The Fire

The fire came around me, it burned on every side

My faith was weak and tired, the battle cry had died

But in the midst of burning, I looked and I could see

The great Kinsman Redeemer smiling back at me

 

He said, I am in the fire, I hold your hand, you see

The flames will not come nigh for I’ve protected thee

And when you feel you cannot face another day of heat

Run into my open arms and you will find sweet peace

 

The fire must come into every home and life

It’s here you are perfected, see gold must be tested and tried

For I know when I look closely, My reflection I will see

For every child must be tried before he reigns with Me

 

Remember, I am in the fire, I hold your hand, you see

The flames will not come nigh for I’ve protected thee

And when you feel you cannot face another day of heat

Run into My open arms and you will find sweet peace

 

By MSR

 

 

 

Calling Prayer Warriors

 

I saw a sign in a window

That spoke deeply to my soul

It reached out and grabbed my attention

Like never held before

It said, “I’m in need of a Prayer Warrior

My Friend is in great need.

I need someone to ring those bells

Down on bended knee.”

 

Calling all the Prayer Warriors

Those who don’t accept defeat

The battle-scarred, the weary ones

Who believe in bended knee

Calling all the Prayer Warriors

The war is at our door

Time to go to battle

Like so many times before

Through the Storms

I did not know His love before, the way I know it now.

I could not see my need for Him, my pride would not allow.

I had it all, without a care, the "Self-sufficient" lie.

My path was smooth, my sea was still, not a cloud was in my sky.

I thought I knew His love for me, I thought I'd seen His grace,

I thought I did not need to grow, I thought I'd found my place.

 

But then the way grew rough and dark, the storm clouds quickly rolled;

The waves began to rock my ship, my anchor would not hold.

The ship that I had built myself was made of foolish pride.

It fell apart and left me bare, with nowhere else to hide.

I had no strength or faith to face the trials that lay ahead,

And so I simply prayed to Him and bowed my weary head.

 

His loving arms enveloped me, and then He helped me stand.

He said, "You still must face this storm, but I will hold your hand.

"So through the dark and lonely night He guided me through pain.

I could not see the light of day or when the storm might wane.

Yet through the aches and endless tears, my faith began to grow.

I could not see it at the time, but my light began to glow.

 

I saw God's love in brand new light, His grace and mercy, too.

For only when all self was gone could Jesus' love shine through.

It was not easy in the storm, I sometimes wondered, "Why?"

At times I thought, "I can't go on." I'd hurt, and doubt, and cry.

But Jesus never left my side, He guided me each day.

Through pain and strife, through fire and flood, 

He helped me all the way.

 

And now I see as never before how great His love can be.

How in my weakness He is strong, how Jesus cares for me!

He worked it all out for my good, although the way was rough.

He only sent what I could bear, and then He cried, "Enough!"

He raised His hand and said, "Be still!" 

He made the storm clouds cease.

 

He opened up the gates of joy and flooded me with peace.

I saw His face now clearer still, I felt His presence strong,

I found anew His faithfulness, He never did me wrong.

Now I know more storms will come, but only for my good,

For pain and tears have helped me grow as naught else ever could.

I still have so much more to learn as Jesus works in me;

If in the storm I'll love Him more, that's where I want to be

Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.”
― Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them

Pearls for the Soul

By Richard Alan Naggar

When we long for life without difficulties,

remind us that oaks grow

strong in contrary winds,

and diamonds are made under pressure

~~~~~

Good timber does not grow with ease.

The stronger the wind, the stronger

the tree.

~~~~~

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

October

O hushed October morning mild, 

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall; 

Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild, 

Should waste them all. 

The crows above the forest call; 

Tomorrow they may form and go. 

O hushed October morning mild, 

Begin the hours of this day slow. 

Make the day seem to us less brief. 

Hearts not averse to being beguiled, 

Beguile us in the way you know. 

Release one leaf at break of day; 

At noon release another leaf; 

One from our trees, one far away." 

