The Touch

Sometimes you can barely feel it

The touch from Heaven above

A stirring down deep inside you

A loving, gentle nudge

Other times you can't escape it

It's upon you both day and night

The hand of reproof upon your shoulder

Guiding from wrong towards right

This touch of God upon your life

Is a marvelous, wonderful thing

It's there upon all God's children

Discipline, love & comfort to bring

It guides you to salvation

Gives comfort when you are sad

And the love you feel from this touch

Is the greatest you'll ever have

Can you feel his touch this day

Is his hand touching you

Accept his gift of amazing grace

Try & see all He will do

VBS - Our Very Best Service

It's not just for kids

this VBS thing

for no matter what your age

joy it will bring

our very best service

to Jesus Christ our King

is commanded of all of us

in Galations 5:13

you may say you're too old

for vacation Bible school

but age is never a factor

when God gives the tools

now is the time

to kneel down and pray

Lord, what part in our vbs

would YOU have me play?

for it's not just the fun & games

or the little songs we sing

VBS is the very best service

to God that we can bring.

Waiting for you

I am waiting

Hoping & Praying

For an answer to my

Earnest pleas

You, O Lord God

are the only one

who can give

that answer to me

will you answer me

what will your answer be

we say Thanks!

to the patriot soldier who stood his ground

to gain freedom from a distant king

to the union & confederate armies

who fought over the end of a way of living

to the brave me who fought the french, spanish & indians

and charged up san juan hill

we say Thanks!

to the me and women who fought in europe in 2 world wars

to end a dictator's reign

and to those laid to rest in hawaii's pearl harbor

when the japanese attacked that day

to the air force, army, navy and marines

who fought on the Korean soil

we say Thanks!

to the veterans of our most recent wars

the forgotten souls who from vietman came back

the young men and women who went to kuwait

fighting for their freedom from iraq

we say Thanks!

to the ones who even now continue to fight

to keep america free today

to the families that are left behind

we have only one thing to say

we say Thanks!

The Simplicity of the Flag

Just simple strips of cloth

Sewn together with care

Yet through out the coming ages

This flag brave men will bear

Three simple primary colors

Just red, white and blue

Blend together to form our Grand Old Flag

And mean so much to me and you

Red is for the bloold men shed

To make our nation free

It also stands for the blood of Christ

Shed for us on Calvary

Blue is for the loyalty of all those

Who strive to help our freedom remain today

But don't forget the cleansing water

When baptism washes our sins away

White the purest of all colors

Signifying a pure unblemished new land

Reminds us how Christ's blood cleanses our life

So we can live one day in Heaven so grand

Thirteen simple stripes of white and red

To honor the founding fathers in the first colonies

They bring to mind the pain filled stripes

Beat in the back of Jesus, our King

Fifty stars of white - one for each United State

Nestled in a background made of blue

Show us if God cares for the stars

How much much his care for me and you

So, next time you stand to pledge the flag

With you hand upon your heart

Say "Thank You" to God for making a way

And unto you grace He did impart.

6/12/05

The Clean Slate

anticipaton runs thru the crowd

that has gathered there

the countdown begins from 10 to 1

as they welcome another brand new year

many wake up the next morning

with their resolutions made

a new year's begun and we all can start

life again with a clean slate

how will you deal with this brand new year

will you repeat the mistakes of the past?

will you focus on the temporal things

or on things that truely last?

Resolution

Once again we find ourselves

at that magical time

when we gather once again

singing auld lang syne

lists are made by one and all

things you resolve to do

but how many list are forgotten

before january is through

before you begin to make your list

i have a suggestion for you

resolve to love God more fully

to let his light shine thru you

the new year lies before you

its opportunity untold

pray Lord let me take your word

make me courageous and bold

take the message of God's salvation

for everyone to hear

but most of all to serve you Lord

during this happy new year!

12/31/06

Pastor's Job

The pastor's job is to -

P ~ Proclaim the word of the Lord for all to hear

A ~Admonish sinners to repent & turn to God

S ~ Shepherd the flock God has placed in his care

T~ Teach the saints to follow the Lord

O ~Obey the commands of God

R~ Revere the Lord in all he says and does.

