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.

10/21/18 Through 10/27/18

10/21/18 Through 10/27/18

Sunday

Only that we give away

Will last until another day.

Only when we suffer well

Will Christ, on earth, within us dwell.

To shoulder burdens with a smile,

To gladly walk the extra mile,

Will bring the kingdom here below,

And grace to all the world bestow.

So we must learn to count as loss,

All earthly gain, and bear the cross.

To drink the cup the Savior drank,

And for the priv'lege, Jesus thank.

For none like He has known our pain

Who suffered for eternal gain,

Who counted all the world as loss,

And bore our sins upon the cross.

Monday

To Him, our maker, we belong

We come to Him with joyful song.

He knows our need in every day,

He formed this simple lump of clay.

Give thanks to Him for He is good

He took our place upon the wood.

In Him alone are riches found.

The One with thorns, our sins have crowned.

Now we are called, His way to know,

To trust Him in each step we go

For He will grant our every need

When daily, on his bread, we feed.

Tuesday

If found awake on his return

Great blessing will the servant earn

If fast asleep when He arrives,

The laziness, of good, deprives.

He bids us keep a steady eye

Be wary of the wicked spy,

And search for truth along the way

That's often lost amid the fray.

Wednesday

What stewardship is given me?

Am I as true as I should be?

Have I but used my talents well?

So where's the fruit that stories tell?

I look and see abundantly

Your gifts and grace bestowed on me.

But even though the gifts abound,

So very little fruit is found.

I wish to see the nation turned

With jealousy and hatred spurned,

With life respected womb to tomb,

With Church as bride and Christ as Groom.

Though such on earth may never be,

You bid us to request of Thee

That all upon His entry be

Well-prepared, and fit for Thee.

Thursday

To grasp the height and breadth of God

No mortal mind can know

The ocean depths and shores abroad,

Or lands down far below.

This world of ours a speck of dust

Within his august mind

Yet He invites a total trust

In love of perfect kind.

And guarantees that we will see

Much more than mind can tell

If we will but disciples be

Our hearts and minds will swell.

Friday

Made for more than many know,

Be the one whose love will show

With patience and with gentleness

The beauties that His laws express.

That one day all may see the light

And build a future strong and bright

With bonds of love and unity

All grounded in humility.

Saturday

Your will brings light and clarity

If we but listen well and see

He made for one, the many parts

And bearing fruit is where it starts.

If we would use the gifts He gave

the world, from error, would be saved.

Then He would heal the many scars, 

And fruit abundant, would be ours.

10/14/18 Through 10/20/18

10/14/18 Through 10/20/18

Sunday

Wisdom far exceeds them all.

So answer to her ringing call.

Riches seem as worthless sand, 

But poverty, with her, is grand.

The one thing that we all must know,

Is love will make the spirit grow.

Nothing can, with it, compare,

No gold or gem is quite so fair.

Monday

The signs are here yet we ignore

The call to worship and adore.

We rather seek to feed desire,

Than lasting food, our souls acquire.

We hold so tightly to our sin.

That prison, with us chained within.

The only way to free the soul

Is turn from sin to be made whole.

Tuesday

The fire of love was shown to her,

A cleansing fire meant to stir

The heart toward love and not to law

For purest love is what she saw.

The inside must be cleansed of sin,

For purest love to enter in.

The outside just an empty sign,

With inside cleansed, prepare to dine.

Wednesday

So crucified the flesh may be,

We fast and pray and offer Thee,

The works and troubles of the day

That sanctified may be our way

No Pharisee or teacher be

Whose showy works say, "Look at Me".

But one who parts the heavy load

And shares the fruits, on him bestowed.

Thursday

Can I but be Your laborer,

And in the minds of others stir,

A ray of light to show the way,

And rescue those who from You stray?

A healing balm to cure the sick.

A lamp with oil moistened wick,

A salt to spark a thirst in men

To listen and obey again.

