Contents:
God made a world, He fashioned it,
The hills, the sea, the sky.
He made a man and gave to him
The choice to live or die.
Man chose his way, from life he passed,
To sin and death and shame,
But God in love was tender yet
And to His children came.
He came, at first a little child,
To suffer and to die,
That we, each one, may have the choice,
The choice to live or die.
Will you accept Him now you know
The sacrifice He made?
Or would you still be lost in sin
As if the price had not been paid?
The choice is yours, the way is clear,
You can alone decide,
Whether you turn your back on Him,
Or in His love abide.
1 Kgs 1426,27 Is 6017
'Brass for gold' the world would offer,
Steal our precious gold away
With subtle sins and tawdry pleasures;
The cheapened values of today.
'Brass for gold' the world allures us;
"Obey the impulse which you feel,
Love and live and laugh together,
Doesn't matter it's not real."
Brief these vain and idle pleasures,
Bringing momentary joy,
Then we weep in disappointment,
Like a child with broken toy.
"Gold for brass," our Saviour whispers,
"All that's pure, and good and true
Can be yours, if you accept me,
But the choice is up to you."
'Brass or gold'. Each one must answer,
Jesus' offer is to all;
Choose today the gold of Heaven,
By responding to his call.
Jn 1427
Peace when I am resting, Peace when I am gladdened,
Peace when life rewards me without the sorrows added,
Peace when I have plenty, Peace when I succeed,
Peace to add to joy and grace; I praise my Lord indeed!
But peace when I am storm-tossed? Peace within the pain?
Peace when I can't see the way ahead, or follow gain?
Peace when I lose all things, Peace even when I fail?
The Peace that comes from Jesus, that Peace can still prevail.
Peace that speaks in trouble, peace that lifts the pain,
Peace that triumphs over all, and gives me rest again.
Peace that means I prove His Word, and all His will for me,
Peace that reigns within my heart until eternity ...
This is the peace He longs to give, my Saviour and my King,
The Peace that nothing can disturb - that deep unruffled calm.
Not as the world the Saviour gives His own mysterious balm.
But looking now at Calvary I see the price He paid
To give me Peace;
The rock was cleft, the veil torn,
The way to God for me was made ...
And shall I fret or doubt His will when He says,
"Peace, be still."
I kneel as the woman long ago
Knelt at Jesus' feet.
Silently my spirit weeps ...
With my tears I would wash the feet of Jesus.
Repentance flows from my heart,
The fragrance of my broken spirit
Rises to Him as sweet perfume;
The vessel emptied, poured out to Him,
The good and bad together,
My offering ...
With my tears I would wash the feet of Jesus.
Gently He lifts me up,
Forgiveness is in His touch
"Those who have been forgiven much, love much ..."
With my tears I have washed the feet of Jesus.
You said you'd walk with Me;
I turned My face to Calvary ...
Your footsteps dragged.
You said you'd watch with Me;
I knelt in Gethsemane,
"Father your will be done in Me ..."
You slept.
You said you'd die with Me;
They nailed Me to a cross,
And what they did to Me
Seemed not like victory ...
You fled.
And now you cry to Me
Because your pain
Is more than you can bear.
I understand my child ...
I care.
If I believed that all that I was going thro'
Was but the hand of Fate, or chance, or whim
Of some unknown capricious god ...
An accident perhaps, exploding atoms,
An inadvertently created Man.
Then I would seize at every fleeting pleasure
And hasten to fulfill my every whim,
Would grasp at all the world appeared to offer,
Demanding happiness, believing in
The Now ...
But I believe in purposeful creation
The preparation for a realm more real
Than all these days called life;
When all my times and moments be extinguished,
The triumph learned thro' every suffering sealed
In Eternity.
And so to me is given joy, endurance;
The courage to look up, anticipate
All that my Father planned
And its fulfilment,
When long ago he said,
"Let us create ..."
2 Co 120
Moonlit pathway on the water
Leading out to sea;
Untried ways that call me onward
Beckon mysteriously.
Clouds that race across the moonlight ...
Will I find my way,
Chart the course ahead correctly,
Turn the night to day?
Now I hear my Father speaking,
"I will give you peace,
Each new day is my adventure:
Fear and doubt can cease.
