Shining Star

I watch in wonder. Children playing with ease,
using their imaginations to
transform boxes and sheets into a bright, shining
castle or pirate ship in search of long-lost treasure.
I envy their innocence, only fun in mind,
no complicated problems to bear.

I think back to when a teddy bear
was enough to ease
my child, loving and kind.
I realized I had to work hard to

keep hold of my son; my one treasure,
my bright star shining.

As he grew up, his shining
light waned dim, a sight painful to bear.

He started to treasure

other things that please,

and transformed into

another kind

of person. I could no longer find

the shining

little boy of two

whose feet, bare,

squished in the mud with practiced expertise

as if searching for treasure.

I cannot measure

the thoughts of my mind

when I feel his tight squeeze.

The depth of my pining,

as I gaze at his beloved teddy bear,

his bright light now far from view.

　

One of the hardest things to

do is give up that which you most treasure.

But the pain, though hard to bear,

has helped me in kind.

I see his star shining

as it rises in a different sky with ease.

I resign myself to the change, but it’s hard to

see his treasured innocence left behind;

the only kind thing left now is show that I’m there.

This poem is a sort of variation on another poem that I had posted a few months ago. The older version was an idea I had had back in my high school years. This version was an adaptation from that one to be switched from an open form format into what is called a sestina format. This is a 39-line form of poetry characterized by six stanzas with six lines filling each stanza. Another important aspect about this form that makes it unique from the rest has to do with the last word of each line. The last words from the 1st stanza are "repeated" throughout the rest of the lines in a certain pattern. The word from the last stanza line becomes the first word in the next stanza. The first word becomes the end word in the second line of the second stanza. #5 becomes #3. And so on. For example:

1st Stanza

1

2

3

4

5

6

2nd Stanza

6

1

5

2

4

3

3rd Stanza

3

6

4

1

2

5

 Anyways, the words can be "changed" through slant rhyme or words that sound somewhat the same but have different meanings. The purpose of using this form is to talk about something that changes but still stays the same in some way. In my poem, I was showing how children have to grow up, but for the parents, they still think of their child as a little kid and remenisce about their days of innocence in the past. I hope you enjoyed it and didn't get too bored by my quick little poetry lesson! :)

All We Have Is Time

The sands of time blow past us; rushing wind

We grasp at moments, years gone by before.

There’s nothing we can do but look behind

And see all that was missing and more.

Like sticks in a river, each endeavor

drifting past on the rippling waves of time;

left to remember moments forever

from when they were in the peak of their prime.

As the quicksand consumes the unprepared,

does time catch those people who, smiling,

fall into its trap, distracted and snared;

their actions betraying and beguiling.

So all we have is the time that is here;

good friends that we have; loved ones near and dear.

　

　

Living The True Christian Life

Lately, I have been contemplating and mulling over a few different topics. One of them is this: Why is it that men and women aren’t living the way that they should be? I see Christians all the time that live like hypocrites (no offense). They go to church, Bible studies, Christian conferences or retreats and spout Bible verses at others like a water fountain.

But later, I might see some of them surrounded by non-Christian friends, criticizing other people behind their backs, swearing or talking about some sin, crime or offense that they had committed recently.
many times I see this and think: “How can you call yourself a true Christian? Why aren’t people living out the Bible verses they read and recite every day? Are we not the hands and feet of Christ? Shouldn’t we be echoing the words of God through our actions, not just our words?"

However, I know that not everyone is perfect. I myself often have trouble resisting the temptation to do the wrong thing even when I know what is right. Even so, this is no excuse! These verses say that there are other people out in the world that look to us Christians as examples on how to live a righteous life. Looking at us, they must be thinking, if even the Christians aren’t living right, then why should I?

I especially felt I should write on this topic after listening to a podcast of a sermon given at The Father’s House church here in Rochester, NY. Pastor Pierre talked about that week’s theme verse from the Bible. It says:

“Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master's Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don't even have to say anything anymore—you're the message!” (1 Thessalonians 1: 7-8, The Message)

This passage talks about how true Christians shouldn’t need to spread the message themselves across the world; their lives should speak out for them! We are the message! We should be echoing God’s words by how we live out our daily lives instead of giving into the temptations of the world.