 - Robert Frost

Never Give Up

It is not the critic who counts, 

Nor the man who points out 

How the strong man stumbled, 

Or where the doer of deeds 

Could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man 

Who is actually in the arena, 

Whose face is marred 

By dust and sweat and blood; 

 Who strives valiantly; 

Who errs and comes short again and again; 

Who knows great enthusiasms, great devotions; 

ho spends himself in a worthy cause; 

Who, at the best, knows in the end 

The triumph of high achievement, and Who, at the worst, if he fails, 

At least fails while daring greatly, 

 So that his place shall never be 

With those timid souls 

Who know neither victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt

Strength for the Day

Tomorrow's cares may never come, 

They're locked up in the future, 

Your troubled thoughts may sometimes roam, 

For that is human nature 

You worry what may happen

In future day's events, 

What God's great mind has shapen, 

For He allows, and He prevents 

His mighty Hand controls all things 

His interest lies in you, 

In every detail that life brings 

He is always true 

He has not promised lives of ease, 

Not even a rose-strewn way, 

Nor pleasant things that always please, 

But strength for every day 

You may not see beyond today, 

Or the future far and dim 

But He's the God of yesterday, 

And tomorrow belongs to Him 

Today your strength's assured, 

So live it free from care, 

God's promises always have endured 

So leave your worries there 

Depend upon His mighty power, 

Upon unending love, 

Don't doubt His care in any hour, 

Just turn your eyes above 

The One who holds the worlds in place

Controls, supports, and cares, 

Will keep you by His wondrous grace,

Today, and through the years By Eva Moore

The Secret Place of Prayer

There is a place where thou canst touch the eyes 

Of blinded men to instant, perfect sight; 

There is a place where thou canst say, 

"Arise"To dying captives, bound in chains of night; 

There is a place where thou canst reach the store 

Of hoarded gold and free it for the Lord; 

There is a place--upon some distant shore-- 

Where thou canst send the worker and the Word. 

Where is that secret place--dost thou ask, "Where?"

 O soul, it is the secret place of prayer! ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson

God is in Every Tomorrow

God is in every tomorrow 

Therefore I live for today, 

Certain of finding at sunrise 

Guidance and strength for the day. 

Power for each moment of weakness, 

Hope for each moment of pain, 

Comfort for every sorrow, sunshine and joy after rain. 

 

God is in every tomorrow 

Planning for you and for me; 

In the dark I will follow, 

Trust where my eyes cannot see. 

Soothed by the touch of His hand, 

Confident in His protection 

Knowing my life path is planned. 

 

God is in every tomorrow, 

Life with its changes may come, 

He is behind and before me 

While in the distance shines home. 

Home—Where no thought of tomorrow

 Ever can shadow my brow, 

Home—in the presence of Jesus Through all eternity now. Author Unknown

The Weaver

My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me, 

I cannot choose the colors He worketh steadily. 

Oft times He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride 

Forget He sees the upper but I the under side. 

Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly, 

Shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why. 

The dark threads are as needed in the Weaver's skillful hand, 

As threads of gold and silver in the pattern life has planned.

The Lord is My Strength

"The Lord hath sent strength for thee" (Ps.68.28, PBV). 

The Lord imparts unto us that primary strength of character which makes everything in life work with intensity and decision. We are "strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man." 

And the strength is continuous; reserves of power come to us which we cannot exhaust."As thy days, so shall thy strength be"—strength of will, strength of affection, strength of judgment, strength of ideals and achievement. "The Lord is my strength" to go on.

He gives us power to tread the dead level, to walk the long lane that seems never to have a turning, to go through those long reaches of life which afford no pleasant surprise, and which depress the spirits in the sameness of a terrible drudgery."The Lord is my strength" to go up. 

He is to me the power by which I can climb the Hill Difficulty and not be afraid. "The Lord is my strength" to go down. 

It is when we leave the bracing heights, where the wind and the sun have been about us, and when we begin to come down the hill into closer and more sultry spheres, that the heart is apt to grow faint.I heard a man say the other day concerning his growing physical frailty, "It is the coming down that tires me!" "The Lord is my strength" to sit still. And how difficult is the attainment! 

