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

The Riches From Above

The Riches From Above

The riches coming from above
are worth their weight in gold,
for joy and peace and faith and love
are things that can't be sold.

For everybody has a gift
of mind and heart and soul,
a gift that gives us all a lift
and makes our spirits whole.

For fame and fortune, wealth and power,
do not contentment bring -
they last a short and fleeting hour
and are a passing thing.

And all the goods that dollars buy
will into dust decay,
but good that comes from God on high
will never pass away.

Alvin Finkelstein

God Keeps In Touch

God Keeps In Touch

God shows Himself a bit each day
To those who pause along the way
To contemplate a budding rose
Or watch a river as it flows.

He calms our fears and disbelief
By resurrecting every leaf
When spring has come upon the land
And every day is simply grand.

He paints the sunrise day by day
To chase the darkest night away,
Then hangs the stars when day is through
That we might have a wish come true.

Sometimes it rains on our parade
And spoils the plans that we have made,
But soon each storm shall pass us by
And there's His rainbow in the sky!

God keeps in touch with those who seek
His fellowship throughout the week
For all who look shall surely see
His glory and His majesty!

Clay Harrison

Speak Gently

Speak Gently

Speak gently; it is better far
To rule by love than fear;
Speak gently; let no harsh word mar
The good we may do here.

Speak gently to the aged one.
Grieve not the careworn heart;
Whose sands of life are nearly run,
Let such in peace depart.

Speak gently, kindly to the poor,
Let no harsh tone be heard;
They have enough they must endure,
Without an unkind word.

Speak gently; 'tis a little thing
Dropped in the heart's deep well;
The good, the joy that it may bring,
Eternity shall tell.

G.W. Langford

Life Ain't No Picnic

Life Ain't No Picnic

Things are never easy
I think we'd all agree
But sometimes it seems
Even our best laid schemes
Go awry at the worst time
You could almost call it a crime
When I was little I thought I could fly
No sky appeared too high
Doors opened and beckoned
And I darted through them in a second
But as I aged, life dragged me down
And turned my smile into a frown
Every day a new ache beset me
And I found it hard to be depression free
From the animal world I learned much
Not to use my pains as a crutch
Take the industrious ant for example
Proof of its laboriousness is ample
It teaches us the value of determination
Without being defeated by frustration
So why should I let trouble win the day
Let my model, the tiny ant, show the way

Truth Seeker

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.

Little Prayer

Little Prayer

Dear Lord thank You for today,
Walk beside me all the way,
Keep me safe from all that would
Cause me heartache if it could.
Guard my eyes, and ears, and lips,
Give me strength to come to grips
With each problem I must face,
And some courage, just in case.

Never let my footsteps stray,
'Lest perhaps I lose the way,
And whatever may befall,
Keep me humble through it all.
If a cross must be my share,
Make it one that I can bear,
And through shadows of the night,
Hold me close 'til morning light.

Grace E. Easley

Oh God, Help Me To Remember

Oh God, Help Me To Remember

Oh, God, when I have food
help me to remember the hungry,
When I have work
help me to remember the jobless,
When I have a warm home
help me to remember the homeless,
When I am without pain
help me to remember those who suffer;
And remembering
help me to destroy my complacency
and bestir my compassion.
Make me concerned enough to help
by word and deed, those who cry out
For what we take for granted.

Unknown Author

My Earnest Prayer

My Earnest Prayer

Today, I pray for others, Lord,
Who seem less blessed than I,
That in your love and mercy,
You'll heed their desperate cry.

For those depressed and lonely,
Please be their constant guide...
And show them they are not alone,
For You are by their side!

For those in pain of body...
Dear Lord, please make them whole,
And those who doubt... increase their faith;
Reveal their glorious soul!

Feed those who live in hunger,
House those who have no home,
And free this world from hatred;
Show us we all are one.

Dear Lord, thank you for listening,
And answering this prayer,
This world seems much less frightening,
Just knowing that You care.

Deborah A. Doyle

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

Forgive Me, Lord

Forgive Me, Lord

Forgive me, Lord, for all my wrongs,
I need Your help, to keep me strong.
I need Your love from day to day,
To show me how, to find my way.