I also listened to another podcast sermon from The Father’s House on purity as well. The guest speaker started off by talking about pigs and how this animal is so unclean that God forbid the Jews from ever eating or even touching them and then the speaker gave the audience a few reasons why this occurred.
In the Old Testament it says:

“And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.” (Leviticus 11: 7-8, English Standard Version)

By the time he finished giving his “pig fun facts,” I felt like I never wanted to eat bacon or pork ever again. That’s how dirty pigs are. They eat garbage and any other nasty thing one could think of and roll around all day in the mud. Yet we still eat their meat. The speaker also mentioned that pigs have way more bacteria in their meat than cows or any other meat animal do, just because of their gross, disgusting lifestyle. Nasty!
The Bible story he used to get his message across is that of the man possessed by a legion of spirits, or demons as depicted in the gospel of Mark:

“They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.”
(Mark 5:1-20, NIV)

In order for the man to be delivered of his demons, Jesus had to send the demons somewhere else. The only creatures unclean enough to contain all these demons were pigs. Also, notice that after the pigs were possessed, they couldn’t be rid of the demons by being cleansed or blessed by a Rabbi or something. Their unclean nature had to be drowned from them in a lake and be killed. 

This story is relevant to us and our own sin nature. We can’t get rid of the stench of sin by taking a shower or doing good deeds, we must be washed in the supernatural blood of Christ and be forgiven of our sins by the only One capable of doing so: God. Our sinful nature must be “killed” by the repentance of our sins and turn our lives around to begin living righteously. We are as unclean as pigs. Yes, us! We are born into a sinful world and from birth, we become more and more sinful and corrupted by evil as we grow older. We can be distracted from God’s plan for our lives by other things of this world. We allow these things to get in between us and God and we are blinded by our own sin. I think that this is what God meant when He gave us the commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3) God didn’t mean for us to be drawn away from Him by becoming attached and devoted to temporary things of this world. He wanted to have a loving, honest relationship with him, uninhibited by sin.

Your “idols” might be things like: money, television, books, work, friends, family, cars, music, school, a significant other, travel, fame, an illness, etc. It doesn’t have to be a carved or graven image to count as an idol. It only has to become more imortant than spending time in God's presence. Anything can become a diversion from our true calling set before us by God.

What we need now is to depend on God to help us in our daily lives to resist these temptations and distractions and ask him to help us keep our gaze fixed on Him, to never let anything cloud our vision of what we are supposed to do with our lives. I hope that you will see the truth of this message and work harder to live like Christ called us to live: set apart, holy and devoted to God’s purpose. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NKJV) If we are living for God, things in our lives will begin coming together the way that they’re supposed to be. It might not always be the way we expected, but then, we can never truly see the full portrait of how our lives are supposed to play out; only God can know that for sure.


God, I want to pray every day for people that I might know or hear about who aren’t living the way they should (including myself). I ask God that He would clear away the dust and shadows that cloud their vision, that they might see the beautiful future that God has in store just for them, should they accept it. I pray that they would find strength today and every day afterwards to be able to stand firm in what they believe and become an example for others that are watching them as an example. I pray that they wouldn’t be afraid to admit that they are a Christian and that yes, they believe in Jesus on faith, not only by what they can sense with their human senses. Also, I hope that they choose commit their lives to living the right way instead of giving into the influence of their peers and those around them that might think that they are weird or inferior by doing so. I also ask God to bring many people into their lives that can serve as an encouragement to them when they feel down and that can keep them accountable to their actions. I pray this in the name of Jesus. AMEN!

May your own life begin to reflect the glorious light of Christ through your actions

so that all may see and glorify the Father in heaven!

God Bless You!

Silent monks performing "The Hallelujah Chorus"

I don't think that this is the original but I always enjoy finding humorous videos to post here or on Facebook. Enjoy!