I'll Be

When a woman learns she will have a child she proudly states - I'll be a mother

As the child develops within her, she promises that child - I'll be your nurturer.

When you are born & come home with me - I'll be your caregiver.

As we play games, fly kites, blow bubbles & chase fireflies in the dark - I'll be your playmate.

As I help you with school projects & make things work as they should - I'll be your hero.

As I listen to your youthful secret crushes on the cutest boy or girl in class - I'll be your confidant.

As you learn about God & his saving grace - I'll be your spiritual guide.

As you grow into adulthood - I'll be your friend.

Then one day the now grown child will turn to their mother and say...

As you were - I'll be your nurturer, caregiver, companion, confidant, prayer warrior & friend.

But rest assure no matter how old I get, I'll always be your kid.

Hymns have a Part

I'm leaning on the everlasting

arms of Christ my King

Amazing grace how sweet the sound

that makes my soul to sing

What a friend we have Jesus

if in him we trust & obey

And when we all get to Heaven

O, what a happy day!

There was a time in days gone by

When a man would find his strength

To carry on from day to day

In the hymns his heart could sing

Now it seems the thing my friend

Is to leave the old hymns out

And we've lost the story they tell

and that's the saddest thing

The time has come in the church's life

for us to bring in the sheaves

Just as I am washed whiter than snow

Oh, I've been redeemed

In my life, Lord

come and have thine own way

for in the old rugged cross & the rock of ages

My faith has found a resting place

So the next time you find yourself

with a hymn upon your heart

don't think they are old fashioned & throw them out

Cause all hymns still have a part.

Fill this void, Lord ~ A Hymn of Singleness

Fill this void, Lord

Fill this empty part of me

pur in your love and amazing grace

until you are all I see

fill this void, Lord

as only you can do

take this hole within my heart

and fill it up with you

i walk around throughout my life

with a smile upon my face

i say and do the things i should

like an actor in a play

when i get home and all alone

my mask is torn away

i fall down on my knees

the only words that I can say

Fill this void, Lord

Fill this empty part of me

pur in your love and amazing grace

until you are all I see

fill this void, Lord

as only you can do

take this hole within my heart

and fill it up with you

my friend do you find yourself

living a life of pain

do you feel there's no way out

that you are playing a losing game

take this message to your heart

when faced with a test

God will fill your empty life

in Him you will find rest

Fill this void, Lord

Fill this empty part of me

pur in your love and amazing grace

until you are all I see

fill this void, Lord

as only you can do

take this hole within my heart

and fill it up with you

Fill this void, Lord

Fill this empty part of me

pur in your love and amazing grace

until you are all I see

fill this void, Lord

as only you can do

take this hole within my heart

and fill it up with you

Fill this void, Lord

Fill this void, Lord

Easy to Praise Him

It's so easy to praise the Lord on Sunday mornings when we are together in God's house with God's people. But do we find the time to sing His praise as we go throughout our daily life?

On Monday as we wake up & prepare to go to work do we grumble that another weekend is over or do we praise God that we've been given another week to spread His love & message.

When travelling to & fro & the other driver cuts you off, do you fuss & have a fit or do you praise God for not getting hit by that other car.

It's time we remember that the God who is so easy to praise on Sundays is just as easy to praise the other six days...could it be that we just don't want to or just don't take the effort.

Do We Remember?

Do we remember the reasons

the causes, the desires

the men and the women

who fanned freedom's fires?

the 1st century christians

meeting in secret rooms

fearing those on the outside

and the impending doom

the brave men and women

who sailed across the seas

as they answered the call

of freedom's loud ring

the patriot soldiers

at boston's port and bunker hill

standing against a king

to live by their own free will

the pioneers and the indians

fighting for the same thing

to live on their land

to give freedom wings

the north and the south

the yank and the reb

brother against brother

put freedom to the test

the list goes on and on as we remember era after era, acts of bravery in the name of freedom - the WWI soldiers, the Jews in the holocaust, the WWII men & women fighting back after Pearl Harbor's attack, Korea, the forgotten Vietnam vets, Operation Desert Storm, September 11th, those we've lost in iraq & afghanistan, the families, spouses, parents and children left at home...

America, do we rmember~~~~~~and do we say Thank you?!?