The fields are ripe, and grain is full.

Give words that on the heartstrings pull.

Then gather in the harvest prize

Before it withers, fades, and dies.

Friday

All secrets will be known one day.

Thing whispered, they will loudly say.

What once in darkness was concealed,

In light, that day, will be revealed.

The secrets will each one be known.

The truth, to all, will then be shown.

Fear not the ones with evil goal,

They have no power o're the soul

Saturday

It's all about the dignity

Of little ones we cannot see.

May Christ enlighten hearts to know,

And wisdom, on our world, bestow.

Show in truth, where glory lies

And through His power, exercise

A resurrection of the mind

That all, the Son, as King, may find.

10/7/18 Through 10/13/18

10/7/18 Through 10/13/18

Sunday

By Him, the man and wife were made

To join in love, and never fade.

A life of giving all we own.

A life where seeds of love are sown.

A fruitful bond with two made one,

For more than just the sake of fun.

To mirror in affinity,

The love among the Trinity.

Monday

What must I do to be saved?

What obstacle still must be braved?

Just point me the way, and I'll do what You say.

Your word on my hand is engraved.

To love him's a pretty good start.

But only a half, or a part.

For if love isn't shown, to the brother that's known,

We haven't got much of a heart.

So listen and learn very well

From each of the stories I tell.

For on the way through, there's a message for you,

If on it, a while, you dwell.

Tuesday

Oh how busy I have been,

So much in love with selfish sin.

In search of glory from the crowd

Enamored by the haughty proud.

Too busy for a little time

To listen close and hear the rhyme.

To let his peace come flooding in,

And fill the emptiness within.

The better part, to sit with Him,

And quietly, His love, take in.

That changed forever, I may be,

And finer ways, may clearly see.

Wednesday

Submitting to authority

Not always fun for folks like me.

I like it when the rules are mine,

Far more than when the rules are Thine.

I oft forget Commandment One,

And think somehow I am the one,

To judge what's good or bad for me

Instead of turning all toward Thee.

I have no right to make the rule.

I am but just Your simple tool, 

And I have not the right to speak

As one contemptible and weak.

In wisdom You have set the stage,

Appointing prophet, seer, and sage.

Not perfect, anyone in power,

But chosen for this special hour.

Trust is what You ask of me

When darkness makes it hard to see.

Your ways so far above my own,

You're always right, as time has shown.

Thursday

Persistently, I seek Your word

Above the other voices heard.

To keep the gifts You gave me fanned,

And lead me to the promised land.

Friday

Sin be conquered and be gone

Let us not, be near it drawn.

Sweep the house and make it clean,

Feast not on its ill cuisine.

Let it never find a home

Let it round the world roam.

Be not the one to feed upon it,

Like the dog, who licks the vomit.

Worse the state for one like this

Caught within the deep abyss

Freed but then returned to sin

Stronger now, its grasp on him.

My God, my God, Your strength I need,

When I attempt, Your voice to heed.

Without Your help along the way,

I cannot help, but often stray.

Be there and guide me in Your path

Save me from that awful wrath

Be the strength for weakened knees

Help this feeble sinner... Please!

Saturday

Blest the one who hears the word

And follows very well.

The holy one whose will is stirred

Will with, the Father dwell.

You too can be a blessed one

In intimate embrace,

If you would listen to the Son,

And answer to His grace.

9/30/18 Through 10/6/18

9/30/18 Through 10/6/18

Sunday

Lord, so often I look and see

With eyes of foolosh jealousy,

And fail to see that all I am 

Is just another sinful man.

Cut off the parts that weigh me down

May they be with, a millstone, drowned.

I hope to find my life in You 

So sanctify the things I do.

Monday

Naked I came, and naked I go.

Nothing is mine, as far as I know.

All that I have was given by You

Praise to the One whom praises are due!

Tuesday

Angel of God my guardian dear

Daily my prayer and thanksgiving you hear.