Gianna Jessen Video- An Abortion Survivor

I love this video because it's so inspiring. Gianna Jessen is a woman whose mother wanted to have a late-term abortion back in the 1970's. She had a saline solution injected into the uterus that was supposed to kill the baby by burning it inside and out. The mother was supposed to deliver a dead fetus within 24 hours but instead delivered Gianna, an alive baby that was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy due to the lack of oxygen to her brain during delivery.

She tells her testimony in Victoria, Australia though she is an American. Her story is so encouraging for those who are pro-life in the debates concerning abortion. She is a born-again Christian who isn't afraid to talk about her faith even when it seems she'll be persecuted or ridiculed for her beliefs.

I hope that someday I can live up to her example and be able to be as couragous with my faith as she was in being a witness for Christ. Though I don't seem afraid to profess my faith in writing, I still get nervous whenever I even contemplate getting up in front of a crowd to talk about myself. I hate speaking in public because, like most people, I get too nervous that I'll do or say something to embarrass myself. I look up to her because despite her diagnosis, she had beaten the odds placed against her to do the near impossible. She survived a procedure that should have left her disfigured and killed her and now lives as a profound testimony and professes of her unwavering faith in God. I hope you enjoy the video if you haven't already viewed it before. The first video is Part 1 and the second, Part 2. Youtube didn't happen to have the whole speech in one whole video at the time.

Before The Morning Video

My Favorite Quote

This is my favorite quote as used in the film Coach Carter. The quote is from Marianne Williamson.

The Story Of Your Life

Is this the end?
Or only the beginning?
The second chance
You never thought you'd get

The question is
Will you do something with it
Or spend your days
Lost in your regreat

This is the story of your life
You decide
How the rest is gonna read
This is your chance between the lines
To redefine what kind of legacy you leave
This is the story of your life
And it's a story worth telling

Breathe in deep
Feel your heart still breathing
Let's go see the reason you're alive
Oh, you are here
and love is up to something
So take your fear
and leave it all behind

This is the story of your life
You decide
How the rest is gonna read
This is your chance between the lines
To redefine what kind of legacy you leave
This is the story of your life
And it's a story worth telling

This is the joy
And it's the pain
And all the pages in between
Your finest hour
Your weakest moment
It where you've been
It's where you are
It's where you're going

This is the story of your life
You decide
How the rest is gonna read
This is your chance between the lines
To redefine the kind of legacy you leave
This is the story of your life
Go tell the story of your life
Cause it's a story worth telling
It's worth telling

Is this the end?
Or only the beginning?

Barrabas video

Barrabas

The following is a transcript of a track called Barrabas from the singing group Caleb and Sol Drexius' CD called Afloat. I liked it so much that I thought I would post its words on my blog here for others to read. I thought that this was also good for the Easter season coming up soon. I hope it helps you resurrect your own Easter spirit like it did for me.

This is the link for the Youtube video for the track:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toEdT0VEHKI

*******

There was once an evil man. He was an insurrectionist, a rebel, a murderer, and a notorious prisoner. This day, however, he would face justice. He had committed crimes worthy of death, and now he was going to be a victim of crucifixion—one of the most vicious forms of capital punishment known to mankind. Death on a cross was only for the worst of criminals.

Partly due to the cold night, yet mostly due to inexpressible fear, Barabbas shivered uncontrollably as he lay face down in his prison cell. He was in utter despair. No hope. No defense. No answers.

In the distance he could hear people shouting; chanting, even. He thought he heard his own name mixed in with the barrage of yells and screams. But there was one name he heard without mistake: “Jesus”.

Barabbas had heard of this man, although some even called Him the Son of God. Supposedly, this Jesus was a worker of miracles, and He even claimed to be God in the flesh. One of Barabbas’ old followers had joined this “Christ” group a couple years back.

