My Dearest Friend

My Dearest Friend

He is my very dearest Friend,
One on whom I can depend,
Oh what comfort knowing He
Is always looking after me.

He remains through thick and thin,
Regardless of the shape I'm in,
And rich or poor, and young or old,
His love is mine to have and hold.

There are some who have allowed
That they are lonely in a crowd,
'Tis a needless sorrow, He
Forever keeps us company.

Seasons come and seasons go,
Changed from all I used to know,
But right up until the end,
... I have Jesus for a friend.

Grace E. Easley

Light Not Darkness

Light Not Darkness

1 John 2:9-11 NIV
9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

Why Do We Weep?

Why Do We Weep?

Why do we weep and worry so
When things go wrong and troubles grow?
Have we no faith to just believe
When sorrows cause our hearts to grieve?
We may not understand it all
When disappointments come to call,
But God has promised to be there
If we but call His name in prayer.
We know that He is on our side
For in our hearts He shall abide
Until the rivers cease to flow
And autumn winds refuse to blow
For God is great; His word is true,
And there is nothing He can't do...
So rest assured that God is near
And wipe away that bitter tear.

Clay Harrison / T.S.

Love in Action

Love in Action

1 John 4:20-21 NIV
20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Rom 12:19-21 NIV
19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The Imitation of Christ - BOOK 1 - 16th Chapter

The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
BOOK ONE
THOUGHTS HELPFUL IN THE LIFE OF THE SOUL

The Sixteenth Chapter
BEARING WITH THE FAULTS OF OTHERS
UNTIL God ordains otherwise, a man ought to bear patiently whatever he cannot correct in himself and in others. Consider it better thus -- perhaps to try your patience and to test you, for without such patience and trial your merits are of little account. Nevertheless, under such difficulties you should pray that God will consent to help you bear them calmly.

If, after being admonished once or twice, a person does not amend, do not argue with him but commit the whole matter to God that His will and honor may be furthered in all His servants, for God knows well how to turn evil to good. Try to bear patiently with the defects and infirmities of others, whatever they may be, because you also have many a fault which others must endure.

If you cannot make yourself what you would wish to be, how can you bend others to your will? We want them to be perfect, yet we do not correct our own faults. We wish them to be severely corrected, yet we will not correct ourselves. Their great liberty displeases us, yet we would not be denied what we ask.

We would have them bound by laws, yet we will allow ourselves to be restrained in nothing. Hence, it is clear how seldom we think of others as we do of ourselves.

If all were perfect, what should we have to suffer from others for God's sake? But God has so ordained, that we may learn to bear with one another's burdens, for there is no man without fault, no man without burden, no man sufficient to himself nor wise enough. Hence we must support one another, console one another, mutually help, counsel, and advise, for the measure of every man's virtue is best revealed in time of adversity -- adversity that does not weaken a man but rather shows what he is.

Our Lives At Sea

Our Lives At Sea

God puts us on a lifeboat
Whose purpose is to promote
Our spiritual improvement
Living our lives as He meant

With our family and others
We're all to live as brothers
Learning from our mistakes
To do this... for heaven's sakes

The waters may at times be rough
Proving we're really not so tough
Don't lose sight of God waiting on the shore
Soon you'll see what Providence has in store

At times some may go overboard
In saving them lies a great reward
Our Lord watches over our strife
Reaching out to us to save our life

Rowing toward the same heavenly goal
Is the way to save our eternal soul
If we let faith, hope and love be our beacon
Our resolve will never weaken

Truth Seeker

Rainbows

Rainbows

Some folks I know have narrow views
Of life that close them in.
And they continually await
Misfortune to begin.
They never see the sunshine,
But they always find the rain.
They've frowned so much they can't recall
How laughter sounds again.

Instead of seeing each new day
A bright and shining thing,
They face the dawn and wonder what
New sorrow it will bring.
They squeeze out every ounce of joy,
Within the hearts of those
Who seek to cheer their lonely lives,
Why? Only heaven knows.

They put a price on everything,
And say that "nothing's free",
And end up being miserable
As anyone can be.
They haven't learned the secret
That life is more than just
Accumulating lots of things,
That fall apart with rust.

For life is more than gathering
What someday we must leave.
Each one of us needs principles
In which we can believe.
It's not so much the getting,
If we don't know how to share.
For only love can turn the rain
... To rainbows, everywhere.

Grace E. Easley

The Results of Our Actions

The Results of Our Actions

Be good, and you'll never regret it.
Be bad, and you'll never forget it.
If mistaken, be first to confess it.
If right, be the last to express it.
If wrong, then be quick to redress it.
If it's slander, be sure to suppress it.
Be kind, but let no one suspect it.
Be wise, but let no one detect it.
Be fair, for your friends will expect it.
Be swift, or perhaps you'll neglect it.
If it's borrowed, be quick to repay it.
If it's loaned, make excuse to delay it.
Be selfish, and no one will miss you.
Be a fool, and the demons will hiss you.
Be yourself, and the good Lord will kiss you.

Beam Me Up Sweet Jesus

Beam Me Up Sweet Jesus

A Wondering Heart is a Sign of an Unstable Mind
Seek Your Happiness in Your Own Backyard Instead
Forget the Lure of the Beauty of Other Worlds
You Cannot Escape Your Trials by Fleeing From Them
Let Adventure Befriend You in Your Youth
But Allow Steadiness to Accompany You When You're Old
Remember That People Can Be Strange
When You're From a Different Part of the World
Soon Your New Friends' Foibles Will Appear Insurmountable
On the Other Hand, No Place on Earth Can Be Called Home
You, Good Soul, Would Get Bored Even on the Space Station
Jesus and His Saints Await Us in Our Permanent Abode
There, We'll Not Feel Homesick for This Earth
So... Whenever You're Ready... Beam Me Up Sweet Jesus

God Doesn't Trust Man

Mat 5:27-28 NIV
27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Mat 19:11-12 NIV
11 Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

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God Doesn't Trust Man

If He did, He wouldn't have made sex pleasurable.
He'd be confident that man would procreate
without being enticed by animal instincts.
A man and a woman in love would mate for
the sheer survival of the race and
for true love of God for having made creation.
True, it would be an altruistic type of love - - -
one that few would be capable of experiencing.
In the absence of sexual pleasure,
there would be no sexual sins:
no adultery...
no fornication...
no rape...
no abortion...
no child sex abuse...
no pornography...
no homosexuality.
Animal lust and concupiscence in man
would not be problematic
since there'd be no pleasure in sex.
Many people would find this idea disgusting,
but I posit the existence of asexual love
between many couples throughout time and today.

Truth Seeker

Desiderata

Desiderata

written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.