As you learn to trust me fully,
Walk my path for you,
You will find my way is holy
All my word is true.
The promises that are in Jesus
Are always 'yes' in him:
The 'amen' that I give to honour
His great suffering.
He's gone before in every journey,
Knows which way is best;
So step out on your moonlit pathway ...
I give you peace and rest."
I was free until the day they came
With nets to ensnare me.
I fought with all my strength ...
To no avail;
Their cunning ways were not
The weapons I was used to.
They carried me away
And put me in a cage,
And said I'd settle down.
But I was troubled,
Pacing to and fro,
Restless in my spirit.
Destined to live some other way
Than this apology for living.
No longer can I roam
And hunt my prey,
My untamed spirit glorying in
The vastness of my territory.
But now must pace, and lie,
And sleep, and dream
Of all that other world
Beyond the bars.
Within this frail vessel lies
The crucible wherein my faith is tested.
The refiner alone knows how delicate is his task;
The flame must be neither so low that dross remains,
Nor yet so high that the fragile beauty of the crucible
Is shattered for ever in its heat.
And so steadily and gently he applies his fire,
His only motive my purification;
His purpose not wavering,
His eyes fixed on the beauty that he will one day behold ...
Regarding nonetheless my present suffering with compassion,
The identification of one who has also walked in the fire,
And proved that it does not utterly consume,
Even if it should include a Calvary.
As in my fire I cry out to Him
And see him walking freely towards me,
I realise afresh that only in the fire
Are my bonds burned away;
And I receive a heart poured thro' with love,
His love to stand with others in their fire,
Until in that final purity
We stand together at his throne.
Light everlasting, no beginning or ending
Light springing out of Life eternal;
Light to enlighten every man
Whose spirit reaches out to embrace that Light;
God's final Word to overcome
The darkness of the World.
As a flower reaching out to the sun
My light-sensitive spirit,
Created to reflect his
Reaches out to this one true Light.
The Word made flesh,
Graciously desiring to be
My Emmanuel,
And make my darkness
Light.
And I too grapple with this question.
Is truth the under-scoring of my favourite doctrines,
Is it truth that I believe, or am I tradition-bound,
Brain-washed into believing other men's persuasions?
Is it truth because I, or they, feel strongly about it,
And have the gift of eloquence to sway my mind?
Is it truth because it is presented to my emotions,
Demanding some response?
Or is it even the things that I want to believe
About myself, or others?
In conflict, when there are so many different voices
What is truth then?
What do I believe ... whose advice do I take?
Perhaps truth is simply the absence of all pretence,
Clear eyes unafraid to meet mine ...
In seeking truth, may it never become an end in itself,
But rather lead me closer to the One who,
Being the Truth, and bearing witness to it,
May bring me to the fullness of truth,
In his own time.
(after reading Zechariah)
When you were a child I loved you,
Tho' you turned your face from me,
Held my arms out while you stumbled,
Longed to teach you to walk free;
Watched in anguish while the nations
One by one declared you'd die
Without trace, not understanding
You're the apple of my eye.
Still I sent you as I'd promised
My Messiah, Holy Lamb,
O my heartache then, and sorrow
When you didn't see my plan.
Now I wait my bride to cherish,
These are days for other men
To find grace and my salvation,
Days to be fulfilled, and then,
Then with shouts of 'Grace' and 'Glory',
My Corner-stone now recognised,
I shall pluck you from the burning
And declare you justified.
Then the fountain which I opened
Still shall plead your cause to me;
And my child, beloved Israel
Bring me joy - Eternally.
1 Co. 1013
I thought of temptation ...
And Satan said to me,
"See how close to the edge of the precipice you are,
Come and watch the black waters swirl and gurgle,
How soon they would swallow you up ...
One push from me and you'd be in ..."
And with a sinking, sick despair,
I knew that he was right
But we were not alone on the edge of the precipice ...
And Another said to me
"Just because you stand on the edge
Of a precipice, there is no need to fall over.
See, I have made a path for your feet,
And here is another way to climb ..."
And I said, "Hold my hand, Abba Father,
Don't let me go."
And we journeyed together.
And Satan said to me
"See what He allows you to bear
Who calls Himself your lover.
Such crushing sorrow will surely break you
And leave you useless."