But he had known Jesus and His followers to be rather peaceful. Why would there be such violent shouting now? As a painful reminder of his own impending doom, he could vaguely hear the crowd shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

Still gripped with trepidation and terror, Barabbas heard something that made his stomach twist and his heart stop: shaking keys – the sound of justice. The very next moment, his cell door was swung open and the soldier yelled at him to leave immediately.

But Barabbas couldn’t move.

“Come on, you criminal, get out of here. You’re free.” But his own guilt wouldn’t allow him to believe it. “They’re going to kill Jesus of Nazareth in your place.”

With a thousand questions racing through his mind, Barabbas quickly lifted himself to his feet and hastily walked out of the prison and into the streets of Jerusalem.

A guilty man set free on account of another. Is that justice?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a scandalous message.
It’s a shocking revelation.
It’s a prophetic declaration.
It’s a transforming proclamation.
It’s a soul-saving truth and it is the power of God for all who believe.

The Gospel is a message about God:
The Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He is perfect in all His attributes, blameless in all His ways, righteous in all His judgments. He is all powerful and all knowing. He is strong, mighty, holy, just, wrathful, vengeful, and jealous. He is caring, patient, compassionate, merciful, gracious, loving, and forgiving. God is good.

The Gospel is a message about Man:
Created in God’s image—created good: yet fallen, disobedient, rebellious, corrupt, proud, wicked, evil, sinful, unholy, unrighteous, ungodly, guilty, helpless, hopeless, lost, condemned, separate from God and destined for eternal punishment in the torments of hell.

The Gospel is a message about Jesus Christ:
The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The anointed one of God who saves. Born of a virgin; killed on a cross; resurrected on the third day. Beloved by the Father, yet smitten by Him for our transgressions. Perfectly innocent, yet punished by God for our wickedness.

Jesus Christ is the only way to forgiveness. The only way to reconciliation, restoration, and redemption. The only way to eternal hope and true meaning and real purpose. The only way to lasting joy and enduring happiness and endless pleasure. The only way to salvation. The only way to heaven. The only way to God’s grace.

The Gospel is a message about you:
What will you do? What will you do?
Will you examine your wicked heart? or will you persist in blissful ignorance?
Will you open your mind to the truth of God? or will you disregard your guilty conscience?
Will you surrender your life and your plans and your future and your hopes and your dreams and your desires and your thoughts and your actions and your words – all to the Lordship of Christ? Or will you continue to deny His total call/claim upon your life?
Will you trust Jesus or will you reject His love?
Will you repent of sin? or will you proceed in vain self-righteousness?
Will you be set free or will you live in the bondage of evil?
Will you receive grace or will you face justice?
What will you do?
What will you do?


A guilty man set free on account of another. Is that justice?

No. That’s grace.

The Redeemer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DMtSaHoKKA

The above link is for the song "The Redeemer" by Sanctus Real and the lyrics are below this post.

          I listened to this song recently on my iPod and after paying more attention to the lyrics, I noticed that the words resonated with my own life. Lately it seems that maybe I have more prayer requests than usual. With my mom's back having troubles, my 10 year old dog Maggie getting sick recently and having to be put down, uncertainty about my future education, car troubles, and a few others, I find I'm having to rely on God's strength rather than my own efforts more often than in previous years. Now I know that there are myriads of other people out there in the world with WAY worse problems than mine, but in the moment, it feels like each problem is a mountain to climb over before I can see the promised land of a more peaceful life. I keep reaching the summit of one mountain and make my way over it, only to find another one looming at me just ahead, just waiting for me to struggle and give up. Whenever I feel this way I try to listen to songs like "The Redeemer" that remind me that no matter what comes my way, I still believe in God because He can make anything new, even my own tattered heart that I don't always wear on my sleeve. This song serves as a reminder to me that I might want to give up on my problems, my faith might be waning and I may have lost hope for some things to happen, but despite it all we can keep faith in God because he is unchanging and will always be there to carry us when we can walk no more. We can't always explain why people constantly have problems or have unanswered prayers, we can only pray that God will one day give us a clue as to why some of these things happened.
          For example, I was reading the book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. In one of the chapters, he wrote about a young 14 year old girl named Brooke Bronkowski who loved God and who spent her money to buy Bibles to give out to her friends. She said this in an essay she wrote at the age of 12:  "You see, I'll be one of those people who live to be history makers at a young age."  She ended up accomplishing her goal because, sad as it was, her freshman year of high school, she died in a tragic car accident. Because of her legacy as a person who loved God, over 1,500 people attended her funeral, at which there were around 200 people who came to Christ during the service. Because of the Bronkowski family's loss of someone they loved, there are now 200 people that now have a place in heaven because of the power of a single life's influence.
          Like it says in the song: "I don't have every answer in life, but I'm trusting You one day at a time." We can't know God's ultimate plan. All we can do is to trust that He has everything under control and that no matter what happens, God is always there to run to for comfort when we need Him.

