Happy Birthday, Mammy Joy (a little early)

I am planning to be induced on December 13th, my late grandmother's birthday, but I wanted to post this poem I wrote earlier this year as well as the words to a song that was sung at her funeral and so reminds me of her. I loved her, she loved her family, and oh, she loved Jesus!

I Want to Love Jesus Like That

She opened her home to the one,
The one with no where to go.
She wanted to tell of her Jesus,
His forgiving love them to show.
Oh, I want to love Jesus like that.
I want to love Jesus like that.
Strangers she told of her Jesus.
Everyone needed to know
Of the Savior who gave His life up for us
So closer to Him we could grow.
Oh, I want to love Jesus like that.
I want to love Jesus like that.
She studied the word and she prayed,
Walked with her Jesus each day.
She knew of His love and forgiveness
And knew there would be a day,
A day when sin would be judged,
When we would stand before God,
And her love for the Savior made her tell
Tell others to turn toward God.
Oh, I want to love Jesus like that.
I want to love Jesus like that.
When her mind became ill and was failing,
She failed not to keep on telling
For Oh how she loved Jesus.
I want to love Jesus like that.

~My grandmother, Alice Joy Byrd truly loved Jesus. Her life testified to His love. I love and miss her and am inspired by her life to love Jesus more.~



I Bowed on My knees and Cried

I dreamed of a city called Glory,
So bright and so fair.
When I entered that gates I cried, "Holy"
The angels all met me there:
They carried me from mansion to mansion,
And oh the sites I saw.
But then I said, "I want to see Jesus,
For He's the One who died for all."

I bowed on my knees and cried,
"Holy, Holy, Holy."
I clapped my hands and sang,
"Glory, Glory to the Son of God."
and I sang,
"Glory, Glory to the Son of God."

As I entered the gates of that city,
My loved ones all knew me well.
They took me down the streets of Heaven;
The sights, too many to tell;
I saw Abraham, Jacob and Isaac,
I spoke with Mark and Timothy.
But then I said, "Timothy, I want to see Jesus,
For He's the One who died for me."

I bowed on my knees and cried,
"Holy, Holy, Holy."
I clapped my hands and sang,
"Glory, Glory to the Son of God."
and I sang
"Glory, Glory to the Son of God."

He is God, and There is No Other

He formed you for He is God.
He will help you for He is God.
Fear not, His chosen ones.
Proudly bear His name.
Apart from Him, there is no other.
All are false, all but poor substitutes.
No other God can know, understand, or see.
It is but a detestable thing to the true God.
He has made us; we are His servants.
He has forgiven us; redeemed us for Himself.
We must sing; we must shout.
Joy come forth for we are His redeemed.
He is Lord, creator, He alone.
His words are commands, and they come to pass.
We shall know He is Lord.
He calls us by name.
He is God, and there is no other.
He is the Lord; there is none like Him.
He brings light and brings darkness,
Prosperity and disaster are His to disperse.
Salvation is from Him alone.
Righteousness is His creation.
Who would dare to quarrel with the Maker?
We are worthless without Him who creates worth.
We are but the clay in His hands.
We are His to make, His to shape as He pleases.
He made the earth and all mankind.
He stretched out the heavens with His hands alone.
He is God, and there is no other.
He is the Lord; there is none like Him.
He speaks what is true.
His declarations are right.
He is God, and he is Savior.
No other compares for there is no other.
Salvation has come to those who turn to Him
For He is God; there is no other.
In Him alone are found righteousness and strength.
In Him alone will we be found righteous.
We are low; we are helpless.
Only He can come to our rescue.
He can carry and sustain us.
He has from our birth.
He is God, and there is no other.
He is the Lord; there is none like Him.
He will do what He pleases, what He has purposed.
His plans will be completed; He will bring them to pass.
Listen. Be not stubborn. Righteousness is coming near.
He will bring salvation; it is His to grant.

~Reflection on Isaiah 44-46~

Hold Me

What should I feel now?
I don’t even know.
Sorrow, shock, questions…
From here where do I go?
Oh, Lord, wrap me up tightly
In your warm embrace.
Hold me so closely
While my mind seems to race.
Give me your answers
In your perfect time,
But until then, Lord,
Hold me and all of mine.
Hold my dear family
Who sit in shock and denial.
Just blanket us in You.
Let us sit for a while.
This is so hard.
I don’t know what to think.
I don’t know what to feel.
Oh, just give me some peace.
I know that You will
Though it doesn’t make sense.
Use this, even this
It’s the lot that You’ve sent.
So I’ll rest in your sovereignty,
Rest in you plan
And know that its best
Though I don’t understand.
So hold me Lord Jesus.
Hold me just now.
And walk me through this journey.
As before You I bow.

