No Greater Love ( A Communion Poem )

Grace and mercy, mercy and grace, 

Two words that brighten up my face,

Mercy, not getting what I deserve,

Grace, receiving what I haven't earned.

Why should I, a sinner, be blessed so,

I, by rights, should pay what I owe,

But the Son of God, Who made His tree,

Died on it, to pay my debt for me.

It makes no sense, to perishing minds,

That God should die, to save mankind,

No man, born of woman, could understand,

The height, and depth, of God's perfect plan.

That He made the world, knowing sin would come,

And it would take the life, of His precious Son,

His broken body, and His blood required,

To save a lost, and unworthy world.

So from now, until the end of our time,

Take the broken bread, and fruit of the vine,

Think on the One, Who forgave you of sin,

And do this always, in remembrance of Him..

 

The Day

Ah, my eyes have opened, awake again, "another day", I yawned,

I wonder what is out there, lying in wait for me today.

I roll over and turn off that annoying alarm, it just keeps going on and on,

A necessary evil, (or devil, if you will), that starts me on my way.

I roll out of bed, my feet hit the floor, the cobwebs are fading away,

I mumble a "thank You" to my Father above, for seeing us through the night.

My dog hears me moving, she barks her "good morning", and wags what's left of her tail,

The cats just lay there, not impressed by my arrival, they hate when I turn on the light.

My mornings are full of humdrum rituals, like everyone else, I suppose,

Rare is the man or woman, I would think, who strays from their daily routine.

Creatures of habit, we like the familiar, the sameness, the way that it flows,

We like how things are, and want to keep them that way, running like a well-oiled machine.

Eating and brushing, reading and prayer, my day is moving right along,

And while my body is wrapping things up here at home, my mind is several hours ahead.

With work still miles and minutes down the road, my thoughts are on clocking out and going home,

It reminds me of a saying, I heard long ago, that said, "I shoulda just stood in bed".

Eight hours later, with the work day over, I head out the door, to my car,

Dreading the traffic, but excited for what the night might bring.

Back home, conversation and coffee with my wife, the woman I love and treasure,

Dinner and a movie, together at home, have the makings of a perfect evening.

If today was the day, God called me away, I hope I would leave no regrets,

I've tried to live each day, as my very last one, just in case.

Each day is a gift, from the God that loves us, He always gives us His best,

The least we can do, is give Him, in return, the very best part of our days.

How you live, and how you love, say more about you than you will ever know,

Our character speaks more than our words could ever say.

Be the kind of person to others, that you would want them to be to you,

A smile, and a kind word, are all that it takes, to brighten the darkest of days.

A Much Better Lens

Why must I always see empty, instead of seeing full?

Why must my attitude be so unsure?

I want to start looking through a much better lens,

When life's unexpected moments become a blur.

Are my negative glances noticed by others?

Or have my disguises fooled them all?

In a perfect world, I would show the real me,

Helpless and fragile, as a porcelain doll.

Why don't I have, what everyone else has?

Why is it so hard for me to fit in?

It's impossible to speak, the thoughts in my mind,

It's hard to convey, what you don't understand.

Why can't my few friends, come to my rescue?

Have they already given up on helping me?

I hope they can see, I really want to change,

I want to be the person, God made me to be.

Does God want my life, to be spent sitting?

Does He want me to just watch life pass me by?

Without His strength, I know I can't stand,

And if I can't stand, it may be best to just die.

Is taking my own life, my only way out?

Has my hopelessness truly brought me this far?

The words are electric as they touch my lips,

Just the thought sends a shock to my dying heart.

Was I made a new creation, to merely exist?

Aren't God's tender mercies new every day?

I choose to stop giving the enemy control,

I choose to start living, (God please make a way).

Is this what it feels like, to truly be free?

To know where I'm going, is not where I've been?

I've got a new focus, a new point of view,

I'm looking at life, through a much better lens.