Verse 1:
Sometimes I just wanna start over
Cuz' everything looks like a wreck
And I need the courage to carry on
Cuz' I can't see what's ahead

Verse 2:
And there are places I've wished I could be
Battles I've wanted to win
Dreams that have slipped through my hands
I may never be back again

Chorus:
But I'm still a dreamer
A believer
Oh, I lost my faith in so many things
but I still believe in You
Cuz You can make anything new

Verse 3:
Sometimes I just wish we could say
All the things that are easy to hear
Ignore the injustice we see
And explain every unanswered prayer
But I'd rather speak honestly
And wear a tattered heart on my sleeve
Cuz' in the middle of my broken dreams
Redemption is here

Chorus 2:
And I'm still a dreamer
A believer
Oh, I lost my faith in so many things
but I still believe in You
Cuz You are the answer
The Redeemer
Oh, I've given up on too many things
But I'm not giving up on you
Cuz You can make anything new

Bridge:
I don't have every answer in life
But I'm trusting You one day at a time
Cuz You can make a weak heart stay alive
Forever
And this is where heaven and earth collide
I lift my hands, I give my life
This is how my weary heart stays alive

End:
Oh, I'm still a dreamer
Still a believer
And You are the answer
The Redeemer
Cuz You can make anything new
Yeah, You can make anything new

The Origins of St. Patrick's Day

In light of the recent holiday celebrating the life of the Catholic saint, St. Patrick, I thought I might try to shed a little light on the origins on this holiday since it sometimes seems that many people misunderstand the purpose of this holy day. The following story talks about how St. Patrick's life earned him respect after his life and how we have come to celebrate his life by setting aside this particular day in March to recognize his extraordinary accomplishments. St. Patrick was a former slave who, by the grace of God alone, was able to return to the place of his slavery, the land of his enemies and have the courage to share the gospel to the people who enslaved him in Ireland. He was actually captured in England during a raid on his hometown in England, was taken to Ireland and was sold into slavery. A druid priest was going to buy him for a sacrifice to the pagan gods but Patrick was saved by a sheep owner who kept him in slavery as a shepherd for several years but, by many accounts, treated him well. Patrick had a dream one night after a long night in the fields that talked about how "his ship was coming" that would carry him home. Patrick felt this was a vision from God and wanted to leave his job to search for the ship but his master wouldn't let him leave. He escaped and returned to England on the ship depicted in his dream. Years later, after finding some of his family and studying the Christian faith to become a priest, he had another dream of the people of Ireland crying out to him to return to Ireland. Believing this was another message from God, He left for Ireland soon after having the dream. He was able to find the courage to return to Ireland after being enslaved there. Upon arrival in Ireland by boat, he and a few other priests began travelling across the country, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ despite persecution from those of the Druid faith. I know that this might be a pretty random subject to blog about, but I just thought that people might want to know why they were wearing green (or orange for catholics) on St. Patrick's Day. The holiday is not just about Ireland, leprechauns, four leaf clovers, pots of gold, good luck or maybe even getting a day off from school, but serves to annually remind us of the strong faith and heartfelt compassion of one man to start a revival that spread throughout an entire nation.

