11/15/20 Through 11/21/20

 11/15/20 Through 11/21/20

Sunday

I pray that I may someday see

That God has worked quite well through me,

That light has shown in what I say

To lead folks on the narrow way.

For though the way be hard and long,

He grants us joy to be our song.

In spite of trials daily faced,

We find our lives are richly graced.

Monday

The babe, in peace, upon the breast

So sweet a place to find their rest.

Creator of the sea and sky,

In Mary's tender arms did lie.

Oh Mother Mary, comfort me,

In spite of blindness, let me see

How Love was humbled there to be

The Savior of humanity.

By faith, the eye be opened wide

To see our Savior, King, and guide,

To call the sinner to repent,

And then for others, to be sent.

Tuesday

We sicken Him who made us all

By failing to receive His call.

Yet still, He wishes to recline,

And with repentant sinners, dine.

Not turned away when we repent,

But filled with grace and onward sent,

To show that life can be made new

If we just hear, and follow You.

The hour and the day be known

To only God and God alone.

So ready make your soul to hear

That final call both loud and clear.

Wednesday

What glory and eternal praise

The saints and angels then shall raise.

The host in heaven bows and prays

In worship for unending days.

So see beyond the world of pride,

And glimpse upon the other side.

Reliance on the self will show

How little all the prideful know.

To serve, the greatest call for men,

An honor and a privilege when

We bow before the throne in praise,

With hearts and holy hands we raise.

Thursday

If only we knew what makes for peace

All greed and selfishness would cease.

The Lamb once slain, we'd see as King, 

And seek to all our family bring

The peace that God alone can give

And teach them how on earth to live.

The Cross a horrid sign of love,

Yet chosen by our God above

To far transcend the mortal mind,

So peace we could, in trial, find,

And know in confidence and grace,

He leads us to His dwelling place.

So gird your loins, strap on a belt.

Where grief and sorrow great are felt,

Where darkness seems to rule the day,

And obstacles are in the way,

Be comforted amid your loss,

And gaze upon that loving Cross.

Friday

Lord, cleanse this temple, drive away

All thoughts of greed or lust today.

May here be found, no trace of sin,

And welcome be, Your Spirit in.

How sweet the taste of love can be,

But sour when You call on me

Tp speak Your word amid the crowd,

And make my faith be known out loud.

For persecution surely comes

To all of Your most favored ones.

Chastising them a little now,

To give eternal life somehow.

Your words are true, and ways are sure

For those who will, their cross endure,

Will find that on the other side

Their mortal flesh is glorified.

Saturday

The Mother's beauty, always there.

Her eyes aglow and face so fair.

Her voice a sweetness to the ear

Dispelling doubt, and useless fear.

The Chosen One, unstained, conceived.

With all her heart and soul believed

The Father's will far greater still,

And offered all, to that fulfill.

No treasure man has ere conceived

Transcends the grace that she received.

The Ark that carried One Divine,

Our God Himself, our Fruitful Vine.

11/8/20 Through 11/14/20

 11/8/20 Through 11/14/20

Sunday

Let wisdom come at last to me,

Through all the clouds and darkness see.

To press the oil drop by drop,

Wisdom's search must never stop.

Complacency along the way

Can find excuses every day

For why the Lord should wait a while,

And prayer is never quite their style.

Collect each drop, let none go by.

For greater wisdom always try.

This gift He grants to all who seek,

But passers-by will find it bleak.

For when the final day arrives,

And all we have are sinful lives,

The time for gathering is past,

And little oil will not last.

For wisdom grows the flask to fit

Each drop that's added bit by bit.

But with no flask, the oil's lost.

The unrepented sin has cost!

Monday

Be done to me Your holy will.

My heart, with love, Your Spirit fill.

Cleanse Your temple here below,

But show me love and mercy though.

Make fresh the salted sea in me.

Your waters quench this arid tree,

That fruit be borne each month for food,

And healing from the leaves be brewed.

Your house be built within my soul.

A fitful dwelling place, my goal.

Set firm within Thy Cornerstone,

Be Christ my God and God alone.

Tuesday 

Real men the key to turning round

The world in all its ways.

If they be steadfast, firmly bound,

To Christ for all their days.

