1/13/19 Through 1/19/19

1/13/19 Through 1/19/19

Sunday

That day He cleansed what water flows

Between the banks that Jordan knows

Forever holy found is thee,

Which flows from Sea of Galilee.

And flow it must, if life be found

In trees that flourish all around.

For when it fails new life to spread,

What's left are waters, simply dead.

So too the baptized life must be

A vessel clean and flowing free.

To water well the thirsty earth,

And spread the gifts of our new birth.

Monday

Come follow Me, the call of Christ,

Who's invitation seems high priced.

Abandon nets that feed you well,

And listen to the words I tell.

Those nets can just, your belly fill

But if with me, you just be still,

I'll fill your heart and satisfy.

Then grace, in you, I'll amplify.

Tuesday

Such humility unknown

As by the Lord of Lords was shown

To condescend to human form

That men could sinful lives reform.

To show the pow'r of love prevails

Where haughtiness and malice fails.

To bring forgiveness of our sin

And teach us love, to welcome in.

Wednesday

The healing He desires to give

Would teach the multitudes to live

In faith and total trust each day,

And follow on the narrow way.

All sickness that assails my heart

Would fade away and then depart,

If in His presence I would call,

Upon His grace to stop my fall.

Thursday

Blessed are those along the way

Who learn to listen and obey.

Who harden not their sinful hearts,

But learn to love what grace imparts.

For those who turn disdainful eye

To simple words for living by

May never know the promised land

Of love and peace that God has planned.

Their casual defiance of 

His call for self-restraint

Is really just rejecting love,

And choosing that which aint.

Friday

Four friends whose faith was strong that day

Would carry him along the way.

They found no way to get him in, 

Nor thought his need, forgiven sin.

So through the roof they let him down

Before the Lord, and then they found

A controversy taking place

O're blasphemy, or holy grace.

But when He made it plain to see,

The Son of Man's authority

Was that of God's in flesh below,

One stood and grabbed his mat to go.

The crowd astounded, glorified!

Yet one stood there just horrified.  

While all were giddy and aloof,

He wondered, who would fix the roof?

Saturday

Grace will come when need arises

Wisdom, font of love advises.

In obedience, Christ amassing

Grace on grace with love surpassing.

To the ones who hear His voice

He grants the grace to make a choice,

To follow Him in ways unknown

Until we find our final home.

1/6/19 Through 1/12/19

1/6/19 Through 1/12/19

Sunday

If answered well when ere He calls

The grace of wisdom then befalls

The docile and the pliant one

Who comes to greet the newborn Son.

But wicked and defiant men

Who plot their evil once again

Are filled with pow'r and yet afraid

Of just a little newborn babe.

Monday

In darkest valley light has dawned

And all are called now to respond

Repent!, for now is close at hand

The day, at last, the Father planned.

The love unlike we ever knew

Would cure the blind and crippled too.

The call went out to all the land,

Behold redemption near at hand!

Tuesday

Love is not mere tolerance,

Or spoken words of elegance

Not dutiful endurance

Or gifts of great expense.

All of love that I have known

Is superficial, time has shown.

For self has kept to self the time,

That should be spent in making rhyme.

Wednesday

Imperfect in love because of my fear,

Unable to love the one I hold dear.

Unwilling to give whatever it takes,

Now shown as one of my biggest mistakes.

So where do I go from this awful place,

In hope to again receive the embrace?

Pray for perfection of this sinful soul

In hope, one day, that it be made whole.

Thursday

Love so little understood

By one purporting to be good.

The stamina found lacking where

Reciprocation is quite rare.

The holy ones could pass the test,

But what about the average rest,

Who long for consolation known,

But only find indifference shown?

If love is truly their desire,

They must accept the holy fire

To burn away the sinful dross,

And count such gain as only loss.

For love is not conditioned on

 The pleasure once, that now is gone.

True satisfaction only comes

To persevering, holy ones.

Friday

A sickness fills the body now,

That must be cleansed and purged somehow.

So bowing low, and bending knee

I ask if He would set me free.

A weak and weary man am I,

Whose looks for other folks belie,

A man of appetites untamed, 

Who begs the Lord to be unchained.

Saturday

Be on guard against the idol.

Know the One whose word is true.

Make His love, your passion's bridle.

Let His love increase in you.

