Not Another Day

Our days converge as one
Routine makes them all the same.
None more important, really
Same day, just a different name

But one day throughout the year
Should stand miles above the rest.
For on that day our Savior was born
And all people on Earth were blessed.

Nothing about His birth
Was just another day.
For by Christs' prophetic birth
God has given us His way.

Each aspect of His birth
Was extraordinary at best.
From His conception to His birth
Unlike all the rest.

Born unto a virgin
In a manger as had been foretold.
The shepherds learned of His birth
And shouted the news so bold.

A gift from God to us.
His one and only son.
He came to Earth to deliver us.
As no one else could have done.

Because only He can be called perfect.
Only He lived without sin.
This is why Christmas is miraculous.
As much so now, as was then.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I wrote it mostly during a sermon that Bro. Ralph Baker gave at Brodhead Baptist Church on Dec. 22. Bro. Ralph was telling us how Christmas should never feel like any other day to Christians.

Are We Ready?

Are we ready for your kingdom?
Are we adding to thy fold?
Are we seeking out thy lost ones?
And praying to be bold?

Have we laid down our selfish will?
And picked up your perfect way.
Have we taken a moment to thank you
For the food we've had today?

Will we forgive those in our life
Who cut us to the bone?
Will we show THEM the mercy
That Christ has ALREADY shown?

Don't we know that if we follow
Thy steps along the way
You will never steer us wrong
And never lead us astray.

If we can say with truthful lips
That we have done as you have shown
You have promised us Dear Lord
Joys we've never known.

I thank you for this promise
For washing away my sin.
Most importantly for your spirit
That has made me whole within.

Outward Appearances Of Glory

We show up to church on Sunday
And gladly sing His song.
Yet I wonder do these praises
Carry all the day long?

Do we only give lip service
And outward appearances of His glory?
When inside our hearts and minds
Our thoughts are wicked and gory.

Are we taking pause before we speak
Those hateful words to our kin?
Or instead are our lips spewing forth
Hatred, murder and sin.

Take a breath and be still.
Look within to find.
Are you loving God with your heart
And with His will are you aligned?


This poem was inspired by my pastor Dan Gutenson's sermon on Sunday Aug. 11, 2013.  The scripture he used was Jer. 7.  Below is the scripture (KJV) from Biblegateway.com

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

2 Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord.

3 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.

4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.

5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;

6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:

7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.

8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;

10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?

11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.

12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.

13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;

14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.

Eagle's Wings

Give strength to these bones O Lord
I am pleading to you so.
Let me soar with eagle's wings
To heights you only know!

Only You know the purpose of my life
Let me not grow weary before I'm through.
I know there is only one source of strength
And Lord that source is You.

I fear this sense of hopelessness
That creeps from time to time.
When I feel those tentacles enclosing
My release is knowing thou art mine!

Grant me spiritual fortitude
In adversities face, let me be brave.
Let me go forth with strength and vigor
Till I'm resting in my grave.

Inspired by a sermon given on July 7, 2013 by Dan Gutenson at Watts Chapel Baptist.  Taken from Isa. 40:27-31 on biblegateway.com


27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
    Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
    my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Grave Clothes

Loosen up these rags my Lord
That bind and hold me so
Tear them to shreds I pray
You are more than able I know

These rags that hold me
To the life that I once had
The life I once thought grand
Was ultimately just sad

You have given me a glimpse of glory
To the future you've promised me
If only I can cling to you
You've already set me free

My prayer O Lord is that
I always feel your hand
And for you to rip these grave clothes
Rip them strand by strand

My Sisters

To some we may seem strange
Even a bit weird they may say
But I hope that you three know
I'll have your back any day

You've been advice givers, diaper
Changers, confidants and more
But the title of "my sister"
Is the one I most adore

For a sister is more than a best
Friend you see
A sister is the person who can
See the best in me

You take me for what I am
Loving me at my worst
But even though you're older

Still know I loved you first

They're not hard to find

Joys.  Life is full of different joyous moments.  They don't have to be hallmark moments, but if you have your eyes open, you will find joy.  Look for things that you wouldn't normally focus on.  If you get along with your co-workers, family, friends you should  be able to find joy there.  Going through life with a woe-is-me attitude not only makes you miserable, it makes the people around you feel uncomfortable.  And when people are uncomfortable around you, they tend to stay away.  

My challenge to you readers is this, look for the small things that are good in your life.  When you can be thankful and give thanks to God for these, I PROMISE you that you will soon see the other things that He gives that bring you joy.  


Luke 15:7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

My Jakob Amor

I can hardly believe that twelve years have went by
I can still hear the sound of your newborn cry
An ecstatic mother, though nervous I'll say
You took my heart on that cold winters day
You make so proud that words aren't enough
Even though I know that I can be tough
Just know I do it because I love you so
I see how each day you grow
My baby is gone, a young man stands now
Please take this, a mother's vow
I'll stand by you through thick and thin
In good times, in trouble, I'll be there then
I love you Jakob for a lifetime and more
Always remember it's you I adore

Happy birthday baby boy...I am so proud of you!

Nip It In The Bud

Today I went to a different church.  I have moved recently, and attended a church that is a little closer to home.  I know almost all the people that attend this church, as I work with most of them or had them as teachers at one time or another. The atmosphere was warm and pleasant, people that didn't know me asked who I was, and those that did greeted me kindly.  

The pastor gave a wonderful sermon today based on the Bible passage from Psalms 103.  

" Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

² Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

³ Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

⁴ Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

⁵ Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

⁶ The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

⁹ He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

¹⁰ He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

¹² As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

¹⁴ For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

¹⁶ For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

¹⁷ But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

¹⁸ To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

¹⁹ The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

²⁰ Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

²¹ Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

²² Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul."

Now He focused mainly on the first 10 verses.  Let us ponder these a moment.  Firstly, if you are reading this post, you are blessed abundantly.  You are alive, you have access to internet, you are literate, and you are not blind.  Those blessings should be appreciated   The first two verses tells us just that.  We have blessings abundantly, surrounding us all, but do we take time to thank Him for these?  Not just when something awesome happens, but for everyday blessings?  I think sometimes we take these for granted.  Assuming that we are entitled to or have worked hard for them so they will always be there.  This is not so.  Things that we take for granted can be wiped away in an instant.  The car you worked for, the house you went in debt for, the nice clothes you wear, all these things should be given thanks for daily.  

The pastor also talked about how most of us during the New Year's season reflect on our lives and decide to make changes.  We see things that need improvement, that need replacement, or things that just need a fresh start.  He told us that when the Holy Spirit is telling us something in our life is not going according to God's plan, it starts out as needing to be "tweaked".  We should "nip it in the bud" is what popped in my mind when he was saying this.  If we ignore this, then it needs to be repaired and finally needs a total replacement.  It costs a lot less money to maintain a car, for example, if you regularly maintain it, than it would if you waited until it was broke to the point of needing a total overhaul or totally replaced.

I really enjoyed the service this morning and hope that no one in the church walked away without    having a relationship with Jesus.  And most importantly, I hope everyone received the same message that I did, this moment wasn't promised to me and I am so thankful I have received it!