Understandable?

"I DO NOT UNDERSTAND!"
Have you ever made that statement?
Have you ever been through something that caused you to make that statement?
Have you made that statement to someone?
Have you ever made that statement to God?
Of all those questions, I think we are most fearful of making that statement to God.  But why?  He's the One that will comfort us the most when we don't understand.

So many situations-
such is daily life.
Some cause our hearts to dance about...
some cut us like a knife!
Some contain such joy, and yet                
the same a hidden thorn!
Will e'er we come to understand
why trials such are born?

Character...patience...
repute...integrity...
some of the byproducts come
to life in such as we
as we go through the situations
and "opportunities"
that cause you and I to make
the statements such as these!

"I DO NOT UNDERSTAND," but I
don't have to anymore.
I know that God is all around me-
my steps to restore!
He will protect, preserve, provide
no matter what may be.
I'll cling to Him and all His ways
throughout eternity!

Clinging to the One Who understands ALL things means releasing my need, desire and compulsion to know it all.  That's a hard thing.  Can I do it?  Can YOU?
8317

My Father's Voice

My Father's voice is very clear
as I walk down the beach.
While listening to every wave
there's so much He would teach.
I love to see, to hear, to feel
the lessons, by Him, taught!
So deep is the simplicity
that it requires thought!

My Father's voice.  I know it well.
I recognize its sound.
I follow it upon the sea
and I shan't run aground!
A compass and a stabilizer
everywhere at all;
a help so present anytime--
His Name I only call!

My Father's voice.  So beautiful.
So honest and so real.
(He speaks even unto those things
I rather would conceal.)
He does so cause He loves me and
He seeks my very best.
I hear so clear my Father's voice--
I am so very blessed!

I so often hear
"I never hear His voice.  How come I never hear His voice..." 
"How come you hear from Him so much?  Are you holier than me?"
To you I say "When was the last time you put your phone down...turn all the music down...shut off the TV...stepped away from the computer to a place where there is only you and God?"
Try that.  Then just listen.
His voice awaits.
8316

Before we go...

I have some praises for another
waiting for his eulogy.
Such qualities...such a blessing...
I will make sure that all can see!
Appreciation for his living
waiting for that day he's not?
Why am I waiting for his service
when this blessed life we yet have got?!

I know so many folks that I would
like to talk with before they go.
What if I wait until their service?
Regards they may not ever know!
Or if my service is before them?
Thanks and praise we'll never hear!
I must now contact my dear brother,
thanking him while we're both here!

Is there something you need to say to someone?  Is there someone that you would like to see?  Why are you putting it off?  You NEVER know when the last opportunity to do so is.
Too often, it is never said until it is included in some eulogy.  I don't know about you, but I would rather see and hear from people while we can both appreciate and enjoy it.
8315

Love's labor

True love.  It takes work.  Them that argue with said words are yet so young or so new to it that they've not discovered it yet.  It's a very wonderful thing, but not always beautiful!

True love...so rewarding
when done as it should be.
Not always are the fireworks
that we, too often, see;
love--for it takes effort--
it's a struggle on some days.
How many are the strong enough
to still recite true praise?

But love, true love is strong enough
to sing that happy song
regardless of a handicap...
regardless what goes wrong...
regardless of an injury
to one or to the other,
true love remains that tri-fold cord
that guards against "another."

Yes, love--it's so rewarding
when life is invested.
When God remains The Source of it
it cannot be arrested!
"For better or for worse..." how many
understand said vow?
How many strong enough to keep
the hand upon the plow?

May you be in love long enough to discover the labors involved...and be victorious!
8314

The Lord's Day

Enjoying the Presence of God on a beautiful Lord's Day!
Seeing a few things that need to be done to the yard before the next storm hits.  I cannot get them done without God's help.  He is faithful.  Therefore, I know it will get done.

Early in the afternoon
beholding His creation.
Unto the eyes, His handiwork
is quite a celebration!
How varied are the lovely trees...
the shrubbery...the grass...
One cannot miss the proof of Him
as the moments pass.