When no longer I am needed

As a prophet for the King

When the ground is firmly seeded,

Christ will come and healing bring.

He must increase, I must decrease,

So the world can plainly see,

I am but a simple mouthpiece,

He, the King to set you free.

12/30/18 Through 1/5/19

12/30/18 Through 1/5/19

Sunday

The family forms the basic cell

Of culture and the world as well.

Societies are said to be

Reflections of the family.

So look around and see its true,

There's quite a lot of work to do,

If we would like a culture free

Of evil and iniquity.

So turn again and start today

To change the world in some small way

A well-completed daily chore

Could be the key we're looking for.

Monday

Before there was, there was I AM.

He came not for, the world to damn.

But came for life, that it be filled,

As first the Father's thought had willed.

Along with John we testify

He's not some prophet passing by,

But light, true light, that shows to all

The wonderous nature of their call.

Tuesday

A heart that ponders all He does

The heart of Mary always was.

And so she found the Father's will

Whose every wish she follows still.

We too could glimpse the Father's mind

If we became the pond'ring kind

And ruminated on the Word

Then acted on the voice we heard.

The key to hearing well His word

Is acting on each one we've heard.

For each is like a stair that brings

Us closer to the King of kings.

But if we hear and don't obey

It's like we stop along the way.

Then back again begin to slide

As we again succumb to pride.

Wednesday

We he comes, the Savior named

How could I help, but not be shamed,

To see the One who died for me

That came in such humility?

Our God who took on human form,

When in the lowly stable born.

The maker of the universe,

In flesh, took on the human curse.

And broke the chains that bind us in

Our lives of selfishness and sin,

To set us free in love to know

What God intended long ago.

Thursday

If John had testified so clear

Why is it then, they did not hear?

Why listen and then circumvent

The clear and simple call, repent?

Our hope lies not in righteousness

But in our will to now confess

Our wickedness and haughty crimes,

Committed now so many times.

No hope is found in hanging on

To that in me that should be gone,

But hope is found in One who came

To shoulder all our sinful blame.

Friday

Behold the Lamb of God

Corrects in us what's flawed

So you must come and see

The gifts He has for thee.

No sinner can enjoy

The gifts that we employ

But come, and you will see

The gifts he has for thee

And bring the ones you know,

To them, Messiah show

For they must also see

The gifts He has for thee.

Saturday

The way to know love is to look at the cross

Creator of all, counting all as but loss.

Esteem of the soul far surpassing all things

Through passion and death, to salvation, He brings.

What are we to know, but to love all we can,

And to humble ourselves to fulfill His great plan.

He works through the lowly, with love as their goal,

To guide, and to teach us just how to be whole.

12/23/18 Through 12/29/18

12/23/18 Through 12/29/18

Sunday
Fourth Sunday of Advent - Mary visits Elizabeth

There within the waters warm

Before I saw the light of morn

I heard the voice of one so sweet

Who traveled to my mother greet.

And then a presence strong and bold

I felt within my heart take hold.

For there within the womb I leapt

As all through me the Spirit swept.

Monday
Christmas Eve

The chains of sin, on earth, once loosed

Have every man, in time, seduced,

And bound him with their lust and greed

Creating such a Savior's need.

A helpless babe in stable born

To Mary on that Christmas morn.

Warmed by breath of ox and ass,

As starry hours of night would pass.

Our Savior humbly came to be,

That man might come to plainly see,

What satisfies the empty heart,

Is love that freely we impart.

Such love that every eye could see,

Reflecting pure humility,

That God should love each wretched one,

By sending us His precious Son.

Tuesday - Christmas Day

(This can be sung to the tune of  "Lo How a Rose Ere Blooming"

Amidst the cold of winter, 

The warmth of love arrives.

Our selfishness to splinter,

And change our sinful lives.

Humility unknown.

Before our blessed Savior,

Took manger as His throne.

There shepherds came to worship,

This King the angels hailed.

Before the swaddled baby,

All other lights are paled.

Our God in flesh behold.

With ox and ass to warm Him,

And save Him from the cold.

Wednesday
Feast of St. Stephen

Confound the enemy with love

And draw your strength from God above.

No weapon here on earth can stand

If we would love as God had planned.