Real men must lead in self-control,

In temperance, and love.

By doing so will they enroll

Their families above.

Not looking for the accolades

As if entitled to,

But seeing how our work persuades

As simple servants do.

So, humble, in your service be,

Your teaching and your talk.

Let others see integrity

In every place you walk.

Wednesday

How easily we walk away

From miracles each day.

We beg and plead, and then receive,

But fail to stop and pray.

We trust Him as a tire spare,

And show no other care.

No thanks expressed, or sins confessed,

Ungrateful, unaware.

Lord grant me eyes of clarity,

Remove the scales to see.

Let truth be known, and honor shown,

To Him who healeth me.

Thursday

Lord light the sky that I may see

How wondrous life in You will be,

Where brothers learn to love and live

In peace, and surplus, freely give.

Not forc-ed generosity,

But honest love for all, in Thee.

With slaves unfettered, captives freed,

And love the source of every deed.

The unity will long prevail,

And love of neighbor, never fail.

Where Christ the loving Master be,

The slave be satisfied and free.

Friday

Lord let me be alive and well .

No more of failures need I tell.

For when I daily sit with Thee,

So many failings, clear I see.

The vultures pick upon the flesh,

So make my soul alive and fresh.

May innocence in me abound,

And there, a selfless love be found.

My ways be turned around for good.

No looking back upon what should

Bring shame and sorrow for such sin,

But laser-focused eyes on Him.

Saturday

My prayer be not for justice Lord,

For justice, I cannot afford.

But mercy is my firm desire,

Escaping that eternal fire.

If justice were to come my way,

I fear my sin would far outweigh

What little good I've done for Thee,

And find You've done away with me.

But Thou art Mercy undefiled.

You rescue every wayward child

Who sees Your Son upon the wood,

And recognizes purest good.

Within such light, no man can stand.

No other love has ever spanned

The chasm of our deadly sin

With mercy where revenge had been.

But Yours a river deep and wide

To wash away my sinful pride,

And make of me an heir of grace,

In Your eternal dwelling place.

11/1/20 Through 11/7/20

 11/1/20 Through 11/7/20

Sunday

Within Your eye Lord, who am I

That You should mind for me?

What answer why, Your Son should die

For sinners on the Tree?

The land of love, so far above

Our everyday routine.

The members of our home thereof,

By blood have been made clean.

Anew are born, the ones that mourn,

and blest the peaceful one,

But those who scorn, You sternly warn,

Beware of crooked fun.

For You have raised and highly praised

The humble, meek, and poor,

And left amazed, in flames that blazed,

The confident and sure.

Monday

All souls that leave in trust of Him

Will face the judgment for their sin.

That moment they will then decide

To choose the Lord, or choose their pride

We think the choice will be a breeze,

But choosing love ahead of ease

Is what we face here every day,

And often choose the darker way.

Attachments must be put aside

And love be ever amplified

To clearly hear the Master's voice,

And make that everlasting choice.

No sin too large, or fault too great

To seal our everlasting fate

If mercy we would simply plead,

And let the voice of Jesus lead.

Tuesday

Flesh became, the uncreated.

Love and care shown unabated.

How such Love could for the masses,

Come as man, the mind surpasses.

Yet as One both poor and weak,

So to every man could speak.

Not too fast, and not too slowly,

But to all, both rich and lowly.

Think of how He cares for you,

That such an act of love would do.

Inviting to His banquet feast,

The fringes and those thought as least.

Wednesday

The way to find yourself a saint,

Is do His will without complaint.

No arguing or bickering,

But trusting God in everything.

Then you may shine amid the dim,

And focus other eyes on Him.

That all may see it's not in vain

We run this race for Heaven's gain.

Poured out with nothing left to give,

We find the cross our way to live.

For sacrifice, to love, is key,

As all will someday come to see.

So now prepare to see that day,

Don't travel further on the way,

Lest unprepared, you face the King,

With nothing for an offering.

Thursday

Although there's billions here below,

Our God will intimately know

The inner heart, and soul's desire

To draw unto His cleansing fire.

Rejoicing comes in great supply

If only we would humbly try

To turn away from selfish sin,

And let the Lord of love come in.

A sheep returned is cause for joy,

No more the strictest law employ.