Do we not often say to one another, in seasons when we are compelled to be quiet, "If only I could do something!"When the child is ill, and the mother stands by in comparative impotence, how severe is the test! But to do nothing, just to sit still and wait, requires tremendous strength. "The Lord is my strength!" "Our sufficiency is of God." The Silver Lining A Door Opened in Heaven "A door opened in heaven" (Rev. 4:1). 

You must remember that John was in the Isle of Patmos, a lone, rocky, inhospitable prison, for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. And yet to him, under such circumstances, separated from all the loved ones of Ephesus; debarred from the worship of the Church; condemned to the companionship of uncongenial fellow-captives, were vouchsafed these visions. For him, also a door was opened.

We are reminded of Jacob, exiled from his father's house, who laid himself down in a desert place to sleep, and in his dreams beheld a ladder which united Heaven with earth, and at the top stood God. 

Not to these only, but to many more, doors have been opened into Heaven, when, so far as the world was concerned, it seemed as though their circumstances were altogether unlikely for such revelations.

To prisoners and captives; to constant sufferers, bound by iron chains of pain to sick couches; to lonely pilgrims and wanderers; to women detained from the Lord's house by the demands of home, how often has the door been opened to Heaven. 

But there are conditions. You must know what it is to be in the Spirit; you must be pure in heart and obedient in faith; you must be willing to count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ; then when God is all in all to us, when we live, move and have our being in His favor, to us also will the door be opened. --

"God hath His mountains bleak and bare, 

Where He doth bid us rest awhile; 

Crags where we breathe a purer air, 

Lone peaks that catch the day's first smile. 

"God hath His deserts broad and brown--

A solitude--a sea of sand, 

Where He doth let heaven's curtain down, 

Unknit by His Almighty hand." Charles E. Cowan

Baby Sister and Me

Happy birthday Patti! May this day be filled with love and laughter and special treats!

When time without warning sends a memory on a breeze I think back to my childhood, baby sister, and me Faithful friends and partners, playmates who could scheme Plotting, planning, dreaming, of the fun that we could weave

With great imagination we brought our plays to life games of Kook and Carson and yellow dandelions Playtime meant some special props; we knew just where to look Mother’s room, her top right drawer, we found our priceless loot

Stylish pink-framed glasses with corners pointed high Perched high atop our golden curls or framing hazel eyes On smuggled baby blankets, we lay beneath the pines Laughing secret giggles and whispering secret lines

We'll build a bridge out o’er the ditch, a chasm so it seemed With planks found out behind the shed, the ditch became our stream Struggling with our balance, we clomped across the boards, Don’t fall I cried! You can’t get wet! Mom’s wrath we can’t afford!

Like snapshots in a photo album, our memories linger still Of caramel crèmes and long gone games, "Big Bean and Little Lou" Riding carousel horses, landing on white lines Cold banana popsicles, the most coveted of prizes

The years have flown, just like a film, fast-forwarding through time The innocence of long gone youth replaced by worry lines But in our hearts will ever be the memory of our springtime When free of cares we formed a bond that has stood the test of time

Happy Birthday Sister

When God wanted me to have a sister He thought about you first I hold every memory we created For it's unrivaled worth

No one can know us as we do And all we treasure of our past We have our special secrets And understand each other's heart

I may not tell you as I should How much you mean to me So, today I send you lots of love For today to be a treat

Have a special birthday then dear sis You deserve the very best And so I ask in prayer For every moment to be blessed

The Light

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.  

The Sun Still Shining 

They looked...and behold,the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. Exodus 16:10 Without the clouds we wouldn't be shielded from the burning sun. Without the clouds there would be no lavish sunsets, no beneficial rain, no beautiful landscapes. 

The same is true with life's clouds. When hard times come we easily get discouraged. But behind the clouds God is still present, and can even use them to water our souls with unexpected blessings. 

Longfellow once wrote: "Be still, sad heart, and cease repining; behind the clouds is the sun still shining." 

As God's people wandered in the wilderness, He declared, "Behold I come to you in the thick cloud" (Exodus 19:9). Each of us experiences clouds in life -- sometimes slight, but sometimes dark and frightening. 