Lifted to God with incense smoke

Each prayer of the heart the faithful spoke.

There at my side in the morning light.

There to watch over throughout every night.

There at my call when fear overflows,

There as my guide, the next step to expose.

Wednesday

This dollar bill a paltry thing

Yet to its draw, we firmly cling.

Decisions made by what things cost,

No thought at all for what is lost.

The dollar cannot satisfy,

When even found in great supply.

this fact well-known, but still we yearn

A little larger pay to earn.

Then when invited, "Follow Me"

Beyond the fog we cannot see.

The dollars seem to high a cost,

The worthless saved, salvation, lost!

Thursday

A Frenchman wise and clever said,

"Our church should not be left for dead."

Quite true, her beauty fades with sin

But change must come from deep within.

The only way to rid the vice,

Is suffer well and pay the price.

Replacing sin with virtues rare

As found in Francis and in Clare.

This poverty, the artist's way,

To battle vices of the day,

And find the spring of purity,

Forgiveness in humility.

Sufficient are the critics now,

But what we need are more somehow,

Of artists who will ply their hand

In answer to the great command.

Friday

I wish to be a martyr

That never skips a meal

I think my way much smarter,

to common sense appeal.

I wish to build the brawn,

But never lift a weight,

To rise before the dawn,

But sleep to half past eight.

I wish to sleep around

But be as pure as snow.

In luxury be drowned,

Yet poverty to know.

You call my way absurd,

No way for it to be,

So you must not have heard

Of such topology.

Am I so odd to want as much

You say can never be?

Just look around and count the schmucks

Who play the lottery!

Saturday

In emptiness You voice is heard,

You will in suffering.

In quiet there the soul is stirred

To let the Lord be King.

9/23/18 Through 9/29/18

9/23/18 Through 9/29/18

Sunday

No room to boast of what I own

For if at last, the truth be known,

All that I have was given me

That I might live eternally.

And look beyond my selfish greed

To see the One I truly need

Possessions cannot ever give

The things I need to truly live

The childlike will find in Thee

The answer to their every plea,

and humble ones will come to know

The greater gift that You bestow.

Monday

Set your light upon the stand

And listen for His each command.

Be docile and compliant when

He asks of you to give again.

For what you have was given for

Both blessing you, and many more.

Your light was meant to fill the room,

Dispelling darkness, grief, and gloom.

Tuesday

A brother may I be to you 

Who from the noisy crowd withdrew,

To better hear what You would say,

And follow on that trusted way.

Expecting inspirations large,

But finding smaller things my charge,

And nonethelsss I must obey,

To find, for me, the perfect way.

His word will come proportioned to

My willingness to hear, and do.

Each time I spurn a little chance,

I say, I wish not to advance.

But if I quickly answer yes,

It leads me to a sure success.

A triumph over selfish whim,

And one step closer now to Him.

Wednesday

The less I possess, the more I receive.

Abundance is mine because I believe,

To Him all belongs, and none of it mine,

Yet all that I need is granted in time.

His love ever present to those in need,

And daily, with bread, The Father will feed.

Truth the companion of those with the Word.

Speech with authority now has been heard.

Demons will flee at the sound of His name

Sight for the blind, and feet for the lame.

Making the journey without sack or stick,

Proclaiming the Kingdom, and healing the sick.

Nothing is mine, but all that I need

He grants everyday just as He decreed.

In weakness, His power is shown everyday.

He cares for the humble, who follow His way.

Thursday

The world turns another day

And caught within the endless fray,

Are those whose lives have gone astray,

Who never stop to think or pray.

So futile can it all appear

If they will never stop to hear,

His call to listen and draw near,

His call to cast away all fear.

Each revolution serves to guide

His purpose, ever amplified.

That none but Him could e're provide

Such peace and love exemplified.

So let no turn be passed away

Without some good along the way.