Each act of love will blaze a path

Away from selfishness and wrath

And toward a place of peace and joy

If we, this strategy, employ.

Thursday
Feast of St. John the evangelist

Incarnate in flesh, yet incredibly true,

Our God came for people like me and like you.

He dwelt on the earth, and we heard and we saw,

Great wonders that filled us with love and with awe.

He ate and He drank, and He taught us each day,

Of loving each other, and just how to pray.

We touched Him and felt in the warmth of His heart,

Each beat a new burst of His love would impart.

You too have encountered this fountain of love

Who set aside glory with Father above,

To teach us and show us the path to His peace,

So share it with all that the joy may increase.

Friday
Feast of the Holy Innocents

In love and innocence are born

The faces of the coming morn,

But many never see the day

For wicked men have had their way.

To innocence no thought they give

Though little ones all want to live.

Convenience!, their battle cry,

As babe is torn from mom to die.

How have we let such wickedness,

Our hearts and souls and minds possess?

In shame we must repent and see

What God intended us to be.

Saturday
Prophecy of Simeon - Sorrows of Mary

And you, a sword shall pierce your heart,

The prophet spoke that day.

For soon, with child, you must depart,

To Egypt, on your way.

For three days lost, a foretaste of

His time within the tomb.

A call to ever greater love,

That you may fully bloom.

His passiontide, a grief beyond

What mind could ere conceive.

But graces won when morning dawned

You children now receive.

A mother's sorrows long endured

That we could plainly see,

And all her children be assured

Of love she has for thee.

12/16/18 Through 12/22/18

12/16/18 Through 12/22/18

Sunday

The only Son of God most high

To sinful men on earth draws nigh

If you would just repent you'd see 

The difference Christ would make for thee.

So do your duty and be sure

If motive and intent are pure,

The holy fire will come to you 

And sanctify the things you do.

Monday

With saints and sinners in the line,

We see the roots of One divine.

Akin to every man on earth,

Our blessed savior comes to birth.

The ones remembered most of all

Are those who answered to the call,

And trusted to the bitter end

To good and righteousness defend.

Each generation takes a stand

To do as God, or they have planned.

With action as their loudest voice

Each generation makes their choice.

To serve, or not to serve, the poll.

Eternal happiness the goal.

In plain humility we find

The heart becomes, with Him aligned.

So take a stand and don't look back.

He'll give you strength for each attack,

And pick you up when e're you fall,

If you but hearken to the call.

Tuesday

To live according to His plan,

And not the ways of sinful man

Will bring contentment, peace and joy

That trial and trouble can't destroy.

For God has chosen every man

To play a part within His plan

To carry forth a life of grace

In every time and every place.

Lord, help me answer well the call

With You the large, and me the small.

Help me turn my back on sin,

And make me with the saints akin.

Wednesday

The life of many children proves

That age is not why Spirit moves, 

But to the willing heart He comes,

And saint or prophet it becomes.

For Samson, John and David too

Were all obedient to You

And if they fell would e're repent,

Then on another task be sent.

For Samuel and Mary too

The both, in youth, were called by You.

Their greatness found in being small

And answering when e're You call.

At Fatima the children three

Were chosen as the ones to see.

Their littleness would breed despite,

Yet none would cower in the fright.

Let many young now answer well,

And see the ranks of faithful swell

To turn the tide of sinfulness

Into a tide of righteousness

Thursday

Put not the Lord to any test

Or else your land will not be blest.

But when He bids you, ask a sign,

Be sure your will and His align.

Friday

Blest who heeds the spoken word

By others, in the noise, not heard,

Who takes the time to speak to You,

And follow what You ask to do.

For graces flow within Your will,

Your voice be heard in quiet still.

Like Mary may I straightened be,

That grace would freely flow through me.

Saturday

What a wasted emptiness

Before the Savior came

A sad and dreary hollowness

With only me to blame.

Without a hope, and in despair

Mere pleasure as the goal

A wanderer yet unaware

Of what would make me whole.

But lo, beyond the darkness came

A morn with brighter skies

One who shouldered all my shame

And opened up my eyes.

12/9/18 Through 12/15/18

12/9/18 Through 12/15/18

Sunday

Mountains shaved and valleys filled

Ancient prophecies fulfilled.

Height and depth are made to meet

Sinners now their Savior greet.

