8/11/24 Through 8/17/24

 8/11/24 Through 8/17/24

Sunday

Still beyond my comprehension

Living bread from heaven sent.

Like a new and strange dimension

Endless treasure yet unspent.

Bound within the realm of reason

Such a thing as yet unknown.

Like a new and diff'rent season

Living flesh for hearts of stone.

Bread of Heaven, pure and simple.

See not what the eye perceives

Come explore the suspect rimple

Find the grace that faith receives.

Not belying but exceeding

All that man has ever known.

Starving souls on truth now feeding.

Life within the desert grown.

Monday

To suffer, die, and rise again

He spoke to followers and then,

Those saddened could not comprehend

How pain could bring a gloried end.

So short our line of vision here

And things are not as they appear.

But One so high and far above

Can see with eyes of purest love.

With earthly eyes, I fail to see

When Christ is there in front of me,

And so I treat the Precious Son

Just like a poor and common one.

Tuesday

Your word consumed, made part of me

The world and flesh would plainly see

The doing shows our faith to men

Far more than what we speak or pen.

One like a child in many ways

Is best to offer fervent praise.

Humility is welcomed where

The Father's love is in the air.

So, feed me well in every day

Let not my heart go far astray,

But let me find my pasture green

In faithful, loving, tame, routine.

It's there the joyous children play

Without a care to cloud the day.

Secure in loving Shepherd's care

Apart from every evil snare.

Wednesday

Only those who mourn the evil

Only those You set aside

All the rest endure upheaval

All the rest be life denied.

Show no mercy, show no pity,

Young and old, and all alike

Wield the sickle in the city

All the wicked, deadly strike.

With their corpses stain the Temple

Fill the courts with all the slain

Go outside and slay the city

Killing all till none remain.

Such a day is now much nearer

Growing closer every day

Be not just a passive hearer,

Be a doer and obey.

Thursday

Oh, what glory for the Maiden

One on Earth with sorrows laden.

One in humble service ready

One whose faith was firm and steady.

Taken up to meet the Savior

Now, at last, to glory savor.

Purest vessel of creation

Sinless for the whole duration.

Be our mother now and ever,

Help us in our life's endeavor.

Send us grace that's daily needed,

Let your words be gladly heeded.

Do the all He says to do,

Abundantly He'll answer you

With overflowing gifts of love,

With joy and peace that's found above.

Friday

The story of the Church I tell

Once rescued, fed, and nurtured well

He cleansed and bathed Her nubile form

With lace and jewelry then adorned.

Her beauty far exceeded all

But she ignored the sacred call.

Enamored with her beauty now

She turned and to the creatures bowed.

Polluting all on her bestowed

Her nakedness, like harlot's showed.

His every gift to her profaned

Her beauty now besmirched and stained.

But He, a covenant has made

And never shall His word be swayed.

In pardon, He extends His hand

To bring her to the Promised Land.

Saturday

The childlike awaits the word

And acts upon whatever's heard.

They hope and trust because they're low

And well their need for God they know.

8/4/24 Through 8/10/24

 8/4/24 Through 8/10/24

Sunday

What is this?, the people said

It fell to Earth, the angels' bread

The Lord prepares in desert waste

A feast to satisfy each taste.

To daily trust the Lord would teach

As forty years the journey reached.

But in prosperity declined

And so, to other gods inclined.

His daily bread our precious food

What once was bread, now flesh imbued.

The source of life for men below

So all might feed and Jesus know.

Don't fall from hunger just because

You only see the bread that was.

It's true, His flesh will bring to man

What none of earthly pleasures can.

Monday

Roses and sunshine, not always the way.

The evil and selfish at sometime will pay.

To God we can listen and gladly obey,

Or sooner or later, the fun goes away.

The bearer of bad news is scorned

When those in wickedness are warned.

For though in finery adorned

Their poverty will soon be mourned.

Don't lead the little ones astray

To mortal sin and rank decay,

But lead them all to change before

The battle's lost, and so the war.

Tuesday

That day with Peter, James, and John

Before their eyes they looked upon

Change to glory far exceeding

There before the Cross preceding.

Grace was given in such measure

That the human heart could treasure

Every word that leads to glory

Given in salvation's story.

Every man is given glimpses

Which this earthly world eclipses

So to prove His love unending

And from heaven, down His bending.

Then if we heed His given word

And follow well the message heard

We too will share that glory seen,

But first the Cross lay in between.

Wednesday

I beg of You, Lord to make of me

A scrap that's saved for love of Thee.

An outcast welcomed, sinner saved

One rescued from all that's depraved.

