Psalm 139

O, Lord, you have searched me

and you know me

You know me when I sit and when I rise

you perceive my thoughts from afar

You comprehend my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways

for there is not a word on my tongue

but behold, O Lord, you know it altogether

You have hedged me behind and before

and laid your hand upon me

such knowledge is too wonderful for me

it is high, I cannot attain it.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? 

or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend into heaven

You are there,

If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell

in the uttermost parts of the sea.

Even there Your hand shall lead me

and Your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, surely the darkness shall fall on me

even the night shall be light about me

Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from you

but the night shines as day

the darkness and the light are both alike to You

For you formed my inward parts; 

You covered me in my mothers womb

I will praise You, for I am

fearfully and wonderfully made; 

marvelous are Your works

and that my soul know very well

My frame was not hidden from you, 

when I was made in secret, and skillfully

wrought in the lowest parts of the earth

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet 

unformed

and in your book they all were written

the days fashioned for me,

when as yet there were none of them

How precious are you thought to me,

O God, How great is the sum of them

If I should count them, they

would be more in number than the sand

when I awake, I am still with you.

O that you should slay the wicked, 

O God, depart from me, therefore, you

blood thirsty men

for they speak against you wickedly,

your enemies take your name in vain

Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate you?

Do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

I hate them with perfect hatred

I count them my enemies

And see if there is any wicked way in me

and lead me in the way everlasting.

tough questions from kids - why should we go to God for help?

Asking why we should go to God for help is like asking, "why should I go to the gas station for gas?" we need God because He is the one who gives us life, for one who makes us able to walk; talk and move. He is the one who gives us knowledge and the one who give us all we need. In a sense, God is the only one who can help us.

La Honda, Christmas 2010

March in A Night

I know you're new
O, so new
to me
to you
New, in a way
of Ah
Of wonderment
to me
to you
A babe you call
A spark for a new fire
A different kind of heart beat
A different taste
generosity in trust
a respect, understood
To be new
Oh, forgiveness!
I watch the tress turn dark
with night
I fade with
lightness
guiding my way
in hope
in love
in thought of you...
I have never felt so loved
cared for
respected as me
So, new
Full of wonderment
excitement
of whole body, mind and soul
Love, so new
Does it hurt?
Does it feel good?
YES...
To you, to you
in time I travel..sometimes
all the time
in time to heal
from past, mistrust
hatred of you.
hated me too!
Let's just be here...now
smell..open arms...no past
Fly, Fly, fly, Freedom!
I feel now, so different...feel good
let freedom stay,
Breath, smell
Forgive, to stay
To you
To me...O, so new

~Trina Butler Gotschall

Hymn from the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton

Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer,

pilgrim through this barren land;

I am weak, but thou art mighty

hold me with they powerful hand;

Bread of heaven

feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain

whence the healing stream doth flow;

let the fiery cloudy pillar

lead me all my journey through:

strong Deliverer,

be thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,

bid my anxious fears subside,

Death of death, and hell's destruction,

land me safe on Canaan's side:

songs of praises

I will ever give to thee.

~William Williams

I pray that I may persevere in all good things. I pray that I may advance each day in spite of my stumbling

Each day is a day of progress, steady progress forward, if you make it so. You may not see it, but God does.  God does not judge by outward appearance. He judges by the heart. Let Him see in your heart a simple desire to always do His will.  Though you may feel that your work has been spoiled or tarnished, God sees it as an offering for Him. When climbing a steep hill, people are often more conscious of the weakness of their stumbling feet than of the view, the grandeur, or even of the upward progress.

Meditation for the day ~ I pray that I may choose to cross the bridge of faith; I pray that by crossing this bridge, I may receive the spiiritual power I need

Faith is the bridge between you and God. It is the bridge that God has ordained. If all were seen and known, there would be no merit in doing right. Therefore God has ordained that we do not see or know directly. But we can experience the power of His spirit through our faith. It is the bridge between us and Him,, which we can take or not, as we will.  There could be no morality without free will. We must make the choice ourselves. We must make the venture of belief.

Psalm 73:1-2; 21-28

Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.  

But for me, my feet almost slipped; 

I had almost lost my foothold.

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, 

I was senseless and ignorant, 

I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with You, 

You hold me by the right hand, You guide me with your counsel

and afterward you take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You.

And earth has nothing I desire besides You.

My flesh and my heart will fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Those who are far from You will perish;

You destroy all those who are unfaithful to you.

But for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made my sovereign Lord my refuge. I will tell all your deeds.

Song ~ In memory of Mary Derham Warnecke

Song~

When I am dead, my dearest

Sing no sad songs for me

Plant no roses at my head

Nor shady cypress tree

Be the green grass above me

with showers and dew drops wet

If thou wilt, remember

and if thou wilt, forget

I shall not see the shadows

I shall not feel the rain

I shall not hear the nightengale

sing on, as if in pain

and dreaming through the twilite

that doth not rise or set

Happily, I may remember

and happily, I may forget

~Christina Rossetti

IF

IF you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!' If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, ' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch, if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! ~Rudyard Kipling

Tough questions from kids - Why was Jesus born in a stinky stable?

At the time when Jesus was born, Herod, the evil ruler of the area, had great forts and palaces built so he could feel safe and powerful.  One reason Jesus was born in a stable was to show us that He and His ways were opposite of the world's.  Jesus' kingdom doesn't come by force by by God working in each person.  Jesus; birth in a stable also lets us know that He came for all people, not just the rich and famous.