Helpless

I had a mental image of Jesus lying prostrate in the manger and hanging vertically on the cross - helpless in both instances and His own body forming a cross that way. As I thought on that I realized that His whole life was a sacrifice, from birth to death. Almighty God became totally helpless, to help us to know Him.

He lay helpless in the manger,
He hung helpless on the cross,
Our times of greatest gain
His times of greatest loss.

His life a sacrifice
In His birth and in His death,
God's love for every man
Who ever drew a breath.

For God took human form
In Bethlehem's manger rude,
And took all human sin
Upon a cross of wood.

When God became a man
He laid His glory by;
The Word who had made worlds
Became a baby's cry.

Then He was lifted up,
Impaled His hands and feet,
A bloody sacrifice
Sin's thralldom to defeat.

Helpless now no more
His succor He extends
To all who would receive
This gift - to be His friends.

Helpless now are we
For we can but believe,
Our greatest triumph now
Is simply to receive

The life of Him who came
To bless the human race,
And drink in to the full
The wonders of His grace.

Identification

The wonder of it all is that God so identified with mankind that He took on human flesh, actually became as we are. Nowhere else in the annals of history or religion did God become a man save in Jesus Christ. How cheap is our festivity compared to this glorious truth, that He loved us enough to become like us, to lift us up from the pit we're in and make us like Himself so that He might have fellowship with us.

Oh love of God so great,
So grand, so full, so free,
Born a virgin peasant's babe,
Identified with me.

Like me in birth and life,
He took my place in death,
Took my sin and took me in,
Paid my awful debt.

One sad and lonely night
The love of God came down;
With but a manger for a bed,
He as a man was found.

The Word of God made flesh -
Oh, can it really be
That God would take on human form
And make Himself like me?

From Bethlehem's lowly barn
I see Golgotha's tree;
From stable rude to cruel cross
To die and set me free.

How can I thank Him now?
Such love all words transcends;
He identified Himself with me
That I might be His friend.

The Shepherd And The Fisherman

I was a young shepherd that night on the hillside
When angels announced the good news;
We ran to the stable and saw the young child there
And I think that he saw us, too.

For he smiled up at me from his bed in the manger
With a smile that I'll never forget.
It warmed my poor heart like the glory from heaven;
To this day, I remember it yet.

For I saw it again while I mended my nets
On the shore of blue Galilee;
With a voice that was winsome and the smile I remembered
He said "Matthew, come follow me."

Then later I asked if perchance he remembered
When I saw him that night as a child;
With an arm 'round my shoulder and a gleam in his eye
He looked back at me and just smiled.

The Inn ... A Manger

I was struck by the contrast between "the" inn and "a" manger in the Christmas story in the book of Luke: Jesus was laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn. In that lies the entire contrast between man and God, between our ways and His ways.

"The inn...," so proud, so pretentious,
So wanton, so worldly, so wise;
"A manger...," so homely and humble,
So simple in stature and size.

The inn...the place of man's efforts
And all that his strength can achieve;
A manger...so meek and so humble,
So weak that it has to believe.

The inn...so crowded with pleasure,
Pomposity, power and pride;
A manger...so empty and helpless,
No strength from it's own supplies.

The inn..the place of man's glory,
The show case for all he has done.
A manger...the place of man's weakness
Where alone is exalted the Son.

The inn...our reason and wisdom,
No place for the Heaven-sent One.
A manger...our poor hungry hearts
With room for Jesus, God's Son.

The Little King of Christmas

The little King of Christmas
Lies on a bed of hay,
With a robe of swaddling clothes
And vessels made of clay.

His palace is of wood,
The floor of earthen sod,
A carpet made of straw -
The dwelling place of God.

Poor shepherds are his court
And oxen on him wait;
For light he has a star,
A barn for an estate.

The wind blows through the slats,
He shivers in the cold;
Rest now, my little King,
You're safe here in the fold.

This is my King for aye,
With him my lot I cast -
The little King of Christmas,
Until my life be past.

A Tale of Two Trees

Two trees stood in the forest wood
Growing together side by side;
From one came the manger where Jesus was born,
From the other the cross where He died.

So close together yet so far apart,
And really they looked quite the same;
Yet on one would He be adored by the world,
On the other would men curse His name.

One brought Him life and one brought Him death,
One held His little, sweet head;
One held the nails through His hands and His feet
And was stained with the blood that He shed.

Lord Jesus, I would bring Thee life;
Let me be a manger tree,
And cradle Thee within my arms,
Beholding Thy nativity.

Little Pilgrim

Oh, little pilgrim, I can see you
Lying on the rough-cut hay.
How long a journey have you taken
To bring you where you are today?

For you came from the realms of glory,
From the courts of heaven far,
To this rude and lowly manger,
Lying here beneath a star.

I think you know how I am feeling,
For I am on a journey, too;
My heart has so long been a wand'rer,
But it finds rest here next to you.

Your look tells me that I can stay here,
And here is where I want to be.
Could it be, while I was seeking
You, you were seeking me?

So Approachable

Had he come as the King of kings, in great pomp and majesty, he would be out of our reach; but He came as a little baby, wrapped in humility and swaddling clothes, so approachable.

Had he come as the Lord of lords, in great power and glory, he would not invite inquiry; but he came in weakness and he died in weakness, so approachable.

Had he come as judge, we would be terror-stricken at the thought of entering his presence; but he has come as Saviour, inviting us to fellowship with him, so approachable.

Had he come as God as God, we would run from him; but he came as one of us ("And the word became flesh and dwelt among us") so we can run to him, so approachable.

How can we stay away?

Christmas Journey

Wise men coming from afar,
Guided by a blazing star,
Bring myrrh and gold and frankincense,
Gifts they brought at great expense,
To worship in the King's presence.

But shepherds in a nearby field
Had the same to them revealed;
Nothing in their hands they bring,
They could not give to Him a thing,
Poor as they are, they see the King.

And we may come from where we are -
It doesn't have to be so far.
And if our gift be small or grand,
He wants what's in our heart,
Not what's in our hand.

The Baby Born in a Barn

Were He born in palace instead of a barn, then only the privileged would have access to Him, only the monied and fortunate would be able to come into His presence. But the angels announced the good news to some shepherds working the night shift, out in the fields. Not to the priests, not to the aristocracy - but to poor shepherds the angels came.

That means there's room there for the lowest of the low and the poorest of the poor. That means that everyone can come to stand before the baby born in a barn - from the highest to the lowest, from the richest to the poorest, from the highly educated to the ignorant and out-of-the-way.

There's room there for you and me, and whosover will may come. Let's come before Him in praise and worship, now and forever. Our God has made the way.

Happy Thanksgiving

We're off to Boston on Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with number one son and his family. He works in high tech and has been laid off more times than he can remember, so he doesn't have a whole lot of sympathy for my plight. We're looking forward to seeing our two granddaughters (both in their 20's); they both speak Spanish fluently, so I guess their parents will be left out of the conversations.

Comunidad, our latino church, is growing. Each of the last 3 Sunday nights it's been packed out and we have had to get more chairs to seat the people. A lady who had headaches worse than migraines for 7 years was delivered from them; her family is now on fire for God. They were all coming to church before that but now they have a fresh zeal and desire for God.

Pat has started a ministry for the latino children during the Sunday evening service. They really enjoy it and it frees the main meeting up so the parents can focus on the Lord.

I'm off work this week. I'm enjoying the weather with the leaves falling and the wind blowing - real fall weather that brings the holidays with it.

On Thanksgiving, remember - you are what you eat!

The King Is Dead

In chapters 1 through 5, Isaiah declares woe on the nations round about. In chapter 6, he changes his tune. He has had a revelation of God.

"In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and lifted up ..."


Uzziah was Isaiah's benefactor, mentor, and patron, so his death must have impacted the prophet greatly. Gone were his support, his inspiration, his encouragement. When he was at his lowest, Isaiah lifted up his eyes to his only remaining support and saw the Lord of Glory in all His majesty, His train filling the temple.

Defeat and discouragement are never the end. When we get down low enough, when we can go no lower, it is then we look up and it is then we see God. The God of the mountains is still God in the valley, the God of the day is still God in the night.

It has always been thus. Job came to the end of himself and the beginning of God (if God has a beginning). Moses' great calling seemingly got blown away with the desert winds when he saw the burning bush. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in the midst of the flames when they saw the fourth man. Joseph was rejected and in prison for so long a time when he came into the fullness of God's plan for him. Our Lord Jesus was crucified, dead and buried but raised to newness of life and glory for ever.

There are no sad endings, no dead ends, for the child of God. Our King is not dead - He rules and reigns and He carries us with Him on His great journey to Zion. I want to go with Him, and I shall. We shall see Him as He is.

Still Human

This is Oswald Chambers for November 16. This is wonderful. So often we equate success with God as ministry, when really it should be a life lived for Jesus.

. . whatever you do, do all to the glory of God
—1 Corinthians 10:31

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In the Scriptures, the great miracle of the incarnation slips into the ordinary life of a child; the great miracle of the transfiguration fades into the demon-possessed valley below; the glory of the resurrection descends into a breakfast on the seashore. This is not an anticlimax, but a great revelation of God.

We have a tendency to look for wonder in our experience, and we mistake heroic actions for real heroes. It’s one thing to go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us. If we are not looking for halos, we at least want something that will make people say, "What a wonderful man of prayer he is!" or, "What a great woman of devotion she is!" If you are properly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the lofty height where no one would ever notice you personally. All that is noticed is the power of God coming through you all the time.

