POETRY PAGE 1

Fly Like Eagles

by Maxine Verney

You’ve given me the strength to carry on.
You’ve given me the words to sing my very own song.
You’ve shown me to the light to guide my way.
To lead me to the darkness and the gray.

I felt that I had lost the core of me.
The intellect was shrouded and the mind couldn’t see.
I was so overwhelmed when in a crowd.
I couldn’t find the words to sing aloud.

I faced the doubt of those who would not see.
And try to understand why they won’t really hear me.
At times I questioned if the fault was mine.
And some great flaw had clouded my mind.

I know that there is strength inside of me.
I know the soul and body struggle to be free,
To break away the shackles and the chains,
To overcome the heartache and the pain.

And all along in my heart and my mind,
I knew that I would search and seek and find,
The answers needed to the questions there,
And comfort that your help has brought to bear.

For you believed in me and held my hand,
When I was like a young child in a strange land.
You gave me back the words to sing my song,
And help the other weary sing along.

At times of greatest need, or loss, or shame,
The Lord in all His wisdom calls each one by name.
We ask "Where were his footsteps in the sand?"
He says, "I held you safely in my hands."

For they that wait in faith upon the Lord,
Surely shall renew their strength with one accord;
Mount up with golden wings, like eagles, fly,
To rise past limitations, not to cry.

And now within the mind, the eye can see,
An image like the eagle flying to be free.
With hope we’ll run, and not so weary be,
And walk and not be fainting, they will see.

Within us there is courage to press on,
Together we can head toward the higher ground,
And help the other needy come along.
You’ve given me the words back to my song.
May God bless you with strength to carry on.

My Child

by Rosalind Rinker

My child, I love you.

I love you unconditionally.
I love you, good or bad, with no strings attached.
I love you like this because I know all about you.
I have known you ever since you were a child.
I know what I can do for you.
I know what I want to do for you.

My child, I accept you.

I accept you just as you are.
You don't need to change yourself.
I'll do the changing when you are ready.
I love you just as you are.
Believe this---for I assure you it is true.

My child, I care about you.

I care about every big or little thing which happens
to you. Believe this.
I care enough to do something about it.
Remember this.
I will help you when you need me. Ask me.
I love you.
I accept you.
I care about you.

My child, I forgive you.

I forgive you, and my forgiveness is complete.
Not like humans who forgive but cannot forget.
I love you. My arms are open with love.
Please come here! Come here to Me!
I forgive you!
Do not carry your guilt another moment.
I carried it all for you on the cross.
Believe this. It is true.

Rejoice...And be Glad

Untitled

by Susan Ward

A beautiful day
but God started to cry.
A beautiful red rose drank
its fill of His tears.

A new morning dawned,
the dew cast crystalline
rainbows
into the morning.

Some children came by.....
splashing in the
puddles.
Oh how they laughed
as the droplets flew
from twirling
umbrellas
like glittering diamonds!

Out on a gorgeous day
the Sun drove away the
gloom
children's laughter echoing
the joy of the rain!

Copyright © 1997, Susan Ward. All rights reserved.

Child Of God

YOUR HEART A TREASURE HOLDS
A FAITH THAT'S SURE WITHIN
FORMED BY LOVE, BOUND IN HOPE
WELL POISED FOR QUESTS TO WIN

WITH VISION CLEAR AND STRONG
AS LIFE MOVES FORTH EACH DAY
BE SURE TO SEARCH YOUR HEART
TO BOW YOUR HEAD AND PRAY

AND DRAW UPON THIS WELL
THAT GOD'S YOUR STRENGTH INDEED
THERE IS NO OTHER SOURCE
FROM WHICH THE SOUL IS FREED

TAKE COMFORT IN THE CARE
THAT OTHERS FREELY GIVE
AND KNOW OF OUR GREAT LOVE
FOR YOU EACH DAY YOU LIVE

YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD
WE'RE PROUD OF YOU EACH DAY
PLEASE KNOW HOW MUCH YOU'RE LOVED
MUCH MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY

~ I SAID A PRAYER FOR YOU TODAY ~

I said a prayer for you today
And know God must have heard.
I felt the answer in my heart
Although He spoke not a word.
I didn't ask for wealth or fame
( I knew you wouldn't mine).
I asked for priceless treasure rare
Of a more lasting kind.
I prayed that He'd be near you
At the start of each new day
To grant you health and blessings fair,
And friends to share your way.
I asked for happiness for you
In all things great and small
But that you'd know his loving care I prayed
the most of all.

And God Said No

I asked God to take away my pride,
And God said, "No."
He said it was not for Him to take away,
But for me to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole,
And God said, "No."
He said her spirit is,
While her body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience,
And God said, "No."
He said patience is a by-product of tribulation.
It isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness,
And God said, "No."
He said He gives blessings,
Happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain,
And God said, "No."
He said, "Suffering draws you apart from
Worldly cares and brings you closer to Me."

I asked God to make my spirit grow,
And God said, "No."
He said I must grow on my own,
But He will prune me to make it fruitful.

I asked God if He loved me,
and God said, "Yes."
He gave me His only Son, who died for me.
And I will be in Heaven someday
Because....I believe.

I asked God to help me love others
As much as He loves me,
And God said,
"Ah finally, you have the idea."

