10/11/20 Through 10/16/20

 10/11/20 Through 10/16/20

Sunday

So rich a feast prepared for me,

But as so many, did I see?

I had excuses every day,

For why I could not stop and pray.

A banquet there before me lay

Prepared afresh and new each day,

But cares of life would fill the mind,

And peace I sought, could never find.

One day a challenge came, you see,

Was Sunday quite enough for me, 

And did my heart of hearts believe

That Jesus Christ, I did receive?

The question there before me stood.

Excuses still, to find I could,

But only would I understand

If daily bread, for me, was planned.

I found within a little while

The bread could calm, and then beguile.

A word or two I'd hear each day,

To guide me on His narrow way.

I came at first, to just be fed,

But found at Mass, a banquet spread.

A feast of rich and juicy food,

Not wasted time, as many viewed.

So daily now, I come to feast,

And tame what's left of me as beast. 

This meal of true and living bread

Is how I live, and how I'm fed.

Monday

Three words to rule my every day

Three words to guide me on my way.

A simple way to freedom win,

Avoiding all the traps of sin.

Though many look for harder ways,

This simple rule will solve the maze.

Eternal life will come to these

Whose humble way, the Lord will please.

At judgment time the southern Queen

And Ninevites will then convene,

Condemning as they simply say,

"You failed to listen and obey."

Tuesday

The law within me be fulfilled

The word of God, through me distilled.

Where purified of all deceit

I find a life of love complete.

Cleanse me as I'm meant to be,

From inside out, so then I see

That love must rule in every way,

And guide the things I do today.

Wednesday

To crucify the flesh can be

The greatest act of love for me.

For when the flesh is crucified,

The Lord will then, His will confide.

Humility will pave the way

And change the logic of today,

To show that sacrifice is key

If we would all be one with Thee.

The tithe of mint and rue is good,

But more than that, the faithful should

Give up all selfish pride and sin,

To here on earth, new life begin.

Thursday

Doomed by woes, the Father knows

My weak and sinful soul.

So steeped in sin, how can I win?

What pow'r can make me whole?

It seems to me, the Godhead Three

Should clear and start again,

For what to me, I plainly see,

Is blindness ever when...

I look inside and find the tide

As clean and fresh as spring.

Then hear Him speak, and see how weak,

My soul, a filthy thing.

But Love somehow did humbly bow,

And die to save my soul.

To free the vile and reconcile,

To heal and make me whole.

So once again I thank Him then,

And praise His Holy Name.

Once touched and graced, my sins erased.

I'll never be the same!

Friday

Praise for fingers and for toeses,

For the earses and the noses.

Praise for soft and chubby cheeks,

For peek-a-boos, and hide-and-seeks.

So far above me,

Is the One who can see,

Who created the eye

That we use for I Spy.

The feet and the hands

That obey His commands

Are the ones who can see

Far beyond what is me.

The nails on the toes

And the hairs in the nose,

Have a purpose to fill

In accord with His will.

The design is all there,

From the feet to the hair,

From the shin to the chin

It's beyond all compare.

So praise the designer

Give glory to God

There's nothing more finer

Exalted or awed.

As bees go on buzzing 

And hummingbirds fly

I think what I wuzzing

Before and I cry.

Unaware of the greatness 

Of God that is He

Whose love and whose goodness

Has made you and me.

Saturday

Make me one to suffer well,

To choose the harder way and tell,

Of how his love has conquered all,

As One so great became so small.

One humbled in such cruel way,

Through meekness never met decay,

But rose on high that all should know,

The narrow way, the way to go.

Grant me the courage and the will

To face temptation, and then still,

Resist the urge of flesh to cave,

And choose the pow'r of love to save.

9191980

Romance has never been one of my strong points. Mary and I carried on a long-range relationship while I lived in Nashville, and she lived in Cincinnati. When I was transferred to Birmingham I told her that we needed to break off the relationship because the distance was too far, and we needed to get on with our lives. She called me the next night and said that I could break up with her, but she wasn't going to break up with me. I was speechless, but I figured that time and distance would eventually change her mind. Instead, it was my mind that got changed. (a pattern that's been repeated many times over the years since) When I finally proposed to Mary I had been drinking, and I called her collect from a phone booth in Birmingham Alabama at 2:30 in the morning. The date was September 19, 1980, thus the title. This is the story of that night: 

 On nine one nine one nine eight oh, 

Seems like a long long time ago. 

9191980

A young man searching for his mate

Took off with friends to find a date. 

 

To markets where the meat is found, 

He and his friends were traveling ‘round. 

 And in his drinking here and there 

Saw pretty girls with shining hair. 

 Their shapely figures clad for lust 

With necklines plunged revealing bust. 

 The stock is good his buddies said. 

Who’ll be the first to get one bed?  

They talked and mingled in the crowd 

Of alcohol and music loud. 

With smiling faces all around, 

The one night stands were lost and found. 

Amid the glitter blurred and bright, 

The young man looked upon the sight. 

Though dance and laughter did abound, 

An emptiness was all around. 

