The Calming Waters

     As I look out over this body of water I wish for the peace that it has. I pray for that calmness within my soul. I look at the world and I see the storm, the turbulence that is around me. The storm touches my soul and it takes away my peace. What is this world trying to do to me, kill my soul and my spirit?
     I know that storm started long before I was born but I yearn for the calmness of still waters. Those before me may have sustained the storm and even said this is the way it is but I know better for I have seen the stillness of the waters and felt it's peace.      

Rejoice and Be Happy

     Oh how I wish I could change the world through a speech, a song or by some action. I realize that I cannot change the world but only that part that is ready for change. Even if it is a very small part then it was well worth the effort. I cannot carry the world upon my shoulders. I would only tire and fail at what I was trying to accomplish. People will go their way and I must go mine.
     A man can do only what he can and if he puts forth his best effort then so be it. If all the world lies in a spiritual desert and you work hard to provide an oasis, then you have done well. You have provided a weary traveler a place of rest and comfort. He will remember your kindness and it will touch him in someway. A little bit of God's spirit will go with him and maybe that will produce an oasis somewhere else.
     Do as much as you can and rejoice and be happy in your work. God wants his workers to be happy.

In Between World

     Thoughts colliding, fighting for space to be alive. Like plants in a jungle they fight to push up and out of the crowd to gain life. Some stop growing while others push out and flourish.

A Theory

     A man's or a woman's heart that is filled with love. He or she will be more willing to give love.
     A man or woman whose heart is empty. He or she will be looking for something to fill it.

God's Grace

     God's grace surrounds us. We can try in vein to ignore it, block it or even turn away but his grace is still there. We can either stand separated from it's sea or we can become apart of it. It is our choice to make. As for me the door of heaven is open and I choose to walk on in.
    
     God is my salvation. Sin is my pain.

The Close Bond of God's Love

     God's love draws us to him. In that perfect way of God we are striving to pull all things closer to us. We who are following in the way of Christ are trying to deepen our love towards everyone and everything so there will not be a lesser love within us. For example a girl that was a stranger becomes a girlfriend, a girlfriend then becomes a wife and a mother. By the power of love a girl that was a stranger became a girlfriend, wife and mother. By God's love we are pulled and bonded together.
     God gave us the ability to attach to all life by our love. We bring life closer to us just as god brought us closer to him. We were once strangers to God than we became acquaintances to God and then his friend and now best friends. By the power of his love he has brought us to him. God has made us into his image and his love is apart of us.
     God's love is the blood from his heart. His heart beats and pumps it throughout his creation. All of us are standing within that flow of love. Like cells of the body we are fed and nourished by his love. Then in a like manner we return his love so to keep the love flowing freely. Those who are without God's love are like blockages to loves flow upon life. They are neither receiving or giving their God given nourishment.
     Our love always flows to God and it flows from him. His love spirals in both directions at the same time so to maintain the flow of love into all life. There is always an ample supply of God's love for anyone who is accepting it and willing to give it. The more we become apart of that flow of love the more we will be changed by it and the deeper our love will grow.
     The attitude of today's society restricts us from freely giving our love. We hold back for fear of misunderstanding. Our present condition will not change until all of us become aware there is more to life than satisfying our flesh. We desperately need to satisfy our spirit. Our freedom to express our love and drawing close to others maybe limited in someway now. However we can keep trying to find a way to express and expand our love toward others. We must keep up the flow of God's love within our lives and in our world.
     God's love will keep revolving around us. As long as there is life there will be God's love. We are within that flow and we are apart of it. God will always be apart of us. There is a great need to be like our heavenly Father and a need to express his love within our world. I know by faith that our God and Father will keep showing us how to express his love within our lives and in our world.

Destruction to My Soul

     Woe to me for never having what I need and never knowing what I needed to know.