And listening to his voice
I was filled with fear and resentment,
And anger rose in my heart ...
But Another drew near
And I heard Him say,
"Can I trust you My child with this sorrow?
True, it is heavy, but I will not leave you
To carry it alone
And you will find that
It is in the way in which you receive it
And offer it back to Me
That your release and wholeness comes;
A purging and a purity that would not be possible
If I had allowed this sorrow to pass you by."
And in my acceptance of His unquestionable wisdom
Came peace.
And Satan said to me,
"Is this the abundant life He offered you
This constant twisting of the knife?" ...
And listening to his voice my pain
Was a nagging in my body
And a bitterness in my soul.
But Another said to me,
"Am I not inflicted with your pain, and
Were not My stripes for your healing?
And if for the 'little while' of this life
You suffer pain, then remember that
Even this you can offer to Me
As a sweet sacrifice;
And you will be as you never would have been
If I had deemed it otherwise
And let you walk an easy road."
And then I understood a little more
Of His Eternal purposes.
And Satan said to me,
"If you give yourself in love to others
You will become vulnerable and naked,
And mostly your reward will be
Hurt and disappointment ..."
And listening to his voice
Fear rose up as a barrier between myself
And those that I would love.
But Another said to me ...
"True, love will bring heartache and pain,
Did not my love for you bring me to Calvary?
But it is only by entering into my Calvary love
That you will know the depths
and the riches such love can bring,
And be able to see the poverty
that those without my love walk in."
And putting aside my fear I replied
"Lord teach me more of Calvary love."
Damp and still,
A misty chill
Has settled on the land.
Drops of rain
On the pane
Remind me Winter
Is at hand.
A lonely crow,
Nowhere to go
Laments his plight
And takes his flight
To distant tree-tops ...
November still ...
November chill ...
November will
Soon pass away
And then we'll come
To Christmas.
Rest now in peace
My little feathered friend.
Your noble song has ceased,
Your flight come to an end.
As dust to dust
And ashes you return,
A breath of the Creator,
Who loving beauty, made you
For His own enjoyment.
I wonder what you ever did
To deserve your end ? ...
Or were you just a part
Of all that groans
In this creation ?
A part of nature's law,
Seen in the cruel claw,
The unrepentant paw
Of Cat.
Welcome to the world little Child,
Born to die as all men are ...
And yet yours was a different death;
A life given from a sinless span,
A life laid down,
No other man could do what you have done.
A life not taken, but
A willing sacrifice,
To pay the price my sin demands from a God
Who cannot deny his own righteousness ...
Welcome to my heart little Child;
My trembling trust
And hope of heaven
Rests only in your willingness
To be my sacrificial Lamb.
Let me live in the light of eternity.
In that perspective of life, which seeing
The eternal as God sees it,
Casts aside the disappointments of daily life -
My narrow human vision of now,
And rises up to embrace whatever fire
He allows me to pass through.
That with the dross consumed,
And the shining gold revealed,
I may bring joy to the heart of Jesus;
Who for this joy also had to die.
I crossed the threshold to a fuller life,
I walked in freedom on another shore;
My many pains and sorrows were no more ...
They called it death.
Death? ... to be at last made one
With him who gave me life?
Please tell them on that other shore
That theirs is grief, but mine no more ...
I call it life ... Eternal.
"It isn't fair", I cry,
When life seems full of hurt and care
When my dreams are shattered
When the things that matter most to me
All slip away, and in dismay
The empty shell I see.
"It isn't fair?" One questioned,
"Was it fair that I should die
When they hung me high
For things I did not do.
Was it fair, or was it just,
Did I cry out, 'Enough!'
Or did I let them do their worst
That I might do my best for you?"
I turned my head with tears of shame;
I didn't need to ask his name.
"Life isn't fair", he said.
All Winter long I waited
For the Spring ...
The naked branches seemed to mock,
The hardened earth gave forth no life;
The birds had ceased to sing.
How did I know
That once again these days would end?
And Spring her glorious garment wear,
A gentle benison descend
To cover every living thing ...
I did not know ... I hoped.
When hope explodes in certainty,
When Spring, Winter defies,
I glimpse then of Eternity ...
I look into his eyes.