Carry Her Light ~ Ode to Lottie Moon

One December long ago

Was born an ordinary girl

Noone would've guessed this tiny child

Would one day change the world

As she grew she was known

By the pranks and tricks she played

But one day a change came forth

When her heart to Jesus she gave

The Lord placed upon her heart

A drawing need to go

To Tenghchow China as a missionary

His love for them to show

She gave all she had to those there

She gave her very life

What more perfect example of God's love

Could we ever find

Today we honor the memory

Of Charlotte "Lottie" Diggs Moon

With a yearly offering to fund

What our foreign missionaries do

Lottie Moon lit her candle in

China all those years ago

Will you give this Christmas to light yours

Send your candle forth to go

Carry her light and her message of

God, His Son & His Love

Until the day when face to face

We'll meet Lottie in Heaven above.

A Beginning Thru An Ending

thru tear stained eyes they watch

as their loved one slips away

from life upon this sinful earth

to the blessed land of eternal day

it's hard for them to let go

of this one they held so dear

althought they know their better off

they selfishly want them here

to humans death seems final

an ending not happy but sad

but this is only partially true

it depends upon the lifestyle you've had

if you've rejected the Son of God

and lived your life to please only self

you will live for all eternity

and ending that leads to Hell

but if you've accepted God's precious gift

your heart can joyfully sing

for when you breathe your final breath

it's not the end - it's the beginning.

6/4/06

Well Done, Welcome Home

at the end of this life

when we stand before his throne

the words we all long to hear

are "Well Done, Welcome Home"

well done, my precious child

for all you have done

the times you gave all you had

spreading the message of my love

you answered my call upon your heart

surrendered to me your life

then you went out in my son's name

bringing into darkness my grace & light

sure you had some days

when you felt the battle was lost

you didn't know if you could go on

if you could fully pay the cost

it was on these days i brought to mind

some soul i had you reach

some person now bound for glory

because of the message you had to bring

remember my child upon those days

when things aren't going right

when your body aches and you can't go on

total healing is in sight

i'm busy preparing a place for you

to live eternally

where you will struggle no longer

only worship at my feet

one day our lives will be over

our earthly bodies gone

we'll walk through gates of pearl

and hear "Well Done, Welcome Home"

8-19-07

Inspired by Dewayne and Sue Murrell, FBC Polk City, FL

What Kind of Love

What kind of love

can cause an ordinary man

to give up his job & life

to minister in a foreign land

what kind of love

will send a person under the knife

to give a part of themself

to save another's life

what kind of love

can open up two hearts

and lead those two to the altar where

they vow to never part

what kind of love

can stop a mother's flow of tears

when she's faced with the news

that her child's cry she'll never hear

what kind of love

could make you send your only son

to die upon a rugged cross

to save the souls of men to come

only the love that comes from God

can conquer anything

we can do the impossible

when our hearts to him we bring

what kind of love is this you say

that strenghtens, calms and cheers

it's a love that will never die

or fade throughout the years

The Perfect Parents

When I was a child and you would make me mad I would often wish God had given me my ideal of the perfect parents. As I have gotten older, God has shown me the qualitiess that make up a "perfect" parent. First on the list is an unconditional, never ending love. Next comes patience, selflessness, support, laughter, joy, the ability to let go when necessary, sacrifices, and most of all a love for God. In other words. . .

YOU!!!

I want to take this time to say that unspoken thanks for all you have done for or taught me during my childhood, youth and recent adulthood. When Chris and I were younger, I think we never stopped to think of all that you did without and gave up just so we could be happy. I am extremely grateful to you for all of this and most of all to God for seeing fit to send me to be Jerry and Wanda Stokes' little girl. I can only hope and pray that as I parent one day to my children I can do as good a job as you did. All my feelings can be summed up in the chorus of the song by Ray Boltz:

Thank you for giving to the Lord;

for I am a life that was changed

Thank you for giving to the Lord

I am so glad you gave.

I Love you Mama and Daddy!

Merry Christmas 1992!

Jerry & Wanda

Jerry & Wanda

You chose each other 35 years ago;

Of your own free will you came to be one. . .

With all you had , you vowed to share all that would come your way: physically, emotionally, spiritually.

You laugh in good times, cry in bad & support each other in the valleys.