Repentance means a change has come.

One far from home returns a son.

Friday

Have I, as steward, squandered that

Which holiness provides,

And found myself one rich and fat

Where sinfulness resides?

The time is now for change to come,

No longer fooled by sin.

To sound aloud the signal drum,

And then new life begin.

For when the final day arrives

And we must give account,

The fruit of many sinful lives, 

To nothing will amount.

Then stirred by fear and panic of

Our rightful, just, reward,

We turn, at last, away from Love,

And to the ones deplored.

It needn't be that way you see,

If we just start to choose,

The way of light instead of night,

And wickedness, refuse.

So start today, and use each gift

As He would have it be.

Become one known for honest thrift,

A faithful devotee.

Saturday

One master only can we serve,

Though hard we try as I observe

To walk the fence and waiver not,

But find deceit is all we've got.

For true must mean in every way

Each act of ours throughout the day,

In light or dark must be the same,

Or all our acts are but for shame.

John Paul and Brittany

 

JP & Brittany

My son, this journey you begin

Is meant to keep you far from sin.

The Lord created man and wife,

That both may find eternal life.

 

You take upon your shoulders broad,

An obligation straight from God,

To lead your wife and children too

Unto the Christ that died for you.

 

The road be narrow, hard, and long,

But every step, where you belong.

Turn not aside for want of rest,

This journey is a lifelong test.

 

A test to see if you endure.

A test to see your love is pure.

Take courage when the trials come,

It’s just a test, your love to plumb.

 

This beauty here, your love espoused,

Within her heart is wisdom housed.

So cherish what she has to say,

And give respect in every way.

 

A helpmate God has given you,

But not for duties to eschew.

Be leader in your clan, of praise,

Put God as first, in all your ways.

 

Each day may prayer be offered for

This one, forever love, you swore.

Your word be more than purest gold

For this fine beauty you behold.

 

Upon the cross your gaze be set,

The bloody scourges, and the sweat,

The crown of thorns and pierced side,

His hands and feet, His face beside.

 

Such love, your bride, you’re meant to show

That any length you’d freely go

To bring her to that land above,

That land of true unbounded love.

 

So raise your glass and promise me

This duty now you clearly see,

To lead your bride to heaven’s gate

And never let your love abate.

10/25/20 Through10/31/20

 10/25/20 Through10/31/20

Sunday

Every problem, love's the answer

Every law, by love, fulfilled.

Selfishness, the evil cancer,

Sin fermented and distilled.

Come and see what love can offer

Learn to give without reserve.

Be no doubting, heathen, scoffer.

Muster up required nerve.

Share what gifts that love has given,

Give without the cost in mind.

Find your faults and sins forgiven,

When the depth of love is mined.

Inexhaustible the measure

Of the love of One Divine.

Find that rich fulfilling treasure

Flowing from the Sacred Vine.

Monday

Here before a captive hostage,

Ought this woman not be free?

Ought the cord of sin and bondage

Not be severed and set free?

Bent and twisted, every sinner,

All in chains that weigh us down.

Turn Your eyes to this beginner,

In Your mercy, let me drown.

What a gift this present moment,

Here alone with none but Thee.

God Himself my private docent

Teaching how to be set free.

Tuesday

My job, to do His holy will

And lead upon the way,

To faith in Christ, our God instill,

And never go astray.

In love for others blaze the trail,

And bring my pride along.

To strengthen weak, and help the frail

To see where they belong.

To give of self as Jesus did

When nailed upon the tree

With total gift to others bid,

Please come and follow me.

Wednesday

All teaching held in place by Him

The final stone, defining rim.

The dome supported high above

By Him whose strength is none but love.

Without the cross, no strength is there,

His teaching just the standard fare

That comes and goes among the days,

And leads in many varied ways.

But love before, for man, unknown

Upon the Holy Cross was shown,

And Love defeated sin and death

When He gave forth His final breath.

Once set in place, the Stone now stands

As Christ embraced the Father's plans,

And made the cross our symbol of

Our Savior, and our key to love.

Thursday

We think the Devil's strength is known.

Not so, when only weakness shown.

We fail to use God's strength to see

How weak and paltry that is he.

