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.

The Hardest Year

Warm spring winds are beginning to blow
Through all our favorite places dear,
The winter was mild, yet harsh without you
Its so hard to believe it's been a year.

All your things are still where you left them
I haven't the heart to take them away,
They can't stay forever, I understand
Eventually I'll try, but not today.

I sit and remember your beautiful face
So often I studied its every line,
Concerned you would question my awkward gaze
How could someone so lovely even be mine.

I miss your wit, the way you would laugh
As we cuddled by the light of the fire,
We could talk and talk, for hours and hours
And not even begin to get tired.

Now your laughter is gone, and so is your flame
Nothing left but a cold, quiet space,
The only comfort I have, at this stage of the game
Is, they've told me your in a much better place.

I've got my job, my dog and my family
And some friends, to help me get through,
I could gather all the people in the world, around me
But no one could replace, what I had with you.

The Other Side of Yesterday

You saw your time was coming,
So you started to get ready,
But you didn't get ready fast enough.

You should have gotten ready,
You knew your end was coming,
But you always thought that you were good enough.

Now you're standing on the outside,
Wishing you were inside,
Wondering why you had to be so tough.

Now you wish that you had listened,
When they tried and tried to tell you,
But all you did was shake your head and laugh.

So, the time that you had always taken for granted,
Is now the time that you let slip away,
And the only time that you have left to spend,
Is the time on the other side of yesterday.

My Mission

As I fell asleep, praying for the lost of the world,
I had a dream in which, all of Heaven was unfurled.
The air there was thick with peace and joy,
The singing of praises, the only noise.

The memories of sin, disappear at the gate,
Temptations, jealousies, fear and hate
Are gone and forgotten from here evermore,
No place for such things, in the presence of the Lord.

Words can't describe the beauty I see,
But as much as my view of Heaven thrills me
I look past it all, to search for the One,
Who sits at the right hand of the Father's throne.

The One who laid down His life for His friends,
The One who washed away all of our sins.
Obedient even unto death on a cross,
He came to save us, no matter the cost.

My eyes find His, I fall to my knees,
There's so much to say, but I can't even speak.
I lie down, prostrate, silent, still,
Eternally grateful for Calvary's hill.

A soft hand touches mine, as the Lord says "Come",
An angel is leading me to the Father's throne.
We walk past angels and elders and saints,
All bowing, and shouting, giving Him praise.

As we approach the throne, I begin to bow down,
He says " You'll not be here long, so listen for now,
I need you to go back and tell them Heaven's real,
And remind them of what happened on Calvary's hill.

They need to hear the truth, and they need to hear it often,
Without My Word before their face, their hearts will never soften.
Be bold and never fear, and always live it well,
It hurts to see so many, that are blindly going to Hell."

Then He said, "It's time to go, I'll see you soon My child,
You'll be coming back for good, in just a little while."
With that the angel took my hand, and led me to the gate,
And in an instant, I was in bed, lying there awake.

Whether there in spirit, or in a dream, I cannot truly say,
But the message that He showed me, is still with me today.
This message is my mission, and I mean to see it through,
The world can't live without it, they need to hear the truth.

See The Love Of God

Beauty on the outside
In the eyes of the world,
A perfect example
Devout and pure.

Doing enough to look good
But still falling short,
Your actions speak holiness
But listen to your heart.

Your outward man walks proudly
While your heart is hard as stone,
You're like a painted tomb
Still full of dead men's bones.

You live on your reputation
You rely on your good name,
You love all of the attention
You revel in the fame.

You think you're in control
Of everything you do,
You don't need any help
From the loving God that made you.

But He'll let you live your life
Until you reach the place,
That you realize you were wrong
And you cry, and seek His face.

Now He will get the glory
For the good things that you do,
And the world will see the Love of God
Every time they look at you.