Repentance is the word today

From all our sins, must turn away,

And know we've found in Him the one

The persevering precious Son.

Monday

The chains of sin will paralyze

And hide salvation from our eyes.

Then all we see is desert waste,

And find quite soon despair embraced.

But One who made the desert bloom

Prepares for us a special room

If we, in haste, confess our sin,

And then a life of faith begin.

Tuesday

Lord, ninety nine have gone astray

And only one remains.

It seems a hopeless cause to pray

Where pride and boasting reigns.

But you have said to cry aloud

From every mountain height

That all the lost may be allowed

To turn towards future bright.

We chase the flow'r that quickly fades,

And shun the lasting word.

Foolishness, in man pervades

For only few have heard.

The voice among the wilderness

Or cry in desert land,

And thought it more than silliness,

That God is near at hand.

Wednesday

Humility surpasses pride

And mercy comes in flowing tide.

The fragrance and the song portend

That love will bring the evil's end.

Thursday

In my desert, plant Your trees

See that dreary darkness flees.

Make this dry deserted place

A source of love and purest grace.

Fasting, prayer, and giving alms,

All are precious healing balms.

Make me one detached from sin,

One of steadfast love within.

Friday

Many know that God exists,

Yet still their obstinence persists.

They wish to craft the rules to say

What e're their fancy be that day.

Saturday

The great are those that hear the call,

And then decide to give their all.

Refusing comforts of the day

To stay the course upon His way.

Not haughty towards the least of men,

But loving every one of them,

And helping others see the path

To righteousness instead of wrath.

12/2/18 Through 12/8/18

12/2/18 Through 12/8/18

Sunday

The dry and barren land will bear

Great fruit in days to come.

The parched and desert land is where 

The seed of life is from.

Our sin has made this land a waste

Where nothing can survive,

But Christ shall come that day with haste,

And show that He's alive.

The grass shall grow, the steppe shall burst

To verdant pasture where, 

Clean water flows to quench our thirst,

No longer land is bare.

Forever seated on the throne

Of David is our King.

The One, the source of life alone,

To whom our homage bring.

Monday

Imagine how the world would be

If all would live in harmony

If peace would reign in every heart

And none, from love, would e're depart.

Each soul infused with grace divine,

And firmly rooted in the Vine.

Prosperity in every home,

And everywhere His word made known.

Tuesday

When peace and harmony shall reign

The bear and lion be made tame.

The child and the cobra play

Together on that coming day.

The eyes are blest of those that see

The truth contained in mystery.

For prophets saw in dimmest light 

What's there before us in plain sight.

So now we see and understand

The wonder of what God has planned.

And though it still be far away,

Can taste the sweetness of that day.

We hasten when that day will come

If we will follow with the Son,

And love until the bitter end

To then, in glory, rise again.

Wednesday

All who come shall see,

And all who come shall hear.

The captives all set free,

And lost are all drawn near.

We see Him on the mount,

And flock to where He goes,

A teeming endless fount,

From Him, of mercy, flows.

Thursday

Foundations must be solid rock,

And we must sure obey

In order to withstand the shock,

And stand that fateful day.

All other walls will crumble down

And fall amidst the dust.

The only way to wear the crown,

Is follow as you must.

So listen well and then obey,

And follow close His word.

Be careful what you do and say,

And act on what you've heard.

Friday

Brighten eyes and open ears.

Dispel the darkness and the fears.

Grant us understanding when

Our minds are but of mortal men.

Let us see Your ways above,

And marvel at Your depth of love.

Let us hear the sound quite clear

When ere You call us to draw near.

Grant that we might taste and know

The Eucharist, the place to go,

To find what ere on earth we need,

And water well His precious seed.

Saturday

The sin that opened eyes to see

Our nakedness and fraility,

Has blinded us to better things

With pride and selfishness that clings.

But as a woman first was fell,

Another woman broke the spell.

In all humility she prayed,

Let it be done, as You have bade.

Obedience her only goal 

In answer to the Father's knoll.

A path to freedom only known

To those docility has shown.

11/25/18 Through 12/1/18

11/25/18 Through 12/1/18

Sunday

Blessings come from Christ the King

The one to whom our praises sing

No earthly ruler can compare

To Him on whom we cast our care.

Alone, he cares for every man 

Within His holy, righteous plan.

