|
|
This page contains
some poems and stories that
you or your loved
one may find uplifting.
I will be adding
more as I get them.
Enjoy and take care.
Poems
Temper
On
the Wings of a Prayer
If
I
A
Beautiful Story
The
Christian Alphabet
God's
Grace
Short
Stories
The
Three Trees
The
Son
The
Bird Cage
The
Price of a Miracle
When I have lost my temper I have lost my reason, too.
I'm never proud of anything which angrily I do.When I have Talked in anger and my cheeks were flaming red,
I have always uttered something which I wish I hadn't said.In anger I have never done a kindly deed or wise,
But many things for which I felt I should apologize.In looking back across my life, and all I've lost or made,
I can't recall a single time when fury ever paid.So I struggle to be patient, for I've reached a wiser age;
I do not want to do a thing or speak a word in rage.I have learned by sad experience that when my temper flies,
I never do a worthy thing, a decent deed or wise.-- Author Unknown
I did not know His love before,
the way I know it now.
I could not see my need for Him,
my pride would not allow.
I had it all, without a care,
the "self-sufficient" lie.
My path was smooth, my sea was still,
not a cloud was in my sky.I thought I knew His love for me,
I thought I'd seen His grace.
I thought I did not need to grow,
I thought I'd found my place.
But then the way grew rough and dark,
the storm clouds quickly rolled;
The waves began to rock my ship,
I found I had no hold.The ship that I had built myself was made of foolish pride.
It fell apart and left me bare,
with nowhere else to hide.
I had no strength or faith to face
the trials that lay ahead,
And so I simply spoke His name
and bowed my weary head.His loving arms enveloped me,
and then He helped me stand.
He said, "You still must face this storm,
but I will hold your hand."
So through the dark and lonely night
He guided me through pain.
I could not see the light of day
or when I'd smile again.Yet through the pain and endless tears,
my faith began to grow.
I could not see it at the time,
but my light began to glow.
I saw God's love in a brand new light,
His grace and mercy too.
For only when all self was gone
could Jesus' love shine through.It was not easy in the storm,
I sometimes wondered why.
At times I thought, "I can't go on."
I'd hurt, and doubt, and cry.
But Jesus never left my side
He guided me each day.
Through pain and strife,
through fire and flood,
He helped me all the way.And now I see as never before
how great His love can be.
How in my weakness He is strong,
how Jesus cares for me!
He worked it all out for my good,
although the way was rough.
He only sent what I could bear,
and then He said, "Enough!"He raised His hand and said, "Be still!"
He made the storm clouds cease.
He opened up the gates of joy
and flooded me with peace.
I saw His face now clearer still,
I felt His presence strong,
I found anew His faithfulness,
He never did me wrong.And now I know more storms will come,
but only for my good,
For pain and tears have helped me grow
as nothing ever could.
I still have so much
more to learn
as Jesus works in me;
If in the storm I'll love Him more,
That's where I want to be.
Just close your Eyes and open your heart,
And feel your worries and cares depart.
Just yield yourself to the Father above,
And let him hold you secure in his love.For life on earth grows more involved,
With endless problems that can't be solved,
But God only asks us to do our best,
Then he will take over and finish the rest...
So when you are tired, discouraged and blue,
There is always one door that is open to you,
And that is the door to The House of Prayer,
And you'll find God waiting to meet you there.
And The House of Prayer is no further away,
than the quiet spot where you kneel and pray.For the heart is a temple when God is there
As we place ourselves in his loving care.
And he hears every prayer and answers each one
When we Pray in His name - Thy will be done.
The burdens that seemed too heavy to bear
Are lifted away on the wings of a prayer.Author Unknown
If I knew it would be the last time
That i'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
And pray the Lord, your soul to keep.If I knew it would be the last time
That I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss,
And call you back for one more.If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I'd video tape each action and word,
So I could play them back, day after day.If I knew it would be the last time
I could spare an extra minute or two
to stop and say, "I Love You",
Instead of assuming you would know I do.If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day
Well, i'm sure you'll have so many more,
So I can just let this one slip away.