Your love and faithfulness has served as an example to others as you cherish & honor each other.

You gave your vows to each other on November 4, 1966 & choose to keep those vows daily.

May you continue to uphold the Lord's idea of marriage for many years to come.

Happy Anniversary

11-4-2001

Clouds

Lazy sunny afternoons

perfect for adult or child

to lie on their back gazing up

at soft clouds drifting by

Imaginations soar on wings

as the birds up in the sky

what kind of pictures do you see

in the clouds floating by?

Many a summer afternoon

those fluffy white cotton puffs

have entertained many a child

just by looking up

a bear, a dog or a choo choo train

even a pig float by

a giggle is heard or even perhaps

a most contented sigh.

4-27-11

The Forestry Prayer

Lord, Grant us your protection as we protect your creation.

Help us educate the human race to the importance of taking care of our natural resources.

Surround us with angels as we go out to fight the fires that strive to consume our woodlands.

Give those around us the understanding to step aside and let us do what we are trained to do.

May others see that we are doing the best we can to keep our trees and forests here for another generation to enjoy.

Daily show us your glory in each and every tree, plant, shrub and animal.

Use Smokey Bear to encourage future generations to become Rangers.

And may we always promote to the citizens of our nation that "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires".

Amen

written for my brother and his fellow employees of the Florida Division of Forestry

The Blank Page

The sun rises early in the morn

Another new day begins

A blank page in life's story

Another chance to start again

Another chance to do what's right

To impact those you meet

To tell them about the Son of God

How they can walk on golden streets

The past has been forgotten

You can't go back in time

So embrace this new day

To make a difference in someone's life

As the sun goes past the horizon

At the end of the day

Will you see many things written there

Or will you still have a blank page?

4-4-11

Thanksgiving

Taking nothing for granted

Here we fall at your feet

All we have we give to you

Not withholding anything

King of all Kings

Saving all from sin

Giver of Life

Indwelling in men

Victory is ours

In the blood of the Son

Now lifting our voices

Glory to God, the most holy one.

11-21-2010

tapestry

When God looks at the tapestry of your life, He doesn't see all the times your thread broke or you missed a stitch or your thread got knotted up. He just sees the entire beautiful picture and He loves what He sees - - -His precious child.

Written for Russ 11-28-2010

Prayer for a Friend

Lord I need a miracle

I need you to walk in

I take this awful situation

And place it in your hands

I know that there is nothing

I can accomplish on my own

Thus humbly I approach You

Falling prostrate at Your throne

Take this mess of my own making

Use it to help reach others

To bring men to your Son

In my weakness I claim your strength

In my failure your victory

God, I need a miracle

Lord, please rescue me.

11-7-2010

My Prayer

May the thoughts I have and the words I say

Ever bring praise to God

Let the places I go and things I do

Invite others to seek out you

Someday as I bow before your throne

Singnig eternal songs of adoration to you

All I want to hear God say is

Well done, my child, welcome home.

1-9-2011

I Pray for You

At any moment of any day

No matter where I may be

Your face & name will cross my mind

And it sends me to my knees

Most times I know not how or why

You find yourself in need

All I know that prayer for you

Is what God requires of me.

12-1-2010

for Russ

FOG

an eerie haze mists the earth

as fog settles on the land

a mirror to the same gray fog

that settles in my head

a fog of uncertainty

of what the future holds

what I need most now

is a sense a peace within my soul

LORD please hear me now

may your answers come

please burn away this fog in me

with the glory of your SON.

3/19/11

I was inspired to write this today while looking out the window at an incredibly foggy morning.

Tears

This is a scrapblog that I did some time ago. I wrote the poem as I was creating the scrapblog. It is just too special to me to just share the poem ~ ~ ~ I had to share the pages too. Keep scrolling I will put the poem under each picture.

They fall unbidden down my face

These tears I cry for you

Finally I have found THE ONE

My heart's search is finally through

I could only dare to believe

I willed my self to think

That there really was someone out there

Whose dreams I would complete

I hold my breath as I patiently wait

for the long anticipated day

When as man and wife we spread our wings

and together fly away

Down my cheek these happy tears

Falling from the deepest part of me

Show to all who look upon my face

There's no place I'd rather be.