We want to be able to say, "Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God!" But to do even the most humbling tasks to the glory of God takes the Almighty God Incarnate working in us. To be utterly unnoticeable requires God’s Spirit in us making us absolutely humanly His. The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. We tend to set up success in Christian work as our purpose, but our purpose should be to display the glory of God in human life, to live a life "hidden with Christ in God" in our everyday human conditions ( Colossians 3:3 ). Our human relationships are the very conditions in which the ideal life of God should be exhibited.

At All Times

So much of our conception of praise is oriented around the public meeting - we have a worship time with a worship team where we sing worship songs. That's all well and good, but does our thinking become structured around that event and not encompass all of life?

The same God I draw close to in those intense times of worship is the same God in the rough-and-tumble of daily activity. My circumstances are not uncontrolled events or happenstance but come directly from the hand of my all-wise, all-knowing, and all-powerful Lord; praise is as much in order at 8:00 on Monday morning as it is at 10:30 on Sunday morning.

Perhaps I don't feel as comfortable stuck in rush hour traffic on I-485 or South Boulevard as I do in a worship service, but God hasn't changed any. Maybe - just maybe - He arranged that situation to show me my impatience and my short fuse (I'm sure you don't huff and puff and pound on the steering wheel in a traffic jam, but I do). At that time I should praise Him for loving me enough to reveal my true self to me so that I can bring it before Him and ask Him to change me. Instead of asking where the driver in front of me got his license, I could be praising God for sending him my way to bring out this side of me.

Every circumstance is an opportunity for praise. Let's praise Him at all times and in all places, because He is worthy. Let every complaint be cut off before it leaves our lips - even before it can form in our hearts. Let God be justified and glorified in every situation, for He certainly deserves it.

BTLAU

(Back to life as usual.)And now I'm back from vacation and back in the regular day-to-day happenings of my life, which are, if you're interested: work, sleep, eat, and church. I don't sleep enough, I eat too much, I don't do church enough, and I work too much.

I'm looking forward to the Johnny Cash movie coming out Nov. 18. I grew up listening to country music, and he was one of the best. He toured for 38 years. He came to know the Lord and even made a movie called "The Gospel Road."

One of my favorite songs is his recording of "I Saw A Man," written by Arthur Smith, another country music legend who lives right here in Charlotte. (Smith also wrote "Dueling Banjos.") The song touches me because the character in the song says a man came to him in a dream, and it was the Lord. When he awoke, the Man was still there. "He said 'If I be lifted up I'll draw all men to me;' and then I saw the nail-scarred hands that bled for me. I touched the hem of His garment that fell 'round Him there; my heart, my life, my soul are in His care."

Many years ago I worked with an inmate in a prison for insane criminals; he had asked for ministry, and a friend of mine who was a guard there brought me in to speak to him. Turns out the man had seen two lights at the foot of his bed several nights before; he told me "One of them was Jesus, and I didn't care who the other one was."

He was saved, and his life changed, and the Lord blessed him to the point where he was released within a year and went back home to live with his mother. I had the privilege of sharing the love of Jesus with him for his remaining time in prison.

He sets the prisoner free.

He's Still There

I've been away at the beach for a week so I haven't been able to post anything. But I can report that the ocean's still there, the waves still break on the shore, the sand still feels good between my toes, the gulls still circle and wheel in the sky, the pelicans still dive for fish, the sun still feels good on my face, sea shells still look pretty, there's nothing quite as good as a cup of coffee on the beach watching the sunrise, the smell of salt and sand is worth a million bucks, and God's still in His heaven and all's right with the world.

Passwords and PINS and Personal Protection

I have so many passwords and PINS that I can't remember them all. Different systems at work require different passwords, and each web site on which I'm a member requires a password. Some of them cycle and some of them don't, so they're all different now.

I keep track of them in my electronic organizer in a "personal notes" section which is - you guessed it - password controlled.

Modern life has given us not only phone numbers, area codes, zip codes, social security numbers, account numbers, ID numbers, drivers' license numbers, etc., but passwords and PINS for our personal protection.

Security's a good thing, don't get me wrong. The last think I want is for someone to steal my identity (although I've had trouble enough with it as it is).

The Kingdom of God is password controlled, too. All of heaven's riches are ours with a single password; it's not a secret, and it never changes. That one word brings to us all the fullness of the Son, all the overflowing plenty of the Holy Spirit. That one word is the entrance into the life more abundant. That one word, whispered in heartfelt devotion, catches God's attention. That one word carries more weight than all the words we have spoken in idleness.

That word, of course, is "Jesus." His Name is higher than any other name and unlocks the coffers of the Kingdom. Utter that name in the depths of the valley or on the heights of the mountain and instantly you're on holy ground. Speak that name in pain or plenty and you'll never want again.

We can't come in our own name, but an abundant entrance is ours in Jesus' name. Whatever we ask in His name will be granted to us; corn, wine, oil, joy, peace, love - it all waits simply for the mention of that name.

Up The Mountain

I paused on my climb up the mountain
And gazed at the valley below,
At the plains and the grasses and meadows
And the lakes and the rivers that flowed.

So pleasant and calm, it was calling
To return to the safe and secure,
To descend once again to the valley;
I nearly succumbed to its lure.

But I turned and gazed back up the mountain,
Through the mists that surrounded it there,
And I knew that I had to go higher
And breath of its rarefied air.

Something was calling me higher
To places that I could not see,
Calling me onward and upward
To somewhere I knew I must be.

So I turned with a resolute spirit
And set out for the summit again;
My destiny calling me upward,
I could not go back where I'd been.

The briars and brambles tore at me
And tortured my frail human flesh,
But I persevered to go onward;
To stay where I was would be death.

The fog and the rain whipped around me,
The chill wind reached into my bones;
But I persevered and went onward,
Battered and tattered and blown.

The pathway was steep, rough and rocky,
My feet fain could not take a hold;
With my arms I reached out for a handhold
And climbed on through the clouds and the cold.

'Til at last I climbed onto the summit
Where the sun shone in dazzling array.
The clouds were no more and I basked there
In the light of a new, perfect day.

Oh, say, are we not climbing upward,
To the mount of the house of the Lord?
Stay not but press onward and upward
And soon we shall see our reward.

'Tis the face of the One we've been seeking,
Of Jesus, the One we adore;
We'll find that it all has been worth it
As we live in His love evermore.

We are climbing to a place we've never seen, and we long to look on One who is invisible. Yet there is something that calls us continually on, and we could no more stay where we are than we could deny Him outright. We will find that the pain and the pressure were a small price to pay for the glory that shall be revealed.

Captain of the Host

"...and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us or for our adversaries. And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come." (Joshua 5: 13, 14)

Joshua saw a man with a sword and asked him if he was on Israel's side or the enemy's side, and the man responded that he wasn't on anyones's side - he was the captain of the Lord's host.

We have our causes. We work to see righteousness wrought in this or that arena. We struggle with those of an opposite mind. And we firmly believe God is with us and for us because He is righteous and we're doing righteous things.

But I see in this scripture that God is on His own side, He has His own agenda. And when we get in line with God's agenda then all the other things will be taken care of.

God is a man of war - He's a lot stronger than we are. We need to join in His battles and He will vanquish all our enemies.

Before I came to know the Lord I held views and opinions entirely different from what I believe now. What made the difference? Salvation. When I received a new nature, it came with it's own beliefs, and they became mine. No one struggled to convince me that this or that was right or wrong - I walked in a new light which gave me new vision.

Jesus called twelve men and they turned the world upside down by preaching the Kingdom of God. They didn't have television or newspapers or books or CD's or DVD's -they had Jesus. There was as much flesh, world and devil in their day as in ours, but they had a single message and wrought wonders with it.

I'm glad there are activists fighting for good causes, but we need to advance the Lord's cause. We need to spend time with Him as did the twelve, to become thoroughly familiar with His ways, and we need to be inundated with the Spirit as were the 120 in the upper room. Then, and only then, will we be equipped to do the work set before us as as the church.

The Apostle

One of my favorite movies is "The Apostle" with Robert Duvall. A lot of people didn't like it because he portrayed a preacher who was a bit of a scoundrel - a guy with some problems. I liked it for that reason - it didn't sugarcoat anything; it came across as very real, not with the saccharine sweetness of so many Christian films. Maybe some day we'll be open and candid and admit that we have problems - we're not the perfect people we dress up as on Sunday.

That was Duvall's goal - to do a movie showing real Christians in real settings. The extras were real Christians from real churches; he told them just to be themselves and do what they do, and if they made a mistake, why, that would probably be better than what he had planned for them.

What really got to me was that he kept going in spite of setbacks. He lost his church and his family and had to hit the road (he was hiding out from the law). But he had a vision in mind of a church God wanted him to build and he ended up building it. He just didn't quit.

Even in the final scene, after he's in prison, he's on a road gang but leading the other prisoner/workers in praising the Lord.

I'm not saying that we should be hard-nosed in driving at a goal when God may be trying to change our direction - that happens, too. But this is what I took away from the film, that if the vision is from God, He will bring it to pass in spite of everything to the contrary.

It wasn't a perfect description of Christianity. Can you show me a movie that is? But it held for me that pioneering spirit, that desire to serve and love Jesus in spite of everything. That's what kept him going. That's what keeps me going.