An emptiness as cold as stone, 

And suddenly he’s all alone. 

 Despite his vision blurred by drink, 

The Spirit prompted him to think  

Of one he loved though far away, 

Who held his heart in deepest sway. 

 Last call was heard, the crowd dispersed, 

The fast lane life, it now seemed cursed. 

While driving home he found a phone. 

Out in a parking lot alone. 

 He stumbled in and fumbled for, 

A dime or two and maybe more. 

Just change enough to call collect, 

He knew he’d have to be direct.  

And ask the one who held his heart, 

To see if married life she’d start. 

 With he as husband she as wife 

The two would have a happy life. 

  “It’s two AM!” he heard her say, 

Why are you up this time of day? 

 “I need to know before I sleep, 

 If home with me you’d like to keep?” 

“Before this night I was unsure, 

But now I know our love is pure.” 

Far better than the market brand, 

Of kiss and tell, and one night stands. 

 I may be drunk, but clear I see, 

The Lord created you for me. 

 God rescued me that fateful night, 

And showed me that our love was right. 

 Now life for eight is what it meant, 

I thank you for your sweet consent.  

How hard it is to see the light, 

When blinded by our selfish might. 

Where pleasure, lust, and greed abound, 

No sacrificial love is found. 

The glitter and the fast lane life,

Leads to divorce and endless strife. 

When all the focus is on me, 

Our eyes are blinded, we can’t see.  

True love, desire of every heart, 

Comes from respecting every part. 

Our bodies are the temple of, 

The One who made us for this love.  

How fortunate for you and me, 

The Lord, He gave us eyes to see. 

To recognize through all the din, 

The way to make this life begin. 

Walk hand in hand and side by side, 

With Jesus as our trusted guide. 

Now many years have long since past, 

Still loving her my heart beats fast.

10/4/20 Through 10/10/20

 10/4/20 Through 10/10/20

Sunday

The vineyard here I tend for You

Its health depends on what I do.

The fruit it bears belongs to Thee,

But there's a portion kept for me.

You gave me good and healthy vines

How well I tend them now defines

The harvest that we two will share,

And if my labor's worth its fare.

I wish to grant You all that's due

And trust, the lease You will renew.

For only in Your will, I find

My happiness and Your's enshrined.

Monday

One word alone to you I preached,

In hope that all, by faith, be reached.

Believe no other, come what may,

The truth is in these words I say.

For straight alone from Christ, I speak.

No honor from these men, I seek.

For why should I be slave to one

Except God's own begotten Son?

The law remains, but far above,

Demands of Christ, demands of love.

By treating all as neighbor here,

The clearly saving words we hear.

Tuesday

Extreme in their love, were both Mary and Paul

Who sought to know God, and give Him their all.

No duty could sway from the chance to be heard

The sound of His voice, and His every word.

For there, in His Word lies our key for the day

So we clamor to hear what He has for today.

Be guided and led on the path to His home,

Let nothing deter you, and don't go alone.

Wednesday

In wealthy times teach me to pray.

In more than rhymes, hear what I say.

I'm here to listen and obey,

The reason why I wake to pray.

No other time with you alone.

No other time to call my own.

Where You and I will sit and talk,

And You will teach me how to walk.

In sorrow's time be here with me.

In spite of sorrow, let me see

How love has steered its way again,

And sorrow benefits me then.

In times of poor and simple ways,

Be my Companion through those days.

Help me to know, You're all I need,

And thus abandon all my greed.

In all the times, let me be fed

Each day with Heaven's daily bread.

And turn to You in early morn

To find each day, my faith reborn.

Thursday

Persistent in my daily prayer,

I find disguised, a gem in there.

A pearl that merits all I own.

A love, to me, before unknown.

Unfortunate, I rarely see

How love is slowly changing me,

And molding me to seek His will

Where happiness will be my fill.

Persistently, I wake to say,

"Lord, teach me something new today."

And like so many times before,

I see the sin I must deplore.

Repent!  Repent!  Repent, and see,

How far your soul has strayed from Me,

And how I wish to gather in

My children lost, and steeped in sin.

Just ask and I will give to you 

A soul as fresh as morning dew,

And guide your steps along the way,

If you're persistent when you pray.

Friday

Faith and trust, oh Lord, I need

Your sacred word of love to heed. 

That never may I turn away

From light of truth and go astray.

No other sign I need from You.

One look at all the good You do,

Convincing that our God is near,

And casting out the bane of fear.

My God, be merciful to me.

My weakness clear, I know You see.

So strengthen me to long endure,

And of salvation, me assure.

Saturday

Blest who hear, blest who obey.

How simple the old, but expedient way.

The mother and the brother be

The ones who hear and follow Me.

The law the way the child goes

Before the way of love he knows.

When faith is working, law can flee,

For Christ is He who guideth thee.

9/27/20 Through 10/3/20

 9/27/20 Through 10/3/20

Sunday

How small, but special in His eyes

He favors humble more than wise.

The man that turns from sinful ways

O'er one with prideful heart that prays.