~for Melissa~

Let Us Praise the Lord

Let us praise the Lord.
For He alone is worthy of praise.

He is God, holy and just.
He is God, great and mighty.
He is God, maker of heaven and earth.
He is God, creator of all creation.

Let us praise the Lord.
For He alone is worthy of praise.

He is Lord, author of salvation.
He is Lord, worthy of our service.
He is Lord, commander of His army.
He is Lord, high and lifted up.

Let us praise the Lord.
For He alone is worthy of praise.

He is Father, sovereign and just.
He is Father, caring and kind.
He is Father, full of mercy and of wrath.
He is Father, sender of His son.

Let us praise the Lord.
For He alone is worthy of praise.

He is Jesus, fully God and Man.
He is Jesus, sacrifice for sin.
He is Jesus, the resurrection and the life.
He is Jesus, servant, master, friend.

Let us praise the Lord.
For He alone is worthy of praise.

He is Spirit, Holy, Holy, Holy.
He is Spirit, counselor and teacher.
He is Spirit, interpreter of Scripture.
He is Spirit, confidant and guide.

Let us praise the Lord.
For He alone is worthy of praise.

Who Am I?

Who am I, O Lord, that You should bless me?
Who am I that You should know my name
And allow me to know Your name,
To call upon You at all times?
Who am I that I may enter into fellowship with You?
Who am I that I can call You friend,
A friend to the Most High?
Who am I to be called a child of God?
Who am I to be able to read Your word,
Oh, and to learn Your truth?
Who am I to be spoken to by God?
Who am I?

Oh, I am Your child,
And I am Your servant.
I am Your creation.
I am all Yours.
I am forever indebted to You.
You are the potter,
And I am the clay.
Oh, make me a vessel to be used by You
So that who I am is who You have called me to be.

Small Ones Taken Home

My mind has turned to children,
The very small ones in the womb,
How many, Lord, you take home
Before we wanted You to.
You see we wanted them to hold, Lord.
We loved them; we already did.
So many out there don’t, Lord.
They can’t see them as a gift.
But we did, Oh Father, we did.
We knew they’d be a blessing,
But You took them home so early
Before we wanted You to.
And how, Oh Lord, I know
You know better than I do.
Oh teach me, Lord, to see your plans
The way You’d have me to.
Please mend my broken heart
Who misses my dear child
You gave to me to hold on earth
If only in the womb.
Help me know that it’s okay
To miss, to love, to cry,
To know they’re in your hands now
Though I might not know just why.
Continue, Lord, to teach me
Your holy sovereignty,
To know You are creator,
And you truly do love me.
You also love these children.
You made them too I see,
And now they stand before You
And praise You mightily.
Oh, they can see Your glory.
They behold Your face,
And there will come a day
We’ll be together You to praise.
Oh, thank you for the hope You give
Life eternal after death.
May I praise You in the meantime
And rest in Your sweet grace.






(My Baby Hope at 10 weeks)

~After many recent thoughts of my loss and those around me.~

ABC Prayer

Awaken me from my slumber, O Lord.
Apathy has been my mat to sleep upon.
Arouse in me fervor and zeal for Your truth.
Align my thoughts with Your word.

Be ever near to me,
Before me to guide my every step.
Break up my impurities.
Bend me into submission to You.

Create in me desire to love only You.
Crush the flesh that longs for Your place.
Clean the filth that clings to my heart.
Clothe me with Your righteousness.

Dig out the stones that hinders my walk.
Draw me near to You that I may draw from You,
Deep from the water of life that you give.
Delight in me as I desire You more.

Every day, may I wake with a thirst,
Eager to walk with my hand within Yours.
Empty me of all desire but You.
Enter my thoughts and occupy them.

Fit my feet with the shoes to walk in Your way,
Following the precepts You’ve given to us.
Fill my mouth with the words You want me to say,
Furthering Your kingdom as You’ve called me to do.

Great is Your Word.
Glory is Yours.
Give praise to You, Father.
Great praise to Your Name.

~Upon studying Psalm 119~

Isaiah 8:12-13

"Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread."

Isaiah 6

I love this chapter in Isaiah. May we realize God's holiness and our insignificance in comparison to His greatness, our sin in comparison to His perfection. May we grasp the atonement and be eager to serve in whatever way He calls.

Todd Agnew does a great job of singing from the scripture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugj62GaB_30

Isaiah 5:20

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"

When I read this, abortion came to my mind. They call it choice. They say they are helping women. God calls it life. They are taking life and hurting women. This should never be. Oh Lord, forgive our bloodshed and heal our land.