No Form Nor Comeliness

"He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we should see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." (Isaiah 53:2)

We are attracted to the spectacular, the extraordinary, and relegate times in the valley to just being "life as usual." There are those times on the mountaintop, to be sure, but, just like Peter, we must come down and live in the valley.

"The mount for vision, but below
The daily paths of duty go."

Jesus was a root out of dry ground. Have we learned to recognize him in the most mundane details of our lives? Moses tended sheep on the backside of the desert for forty years. Joseph was in prison for so long. But God was working all the time, and the results far surpassed everyone's expectations.

Most of life is ordinary, but that is where He calls us to live out the vision. It may well be with no tangible sense of His Presence or nearness, but He looks for the life lived for Him in the valleys. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death ... "

Four Faces

Ezekiel had a vision in which he saw a magnificent cloud and a fire and four living creatures. Each of the four creatures had four faces - of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. All four creatures moved together.

The prophet saw beyond his day to the advent of the God-Man, Christ Jesus, and saw Him in all His glorious aspects. Ezekiel saw Christ as the man who walks with us, the lion king who rules over us, the ox our burden-bearer, and the eagle who takes us into the realm of the Spirit.

We must know Him in all His aspects together (for so it means that the creatures moved together). We can't walk with Him, or ask Him to bear our burdens, if we don't come under His king-ship; nor can we soar with Him in the Spirit if we don't allow Him to cleanse and heal us. We can't fulfill His purposes for our lives if we don't follow Him into the Spirit-realm.

The four gospels echo Ezekiel's vision as they describe the One who came in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. Our lives pick up the song as we enter in to this full-orbed life in Christ, allowing His full working in every circumstance to bring us to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Outsourcing

Most everyone these days is familiar with outsourcing, the practice of contracting work to another individual or firm who can do it better, or for less cost, or with less risk, etc. My own company oursources IT operations and development.

Outsourcing is nothing new. It's common in a market-driven economy. The South has recently lost a lot of employment to foreign firms who operate at lower cost, but was itself the outsourcer on those jobs a century ago when lower costs took the jobs from the North.

But outsourcing is still older than that. God is the original outsourcer:

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:6).

"I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts." (Jer. 31:33)

The essence of the New Testament is that God Himself will do His work in the lives of believers. Often times we think that we have to be really good at this or at that, or that we have to try really hard to do something just right. That is law; the law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Basically, God has outsourced to Himself the work of transforming our lives. We try to take it back but find out we can't do it. But when we allow His Spirit to invade our hearts in a particular area, confessing (not admitting) our sins, He can do a complete work.

There's an old saying that says "If you want something done right, do it yourself." That just about sums it up from God's viewpoint - if God does it, it will be done right.

This is one time that outsourcing is OK.

Diamond In The Dust

He created worlds yet he lay as a helpless babe on Mary's breast ... He walked on water yet he asked a Samaritan woman for a drink ... He fed 5,000 people from 5 loaves and 2 fishes yet he hungered and thirsted in the wilderness ... He radiated the glory of God on the Mount of Transfiguration yet no one could recognize him at the river Jordan ... He brought salvation, comfort and healing to countless numbers of people yet he himself underwent humiliation, pain, suffering and death ...

God on the one hand, man on the other. So wonderfully He became us, never losing His deity. The Wonderful One wrapped in swaddling clothes, a diamond in the dust, a pearl set in clay, hidden yet revealed.

We will have innumerable ages to contemplate His wonders, but how will we ever be able to fully comprehend all the great mysteries of God in Christ? Where can we begin? And it will surely never, ever end.

Through The Lattice

My beloved is like a roe or a young hart; behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice." (Song of Solomon 2:9)

In this verse I see the Lord revealing Himself to His beloved, albeit a little timidly, hiding, as it were, behind the lattice. Will He be noticed or ignored? Will He be accepted or rejected? He has been rejected so many times before, but His love compels Him to return yet again and seek companionship.

I felt that last night when I was relaxing after dinner, reading a news magazine. I sensed His Presence and I thought "Oh, my, that's wonderful; this feels so good," and I kept on reading the magazine. This morning the Lord showed me how ignorant and uncaring I am - I should have stopped and said "The Lord is here - let's wait on Him." That was the time He revealed Himself, in the middle of something I wanted to do. But He came seeking my heart, my friendship, and I turned Him away.

Oh, Lord, come again. Forgive my frailties and my ignorance. Teach me your ways, oh Lord, and I shall walk in your paths. Give me a contrite and humble spirit, and a hearing ear, that I might sense your coming, even the whisper of your voice that says "Rise up, my love, and come away."

Sowing And Reaping

"Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap." (Gal. 6:7)

This concept of sowing and reaping has been hijacked by profiteering, self-serving ministries that use it to dupe ignorant Christians and garner riches to themselves. If they really believed what they were saying - that God will return ten-fold to those who "sow into" their ministries - then they wouldn't need to make such requests; they themselves would give and wait to receive the increase from God.

The next verse makes it clear that Paul is talking about that which we receive into our own spirits - if it's of the flesh we'll reap corruption, but if it's of the Spirit we'll receive life.

I grew up on country music - Hank Williams (the real one, not Jr.), George Jones, Kitty Wells, Faron Young - the list goes on. I still love the sound of a fiddle and a steel guitar. But if I listen to that tear-stained, beer-stained, whining, wailing, blues-soaked, booze-soaked music, that's what I walk away with. I come away with that self-pitying, lowlife view of things - nothing's working out, poor-poor-pitiful me, I might as well go out and drink.

My soul has an automatic, built-in jukebox, and it has automatic replay. I don't know if yours works that way, but mine sure does. When I take into myself that which is of the world, that's what echoes in my soul. I sowed and I reaped. That's a far cry from where I want to be, on the mountain with the King.

But if I fill my soul with praise music, if I feed my spirit on the songs of Zion, then I reap a harvest of corn, wine, and oil - the good things of the Lord. If I seek His face early in the morning, then His touch is upon my life even in the heat of noonday. I sow, I reap.

I need to walk with Him - if I don't have Him, I die. Even though I'm under grace and free to do all things, all things are not expedient for me. A farmer wouldn't plant onions if he wanted to grow corn; neither should we plant crops we don't want to grow.

We should cry out like baby birds for bread from heaven, living water, hidden manna. If we sow to the the Spirit, we shall reap life.

Crucified With Him

How is it that I can be crucified with Christ? I wasn't there 2,000 years ago and I didn't hang on a cross next to Him, yet this is tremendously important to my spiritual life if I am to decrease and He is to increase. God's plan is not to make me better but to get me out of the way through death, and to make a new me through resurrection. I can't do it on my own, so I must go through the way that God has made for me.

It is linear thinking to see spiritual history in a timeline from then to now. But God is eternal and has a different perspective. If I view this history in a timeline I see it like this:

+ ( the cross) ........................... \o/ (me).

This way, I'm separated from Christ's death on the cross by 2,000 years. But if I view it in God's eternal perspective it looks like this:

+
.
.
.
.
.
.
\o/

So now I can see how it's possible for me to be aligned with Christ's death, even to be a partaker in it; whatever happened to Him happened to me since I am in Him. And that is possible because that's the way God sees things. Thus I can reckon (count/affirm/attest) myself as crucified with Him.

Does that mean that Christ is continually crucified? No - that was once and done. But God sees me as in Christ and Christ as eternal.

Jesus was my substitute - He took my sin upon Himself there. But He did so much more; He took my place, yes - but He also made a place for me on the cross, so I can truthfully say with Paul "I am crucified with Christ." Grasp that - you and I were on the cross because of what Jesus did there; He made a way for us.

Similarly, I can say that through baptism I am buried with Him and I can also say that I am risen and resurrected with Him (Col 2:12), and mean it - it's a reality, not a wishy-washy theological supposition.

This is not reformation of character - this is death and resurrection. Something more happened to me in baptism than getting wet - I was buried! I was in that tomb, in Christ. And when the stone was rolled away and Jesus stepped forth, I came forth with Him. With Him - all the way!

This is not suppressing my desires but allowing the Son of God to vanquish me in every area. This is not living for Jesus, but Jesus living in me. This is not walking the walk, but limping like Jacob and leaning on the arm of my Beloved.

So no longer do we have the option/privilege of living our own lives; instead we are called to usher in the King of Glory in all His beauty and all His splendor, to prepare the way of the Lord, and to participate with Him in the dawning of His Kingdom.

Are you ready for that?

Jesus Is

Jesus is

... the friend you always wanted

... the wish you were afraid to wish for because it seemed too good

... what you always thought life should be like

... the answer to all your questions

... like the sun rising in your heart

... the one who says "I'll take your part when times get rough"

... the place to hide

... the one who watches over you

... a river of clear running water

Wings and Wheels and Webbed Feet

Yesterday at lunchtime I sat outside at work on a bench overlooking the large pond at our office complex. Seven Canada Geese flew in and landed on the water, squawking and flapping their wings and gliding on their webbed feet until they came to rest in the water; then they swam around, climbed out of the water, and waddled around on the land for a bit.

Immediately after, a jet plane on the approach path to the airport flew overhead and let down its wheels. In a few minutes it would land at the airport; it would bounce once or twice on the wheels, which would each send out a puff of white smoke, and then it would taxi to the gate where it would discharge its passengers.