Whatever clouds you face today, ask Jesus, the light of the world, to help you look behind the cloud to see His glory and His plans for you. ~~The Reverend Billy Graham~

Dance in the Rain

With anxiety in the air And tension everywhere On the wings of the wind The storm roared in As the storm raged around They bowed their heads down As they began to pray They heard Him say Dance-dance in the rain-have no fear Dance-dance in the rain-I am here Dance-dance in the rain-this won’t last Dance-dance in the rain-the storm will pass Dance-dance in the rain-I’ll see you through Dance-dance in the rain-I’ll take care of you Every life it seems Has storms that it brings When lightening streaks the sky And thunder drums from up high When your storm moves in Just trust in Him In the storms roar Take shelter in the Lord Dance-dance in the rain-have no fear Dance-dance in the rain-He is there Dance-dance in the rain-this won’t last Dance-dance in the rain-the storm will pass Dance-dance in the rain-He’ll see you through Dance-dance in the rain-He’ll take care of you Kathleen Shelton Poulson

Sisters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunshine in the meadows
Glistening golden rays
Running through the fields
Laughing as we play
Sharing hopes and dreams
As only Sisters can
Please come and walk with me
Come and take my hand.

We're more than just Sisters
For a friendship has been built
Bit by bit sewn together
Just like Grandma's quilt
We've had our disagreements
But this one thing I know
Whenever I need a friend
To you I'll always go

You always kept my secrets
Tucked safely in your heart
And now that we've grown older
And so many miles apart
I have such precious memories
For days when I feel blue
I think back of the things
That the two of us would do.

Suddenly I'm smiling
I pick up the phone
Hoping with all my heart
That my Sister will be home.
We may share words for hour
Or.... maybe just a few
But I know I'm always happy
After sharing thoughts with you.
© 2004 Marie Williams

Out to Old Aunt Mary's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by James Whitcomb Riley 

( I can just hear Dad quoting this while standing in the kitchen!)

Wasn't it pleasant, O brother mine,
In those old days of the lost sunshine
Of youth—when the Saturday's chores were through,
And the "Sunday's wood" in the kitchen, too,
And we went visiting, "me and you," Out to Old Aunt Mary's?—

"Me and you"—and the morning fair,
With the dewdrops twinkling everywhere;
The scent of the cherry-blossoms blown
After us, in the roadway lone,
Our capering shadows onward thrown— Out to Old Aunt Mary's.

It all comes back so clear to-day!
Though I am as bald as you are gray,—
Out by the barn-lot and down the lane,
We patter along in the dust again,
As light as the tips of the drops of rain,
Out to Old Aunt Mary's

Why, I see her now in the open door
Where the little gourds grew up the sides and o'er The clapboard roof!—
And her face—ah, me! Wasn't it good for a boy to see—
And wasn't it good for a boy to be Out to Old Aunt Mary's?—

For, O my brother so far away, This is to tell you—she waits to-day
To welcome us:—Aunt Mary fell Asleep this morning, whispering,
"Tell The boys to come."...And all is well Out to Old Aunt Mary's.

The Fire

(Requested by Donna) (Written by M. S. Robinson)

The fire came around me; it burned on every side,
My faith was weak and tired, the battle cry had died
But in the midst of burning, I looked and I could see
The great Kinsman Redeemer smiling back at me

He said, I am in the fire, I hold your hand, you see
The flames will not come nigh for I’ve protected thee
And when you feel you cannot face another day of heat
Run into my open arms and you will find sweet peace

The fire must come into every home and life
It’s here you are perfected see, gold must be tested and tried
For I know when I look closely, My reflection I will see
For every child must be tried before he reigns with me

Remember, I am in the fire, I hold your hand, you see
The flames will not come nigh for I’ve protected thee
And when you feel you cannot face another day of heat
Run into my open arms and you will find sweet peace

Don't Quit (Our Dad used to quote this one all the time!)  

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up, though the pace seems slow -
You might succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt -
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.