Sunday, November 21, 2010

Words of Praise

“Let my cry come before you, O Lord;
Give me understanding according to Your word.
Let my supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.
Let my lips utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.
Let my tongue sing of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.”

Psalm 119:169-172

Monday, November 15, 2010

"In everything give thanks..."

One week ago Friday, a day I felt was imminent had arrived. I drove to my 87-year-old mother's home to take her to what should have been a routine doctor's visit. Instead, I found her unable to walk unassisted and offering to take an overnight bag along "just in case."

A call to her doctor resulted in being rerouted to the ER. The initial exam and preliminary lab work failed to offer a diagnosis; however, the MRI would finally tell the story: Mom had suffered two mild strokes, one at some earlier time.

Thankful? For a stroke? Not at all. Thankful for the "lab work of a twenty-year-old." Thankful that Mom's mind is equally young. The strokes affected her balance and her ability to stand.

The following Sunday evening, her doctor noticed her condition had weakened. A second MRI confirmed another "tiny stroke." Another opportunity to be thankful. Mom was already in the hospital so her care was immediate and the addition of a couple of medications appear to have stopped that progression. Her mind and remaining motor skills are still strong.

Today she was transported to Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation center where, we've been told, Mom should regain her balance and strength enough to manage a walker. She has beaten the best guesses for recovery from serious illness before and, barring any more complications, will probably do so again.

Just a few more words of gratitude for a wonderful husband, two sisters, a brother and their spouses. Each one willing to do whatever we can to care for and support a sweetheart of a mom. She taught us well. Did I mention how thankful we are for her?

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

ELECTION DAY PRAYER


Well, Lord,

The big day is finally here. After today, your atmosphere will be free of inflated claims and false promises, at least, for now. Hopefully, the prayers of the faithful candidates who profess You as Lord will rise above the noise of the power hungry and the ego-driven.

Fortunes have been given, spent, and risked on the outcome. Some for self-promotion, some for agendas known only to the contributors and candidates, and even some for people who are seeking Your Face for the healing and restoration of the nation You called us to be.

We humbly ask for Your protection at each polling place. That any and all attempts to electronically or otherwise alter the outcome of our precious right to vote will fail.

Help us to remember the one and only, true Source for our nation. We are at Your mercy, and we pray for that mercy today. Regardless of the winners, You will do Your bidding for this country.

We often sing "God Bless America". Maybe it's time to sing "God, Have Mercy on America." We are not a nation worthy of Your blessings today.

Whatever the outcome of the election, our hope and faith are in You. We ask that You protect our nation and our leaders. We pray for our President, Vice-President and each one in power - all the way down the ladder to local school boards.

It's not easy to pray for those we do not respect, but that's our guideline, not Yours. Forgive us for not being more diligent in obeying Your call to "pray for one another" because "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." James 5:16. And, we acknowledge that our "righteousness" is through You, alone.

We pray these things in Your holy and matchless Name. Amen.

II Chronicles 7:14 "...(if) my people who are called by My name, humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."



Monday, November 1, 2010

A Journey of Faith

Listen to the choir of angels
Singing and surrounding
The resting place of animals
Transformed into a Cradle of Royalty
For the King of Kings

See the Face of Heaven
Plunge beneath the river and
Thrust upward through the clear water
Hear His Heavenly Father’s voice
Reveal His pleasure

Feel the hunger of the Saviour
As He refuses the bread of deception
Feel the swish of angels’ wings
Sweeping Satan out of their way
As they rush to minister to their Jesus

Observe the celebration
As two lives become one
And Jesus respects His mother’s wishes
Waterpots filled with water
Astonish guests with His first miracle.

Watch a miracle unfold
Inside a boy’s woven basket
Count the hungry souls
Fed to satisfaction
Then count the leftovers

Face the wind and the tempest
As the vessel heaves to and fro
Fear sweeps over the sailors
And they rush to their Protector
Who speaks “Peace” and the waves obey

Look into the eyes of the betrayer
As he drinks the wine, eats the bread
Picture the broken body
And spilled blood
Of Jesus.

Listen as Jesus prays in a garden,
“Not My will but Thine”
And drops of blood fall at His feet
While His best friends
Sleep on

Follow Simon of Cyrene
As he carries the tree of death
Up the mountain of Golgotha
And the sound of hammer upon nail
Echoes throughout the land

See His blood streaming down the cross
As hearts of stone shout and spit
At the one and only Son of God
The Father turns His face
The sin of mankind melts away

Stretch to see the faces of those
Whose steps thunder towards
The empty tomb - He is risen!
Look over their shoulders as they stare
In unbelief.

Look up!
The blare of Gabriel’s trumpet calling
The ransomed home.
And, finally, the New Jerusalem
Gleaming and descending from the sky

Nancy K. Sullivan
October, 2010
The Journey of Faith is an amazing life-changing trip.
Check the link "I Want To Know Jesus" for travel arrangements.

Words of Praise



"The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it,
For He has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the rivers."
Psalm 24:1,2

An Awareness of God

This poem was born in a quiet encounter with
God and an amazing sense of His Presence and
the way He reaches out to His Children.

An Awareness of God

An awareness of God
I'm beginning to see
The depth of His love
That reaches to me.

Though I am unworthy
Of His
mercy and grace,
He looks upon me
As I seek His face.

He speaks softly to me
Then, to Him, I respond
And I know He is seeking
An everlasting bond.

The Creator of heaven
Of earth and of sea
Wants to be my Father
And spend time with me.

Nancy K. Sullivan
1989




Words of Praise