As I watched these airborne vehicles come to earth I thought how the geese's feet and the plane's wheels didn't serve a purpose while they were airborne but functioned fully while on land. Conversely, their wings served no purpose on the ground but enabled them to apply Bernoulli's Principle to keep them aloft in flight.

Even so, we have faculties that serve us well in the earth realm but should give way to those that allow us to function in the realm of the Spirit. We have been given gifts and callings and ministrations that apply in spiritual things and we should develop those abilitiess and employ them when the Spirit calls. The giftings we have in the earth realm may not be appropriate in a spiritual setting; we may have to fold them up, the way a bird tucks its feet up under its body while in flight so they don't impede what God wants to do in the Spirit.

We hear and respond in the realm of the Spirit through spiritual faculties, and we function in the earth realm with natural giftings. All are needed. But once we enter the realm of the Spirit we should release ourselves to God's purpose and employ those giftings that allow us to function in that arena.

May we be like the eagle that can rise up above mountains, catch the thermals, and soar for miles and miles, apprehending the direction and purpose of God for our lives and for His kingdom.

Pleasing God

"Furthermore, then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more." (1 Thess 4:1)

"When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." (Prov 16:7)

How often do people use God to justify their actions when really they only want to please themselves? People have an agenda to carry out to achieve their own ends and invoke God to back them up in it. But who are they seeking to please - themselves or God?

Proponents of homosexual rights invoke Jesus as never having mentioned the subject. Well, if they're going to bring God into the discussion then they have to seriously consider the whole package, not just the part that agrees with their agenda. Who are they trying to please - themselves or God? If you say you want to please yourself, that brands you right off. And as soon as you say you're trying to please God you have no ground at all left to stand on - you have to acknowledge what the Bible says about such things.

When people ask me if I think this or that is wrong I'm going to answer "who are you seeking to please - yourself or God?" I think that if we are seeking to please God, then the rug gets pulled out from under us if we're pushing our own thing.

I have to look at myself and the things I do. I have to ask if I'm trying to please myself or God. There are things God allows me to do but they don't necessarily please Him. I have any number of leisure-time pursuits that are harmless in themselves and which I can justify by saying "I won't go to hell if I do this," or "God knows my heart," or any number of things like that to get my own way. But am I seeking to please God? That's a whole different story.

Jesus did only those things that pleased the Father, never His own will. I want to be like Jesus.

The River of God

Last night in our latino church I preached about the river of God (Isaiah 32, Ez. 47, John 7, Rev. 22).

A river has 2 points - its origin and its destination. At the origin, and along the way, the river receives water. We receive from the Lord through His Spirit, through the Word, through ministry.

The river of God gives life and brings healing wherever it goes. As we are touched by God and our lives intersect with others, we bring life as we share Jesus and what He has done in our lives.

Finally, the river gives of its waters to the world. What a picture of how we are to be about the Father's business. Right around us are needy people hungry for a cup of cold water. Is there something we can do, something we can say, some way to relate to that neighbor, that co-worker, to develop a relationship and begin to impart something of what we have received?

We focus a lot on receiving, and we do need to receive from God because we don't have anything to give and we can only give what we receive from God. But we need to let the water flow out to others around us.

"Let the river flow ..." God, give us a heart for our neighbors, for those around us. Use our hands, our feet, our words, our lives, to touch someone.

South American Anointing?

Alejandro, our latino pastor, just returned from Chile. He said that the pastor there went to Paraguay and returned with a batch of what God was doing there and now they're experiencing revival in Santiago.

The anointing was so strong in Paraguay that I couldn't preach the night I was scheduled to; all I could do was weep and cry out - for the country, the city, the church, the people, for myself, for Charlotte.

I'm trying to figure out why the anointing was so strong there. That's probably a fruitless exercise - God just does what He wants where He can. But I want more of Him, more of His wonderful Presence, more of His Spirit. There is no one like Jesus.

I'm tired of forms and exercises and same old, same old. There is newness and freshness in God, new every day. "Come live in me, all my life take over ..."

In preparing for the Paraguay trip, I tried to write songs in Spanish and to translate my songs, and to write Christian poetry in Spanish. I can do that in English with ease (with His help, of course) but I couldn't squeaze out a word of Spanish rhyme. I'm fluent in Spanish so I thought I could do that. I told the Lord "I have nothing, nothing." And he replied that I was ready to go - He only wanted emptiness so He could fill it.

Maybe God is trying to get us empty, down to nothing. Weak. Helpless. Dependent. Then we can be strong.

The Power Of God

In my lunchtime discussion with Sean we talked about the power of God to take people from different countries with disparate cultures and different languages and make them one, brothers and sisters, through the love of Jesus. Jesus is the answer not only to my problems and my sin, but for the entire world. God bless the Marines and the Army and the U.N and everybody else that's giving their all, all over the world, and motivate us to give it all for Jesus. He's the only One who can change men from within.

And we asked God to take this fabulous sense of mission that comes from leaving it all and going to a distant land, and fill us with that right here in our every day world. We're no less called than we are right now, right where we are, and we have no less work to do right here where we are, every day.

Buenos amigos - Robert, Bruno, Marta, Javier, and Sergio 

Our team and a few friends. 

Paraguay Pics

Following are some pics of our short-term mission trip to Paraguay, which began on July 22.

The paraguayos were like little kids when we presented them with the two guitars, which my co-workers made available.

We saw unbelievable poverty - the shacks in the picture were right behind the congress building in Asuncion, which is the capitol city. Paraguay doesn't have a middle class - you're either poor, rich, or richer.

The worship meetings were tremendous. God poured out His Spirit like I've never seen before - like a flood, like a deluge, like a roaring river.

We taught 5 sessions on leadership; the need in La Viña (The Vineyard) was to raise up leaders to work with the pastor. I used paper airplanes in my session(doesn't sound very leader-like, does it?)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We stayed in a very nice house and ate all but one of our meals there. Martha, who owns the house, had built a casita (little house) out back for our team; the teen-age girls stayed there while Pat and I had a room with bath. The other guys stayed in a hotel around the corner. Every house is surrounded by a high brick wall with a steel gate in front, due to the high crime rate.

I got to use my Spanish all day, every day. We also learned a little Guarani, which is the second official language of the country. Paraguay is the only country in the world with two official languages.

What I can't show on a picture is the Holy Spirit - if I could take a picture of His beauty, His compassion and His love the way He revealed Himself to us there, it would break your heart. It broke mine.

I can't say I have wonderful memories, because I want to go on with God, to build on what He has done, not to live in the past. We can pray that He will rend the heavens and come down - to our individual lives, to our churches, to our city, our state, our country, and this needy world.

Receiving the Guitars 

Poverty in Asuncion 

Teaching (Using Paper Airplanes!) 

Worship Service 

The house we stayed in. 

My Paraguay Trip

We returned this past Saturday at 9:00 AM from our short-term mission trip to Asuncion, Paraguay. Asuncion is the capital city of Paraguay. I thought I'd be able to email more than I did because I thought there would be internet cafes, Starbucks, etc. But no. No such things there. Fast food, yes. Starbucks, no.

I was 40 years in preparation for this trip. I studied Spanish for 6 years back then because it fascinated me, came easily to me, and lit a fire in my heart. I never understood why until our latino church plant last year and my trip to Paraguay last week. Moses prepared 40 years also, on the backside of the desert, so I'm in good company. The Lord told me that He doesn't pick His fruit until it's ripe.

Just a few words now (and no pictures yet - we're still working on that). I've never experienced such power in the Spirit as there was in Paraguay. I could attribute that to God going with us or His being already there or the prayer support that so many people gave - and it's probably all of that.

The paraguayos are a very genuine/open/sincere people - no hidden agendas, very willing to share their lives and hearts with you. This is a poor country but the people are rich in things that we need.

We worked on the church building alongside the paraguayos painting, carrying bricks, and doing construction. Those were times of bonding (that's become a trite word, but that's what happened) with the guys there that God used for His purposes in opening our hearts to each other.

The worship was fantastic. I raised money to bring them 2 guitars, and they started using them right away. I was supposed to preach Wednesday night but the power of God was so strong I could only weep and cry out to God for His goodness, love and mercy.

I saw hermanos (brothers) living out the Christian life together, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder. These guys are coming up from real poverty, and their struggle has given them strength. They are wide open to the Spirit, and receive ministry the was a baby bird receives food. Would that we had such desire and openness here in our country.

More later. Thanks for praying - couldn't have done it without you.

I'm Back

Paraguay was awesome, profound, to the max! There was love, power, hope, joy, repentance - all on a scale I have never seen.

More later, with pictures.

Two Guitars For Paraguay!

My co-workers responded to my request for help in bringing a guitar to Paraguay (I should say it was God who responded and did more than I could ask or think for) and we're taking two guitars. Someone donated a beautiful acoustic guitar, and with the money donated we were able to buy an acoustic-electric guitar, 2 hard-shell cases, extra strings, strap, cable, etc.

The hard cases are to protect the guitars, which will be with checked baggage. Pray they survive the trip and that no one between Charlotte and Asuncion takes a shine to them.

We leave this Thursday. That's close!

I'm fluent in Spanish and have been around the world but never to a Spanish-speaking country. And this is my first missions trip. I guess I'm a late bloomer.

