God gives us hope in dark times.

Even after being a christian for many years, there are revelation moments, where I realize why or when or how I came to sadness, and sometimes hopelessness. I pray, examining the events, the words, the impressions, and how these chiseled me, bent me, and formed who I am today. I pray for healing and direction. I mourn. In such a dark time, God gave me hope.

"Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new work.
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
And streams in the wasteland." (Isa 43:18-19)

Desert soul, barren rock of dust despair,
Take heart. Begin again.
Fountains of the Lord spring forth,
Watering the land; pure pour of life.
The sand surrenders, and through the furrows,
Deep and etched with grief and battered dreams,
The Lord restores the stream.

Unconditionally, I recede,
Receiving God's love and so I am a field:
As yet, just plowed and planted,
Anticipating the days of thunder,
Sweet rainfalls of the Lord.

Look back no more to Egypt,
Little child upon the path,
The sorrow lies behind you,
Draw a wall now at your back.

Renew your mind and empty all the buckets
Filled with fear.
Throw them now behind you,
Draw the wall and hear:
The future, like white paper,
Smooth and shining, fresh and clean,
Stands before you now, draw the dream.

Trust in Me, child,
Spread your wings,
Glide upon the currents of My love.
Soar high like an eagle, proud against the sky,
Trust in Me, child, spread your wings,
In my freedom, spread your wings.

Best Ways to Show Others You are a Christian

Smile. Did you know that when someone smiles as you, it instantly lifts your spirit and makes you think there is hope.

Be patient. A crowded checkout line is difficult on the checker, too. While you are waiting in line at the drive-thru ATM, get your card out, sign your checks and prepare your deposit. It will keep you busy, and help those behind you others get through the line faster.

Be a good listener. Let people tell their stories, their troubles, and share their joys without interruption. Ask God to help you hear, and respond with a word in due season.

Be patient. You did not get to where you are overnight, and no one else does either.
Don't think you have solved the puzzles of life and have the "right" answers. If you did, you would be with Jesus.

Love always. Love is not the kissy, feeling stuff. It is the sustaining attitude that you will be the pillar in the lives of those you know. You will accept their shortcomings, and treat them like Jesus treats you.

Pray and talk to God. When your boss yells at you, when you are facing a challenge at work or school, when you are stumped on a problem, talk to God. He does care about you.

Life is Hard but God is Good

Sometimes I'm just world‑weary,
Daily living brings me down.
To pay the bills and just survive.......
There seems no easy ground.

I take a quiet pause in life,
Reflect upon the stars.
Those tiny lamps glow joyously
And somehow give me cause
To contemplate God's promises,
His words of love and hope,
That overshine the weary days
And gently help me cope.

...And flowers, blooming artfully,
Reveal the wealth of God.
They do not work or gather goods,
Yet so arrayed are they,
That all the money in the world
Could scarce clothe me that way.

And these, a season's beauty, pass.
How much more God will do
For me to bloom as beautifully,
If I will trust Him to.

Post Traumatic Sixites-Reality TV Begins

In 2010, reality tv has taken over the networks. But in the sixties, reality tv begins--and it was reality. Watching the news made you duck. It started with the replays of President Kennedy's assassination, then we watched Lee Harvey Oswald get shot. Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King were gunned down, and we watched.

There were riots, church bombings, and civil rights workers killed. The Vietnam war was broadcast regularly, until they had to stop because someone saw their son dead on a stretcher before they were even notified. And into the seventies, there were students killed at Kent State, and the clocktower massacre.

Before this, television was non-threatening entertainment. Women and children never got killed. Actually, I saw the first lady die in an episode of Bonanza. Anyway.

So trying to sell reality television to me is a hard-sell. I have seen the real stuff. And it left the youth of the sixties with a plateful of hard truth.

New Year

Wedge the wind beneath me
Challenge my heart with hope
Within my walls of walking
Life lifts,
Tracking trials
Molding memories
Choosing
Past or present
Which
Can break barriers
Or construct concrete.
Smiles surpass
Clearly commence
The present prevails
I begin again.