For surely there's tomorrow
To make up for an oversight
And we always get a second chance
To make everything right.There will always be another day
To say our, "I Love You's",
And certainly there's another chance
To say our, "Anything I can do's",
But just in case I might be wrong,
And today is all I get
I'd like to say how much I Love you,
And I hope we never forget.Tomorrow is not promised to anyone
Young and old alike
And today may be the last chance
You get to hold your loved one tight.So if you're waiting for tomorrow
Why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes
You'll surely regret the day.That you didn't take the extra time
For a smile, hug or kiss
And you were too busy to grant someone,
What turned out to be their one last wish.So hold your loved ones close today,
And whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
And that you'll always hold them dear.Take time to say, "I'm sorry", "Please forgive me", "Thank you", or "It's okay"
And if tomorrow never comes
You'll have no regrets about today.-- Author Unknown
As you sit in your house
You hear a sound,
You search for the source,
At the front door it's found.You open the door & there stands a man
that you've never met
with a checkbook in hand.He say's "Go gather your bills
and add them today--
I have this checkbook,
And i'd like to pay"You pause for a moment
This cannot be real
But you would be foolish
to not take this dealNow here's the surprise
this story is true!!
The door's not in your house
It's inside of you.The debt is your sin
that you carry around
But JESUS will pay it
Now how does that sound?Yes, a check he will write
with salvations pen
There's a knock at your door---
Won't you let him in?--Unknown--
A lthough things are not perfect
B ecause of trial or pain
C ontinue in thanksgiving
D o not begin to blame
E ven when the times are hard
F ierce winds are bound to blow
G od is forever able
H old on to what you know
I magine life without His love
J oy would cease to be
K eep thanking Him for all the things
L ove imparts to thee
M ove out of "Camp Complaining"
N o weapon that is known
O n earth can yield the power
P raise can do alone
Q uit looking at the future
R edeem the time at hand
S tart every day with worship
T o "thank" is a command
U ntil we see Him coming
V ictorious in the sky
W e'll run the race with gratitude
X alting God most high
Y es, there will be good times and yes some will
be bad, but...
Z ion waits in glory...where none is ever sad!
Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The first little tree looked up at the stars and said, "I want to hold treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I'll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!"The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on it's way to the ocean. "I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful kings. I'll be the strongest ship in the world!" The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. "I don't want to leave the mountain top at all. I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me, they'll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world."
Years passed. The rain came, the sun shone, and the little trees grew tall. One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain. The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, "This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining ax, the first tree fell. "Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest; I shall hold wonderful treasure!" the first tree said.
The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, "This tree is strong. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining ax, the second tree fell. "Now I shall sail mighty waters!" thought the second tree. "I shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!"
The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven. But the woodcutter never even looked up. "Any kind of tree will do for me," he muttered. With a swoop of his shining ax, the third tree fell.
The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to a carpenter's shop. But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feed box for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold, nor with treasure. She was coated with saw dust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals. The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ship was made that day.
Instead the once strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river; instead she was taken to a little lake. The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard. "What happened?" the once tall tree wondered. "All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God...." Many many days and night passed. The three trees nearly forgot there dreams. But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box. "I wish I could make a cradle for him," her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and the sturdy wood. "This manger is beautiful." she said. And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.
One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a thundering and thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She knew she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through with the wind and the rain. The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, "Peace." The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the king of heaven and earth.
One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beam were yanked from the forgotten woodpile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man's hands to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel. But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God's love had changed everything. It had made the third tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God. That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.
So next time you feel down because you didn't get what you wanted, just sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you.......
The Tale of Three Trees," is a popular children's Christmas picture book, written by Angela Elwell Hunt and illustrated by Tim Jonke. The text is copyrighted 1989 by the author
A nurse escorted a tired, anxious young man, to the bedside of an elderly man. "Your son is here", she whispered to the patient. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened. He was heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack and he dimly saw the young man standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand and the young man tightly wrapped his fingers around it, squeezing a message of encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair next to the bedside. All through the night, the young man sat holding the old man's hand, and offered gentle words of hope. The dying man said nothing as he held tightly to his son.As dawn approached, the patient died. The young man placed on the bed, the lifeless hand he had been holding, and then he went to notify the nurse.
