The Best Christmas

It was the night before Christmas
And quiet in the house.
Mom was in the kitchen,
Dad was dozing on the couch.

The children had moved far away,
And weren’t coming home this year.
Mom was feeling sad, so she began to pray.
“Oh Lord, I could really use some cheer.

The kids can’t come home,
And I miss them so much.
This Christmas we’re all alone,
But in you I’ve put my trust.

Everything is ready for Christmas dinner,
And I sent invitations all over town.
But it looks like I won’t be a winner,
All my invitations have been turned down.

Lord, there must be someone out there
Who has no place to go.
I want to show them how you care,
And feed them dinner at my home.

You know how hard it is for me
To get out and around.
Bring me someone who’s lonely,
Help me show them what you’re about.

Thank you, Lord, for listening when I pray.
Now I think I’ll get some sleep,
So I can be rested for Christmas Day.
I’ll need my energy to feed your hungry sheep.”

Christmas Day dawned bright and clear.
Mom was in the kitchen early,
And creating all kinds of good cheer.
She thanked God for making her feel merry.

All of her children gave her a call,
And she wished each one a Merry Christmas.
She gave thanks she could talk to them all.
“Thank you for remembering me, Jesus.”

Dad suddenly had an errand to run.
He said he’d be back in a few minutes.
“Please don’t be long, for dinner’s almost done.”
She was too busy to wonder about his disappearance.

Suddenly the doorbell began to ring.
“I wonder who that could be.”
A man said, “Your husband told me to bring
My wife and children; the youngest one is three.

I met him at the convenience store.
He saw that my wallet was empty.
He said you have enough for twenty or more,
And that you’d be delighted to feed my family.”

“Come in! Come in!” she cried.
“Let me take your coats and hats.
Unexpected company makes me smile,
And it won’t be long before my husband is back.”

A short time later her husband came home.
Mom gasped with surprise when he walked through the door,
For when he came in, he wasn’t alone.
He had someone with him; in fact, several more.

“I didn’t like seeing you so sad for Christmas Day,
And I knew these people had no place to go.
Last night when I heard you pray,
I knew God’s love was important for you to show.

I know how much you miss our children,
And how hard it sometimes is for us to be alone.
Today is about how God came down from heaven
To ensure that all His children can go home.

So I brought these people for you to feed
Because I know it makes you happy.
It makes me glad to see you at peace
When you’re making another person’s day cheery.”

Mom and Dad had a happy Christmas,
With a house filled with people and light.
They gave special thanks to Jesus
For filling their home with such delight.

I'm Thankful

I’m thankful for eyes to see
Oceans, rivers, birds in the sky,
Babies, and flowers and trees.

I’m thankful for ears to hear
The wind, music, and a loved one’s voice,
And the songs of birds, far and near.

I’m thankful for hands and feet
That do what I want,
So my tasks I can complete.

I’m thankful for a voice that can express
Words of hope, joy, love and peace,
Words we need to constantly confess.

I’m thankful for my health,
Sometimes bad, mostly good,
Because it’s my greatest wealth.

I’m thankful for my family
With all our differences and quirks,
Never boring, with all that variety.

I’m thankful for a God I can trust,
Who is always there for me.
Whenever I need Him, I just call Jesus.

There is so much for me to be thankful for,
I could never tell about everything,
For as I tell of one, I think of one more.

His Hands

God has such big hands
That He can hold people in all lands.
He holds us in His palm,
Turns our chaos into calm.
When He closes His fingers tight,
He gives us a chance to gain sight.
He spreads them apart a little bit
To let us have trials we won't forget,
So that our muscle of faith
Can become stronger to run the race.
I am a child of God
And don't think it's odd
That I have all I need
Since Jesus set me free.

Oh What Joy

I was in a valley.
I was tightly bound.
There were dry bones
All around.
I was in a pit,
And sinking fast.
I had nothing to hold on to,
Nothing to grasp.
I wasn't going to last much longer,
I was sinking so fast.
There was death all around me,
In a place where nothing lasts.
I was so scared,
I was terrified.
Trying to break free,
I fought and I cried.
My mom and my dad
Couldn't rescue me.
My sisters and my brothers
Couldn't set me free.
In a valley so deep and forsaken,
I didn't have the skills I needed to cope.
Vultures and sin were eating at my flesh.
My life had no hope.
I fought and tried to get away.
My heart was broken and so sore.
There was no one to help me,
But somehow, I thought there must be more.
Something was tickling my memory.
I thought about stories I'd heard.
Something about a man named Jesus,
And how he taught God's word.
The stories said he was knocking at my heart.
They said he could wash away my sin.
They said he was a gentleman, and kind,
And that he would keep knocking until I let him in.
Those stories said he could unbind me.
They said he could make me clean and whole again.
They said all I had to do was ask.
So I asked, and I prayed.
I knew there was a God; I hoped the stories were true.
"Jesus, would you come into my heart today?
Can you get me out of this mess I've made?
Would you come into my heart to stay?"
Oh what joy, because the stories were true.
Oh what joy, those stories I heard.
Oh what joy, I'm one of those stories today.
Oh what joy, all because of God's precious word.

