To Climb a Mountain

 Each time I pass a mountain range,

A passion swells in me

To challenge what some mountain flaunts -

And what I cannot see.

I wonder what there is to find

And what the mountain hides

Beyond the scope of what I see -

Just on the other side.

And when, at times, I look above

At mountains in the sky -

I wonder what the clouds defend

That hides from human eyes,

For there is born, again, this urge

That passion swell in me

To see what lies beyond the scope

Of what my eyes can see.

Two lofty mountains I would climb

To see the other side:

The one that calls to me on earth;

The other in the sky.

But Heaven's mount I must ascend

In careful, Christian ways,

For God will grant no second climb -

Beyond my Judgment Day.

~ Michael Dubina



I Come to Thee...

Dear Lord, I come to Thee today
In search of peace and calm;
I thank Thee for Thy guidance, Lord,
And for Thy healing balm...

Dear Lord, I come to Thee today
For happiness and peace;
I thank Thee for each blessing, Lord,
And for Thy sweet release...

Dear Lord, I come to Thee today
With gratitude and love;
Thou art my Savior and my King,
And I look to Thee above!

~ Hope C. Oberhelman

May the Lord give might to
His people; may the Lord
bless His people with peace!
Psalm 29:11
 

Sunset

 

The sunset's like a fire in the sky -

Orange, gold, and amber hued

The day has come and gone

And rests brightly in the blue.

The sun - a reflecting light

On thoughts as the day closes.

Was today well spent?

For soon the sun reposes...

The glow of day is fading

And soon will be past.

Have we made a memory

That will keep and last?

 

Embers of light glow softly,

Soon the sun will rest.

Did we add our light to the world?

Can we say, "I did my best?"

The glow of daylight closes,

Soon stars will touch the skies.

The glory of God in the heavens -

We'll have a new sunrise!

 

~ Starrlette L. Howard

 

Look up to the skies and behold;

regard the heavens high above you.

Job 35:5

 

 



In October's Fields

 

 I love to walk October's fields,

With the smell of Autumn in the air -

Corn cobs lay scattered on the ground,

Mr. Scarecrow still stands proudly there.

 

The yellow-orange tint of the pumpkins

Gleams brightly in the field ahead.

Nature's cords will soon be severed;

They'll be carted off to the old homestead.

 

Next comes the fields of ripened grain

In hues of brilliant yellow-gold.

My mind's a camera taking pictures

Of the divine beauty it beholds!

 

There's an oak tree blazing red ahead,

Shrugging off her acorns without fail.

Squirrels will gather them quickly and run;

It's a place to harvest my thoughts as well...

In October's fields.

 

~ Barbara Cagle Ray

 

A land which the Lord, your God, looks after;

His eyes are upon it continually from the

beginning of the year to the end.

Deuteronomy 11:12

 



Thy Will Be Done

 

"Thy will be done" in everything,

Dear Lord, You know what's best.

I know thee sorrows that You send

To me are but a test.

You're always right, in spite o all

I ever say or do,

And I believe with all my heart,

My life depends on You.

 

"Thy will be done" no matter what,

Please overlook these tears,

You've always done what's best for me

Throughout these many years.

Close Your ears when I complain

And help me to be brave,

The only good I've ever known

Are all the things You gave.

 

I am not so strong that I

Can make it all alone,

Please stay with me throughout the day,

And when the night has come.

Teach me not to gamble on

A careless toss of dice,

"To gain the world and lose my soul"

Is much too high a price.

 

~ Grace E. Easley

 

You restore my strength. You

guide me along the right path

for the sake of Your name.

Psalm 23:3

 



Reverie

 

To walk through rain-drenched countryside,

A field of daffodils,

Meander by a rippling stream

Or climb a wind-swept hill;

 

To find a robin in its nest,

Behold a butterfly,

Or sit beside a quiet lake

And watch a campfire die.

 

What trust such moments often bring,

What peace and faith appear...

When we, within our reverie,

Can know that God is near!

 

~ Frankie Davis Oviatt 

 



God

 

 I feel Him in the touch of wind,

I hear His steps in rain,

I see Him when I view the hills

Or gaze on mountain plain.

His warmth smiles down by sun at day,

His arms are of the tree,

His calm I see in still of night,

His beauty is the sea.

I see His love in birth of Spring,

In soil of land His claim,

In splendor white of new-cast snow

Lie imprints of His name.

His voice is of the rippling brook,

His eyes the evening star,

The moon His beaming light to me

To guide me from afar.