The night is dark, and I am sad,
I pray to Thee, to make me glad.
In heaven above, I hope to be
To worship You, for eternity.

For all my sins, I feel contrite,
A deep desire, to set things right.
In humble prayer, I ask Your grace,
My only dream, in heaven, a place.

And thru my life stay by my side,
In all my needs, be Thou my guide
To help me find, in faith above,
That peace of mind, which comes with love.

Francis X. Wadland

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.

Nobility

Nobility

True worth is in being, not seeming, ---
In doing, each day that goes by,
Some little good --- not in dreaming
Of great things to do by and by.

For whatever men say in their blindness,
And spite of the fancies of youth,
There's nothing so kingly as kindness,
And nothing so royal as truth.

We get back our mete as we measure ---
We cannot do wrong and feel right,
Nor can we give pain and gain pleasure,
For justice avenges each slight.

We cannot make bargains for blisses,
Nor catch them like fishes in nets;
And sometimes the thing our life misses
Helps more than the thing which it gets.

For good lieth not in pursuing,
Nor gaining of great nor of small,
But just in the doing, and doing
As we would be done by, is all.

Alice Cary

Pack Away Your Troubles

Pack Away Your Troubles

Face your day with a happy heart
And end it with a song - - -
You'll find the hours in between
Can't go far from wrong.

A smile is more contagious
Than a dreary frown,
And nicer to remember
When the sun goes down.

Don't miss out on happiness
By looking toward the ground - - -
But keep looking skyward,
That's where the rainbow's found.

Just pack away your troubles
For some other day
And before you know it,
They'll have slipped away.

Catherine Janssen Irwin

Don't Quit

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out - - -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - - -
It's when things seem worst
that you must not quit.

Unknown Author

God's Promise

God's Promise

He never said the way would be
A straight and easy one for me.
He never meant that I should rest,
When work is what I do the best.
He never planned the best there is,
For me without my hand in His,
And never once did he ordain
I'd taste the joy but not the pain.

He never told me I would find
Contentment without peace of mind,
Nor did he issue a decree,
Compelling time to wait for me.
But He has promised life beyond
This fragile earth I walk upon,
And through the darkness of the night,
To be the Way, the Truth, the Light.

Grace E. Easley

Take Time

Take Time














Take time for prayer in the morning
Take time for prayer at night
Take time for God and through the day
He'll see that things go right.

And if you should encounter
A few mishaps along your way
He'll surely give you strength and help
To get you through your day.

And then when evening befalls you
And you come to the end of the day
He'll still be there to hear your prayer
And listen to all you say.

You'll feel His hand of comfort
As you talk with Him once more
And thank Him for His loving care
And blessing by the score.

So take time for God in the morning
Take time for God at night
And talk with God, and walk with God
He'll make your burden light.

Florence Flett

Judge Ye Not

Judge Ye Not

Judge not thy brother's failings,
Nor ever be the one
To hurl a stone at anything
That he has ever done.
Scorn not his humble efforts,
Nor cast him to the ground,
He may have just discovered
What thou has never found.

Harden not thy heart to tears
That often flow unbidden,
From lonely hearts within whose depths
So much of love is hidden.
Set not thyself as model,
Above thy fellowman,
For charity can open doors,
That pride's key never can.

Be not so self-righteous,
Thy foot can also fall...
No man who lives, is blameless,
For sin has touched us all.
And God alone must judge us,
No man has been assigned.
Because the Lord alone can see
Within your heart... and mine.

Grace E. Easley

I Will Start Anew

I Will Start Anew

I will start anew this morning
with a higher, fairer creed;

I will cease to stand complaining
of my ruthless neighbor's greed;

I will cease to sit repining while
my duty's call is clear;

I will waste no moment whining and
my heart shall know no fear.

I will look sometimes about me
for the things that merit praise;

I will search for hidden beauties
that elude the grumbler's gaze.

I will try to find contentment
in the paths that I must tread;

I will cease to have resentment
when another moves ahead.

I will not be swayed by envy
when my rival's strength is shown;

I will not deny his merit,
but I'll try to prove my own;

I will try to see the beauty
spread before me, rain or shine;

I will cease to preach your duty
and be more concerned with mine.

S.E.Kiser