Imagination

Watching in wonder, children playing with ease,

using their imaginations to transform

boxes and sheets into bright, shining castles,

or pirate ships in search of long-lost gold treasure.

I'm jealous of their innocence, fun and joyful,

devoid of any knowledge of violence or hate.

No thoughts do they have about anything like

getting a job or of going to college.

They have no idea of what lies ahead,

of troubles and triumphs or tears to be shed.

Either from anger or love, for sorrow or joy,

each of their lives defined by experiences.

Superchic[k]: Hero (Red Pill Mix)

     I recently saw the Christian movie "To Save A Life" (2009) where this song was played at the end of the movie as the credits rolled. If any of you have seen this film already, you already know what powerful and necessary messages the film addresses throughout the plot. This is one of the few Christian films I have seen that I would readily recommend for anyone to go see since the scriptwriters made sure to keep the story as realistic as possible. The film addresses strong issues such as teen suicide, teen pregnancy, divorce, and drug/ alcohol abuse during the vulnerable teenage years. The message they try to convey throughout the movie is that by taking the time to get to know the kids around you who feel like they're ignored and that their life doesn't matter, you can affect their life just by the simple act of showing that other people care a lot about them. The lyrics of this song reflect this message clearly and address the issue of teen suicide head on. I would greatly recommend either seeing the movie "To Save A Life" or listening to the song "Hero" by Superchic[k].

Superchic[k]: Hero (Red Pill Mix)

Verse 1:

No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in

But we feel like we do when we make fun of him

Cause you want to belong do you go along

Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong

It's not like you hate him or want him to die

But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide

Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side

And a kindness from you might have saved his life

Tag:

Heroes are made when you make a choice

Chorus:

You could be a hero

Heroes do what's right

You could be a hero

You might save a life

You could be a hero,

You could join the fight

For what's right, for what's right, for what's right

Verse 2:

No one talks to her, she feels so alone

She's in too much pain to survive on her own

The hurt she can't handle overflows to a knife

She writes on her arm, wants to give up her life

Each day she goes on is a day that she is brave,

Fighting the lie that giving up is the way,

Each moment of courage her own life she saves

When she throws the pills out a hero is made

(Tag, Chorus)

Verse 3:

No one talks to him about how he lives

He thinks that the choices he makes are just his

Doesn't know he's a leader with the way he behaves

And others will follow the choices he's made

He lives on the edge, he's old enough to decide

His brother who wants to be him is just nine

He can do what he wants because it's his right

The choices he makes change a nine year old's life

(Tag, Chorus)

Little Mikey D was in the one class

Who everyday got brutally harassed

This went on for years

Until he decided that never again

Would he shed another tear

So he walked through the door

Grabbed the .44 out of his father's dresser drawer

And said I can't take life no more

And like that life can be lost

But this ain't even about that

All of us just sat back

And watch it happen

Thinkin' it's not our responsibility

To solve a problem that isn't even about me

This is our problem

This is just one of the daily scenarios

Which we choose to close our eyes

Instead of doing the right thing

If we make a choice

And be the voice

For those who won't speak up for themselves

How may lives would be saved, changed, and rearranged

Now it's our time to pick a side

So don't keep walking by

Don't wanna intervene

Cause you just wanna exist and never be seen

So let's wake up

Change the world

Our time is now

Chorus (2x)

What A Friend We Have In Jesus

Lately I have seen many people put up notes on Facebook or write on their blog about their faith and different epiphanies or realizations that they have had, so I felt that I might contribute an entry of my own. I hope you enjoy reading it.

