Psalm 113:3

From the rising of the sun to its setting, The LORD’s name is to be praised. Psalm 113:3 (ESV) 

This is so beautiful!  God is so good!  The first thing on my lips in the morning should be words of praise.  Not necessarily praise for the morning, or praise for life, but I think it should be

PRAISE OF
the One who gives us the morning, and the life.

Oh my Father, God in heaven, may my heart burst with thoughts of your goodness, your glory, your majesty, and your love this, and every morning.

As I leave the dreams that walk the night
and my foggy brain greets morning’s light.
I must remember not to fear, for you my God, are with me here.
 
I can’t,
I must not disregard You 

as you walk this road beside me.

I can’t,
I must not start my day 

without your steady arm to guide me.

I can’t,
I must no longer sleep, and dream   
in dread uncertainty.
 
Because my Father, God of wisdom
You walk
the road before me.
 
Because my Father, God of hope
You know
what worries plague me.
 
Because my Father, Majesty,
Unexplainable God,
Ruler of the world,
Savior and friend,
You are eternally King,
 forever the same.

I can’t, I must not start the day 

unless I pause to praise You, 

to rise to walk and praise your 

GLORIOUS HOLY NAME.
 

 

Dear Friends, 

Many years ago I wrote an article for a local publication about life in our mountain town.  I’d like to share it with you today because I believe it speaks of life in each of our communities, our Church families, our neighborhoods, and groups of friends.  

The Tapestry of Life 

An elaborate tapestry is in the process of creation.  Day after day and year after year the threads are woven, hiding the fibers that hold them in place.  The hands of our people hold the shuttle, as life goes on in our mountain home and the picture in the tapestry comes alive.
 
Yes, each person who lives here or has ties to our small community contributes to its beauty with the threads of his or her own life. The colors of those threads are determined by a person’s hopes and dreams.  The texture comes from deep within their souls.  As she weaves, one person may use a vibrant green, a color which shows her concern and love for nature, for the wonder of all things created by the hands of God.
 
Another may weave with soft threads of blue, showing a desire for tranquility and peace within his heart and with his neighbor.  Only a few will use a gold thread, expensive, rare and shining, bright with happiness and a desire to see the good in life and in people.  Or maybe you will bring us red, the color of fire and might. 
 
Did you notice that we all hold some black threads in our hands?  These threads will outline and add shadow to the picture on the tapestry.  These threads are sadness, concern, and yes, sometimes even anger.  The beauty of the picture requires darkness to highlight the colors as well.   
 
A life of true beauty is difficult to achieve, so although each person may hold several colors in his hands, he will never be able to supply all that is needed alone. 
 
So my friend, look around you.  Look at your neighbor - the person walking beside you.  See what color and texture they bring to the picture.  Look at yourself, what colors are in your hand?  What textures reveal your soul? 

And then - Pick up your threads and weave!

Diane Gruchow

Published Prairie Times

July 2008

My friends let's rely on the Holy Spirit, the Voice of God, to help us work out the design, and then we can weave!  I've found the tapestry is even more beautiful when the hands of the Master Weaver are in charge!

 

His Word

Dear Friends, Recently, I was up in the middle of the night and thinking about the fact that it was so dark, when this verse came to my mind.

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.  Psalm 119:105 (KJV)

It’s so easy these days to stumble, or to run into things (or people) if I’m not paying close attention.  The days of just assuming that the sidewalk is smooth, or there is no curb in front of me, or that the slope of a drive is just a slope and not a step – those days are no more.  I must pay attention.  

But there is another thing that requires my attention in a more powerful way.  God’s Word, the Bible, It is the lamp – the light.

God’s Word – it is our lamp.

God’s Word will light our way

His Word is what we need to get through every day.

The One Eternal God, 

the source of heaven’s sight, 

has given us a guide to bathe 

our stumbling steps with light.  

That One Eternal God spoke galaxies to life.  

Radient, shimmering stars were born, the darkness to ignite. 

The story’s written down in books that span the years, 

penned by our Father's followers, 

composed with joy and tears.  

The words have been preserved by God’s eternal might, 

taken from the ancient’s hands, through trials and darkest night.

 

These works contain His will for us, the coming of the Son.  

The words contain the message that Christ came, 

the battle’s won.  

He’s God – the three in one.  

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.  Psalm 33:6 (NIV)

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14 (NIV)