What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?

O make me Thine forever,
And should I fainting be,
Lord let me never, never
Outlive my love to Thee.

Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676

U

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away-
‘Tis all that I can do!

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

U

Heav’n above is softer blue,
Earth around is sweeter green!
Something lives in eve’ry hue
Christless eyes have never seen:
Birds with gladder songs o’erflow,
Flow’rs with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as now I know
I am His, and He is mine;
Since I know as now I know,
I am His and He is mine.

George W. Robinson, 1838-1877

My heart is stirred when I am singing hymns in church on Sunday.  I love to watch people in the congregation singing and I smiled when I noticed my husband and Mike sharing a hymnbook today on the platform.  What a blessing to see men sing!  What a difference Christ makes!  “Joy and gladness. . .and the voice of melody.”  Isaiah 51:3

“Sing when the day is bright!  Sing through the darkest night, every day, all the way!  Let us SING SING SING!” 

Morning has Broken    words by Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965)

Morning has broken
Like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird

Praise for the singing
Praise for the morning
Praise for them springing
Fresh from the world

Sweet, the rain’s new fall
Sunlit from heaven
Like the first dew fall
On the first grass

I’ll tell you how the sun rose a ribbon at a time.  ~Emily Dickinson

The inspiration for my entry today comes from the sunrise.  At 7 this morning I walked right by my big picture window to turn on the tv.  I turned it on just in time for the weather. The network showed their “live camera” shot of the sunrise and everyone at the desk had comments about the rare beauty of it.  The weather man said, “Let’s just forget about the weather report and look at this beautiful sunrise.”  I looked at the picture on the tv and then glanced out my window. . . . .at the sunrise!  I almost missed it!  I grabbed my camera, ran outside (froze) and took some pictures.  Then I got the kids out of bed to see it, too.

I don’t know how God hangs the world on nothing,

Or how he keeps the planets each in place.

I cannot count the sands upon the seashore,

Nor can I count the stars that float in space.

I don’t know how the Lord can save a sinner Or how His grace can cleanse and set him  free.  I can’t explain the mystery of Calv’ry-To think that Jesus died for even me.

But God can do what seems impossible;
God controls eternity.
My mind can never comprehend it,
But God in heaven cares for me.

(upside down)

I don’t know all the meaning of “forever”

Or just how long it’s been since time began.

I can’t explain how Christ Who is eternal

Could come to earth and die for sinful man.

But God can do what seems impossible;
God controls eternity.
My mind can never comprehend it,
But God in heaven cares for me.

Great
and
Marvelous
are Thy works,
Lord God Almighty.
Revelation 15:3

The inspiration for my entry today comes from the sunrise.  At 7 this morning I walked right by my big picture window to turn on the tv.  I turned it on just in time for the weather. The network showed their “live camera” shot of the sunrise and everyone at the desk had comments about the rare beauty of it.  The weather man said, “Let’s just forget about the weather report and look at this beautiful sunrise.”  I looked at the picture on the tv and then glanced out my window. . . . .at the sunrise!  I almost missed it!  I grabbed my camera, ran outside (froze) and took some pictures.  Then I got the kids out of bed to see it, too.

I don’t know how God hangs the world on nothing,

Or how he keeps the planets each in place.

I cannot count the sands upon the seashore,

Nor can I count the stars that float in space.

I don’t know how the Lord can save a sinner Or how His grace can cleanse and set him  free.  I can’t explain the mystery of Calv’ry-To think that Jesus died for even me.

But God can do what seems impossible;
God controls eternity.
My mind can never comprehend it,
But God in heaven cares for me.

(upside down)

I don’t know all the meaning of “forever”

Or just how long it’s been since time began.

I can’t explain how Christ Who is eternal

Could come to earth and die for sinful man.

But God can do what seems impossible;
God controls eternity.
My mind can never comprehend it,
But God in heaven cares for me.

Great
and
Marvelous
are Thy works,
Lord God Almighty.
Revelation 15:3

The most sung hymn of the Welsh Revival of 1904:

“Here is Love”

Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Lovingkindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.

Let me all Thy love accepting,
Love Thee, ever all my days;
Let me seek Thy kingdom only
And my life be to Thy praise;
Thou alone shalt be my glory,
Nothing in the world I see.
Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me,
Thou Thyself hast set me free.

In Thy truth Thou dost direct me
By Thy Spirit through Thy Word;
And Thy grace my need is meeting,
As I trust in Thee, my Lord.
Of Thy fullness Thou art pouring
Thy great love and power on me,
Without measure, full and boundless,
Drawing out my heart to Thee.

Written by William Rees

I hope you all have a blessed Lord’s day.  Remember, as we go to church today, that we should be not only worshipping God, but encouraging the saints.  We have enough to battle in our daily lives, let us be extra-loving to each other in the house of God.  And be genuine and sincere! 

I like the words to this old praise song:

Sing a song, spread some cheer
there are sad and lonely people everywhere.
Be a friend, show some love
It will lift them from the dungeons of despair.

Show a little bit of love and kindness
never go along with hatred’s blindness,
Take a little time to reach for JOY
and wear a happy face!
Sing a little bit when the days are dreary,
Give a little help to a friend who’s weary
That’s the way to make the world a happy place!

Offer help, bring some hope
To the fainting and discouraged on life’s road.
See a need, lend a hand
There are many who are crushed beneath their load.

Show a little bit of love and kindness
never go along with hatred’s blindness,
Take a little time to reach for JOY
and wear a happy face!
Sing a little bit when the days are dreary,
Give a little help to a friend who’s weary
That’s the way to make the world a happy place!

Be a LIGHT, show the way
Be a light within the night for those astray.
Speak a word, LOVING WORD
That will bring them back to walk the narrow way!

Show a little bit of love and kindness
NEVER go along with hatred’s blindness,
Take a little time to reach for JOY
and wear a HAPPY FACE!
Sing a little bit when the days are dreary,
Give a little HELP to a friend who’s weary
That’s the way to make the world a happy place!

Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment:  that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another.”  John 13:34

 I woke up last night at about 3 and I couldn’t go back to sleep for a long time.  I actually don’t even know if I ever did fall back to sleep.

 I starting thinking about CHURCH STUFF, which is my term for some of the darkest days that I’ve had. . . . a bad church experience that the Lord has graciously used to grow me spiritually.  But, unfortunately I still feel very damaged spiritually.  I wonder if I will ever have an innocent, childlike faith again.  Like my husband said, “SOMEONE HAS POISENED THE WATER HOLE”. 
I was awake thinking that I needed therapy and then I remembered that I already have a Great Physician Who knows exactly what I need to heal.
I am begging God to lead me through my devotions and prayers to just BE OKAY again.  I want to be okay.  I want to be able to live my life without doubts and fears of “what people will think”.  I do not want to be bitter or angry, either.  I want to be soft, understanding, and tenderhearted.

I started meditating on this hymn:

Day by day and with each passing moment,
strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is KIND BEYOND ALL MEASURE
gives unto each day what He deems best-
LOVINGLY, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with PEACE AND REST.

Ev’ry day the Lord Himself is near me with a special mercy for each hour;  all my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me, He whose name is Counselor and Pow’r.  The protection of His CHILD and TREASURE is a charge that on Himself He laid;  “As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,” this the pledge to me He made.

HELP ME then in every tribulation
so to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation
offered me within Thy holy Word.
HELP ME, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’re to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.

On my list of things to do today:
Meditate on the THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR. . . . . . .