Life's Storm, Who is your Life Preserver

So many of us go through storms of all kinds in our lives. Sometimes they beat us down pretty bad. Other times we go through them unscathed. Probably the hardest part of going through any storm is reaching out for the only One who can guide us through. The Lord, our never changing, ever loving Life Preserver.He never promises an easy passage through, but He will get us through. When you get into the middle of a storm, what life preserver do you reach for?
This first picture is where I got the inspiration for this poem. My 10 year old son drew this in my book as we were waiting for the Worship service to begin. You just never know what inspires me.

Storms of Life

When the storms in life

begin to cause me strife

I run for shelter until they pass me by

As the rains begin to fall

I feel my back against the wall

I run for cover so I won't get wet

When the winds begin to flow

and the thunder delivers it's blow

I cry loud to drown out the storm's thrashing

The storm releases its furry

I cover myself with worry

unsheltered and battered I'm not sure where to go

Just when I feel the storms about

to strike me down for good

there You are to lift me out

As the winds diminish and clouds fade away

rays of sunshine greet a new day

I crawl from under your wing

You are my shelter no matter what I face

I will stand strong and surrounded by your amazing grace 

How could I have been so wrong

I trust Lord that you'll always be near by

For You Lord are my shelter and refuge

I could not imagine surviving a storm so huge

without you by my side

Strong in 3

I've been working on this one for quite some time now. I wanted to capture so much in this. I was picturing a braid as I wrote it. As you begin there are 3 separate parts that kind of don't do much other than hanging there. Once they are woven together they form 1 strong bond. As one you have a strong binding. I believe that in order to have The Father's Love, you need to believe and have Faith in Him and when you trust Him you have hope. All wound together makes one great way to hold on during your ride through this Earth until you get called home.

Stronger in Three's

Entangled through my heart
are three strands that do their part
to guide me along my way
as I face my struggles every day
One gives me something in which to believe
Another gives me inspiration to move on
and one to fill my heart in ways nothing else can
Alone they are but three strands
Together they will help me stand

Miss one I could still go on
Miss two don't know what I'd do
Miss three and I would cease to breathe
Faith to believe
Hope to inspire
Love to fill my hearts desire

Entangled through my soul
I cannot let them go
for from my Father's hand they do unroll
coated in all His goodness, mercy and faithfulness
if my sins I do confess
My life without them I do profess
would be dull and without purpose
So it is with faith, hope and love
I find myself entangled
in these 3 strands held together by the Father's hand

Miss one I could still go on
Miss two don't know what I'd do
Miss three and I would cease to breathe
Faith to believe
Hope to inspire
Love to fill my hearts desire

COME SING WITH ME!!!!

Somehow in editing this poem disappeared. I'm reposting as a result.

So today I woke up tired and pretty much in a daze,however if the birds are chirping so cheerily I got to thinking that maybe I just need to be reminded and perhaps you do too. No matter what life throws at us, we should start our day like this. My usual routine probably will be a bit more difficult because I am not fully rested but I said there isn't much else I can do but sing! Sing praises to the Lord what a great way to start the day. Your attitude when you awake can make or break or your day. Lately I've chosen to work hard on a positive get up and go attitude to get me going. It's working. My moods have changed dramatically and my days go much smoother. Try it you'll agree. It's simple just ask the Lord to walk with you all day and give you a little pinch when things go sour and you want to snarl. I'll admit I do slip up but with in no time I'm back on track. So SING with me will you!Psalm 95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

My Heart is Singing

My heart is singing
Come sing with me
For the Love in my heart is deep and strong
I dare not conceal it

My heart is singing
Come sing with me
My cup overflows with the joy from He

My heart is singing
Come sing with me
His love is everlasting and never runs dry

My heart is singing
Come sing with me
He has set me free
Does that not make you want to sing?

My heart is singing
Come sing with me
I am forgiven of sin because of Him

My heart is singing
Come sing with me
The Lord loves me no matter what

My heart is singing
Come sing with me
My God loves you too!

My heart is singing
Come sing with me
Let’s praise Him again
‘Cause that is how it ought to be!

Come Sing With Me!