Claudia Minden Welsz

He Gathers Every Teardrop

Regardless of the circumstance,
Regardless of the fear,
Regardless of the pain we bear,
Regardless of the tear,
~
Our God is ever in control,
Performing as He should,
And He has promised in His Word
To work things for our good.
~
But as a loving Father would,
he sometimes lets us cry
To cleanse the hurt out of our heart,
To wash it from our eye.
~
Yet gently gathers the tears
Within His hands to stay
Until He turns them into pearls
and gives them back someday.
~Glenda Fulton Davis ~

Faith

Faith is believing with all your heart,
In what your senses say cannot be,
In what you cannot hear or touch,
Or in what you cannot see.

Faith is hard to come by,
And harder yet to hold,
We tend to doubt and loose our faith,
When troubled times unfold.

Faith will keep you going,
When troubles plague your soul,
As Jesus told us in the Bible,
Thy faith shall make thee whole.

Although we do not see Jesus,
We know He's always there,
We know He's never far away,
And we know He always cares.

Although we cannot hear Him speak,
We know what Jesus said,
We know that He died for our sins,
And that He was raised up from the dead.

Although we wasn't at the crucifixion,
We know that it occurred,
We know these things because it is written,
In the Bible, which is God's Holy word.

Salvation depends on a child like faith,
That Jesus died for you,
Believe with all your heart and soul,
And know that it is true.

Ask Jesus to come into your heart,
And wash your sins away,
Accept Him as your Saviour,
Just call upon His name.

So when your soul is troubled,
And hope evades your sight,
Have faith in God, and all the shadows,
Will fade before the light.

~ Calvin Hart ~

Kindness

You can’t do a kindness without a reward
Not in silver or gold, but with joy from the Lord.
You can’t light a candle to show others the way
Without feeling the warmth of that bright little ray.
And you can’t pluck a rose all fragrant with dew
Without part of its fragrance remaining with you.

Helen Steiner Rice

The Cross

IS THE CROSS YOU WEAR TOO HEAVY TO BEAR?

Complainingly I told myself
"This cross is too heavy to wear"
And I wondered discontentedly
why God gave it to me to bear.
And I looked with envy at others
whose crosses seemed lighter than mine
And I wished that I could change my cross
for one of a lighter design-
And then, in a dream, I beheld the cross
I impulsively wanted to wear,
It was fashioned of pearls and diamonds
and gems that were precious and rare.
And when I hung it around my neck
the weight of the jewels and the gold
Was much too heavy and cumbersome
for my small, slender neck to hold-
So I tossed it aside and before my eyes
was a cross of rose-red flowers
And I said with delight as I put it on,
"this cross I can wear for hours"-
For it was so dainty and fragile,
so lovely and light and thin,
But I had forgotten about the thorns
that started to pierce my skin-
And then in my dream I saw "my cross",
rugged and old and plain,
That clumsy old cross I had looked upon
with discontented disdain-
And at last I knew that God had made
this "special cross for me",
For God in his great wisdom knew
What I before could not see,
That often the loveliest crosses
are the heaviest to bear,
For only God is wise enough
to choose the cross we can wear-
So never complain about YOUR CROSS,
for your cross has been blest,
God made it JUST FOR YOU to wear
and remember, GOD KNOWS THE BEST.

Helen Steiner Rice

"Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take the cross, and follow me." Mark 8:34

I was an onion before Christ set me free.
Layers upon layers of iniquity.
An ugly old onion whose fragrance was strong;
That my Jesus bought and loved all along.
Unknown to me what He was going to do.
Of what He was planning, I had not a clue.
Pulling each layer off one by one.
In order to make me more like Jesus the Son.

The first layer wasn't so bad.
I saw all the sins that I knew I had.
They were easy to fix, just change the way I talk.
And learn more of how He wanted me to walk.
Reading His Word, and learning again;
How to put aside my life of sin.
But the next layer was pulled which hurt more.
He was getting closer to the core.
Unknown what He would find there.
I simply gave it to Him in prayer.

As another layer was removed, He started to cry;
Pulling this layer brought pain to my Father on High.
And I was crying over the sadness I felt;
The brokenness and all of the guilt.
Past memories that I thought were gone;
But they were buried under layers disguised in a fragrance so strong.
As onions peel more and more;
And they put tears in our eyes as we get close to the core;
So my father wept over my pain;
Giving me a balm of comfort and strength to sustain.
"NO MORE LAYERS!" I would scream.

As he continued to peel them off of me.
"I'll have nothing left my Lord, what will I do?
I'll be nothing but a worthless core to you. "
But He just said "Trust me,"
And continued to peel I was sure He was blinded to my pain that was so real.

Year after year I shrunk more and more;
Until all that was left of this onion was a core.
It was then that I began to understand;
As the Lord embraced me in His loving hand.
He said, now and only now can you be;
The creation that will minister before me.
Clothed with the righteousness only from above;
Gone are your layers of self so you can be filled with my love.

He took my layers of sin, hurt and pain;
And clothed me with love, truth and mercy in His name.
Yes, we are all onions, learning with each day;
How to overcome as each layer is taken away.
Some layers tear and pull at our heart;
While others grieve us to our innermost part.
But we are nothing but an ugly onion without Christ.
Layers upon layers of pride, sin and strife.
Only God can take those layers away.
And clothe us with His righteousness in that final day.

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