ohio-born Toni Morrison (1931-2019) experienced the ultimate tributes given any novelist when she received the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her ground-breaking novel BELOVED and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Her many awards and published works were a testament to her gifts as a writer.
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From Psalm 16:11: “You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
God dwells on a Holy hill
Pursuing those hungry, for His will
Away from God, we are forlorn
Seeking refuge, asking to be reborn
Our Lord is a most Holy God
Bringing blessings and love, He nods
He brings delight, for another week
Filling cups with refreshment, we seek
At night, He calms our hearts
Giving wise counsel, new day starts
God remains near, always beside us
Walking patiently, without a big fuss
He stays close, offering His hand
Facing our challenges, across this land
God fills hearts, with joyful gladness
We sing and rejoice, without sadness
Our prayers seek a willing ear
Finding a Holy God, without fear
Our footing will never slip away
Walking a safe path, God’s way
God hears our words and prayers
Sending answers, because He truly cares
Under the shadow of God’s wings
Protecting us, safe refuge He brings
My worth to God in public is what I am in private. Is my master ambition to please Him and be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how humble.
From 2 Corinthians 5:6-9: “So we are always confident, even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him.
The true believer can no more live without prayer, than without food day by day.
From Luke 6:12: “Now during those days He [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.”
George Whitefield (1714-1770) was an English-born pastor and Christian evangelist. He spent the second half of his life in the American colonies.
Away from the front page, consider the Sunday newspaper to be a delightful connection to the rest of the world. It is refreshing to read about life as so many others see it. Enjoy!
Creating garden’s diverse retreat
Forsaking traditional green lawn
Flora and fauna’s pulsating beat
Feeling awesome, eighty-nine years old
Singing one hit after another
Willie Nelson’s music grabs ahold
Discovering lighthouse, flower farms
Visiting enchantment’s sweet magic
Lake Michigan showcasing her charms
Keeping scientists up every night
Suggesting many snooze like humans
Will spiders finally sleep tonight?
Passing up snail mail without delay
Recalling technology’s lightning
Telegraph launches high-speed gateway
Sharing another public witness
Imitating Jesus Christ’s footsteps
Sidewalk evangelism’s eyewitness
There is always light. Only if we are brave enough to see it.
Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.
Amanda Gorman (born 1998) is an American poet and activist. She is the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate.
From Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Darkest valleys approach
Spirit walks within thee
Holding fast to one’s faith
Quieting stormy seas
God’s presence always breathes
Evil’s shadow will flee
Lighting path to follow
Building trust, setting free
Truth in Christ’s promises
In heaven and on earth
Hearing His divine Word
Bringing grace, life’s new birth
Righteousness dwells in heart
Never be left alone
Blessing seeds of mercy
Reaping what God has sown
From Matthew 28:20: “And teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.
From Luke 22:39-41: “He came out and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When He reached the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’ Then He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed.”
Sweating with every footstep
Laboring muscles whisper
“Quitting now?”—never happen
Eyeing lasting prize ahead
Trusting in life’s conviction
Traveling onward, upward
Adopting new direction
Leaving unhappiness for good
Finding courage, gaining strength
Leaving past of long ago
Conquering another day
Surviving for tomorrow
Escaping darkest valley
Scaling destiny’s mountain
Climbing with perseverance
Reaching its lofty summit
Overwhelming ecstasy
Believing, pressing forward
Looking ahead to next test
Seeking another challenge
Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.
No man can cause more grief than that one clinging blindly to the vices of his ancestors.
William Faulkner (1897-1962) was an American writer of novels and short stories. Much of his writing is set in the state of Mississippi where he lived most of his entire life. His writings were highly recognized as he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949 as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1955 and 1963.
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