A PURITAN PRAYER:

Something to think about as we reflect on Thanksgiving and the many things God has done for us and is doing right now.

A PURITAN PRAYER

When thou wouldst guide me I control myself,

When thou wouldst be sovereign I rule myself,

When thou wouldst take care of me I suffice myself.

When I should depend on thy providings I supply myself,

When I should submit to thy providence I follow my will,

When I should study, love, honour, trust thee, I serve myself;

I fault and correct thy laws to suit myself;

Instead of thee I look to man's approbation, and am by nature an idolater.

Lord, it is my chief design to bring my heart back to thee.

Convince me that I cannot be my own god, or make myself happy,

Nor my own Christ to restore my joy, nor my own Spirit to teach, guide, rule me.

Help me see that grace does this by providential affliction, for when my credit is god thou doest cast me lower, when riches are my idol thou dost wing them away, when pleasure is my all thou doest turn it into bitterness.

Take away my roving eye, curious ear, greedy appetite, lustful heart;

Show me that none of these things can heal a wounded conscience, or support a tottering frame, or uphold a departing spirit.

Then take me to the cross and leave me there.

BLAMLESS!!!

BLAMELESS

Unspotted, pure, and blessed from beginning to end,

He belongs to a realm which I cannot comprehend.

His eyes have partook in wonders I do not know,

Feared by those on high and those referred to as low.

Earth is His footstool and the place which we live and rest,

Men bow down to him and commit to Him their best.

Creation was the response of His spoken word,

Man was the result of His living breath.

Broken for me that I might be mended from sin's grasp,

Lifted up in my place that I might be brought low.

HOLDING PLACE

HOLDING PLACE

Lord, has my patience not reached the end of its stretching?

A spirit ready to move but restrained for loss of direction,

Focused not on myself, but on vessels seeking truth.

Make this time of holding peaceful, for my heart yells for more.

May my heart find the satisfaction of resting in You.

This holding place is my refinery, molding me for the next step.

Fervent for a new cause, faithful to the risen Christ.

RECKONED

RECKONED

The roof has been lifted and the doors open wide

Life's waters have flowed through, deep and side to side.

Winds of storm leaving no dark crevace to hide

The weak searching for relief and someone with to abide.

Can peace be found in the camotion of blind direction

Souls running from the truth which brings them correction....

I stand reckoned as a man torn from the inside out

My hope is in God, my foundation in whom I have no doubt.

My constructor is God, He is also my King

He lifted me after the storm when I could not sing.

My foundation is God and O so much more

He mended my broken heart and gently replaced its door.

The giver of my storm is God, I also call Him my Friend

My Comforter, my Sustainer from beginning till end.

My legs are getting tired standing here. 

I hope that cake does not fall! 

The bride and groom 

Me and the bridesmaid I walked with. 

Some more Groomsmen from the wedding. 

Here is me in my 13th wedding. Yes, officially I have now been a Groomsman thirteen times. The guy next to me is the Groom.