And one cannot miss the fact
that I must mow the lawn!
Already, in some peoples' eyes,
it's beauty is long gone!
A perfect task to be accomplished
later on today;
right now, though, in the able breeze,
just watch it gently sway!

Early in the afternoon,
out on the deck with God;
joining with all living things
His glory to applaud!
Listening so closely to
each thing He has to say.
What a glorious way to spend
a glorious Lord's Day!

Couldn't make it to church today.  Had a wonderful service anyway!  God is present right here in His beautiful creation, listening...responding...answering and moving as we spend time in His Presence!
8313

Quality Time

Late in the afternoon.  Day is done?  I won't know until I sit down and talk with Him.  His assurance is always there...

In The Presence finally?
Or in the Presence still?
In His Presence CONSTANTLY!
The same, it is His will!
Even as I do the tasks
assigned to me all day,
I know that He accompanies
upon the Narrow Way!

And now that I'm away from "work"
and "rest," it is upon,
I gaze across the grand creation
'fore the light is gone;
taking it so deep inside
that praise is generated!
Praise unto Creator God
Who's ever celebrated!

So much has been accomplished.
He has so much in store.
Sometimes, it's little and I cry
"God, we have time for more!"
He says "Not yet.  We have accomplished
what had to be done.
Rest.  Enjoy creation and
come fellowship, My son!"

He is a mighty God!  He has much work for us to do.  Greater, He is a loving God and cares about us, insisting that we get proper rest and ample, quality time with Him.
His mercy endures forever!
8312

More "good"

Continuing with promoting GOOD, may it be possible to focus for one day on edifying one another.  Not just those we like, but finding something good in everyone and pointing it out.
It's possible.

Those things so pure and noble
are present in each man.
A bigger man will point them out-
in Jesus Christ he can!
To compliment and edify,
(with purity within,)
how much better would life be?
How many more would win?

That so very noble...
those things so very pure...
those things that are of good report-
in them shall we endure!
If only every appetite
would crave such proper things,
we would reap the benefits
that such living brings!

Rebuke the poet dreamer?
Already done by some!
But I KNOW it is possible
and someday it will come!
Do your best until that day
to bless the folks you can,
giving glory to The Lord-
Him Who has The Plan!

IT IS POSSIBLE!
It starts one day at a time, one person at a time.  Bless them in the Name of Jesus and it will snowball!  Try it!
8311

Street Life

Watching the news.  With each channel I turn it to, there seems to be every kind of life going on.  In a lot of places, there are people passionate and emotional about something.

Walking once again the streets
where so much life exists.
Arms extended in the air,
some containing fist!
Most are raised in adoration,
others--to rebel;
whatever be the reason, there be
something to compel.

The streets--containing so much life,
from every station they;
and instantly be they drawn to
the Truth, the Life, the Way.
There be travelers...revelers...
junkies...pimp and whore...
too, there be ones that follow Him,
but not one loves He more!

While we are out there on the streets
we must keep reaching out.
Separating ourselves is NOT
what it is all about!
Too many are the people who are
doing that already.
We've got to love each other with
examples real and steady.

What are the streets like where you are?  I guarantee those streets need loving examples of Jesus and His touch, every one of them!
8310

Out the window

Finally making time away from everything else to be with only Jesus.  Such time is always rewarding, and this time is no different.  As I look out the window, He shows me...

Out the window Spring is playing
with all things alive!
The birds of many kind rejoice
with it to arrive!
God receives our adoration
and our thanks, as well;
singing songs with outstretched arms
this season to compel!

Out the window, many colors
gradually appear.
We praise His Name for each of them-
Creator we revere!
So generous is God Most High
to share with us so much
that only He could manufacture-
all contains His touch!

Out the window--take me out there,
I would be with Him!
My arms raised and my voice in tune,
to harmonize with them!
He is holy...He is worthy,
He makes everything,
especially the life anew
we call the time of "Spring!"

Out the window...don't let that stop you!  Get out there and savor the glory of creation while it is so visible!  Don't let anything in this life hinder you from setting everything aside for a few moments and noticing life anew all around you!  It is there, I promise you!
GO LOOK!
8309

Easter anew!