We only fool our sinful minds

When self-examination finds

Our service with our lips alone,

But fail to for, the sin atone.

So help me Lord to run to Thee

And find in that humility

Your mercy and Your grace abound,

And truth and goodness there are found.

Monday

A blessing to have lost it all

And seen myself as one so small

Who understands his nothingness,

And you are Lord of our success.

How prideful that we tend to be

Forgetting that all came from Thee.

The ego flares and we forget,

That all we have is in Your debt.

I'm grateful Lord that You have shown

There's nothing here that I should own,

But be a steward here and use

All gifts for good as You would choose.

Tuesday

Angels light of love divine,

Hear this simple plea of mine,

And bear this mortal's fond request

Unto the Savior's welcome breast.

Be my shield in Satan's hour,

Wield from God, your awesome power.

Grant the sight of things unseen,

Purify and make me clean.

Bring His word to ready ears

Strengthen me and calm my fears.

May I come, like you, to praise

My God for everlasting days.

Wednesday

Your ways so far above my own

Designs of Yours, to man, unknown.

Our love is pale compared to Yours

Which daily, apathy endures.

The ones I love, I wish could know

The blessings of the seed You sow.

If they would only there receive

In fertile ground, and then believe.

The plant would bud and flower first,

And then upon the branch would burst

The rich and juicy fruit of love

Intended by our God above.

Thursday

Cut deep into the rock of time

The thought of trust in words of Thine

For never will my heart astray

From Him who draws me on this way.

For many years I've seen each time

His way exceeds this plan of mine.

Through suffering His love reveals

The truth that ease and sloth conceals.

We look at what we've suffered for 

And see there what we value more.

For everything of worth has cost

We measure by the things we lost.

Friday

A guard throughout my day and night

A guard in times of fear and fright.

A messenger to speak the word,

And let me know my prayer is heard.

Protection from the evil ways,

My guide throughout the darkest days,

Who calls, "Don't let your heart be fooled!",

But by the Holy One, be ruled.

Repair what damage I have done

Be my path to God the Son.

Grant me discipline and grace

In hope that I may see His face.

Saturday

How blind I was, but now see

Beyond, and far in front of me.

The ways of God I'll never know,

But trust and find it ever so.

He hides from haughty, learned, proud;

Reveals to humble, meek, and bowed.

All things, in Him, have come to be;

So plain as day, but wise can't see.

A simple phrase when pondered well

Reveals much more than words can tell.

Within the dark, a crack is made

For truth and light to then invade.

Don't fill the crack, but open wide;

Allow the light of truth inside.

Rejoice in all He gives to thee;

Though blind today, one day you'll see.

9/20/20 Through 9/26/20

 9/20/20 Through 9/26/20

Sunday

Thank you, Lord, so many ways

For blessings granted all my days.

For parents kind and loving, strong

Who gave their best and suffered long.

For siblings too, the first of friends,

And every gift the Father sends.

A loving wife to care for me,

And every blessing sent from Thee.

A progeny that loves the Lord

And work that helps me to afford

To raise them well and share a bit

With those I know, less fortunate.

Monday

To walk with Him through every day

And hear His guidance on the way.

To clearly recognize when heard, 

And learn to act upon His word,

Is what Apostles learned to do 

As they passed on the word to you.

Be grateful now for what was done

As they wrote down about the Son,

The stories that we read today

To learn about His loving way.

They gave their lives so we could know

The Shepherd, and which way to go.

Tuesday

To hear and act upon the Word

Will make the humble cries be heard.

No complex formula to know,

Just listen for His voice and go.

Wednesday

As Pio went about his day

The wounds of Christ were on display

In willingness to suffer long

That many sinners turn from wrong.

So too, our lives were meant to be

A sign for those in dark to see,

That draws the sinner to repent,

And then to listen and be sent.

Help me to grow in love and see

The path that God marks out for me.

In courage, then myself to bring

To just embrace my suffering.

Thursday

All things in life are vanity,

But oh, how slow, our eyes to see.

The gaping hole we long to fill 

Requires trust and Godly skill.

The only One to satisfy

We'd find if we would self deny,

And cast our gaze eternally

Upon the blessed Trinity.

For there in Him, we find our home

No more to wander or to roam,

But fullness in the light of grace.

A calm and peaceful dwelling place.

Friday

How vain and empty seems it all

When selfishness and pride befall.

For in the self no love endures,

And all indulgence never cures.

The only way for love to stay,

Is suffer well and give away.

The gifts received were meant to share,

And show the brethren how we care.

Fear not of ever running low.

By giving well we come to know

What's shared is multiplied in time

By He who shifts the paradigm.

Saturday

How fleeting here, this life of mine,

But that's the Savior's grand design.

To focus me on what's beyond,

And let me see what love has spawned.

A life eternal, there to know,

In peace and harmony to grow

Forever closer to the light,

Abandoning the dark of night.

So let me leave behind my sin,

And to His presence, enter in.

While here below, we too can find

The bread on which the angels dined.