The Ember

I finished that poem I started the other night. Here it is:

The Ember

A tiny ember glowed in the dark.
It was hardly bright enough to notice,
But it made a tiny warm space in my heart.

Covered in ashes, slowly burning out,
There was no fuel to feed it.
I was slowly dying within and without.

There was a persistent knocking at my door.
Knock...knock...knock.
I couldn’t ignore it any more.

When I answered, I had an attitude.
“What do you want?” and slammed the door.
I really was quite rude.

He was a gentleman, and quietly replied
That He could help me if I would listen.
He was quite willing to be my guide.

I wasn’t about to toe His line.
I was supposed to be in charge!
Who could know better than me about my life?

Then, when my ember was almost dead,
When things that were bad went to worse,
I remembered what the gentleman had said.

I opened the door and asked Him in.
I asked what He could really do to help me.
He touched that ember, brought it to life again.

That ember began to glow,
The ashes began to fall,
And I began to hope.

He touched my heart.
He stopped the raw, bleeding wounds.
He gave me a fresh start.

What had been numb, I began to feel.
I couldn’t believe how many places I hurt
As I slowly began to heal.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell apart
Whether the problem is my body or my soul
As I deal with each issue of my heart.

As I am healed and becoming whole,
I’ll always have scars from the wounds
Because this is a lifelong process, you know.

Who was it? Who didn’t give up on me?
His name is Jesus, whom I love and trust.
He lit the fire that set me free.

Walking With God

Driving down a country road on a dark, dark night reminds me of my walk with God.

When there is no light except the moon and stars, you have to be very careful of where you're going. You have trouble seeing, and you can't go faster than the headlights shining in front of you. If you go too fast, you could take a wrong turn and wind up in the ditch or field. When I'm in that stage, I'm all tense and anxious and trying to be in control of something I really have no control over.

When I don't slow down and listen to God, I get sidetracked into something that probably isn't good for me. Getting back on track is a lot easier than getting out of the ditch. Getting back on track requires work as well. I still need to read my Bible; I still need to pray; I still need to worship God.

God is waiting for me to turn around and come back to Him whenever I get sidetracked (and that happens often, though less now than it used to). He loves me whatever condition I'm in. And when I stay focused on Him, He lights my path and the darkness around me dissipates so I can see, especially with my spiritual eyes. When I stay focused on Him, grace and mercy cover my back, arm in arm, and I am safe. As long as I stay focused on Him, grace and mercy help to get me through whatever I'm going through. Faith helps a lot too, and gets stronger every time I have to go through a test of some kind.

I can tell the differences in my walk with God. Sometimes I see only a candle flame, beckoning me to go forward and not look back. Looking back is okay for learning the lessons, but looking back takes my focus off God and I just fall farther and farther away. The candle flame keeps me focused because I can see it even though the darkness is dissipated only a little.

As I move closer to God, the light becomes more like a campfire, warm and welcoming, keeping the darkness at bay. There is comfort in a campfire, and I like watching the embers as the fire dies down.

And the closer I get to God, the bigger and hotter the fire gets, until it's like a bonfire. That bonfire burns away the debris of sin and anything else that doesn't make me pure and holy. It's a cleansing fire, and I become refined in the fire. It doesn't hurt me, although the sound and heat make me think it would. But I come out of that bonfire a better person, stronger, more hopeful, more faithful, more enthusiastic and eager to do what God wants me to do. That fire helps me to become holy, because my God is holy.

God is great. God is good. God loves us so much, and blesses us so much, it's surprising we keep turning away from Him. I'm glad He keeps His arms open wide until I go into them so He can hold me closer than any person on this earth can.

My prayer is that I stay on the path with the light, with Jesus to lean on or carry me when I need it. I pray that for you as well.

The Sound of Grace

I was inspired by Joe Cross when he sang Amazing Grace at church Sunday, and added to something I had written some time ago. It fit so well, and I'm sure more will come.

The Sound of Grace

Titus 2:11
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.

John 1:17
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see

The song says, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound." The sound of "I love you" and "I forgive you" is sweet music to our ears. The sound of "I love you" brings comfort, security, and safety to our mind, our soul. The sound of "I forgive you" brings relief and release from our bondage and burdens. These sounds are so powerful they bring relief and peace to the hearer.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.
I was a mess, in a deep well of depression and oppression. I was sunk so low I never saw the light and I though I would never get out.

I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see.
I was lost in the darkness. I could not see where to go, what to do or what to seek. I was so lost, and I thought there was no way out.

But a voice called to me, softly, gently, insistently, "Come to me, I will set you free. Come to the light and you will see the path to your freedom, and if you choose it, you never be in the darkness again. Come to me and I will set you free."

I went to the light, and what I saw inspired me, so I chose the light. Now I see the Blood of Jesus and how He set me free. Free from shame, free from guilt, free from darkness and the chains that bound me.

I chose the light. Now I fly with the eagles in the sky.

I chose the light and now I see the blessings that God rains on me: life, hope, peace, joy, faithfulness, mercy, grace, and so much, much more.

I chose the light and now I know God loves me and He sets me free. He sets me free because He loves me.