Oh, let me ne'er return to sin

But always welcome graces in

And choose the door You cleft for me

So all Your glories I may see.

This nation too, has gone astray

But You can show again the Way.

Speak louder Lord, than Satan's call

That so, our nation may not fall.

I know this selfish greedy lot

Have squandered many blessings got

But You can turn a heart toward love

With just a word from up above.

Give eyes that see and freely choose

To never Your salvation lose.

Make here a beacon shining bright

For all those trapped in darkest night.

Thursday

The day has come when all should know

The name of Jesus Christ.

Yet occupied with empty show,

A fallacy high-priced.

Oh, change the heart and make anew

Your people gone astray.

Within the heart of man renew

The knowledge of Your way.

Though hard it be, it's thus ordained

The gift of self will save.

By giving self is thus obtained

The power o'er the grave.

While Satan mocks and spurns the gift

It's here we come to know

The love of God complete and swift

Within the soul will grow.

The choice He made to suffer well

Has changed the world we know.

So, freely all your neighbors tell 

Then all, in faith, shall grow.

Friday

Take up your cross and follow Me

If you would My disciple be.

For in the cross is found the way

To fill with gold these pots of clay.

The gift of self, the greatest gift

A stubborn heart and mind can shift

To see the light before too late

And many evil sins abate.

Our sacrifices offered well

Can save a wayward soul from hell.

When joined to Jesus on the Cross,

The gold we offer sheds the dross.

No road of comfort, ease, and bliss,

Or way for timid souls is this.

The narrow way has great demand,

But leads unto the Promised land.

Saturday

Another saint with such a name

I pray, oh Lord, would be the fame

Of every child born here below

Who comes our blessed Lord to know.

By casting many seeds about

And clearing every shade of doubt

We reap a bountied harvest in

With those who turn their backs on sin.

All seed must die before it grows

As every simple farmer knows.

But when it dies, the growth begins

And once a loser ever wins.

So, follow where the Master leads

And die to self you little seeds.

For what awaits is life anew

And everlasting joy for you.

7/28/24 Through 8/3/24

 7/28/24 Through 8/3/24

Sunday

The Lord, our every need shall meet

With every bite of food we eat.

For those who do the Father's will

Far more than stomachs does He fill.

The longing deep within each heart

His love will slake, and grace impart

To listen well each time we pray

And do the Father's will each day.

But which comes first I sometimes ask,

The grace or duty to the task?

Of course, the grace is first bestowed

And why all thanks to Him is owed.

Monday

We all must learn to put away

The thoughts and cares of everyday

Then learn to sit at loving feet

That we may too, the Savior meet.

But action too, is needed when

We show our faith to other men

For truest faith confronts all fear

And trusts His strength is ever near.

When we remember God is God

And not another worthless fraud

We'll listen first and then obey

To find the everlasting way.

Tuesday

His covenant we pray He keeps

And only blessings ever heaps.

But curses too, were promised when

The covenant was made with men.

What fools we are to fall away

To turn from Him and go astray

When every blessing He provides

And in each humble heart resides.

But man, the fool, has often played

And let the evil one invade.

Enamored by his empty show

The weeds among the wheat will grow.

Yet still the Father holds his hand

And issues but a reprimand

In hopes that by a message sent

The sinners see, and so repent.

If they persist till harvest time,

Awaits the pit one cannot climb.

So, heed the warnings, turn and live,

For God is faithful to forgive.

Wednesday

Oh God, become my stronghold

On the day of my distress.

A firm unyielding foothold

In the land of perfect rest.

One willingly rejecting

All lesser treasures seen.

Unfailingly protecting

The precious pearl unseen.

Even unto martyrdom,

Immovable with pain.

Focused on the larger sum

Of my eternal gain.

Thursday

The Potter's wheel and fisher's net

Are things we easily forget,

But, yea they teach a lesson long

To humble proud and weaken strong.

We are but lumps of worthless clay,

But clay that's fashioned in a way

To make us priceless works of art

Reflections of the Potter's heart.

But when the clay resists the mold

Refusing then His shape to hold,

He starts reshaping new until

He gets the clay to do his will.

So too, the fisher's net when cast

Returns a varied catch amassed.

The good is saved, but thrown away

Are all the worthless caught that day.

When wheel is stopped and net drawn in

It's then too late to turn from sin.

Our fate is sealed that final day

Be we good fish or worthless clay.

So, now before the wheel is stopped.

Before the net again is dropped,

Repent of sin and learn the way,

And let the Potter mold the clay.