My gift is to be able to put words together in poetry and music, but I haven't been able to do that in Spanish. Consequently, I have nothing to fall back on but the Lord. Our team is trusting Him to pour out His life through us to the church in Asuncion. We are going in weakness, depending on His strength.

I know prayers will follow (or precede and/or accompany) us, and I'm grateful for that. Life - bring us life!!! Risen life!!! Overcoming life!!! Life in the Son and in the Spirit. Life that cannot die. Eternal life - the life of the Eternal One.

To Whom Shall We Go?

"Return again now to your people,
Linger no longer with me;
No other sons can I give you,"
Thus was Naomi's sad plea.

"Intreat me no longer to leave thee
Or retrun from following thee;
For whither thou lodgest I'll lodge
And thy people my people shall be."

Thus Ruth clave to Naomi
And these words immortal spake she;
"Where thou diest I'll die and be buried;
Death only shall part me from thee."

Many of Jesus' disciples
Turned back, walked with Him no more;
Jesus asked "will you also
Go away?" and Peter said "Lord,

"To whom shall we go for thou only
Have the words of eternal life;
Of the living God Thou art the Son
And we believe that Thou art the Christ."

Lord, we never shall leave Thee,
On Thee our affections we'll stay.
To whom shall we go, for Thou only
Art the truth and the life and the way.

The Jeep

In two days I will return my Jeep to the dealer. I won a two year lease on a Jeep Wrangler - with removable top and windows. It's the biggest toy I ever had.

I wanted a Jeep all my life, and I think the Lord let me have one for two years to get that longing out of my system.

Although I'd like to keep it, I can't. It only gets 16 miles to the gallon, and as I filled it up this morning at $2.099 per I realized again one of the main reasons why it's going back where it came from.

I've enjoyed my trips to the mountains in it, riding around with the top down, 4-wheeling in last year's snowstorm, trips to bluegrass concerts with Mary, and my short hair cut which doesn't get blown around so much in the wind.

By driving with the top and windows down I felt a more immediate contact with my surroundings - the smell of new-mown grass and honeysuckle along the road, the feel of a sultry North Carolina summer evening under a full moon, the feel of a summer afternoon under a Carolina blue sky, the smell of barbeque driving past Sonny's, the smell of fresh road kill (yuck!!!!!).

I 'm looking at a great picture of me sitting in the jeep with my grandson Danny. I'm keeping Danny (and my other grands) and returning the Jeep.

Accepted in the Beloved

When we face the greatest Authority in the world, the most absolute Ruler in the universe, the One who can determine our eternal destiny, the One who tolerates no sin and Who knows us thoroughly - when we face Him and find not eternal damnation and consignment to a fiery hell, but total love, forgiveness and acceptance, what can we do but fall down at His feet and worship Him forever and ever?

Foolishness

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are; That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." (1 Cor. 2:27-31)

Better to be foolish, better to be base, better to be despised, better to be nothing and to glory in the Lord, than to be wise, and lifted up, and of great reputation, and to be something, and to glory in self.

The Mind Of Christ

But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor. 2:16)

"The purpose of God is not to answer our prayers, but by our prayers we come to discern the mind of God." ~ Oswald Chambers

Every Tongue and Tribe and Nation

Last night we had the first combined service of our anglo and latino churches. There was such a wonderful spirit present as we met in the Latino church hall, learned a little Spanish, worshipped in English and Spanish, heard a message in both languages and shared communion together. There were people from Honduras, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the U.S - and even a couple from New Zealand!

There was a great turnout from both churches and we came together as one in Christ. We bridged the language and culture barriers and reached out to people different from ourselves in an atmosphere of love and acceptance.

You couldn't help but feel that this was not only a foretaste of heaven but also a glimpse of the unifying power of the Son of God, who can bring disparate people together and make them one. It makes me want to work to see His Kingdom established here, in this earth, now.

Let's be about the Father's business.

How Tedious And Tasteless

This poem/hymn is by John Newton. It always animates my spirit to know that those who have gone before shared the same longing that we know for the sweet Presence of Jesus. Jesus never changes - He's the same yesterday, today and forever. And, oh, I love Him.

How tedious and tasteless the hours
When Jesus no longer I see,
Sweet prospects, sweet birds and sweet flowers
Have all lost their sweetness to me.
The midsummer shine shines but dim,
The fields strive in vain to look gay -
But when I am happy in Him,
December's as pleasant as May.

His Name yields the richest perfume,
And sweeter than music His voice;
His presence disperses my gloom,
And makes all within me rejoice.
I should, were He always thus nigh,
Have nothing to wish or to fear;
No mortal as happy as I,
My summer would last all the year.

Content with beholding His face,
My all to His pleasure resigned,
No changes of season or place
Would make any change in my mind:
While blessed with a sense of His love,
A palace a toy would appear;
All prisons would palaces prove,
If Jesus would dwell with me there.

Dear Lord, if indeed I am Thine,
If Thou art my sun and my song,
Say, why do I languish and pine?
And why are my winters so long?
O drive these dark clouds from the sky,
Thy soul cheering presence restore;
Or take me to Thee up on high,
Where winter and clouds are no more.

Sacramentality

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee." (Isaiah 26:3)

I read last night that the word "sacrament" comes from the words "sacred" and "mental" - keeping the sacred in mind. That's something we need to do all the time, not just in some select ceremonies.

Maybe that comes from my Quaker upbringing (the horse and buggy guys are Amish, not Quaker).The Quakers have no sacraments; their founder, George Fox, said that communion and baptism are internal works and don't need external substitutes.

I wouldn't propose eliminating sacraments - but I am in favor of keeping our minds stayed upon Jesus.

Lots Of Rain

I've enjoyed the rain this week. We don't often get a steady, soaking rain; it usually pours down like a flood for five minutes and leaves the streets wet and steamy, but this rain is a slow and gentle watering.

I like this scripture from Psalm 72: "He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth."

We need Him continually, like this rain - not a 5 minute downpour, but a life-long soaking.

The Promises Of God

"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." (2 Cor. 1:20)

The promises of God are in the Man, not just in the Book. We can't approach the Kingdom of God the way we'd approach an academic subject and try to cram a lot of stuff into our craniums. It's not up to us, it's up to Him. And He's in us. And all the promises will come true as we take our place in Him.

It's not a matter of learning all the promises and holding them up before God and waving them in His face and saying "But you said ...!!!!" as I've been taught in the past. It's a matter of taking my place in the young Prince of the Universe and letting Him outwork His wonderful purposes in my life.

Real Life and The Movies

Every once in a while I have to unstring my bow and do something just for the fun of it. This is it for May.

Why can't my life be more like the movies,
With a script and a plan and a plot,
And beautiful people who're glamorous and groovy
And drive fancy cars and big yachts?

They know the ending before the beginning,
While I'm mostly up in the air
As to what's going on, if I'm losing or winning,
Or if anyone else even cares.

I own a Dodge Neon, not a beemer or caddie,
And I've never had an affair.
For all of the money I've paid to my dentist
My teeth are nowhere pretty as theirs.

They walk through the picture to sweet background music
As they go on a jaunt or a cruise.
The only sound I ever hear when I'm walking
Is from gum that has stuck to my shoes.

Their waists are so thin you'd think they eat lettuce,
While I lose the battle of bulge.
They expertly shoot Uzi's and Colts and Berettas,
While I generally feel like a cludge.

If I shot a gun I'd just shoot off my toe,
Or my foot or something far worse;
And I'd probably have some ugly old so-and-so
Instead of Gwyneth or Renee for a nurse.

Every problem they have is resolved in a minute,
Or at least by the end of the show,
While I look at my problem and know I can't win it
Until hell is all covered with snow.

In the movies their computers always boot in a flash
And they know all the passwords they need.
I have so many passwords I can't remember them all,
Just the effort makes my brain start to bleed.

In the movies they shoot a scene over and over
Until they get it just so.
But I only get one chance, and moreover,
I have to do it with only nine toes!

Iraqi Pics

Go to John Upperman's blog to see some pictures of Iraqis you won't see on the news or in the papers:

http://uppermansblog.blogspot.com/

Comunidad

Last night at Comunidad ("Comunidad de las Naciones," or "Community of Nations," our latino church plant) there was a dinner and awards for the ESL graduates and the church. We had a terrific time of fellowship over burgers with all the works (grilled outside) and desserts. In our service we inaugurated our new congas and I was tapped to play them. I got rhythm, but not technique; my hands were red and sore half way through the first song. Come back, Micah, we need you!!!

The brand name on the congas was "Caliente;" very latino. Then some astute person noticed they were made in Thailand!

Some new folks came, drawn in by the ESL class.

We sang "I'm Trading My Sorrows;" the ESL staff sang in Spanish and the latinos sang it in English - at the same time!

It's a thrill to watch this little church grow, to see men and women becoming grounded in the Spirit and the Word, to see fellowship bonds forming and people finding something of real value. The latinos have all the same problems we do plus more, and they work more days and more hours. They have a refreshing honesty and down-to-earth manner about them and it's a pleasure to be among them. Even though I'm fluent in Spanish, I had many cultural stereotypes and I've watched them all get shattered as I've come to know these people.

If you're able to visit at 6:30 on Sunday evening or 7:30 on Wednesday evening, please drop by; there will be someone to translate.

The Burning Bush

How many bushes had Moses seen
On the back of the desert where he had been
For forty years? But then there'appeared
A bush that burned, and Moses feared.

