My Daily Prayer

My Father in heaven.  Your name is special and sacred to me.  Set apart from all other names.  As I long for Your kingdom, let it be in me today.  Let me live out my life on this earth, as I will live it in Your kingdom.  Focusing completely on You.  May Your perfect will be done in me, as it is done in heaven.  

Please provide the nourishment that I need today, both physically, and spiritually.  Help me to rely upon You for my needs Father.  Everything comes from You.  

Please forgive me of my sins.  Help me to forgive those that do me wrong, as completely and unconditionally, as You have forgiven me.  

Please let me not give into Satan's temptations, but deliver me out of the hands of the evil one.  

To You belongs the kingdom, and the power, and all glory, forever and ever.  Amen.

It's CHRISTmas Day!

It's another CHRISTmas day.  It's funny, but I enjoy the idea of CHRISTmas less each year.  What I mean by that is, I dread the idea of HAVING to buy presents, and expect presents. When I was younger, of course, I LOVED getting presents.  And, I've always LOVED to give presents, too.  But as there are more and more years behind me, I see the reason for the holiday is being lost in commercialism.  It saddens me so much to see people spending money they don't have, on presents that don't matter, and giving them to people that don't appreciate them.  Not REALLY appreciate them, anyway.  

I miss the old days when you bought a few gifts for a few people, and you enjoyed it.  I miss hearing the scripture read everywhere, describing the scene in the manger.  The swaddling clothes, the wise men, the gifts.  I miss the respect people gave the holiday.  Now, they're afraid to say the word CHRISTmas.  Happy Holidays.  Season's Greetings.  So sad.  

I want a CHRISTmas where we shut things down.  Stores, restaurants, all non-essentials.  That way, everybody would HAVE to stay home and enjoy their families.   You would have to wait a day or two to go spend your gift card.  Imagine that.  

We need to enjoy the day, the IDEA of the day.  Remember that it is about the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  A gift given to us by God Himself, that we might believe on the name of Jesus, and be saved in the name of Jesus.  Without this gift, we would all be lost, and bound for Hell.  

Spend some time with your family.  Go to church.  Read God's Word.  Give of yourself.  He has given you a marvelous Gift.  Give the Gift away.  The world needs this Gift more than any other.  One size fits all, and you'll never have to return it.  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!  GOD BLESS US ALL!

A Box Of Stars

My post today is a poem I wrote back in January of this year.  I wrote it as part of a poetry exercise.  The exercise was to look around and find an item in the room, and write a poem about it, without much forethought.  I was sitting in my bedroom at the time, and looking around the room, I saw the box on a shelf that contained a folded flag.  It was the flag that my wife received when her adoptive dad passed away.  When I saw the flag, the first thing that popped in my head was, a box of stars.  I wrote the poem in about 15 minutes.  It's kind of a sad poem, about death, and loss, and loneliness.  It is one of my favorites, mainly because of how it came to be written.  Enjoy.

A box of stars
A single rose
Marble squares
In single rows.

Sad goodbyes
Wiping tears
Asking why
Sad despair.


A quiet house
No longer home
No longer loud
Voices gone.


Get out of bed
A life to live
Look ahead
So much to give.


One day, then two
They're all the same
The life you knew
Is like a dream.


You'll heal, with time
God makes a way
You'll soon feel fine
But not today.

Today Is My Birthday!

Every year on my birthday, I am always surprised that I have made it through another year.  When I was younger, I never imagined myself living past the age of 40.  I just assumed I would never see 41.  So, when I did make it past 40, I didn't know what to expect.  Every year I think, will this be the last birthday for me?  I know it sounds odd, but when you've thought something was going to happen for so long, it just gets stuck in there somewhere. 

Today, like every day, I thanked God for another day of life, and in this case, another year.  He has really changed things for me and Carolyn in this last year.  I try to imagine what He will do in the coming year, but I can't go there.  I don't even know if I'll be alive tomorrow or not, much less another year. 

All I do know, is that I am 52 years old, I have a wonderful family, a wonderful and blessed life, and God loves me.  When I finally do leave this place, I have a much better place to go to.  Living for all eternity with my Heavenly Father, and Jesus, His Son, sure beats living here any day.  I will live here as long as God wants me to, then I will go home.  What a day that will be.

The Fast

The fast, much more than a day without food
Does do both the soul, and the body much good,
It clears the mind of its' earthly things
And makes way for answers, that God may bring.


Once desire for meat is set aside
And gnawing hunger pangs have died,
Our time's best spent reading God's Holy word
And silent, sweet fellowship with Almighty Lord.


Though the bond between spirit and Spirit be weak
Our healing begins with the bending of knee,
And while we are promised, His love and His care
True closeness may be found, through fasting and prayer.