Over Jerusalem he wept,
King of kings and Lord of lords,
In the Upper Room the Passover kept,
King of kings and Lord of lords,
"No one takes my life. I lay it down."
King of kings and Lord of lords,
Not to win an earthly crown for the
King of kings and Lord of lords,
On a donkey he rode as they waved their palms,
King of kings and Lord of lords,
In the court he stood as they washed their hands,
King of kings and Lord of lords,
On the cross he hung and was crucified,
King of kings and Lord of lords,
Conquered death on the day he died,
King of kings and Lord of lords,
And sometimes we "Hosanna" cry, to the
King of kings and Lord of lords,
But when our shouts are "Crucify", he's still
King of kings and Lord of lords.
I am a poppy bending,
Bending in the wind.
The corn on slender stalks
Nod their heads in acquaintance ...
In the same field we grow,
But long before the reaper comes
My fragile flower will blow away,
And yield its glory to the earth ...
While the corn will come to harvest
And be used by man for food.
And yet I have a part to play;
My brief moment of beauty gladdens
The heart of Creator and created alike ...
And it is said that man
Shall not live by bread alone ...
So shall I doubt the value of my role
While poppies gladly dance in fields of corn?
Pain ... Unwelcome, Uninvited Guest
"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows ...
The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Is 534-6
Pain ...
Unwelcome, uninvited guest,
Invades my body,
Steals my rest.
The more I resolutely try
To conquer him,
He conquers me ...
But wait,
Upon a Cross I see
The Son of God
Who speaks to me.
"Come lay your heavy burden here;
At my feet the pain and tears
Of all the world are laid.
This is the place where I have paid
In full the price ...
Your wholeness here receive."
What is Summer? ... let me paint
A picture with my pen
Of warmth, and festal fruitfulness;
Of patient blackbird sitting
Upon her clutch of eggs,
Of swallow as she swoops and dives
To feed her precious young,
Of long tall grasses swaying,
Of glorious setting sun.
Then before the darkening storm
That heralds Summer's end,
The singing grain, full ripened
Before the reaper bends. ...
The bread to eat, the seed to sow
Saved from the golden grain ...
God grants the rest of Winter days,
The sleeping earth in dormant phase
Before the cycle starts again.
"As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer
and winter, day and night will never cease." Gen 822
"The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like
the ox, ...
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the Lord.
Is 6525
O little mouse
Your tiny house
Of moss and leaves
Deserted.
Your jewel bright eyes,
So recently alive,
Now dimmed;
Your silky fur dishevelled ...
The proud cat sits,
Victor over her victim;
Polishing her face and whiskers
With those now-sheathed claws,
Soft as velvet paws ...
Surely there will come a day
In the great Creator's plan
When cat and mouse,
And even man,
Shall dwell in peace together?
Lord of all my yesterdays
I bring to you all the things
That hurt me to remember ...
The half recollected images
That flit across the screen
Of my subconscious,
Leaving disturbing ripples in my life
That I scarcely understand.
All these I bring to your Cross, Lord,
And know that only when I leave them there
Can I truly be free.
I receive your word that in you
I am a new creation,
The old gone ... the new, exciting
About to happen.
And I put my hand in yours,
Lord of all my tomorrows ...
For who else can I trust?
"If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation." 2 Co 517
Around the conference tables
Of the world
The powerful are met
To pontificate or vacillate ...
The treaties of men
Are motivated by fear,
And honoured when convenient;
"We'll bring you peace,"
Their oft repeated cry.
"Arms for oil - we'll make a deal,
Land for peace." ...
They give away
What isn't theirs to give ...
While in the gutter children live,
And hold up empty hands; and die.
Hunger and oppression reign,
Disease is rampant, and the pain
Of lostness in so many eyes ...
And once again
The Man of Sorrows weeps,
Again is crucified.
When Jesus ... saw the city, he wept ...saying,
"Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace." Luke
1941
I thought of my guilt
As Satan accused me
Of all that I'd done
That was wrong.
I knew he was right,
And my heart agreed
That the judgement be hard
And the punishment long.
But Jesus said,
"Child, remember my word,
And look at the Cross
Where I died.
Your sin and your guilt
Are the nails and the thorns
And the spear
That they put in my side.
First on the Cross
And then in the grave
But my love
Was stronger than that.