May Our Nation Repent

Oh, rebellious children, we have forsaken our Father.
Our bodies are broken, and we have no medicine.
Our country is all but wiped out. Only a few remain.
Our worship is meaningless. How God detests it!
He doesn’t even want to look or listen when we pray.
We must wash our bloody hands, stop our wrongdoing, and learn righteousness.
We must seek justice and stand up for the oppressed, the orphans, and the widows.
God will remove our sin and cleanse us of our unrighteousness.
He will bless our willingness when we turn and obey,
But he will not bless rebellion. It will be our ruin.
We have come so far from God’s decrees, but He will restore us.
Redemption can be ours, justice and righteousness anew,
But forsake the Lord, and we will perish.
Let us seek God that He would teach us His paths.
Let us listen to His word and walk in the light.
Our people have adopted the practices of unbelievers,
And are worshipping the works of our own hands.
We must he humbled, our pride destroyed.
We must fear God alone, exalt only Him.
We must be brought low and our idols must be destroyed.
We will hide from His glory, stop trusting in men, and fear God alone.
He will allow us to fall, for conflict to abound.
Sin has been paraded, and disaster has been bought.
The Lord will judge and take that to which we should have never clung.
Oh, but the remnant will see His beauty, the Branch of the Lord.
His glory will protect us. Day and night we can rest under Him.

~Reflection on Isaiah 1-4~

Malachi 1:6

"'A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?' says the Lord Almighty..."

TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

Refrain

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Refrain

Words & Music:
Hel­en H. Lem­mel, 1922

I found myself singing the refrain of this hymn today for no apparent reason and thought I would look up the lyrics.

BLASPHEMY

Belittling the name of the Lord who gives life.
Living a life that is far from the mark.
Assuming that God really does not care.
Settling for less than what’s holy and right.
Playing around with the language we use.
Having our own way, not caring about His.
Empty words for a name that means so much.
Making light of all that we should hold so dear.
Yahweh, God’s name, seen as sacred no more.

May we ever be mindful of our use of God's holy name. To slander the name of the one who gave us life is blasphemy. He is holy, holy, holy. Hallowed be His name.

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." ~Exodus 20:7~

Love and Hate

This flawed idea of God we have,
A god without wrath, only love all the time.
Of course He loves, He is love after all,
But only love? No. What’s love without hate?
He hates our sin; it angers Him so
He will judge and will discipline out of His love.
We must remember that he’ll love and forgive,
But this is no license to bathe in our sin.
He’s washed, and He’s made us to be white as snow
So why would me return to the muck and the dung?
Praise God who is merciful, has compassion on us.
Praise God who keeps oaths, forgets not His own.
Praise God who gives hope, listens to sorrowful men.
Praise God who saves, gave His son for us sinners.
So let’s not forget that His wrath is real.
It sent Christ to the cross to be nailed for our sin.
Each time that we wander, each time we don’t care
We must look to the cross, to the wrath He did bear.
Of course that is love; we can’t argue with that,
So let’s learn from this balance of love and of hate,
And let’s love mercy and justice and walk humbly in truth.
Let’s hate this world’s corruption and join not in it.
Lord, give us the strength to live as You did.
Lead, guide, and direct us in each step we walk.

~reflection on Micah~

Quotes from Micah

"Look! The LORD is coming from his dwelling place;
he comes down and treads the high places of the earth.
The mountains melt beneath him
and the valleys split apart." Micah 1:3

"Therefore, the LORD says"
'I am planning disaster against this people,
from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,
for it will be a time of calamity.'" Micah 2:3

"He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

"But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me." Micah 7:7

"Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.
You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
You will be true to Jacob,
and show mercy to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our fathers
in days long ago." Micah 7:18-20

Dead to Sin, Raised to Life

God forgives. We’ve got grace
So let’s go on sinning?
No, we’re dead to that now,
Not to go there anymore.
We’ve been immersed with Christ
Immersed in His death.
The sin, it’s buried;
We’re raised to new life.
We’re not slaves to the sin,
Slaves to sin no more.
So our bodies we should offer
Not to sin, not to wickedness,
But to God, to His righteousness.
This leads us to holiness,
The place we want to be.
So sin, it brings death,
But God gives us life.
It’s a gift to have life,
Eternal life in our Lord.
Praise Christ Jesus our Lord!

~reflection on Romans 6~

No One Righteous; Praise God for His Gifts

There is no one righteous, NO ONE.
No one seeks God, NO ONE seeks Him.
There is no fear of God, none before men’s eyes.
All have sinned. ALL have sinned,
And no one will be called righteous by the law,
BUT there IS righteousness.
It comes only by faith, faith ONLY in Christ.
By His grace we are saved, by His grace justified.
No boasting allowed. Remember it’s all by Him.
Now the law is still good. Praise God for His law.
Let’s not throw it aside, but uphold it because
He gave it to us like He gave us our faith.
We are so blessed, so blessed by the Lord.
He’s forgiven our sins, not to count anymore.
He credits us righteousness, by faith freely given.
We’re delivered from death because He took our place.
We’re raised to new life, justified when He rose.
What peace this does bring! What peace this does bring!
Grace gained by faith in Jesus the Christ
Brings us peace with the Father, the one Holy God.
Oh, rejoice in the hope, the hope of His glory.
This hope is a gift, from the love of the Father
To our hearts by the his Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
So rejoice even suffering, even it is a gift.
Praise God for his death, for life that He gives,
For grace, for faith, for forgiveness from Him,
For salvation, justification, hope, peace, and joy.
His gifts are so wonderful, there could be nothing more.