While the nurse did what was necessary, the young man waited. When she had finished her task, the nurse began to say words of sympathy to the young man. But he interrupted her. "Who was that man?", He asked. The startled nurse replied, "I thought he was your father." "No, he was not my father", he answered. "I never saw him before in my life." "Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?", asked the nurse. He replied, "I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, I knew how much he needed me...."
A man was on the side of the road with a large bird cage. A boy noticed that the cage was full of birds of many kinds. "Where did you get those birds?" he asked. "Oh, all over the place," the man replied. "I lure them with crumbs, pretend I'm their friend then when they are close, I net them and shove them into my cage."
"And what are you going to do with them now?" The man grinned, "I'm going to prod them with sticks, and get them really mad so they fight and kill each other. Those that survive, I will kill. None will escape."
The boy looked steadily at the man. What made him do such things? He looked into the cruel, hard eyes. Then he looked at the birds, defenseless, without hope. "Can I buy those birds?" the boy asked.
The man hid a smile, aware that he could be on to a good thing if he played his cards right. "Well," he said hesitantly, "the cage is pretty expensive, and I spent a lot of time collecting these birds, I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll let you have the lot, birds, cage and all for ten pounds and that jacket you're wearing."
The boy paused, ten pounds was all he had, and the jacket was new and very special, in fact it was his prized possession. Slowly, he took out the ten pounds and handed it over, then even more slowly he took off his jacket, gave it one last look then handed that over too. And then (well, you've guessed it) he opened the door and let the birds go free.
The Enemy of the world, Satan, was on the side of life's road with a very large cage. The man coming towards him noticed that it was crammed full of people of every kind, young, old, from every race and nation. "Where did you get these people?" the man asked.
"Oh, from all over the world," Satan replied. "I lure them with drink, drugs, lust, lies, anger, hate, love of money and all manner of things. I pretend I'm their friend, out to give them a good time, then when I've hooked them, into the cage they go."
"And what are you going to do with them now?" asked the man. Satan grinned. "I'm going to prod them, provoke them, get them to hate and destroy each other; I'll stir up racial hatred, defiance of law and order; I'll make people bored, lonely, dissatisfied, confused and restless. It's easy. People will always listen to what I offer them and (what's better) blame God for the outcome!" "And then what?" the man asked.
"Those who do not destroy themselves, I will destroy. None will escape me." The man stepped forward. "Can I buy these people from you?" he asked Satan snarled, "Yes, but it will cost you your life." So Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid for your release, your freedom from Satan's trap, with His own life, on the cross at Calvary. The door is open, and anyone, whom Satan has deceived and caged, can be set free.
Sally was only eight years old when she heard Mommy and Daddy talking about her little brother, Georgi. He was very sick and they had done everything they could afford to save his life. Only a very expensive surgery could help him now and that was out of the financial question. She heard Daddy say it with a whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save him now."
Sally went to her bedroom and pulled her piggy bank from its hiding place in the closet. She shook all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Tying the coins up in a kerchief, she slipped out of the apartment and made her way to the corner drug store.
She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her attention but he was too busy talking to another man to be bothered by an eight year old. Sally twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. She cleared her throat. No good. Finally she took a quarter from its hiding place and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!
"And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother." "Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Sally answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's sick ... and I want to buy a miracle." "I beg your pardon," said the pharmacist. "My Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?" "We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I can't help you." "Listen, I have the money to pay for it. Just tell me how much it costs."
The well dressed man stooped down and asked, "What kind of a miracle does you brother need?" "I don't know," Sally answered. A tear started down her cheek. "I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my folks can't pay for it, so I have my money. "How much do you have?" asked the well dressed man. "A dollar and eleven cents," Sally answered proudly. "And it's all the money I have in the world." "Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. A dollar and eleven cents -- the exact price of a miracle to save a little brother. He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents."
That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, renowned surgeon, specializing in solving Georgi's malady. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long until Georgi was home again and doing well. Mommy and Daddy were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. "That surgery," Mommy whispered. "It's like a miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?" Sally smiled to herself. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the faith of a little child.
