How Great You Are

(Inspired by Psalm 92:4-5)

I sing for joy at Your works
How great is Your hand, O God

How great You are!

I stand in awe of creation
How great is Your beauty, O God

How great You are!

I tremble at Your power
How great is Your truth, O God

How great You are!

I bow down in thanks for Your grace
How great is Your mercy, O God

How great You are!

I praise You for You are my God
My Father, Savior and Lord

How great You are!
How great You are!

Let Us Praise the Lord

(inspired by Psalm 92:1-3)

It is good to praise the Lord
Making music in His name

It is good to praise the Lord
Whose love sets our hearts aflame

It is good to praise the Lord
Who took on Himself our shame

It is good to praise the Lord
And to glorify His name

Let us praise the Lord!
Let us praise the Lord!

Sweet Dreams

Oh blessed sleep, come to me
I'm in need of rest
And when I do give in to thee
I pray my dreams be bless'd

For Kaylor, at her request (February 2012)

February fourteenth...
What is so special about
February fourteenth?
I just can't figure it out.

Could it possibly be
     Our founding president's birthday?
     Or Punxsutawney's shadow day?
No, hmm... now let me see...

Wait, what's this by my bed?
Flowers! Bound in red and pink
And what's this, overhead?
Paper hearts! Hmm... let me think...

Why is everything pink?
     Oh, I wish I could remember...
     I'm about to lose my temper!
No, calm down... now think. THINK!

          Oh! Happy Valentine's Day, Kaylor!
          I knew I would remember!

Sail Away

Raise the sail, raise the sail
Let's sail away in the sound
Take me far, take me far
Let's see what we discover
Raise the sail, raise the sail
Share this afternoon with me
Take me far, take me far
Let's head for the horizon

     Smell the sea that's all around
     And hear the gulls are they soar high
     Feel the sun's rays beating down
     And watch the waves as they roll by

          Let down the sail, let down the sail
          I want to camp on the shore
          Lopez Island looks good
          Let's set up camp and make a fire
          Then walk the beach with me
          To see what we discover
          Let down the sail, let down the sail

Blessed is (s)he who mourns

I need to stop being afraid to acknowledge and share my feelings of loss, hurt and pain. In doing so, I’ll be better able to welcome comfort, go through the grieving process and heal so that I can live a life without the burden of silent suffering.

I need to understand that even strong people get hurt and deceived and that expressing my pain doesn’t make me weak. By sharing my pain with people I care about I’ll build stronger relationships and trust. If I don’t trust others, they’ll be more hesitant to trust me, and all my relationships will plateau.

When I fail to show these completely natural emotions, I appear cold-hearted. Failing to acknowledge or share my sadness and hurt could, in fact, lead to a hardening of my heart and hinder my ability to develop meaningful relationships.

I need to stop being so afraid of getting hurt because otherwise I’ll never get that which I fear and crave most: my life partner.

Friends: What I've Learned

We all bring something precious and unique to our relationships. Learn to discover that in others, value it and learn from it.

We can't chose where we come from or how we're raised, but we can chose how to respond to the lives we're given.

We can chose to remember that attitude and effort matter more than background; although, learning about someone's background can certainly help in developing a better understanding of him or her.

Give others a chance to understand and be understood. Learn to respect what others go through without downplaying what you've been through.

We only know what we learn, so ask a million and one questions, otherwise you'll make assumptions, enforce stereotypes or ignore that which doesn't immediately affect you. You'll never know who or what you might be missing out on.