Early in the morning.  Going to check on the tomb.  What?  How can it be?  THE STONE IS ROLLED AWAY!!

Easter--it is newness--it is
resurrected living!
It is God the Father in
the ultimate of Giving!
It is more, far more than just
a holiday in spring;
Easter--it is Christ alive'
and conquering death's sting!

More than just a gathering,
enjoying a good meal,
Easter--it is life again--
another to reveal
After all the suffering
Jesus did endure,
He conquered death, He rose again,
and He's alive for sure!

Much deeper than a day off work,
far more than 'holiday,'
Easter is a way of Life
AND JESUS IS THE WAY!
We celebrate Him on this morning
giving Him all praise,
singing of His life alive
inside us all our days!

Jesus is alive and well and moving in us and around us throughout our days.  Don't forget to acknowledge Him, be grateful to and for Him, and include Him in your days.  He's already there.  Don't ignore Him!
8308

Labels and dreams

Watching the morning news.  So much going on "in the world."  Everybody seems to want their own way...nobody wants to work together...  Some don't want to work at all for it. 
Is the church in America any different?
 
Do I need protection?
Do I push for rights?
Because I look the way I do
I seem to foster fights.
I dream about the things you have;
America--so great!
I work so hard, just like you do,
but I run into hate.
Will ever you come near me?
Will you even try?
You talk about the love of Christ--
I can't identify.
Just because I'm different,
and my beliefs may be off,
you treat me like an infidel,
look down at me and scoff!

Why can we not get closer?
Together, we can walk!
Perhaps upon that street we even
might make time to talk.
Each of us are in God's image,
by Him we are made.
We should be able to reside,
and each be unafraid.
8307

Show me those words

In solitude with Jesus.  Conversing, worshipping, fellowshipping all at once with Father, Son and Spirit all in One!  Predictably, surprisingly and always generously, He tells me to grab my pen...

"Show me words but yet again
that glorify You, Lord.
I write of Your creation or
the ways that You've restored.
I make lines rhyme that tell about
Your love and all Your ways...
I avail my pen and You
cause something that brings praise!

But show me once again as I
pick up the writing slate.
I want to make sure it is You
that I communicate!
For You are worthy of all words
coming from the heart.
You are Father, You are God,
o help me to impart!
O show me words in lines and verses
that would edify;
even to draw men to You
in ways that unify!
What a thought most glorious:
men from every walk
praising and adoring You!
O, let it be more than 'talk!'"

Faithful Jesus.
Yes, faithful is He to fill in a blank sheet and cause it to lift, bless, glorify, draw, unify, confirm, affirm, convict...whatever He needs those words to do!
What a mighty God I serve!
8306

Last Thing

Before the covers part,
a tug I feel in heart.
It's calling me outside
what glory--eventide!
In moments minus noise
the heavenlies all poise
their brightest to present
as if it were a tent!
The Silence then to break
as 'noises' I would make
unto Creator God--
His Presence has me awed!
Each planet and each star--
though o so very far--
they be reflecting light,
causing great delight!
And causing worship true
to the Creator Who
hung them so long ago!
(And God alone to know!)
Adoration real--
Much more than you can 'feel;'
but something much more deep
this evening will I keep.

Drawn to the back yard by Him Who made a canopy of lights and hung them for me to see?  Or Him Who made a universe of lights and hung us in the middle of it?  Too deep to ponder at this hour.  I simply thank Him for it and lie down in awe.
8305

Cloud

No matter who we are or what we've done, God continues to display Himself and His creation to each of us.
The clouds today are here and there, but they look down on the glory of His creation and the works of His hands...

To have the vision of a cloud--
perspective all awry!
Could I behold reality
just floating through the sky?
Surely see His handiwork,
creation's very best,
but of what good if only I,
of glory, may attest?

With my head up in the clouds
what good would this man be?
Too high to help my brother man
when his trial I should see...
too far away to touch his hand
when he is reaching out...
I am not sure that "elevation"
is what it's all about.

To have the vision of the cloud
I wouldn't get much done.
I'd rather have the sight of God
and labor for His Son.
For I would have a vision
beneficial unto all,
far beyond a living sight,
at His beck and call!