Friday

The prophet's rarely welcomed in

By those he speaks to steeped in sin.

Their evil ways, so well-ingrained

Create a will, to sin, that's chained.

But when the Lord commands to speak

We must be bold, for some still seek.

A word in love, that's spoken well

Can change one's course that's bound for hell.

The ridicule and scorn of men

Must not deter the prophet when

The Lord commands and gives the word

For by this action, hearts are stirred.

Results may not be evident

To people where the prophet's sent,

But if and when they ruminate

The call for change shall not abate.

Such wisdom will astound for sure

But also be a subtle lure

To draw the wayward people in

And turn them from their lives of sin.

Be not afraid to hear His voice

And make His word your every choice.

He knows what's always best for you

And where to find what you pursue.

Saturday

Lord, may I see as clear as day

The choice before me then I pray.

And choose the light when darkness reigns

In spite of all the earthly pains.

I know I'm weak and helpless, Lord

But yet I crave your rich reward

Give me the grace and will to choose

The truth, if even life I lose.

When faced with evil let me bear

My cross into the serpent's lair

Accepting well my earthly pain

In hope of everlasting gain.

7/21/24 Through7/27/24

 7/21/24 Through7/27/24

Sunday

Like sheep without a shepherd

We scatter and are lost.

Then wandering unfettered

The preditors accost.

The leaders of the people

Have lost the common good.

They see no more the steeple

For guiding as they should.

But, lo behold, a Shepherd Good

Has come from high above.

To lead His flock as shepherds should

In sacrificial love.

So, learn to hear Good Shepherd's voice.

Ignore the howling din.

Make love your pure and simple choice,

And turn away from sin.

Monday

A love so pure and undefiled

Was found in this repentant child.

A soul once dead, but made anew,

The first The Risen Christ to view.

This transformation all can find

Within the heart and in the mind.

The zeal to share our risen Lord

And bring to all His love out-poured.

If we but let Him heal our sin

And welcome then His Spirit in,

The stone we'll find is rolled away

And death no longer holds its sway.

So, come and see the empty tomb,

Let light, the darkness, now consume.

The bonds of sin and death released.

With joy and gladness, now we feast.

Tuesday

Just who, like Him, can wonders bring,

And who could be so good a King,

Forgiving sins that beauty lost,

Restoring love without a cost?

Your faithfulness forever known,

Your healing grace to sinner shown.

For You delight in clemency

When e'er a stray returns to Thee.

Wednesday

Before He formed you in the womb

He knew the flower, knew the bloom.

A task appointed for each one

A path of holiness to run.

A greatness planned for every soul,

A path to make them humble, whole.

But freedom's given every man

To follow well, or shun the plan.

A power follows on His way,

The grace that's needed every day

To meet each challenge fair and true

And always more refining you.

So, fear not what the world holds,

For trial's how the the Potter molds.

In fire gold is purified, 

And Love itself they crucified.

But lo, the grave could not confine

The One who died for sins of thine.

And glorified, He rose again

To save the souls of sinful men.

So, humble and quite docile be

Obedient to none but He

And you will find what e'er you face

He always gives sufficient grace.

Thursday

In pots of clay the treasure dwells

That where we go His power swells.

Though pots are cracked, they still contain

His word which death cannot constrain.

Despite the darkest veils around,

The precious gold may still be found.

Untainted by the world's decay

In ever bright and bold array.

Still given up to death each day,

But life it harvests on the way.

In mortal flesh, immortal dwells,

And every fear His love dispels.

Friday

The people long for shepherds wise

Who speak the truth without disguise,

Who guard the flock and gather in

The ones astray in wayward sin.

Who look for soil well-prepared

To spread His word with nothing spared.

Yet still some seed will fall in stone

And wither soon before it's grown.

The birds will eat what's on the way

For trodden well, and hard the clay.

And that where thorn and thistle grow,

A fruited stalk will never know.

But where the soil's soft and deep

A bountied harvest one can reap

At thirty, sixty, hundredfold

The faithful ones will then behold.

Saturday

The weeds will grow among the wheat,

But nay the harvestman defeat.

For weeds be bundled, tied, and burned,

And wheat be claimed as harvest earned.

So too, with men both here below

The sinner and the righteous grow.

But when the harvest sickle wields,

No longer have the sinners shields.

Oh, count this weed among the wheat

And let me yield a harvest sweet.

Transformed by what the Spirit gives

So weed that's changed to wheat now lives.

For soon enough the harvest comes

And weed or wheat each life becomes

Proud weeds, no fruit to offer then

Become no more than pitied men.