Embrace the Trinity

Why do we not see the suffering of others?
Why are we blind to the burdens others carry?
Too much is put on being the individual.
Too much is put on making it on your own.
Too much is put on self-sufficiency.
If we are one with God,
We are not alone.
If we have the Comforter with us,
We see the plight of others.
If we know the Son,
We know that death holds no fear.
Embrace the Trinity.

Photo by double.reed

Forgiveness

One miracle.
I need one miracle.
Do miracles happen today?
Not for me.
All I pray for is forgiveness.
Forgiveness for my weakness.
Forgiveness for my failures.
Forgiveness.

Photo by winterdoll

The Truth

Misery compounds misery.
Small are my problems in this world.
Enormous to me are my sufferings.
Is that not always the truth?
Jesus said,
"Ye shall know the truth,
And the truth shall make you free."
I believe I know the truth,
But I am not free.
Why?

Photo by *madalena-pestana*

The Word Within

I contemplate the Bible,
The record of God's deeds
In times far past;
The written record of the life of Jesus
And the commitment of the apostles.
Is there a record for today?
Does some lonely scribe
Now write words that will inspire
Those in the far future?
Perhaps now the record is written
On the heart of the believer.
Each carries the Word within.
Our duty is to be the book
The world can read
And know our God.

Photo by Paul Keller

Prayer for Tomorrow

Our Saviour, who died for us
And rose to show us
The promise of eternal life,
Praise your example of our future.
Let the Comforter dwell with us.
Let tomorrow be yours
Just as it was
Almost two thousand years ago.
Forgive us our fears of the future
As we forgive those who act out of fear.
Keep our thoughts on the promise of tomorrow,
Not tribulations to come.
Counselor share your wisdom
For you are the key to eternal life.
Amen

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Open Gates

Heaven's gates are open.
We forget that Christ's mission
Was to open the way to eternity.
His truth is that
The Prince of Peace is the mechanism
Through which we all enter.
He may have many different names
And many different aspects,
But in Him we reach God.
All we must do is seek the Almighty.

Photo by mind the goat

The Last First

Many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

These words of Jesus
Are ignored at our peril.
We are too concerned
With our position in society.
Do we have the best house?
Is our car the latest model?
We tithe
And make sure everyone knows.
People strive to be on television
For any reason.
What is really important?
How we treat the beggar at our door.
How we treat homeless under the bridge.
How we treat the convict in search of work.
How we treat the sick and weak.
How we treat the elderly in nursing homes.
We do not want to leave our comfort zone.
To follow in the Master's steps,
We must.

Pentecost

On Pentecost, Peter speaks
To those who have seen
The Holy Spirit come this day.
"Repent and be baptized,"
Peter tells the crowd
And three thousand obey.
Those same words are true today.
We must turn from our failure
To be all God desires us to be
And acknowledge our commitment
Before all.
The words make repentance
Sound easy.
True change is never easy.
Only with the help of the Comforter
Can we turn.
Ask now.

Photo by St.Mary's Episcopal...

The Pope at St.Patrick's

I am not Catholic, but I watched this morning's Mass at St. Patrick's cathedral.

An elderly man walks slowly
Down the aisle of a majestic cathedral,
Dressed in robes of white.
A miter on his head
Bears a golden cross
Like the one he carries in his hand.
He is stooped with age
Or perhaps responsibility.
He is Pope Benedict XVI.
There is mention of St. Peter.
Suddenly, without premonition,
Tears come
And emotion overwhelms me.
Whether I believe
All his church's doctrines
Or not,
His lineage traces back
Through almost two thousand years,
Back to a fisherman from Galilee
Who knew my Savior.
He is the living embodiment
Of my faith,
A connection to my Lord.
For the moment, he draws me closer
To God.

Photo by Beyond Forgetting

Fog

A soft, gray fog envelopes the morning.
Unhappiness and anxiety shroud my world,
Just as the fog shrouds the trees and flowers.
I wait.
Outside the sunlight breaks through.
Can the Comforter's light penetrate the gray worry of my soul?
Let me know the Deliverer's sunlight in my soul,
Let me share that sunlight with others.
Let me bask in the light of the world every day.
Praise comes with difficulty.
Yet, God is always supreme.
God is always in control.
Praise the peace of God
That passes all understanding.

Photo by spoon

A Prayer for Hope

Our Comforter, who surrounds us,
Praise for your existence,
Praise for your solace.
Let your presence be known to all.
Sustain us as the saints were sustained.
Give us hope.
Forgive our lack of faith.
Help us to forgive the shortcomings of others.
Do not burden us beyond endurance.
Deliver us from despair.
For you can give joy
And strength and everlasting life.
Amen

Photo by Jan Tik

Before We Ask

Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him."

Jesus spoke these words
Just before he gives his model prayer.
There is comfort in these words.
Comfort because if God bothers to know
Then God must care.
Today, I need to know that God cares.
Today, I need to feel God's presence.
Today, I need to believe God answers prayer.
Today, I need to keep my faith alive.
Today, I need to accept my life.
Only God can fulfill my needs
And make me whole.
Let it be so.

Photo by ButterflySha

Praise Music

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth; make a loud noise, and rejoice and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and with the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.

This ancient song of praise
Demonstrates the proper way
To extol God.
Never is the praiser identified.
There is no "I."
There is no "me."
God is the center of this psalm.
Why are our songs of praise
So centered on ourselves?
Praise music extols
Our feelings,
Our desires,
Our accomplishments
In praising God.
Better to efface ourselves,
Better to center on God.
"Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heavenly hosts;
Praise Father,Son and Holy Ghost."

Photo by hoyasmeg

Rain

Rains have come in an unending torrent
To wash away the handiwork of man.
Just as tribulation comes
To wash away our spiritual handiwork.
Let us remember that there is only one builder.
All rests on the Creator's firm foundation.
Give me strength against a rising flood.
Give me hope.

Photo by dozens

Requirements

I am adrift.
I go to church,
But I am a spectator,
Not a participant.
I want to feel part of the Body of Christ,
To know the warmth and security
I have experienced in the past.
Why am I separate?
Why am I alone?
I remember the words of Moses:
"What doth the Lord thy God require of thee,
But to fear the Lord thy God,
To walk in all his ways,
And to love Him,
And to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart
And with all thy soul."
Whether I feel the Comforter's presence or not,
Whether I feel part of God’s fellowship,
I have committed my soul to God’s care,
I will not depart from the Word of God.

Photo by g-hat

My Soul Thirsteth

I need a miracle.
How absurd that sounds.
My life is in shambles.
My health is failing.
Only God can help me.
I pray.
I do not receive an answer.
Yet, I still believe.
I fear God's plan for tomorrow
Because a greater purpose must prevail
At the expense of the individual.
Am I expendable?
"My soul thirsteth for God."
Lord, deliver me.

Photo by iessi

That Which Hath Been Is Now

That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been.

Time traps us in its forward flow.
We cannot go back.
God is not bound as we are.
His is the past, the present, and the future.
All are one to God.
The Prince of Peace knows
What was, what is, what will be.
From the beginning until the end,
The Almighty's will prevails.
We must remember
That we move on a larger stage
Than we can comprehend.
Only when the curtain falls
Can we begin to understand.

Photo by fdecomite

Green

Around me my world has changed to green
As plants and trees put on new growth.
Green is the color of renewal,
Green is the color of restoration.
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul."
Whatever our failures,
Whatever our sins,
We need only turn to God
To receive forgiveness.
Forgiven,
We can strive anew
To become
What God intended.
Forgiven,
We can begin again.

Photo by gurdonark