THE SUNLIGHT

Lord, I woke this morning to the rising sun;

As I sought to ponder, a new day had begun.

Today’s a new beginning, new things You have in store,

Help me Lord to listen; to listen to You more.

Forgetting all the past, help me forge ahead,

Living in the present, not in the distant head.

Too long I’ve lived in mire, hurt and unforgiveness;

I want a new beginning Lord; will you now take my weakness?

As the sun began to rise and fill the eastern sky,

A stream of light did gather and o’er the water lie.

That light reminded me Lord, that You want me to be

That light to all the hurting, who need to be set free.

Only as I’m full of You, can I shine forth as light;

Bringing them the message that God will heal their plight.

Lord, let me be a beacon, beaming out light for You,

Helping them hear the message that Jesus loves them too.

Heal me Lord, so I can be a witness to Your power,

Being arms outstretched for You, in their desperate hour.

Yes, I’ll be that beacon, shining forth the light;

Yes, I’ll be a beacon to those in the dark of night.

OUR CHILDREN

There’s a treasure in our children that sometimes seems obscure,

As day by day we care for them and make their pathway sure.

From break of dawn, till setting sun, their needs, we must fulfill;

From feeding and to clothing them, to breaking their strong will.

Their cuts and bruises, we must mend and do so with such love;

That they might feel within your breast, Jesus, the tender Dove.

We need to take the time with them, around the family Altar;

Teach them all that’s in God’s Word, and how they too, can prosper.

If we will live the Word of God before our tender ones.

We will someday, see fruit thereof, as to the Lord they run.

A prayer they’ll share when we have need, a blessing, unsuspected,

As they return to us some day, a joy that never endeth.

The faith instilled with a child will never go astray;

For when they face the trials of life, God is not far away

When they grown up, they’ll ne’er forget the times on Mother’s knee,

When she bent down and kissed their brow, or with the Lord, did plea.

And someday when our children grow and they are Dads and Moms,

May they in turn be leading lights to all their little ones.

CHILDREN - OUR HERITAGE

Our children are an heritage,

An heritage from God.

They’re planted for a season,

Upon this earthly sod.

We have such little time with them

To mold and shape their lives,

For much too soon, we realize,

It’s time to leave the hives.

What have we taught our little ones

That will take them through their life?

What kind of truths have we instilled,

As they join man to wife?

Will they look back upon their lives

With joy and gratitude,

When they remember, oh so well,

How on God’s Word, you stood.

It will not be the things of life

That will bring pleasure rare,

But it will be the times they saw

You cry to God in prayer.

When we instill God’s principles,

As they go through their prime,

We need not fear; God’s Word declares,

They will pass the test of time.

Take heart, dear parents; ne’er give up;

Your children will come through.

If you’ve been faithful to God’s Word;

His promise will come true.

Our children are an heritage,

Loaned to us for awhile;

May you be faithful to His Word

And go that extra mile.

SOMEBODY CARED

Somebody cared down on his knees,

Somebody cared; was that one me?

Down on my knees calling on God;

Down on my knees, feeling His prod.

Caring for those hurting so deep,

Caring for those who lie in a heap;

Lives so shattered and torn apart,

Dying of a broken heart.

Help me Lord to hear their cry;

Help me reach out e

E’er they die.

Many come right by my door,

Open my eyes to see them more.

Lord, prepare me on my knee,

For prayer, I know, is the key;

To unlock doors and break the chains,

Bringing the lost, eternal gains.

Lord prepare me through Your Word,

To help those who have never heard;

That You car whatever their need;

Lord help me to plant the seed.

Help me to act out Your love,

Help me to take off my glove;

Fearing not to soil my hands,

So that others can break their bands.

Somebody cared down on his knees;

Somebody cared Lord, let it be me.

Down on my knees, I’ll call on God;

Down on my knees, I’ll feel His prod.

(Inspired from sermon Feb. 6, 1983)

SHARING AND THANK GOD FOR FRIENDS

Lord, we have a lot to share; help us Lord to share it.

Lord we have a lot to give; help us Lord to give it.

Many hurting people, Lord, cross our path each day,

Help us to be sensitive, and for their needs, to pray.

May our arm be Your arm, reaching out in love;

Picking up the fallen, being led by the Heavenly Dove.

Let us talk of Jesus, but let us live Him too.

In our every action, may Jesus be seen anew.

We thank you God for friend who care

To take the time to love and share;

We thank you for their little smile,

That makes us feel that life’s worthwhile.

We thank you for the times they share

Before the throne of grace in prayer,

Talking to You about our need,

Letting us know, they care, indeed.

We thank You for the little ways

They share to give us happy days;

But most of all, we thank You, God;

They’re sensitive to the Spirit’s prod.

Oh Lord, bless all our friends today

And use them in a special way.

Grant them wisdom from above

And fill them with the Spirit’s love.

(Editor’s note:  These two poems go

Hand in hand so I have put them on a

Page together.)

SERVANTHOOD

Surrendering to servanthood; Lord, what does it take?

Abandonment of selfishness, to work for others’ sakes.

Abandonment of selfish pride and all that wants acclaim;

To work alone for Jesus Christ, to glorify His Name.

A servant must be willing to get down on his knees,

And wash the feet of others; this is the secret key.

Servanthood means giving; giving all you have;

Bringing joy to others, and to some a healing salve.

Jesus, You were humbled to take a servant’s role;

You were brought humility, to the very soul.

Nothing that You did Lord, deserved what You received;

But through Your true humility, many have believed.

Jesus, make me willing to be a servant true;

Help me be like You, Lord, in everything I do.

A TRIBUTE TO OUR DAD

Dad you’ve been so special to each and everyone,

Especially to your family, in the many things you’ve done.

Dad, you have well taught us, how best to serve our God,

By practicing the Bible, and never sparing the rod.

Dad, you taught us honor in everything we did;

You never spared to show us, if we sin, it can’t be hid.

From youth you sought to teach us, the treasures from God’s Word.

One by one, we came to Christ, as our sinful hearts were stirred

As we’ve grown and stretched a bit, we’ve made a few mistakes;

Silently, you prayer for us; in our lives you had some stakes.

We honor you today Dad, for who you really are,

Your kind and gentle spirit, that’s spread both near and far.

You’ve reached out to so many throughout the by-gone years,

Sharing the love of Jesus, teaching that God still hears.

As you have graduated, we’re sure you’ll hear Christ say,

“Well done thou faithful servant; this is your crowning day.”

(Written for my wonderful father for his HOME GOING., April 11, 1985)