God's strength for us is always there

So we must never, in despair,

Refuse confession of our sin,

And let Old Stinky slither in.

I know I'm weak, but He is strong.

I've sung that mystery in song,

But I must choose His way to go

And learn to Satan's lies forego.

Friday

What difference can the world tell 

In this one on the carousel?

Can they perceive a contrast there,

from all the others at the fair?

How has the Word affected me?

To others, is it plain to see,

A change has taken place within,

This one no longer cares for sin?

Or have I hidden in the crowd,

Afraid to speak of Him out loud,

Just blending with the others there

With nothing different to compare?

That's not the way it's meant to be.

The captive's destined to be free.

To share and spread the Word around

Till freedom for all men is found.

So let this work the Lord began

Create a new and different man.

A man of love who's not ashamed

To be that Crazy Christian named.

Saturday

The honors of the world are naught

To take the lowest place we're taught.

Exalted, will the humble be,

When dining with One such as Thee.

For pride is false, and humble true.

The truly greatest One is You

The One who lowly man became

To take away our sinful shame.

The Uncreated, flesh assumed

When condemnation o'er men loomed

Then on the cross, He died, but rose,

To save the sinner that He chose.

10/18/20 Through 10/24/20

 10/18/20 Through 10/24/20

Sunday

More than words, but truly power

Let this be my holy hour.

Contemplating Love Divine,

Shine Your light within my mind.

Unlike the tricks in Garden played,

Now on the cross, His love displayed.

No need to doubt a love like this,

No way, such love, can we dismiss.

All given for His love of me,

All given that I be set free,

From chains of selfishness that call,

Dissuading me from giving all.

His everything was given me.

Not taxed, but given, clear and free.

So too, should I, Though weak and small,

Give to the Lord, my all in all.

Monday

So rich in how the world sees,

But can this life on earth now please,

If all I see is earthly gain,

And all the ways of love disdain?

To share my wealth among the poor

Will all my future days secure,

A place where love is wealth indeed,

And how the wealthy ones succeed.

Tuesday

The face is now a dreadful thing

How could you dare, uncovered bring

A deadly nose or mouth before

Those here at church to God adore?

The villain now, the face exposed.

On others, dreaded breath imposed.

How dare you breathe unhindered here,

When germs are oh, so very near?

Not even church, a resting place,

Unwelcome, your uncovered face.

Called out and shamed before the crowd,

Not back without a mask allowed.

Such criminals, we cannot bear,

Yet welcome those who do not share

Respect for life as yet unborn,

And have them from the womb be torn.

I want the peace we're looking for,

But covered nose and mouth abhor.

The only way I'll peaceful be

Is when my air is cool and free.

Wednesday

To draw your water joyfully

I come again this morn.

To do Your will both loyally,

And also sinner, warn.

The day will be unknown to thee.

Surprised, be one and all.

Integrity the only key

To answer well the call.

The fool is one who knows Your will

Yet still will not obey.

They'd rather play, and wait until

They're sure You're on Your way.

That day will come so quickly and

There may be not the time

To fill the hand of Love's demand,

And make up for the crime.

Be diligent, and ready now.

Put off the change no more.

Obey and never sloth allow,

Again, His word, ignore.

Thursday

Kneeling here before the Father

By whom every family named,

Let me be the one to bother

Praising all His bounty famed.

May your strength be of the Spirit.

May Christ Jesus dwell within.

May your heart be always nearest,

Grounded, rooted, deep with Him.

Then in love, be strong and know it,

What the saint now comprehends,

Height and depth, and breadth that show it,

How God's fullness never ends.

More than mortal mind imagines

He will grant the faithful ones,

When at last, His ardent love wins,

Man now made adopted sons.

Friday

Be one now worthy of the call

In all your ways, His love recall.

Be one preserving unity

Through meekness and humility.

Friday Evening Adoration

My Jesus, here before I kneel

Your love and grace, I keenly feel.

True presence in the form of bread,

True food on which I'm daily fed.

Saturday

Lord make me love Your every word

Above the din of life, be heard.

In early morn 'fore break of day,

Come speak to me, here as I pray.

Your word be life and food for me,

The fertilizer that I need

To bear the fruit that You desire,

And not be cast into the fire.