For I burst through the bonds
And returned to my throne;
And I burst through the bonds,
But I wasn't alone!
Now fully forgiven
You stand at my side.
Now eternally loved,
All guilt set aside."
"There is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus." Ro 81
Tiny fragile life,
Cradled in the Father's hands;
Love unfailing made his plans
Before you breathed.
Fruit of your parent's love,
Awaited with joy and hope;
Yielded to him again
Each living breath.
Safe in the Father's hands,
Whether in earth or heaven,
Wisdom unsearchable has known
Your days and hours.
Now Winter, frosty foe, retreats,
Gives up her barren ground.
Life's ebb and flow,
And pulse and growth
In every corner found ...
So Spring is here
And evenings are not dark.
The golden daffodils abound,
Their blooms a shout of triumph
In the Park.
And Jesus, Son of God Most High,
Gives up his life,
Content to die
That we, though sinful may receive
God's grace,
And share with him
The great reprieve.
So life is come,
His dying not in vain,
Our lives a shout of triumph
To his name.
Will you have this king reign over you?
Will you have this king to reign over you,
Though his kingdom you cannot see?
No palace, no robe, no royal throne,
No promise of earthly peace.
No! cried the rulers and rich men,
"This king will never please."
Will you have this king to reign over you,
Messiah, Anointed One?
Promised of old, to the sheep of his fold,
Will you believe he is come?
No! cried the religious leaders,
"This king we will never crown."
Will you have this king to reign over you,
Child of the world today?
Material wealth versus spiritual health,
Will you choose the narrow way?
What will you answer the King of Kings,
When you meet with him today?
Following the Maker's Instructions
When we buy a new appliance,
Or when we learn to cook;
We start by reading carefully
Instructions from a book.
It tells us how to get the best
Results from what we've bought;
Or how to make the recipe
Taste as it really ought.
But when we look at how we live
In these 'enlightened' days
It seems that the Instruction Book
Is often thrown away ...
And then there is no right and wrong,
And nothing's black or white,
We trust the 'feel-good' factor
To tell us what is right.
We talk of our experiences,
Rush headlong into life,
And wonder why there's problems,
Trouble, heartache, strife.
So if you'd like to change your life
And walk another way,
Please take out your Bible
And read it every day.
And there you'll find the rules for life,
The way to heaven too;
Instructions from the Maker
Especially for you!
Jesus said to them,
"You will receive power ...
And you will be my witnesses." Act 17,8
I may not physically have touched his hand
Or looked into his eyes,
Nor poured my perfume out
As Mary did upon his feet
To seek forgiveness,
May not have walked the dusty roads he trod,
And seen the miracles performed.
But I have met with him in other ways,
His word and Spirit in my heart
Bear witness to the life he gives.
As I believe, I know of sin forgiven,
Receive his joy and power.
And from my overflowing heart
Become a witness to his grace.
And may the fragrance of his love
Which captured me
Help others to believe.
It didn't seem like a great victory,
Wrongly accused in the court,
Found guilty without a fair trial,
As a pretext to kill him they sought.
So they led him away, the soldiers,
They thought they were in control
Of this stumbling, bleeding, dying Man
Who had made so many whole.
But Jesus turned, eyes dark with pain,
"Weep for yourselves," he said,
"Would that you knew of my kingdom ...
I offer you living bread."
It didn't seem like a great victory,
In fact it looked like defeat,
A cross for the only Son of God?
But the story is not complete.
"No one takes my life," said Jesus,
"As you'll see in three days time.
This cross is the price I'm willing to pay,
Your sin has been counted as mine."
So it wasn't defeat for Jesus,
But a victory he won that day;
Our sin and our shame are nailed to his name
And he offers a living way.
No Cross - No Christianity
God is holy. I am not.
Therefore we cannot meet.
My sin deserves his judgement -
My misery complete.
And all the good deeds I would do
And all the laws I keep
Will only emphasise my need
To find his mercy seat.
Now God can show his mercy,
For Jesus, in my place
Died to make me holy
And offers me his grace.
So judgement meets with mercy,
And when my case is tried
The all-redeeming blood of Christ
Will claim me as his child.
"The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but
to us who are being saved it is the power of salvation." 1 Co 118