He suffered for each wayward soul

That each would one day be made whole.

So do your best, but have no fear

The Lord is always dwelling near.

And though the sky be darkened now,

Love will triumph o're somehow.

Monday

I want to sing the newest song.

I want to praise and join along,

But I can't sing with ransomed ones,

It's only those unblemished sons.

Where can I go.What can I do,

To rest at last with those, and You?

I must be cleansed and purged of sin,

In hope that I may enter in.

Please take away what binds my soul.

In poverty, You make me whole.

Then teach me how to sing along

With that eternal, heav'nly song.

Tuesday

Beware at any day,

If the sickle comes your way

For we know not time or place,

But our need for saving grace.

Can we boast with clarity 

Of our love and charity,

Or must we sink inside,

For our avarice, and pride?

Our work is seen quite clear

When the fateful day draws near,

So begin at once to show

That you know the way to go.

Wednesday

The problems here begin with me.

Although I'm blind, want them to see.

There may be right upon my side,

But I must use it as my guide.

Not pick and choose the piece I like,

Or inconvenient parts, just strike.

If we're to reach a brighter day,

We all must listen and obey.

Thursday

Every end begins anew

And draws us closer yet to You.

Trust and follow where He leads

His precious flock He tends and feeds.

Stand erect that final day,

Your vindication's on the way.

Mercy for the humble names,

For pride and lust, eternal flames.

Friday

No suffering was too high priced

For Andrew leading souls to Christ

For he embraced with joy the cross,

And other gains he found as loss.

The first evangelist that led

A boy with loaves and fish that fed

Five thousand on the grassy shore,

But one who searched for still yet more.

He brought so many souls to know

The joy of Christ and letting go

Of nets that bind and thus restrict

Disciples that the Lord has picked.

Saturday

To stand before the Son af Man

No crass and sinful mortal can.

It's only in humility

That strength is granted there for thee.

The proud have not the eyes to see

Nor haughty ones the might to be

How blessed a servant is for He

Who claims the final victory.

11/18/18 Through 11/24/18

11/18/18 Through 11/24/18

Sunday

Lord, how to stand that final day

When earth and heavens pass away?

So many things on earth revered,

Such base attachment then is feared.

Will I but have the fortitude

To change my selfish attitude,

And sacrifice each worthless thing

To greet my Lord, and Savior, King?

Monday

I want to see with clarity

And have conviction deep in me

To break the chains and turn away

From all that leads my soul astray.

To many things, attached I've grown,

But each of them has always shown,

This longing can't be satisfied

Except by him they crucified.

Tuesday

Blind unto my nakedness,

I ask You Lord, to see.

In shame, I daily must confess,

I fell away from Thee.

Come and dine with me today,

Remind me of the time,

I climbed to see You on the way

And You forgave my crime.

Give me the courage and the grace

To trust You once again.

Let me look upon Your face,

Becoming strengthened then.

Wednesday

Lord, how you work, I do not know.

We only get, when we let go.

And when we put to work the gift

We often see the spirits lift.

The treasure You have given me

Must not be saved, but given free

To those in need I'm called to serve

For what is saved is not deserved.

Thursday

Let my eyes become a fountain

When I look upon the mountain

And regret each passing day

That Your people fail to pray.

For the greatest gift bestowed

In a stream of love that flowed

From a heart of perfect love

One the same with God above.

Came to you in humble way

To expose the light of day,

But you rejected Him as loss,

And placed your King upon the cross.

How I long for thunder's roll

When He opens up the scroll

And reveals to every man

Stunning wonders of His plan.

But too late it then will be

For the ones who fail to see.

So please listen now and hear,

So that day you have no fear.

Friday

Have I hungered for Your scroll,

Let it change, and make me whole;

Found in there a taste so sweet,

Contentment sitting at Your feet?

Have I hung on what You say,

Cleansed my heart and changed my way;

Have I found the precious prize, 

Or just another cheap disguise?

Is Your word to me, a treasure,

Gold and silver cannot measure;

Have I yearned for your command,

To rule my heart, and all the land?

In Your ways do I rejoice,

Follow You in every choice;

Find Your law as my delight,

Great counsel in the darkest night?

At first there's sweetness in the scroll,

The words that make the sinner whole.

