Life with God

Composed ad lib on 29 June 1999. Reminiscent of 'Mediate' by INXS.

A clean washed slate
A brand new start
A forever-changed fate
A spot-free heart
A life worth living
A mindset of giving
The praises to declare
It's like walking on air
I am secure
Jesus is the cure
Because of the grace
I seek your face
I am full of cheer
Because God came near
Free from sin
Start over again
Seek the lost
Carry your cross
Give it all up
And drink the cup
With you I'll be
For all eternity
Sisters and brothers
Love one another
Help the poor
And treasure you will store

My life is an open book

My life is an open book
Made by the Almighty God
The pages describe the days of my life
The places I have trod

The beginning describes my past
Where I came from, where I've been
One thing that's true about these pages:
I cannot change what has been written

But today, I have a choice
Today the slate is clean
Today I have a brand new page

Spiritual Haiku

You are so holy
No one else is like you, God
Perfect in all things

My joy has no bounds
I am free from all my sins
Loving my new life

My cistern is dry
Renew me Holy Spirit
So I'll be brand new

Loving life' all right
Loving Christ is better yet
He's the only way.

My Almighty God
Awesome are the works you do
To you be the praise

O giver of live
I'll serve you eternally
Keeper of my soul

Oh I need your love
So fulfilling to my soul
Nothing else compares

Dear God,

Thank you for your son, Jesus Christ. I thank you also for the great, true principles that are in your Bible. Without them, my life would be so insecure and meaningless.

You are the source of joy in my life. I want to change my life to become more like you. I see this in my relationship with the child you've given me. I realize that her image of you is seen in how she sees me. Lord, I know that I've been such a poor example.

Yesterday, for example, I lost it. After the morning rains, I let our dog Jake outside in the backyard and tie him up so that he wouldn't run away. Moments later, while getting things cleaned up for lunch, I notice him outside eagerly digging a deep hole -- all muddy. All I could think about was that there was this extra work that would have to be done in repairing our yard and cleaning the dog up. I turned on the hose and throughly drenched him with water, holding onto the leash so that he couldn't run away from me.

Then I tied him up to an old toddler bedframe that had been sitting in the backyard and went back inside. I saw Keisha at the kitchen sink. She was trying to wash off some blue marker she had colored her face with. Again, all I could think of was this was going to be more work to do when other things weren't getting done, like making lunch.

All of sudden, I heard the dog start barking and take off around the house. I guess the toddler bed frame wasn't heavy enough. I found Jake in the front yard chasing a black cat. He was still tied up to half of the toddler bed frame. Keisha comes out, curious as to what's going on. "Get back inside!" I yelled, knowing that as soon as the dog sees her, he head straight for her, towing half of the toddler bed frame. Well, I wasn't fast enough because that's exactly what Jake did, and, in the process, knocked Keisha over with the half of the bed frame.

Now Keisha's upset, Jake's upset, and I'm upset. Jennie comes out and says, "Have you LOST YOUR MIND?!" I cry out, "YES!" as I untie him. Then I began to sob, regretting my outburst of anger.

God, these experiences are teaching me and showing me how I'm not in control over my anger, but I hate the effects they have on those I love. As I think of my relationship with Keisha, I cannot help but see my Dad and I when I was growing up. I don't want to make any excuses. I want to change. Please give me the desire -- make it burn within me, O God!

Thanks so much for your grace, mercy, and undying love.

Your son,
Dan

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Dear God,

Today our nation and much of the world mourns lives lost one year ago today. It has been a rather emotional day for me so far. Praying for the families of those lost, as I read their names, was so hard to do without sobbing. You are the "God of all comfort". I know you hear our cries and see the tears, not only today but every day.

As I tore up the pages with the names of those whose lives on earth ended last 11 September, I threw them into the Great Miami River. These souls are in your hands now, yet there are so many still alive who are not your disciples. I pray today that you will bring about a serious revival that has not been seen in our day. Let the hearts of men and women in our community and around the world be softened and opened up so that they will seek and find you, O Lord!

Thank you so much for Jesus Christ. It's in his name that I pray. AMEN!

What a great article about Christians in the military. Lord, I pray for your people around the world in the military. I know that you are ultimately in control of every world conflict, and you raise up and throw down rulers. Thanks for being our Sovereign God!

Dear God,

I just have to praise you for the day that I've had. I have learned so much about myself through my relationships with others. This morning was so awesome! What a beautiful sunrise, with the rays bursting through the gaps in the clouds! Wow! I am so grateful that I was able to pray together with GV and that we got to share our faith with 'fishermen'. GV made a good point that it's no wonder Jesus reached out to fishermen, calling them to be 'fishers of men'. Consider all the rejection that fishermen get, and when they finally do catch one, it's because of you.

I look forward to praying to you tomorrow and throughout the day. You're increasing my faith, and I am confident that you will bless me according to my needs. You are so incredible, and I am so happy to serve you. You give me strength and power to handle what Satan hurls at me. And boy, today, he sure did. Yet through your power and grace, and especially your Holy Spirit that lives in me, I am yet undaunted.

Love, your Son,

Dan

Dear God,

As I've been lately finding old poetry and songs that I wrote to you a long time ago, I feel sad a little. I guess it's because I don't see myself as that person anymore. Where did he go? I used to have a lot of passion in my relationship with you, but I feel that the flame has become, at most, a flicker. I feel tears welling up in my eyes right now as I write this. I used to have life so easy, and I could spend hours in my relationship with you. It was so easy for me to pray to you, to pore over your word. Yet now I feel like I've lost that, and the thought saddens me.

Instead of devoting myself to you and building up my love for you, I've gone to other things. Even last night, I sinned against you and others by my actions. The alarming part is that I wasn't as bothered by it all as I would have been several years ago. I do feel that I understand your grace more from the perspective that I don't need to feel so accused and anxious when I've sinned, but I also see that I can so easily treat the death of your Son Jesus so flippantly that I welcome temptation.

Lord, take me back to the love that I used to have! I know that you're not done with me yet, and I praise you for your patience. I need to be led more by the Holy Spirit. I have not had a good relationship with my Conscience, and as I consider it, I see how weak it can be.

I know that Satan wants so much for me to forsake my relationship with you so that I will not love you anymore. I call out to you, O Lord, for you know me in my inmost being. You know how my mind works; you know how to encourage me. I plead with you, O God, to renew my heart and devotion for you. Please. Restore to me the joy of my salvation. I will confess my sins - I don't need them, and I will repent.

But, mostly, God, I want the emotion about my relationship with you back. When I first became a disciple, I was so much in touch with your love. I want that back. I want to be able to praise you spontaneously like I used to.

I love you, God!

In Jesus', your son's name I pray,
AMEN!

From QuotesBlog:

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." -- Flannery O'Connor