I recently was reading the words to a pretty well-known hymn called What A Friend We Have In Jesus. I've heard the hymn sung many times before but I had never really paid much attention to the actual lyrics. I find that just listening to a song is ineffective in finding the meaning hidden inside the words. I believe that a song is only as powerful as its lyrics. I read this hymn and realized that this song wasn't just meant to be sung in church services for no apparent reason, but was meant to be a message of comfort to people who feel alone and discouraged in the world.
The first verse says that Jesus is a friend who takes on our burdens and cares out of love. We often suffer needlessly, holding grudges or reliving past sins when all we have to do is come before God and lay our troubles before His throne. The verse says it is a PRIVILEGE to bring our sins to Christ and yet so many people choose to not take the time to ask God for forgiveness for past hurts that can damage us mentally and spiritually.
The second verse talks about trials and temptations that we face on a daily basis. It says in John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (NIV) Jesus took all of our sin so that we do not have to worry about future problems. There is no other person that will stick closer to us during our time of need. We may not always be able to see Him, feel His presence, or see how things will work out in the end, but nevertheless, He is there. It says that Jesus knows our every weakness. The Bible says that God will not tempt anyone beyond what they can endure and there is always a way out, whether we choose to escape or not. (1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV)
The third verse speaks about burdens and difficulties. Everyone experiences them some time or other in their life and some hardships may seem more extreme than others, however, they are still adversities. Some choose to seek God in times of trouble, while others choose to walk away from Him. Nevertheless, God is still our refuge regardless, and is standing there, waiting for us to return to Him and seek His comfort and grace. Some people have experienced rejection by someone, whether it is a loved one, a family member or parent, a friend, etc. This is devastating and many often take on the blame for the rejection; believing that they did something to merit the disdain. They might feel that there is no one out there that will accept them for who they are, just as they are. There is someone like that, though. It's Jesus. He loved all of us so much that he went against His own will to suffer and die for us on the cross, take all of our sins, and defeat death so that we might spend eternity with Him. If we feel unloved by others around us, there is always comfort in knowing that God cares for us. Psalm 27:10 says "Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me." (NIV)
Finally, the last verse, which some people don't tend to remember, and which I had never read or heard sung before. It talks about God's promise to always bear our burdens as long as we faithfully give them over to Him. It says that when we die, we will be in God's presence for all eternity, where there will be no need for prayer as there will be no more tears, sin or suffering in God's Marvelous Light. There, we will forever be praising God in heaven for His generous salvation, never-ending faithfulness, loving guidance, unconditional love and everlasting comfort.

Verse 1:  
What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

Verse 2:
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Verse 3:
Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.

Verse 4:
Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
Thou wilt all our burdens bear;
May we ever, Lord, be bringing
All to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright, unclouded,
There will be no need for prayer—
Rapture, praise, and endless worship
Will be our sweet portion there.

The Final Bow

I walk through forests dark and still,

the music of crickets and frogs singing loud.

Not many creatures live here now

to welcome those who wander in.

The trees grow tall with branches spreading wide

that filter the fiery hues of sunset from breaking through.

The light gets gradually dimmer as time goes on

making it seem like night even though

the sun has only begun to take its final bows.

Look To The Sky

Why am I here just standing by,

with head raised up to look on high?

I see the birds in sky above

which God created each with love.

I dream of flight, to be up there,

seeing sights from in the air.

To find the beauty down below

and no, I still don't want to go.

The Stages Of Life

Our life on earth, like growing flowers

breaks ground quickly, green with youth.

Flower sprouts up, petals open

slow at first, tentative but sure.

More time passes, growing confidence,

color spreads across the way.

Soon it's standing just as tall

as others blooming 'round it near.

Its center blows seed to the wind

to plant new sprouts in fertile earth,

to urge them on the way to go.

Death's time approaches, petals wilt;

drooping, falling, one by one.

This season's time has ended, but

a new one has begun.

          I wrote this poem during my junior year in high school for a final project on poetry in my Creative Writing class. I wrote this poem to compare the short existence of a flower to our own brief lifetime.
          I enjoy writing, even though I haven't had much of a chance to do so recently. However, I plan to remedy that by putting up more entries of past and present works of mine, whether they be poetry, journal entries, scripture verses, favorite sayings, etc. I hope that some of the entries I write might help encourage others to either start writing or pick up where they left off with an old love of composition and writing.