But there's more to grace than sound. What about the other actions of grace? What about the no condemnation? We no longer have to feel guilty about our past. It has been wiped clean. We can feel remorse, even grief, but it should not consume us. Because of God's grace, we can hold up our head and look another person in the eye. We don't have to hide with God inside us.

Because of grace, we can show compassion, mercy and love. We can give it to others because we have received so much ourselves. Because of grace, we are supposed to BE compassion, mercy and love. Grace and mercy are linked arm in arm and are watching our backs. We are safe in our walk with God because of grace and mercy.

We have received hope, joy, peace, love. Because of grace, we are able to receive these and so much more from God. And we don't have to worry about what is expected in return because it is freely given. The price has been paid.

The death of one for the salvation of millions...

What a price!

Because we fall under grace, mercy is granted to us. We must pay a price for our actions and words, but we aren't under God's wrath, and we won't be destroyed when we fall if we turn back to God. He promised this to Noah, and proves it with a rainbow after every rain...

in the rainbow - which is part of a circle, part of the ark of God.

God isn't carried around in a special wooden box called the ark any more. He's carried around in everything around us, but WE are His living temple. We are the temples not built with hands. And God uses us to show others who He is -

The Living God. The Just God. The Mighty God. The Jealous God. God, who is Love. The God who hands out Grace and Mercy to all of us who accept Him as our God, our Lord, our Saviour.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. I agree.

But also, amazing grace, how sweet the actions and results that took a wretch like me and changed me into God's image...

Loving, compassionate, just, righteous, jealous, mighty, alive and full of light...

As long as we let Him rule.

Grace - amazing, isn't it, at what it can do.

We fall under grace. Because of our shortcomings, we fall down. We leave the favor of God. When we leave God's favor, we usually go to our knees (fall to our knees) or lay face down (fall on our faces) because of all the weight from the darkness, the burdens darkness puts upon us. When we repent, we fall down because we are seeking grace and mercy, and we are showing awe (fearful respect) at the power of God.

Ephesians 2:8, 9
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the give of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Grace raises us out of the ashes of death like a rising Phoenix, and leads us to life - everlasting life. Grace lifts us up. And then mercy follows and we are forgiven for turning away because we have returned. We have turned around to face God again. Isn't it funny how darkness weighs us down but grace lifts us up? Grace gives us the opportunity to accept the light, to be filled with God's light, to become lighter than air so we can soar with the Holy Spirit in the heavens.

Grace is an action word. Grace is movement. Grace is sound. Grace is sweeter than honey. Grace is beautiful. Grace is from God.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.

Sin and death make us darker, make us move slower and slower, becoming more bent over, more stooped, closer to the grave. Sin and death make us darker and darker, move us farther and farther from the light. They weigh us down with burdens too heavy for us to carry and we fall down. We fail.

Grace takes us towards heaven, makes us victorious, makes us free to fly, to soar.

If it wasn't for grace (and mercy, because mercy is grace's constant companion), we would never have the opportunity to live in eternal light. We would not have the opportunity to be loved and to love as God loves us. In my opinion, grace is one of the best blessings God has given us because it is among the first given to us and it lasts the longest.

The sound of grace: I love you. I forgive you.

The inner ear, where we hear the sound of grace, is made up of the hammer, anvil, stirrup, and the eardrum.

The hammer and anvil of grace: tap, tap, tap. They break the hardness of our hearts. They enable us to become more flexible, less set in our ways. The anvil helps us to become the pliable clay God can mold into His image.

Becoming pliable isn't easy. That's why there's mercy along with grace. It's hard for us to let God have His way. We want our feet in the stirrups, not His. We want to have our own way, not God's. We don't want to be led. But when we step aside and let God do His thing, even whenwe don't understand the wherefores or the whys, we become as God because we are God who lives in us. We are part of the I AM, the living God. We are cells and members of one family, one body.

Grace and mercy follow us, are a part of us, and if we are part of God, we are showing that same grace and mercy to everyone else, Christian and non-Christian alike, for we are all sinners and have fallen short in our efforts to reach holiness, to reach God.

The sound of grace:

I love you, so I forgive you. I forgive you because I love you.

God's grace. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Amazing, isn't it, at what grace can do.

The Mending Heart

As I take these clothes apart
So I can make necessary repairs,
I think about my broken heart
And about how people used to stare.

I wear my heart on my sleeve
Where everyone sees what's going on.
They've seen me broken beyond belief,
And they see me since I met God's son.

I was really quite a mess,
Had trouble holding myself together.
From childhood on were nothing but major tests
That I failed miserably until I met my big brother.

Most clothes I can mend,
But some are too ripped and torn.
Those are the ones I send
To the trash because they're too worn.

I'm so glad God could see
Something good under all my trash.
I'm so glad He finds me worthy
To hold me close and fast.

I'm glad He can heal my heart.
I'm happy He can mend my soul.
I'm so glad He gave me a fresh start,
And that I'm on my way to becoming whole.

As I look at the clothes I mend,
And make some of them like new,
I'm glad God thought it worthwhile to send
His son Jesus, to save not just me, but also you!