This bush the BRANCH, that Moses saw
That fateful day; he stood in awe
And turned aside to behold the tree-
To listen, to look, to hear, to see.

For forty years he'd worked and toiled
In the dirt and dust and the sun that boiled.
Then in an instant God's hour had come;
Moses became God's chosen one.

Do you feel in a wilderness,
Forgotten by God and in distress,
Your vision gone, your dreams and plans
Scattered like the shifting sands?

You're not forgotten - God sees you there;
He's put you just exactly where
He can work your soul like clay.
He has a time - there'll come a day,

But of a sudden, and not far hence,
You'll hear His voice and turn to whence
Spake clear that voice, and see Him there
And He'll tell you what, how, when, and where.

Serve Him in the wilderness
In every trial, in every test;
And when comes heaven's chosen hour
He'll send you forth in faith and power.

You'll be tempered by the fire,
Gone the anger, gone the ire;
A gentle spirit, a heavenly frame,
And you'll go forth in Jesus' name.

One Thing

"Salvation is free - everything else costs" (Wade Taylor). Let us have a single eye unto the Lord, that the price may seem as nothing for the inestimable prize which is set before us.

"In the year that King Uzziah died
'Twas then I saw the Lord."
In Isaiah's time of loss
'Twas then he heard His word.

And thus it is that sorrow brings
The thing that seemed most lost,
And thus we reign through suffering
When we have paid the cost.

"I count all things as loss," said Paul
"That I may know this Christ."
The things that once were gain to him
He lost for risen life.

The goodly merchant seeking pearls
Sold all he had for one.
Oh, woulds't thou have a precious pearl?
Sell all for Christ, the Son.

For one thing only matters most,
One thing worth all the rest -
To know Him as we're known by Him -
This is the highest and best.

"One thing have I desired of God,
That one thing I pursue,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,"
Said David; what say you?

He is the treasure in the field,
He is the treasure rare,
For which we sell all that we have
And find that He is there.

Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates.

"If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Rom. 8:17)

"And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl." (Rev. 21: 21)

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in." (Psalm 24:7)

I have long felt that we are the city of God, and the gates are for His entrance into that city. It is through suffering that we come into His purposes and reign together with Him. As the pearl is wrought from distressing circumstances, even so our suffering yields glory. This poem brings it all together.

The pearl - a treasure of great price;
But wrapped within it's hidden life
Is a tale that sorrow brings -
A treasure wrought through suffering.

In the darkened ocean deeps
The oyster there its vigil keeps,
Content until a grain of sand
Lodges in its chambers and

Beomes an irritating source
Of trouble and vexation sore,
Of bother and distress and pain
'Til it must alleviate the strain.

It then surrounds the grain of sand
With the white pearl substance and
Brings from pain a comfort there,
Creating thus a treasure rare.

And we, the children of the Lord,
Fnd that trouble oft' affords
A time to call upon His name
When in distress we are, or pain.

And glory, thus, from suffering,
Becomes our rallying cry and theme.
Our comfort is His Presence fair,
And, oh, 'tis pleasant to be there.

And thus the gates of pearl are made;
Oh, ye gates, lift up your heads!
The King of Glory shall come in,
And thus through suff'ring we shall reign.

God, You're Good

My daughter wrote this - it's worth sharing.

God you're good.
If you give me what I deserve, you're good,
If you withold it from me and instead, bless me with grace, you're good.
If you provide for me, and give me peace, you're good,
If you take it all away and leave me frustrated and humiliated, you're good, you're still good.
If you bless me with sleep and health, you're good,
If you sit with me through waking hours and sickness, you're good, you're still good.
If I see your promise in this lifetime, you're good,
If it greets me at heaven's gates and not a minute sooner, you're good, you're still good.
I trust your nature, your name, your promise,and your will,
Because you're good, you're still good

Press In

The story of the woman with the issue of blood can be found in Luke 8:43. I once had the privilege of hearing C.M. Ward, the great Pentecostal preacher, preach on this story. He surmised that the woman, who could not press through the crowd in her weakened condition, must have then crawled through the crowd on her hands and knees; why else would she have touched the hem of His garment, except she were down that low? I incorporated that thought in this poem.

She said in her heart "Oh, if only
I could touch just the hem of His robe,
I'd be well, I'd be whole, and completely
Would stop all the blood that has flowed."

She'd spent all her money on doctors;
No better was she, but indeed,
She was worse for they never could help her;
And so she continued to bleed.

Then one day she heard Jesus was passing
And went out to where He would be.
But she found that the great throng was pressing
The Master; she hardly could see

The One who she knew that could heal her,
The One whose sweet touch she so craved.
The crowd was all thronging about Him,
And she knew that if He were to save

On that day that she'd have to be bolder
Than ever before she had been;
And so, in her weakened condition
She took hold and began to press in.

She struggled past women and children
And folks who were stronger than she,
Past seekers and beggars lepers,
And then she fell down to her knees

And struggled past people who kicked her
And spat on her as she crawled by;
She had to, just had to, see Jesus,
To see Him or else she would die.

At last she finally had reached Him
And stretched forth her hand to His robe,
Immediately sensing His virtue
And receiving His power as it flowed.

"Who touched me?" cried Jesus, "'tis someone
With faith and with such a great need;"
"Everyone," said His disciples,
"Everyone's near You, indeed."

"Woman," He said as He saw her,
"Such faith has gained your reward."
That day she knew that she always
Would remember His kind, gracious words.

And oh, let us press into Jesus,
Past all that would hinder and hold,
Past religion and habit and custom,
And tradition and doctrine so cold;

'Til we touch Him! Oh, let us touch Jesus,
For we'll find in Him all that we need;
He only, He ever, can help us,
And we'll find that His grace will exceed

All of our prior expectations
And all that we've ever been told.
Just one touch will change us forever -
Let us press in and be bold.

The Good Shepherd

Perhaps some day we'll know how very much He loves us. Maybe this little poem will help in that realization.

I am the lost, lonely, poor little lamb
Jesus came looking to save;
So far away had I wandered that day,
I am sure I'd be now in my grave

If the Shepherd had not left the others alone
To come and to look for me there.
So frightened was I, I could do naught but cry,
And he heard my sad cry as a prayer.

Oh, why had I wandered so far away?
Why had I gone on my own?
The grass looked so green and the meadow so fair,
But I ended up there so alone.

A delight to the eye were the things I had seen,
They were such an attraction to me;
They called out to me and they beckoned me on
And I blindly went where they did lead.

But the beautiful sights that seemed such a delight
Turned to thorns and to thistles so sharp;
Then the rain and the cold and the fog took a hold
And imprisoned me there in the dark.

My flesh had been torn by the briars and thorns,
I was lonely and hungry and cold;
I wanted no more than be found and returned
To where I had strayed from the fold.

O'er the wind as it howled came a sound to my ears
I'll remember for eternity;
Through the rain that was falling my shepherd was calling
My name, he was searching for me.

"Here am I, here am I," was my faint, feeble cry,
"Over here in the thicket so sharp;
Here I am, here I am, your lost, little lamb -"
He was coming to me in the dark.

Then at last I was found as o'er the rough ground
He came up the mountain so steep.
I looked and I saw with wonder and awe
The wounds in his hands and his feet.

Then I saw in the rain all the blood and the pain,
All the anguish he suffered for me;
For me who was lost he had paid such a cost
For my freedom and my liberty.

I scarcely could stand so he reached out his hands
And lifted me up to him there.
Wrapped in his embrace, I looked on his face,
And saw there not raindrops, but tears.

"I have found you at last, through the storm and the blast,
I have looked for you both low and high.
Come, let's go home, my dear, precious one,
And we'll never more part, you and I."

Then he carried me along on his shoulders so strong
And he sang me a song on the way -
"Thou art mine, I am thine, and in me you'll find
All you'll need for now and always."

Oh, he loves me, I know, but how is it so,
That one so unworthy as I
Could merit like this the joy and the bliss
Of being thus with him so nigh?

Why should he care to look for me there
In the terrible place I had strayed?
To leave all behind and seek me to find?
Why pay the great price that he paid?

Oh, 'tis love I've heard of, that comes from above,
That sent him out looking for me;
'Twas love on a cross that paid all my loss
And set me eternally free.

Now the Shepherd and I dwell together for 'aye,
I'll nevermore, ne'er go astray.
I am His, He is mine, forever entwined,
Together for now and always.

The Passion

As I began this poem, it became clear that the Lord wanted something with the intensity of the movie "The Passion." Although lacking the visual element, words evoke images, so it is all there. Take time with this, and let it seep into your spirit - take time to hear the sounds and see His Passion.

The angels must have cried out when they looked upon the scene,
To see the One they loved so much so beaten and demeaned.
The banisters of Glory could not hold them all
As they struggled there to watch Him as He’d stumble and He’d fall.

They’d seen Him mocked and beaten with the scourge and with the lash,
The crown of thorns put on Him by the men so rude and rash.
They’d seen Him torn and battered, they’d seen the crimson flood,
White bone exposed to daylight in a scarlet sea of blood.

They’d seen Him fall and stagger as He struggled there alone,
They’d seen the skin and sinew as they ripped it from the bone.
They’d heard the raging crowd as they cried out “Crucify!”
And they watched their darling Jesus as they led Him forth to die.

