"I AM with you"

The Lord tells us
Be strong!
I AM with you
Do not fear!

So we wait
for help
funds
direction

We wait
Fear gnaws
What if?
But God
He is never too late
Always on time

He will provide
We must trust

If we fail
If our trust is not in Him
who IS
then we are held captive
within ourselves
and the freedom we seek
escapes us.

(c) August 28, 2013

God is in control -- always

Fear settles in

Whatever comes our way
we fail to remember
who is the one in control
and succeed instead
to believe in our own personal beliefs
or listen to our friends and neighbors
Who knows?!
Not they! Not really!
We wait
God is in control
Surely the answer does not always lie
in the immediate answer that comes to mind
Surely God does not say,
“Yes, go, buy”
With what do we buy?
The Lord knows what we have and what we have not
The Lord will provide
He has provided before
Surely, He will again
The Lord tells us,
“Have faith. Trust Me.
Don’t give in
to those who know not.
I will take care of you.”

He takes care of the birds of the air
and the grasses that grow under our feet.
He provides for all the critters
of the universe … why not humans?
Why not me? Why not you?

We all have needs.
One need is not less important
than another.
One person is not less important
that another.
Not in God’s eyes.
To each other
we do not always see the need.
We see instead
how we think another should act
not the reason behind the action.
If we all could see the reason
for the way another acts,
perhaps instead of judgment and condemnation,
there would be more love and compassion.

God is the true judge,
but there are many --
believers and non-believers alike
who sit in judgment,
failing to see the error of their ways.
No one is better than you, than me.
No one is worse.
We are all sinners.
God calls us all to be as Him.

We are to love one another
What is this love
How does this love show itself to others
Is it how we perceive it to be
or is it how Jesus shows it to be?

If we say we abide in Christ,
then we need to walk as He
in love
If we stumble and fall off the path,
and cry out for help,
where do we go
when no one hears,
no one sees our need,
no one answers our plea
for compassion.

But God sees
God knows

In the midst of every need
God is there

and God will provide.
We must place
all of our faith in Him alone
He can accomplish
what man or woman cannot.

 (c) August 27, 2013

Decisions

Decisions
always
for what to do
and what not to do
for  what to say
and what not to say
We consider
the good reasons
the bad reasons
in our mind
and move,
decide
on that which is best

But sometimes
that which we deem best
is not always
what we think
Sometimes
the path that is worse
that we want to avoid
is the better one
to  take.

(c) August 20, 2013

Spiraling

I feel myself spiraling downward
I can’t seem to stop
I can’t get off
the speeding roller coaster,
the churning merry go-roundI don’t know how 
to get out of this emotional prison
I seem to be drawn into
I need the Lord’s help
I need.
but what is that?
It is unimportant
I ask of others
I forever remember
the negative responses.
It is hard
to be positive
when soreness and new pain 

gathers momentum
and takes over
and I feel shot down

My struggles cause others
close to me
to struggle too
and I feel remorse
for what I have caused
I want to help you
but I struggle with how
when I don’t even know
how to help me.

Only God knows how
and only God can.
He is my true lifeline
He is my All in All.

Help me Lord.

I know you allow things to happen
so we can learn and through You
become strong in our weakness
But I plead dear Lord,
do not move away from me.
Give me Your wisdom, Your strength,
Your compassion.
Bring me past this.
Help me stay on the path
and not wander aimlessly.
I fear I am heading into the darkness
and I would much rather follow Your Light.

Help me Lord I pray.
Amen.

(c) August 17, 2013

You are no better than me

Most people really don’t want to know how you are
It’s just trivial talk
It’s better to usually say I’m fine
Even if you’re not
It’s better to hide behind what others prefer to see
than be how you feel

What’s real is hardly important
If you don’t feel good,
 stay home
If you stay home enough,
returning to wherever you’re staying home from
is less likely to happen

My actions don’t meet up with  your expectations
Your expectations are what is important
Does that mean you are important? 

Since when did you become better than me?
Since when did you become perfect?
Since when did God say to you,
go ahead, throw the first stone,
show no compassion,
point out another’s errors
make them feel less than they already feel

Most people don’t really want to know
how you are

All across the board,
there is no difference
You might think there should be
but people are human after all
and no matter what comes along,
it seems, to me anyway,
truly caring for another
is very much lacking.

We may try
and to some extent
we may succeed

But because of our humanness
every event at every
emotional, mental, physical and spiritual level
we are dealt and have to face,
individual compassion
for each other ranks low

Job asks in Chapter 2, verse 10 --
“Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”

I ask --
Is it right and just and true to accept and receive adversity from our peers and not a kind word?  Is it right to feel belittled for prayer requests?  Is it right to point out how a person should act and not consider why a person acts a certain way?

You are no better than me
You are not perfect
You have burdens to bear
You are no better than me

I am me
I have burdens to bear
I am not less than you because your burdens are less burdensome

I am still loved by God
He feels my pain
He knows my needs
He sees my hurts

You are no better than me
You are not perfect
You were not given the right to downgrade another

I am still loved by God
I am not perfect
I don’t claim to be more than I am

You are no better than me.

I am still accepted by God, even if by you I am not.

“We must learn to look less at what people do or don’t do and more at what they suffer.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 (c) August 11, 13-14

Who?

Who are the strong
Who are the weak
Who are the healthy
Who are the sick, suffering
Aren’t we all?

Who serves who
Who cares

Is it right --
the weak serve the strong
or is it –
the strong care for the weak

Who are the strong
Who are the weak
Who?

 (c) August 9, 2013

Be wise and repent

Be wise and repent

For when the world ends,
and it will -- it is no mistake,
where will you be?

The Lord God
He created you and me
He came as one of us,
only Holy
and without blemish.
He came to die
in our place
for us.
He,  The Lord God
came.
He took our place
He took all of our sins
upon Himself
To make us free

Be wise and repent

Or don’t
Go ahead --
be foolish … ignore the signs, pretend

When the end times come
When Jesus returns
all who do not repent,
who do not turn from
evil and wickedness,
will die
and will descend into hell.
There will be no escape

Be wise and repent

Know the way of Jesus
Follow the path
He trod
the path He leads us on
Accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior

And when the end times come
When Jesus returns
we too will die
but we can rejoice
our journey through life
will lead us to heaven’s gate
We will enter into the Holy of Holies,
into the presence of the Almighty God.

Be wise and repent
while there is still time.

(c) August 3, 2013