Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Faith

Faith is not merely praying
Upon our knees at night.
Faith is not merely straying
Through darkness to the light.

Faith is not merely waiting
For glory to may be.
Faith is not merely hating
The sinful ecstasy.

Faith is the brave endeavor.
The splendid enterprise.
The strength to serve, whatever
Condition may arise.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Conversations with God

So Softly, quietly your voice comes down to me.
Just before dawn, when sleep has flown free.

So I lie here and allow You control of my mind.
I ask you for names that I could never find.

People whose needs fill them to overflowing.
Those that only You have any idea of knowing.

And so one by one, as your Holy Spirit leads,
Prayers flow from my lips like ripe fertile seeds.

I present each and every last one back to You.
Asking you to plant and sprinkle with morning dew.

It is so early, Lord, the ground is so wet and ready.
And these people You give me are so very needy.

This two-way petitioning is precious at this hour.
The world outside sleeps, I sense your Spirit’s Power.

Needs pass down to me like a vision urgent and new.
I’m not an author just a conduit You flow through.

I want to be moved by others, be available to you.
I desire meaning and want to have purpose too.

Life is so very empty when it is not useful to you.
Praying for others is the work that I want to do.

I’ll never be out of work and my guide will be you!
Oh Lord, I so love these early mornings times to pray!
I know you woke me up, now please tell me what to say,

Your Spirit has blessed me with so much joy and peace
I never want our special prayer times to ever cease.
If it took this pain in me to bring me to my knees,
May you ever remind me of what this schoolroom sees.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

No Regrets

You are never going to be sorry for thinking before acting
For taking the time to listen before you pass judgment.
For forgiving your enemies, and forgetting words said too.
For helping a fallen brother, be it someone known or not.
For being honest in business and in all you say and do.
For thinking before opening your mouth and speaking.
For being faithful to your church family and to your God.
For standing up for your principles, doing what is right.
For covering your ears to gossip, and let it stop with you.
For bridling a slanderous tongue and let it not be yours.
For harboring evil thoughts; let your thoughts be pure.
For having compassion with suffering, the mind of Christ.
For being courteous and kind to all that pass your way.
 
Matthew 20:25 - 40
THE MESSAGE
"Jesus responded, ‘You have no idea what you’re asking.’ And he said to James and John, ‘Are you capable of drinking the cup that I’m about to drink?’ They said, ‘Sure, why not?’
Jesus said, ‘Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honour, that’s not my business. My Father is taking care of that.’ When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, ‘You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served ... and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.’
As they were leaving Jericho, a huge crowd followed. Suddenly they came upon two blind men sitting alongside the road. When they heard it was Jesus passing, they cried out, ‘Master, have mercy on us! Mercy, Son of David!’ The crowd tried to hush them up, but they got all the louder, crying, ‘Master, have mercy on us! Mercy, Son of David!’ Jesus stopped and called over, ‘What do you want from me? 'They said, ‘Master, we want our eyes opened. We want to see!’ Deeply moved, Jesus touched their eyes. They had their sight back that very instant , and joined the procession."

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Easter

(This poem was printed on the front cover of last Sunday's worship folder at South Langley Church)


Three days and I will surely
rise again, that’s what Jesus said.
And just like He promised He did
rise again from the dead
But to get to that empty tomb,
we have to first see the cross.
We have to share in His suffering,
and feel His followers’ loss.
But then Hallelujah! The glorious
resurrection, He truly lives!
To all who believe the promise
of eternal life, He freely gives.
This is something to rejoice about,
to sing and yes, shout about
We that know Him will see Him again,
this we have no doubt.
He never once reneged on any of His
promises! Amen!