I could spend the rest of this earthly life travelling and beholding the glory of His creation.  I could spend all day looking at the works of His hands that others have captured in photographs.  It does my heart wonders....but what does that do for my brother who is lost or hurting?  I'm not knocking His splendor and His handiwork, there's NOTHING more incredible!  But if that's all I'm living to do, I might as well have my head in the clouds...
8304

Adjusting the speed

The speed of life.  I've mentioned it before.  The more I talk about it, the harder it seems to be getting to adjust.  I've got to do something.  Oh, for just one day with no phone...no electronics...just a pad, pen and my Bible.

In the wilderness again;
this time, on purpose though.
Away from what I know of life
for more of God to know.
No appointments...not a meeting...
not even calls to make...
far away from 'schedule-'
oh, what a precious break!

As foreign as this concept sounds
it's something we must do!
So busy be the business
that takes so much from you!
BUT GOD, He has a blest escape
available to all;
to find it, from the depths within,
the Name of Jesus call!

The speed of life.  Jesus knows all about it, so He knows exactly what to do when you call His Name!
Don't let anything stop you!
8303

Jewel

So many wonders God has hidden for us to find in this life.  If you question that, just think of all the gems we have unearthed as we've studied His Word!
He uses an example of this in Matthew 13:45, 46.
Here is how the poet reads it:

Taken in, a grain of sand
to nourish and protect;
receiving there care unmatched,
its fullness to perfect.
Years and years of cultivating
'til that final day.
When the Merchant comes to call
what is He going to say?

But with the Master Craftsman
a jewel it shall be!
Crafting past the outer shell
into the treasury;
peeling off impurities,
polishing away;
then, a new creation!
A thing for which to pay!

Oh, the Master Craftsman and
the beauty He creates
out of an unsightly thing
that one excavates!
Oh, see the allegory drawn
and be ye glad, rejoice
that He has taken dust as we
and made such jewels choice!

Each of us are His jewels.  Some of the crafting may be painful, but He only does it because He loves us and desires the best for us.
1599

Two different worlds

The Word tells us to be "in" the world, not "of" the world.  Does that mean we separate ourselves from reality?  Of course not.  But perhaps we need to mix more of God's reality with our own?

"A teenager found on road
after she was raped..."
"Man takes seven hostages
after he's escaped..."
"Defense contract embezzlements.
Billions to involve..."
"Americans held overseas.
Still as yet to solve..."

Seven people baptized in
revival Saturday!
Mr. Smith is finally back,
awhile he's been away!
The county fair says everyone
is free for this year's run!
Amy & Matt are marrying!
The Meadors have a son!

Now tell me, which of the above
is glorified and rife?
Why can we not, instead, exalt
the blessings in this life?
Why do our appetites so crave
the morbid, violent news?
On our faces let us fall
that HE would change our views!
1572

Dangerous Attraction

The quiet, gentle breeze this early morning...not any more!

The whisper that was earlier
is now an able breeze,
even for to have its way
with the hardy trees!
No living thing enjoys the still
that started this fair day;
in the sky does it appear
a storm will have its way.

The whisper is a memory
now in the afternoon.
We pray and trust in God's protection
from the storm come soon.
Upon the just and unjust might
the wrath of nature be.
I know the Maker of the storm,
and He's with such as we!

The Maker of the storm...
the glory clouds that form...
the lightning and the roar...
the sprinkles and the pour!
Behold creation's hand
in sky and on the land!
In God Almighty trust--
His hand is not discussed!

Again the storm approaches.  I have been in storms that have been merely a shower or two.  I have been in storms that have cleared the landscape like a razor!  Though the latter is extremely painful, I have seen Him use it for His purposes and change lives.
For some strange reason, storms have always fascinated me.  No, I am NOT a storm chaser, but I am quite inspired by them. 
What's wrong with me?!
8302

Paradise Promise!

Promises...promises...so many promises...
But when God makes a promise, it comes to pass.  In HIS time...which no man understands!