Psalm 95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Don't Ask Me to Say GoodBye

So many of us deal with friends and family with terminal illness everyday. Some have faith that they'll be healed or live in eternity. None of us really know but we can be assured where we can expect to go when our time here on Earth is complete. When faced with the reality that your life is ending much faster than you hope wouldn't it be relieving to know you'll live in eternity. I have a friend going through an illness right now who has some belief in God and faith she'll get through this but I'm not ready to say good bye. She's not where she needs to be. I pray The Lord grants us the time to get her there. I know many of you reading this are either thinking I whacked or I'm right on the nail. Either way when faced with terminal illness, so many feelings of fear, shock, denial, hurt, anger frustration, sadness come forth but what about the peace and joy and hope? Is it possible to have that in such a situation? I believe there can be if you seek The Lord. I wrote this for my friend and pray that it reaches her heart not as a poem to make her cry but one to bring her to peace within and with the Father. May God bless each of you who are dealing with such a storm. May you find the peace of God in amidst the storm.

Don't Ask Me to Say Goodbye

Don't ask me to say goodbye
until I tell you about this totally awesome guy
who did what had to be done for us,
who withstood the wrath and took the blame so we could free
though He deserved none, he did it so we could live eternally

Don't ask me to say goodbye
until I tell you why
it was done to close the gap 'tween Heaven and us
to cleanse us of our sins
and make us fit to live forever within the walls of Heaven

Don't ask me to say goodbye
because more to share have I
He saved, He loves, He lifts
He does not judge, shame or hate
He can keep us from a horrible fate

Don't ask me to say goodbye
until I show you how you can tuck this guy
deep within your heart
Believe me when I say you cannot live or die without
Beyond a shadow of a doubt

Don't ask me to say goodbye
Until you have said hello
to the kindest loving saviour I've come to know
Let him bring you places that without him you'll never go

Don't ask me to say goodbye
if you haven't met with him,
Our brother in the sky
because I couldn't bear to live my life
knowing this would be our end

Don't ask me to say goodbye
till I know you'll be with Jesus
when the end of your time on Earth comes
I won't live in eternity without you
Nor will I accept goodbye

Don't ask me to say goodbye
I will not, because in eternity there are no byes
Just peace, love and joy
I expect to see you there.
Till we meet again my friend.

A sweet serenade

I've been treated very many mornings by the beautiful song of the cardinal. This beautiful red bird serenades us all winter long. One morning as I was reading and studying my morning devotions he came to serenade me and I could not concentrate. My distraction became the words in this poem. I've also included a picture of the little red creature responsible. Sorry if it's not that clear. 

The Cardinal's Song

High atop the maple tree

A little red cardinal sings to me

Good morning my friend he seems to say

Open those eyes and greet the day

Come see what the Lord has for you

and sing like me in all you do 

High atop the maple tree

A little red cardinal sings to me

a message so sweet

that to hear is a real treat

Come near and listen

as the first morning light begins to glisten

High atop the maple tree

A little red cardinal sings to me

to the sky your eyes must raise

and give The Lord your praise

for today He gives you a clean start

Don't you just love His heart

High atop the maple tree

A little red cardinal sings to me

come fly with me my friend

I'll show you the Lord's creation reaches no end

it unfolds around each bend

High atop the maple tree

A little red cardinal sings to me

A message from The Lord just as the sun lights the sky

Don't be afraid, I will always be near by

and when you begin to worry

call my name and I'll fly to you in a hurry

High atop the maple tree

A little red cardinal sings to me

Good morning my friend he seems to say

Are you ready now to start your day

Get out of that bed

and strive to do what The Lord has said

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8:3, 4 NIV)

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29 NIV)

Lord, I lay my heart before You

What started as a simple prayer starter became this my latest poem. In my devotions about a week ago, there was a simple sentence to help with starting prayer session that day. It was this: Lord, I lay my heart before you. Right away I went into poetic mode and came up with all the ways I lay down my heart before The Lord. Do you lay your heart down for Him?

