Beholden to the Golden Leaves

Bright, golden leaves are all I need

To start my Autumn days;

Along the paths they lie in state

In season's grand displays,

But soon they're joined by reds and browns,

First scattered by faint breeze,

Then swirled by winds of hazy dawns

Which rustle through the trees.

November hints of dusty cool

As leaves blend lifelessly,

Mosaic of a hued demise

Which greets eternity.

December bids when come the snows

To blanket all scenes white;

I watch with sadness as the leaves

Are taken from my sight.

~ Henry W. Gurley

Each Day Is a Gift

I read this morning, "Each day is a gift;"

We should open it with prayer.

It may be the day which offers us hope;

To some, it will bring despair.

We know that life is not all roses;

The bush has many a thorn,

And each day will be full of surprises

From the moment we are born.

Today is the one we must live to the full

And not seek our own selfish desire.

Give the "Bread of Life" with every deed you do;

Warm the cold-hearted by your fire.

When he sun goes down and night grows dark,

Kneel again by your bed to pray.

If you failed in something, God always forgives,

And tomorrow will be a new day.

~ Elaine Fowser

Give us each day our

daily bread.

Luke 11:3

Home

A house can be a mansion

With a crystal chandelier,

But a home can be a cottage

With windows shining clear!

A house can be three stories

With a wide an curving stair,

But a home is warm and cozy,

With a worn-in easy chair!

It isn't space that makes a home,

Or elegant decor,

But love and trust that live within

And greet you at the door!

~ Ina Murray

The Power of Prayer

Gentle Savior, loving Lord,

Have mercy on Your child!

The waves are crashing overhead -

The wind is blowing wild.

I cannot see the light of day,

For darkness fell so fast;

No one can hear my cries for help

Above the stormy blast.

I'm reaching out to You, O God;

You are my only hope!

I can't hold out much longer,

And alone, I cannot cope.

Oh, send some sign that You are here

So I will not despair -

Give me reason to hold on...

And know You truly care.

 But wait, what's that I see in this dark night

That wasn't there before?

It looks to be a beacon bright,

Beckoning me to shore!

My fervent prayer was heard! Praise God!

My strength has been renewed.

I've seen the power of prayer,

And I know what I must do...

Follow the light back to the shore,

Never stray from its beam!

It is my one and only refuge,

And I see within its gleam...

A reflection on the billows

That tells me all's not lost,

For I see glowing upon the waves...

The outline of a cross.

~ Denise A. DeWald

The effectual fervent

prayer of a righteous

man availeth much.

James 5:16

Shepherd, Lead Us

We can go through life each day,

Deciding whom to trust...

Or we can lift our hearts to God

And let Him choose for us.

It's a matter of perception

And knowing how to pray...

God will never let us down

Or lead His sheep astray.

The road that's set before us

Is sometimes less than straight...

But God will guide us every day;

He knows which path to take.

A sheep can trust the Shepherd

To lead His flock to grace...

Trusting Him is all we need;

He's with us in this place.

~ Jill Lemming

I will appoint over you shepherds after

My own heart, who will shepherd you

wisely and prudently.

Jeremiah 3:15

Giving

"Give, Said the Little Stream..."

We sang long, long ago;

So little did I realize

The seeds this song had sown.

Seeds sown deep within my heart,

Concerning joys of giving;

Seeds that sprouted in bloom

And made my life worth living.

"Give, Said the Little Stream..."

I hear it echo still.

Though small, it made fields greener still

While hurrying down the hill.

Singing, singing on its way,

It kept on giving, giving;

May we, just like this little stream,

Make giving part of living.

~ Loise Pinkerton Fritz

Summer Days Beside the Sea

I strolled along the sandy beach

And breathed the salty air;

I watched the children as they shaped

Sand castles everywhere!

O'erhead, the sea gulls dipped and soared

'Cross skies of azure blue,

While in the distance I could see

A lonely sailboat, too.

I watched the tide roll in and out,

Bringing seashells by the score;

I stooped to gather them

And watched as lofty kites did soar.

It was a dreamy, carefree day

With troubles put to rest;

Those lazy days beside the sea

Most surely were the best!

I delight in fragrant flowers of Spring,

Fall and Winter scenes of yore,

But I enjoy the Summer days

Beside the sea much more.

~ Mary S. Chevalier

I Thank You, God

I thank You, God, for life and health

And love I have today,

For this great land of freedom,

And the privilege to pray.