To Forgive

     In this world there is a barrier that I have a hard time getting over. Hate is a barrier that stops me in my tracks. When I see something that I hate or disapprove of, I seem to focus completely upon that one thing. I want to do something or change something. My mine still lingers upon that one thing, blocking out all other things in my life.
     There are many bad things done in this world that I cannot stop or even change. People continue to hurt one another physically and mentally and what can I do about it? I remember the words of Jesus Christ when he said "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do." Yes those are very good words to live by. The cruelty within our world that I cannot stop, I will not let that hatred or badness within my heart. I will continue to forgive as much as I can so to keep moving on in life rather than agonizing over what I cannot prevent or even change.
     The kingdom of God is within us. It is reachable to all of us. Why choose to hurt or cause suffering? The goodness of God is always close by and so is his love. I must continue to forgive others for their trespasses. In hope that one day they will have a change of heart. It is sometimes hard to forgive but there will come a time where you must forgive and go on in life.
     We can try to change things however if we cannot maybe it is best that we forgive them of their ignorance. Perhaps those who are hurting others are hurting within themselves. A tormented mind lies in darkness and not within the light. Those standing within the light of God have peace within themselves and for others. Forgiveness is something that I must continue to practice so to have that peace within my life.
     You do not have to approve of someone to forgive them. You just need to forgive them to heal your own heart. Put your trust in God and his love to make things right. Live for him. God forgives us everyday. I will try to follow in that way. Maybe I will fail but I will keep on trying. I know that I cannot be as forgiving as God, but I will try to do my best. I believe that a day will come when people hearts will be more kinder towards one another and there will be a lot less to forgive. On our Lord's return our Earth will finally be at
peace and the meek will truly inherit the Earth.
     In today's world I practice patience, tolerance and forgiveness. My heart still gets angry and disgusted at what goes on in our society. However I cannot spend every moment of my life dwelling upon the badness of our world. I will keep putting faith in God and his son Jesus Christ. I believe in their power and their love. If I find it hard to forgive God's holy spirit will always be there to strengthen me and to teach me how to forgive.  

I Love You? ( an illustration )

     There is a man who is drowning and he hears the words I love you. There a man homeless and freezing in the cold and he hears the words I love you. There is a man who is deeply hurting inside and is paralyze from within and he hears the words I love you.
     Each of the three men heard the words I love you but that was all. The drowning man stayed drowning. The homeless man stayed freezing and the hurting man stayed crippled. The words I love you were only empty words.
     There were other people who saw these three men and they said no words at all but took action instead. The man who was drowning was thrown a life preserver and was pulled in to shore. The man who was homeless was brought in from the cold and made warm again. The deeply hurting man was given medical aid and hope for his soul. Those who took action over words saved those three men's lives.
     I love you without action is just another breeze blowing in the wind. However I love you followed by action carries much weight and is truly a powerful combination.
     I rather the world be silent and carry out actions of kindness and love then to be noisy with empty words. It is better to be silent and do something than to be loud and not do anything at all. There are a lot of people that need some sort of action rather than just hearing our words of compassion. Hearing just words is nice but hearing words backed by action is a whole lot better. For some it can make a difference whether they live or die.

The Wealth Within

     If a rich king were to give all his wealth to a beggar would that make him less than he was? Would the beggar be more just because he was now rich? Is it not true that the measurement of a person is not in what he has but what lies within his heart.
     If someone has a good heart and is poor, does he not have more treasure than someone who is evil and rich? If I held up in high regard only those who were materially rich, I could mistakenly be admiring a devil sitting upon his throne. One must look at the wealth within rather than just looking at the wealth on the outside.
     The rich could be poor and the poor could be rich depending on what is on the inside. The rich could be richer and the poor could be poorer depending on what is on the inside. Our true selfs is what is on the inside and our outer selfs could be something we just made up for others to see.
     In the end who will be the ones that are wearing the crown? It will not be the ones who are trying to buy their way into heaven. God will be the final judge and Jesus the door through which we can enter. They will decide who wears the crown and who will be rejected. In the end the ones who wears the crown are the ones with a heart of gold rather than just having gold. They are the ones who will be entering heaven.

    

To You O'Lord

     To you O'Lord I give my life, my soul and my spirit. I render myself and my service to you. I stand before you as your servant. I place my life within your hands. May I always stand by your side. To you O'Lord I pledge my loyalty and my love.
     To you O'lord belongs the universe and all that is in it. How bless is our world to have you near to us. How bless we are to have you as our God. With clean white robes you have clothed me. You have taken away my sins. You have raise me up from the darkness and brought me into the light. You have understood my heart and accepted me and gave me your love. My loving Lord you have given me much and you have given me my reason for living.
     To you O'Lord I owe my life. From heaven you keep shinning down your love upon me. Out of your love you gave me life through your death. The whole world stood against you. It hated you and put you to death. It tried to shut out your light and to silence your words. But it was they who were conquered by the power of your love.
     Glory to the king of heaven and of the Earth for all the power, the might and the glory belongs to you. At the right hand of God you sit and there you rule over us with your righteousness. All the angels of heaven bow before you and honor your name. I to place myself under your subjection. I to give you my love from my heart. To you O'Lord is our worship and our prayers. Who is greater than you Lord? No one.
     I will wait on your arrival. I will stand ready to receive you. I will keep holding strong to my faith in you. Let your day be soon Lord and may all of us keep praising your name until the end of time. To you O'Lord is my salvation and my hope. Everyday I will continue to pray and to ask you to come and be our king now and forever. In your holy name I asked it. Amen.

