Thursday, June 24, 2010

Going Back

Verse: 1
Whatever happened to “death do us part,”
does the home reflect the heart?
Parents faces tell of worried minds,
while children search, but can’t seem to find,
it’s time we took a closer look,
get back to living by the holy book,
no compromise without getting slack,
you see, we will go forward if we’ll just go back.

Chorus:
We’ve got to go back to living true,
we’re going back to the absolute,
back to where the church stands strong,
back to where there is right, there is a wrong,
back to where it’s black or white,
you see the difference is like day and night,
we’re going back to things above,
we’re going back to our first love.


Verse: 2
We’ll know the tree by the fruit we see,
serving God has no in between,
we’re either cold or we’re hot,
he said lukewarm will have no part,
it’s coming down to the end of time,
there’s no time for playing around,
we’re going back to lost or found,
we’re going back to stand our ground.

Verse: 3
Then we’ll rise like a sleeping giant,
standing tall on God’s strength and might,
the power we’ve claimed for so long,
you see, it’s returning, we’re being made strong,
we’re not looking to the right or the left,
our eyes are spirit led,
we’re going back to truthful thoughts,
church we’ve got to go back to Calvary’s cross.

Monday, June 21, 2010

I asked the Lord

I asked the Lord that I might grow,
In faith and love and every grace,
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.

It was He who taught me thus to pray,
And He I trust has answered prayer.
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once He'd answer my request.
And by His love's constraining power,
Subdue my sins and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel,
The hidden evils of my heart.
And let the angry powers of hell,
Assault my soul in every part.

Yes, more with His own hand, He seemed,
Intent to aggravate my woe.
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

"Lord, why is this?" I trembling cried.
“Will You pursue Your worm to death?"
"This is the way" the Lord replied,
"I answer prayer for grace and strength."

"These inward trials I employ,
From self, and pride, to set you free;
And break your schemes of earthly joy,
That you may find thy all in Me."

—John Newton

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

A Summer Secret by Kathleen Fuller - Book Review

A Summer Secret is written for youth probably in the twelve to fifteen year-old ages. The setting is in Middlefield, Ohio, an Amish community. The main character is thirteen year-old Mary Beth along with her twin brother Johnny.

The story begins with Mary Beth seeking peace, quite and solitude from her three aggravating brothers in an old dilapidated barn. One her parents had warned her to stay away from. This first act of disobedience would start a trail of further disobedience, secrets, and lying throughout the book as one lie lead to another.

She and her brother discover an un-happy orphan whom they endeavor to help. Only they go about trying to do right, in a wrong way. Near the end, their hidden ways and un-trust-worthiness is found out. Like most story books, things are smoothed out and it has a happy ending.

If stars could be halved, I’d rate this book at about two and a half stars. It is basically a clean book, no swearing and such. Since it is designed for youth, it is free from a lot of the things which permeate books for older young people. Yet it is weak in a good moral point to inspire youth to higher living.

This book was a complementary copy from the Thomas Nelson to read and review. There was no obligation to give a favorable book review.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

God’s will about the Future

"Men and women don’t know what a day may bring forth, but Jehovah knows the end from the beginning. There are two great certainties about things that will come to pass -- one is that God knows, and the other is that we do not know."  -  C. H. Spurgeon    God’s will about the Future

“So for tomorrow and its need
I do not pray,
But keep me, guide me, hold me, Lord,
Just for today.”

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Spring blouse


Many years ago (that makes me sound ancient), one of my friends and I made matching skirts. Some of the cloth has been left all this time. Recently, I took it out and decided to make a blouse out of it to go with the skirt. It was just enough to make the blouse, just enough including having to cut the collar out twice because *someone* cut it out wrong the first time. You’d think anyone who has sewn for ten years would know when a pattern piece says, “place on fold,” you have to place that end on the fold, not the opposite end. Of course, I’m sure that *someone* did know, so I don’t know why it was not done right the first time, but I was not in the least surprised. Anyway, it turned out all right, with no extra cloth to spare. It was the same blouse pattern as this one, only I did not do the gathered sleeves.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Worth While

It is easy enough to be pleasant,
When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is one who will smile,
When everything goes dead wrong.
For the test of the heart is trouble,
And it always comes with the years,
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth
Is the smile that shines through tears.
                      *
It is easy enough to be prudent,
When nothing tempts you to stray,
When without or within no voice of sin
Is luring your soul away;
But it’s only a negative virtue
Until it is tried by fire,
And the life that is worth the honor on earth
Is the one that resists desire.
                  *
By the cynic, the sad, the fallen,
Who had no strength for the strife,
The world’s highway is cumbered to-day;
They make up the sum of life.
But the virtue that conquers passion,
And the sorrow that hides in a smile,
It is these that are worth the homage on earth
For we find them but once in a while.
*
- Ella Wheeler Wilcox