But when digested, bitterness,

For all the sins I must confess.

A thrashing there by whip and cord,

From justly angered God and Lord. 

A driving out in utter shame,

Of all the things, in me, profane.

Saturday

It's all about the after-life

The things we do today.

For then there is no man and wife

In that eternal day.

Our world here reflects but such

a dim and cloudy view.

But if we have the Spirit's touch,

We know what Moses knew.

He's Lord of living, not the dead.

We're only passing through.

But here on earth the Lamb has fed

His flesh to make us new.

And though we die and all appears

Our hope was but in vain,

All the snears will turn to cheers

The day we rise again!

11/11/18 Through 11/17/18

11/11/18 Through 11/17/18

Sunday

For the prophet, a little cake

The poor old widow had to bake.

A final offering by her

Compassion from on high did stir.

And then a year and maybe more

The oil from the jug would pour,

And flour in the jar supply 

Bread sustaining three thereby.

The widows mite a meager thing

To thus before the altar bring.

But given all her livelihood

A ransom there before them stood.

Monday

The unity the Lord desires

Forgives the wrong and thus inspires,

A oneness in both heart and mind

That one with pride can never find.

For we are ones that oft offend,

And on forgiveness we depend

That we might share His dwelling place

Of love in His abundant grace.

Tuesday

A useful servant does his task

What ere the master please or ask.

No special praise to come his way

For doing duties of the day.

Now we must recognize our place

To serve the Lord of  peace and grace.

And servants to the Master be

His servants bound, yet fully free.

Wednesday

Gratitude for all we own

Is how we grow the seed that's sown.

Renewed in love the Spirit grants

New life to seeds that Jesus plants.

To change and grow and richly flower

Death must come to Satan's power

That hoards in selfish sin and lust,

And life to simple love and trust.

Thursday

As lightning flashes in the sky

We glimpse the world around

A light enough to then supply

What's needed to be found.

In darkness, Christ will be our light

To show us clear the way,

That leads us through the dreary night

Unto the light of day.

How wrong we'll see the ways of man

We thought so wise and sure,

When we can see in Truth, His plan

to make us strong and pure.

Friday

The end is coming for us all

And we should surely know

That day we hear the frightful call

And earthly things let go.

The voice of love that day will sound

Above all other din

For then is truth and folly found

About our evil sin.

We must prepare to let it go

And follow in love's call

If we expect to Jesus know

We have to give our all.

Random Thoughts

The whisper of the garden,

Oh no!  Like gods you'll be.

With pride begins to harden

The heart so we can't see

The truth that's there before us

Becomes as fantasies

We never see the forest

Because of all the trees.

We swallow many camels

But strain the gnats we see.

And listen to the babbles

Of fools with some degree.

Learned the philosopher, 

But what a fool can be

If one can't look before her 

And tell a he from she.

The ruler and the measure

Of all there is to be

One day will end the pleasure

Of all this fallacy.

I pray His hand of mercy

Will reach beyond His wrath

And end the controversy

To put us on His path.

Saturday

To join the work along the way

We must begin to fast and pray

To find the road to Paradise

We must join in the sacrifice.

Co-workers on a common road

In joy who share a heavy load.

To reach our high resplendant goal

By sacrifice we cleanse the soul.

11/4/18 Through 11/10/18

11/4/18 Through 11/10/18

Sunday

If He is Lord, our every move

Should be in love, and firmly prove

Our faith and trust in Him we claim

Can cure the sick and heal the lame.

For love of God and neighbor will

A life of sacrifice instill

And bring to bear humility

Within a firm docility.

So, have I listened well today,

Or made it just another day?

Have I heard the Master's voice,

Before I jumped and made a choice?

It's easy to distract the mind

With drivel of near every kind,

But listening to know  His will

requires that my spirit still.

Monday

The poor are those with everything,

For their provider is the King.

Their every need, by Him supplied

To those without the sin of pride.

Lord let me see how poor I am

Within my daily self-exam.

Then grant the grace to love you more

And clearly see You in the poor.

Tuesday

Invited to the Master's feast

Apologies of rich increase.

Excuses and regrets abound

Where calls to give of self are found.

To share a meal with Him who made,

The man, and never from him strayed.

The gift of splendid daily bread,

Rejected, rather than be fed.

The poor and lame will share the feast

If not the greatest, then the least.