I thank You for my home

And for my daily bread.

I thank You for the Bible,

From which my soul is fed.

I thank You for the gift of life

Through Jesus Christ, Your Son.

The loving sacrifice He made

Was made for everyone.

Help me accept the gifts You gave,

May my voice Your praises sing,

And may I with true thanksgiving

Seek Your will in everything.

~ Frances Culp Wolfe

Sing praise to the Lord,

you faithful; give thanks

to God's holy name.

Psalm 30:5

September's Door is Open

September's door is open,

It bids us enter in.

To Summer's month of August,

It is the next of kin.

Upon its floor, dew-tinted,

We view the harvest yield;

Apples, pumpkins, sweet corn

Upon September's fields.

September's door is open;

In hope and prayer we kneel

That we might know the blessings

Of this, His bountiful yield.

~ Loise Pinkerton Fritz

My Thank-You Prayer

When I lay down at night

Wondering what to pray,

I try to thank the Lord above

For whatever happened that day.

It could be a simple thing,

A bud upon a flower

Or perhaps some time to think,

A peaceful, quiet hour.

It might be that our humble home,

Small though it may be,

Was filled with joy and laughter

For everyone to see.

If it was unpleasant,

I thank Him anyway

For all the lessons learned

On that fateful day.

And when I'm done that night

With my thank-you prayer,

My heart is filled to overflowing

With all the love He shared.

~ Rebecca Sweeney

I thank You for You answered me;

You have been my Savior.

Psalm 118:21

If

If God can make a rainbow

And create a sky so blue,

Made in His own image,

There are things that we can do.

If God can make a rosebud

With fragrance sweet and rare,

We can spread joy and happiness

Here and everywhere.

If God can make a sturdy oak

To withstand any storm,

Then we can smile and overcome

When with grief we're torn.

If God could sacrifice His Son

To teach us how to love,

Then we can face most anything

With His strength from above.

~ Ruth Moyer Gilmour

He gives safety and support.

He sustains the mighty by

His strength, and His eyes

are on their way.

Job 24:23

In Your House

I love it in Your house, Lord,

Where I can be with You.

I know that You are with me,

No matter what I do.

And being here is special;

I feel Your presence here,

And I'm among Your people,

So beautiful and dear.

I come here to meet with You

And hear Your word so true.

Your spirit fills my heart

As I draw near to You.

You give me strength to endure

All that faces me each day.

I know that You are with me

And guide me on my way.

Thank You, Heavenly Father,

For the constant love You give.

I'll give You all the glory

Every day I shall live.

~ Dona M. Maroney

For the spirit of the Lord fills the

world, is all-embracing, and

knows what man says.

Wisdom 1:7

Spring Blessings

Spring unfolds her blessings

When wintertime is o'er,

And days that hold her miracles

Are just outside my door.

Spring unfolds her beauty

Hanging blossoms on the trees;

Flower garden begin to bloom

And perfume evenings' breeze.

Spring unfolds her magic

When songbirds start to sing,

For a multitude of blessings

God gives with His gift of Spring.

~ Nora M. Bozeman

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ

with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

Ephesians 1:3

Look to Tomorrow

Each day you sit and ponder
The wrong that you've been dealt
Is a day that you're subtracting
From the future owed yourself.

Each day you shun your neighbor
Deprives you of the chance
To form a lasting friendship
Or invite a pleasing glance.

Life's too short to dwell on
The hurts that filled the past,
Bur should be spent on building
Happy memories that can last.

You can find sweet comfort knowing
That you've done your very best
To make your life worth sharing,
And to God can leave the rest.

~ Catherine Janssen Irwin

The Little Gifts of Cheer

I do not need a violin

To play a happy tune;

I only need a sunny day

To chase away my gloom.

The laughter of a little child,

A kitten dozing near,

Sweet birdsong in my apple tree

Can fill my heart with cheer.

A violet blooming on my sill,

Pink roses 'round my door,

A cup of tea shared with a friend -

What heart could wish for more?

Sometimes our gift of cheer is in

Something nice we do;

You cannot help someone without

It rubbing off on you.

Yet, often in our hurried pace

We cast these gifts away

Or trade them off for something new

To brighten up our day.

But I have come to know at last

What helps my heart so mile -

It's just the little gifts of cheer

That have the sweetest style.

~ Kay Hoffman