The Lord's Temple

     I come to your temple to worship you Lord. In humility I bow before your throne. I cleanse my soul and become your child, your son. My heart belongs to you. From the fountain of living waters I drink, from your words I am made strong. Your love and spirit refreshes my soul.
     Near your temple I stand and live for there is no where else to find righteousness. In your temple it is pure and no sin is found. The glory of God shines brightly from within and all around it. Only those who truly love you can stand within that light. Only there we can find comfort.
     We who are your disciples call your temple our home. It shelters us from the coldness of the world. It gives us hope. It protects us from evil. Your temple is the only place we have to go so to find everlasting happiness, peace and love. It is a place that never turns us away but opens every time we knock.
     Your sons and daughters gather around your temple and praise your name. They pray their prayers of devotion and love. They never leave because there is no where else they want to be. They are your servants forever. From your temple their spirits are nourish and made strong.
     In this world there is only darkness and your temple is our only light. I stand next to it so that I can see. I stand next to it so that I can understand. Darkness yields to the light and when there is light we have clarity. When there is light we have hope. If the darkness did prevail there would only be pain and sorrow but hallelujah your temple has brought us light.
     Your temple Lord is our world's only hope. From your temple there flows wisdom that cannot be ignored. Your temple can save us all. I will always worship you within that temple and say prayers before your throne. You are the light and the life to our world. Your temple will always be my sanctuary and my true home.
    
 

What You Should Have Done

     You should of went right instead of left. You should of went up instead of down. You should of ran faster instead of slower. There are many things that you should of done but did not do. Because you did not do what you should of done, trouble keeps coming your way.
     Someone seems to be always there telling you what you should have done. Someone seems to be always there pointing out your faults. You already know what you should of done but they keep on telling you anyway.
     How can one see the future and know which way is right? How can you see what tomorrow will bring? I seem to know what I should have done after I did it and not before. I am lacking some sort of insight that would prevent me from making mistakes. Why do I think this is so because many are telling me what I should of done as if I should have known better. They must possess a foresight that I am lacking and now they are chastising me for my inability.
     I wish I was like them perfect in every way but I am not. I make mistakes and I have my troubles too. Perhaps I am to imperfect for this world. I keep doing wrong things other than what I have should of done. People continue to keep blaming me and pointing them out. I believe they think I am blind as well and cannot see what has happen.
     One step in the wrong direction then you trip and fall. Many will stand over you and laugh but not many will reach out so to help you stand. Has all the world become uncompassionate to a hurting soul? Trap we become by our wrong decisions and we become lost as well. But why is it when we need help the most all we get is stones thrown our way? Why is it what we should of done but did not do brings down persecution upon us? It is like every mistake must be punished. There is little help for you if you do not do what you should have done. I have concluded that I am a outcast (made by my wrong decisions) living imperfectly among perfect people in their perfect world.  

The Spirit that is Forever

     I can see now the strength of the spirit and it's everlasting qualities. The spirit is forever and the flesh is only temporary. From the spirit, the flesh was created. The spirit keeps us alive. The spirit connects us to our God. Our God has made us into his image by his spirit. His spirit gave us life. He has place his spirit inside all of us and that spirit shall never die.
     Death has no lasting hold on me because God's spirit is inside me. No weapon made can destroy my spirit. My flesh will die but my spirit will live on. Unconquerable, mighty and strong I am for God's spirit cannot perish.
     I can see through the darkness. I can see through the pain and sorrow. The flesh is dying and the spirit is growing stronger. From the cocoon the spirit pushes out and goes toward God. Whatever pain and suffering has occurred, whoever has felt the pain of death and whatever torment the soul has experienced, through the spirit the hand of God can wipe it all away.
     God's spirit is an ocean to which our spirit pours into. God is like a bulb and we are like the flower in due season we will return to our life source. There in that perfect light of God our spirit shall live forever.