Thoughts of Paradise arise
as I'm with Him in prayer.
There will be nothing negative
when, finally, we're there!
I'll know my brother as a friend,
no doubts about his heart;
it will be pure, because in Christ,
we each will have a part!

Thoughts of Paradise abound
as I spend time with Him!
In conversation gives He glimpses
'yond the Glory Shim!
Others speak about the mansion
they've awaiting there,
but I just want to see my Jesus,
time with Him to share!

Thoughts of Paradise propel
through all that is this life!
They remind that temporary
is the grief and strife!
And eternal our reward
as we press on ahead!
Blessed thoughts of Paradise-
all Holy Spirit led!

Yes, those living Promises!  They are STILL alive and He is well aware of every one of them!  Don't give up!
Though it's painful...DON'T GIVE UP!
It seems hopeless...DON'T GIVE UP!
I can't see a solution...DON'T GIVE UP!
Heaven is alive and will surely be worth it all!
8301

I'd rather have...

This life affords us many things.  Some of those things can become distractions, things that are so wonderful that they take our eyes off of what really matters.

I'd rather have wet sod for a bed...
a stone, the pillow for my head...
my canopy, the open sky
than a palace without God Most High!

I'd rather dine on shifting dust
with fork corrupted so by rust
'mongst common things of such a place
than a banquet less the Lord of Grace!

I'd rather drink the water of gall
and, through the barren wasteland, crawl;
such as this to raise as toast
than the finest wine without the Holy Ghost!

"So many things are afforded me,
but I choose what I have in Thee!"
Satisfaction nowhere else at all
than in Him to Whom I humbly fall!

I know a lot of people in many stations in this life and they are miserable.  They refuse to even acknowledge that there is a God...much less a God Who loves them!  Your station matters not, it's Who you believe in.  Jesus loves you no matter who you are.
But Who is Jesus to you?
1568

He sees in me

Sometimes, one of the most grueling sights and deeds is introspection.  Perhaps this is why so many avoid it.  The best way to do it, though, is with Jesus by your side.  He will affirm to you that which matters and what to let go of.

He sees the thoughts I have inside.
The ones that I, from others, hide.
He knows how I judge who I see;
(though it's exclusive unto me.)
And yet, He ceases not to talk
with me in my daily walk.
Tell me, how could He stoop this low,
a scoundrel, such as I, to know?

There is no other One so great.
All wonders, from Him, emanate!
And I?  None other is as low.
A snake's more glory to bestow!
And yet, in Jesus, we are one!
He looks at me and calls me "son!"
A grander love?  A fuller grace?
'Tis nowhere in this temporal place!

He looked at me through Jesus' eyes.
My stature could He realize.
He sees in me what I cannot
and He accepts all I have got!
All I have got is service, love,
and what He sends me from above.
Though all I've got, 'tis all I need
to live for Him; His will to heed!

Grace.  God's gift of Jesus Christ, and Jesus' gift of grace.  Even when we look at ourselves and behold the wretch that we often are, God sees us through a perfect Jesus and continues to embrace us.
We are so blessed!
1570

Pressing On

Centuries ago…a well-beaten path through a desolate place…a small group of men arduously forge ahead.

One of those men, a very special One, ponders…

“Pressing on, I walk ahead,

continuing My way;

looking unto what’s in store

for this, a brand new day;

wondering who I can help

or lift or edify…

still one step ahead of those

who seek to make Me die.

Many people have I touched

as I have sojourned here;

and I have offended some—

that fact is VERY clear!

But I can’t let somebody’s “feelings”

hinder what I do.

I must do what must be done,

and they must do theirs, too.

Everywhere I go there is

someone who seeks My death.

I came unto this dying world

to give them living breath.

It seems, the very ones that are

supposed to give this life,

the very same they are that cause Me

all this grief and strife!

I know, though, how all this will end,

what victory I will see!

They’d know, too, if they were all

that they profess to be!

But they are of the evil one,

they cannot understand;

so I’ll keep pressing on until

all things are in My hand.”

Mere days and hours before He goes through a wretched, horrific process that will torture Him and save the world…and He is still thinking of how to help.

That’s the Jesus I love.

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