    

Lord, I lay my heart before you

Lord, I lay my heart before you

burdened with all its sorrows

for You are the only one who knows

the key to undoing it all

Lord, I lay my heart before you

heavy with hurts and pain

never will I experience alone again

for you are with me always

Lord, I lay my heart before you

beaten and broken

but not forsaken

because Your love for me endures forever

Lord, I lay my heart before you

covered in shame and bitterness

humbled and ready to receive forgiveness

for all my iniquities against You

Lord, I lay my heart before you

in total thanksgiving

for the many blessings

You have showered upon me

Lord, I lay my heart before you

with joy and admiration

knowing my salvation

comes from believing in Christ My Savior

Lord, I lay my heart before you

convicted but protected

by Your son who was rejected

so I can be free

Lord, I lay my heart before you

with confidence and faith

that one day we'll meet face to face

a comfort I'll hold near always and forever

Lord, I lay my heart before you

praising and thanking

for the cleansing

that only comes from you

Lord, I lay my heart before you

freely, truly I give my all

no way will I let this wall 

come between you and I

Lord, I lay my heart before you

You are always welcome 

throughout my home

in hopes that your will be done.

Lord, I lay my heart before you

LJR Our Little Miracle

The news finally came about 11 months or so ago that my sister would be pregnant with her first child. We were all so happy. Then more news came a few weeks later that the baby had a defect called Diaphragmatic Hernia or CDH. Upon birth, the baby would require surgery to fix this defect. The baby was also given a 60% chance of survival. He was born just a few days before Christmas and on Christmas Day our little Luc had his surgery, now today 1 month and 1 week old he is one step closer to going home! He has come a long way and we owe it all to God, Our Heavenly Healer. Many, many people prayed diligently for Luc and his parents. I couldn't help but capture this in poetry. I introduce my nephew Luc John Roger, our tiniest miracle and greatest blessing from God. What a great gift!

LJR(Luc John Roger)

O Precious little one how sweet you are

A tough journey you've had so far

while still safe in your mother's womb

The doctors warned of trouble soon

A tiny part of you was not right

It gave mommy and Daddy quite a fright

How would their little one fare?

They went right to God in prayer

For your mom she absolutely knew

It was the only thing that they could do

Chance of your survival was slim

But not when things are left up to Him

Heavenly healer, our father so dear

there were no reasons for us to fear.

To our Church family we made a call,

For prayers to come from one and all.

God's family reached out to you

Praying for a healing only God could do

Some strangers, some friends

They all prayed without end

Many people showed they truly cared

And had faith that God would answer their prayers

On a cold December afternoon

You gave mommy the sign you'd be here soon

After a few little scares, by and by,

You came into this world with a tiny cry.

We praised The Lord for your 10 small toes,

All the way up to your wee little nose.

We thank Him now for the cry you let out, 

And honestly cannot wait to hear you shout.

Though you may have more struggles ahead

You will not have anything to dread.

With God holding you in the palm of his hand

You'll grow up to be a healthy young man

You will someday be tall, but for now you are small,

And you are covered in love by us all.

We love you little one more than words can tell

With The Lord Our God in control all will end well!

Beautiful Days are always here

This is an old one but due to some glitches when I was editing, I lost it. So I did some edits and am reposting.

I was sitting in the back yard one day watching the children play and it just struck me how beautiful the day was. I just sat and admired God's beauty that I was surrounded by. Sometimes we get too busy to take a moment and stop to admire the beauty of the Creation that God has given to us. Praise God for His beauty.

Oh Beautiful Day

Oh this day, this beautiful day

Who could have made it this way?

It is my Love who created all this

To Him I give a kiss

The sun how it warms every cell through my soul

It glistens on the morning dew

And makes me yearn for You

Oh Sweet Comforter,

You are the rock, on which I stand,

You are who I yearn

When I don’t know where to turn

If my day falls apart

You help strengthen my heart

And keep me glued when I start to break

Oh Holy One how merciful You are

When I come to you chained by sin

You give me a twinkle and a grin

Then lift my head and snap the chains

You remove all my pain

Your forgiveness 

When I’m in a mess

Is more than I deserve

You never cease to carry me ‘round every curve

Oh Shaddai how can I show you my love?

There are not enough thanks for all you do

I will sing praise to You

From now till the end of time

Thank you Papa for this most gorgeous day

And for always guiding me on my way

Forever in my heart You’ll always be.