Now He stumbles and He staggers walking up the stony path,
He’s mocked and jeered and spat on by the people in their wrath.
(Not so very long ago He in the manger lay,
But now that’s all forgotten on this, His dying day.)

Oh, my! He falls and stumbles! Th’excruciating pain
Has bested Him, He can’t go on, He falls and falls again.
The lash snakes out and gouges Him along His quivering back,
He cries out but remains where He has fallen in His track.

Simon now is carrying the cross on up the hill;
And Jesus follows after, but He sways and stumbles still.
He staggers and He stumbles, He stumbles and He sways;
He leaves a trail of blood in the dust along the way.

And now up on the mountain top they lay Him on the wood,
Stretch forth His hands, impale them there, the epitome of good.
They nail His feet, then lift Him high, then they let Him drop;
His body quakes and trembles as He feels the jarring shock.

He hangs ‘twixt heaven and earth there, bleeding out His last;
The angels watch Him suffer and all heaven is aghast.
Their tears fall down like raindrops just to watch Him suffer so,
To see Him in such pain, to see His blood so freely flow.

A raging thirst inflicts Him, and He cannot draw a breath,
All His bones are out of joint as He fast approaches death.
The angels gasp to hear the Savior cry out from the tree -
“Oh, my God, oh why, my God, hast Thou forsaken me.”

The earth begins to tremble and the thunder rumbles loud,
The sun goes dark, the sky turns black, an enveloping, funereal shroud.
The Son cries “It is finished!” and then gives up the Ghost;
The angels weep to see the death of Him they loved the most.

With a sword they pierce His side, and blood and water flowed;
The soldier with the sword said “Surely, this must be the Son of God.”
His friends aghast, to see the last, of all their hope and trust;
The angels cast their downward glance at the death of all that’s just.

They took His body down and laid Him in a borrowed tomb;
They rolled a stone before the door to keep Him in the gloom.
The angels hide their faces underneath their folded wings;
Their sad grief knows no limits at the sorrow that it brings.

Three days, and then one morn an angel rolled the stone away;
The disciples came and looked and saw He was not where He lay.
For love is stronger far than death, and death its limits knows;
The Christ that suffered so for us is the Christ that for us rose.

Oh, friends, we know the story, how the Savior suffered thus,
He took the weight of all our sin and bore it there for us.
Are we as moved as angels as we contemplate this scene?
Or do we pass by glibly, and thus God’s grace demean?

Oh, let His Passion move us, let it be our rallying cry;
He suffered for He loved us, and that enough to die.
Let this be our passion – the Grace of God so free,
And let us in this love find all our life and liberty.

Exodus

The God of all power, the God of all might,
Dwelt with His people by day and by night.
Not with th'Egyptians or Syrians dwelt He,
But out in the desert, where no one could see.

A cloud of smoke was He in the day,
A pillar of fire by night in the way.
Frail people and small, this people of God,
But, oh, He was with them, on plain, common sod.

He'd freed them from Egypt, from slavery's grasp,
And brought them all out to freedom at last.
Ten plagues He had wrought, then saved by the blood,
Then on dry land through the Red Sea's strong flood.

Then on Mount Sinai He gave them the law;
The mount shook and trembled, the people in awe.
All along He provided, with rivers from rock,
Manna from heaven; He cared for His flock.

For forty long years He led them across
Sinai's vast desert; not once were they lost,
For 'twas all by His leading, all by His hand,
The wilderness wanderings across the vast land.

Then on to Canaan, He'd promised it so,
With milk and with honey the Promised Land flowed.
And each had a portion in the land that He gave,
Not one was lost, all His people were saved.

And we who have trusted in Jesus, our God,
Have been saved from our sin and been washed in the blood.
Perhaps we have wandered, and not known the way,
But Jesus was leading by night and by day.

He's fed us and kept us, we never have lacked,
And though we have wondered, we've never turned back.
For who would not follow a King such as this,
One who Has never once led us amiss?

And, oh, He is with us as He was in those days,
The fire is His acts, the smoke is His ways.
The light of His Spirit illumines our hearts
And we'll follow that light as we have from the start.

Come weather that's fair, or foul it may be,
We'll follow Him still for we care only that He
Is our constant companion, our guide and our friend,
And we'll walk with Him closely, on to the end.

The Lord's Prayer

"Our Father," 'tis a wond'rous thing
That we would call You such a name;
Father God, Life-Giver, Thou,
Strangers once, we're children now.

"Who art in heaven," so far, yet near,
You dwell among your people here.
Oh, rend the veil that we might see
How very near we are to Thee.

"Hallowed be Thy Name;" we'll praise
Your wond'rous name for all our days.
At your feet we lowly bow
And give you all our worship now.

"Thy Kingdom come," for this we cry,
To see your Kingdom reign draw nigh.
Our one and only Monarch, Thou,
Take up Thy crown and scepter now.

"Thy will be done," we cry, not ours,
As we approach the final hours.
Bring your Kindgom reign to birth
And redeem this fallen earth.

"On earth as heaven," you have planned,
Not in some far-off, distant land;
But here and now, and now and here,
This earth be in Thy Kingdom's sphere.

"Give us this day our daily bread,"
Daily would we thus be fed;
Thy flesh our bread, our drink Thy blood,
Thyself our necessary food.

"Forgive our debts," the things we've done
That caused the death of Christ, the Son.
Mercy sweet flows from the cross,
Forgiveness springs from Jesus' loss.

"As we forgive," Lord, may it be
That we in this might be like Thee,
That we may freely all forgive
And learn that thus we truly live.

"Into temptation lead us not,"
It leads us to sin's fires so hot.
We are weak and vile and small,
Keep us from temptation's thrall.

"From evil, Lord, deliver us,"
Keep us ever near the Cross -
Our place of safety, fount of grace,
Our shelter strong, our hiding place.

"Thine the Kingdom," Thou the King,
Thine the crown, throne, sceptre, ring;
Thine the power by Royal design,
Thine the power, the weakness mine.

I would not pray by rote alone,
But come humbly to Thy throne,
Cast all my crowns down at Your feet,
Know You in communion sweet.

My Poetry

I haven't written poetry for years. At one time there was a steady flow, but it stopped. But recently it has begun again. I have no explanation for this - it's just the creative work of God. I like to say that I don't write the poems, I just write them down. I have a place in my heart where the words come.

I am writing a new poem almost every day. This is the cruze of oil that never fails. This is the manna that's new every morning. This is daily bread.

These poems are life to me - I pray that they're life to you as well.

One question that always arises is "Why don't you sell these?" I did try at one time to market my songs; believe me, you have to know somebody or be more persistent than I am to make a go of it. This is my alabaster box - I'd just rather break the box and pour the ointment forth on our wonderful Jesus than to try to sell them.

Please check back every now and then. Although I can't guarantee that this will continue like Old Faithful and erupt every so often, I have found that God is faithful. I can't even begin to write a poem until I have posted the last one. I'd like to have one or two in reserve, but He won't let me. I just trust that He will continue to bless me with this unfolding of His word and His plan and that you will continue to be blessed. Please share the poems as you wish - I think God has His own distribution channel.

Thank you for reading.


Nick

You Shall Live

I hung on the cross next to Jesus,
On the cross next to His on the hill;
I was paying for crimes I committed,
For things I had done of free will.

I deserved what I got so completely,
I was guilty just as they said.
So they beat me and whipped me and hung me
On the cross there to hang until dead.

Oh, the pain was so great, I remember;
I knew then that all hope was gone.
My body was racked with the torture,
The day seemed an eternity long,

When there to my left I saw Jesus
Upon an old cross just like mine.
But I knew that He had done nothing,
I knew that He was Divine.

But why was He bleeding and suff'ring
Like me, just a liar and thief;
Why was He hanging and dying
On a cross; why take on this grief?

In a flash, then, I knew in an instant
When I heard Him pray "Father, forgive,"
That He came down to earth for this moment -
To die so that others might live.

The sinless One, Jesus, was dying
On a cross next to mine on the hill;
He'd taken the sin and the sorrow
Of the whole human race as God's will.

Such love, oh, I never had known it,
Such love as was shown by Him there;
All my grief and my sorrow forgotten,
As I managed to cry out my prayer -

"Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, remember
When into your Kingdom you come,
Remember this thief and this sinner,
Remember this Adam's lost son."

Then the words that He spoke I shall never
Forget, when He answered my prayer -
"Today, friend, today you'll be with me.
In Paradise - you shall be there."

There is pardon for all who will cry out
To Jesus, who's taken our place;
He's there! He's so close, right next to you,
Just turn now and look on His face.

You'll see there such grace and such mercy,
As only a Savior could give;
Cry out to Him just like I did -
You shall live, you'll not die, you shall live!

Adam, Where Are You?

Oh Adam, my Adam, oh where have you gone?
Why have you stayed away for so long?
I've come to the garden in the cool of the day
For fellowship sweet that we've shared in the way.

I made you this garden with all its good things,
And the great Tree of Life to give your heart wings.
Another tree, too, in the midst did I place,
And gave you the choice of that tree to taste,

The Tree of the Knowledge of Evil and Good.
I fear you've partaken, I feared that you would;
You were created from dust of the ground,
And some of the earth realm within you is found.

Has the serpent beguiled you to eat of that tree?
Have you listened to him instead of to me?
Did he take what I said and twist it around
And thus give to sin a beautiful sound?