~a reflection on Romans 3-5~

IDOLATRY

Idols are not just ancient history.
Do we grasp how God truly wants us to worship Him and Him alone?
Only the true God deserves our worship, not a god we make to suit ourselves.
Love of this world is not love of God.
A graven image is as close as one's mind.
To allow anything to ocuupy our thoughts more than God is to allow idolatry.
Reading the Word is the route to knowing the true God.
Young or old, we must actively flee from idolatry and trust in God alone.


“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
~Exodus 20:4-6~

Tagged

I have been tagged by my dear friend Melissa at http://www.pearlsfromafrica.blogspot.com/ so I am supposed to list 6 random things about myself and tag 6 more people.

1. I am 30 weeks pregnant, and the gender of the baby is a surprise.
2. I love to bake homemade breads, preferably with freshly ground flour. I am currently grinding wheat from my father-in-law's farm.
3. I am currently studying the Psalms and that inspired me to start this blog.
4. I help my husband teach high school Sunday School, and we are currently studying the 10 Commandments so my first post was a bit of a reflection after studying the 1st commandment. Expect more reflection after this week's lesson on the 2nd.
5. I have recently discovered the wonderful world of chiropractics and believe if you have a good chiropractor, you can avoid a great deal of pain and illness as well as a general feeling of "just being out of whack." (Pun sorta intended.)
6. I, like Melissa, have also recently lost my mind. I truly believe that pregnancy does that to a person. One might think that after the birth of the child, one's mind might return, but I am pretty sure that some brain cells never return after the pregancy, especially those lost trying to push out a baby so I guess I will just have to do without those lost after 4 pregnancies (one resulting in my son, one lost to miscarriage between 9 and 10 weeks, one resulting in my daughter, and one resulting in we'll find out in December).

So I completed the first task of being tagged. Now I am supposed to tag my six people who must link to the person who tagged them, must then list six random things about themselves, and tag six other people, and tell those people they have been tagged.

So I tag Amy, Courtney, Sarah because the others I follow: MollyBeth, Shara, and Melissa have already been tagged.

Hurt Heart

My heart is heavy .
It hurts, my Lord.
The sin of a small child, my flesh and blood
To hurt another, my flesh and blood.
Why must we sin and hurt each other?
It starts so young.
I know we’re fallen.
Oh, but it hurts; it hurts my heart.
To see the hurt and be concerned for the wellbeing of my child, it scared me,
But to know my own inflicted the pain, it hurt my heart; it hurt my heart.

So can I presume:

When I sin and hurt another,
It hurts Your heart.
When I sin and hurt another,
It broke You.
When I sin and hurt another,
You had to die,
When I sin and hurt another,
I hurt You.
Forgive me Lord for Your death I caused.
Thank You for Your redemption.
Thank You for conquering death that I might live.
Let me ever be mindful of my depravity and Your sacrifice.
May I be holy as You are holy.

Thank you for the small lives You have entrusted with me here on earth.
May I be ever mindful of the lessons You teach me through them.
May I love them as You love me.

Psalm 42:11

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

Lament Over Complacency

Cry to the Lord, O His people.
Grant us repentance that we might serve You.
We have not hated evil and loved your righteousness.
We have traded holiness for normality, fervor for apathy.
We know not Your might, Your power.
We turn one eye from evil, pretending it is not there.
With the other we laugh and join in the merriment.
There is no difference seen in us by the world.
Are we even Yours, O Lord? Who would know?
Turn our hearts to You, O Lord.
Take our hardness and make us care.
Let us love, truly love, like You taught us long ago.
May the world see us holy as You are holy.
Give us vision to serve you more.
Break down our idols and give us You.
Set fire within our bones that cannot be kept inside.
Let us ignite those around us, that we might serve together.
Give us hunger for Your Word, and thirst for Your righteousness.
Let us see the lost all around us, the dead walking beside us.
May we pour out Your Word from our lips that they might hear.
O Lord, may we love You.
If only we loved You… If only we cared…
If only we knew what You had to do that we might live…
If only we grasped Your love, mercy, and grace…
If only we’d love you, we might truly live.
Praise be to God, for You care
and You will bring Your people back to You.