Silence is as deep as eternity, speech as shallow as time.
It is the heart that always sees, before the head can see.
Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) was a Scottish-born essayist, historian, and philosopher. He was a leading writer of the Victorian era.
From 1 Timothy 3:16-17: “Without any doubt, the mystery of godliness is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.”
Receiving Father’s love
Heavenly provisions
Learning His trusted ways
Fulfilled with hope’s vision
Living with Father’s peace
Righteousness always leads
Blessing journey ahead
Strengthened with mercy’s seed
Seeking Father’s counsel
Daily conversation
Linking up through prayer
Rejected temptation
Fulfilling Father’s joy
Spirit nurtures each soul
Coming to Lord Jesus
Sanctified, faith made whole
Completing Father’s work
Upon His foundation
Accepting light’s guidance
Restored through salvation
From 1 Thessalonians 5:23: “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do this.”
From John 8:32: “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
Blessed land stretching from ocean to ocean
Spacious skies wink at fields of abundant grain
Framed in by towering, majestic mountains
God’s Grace covering the land like fruitful rain
Lady Liberty extends her message of hope
Calling out, only demanding to breathe free
Ensuring freedom for the huddled masses
Keeping her torch lite, from sea to shining sea
Asking God to mend a nation’s ills and flaws
Lifting praises up to the Father above
His glory be forever praised here below
Liberty and freedom shall ring, filled with love
Forgiving our nation’s errors and transgressions
Healing hearts of discord, peace now safeguarded
Leading this nation out of its dark wilderness
Remembering an old path, long discarded
Nation founded from scratch, with lasting vision
“All men are created equal” crying out
Endowed from the Creator, come certain rights
Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness shout
“America the Beautiful” is a beloved song. You are invited to listen to this familiar song, as sung by Lee Greenwood.
Originally published July, 2020.
Early morning moon
Leaving at sunrise
Life awakens above
Welcoming brightest blue skies
Heavens’ newest page
Sharing rested smile
Vision captures each scene
Unlocking Creator’s file
Light follows skyward
Landing at treetop
Canopy’s leafy look
Holding up every dewdrop
Clouds shift overhead
Fluffing each pillow
Onboard timeless sunset
Rising with every billow
Gentle breeze humming
Composing fresh tunes
Harmony’s precision
Sailing toward fullest moon
Although we may want our difficulties resolved immediately, what we really need is a bigger vision of God, not fewer problems.
From Jeremiah 32:17-18: “Ah Lord God! It is You who made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for You. You show steadfast love to the thousandth generation.”
Special Note: Sometimes my early morning time brings God’s Word into greater focus. This poem walks through a day filled with His vision.
Waking up early on a darkened, rainy day
Unable to walk, disrupting my morn with gray
Turning off the news, craving a necessary break
Immersing in other blogs, with their unique take
Sharing thoughtful comments, here and there
Always reminded, so many people truly care
This stubborn mind stores much, obsolete clutter
Causing my mature engine to cough and sputter
Life’s music sometimes offers a stimulating tune
Witnessing other perspectives, into an afternoon
Discovering positive discussions, comforting my mind
Challenging me to see, steps lead to future grace to find
Life’s lens sometimes fails, entirely clouded over
Like searching for a four-leaf, in a field of clover
As a culture, broadcasting anew from many landscapes
Exchanging ideas, opening our lens to exciting escapes
Our Lord, fashioning in us a curious intellect to wear
Stepping out, witnessing life as others wish to share
Reading God’s Word, helping to clear the murky view
Seeing life through His lens, aligning honest and true
Originally published March, 2020.
From Isaiah 55:9: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Hearing of His timeless grace
Who creates all living things
Following Father’s vision
Carried upon eagle’s wings
Thirsting for grace-filled water
Forgiveness delivers light
Returning to Father’s flock
Redemption’s bridge now in sight
Breaking every sin-filled chain
Truth offers love for new day
Seeing path to Father’s grace
Evil darkness sent away
Aligning grace with His Word
Purpose rises, Savior’s peace
Piloting with Father’s eyes
Hope rekindled with faith’s lease
From Ephesians 3:20-21: “Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.
There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.
Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932 at the age of 44, he was laid off from his business executive position because of the Great Depression’s economic downturn. This opened a door for his next career move as he pursued writing detective fiction novels.
The vision of God is the source of patience, because it imparts a moral inspiration.
From Habakkuk 2:3: “For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) was a Scottish evangelist and Christian teacher. Following his death from an illness while in Egypt during World War I, his wife took on the task of transcribing the detailed notes she had written from his lectures and sermons. Gertrude Hobbs Chambers’ efforts resulted in the publication in 1924 of MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST. I frequently read from this devotional, and it has greatly deepened my faith and understanding of God’s Word.
Nothing so clears the vision and lifts up the life, as a decision to move forward in what you know to be entirely the will of the Lord.
From Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
John Gibson Paton (1824-1907) was a Scottish-born Christian missionary who lived and served the Lord in the South Pacific.
Big Sky Buckeye 