What's that? You're naked? Who told you you were?
Eve spoke to the serpent and you've listened to her?
I fear I must send you out from the midst,
To suffer and toil and labor like this.

But I'll make a way for you to return
To me in the garden, to the God that you've spurned.
I'll take on your sin, I'll take it as mine;
On a hill on a cross on Calv'ry you'll find

That the God of all love has taken your place,
My Son will have taken your sin and disgrace
And nailed it all there to the cross on the hill
And paid all the cost, if only you will

Come to me there, for I'll make a way
To restore you to Eden and win back the day.
His name is Jesus, and in Him you'll be
All that I ever had destined for thee.

In my death you'll die and in my life you'll live
And receive all I ever have wanted to give.
'Twill no longer be you, created from earth,
But all in the Son, of infinite worth.

Oh Adam, my Adam, find life in the Son,
For in Him both you and I can be one.
Forever my Son shall be the new way
And we'll walk in the garden in the cool of the day.

Behold, I Do A New Thing

"Oh, God, what shall I do?"
Cried Moses to the Lord;
"There's water on three sides,
To the the rear th'Egyptian horde."

"They followed us from Egypt
To the Red Sea shore;
They'll surely overtake us
And we shall be no more."

Then the pillar of the cloud
Went from before their face
And stood behind the Israelites,
God's protecting grace.

Light it was to them
But darkness to the foe;
All night it blocked their path,
They could not onward go.

A strong east wind did blow
When Moses stretched his hand,
And the Israelites went across
The sea upon dry land!

The enemy followed hard
Upon the Israelites' heels,
But then the Lord looked out
And removed their chariot wheels!

The Red Sea closed upon them,
And drowned them one and all;
God saved His chosen people
From th'Egyptian thrall.

Much later on we read
Of the disciples in the boat
Out on the stormy sea;
They had lost all hope.

Then Jesus came to them,
Walking on the waves;
When things were at their worst,
Jesus came to save.

Sometimes God parts the waters,
Sometimes He walks on them;
Mysterious are His ways
To the seeking hearts of men.

Look not for God to do
What He has done before;
He's always on the move,
Something new He has in store.

So when the water's high
And the clouds have all turned gray,
Ask not what He shall do -
He'll do it His own way.

Yours but to trust in Him
All for you to do;
He'll move heav'n and earth
And bring you safely through.

Lazarus

“Lazarus, our brother, has taken sick,
The one you love so very much,”
Said Mary and Martha. “Please come quick,
And heal him with your loving touch.”

"This sickness is not unto death,
But for my glory," spake the Son.
(The things that seem to us the worst
Bring greater vict'ries to be won.)

Jesus did not hurry there,
But, because He loved them so,
(O, the mysterious ways of God)
Stayed where He was; He did not go.

The one beloved had passed away
(Jesus said he was asleep).
At last He went; they met Him there,
With sorrow now so very deep.

"If you'd been sooner, he'd not have died,"
Both wept sorrowfully to the Lord.
But Jesus did not once despair,
Remaining faithful to His word.

"I am the Resurrection and the Life;
Your brother shall arise again.
Believe in me and you shall see
Things not seen before by men."

Then they took Him to the place
Where His stricken friend was kept.
He saw their sorrow, deeply moved;
'Tis recorded that He wept.

("Jesus wept," O wond'rous thought,
That He sees the plight of men;
That He sees and cares so much
For us who had offended Him.)

"Remove the stone," He told them then.
"But Lord, he has been dead so long."
"Only believe and thou shalt see
An end to death, and sin and wrong."

Then in a voice the dead could hear
He cried out "Lazarus, come forth!"
And Lazarus stepped forth from the grave,
And proved the Great Redeemer's worth.

Wrapped hand and foot and head with cloths,
He could not walk nor could he see.
Then rang Jesus' voice again -
"Unloose this man, and set him free."

His voice has pierced the stifling dark
Of the tomb that sealed me in,
Spoke His life into my death,
Raised me up to live again.

Like Lazarus I have come forth,
Released from death's cold, icy grasp,
Called to walk in risen life
And free to be with Christ at last.

And if He seems to have delayed
In things that I've asked Him to do,
It is because He is the King
And knoweth just what He shall do.

His timing's best, much better far,
Than all my little plans and schemes;
He has for me a risen life
Far beyond my fondest dreams.

The Return

I saw you from the doorway –
I’d been watching there for you,
Hoping you’d return
As wand’rers sometimes do.

You’d wandered such a long way,
So very far from home,
A stranger in a strange land,
Lost and all alone.

A far country took you from me.
When famine came in time,
All spent, poor as could be,
You fell to feeding swine.

Swine’s husks you fain would eat
But deep within said “No;
In father's house is meat;
To father’s house I’ll go.”

"The servants there fare better;
Perhaps I can be one.
I'll take a lower place,
Unworthy as a son."

And then one day I saw you,
Far, far down the path.
I leaped and I ran to you;
I had no thought of wrath.

I threw my arms around you,
So glad that you’d come home.
Hot tears ran down my cheeks,
My precious, long-lost son.

You said “I’ll be a servant.”
I said “You are a son.”
A robe, a ring, and new shoes,
For life, from death, was won.

Oh, reader, have you wandered?
Are you close as you should be?
The Father waits and watches
To catch a glimpse of thee.

Take one step! He sees you!
He’s coming, drawing nigh.
He’ll wrap His arms around you,
You shall live, you shall not die.

The robe is His salvation,
The ring, authority,
The shoes, a walk in God –
He giveth all to thee.

Psalm 8

David saw the Kingdom in his day, a people that would rule and reign over the earthly realm with heavenly authority - not to make fish and fowl go here and go there, but to vanquish sin in all its aspects, to conquer self, turn the world upside down.

David, as you sat out on the hill,
Beneath the stars so quiet and still,
Contemplated God's great will,

You saw the heavens so great and vast,
Our life a vapor soon to pass,
But grasped the plan of God at last

Of a people who would rule and reign,
Have dominion in His name,
Leave this sad world not the same.

Fully rescued from the fall,
They'd have dominion over all -
Fish, and fowl, and beasts that crawl.

Fish that swim in oceans deep
Are passions strong that try to keep
Us locked up in sin's depths so steep.

Fowls that fly across the sky
Are thoughts that crowd our minds and try
To make us our great God deny.

Sheep and oxen, beasts of the field,
Are our emotions which can yield
A heart against the Spirit sealed.

Those that live for Christ alone
Will receive from Him a stone
Of white, a name but to them known.

They shall prove Messiah's worth,
Bring His Kingdom reign to birth,
As in heaven, so on earth.

Miracle At Zarephath

The story of the widow woman at Zarephath can be found in 1 Kings 17. Zarephath means "workshop for refining metals."

The widow woman of Zarephath
Was preparing for her death;
A scant supply was all she had,
And then things went to worse from bad.

She and her son would eat their last
And then their lives would soon be past.
Then on that day the prophet came
And things would never be the same.

The prophet asked her for a drink
And just as she was on the brink
Of fetching that, the prophet said
"Oh, and please bring me some bread."

"I've only for my son and me;
Why can't you just let us be?"
But God had come with His demands
Which can't be met by human hands.

And just when things were at their worst
The prophet told her "Feed me first."
For he had heard a word from God
And even though it seemed now odd,

And told her if she'd meet his need,
She would never lack indeed.
She did just that and found it true -
God met his needs and her needs, too.

God has a bountiful supply -
The well is deep, it won't run dry.
So if you hunger, if you thirst,
Don't look to self - put Jesus first.

If your soul is on the brink
Give Him to eat, give Him to drink.
In serving Christ you're sure to find
Enough for thee and all mankind.

Then Came Jesus

The wind was so high and it made a sad cry
On the lake on that cold, fateful night.
The waves were so tall and our boat was so small;
So frightened were we in our plight.

'Twas all shrouded in mist, we'd not seen it like this,
In the years that we'd worked under sail.
As the storm reached it's peak the wind made a shriek
As a demon would make when it wailed.

It seemed like our boat no longer would float
And we'd plunge to the depths in the storm.
The night seemed so long and all hope was gone;
We were ragged and wet and forlorn.

And then there appeared, and by all greatly feared,
A man, one who walked on the deep;
There was nowhere to hide, "'tis a spirit," we cried,
It seemed like a dream from our sleep.

His robe was so white, it shone through the night;
"'Tis I," he said, "Don't be afraid."
In single accord we all knew 'twas the Lord,
And our fear, like the night, soon did fade.

On the sea He was borne, in the height of the storm,
He walked out to us on the waves;
When our frail boat was tossed and when all hope was lost
Then came Jesus, so mighty to save.

And Peter, brash lad, (such bravado he had),
Said "Lord, it it be really Thou,
Bid me come unto Thee; I'll walk on the sea,"
And Jesus said "Come to me now."

Oh, how I wish I had courage like this;
I, too, wished to run to my Lord.
Peter put his heart to it, he really did do it;
We gasped as he stepped overboard.

And he walked on the sea! (How I wish it were me!)
He walked toward the Lord on the waves!
Then he started to sink and slip into the drink
When the Lord stretched His hand forth to save.

And, friend, what of thee, art thou out on the sea
In a raging, tempestous storm?
Look for Jesus to come when the storm's work is done,
Look for Jesus and look for the morn.

He's coming just now - look over the bow,
He's walking to thee on the waves;
He's coming to thee and soon thou shalt see
That Jesus is mighty to save.