Make love the goal in all you say,

And find the beauty in each day.

Friday

In darkness in the still of morn

A thirst for something more is born.

In quiet there His whisper heard,

Before the first awakened bird.

A longing for His word to lead,

A longing for a daily seed.

To plant within this heart of mine,

And move a bit more close to Thine.

Saturday

An angel is a messenger

Whose duty is to come and stir

The hearts of men to see the way,

And Word of God, to us, relay.

Each one of us, to others be

At times, the one to help them see.

So, in some way, an angel too

If we but listen well to You.

My goal, oh Lord, is but to be

An instrument of love for Thee.

To help my brother understand

The grandeur of what You have planned.

So help me in my weakest hour

To speak with Love's most awesome power.

That I might be, for others then,

An angel to my fellow men.

9/16/18 Through 9/22/18

9/16/18 Through 9/22/18

Sunday

The question still remains today

Just who you say I am.

You know what other people say,

But this is your exam.

The question comes to each of us

At some point in our lives.

No time for us to then discuss,

When Judgement Day arrives.

So ask yourself this day and know,

Do you believe at all?

If so, arise and off do go,

In answer to His call.

And know the cross awaits as well

For all who call Him Lord.

To sin and selfishness the knell,

With ample grace outpoured.

Monday

Oh Lord I am not worthy now

That You should come to me somehow,

And grace me with another gift,

To once again my spirit lift.

But everyday in quiet morn,

Your word to me, again is borne

To shine a ray of light within

And help me turn away from sin.

Tuesday

Each need He meets at proper time,

A wedding with abundant wine.

A raging sea rebuked and calm,

The comfort of a fitting psalm.

A mother given back her son.

Ten lepers cured, but grateful, one.

On just five loaves are many fed,

You come to us in daily bread.

I worry and I wonder when,

That Christ will come and act again,

As faithful only He can be,

To show how much He cares for me.

Wednesday

In so great a need for love

We cry to You, oh Lord above,

Our world is set in evil ways

So hard to find a man that prays.

Love's perverted in our time

So hard to break this paradigm.

The fraud of pleasure, lust, and greed

Far easier to fill and feed.

But emptiness is where it leads,

And more of nothingness it breeds.

For emptiness cannot fulfill

The void within our own free will.

When finally they understand,

If not too late, for what He planned

They see they sought created things

Instead of what true love soon brings.

It's not so hard if just we seek

To immitate the poor and meek,

And see created evidence

As just a sign of Providence

The creature's not the end you see,

Far greater, its creator be.

For Love is that which gave us all 

And love is our much higher call.

Thursday

Have I used Your grace to me

In ways to set my brother free,

Or have I been a useless slave

Who squandered all the Master gave?

Your grace is offered everyday

But oft I pass it by and say,

I'm busy now, I haven't time

To stop and talk, or give a dime.

I'm on my way with goals intent.

Don't speak to me of being sent.

Like the song, I want to say,

Look at this life I did my way!

But now I see that worthless end.

Just folly that, on I, depend

For all that matters when I die,

Is how I loved the Lord on high.

So grant Your grace again and see,

A trusted servant, I will be.

Repentant for my many sins,

Who knows at death, new life begins.

Friday

Two words are all it took to bring

The tax collector to the King.

The man despised by leaders there,

who left his post within the square.

In Him he saw the truth revealed.

To him his righteousness appealed.

At once his gold appeared as tin,

The moment that he answered Him.

That "Follow Me" resounds today,

To each of us along the way,

But oh, if we could only see,

What holds us back is trumpery.

Saturday

What we see is just a seed,

But given soil as it needs,

To deeply root and firmly hold

Far greater then, will we behold.

If watered well and given light,

The seed will grow to greater height.

Producing fruit to feed the soul,

To satisfy and bless the whole.

Far beyond that little seed,

The plant will grow to fill our need

If it will die to be reborn,

then rise again, by God, transformed!