It seems that I am not alone

Nor shall I ever be,

For as I walk this road of life,

I know God follows me.

 

~ Jean V. Russell



Children

 

Perhaps the world's greatest pilgrims

Are found among our loving children.

A hundred questions fill their day,

Both at school and then at play.

Each day they cry or make us laugh,

And help us all relive the past.

They give us hope and bring us faith,

And fill our hearts with love and grace.

Oh, Lord, You are the children's Friend,

And know the love in all of them.

You help them learn and watch them play

And hear them praying every day.

Lord, I pray our children flourish,

Learn to love, and practice courage.

Lord, I ask our children prosper,

Know Your peace and feel Your laughter.

 

~ John Frederick Zurn

 



Fill Us at Daybreak with Your Love



 

Fill us at daybreak with Your

love, that all our days we

may sing for joy.

Psalm 90:4

 

 

The Music of Life

 

Our Father's love is endless

And it shows in every way -

In skies awash with wind-swept clouds

And seas of foam-flecked gray.

We feel it in the evening breeze

And hear it in their cry

As gulls wheel freely in their flight

Across the evening sky.

As Spring awaits the Summer,

Then blends quickly into Fall,

And the coldest Winter breezes

All give way to robin's call,

We embrace all Nature's healing.

Put aside our cares and strife.

Hear the music of creation

In God's symphony of life.

 

~ Helen M. Motti

 

He hath made everything

beautiful in His time...

Ecclesiastes 3:11

 



Like a Box of Crayons

 

The earth's like a box of crayons
With shades of many hues:
White fleecy clouds that sail above
In sky of heavenly blue.
Wind-driven clouds of black and grey
When storms come passing by;
The aqua-shaded seas and lake,
Gold moonbeams in the night.
The sunsets, tinted purplish-red,
Green leaves that dress the spreading trees
In country and in town.
The orange, pink, yellow-colored flowers
Abloom in gardens, trim...
The earth's like a box of crayons
With life-brightening shades within.

~ Loise Pinkerton Fritz



So Beautiful a World

 God has left His signature

On each exquisite, earthly thing,

From swirling, frosty Winter snows

To tulips in the early Spring.

Flaming trees of orange and gold,

Ablaze with Autumn's golden sun -

I see the hand of God revealed

In every single, unique one.

The valleys green, the bright blue skies,

And the surging mountain streams -

A little bit of Heaven shines

In all that He creates, it seems.

His grand designs fill every space -

They're masterpieces, every one!

A rainbow streaks across the sky

In the glimmer of the Summer sun.

Each day I marvel once again

As His enchanting works unfurl.

Chance alone could not create

So beautiful a world!

~ Barbara Cagle Ray



Thoughts of You

 I awoke to a radiant sunrise

Against a sky of blue.

I saw the glistening dew drops

And my thoughts were filled with You.

I touched the velvet petals

Of the beautiful, fragrant rose,

Then searched the painted hillside

Where the delicate wildflowers grow.

In those quiet peaceful moments

Of Your bright and glorious day,

I thought of You again, my Lord,

And then I knelt and prayed.

~ Shirley Hile Powell

The Lord look upon you

kindly and give you peace!

Numbers 6:26



The Majesty of Nature

 The hollyhocks at my window

Are dancing in the breeze

And there's a peacefulness about them

That sets my heart at ease.

All the beauty that surrounds me

Comes from the hand of God

And my soul is always blessed

Where the rose and poppies nod.

The majesty of Nature

Brings me peace of mind

In this age of non-believers

Where peace is hard to find.

~ Clay Harrison



I Hear God's Voice

 I hear God's voice in gentle wind

That whispers through the trees

And in the crunchy, rustling sound

Of Autumn's fallen leaves.

In each lilting birdsong ringing,

The cooing of a dove,

In the murmur of a peaceful stream

He tells me of His love.

I hear God's voice when thunder rolls

And in the ocean's roar,

The little waves that gently lap

Along the sandy shore.

In the laughter of little children

Playing in places near

And in each kind word spoken

His voice to me so dear.

When the future path looks dark

And my heart is filled with fear,

It's then I hear Him gently say,

"Be still and know I'm near."

God speaks to me in countless ways

No matter where I trod,

And when I humbly kneel in prayer,

How sweet the voice of God.

~ Kay Hoffman

The voice of the Lord is mighty;

the voice of the Lord is majestic.

Psalm 29:4