The ones who recognize in bread,

The body of our Lord, are fed.

Wednesday

Pick up the cross, He bids to me.

Seek not, the ease and luxury.

For those who would disciples be,

Must learn to follow well with Me.

To be poured out as I have been,

An offering for sordid sin,

All drained of human energy,

And filled with Father's love for thee.

Thursday

Repentance brings a joy to life,

A triumph here amid the strife.

A sign of hope, we found the way,

That leads us to a brighter day.

The flock includes the lost and strays,

The ones who follow crooked ways.

For all are valued in the eye

Of our Good Shepherd in the sky.

He searches for the hapless stray

Who thought he knew a better way,

But found at every novel turn

Another lesson there to learn.

The Shepherd's crook is not so mean

It leads us to the pastures green,

And to the valley where there flows

The restful water of repose.

Friday

A wasteland of utility

Is all our eyes would ever see,

Without the spaces made for man

To worship God within His plan.

The beauty of the temple grand,

A mere reflection of that planned

By God when all are one in Him,

And sing their never-ending hymn.

The place where offered bread and wine

As blood and body of Divine.

The place where earth and heaven brush

should be a palace rich and plush.

Saturday

When we give, we both receive,

Is what the holy ones believe

To have the wealth creates the need

To quench a thirst, or hungry feed.

Blessing comes as wealth is shared,

Pains relieved and lives repaired.

The giver gives and poor receive.

Both are blessed when both believe.

10/28/18 Through 11/3/18

10/28/18 Through 11/3/18

Sunday

Son of David have pity on me,

Grant the grace that I may see.

My heart's desire to follow You 

And learn to love the way You do.

I've seen enough the other way

where sin has darkened every day

I want to see in clearer light

What sin obscures in darkest night.

Monday

Let me share a word with you,

Shine a light and change the view.

Let me show the beauty where

So many eyes just see despair.

In purity is found a gem

Passed over by the likes of them.

And generosity will breed

Contentment there instead of greed.

Idolarty can have no place

Amidst a life of lavish grace.

Be not decieved, the day will come,

When all will hear the final drum.

So separate yourself from sin.

Step out of darkness and begin

No more to wander in the night,

But live as children of the light.

Tuesday

Within a mustard seed that's sown

Are mysteries no mind has known.

Unthinkable that one should find

Within that tiny seed designed,

A shelter for the little birds

Or metaphor of holy words. 

As both will grow, become mature

To be a haven safe and sure.

So feed and water tiny seeds

Give them fulfillment of their needs

To flourish and to be transformed

That many other hearts be warmed.

Wednesday

The scary thought that I should hear

Upon that final day...

"I know you not!" my greatest fear

That He, to me, would say.

I want no less than life within

The everlasting day

I want to hear, "You're welcome in,

My Father's house today." 

May I but be obedient,

Submissive to Your will.

The single main ingredient

To with the Spirit fill.

That on that day You know me well,

And narrow way I find.

Far from the dreaded gates of hell,

With Paradise, aligned.

Thursday

One day we all can hope to be,

Around the throne and praising Thee.

But now it seems so far away,

As we contend with each new day.

The troubles of the everyday

Can seem to cloud the holy way, 

But when we see in clearer light

These troubles beckon and invite,

To love in ways we never could

And follow Him the way we should.

To live as blessed holy ones

And thus become adopted sons.

Friday

The death of all the holy ones

A precious gift that often runs

Across the generation gap

Providing younger ones a map.

A way of life in harmony

With One in charge, that we can't see.

A way to fill the emptiness,

Through prayers, and love, and kindliness.

Examples of a living soul

With name engraved upon the scroll,

Who gave of self without regard,

And never kept a scoring card.

Saturday

In the humble lowest place

Dwells our source of peace and grace.

Hung upon that awful tree,

There in bread and wine for me.

King of all who chose to come

As a poor and lowly one.

In a humble stable born

On that blessed Christmas morn.

As a helpless little child

From the virgin undefiled.

Though a young precocious one,

Still as an obedient Son.

Driven in His life to be

The perfect model there for me.

Nothing left, for all He gave.

Sinners He desired to save.

Risen then, and glorified.

King of kings, once crucified.

Jesus Christ, the lowly One

Savior, and exalted Son.