Work, Love, Pray

While we have been sitting on our comfortable couches, wearing our comfortable pajamas and slippers, and watching our shiny, 40 inch, high-definition 'god', the enemy has been busy. While he has been setting up his defenses, we have been bowing at the feet of our American Idols. We can't go to sleep until we find out who the next winner is on our favorite 'reality' show. We have been slowly, and methodically, dumbed down. Most of us are so out of shape, we couldn't fight our way out of a wet McDonald's bag. Or should I say greasy bag. Which leads me to my next point.

Our people, especially our kids, are getting bigger and heavier every year. We consume massive amounts of processed foods, loaded with fat, salt, sugars, and chemicals with names we can't even pronounce. We do this because it's easier. We don't want to take the time to cut up our own fresh vegetables and fruits, and prepare a healthy meal. We might not have time to watch football or something. The people of this country used to work hard, love deeply, and pray often. We don't have time for any of that anymore. We're too busy.

Work hard. Love deep. Pray often. It sounds like a bumper sticker, but it should be part of what we live by. I've covered that we no longer work hard in this country. I believe we don't love like we should either. Our society is FAR more interested in lust. It's everywhere, you can't get away from it. It's in our movies, books, TV, video games, EVERYWHERE. It's no wonder our kids are more sexual than ever. Our kids are having sex at an earlier age, and having babies earlier than ever. We don't even try to teach them NOT to have sex, just to be careful if they do. So sad and disgusting. With fewer fathers in their lives, our kids don't stand a chance. Christian men have GOT to reach out and help these kids.

Lastly, and most important, we come to God. Our country used to come to a standstill on Sundays. Stores were closed. Families went to church in the morning and the evening. In between, we would all gather at a relatives house and have Sunday dinner. Families knew each other, and what was going on in each others lives. Now, we barely know who our extended families are. All because we decided it was more convenient to get to the store on Sunday. The enemy has chiseled away at our faith until its hardly recognizable. Even our President tells the world we're no longer a Christian nation. We MUST get God back into our everyday lives.

The Bible, God's Word, tells us that as the time of Jesus' return draws closer, we should watch and pray. What are we watching? And who are we praying to?

Valleys And Hills

Hills before me, hills behind
Valleys in between,
The destination I've longed to see,
Lies ahead of me.

Moving forward, always forward
No time to turn around,
I can't afford to shift my focus,
To life already gone.

The valleys are hard, they wear me down
I'm parched, and fatigued,
The clouds arrive, they sprinkle rain,
Relief, in time of need.

Another mountain, getting closer
This must be the one,
I try my best to convince myself,
It keeps me going on.

After some time, I reach the top
Excited by what I'd find,
But when I looked, all I saw were more valleys,
And hills I had to climb.

I sat on that mountain, shouting "WHY LORD?"
But He never told me why,
So forward, forward, never discouraged,
I've come too far to cry.

As A Man, I See Clearly

I want You to know
I'll make it crystal clear,
You need to hear the change in my voice,
The change in my speech
The tone of my words;
I spoke like a child, but now as a man,
Since You've been here.

I need You to know
How clear my mind has become,
I'm beginning to see my place in Your plan,
The urgency of the day
The importance of reaching out;
I understood like a child, but now as a man,
Since You have come.

I'd love for You to know
How my thoughts of You have changed,
I always assumed the world revolved around me,
Now my vision is clear
The clouds have disappeared;
I thought like a child, but now as a man,
Since Your sweet Grace.

I had my life planned, before You came along,
But I'm now a new man, once weak, but now strong,
You've given me a purpose, a reason to go on,
I'll praise You Father, with a smile, and a song.

You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
My Shield, my Strength, my Guiding Light,
The One Who gives me peace, in a storm-filled night,
My strong Defender, You fight all my fights.

Come quickly Lord Jesus, I ask you today,
This world is growing colder, and colder each day,
As a child, I was blind, I just wanted to stay and play,
But as a man, I see clearly, Lord please don't delay.