Laughing

A happy heart makes the face cheerful .

Some of life's greatest lessons 

Are learned through laughter .

Smiles (Smiley ) and laughter are spirit lifters .

Always laugh when you can .

It is cheap medicine .

Laughter is God's medicine .

It is the most beautiful therapy 

He has ever given humanity .

Blessed are those who can laugh 

At themselves ,

For they shall never cease to be amused .

Laughing is heart therapy .

                                      I Love You All

                                      By Brock

Learning About Angels

Learn all that you can about angels .

It is a form of higher education .

The delight of the wisdom

Of the angel is to communicate 

To others what they know .

When we ask our angel to pray

For us .

We can be sure we have friends 

In the highest places .

The vision of the angels 

Works softly and peaceably 

In wakening joy .

The farther we go along

The path with God

The more angels we shall encounter .

All the way to heaven is heaven . 

Be an angel to someone else 

Whenever you can ,

As a way of thanking God 

For the help your angel 

Has given you .

                     I Love You All

                     By Brock

Everybody Is Somebody

I always wear a ring that belongs

To grandpa and I have memories 

Of grandma .

I have things that belong to my dad

And also mom .

With God's grace 

I was born and grew up

With cerebral palsy .

With each day 

I grew up to be the best I can be .

There is no such thing 

As an unwanted child .

God does not take time 

To make a nobody .

Every is somebody .

God has a plan and everybody 

Is precious .

Every human being is created

In His image , His likeness , His mind .

As someone said , 

Though conceived in earthly fashion ,

We are all born of the divine 

And God is gracious and I am somebody .

                                             I Love You All

                                             By Brock

Telling Time

Schedules and deadlines

Dominate your life .

Without numbers of days 

May we gain 

A heart of wisdom .

Remember how you live .

Make the most of every opportunity .

The use of time is not just a matter

Of clock watching .

The situation may call for us to keep 

A tight schedule 

Or it may compel us to give someone 

An extended gift of our time .

We have but a brief moment 

To make a difference for Christ 

In our world 

And we need to maximize 

That opportunity .

That may mean ignoring

Our watches 

And planners for a while

As we show Christ's patient love 

As someone may ask what time is it ?

Remember , you need to master time .

                                        I Love You All

                                        By Brock

A Dream Is Much More

A dream is what you want .

You can live your dream .

Reach for your hidden dream .

Your dream will get you going .

When you chase your dream

Always know the road 

That will lead you home .

Make sure your dream 

Is tied to your heartstring .

Never lose hope with your dream .

You never know what tomorrow brings .

                                   I Love You All

                                   By Brock

The Melody

The gift of love .

The gift of love is not a food 

That feeds me .

You can love me .

But it must make me happy .

It is the sunlight that nourishes

What I must finally 

Harvest for myself .

If you love me ,

Do not just sing me your song .

Teach me to sing .

For when I am along ,

It is then I will need the melody .

                           I Love You All

                           By Brock

The Baton

Life is no brief candle to me .

It is some burning torch

Which I have gotten hold of

And which I must keep 

Burning high .

Someday I must pass it on 

To the next generation .

Our priority has to be 

The evangelization of our children .

We must not drop the baton .

In a race , the one who carries 

The baton 

And hands it to someone else 

Takes a big risk .

If we do not hand over the baton

To our children ,

With the values God gave us 

And the principles of faith we live by .

It does not matter how fast 

They can run .

We must pass on the values 

To those we love .

                                I Love You All

                                By Brock

Half A Mind

Always go all out .

Do not be a hold out .

You never do anything 

With a half a mind .

Put all your mind , your energy ,

Your strength into your work .

If your purpose is worthwhile enough 

And your belief 

In it is strong enough ,

The strength of the purpose 

Will take over and keep you 

Keeping on even when you are 

Physically exhausted .

Do your best with what you got .

                             I Love You All

                             By Brock

Love Love Love

Do not repel love .

Restraint without love is barbarity .

Love without restraint commits suicide .

We must share if we would keep

That blessing from above .

When we cease to give ,

We cease to have ,

Such is the law of love .

Love can not be wasted .

It makes no difference 

Where it is bestowed .

It always brings in big returns .

                       I Love You All

                       By Brock

A Father

An earthly father who is led

By the heavenly father 

Is a priceless treasure .

Let me be there when I am needed 

To protect the children  and to care for them 

And to get me out of their way

When they do not need me .

You give me wisdom

And a true gift of a child 

And the responsibility 

To do the right thing .

There is always rough water 

A head for them .

A father needs to counsel 

His children to be truthful 

And honest at all times .

The true meaning of yes 

When yes means yes

And the true meaning of no 

When no means no .

                        I Love You All

                        By Brock

My Father's Face

In his face I could see

Something was wrong with him .

I could see the violence 

That was cracked in his face .

There was no sunshine 

On his forehead .

There was always 

a smile in his eyes .

I could see the struggles

He was going through 

almost every day .

I could see things in his face .

He will not explain .

All that I saw in his face ,

I knew it was and is framed 

By God .

                    I Love You All

                    By Brock

Oh To Wait

Waiting for the fish to bite ,

Waiting to go running ,

Waiting for the wind to fly a kite ,

Waiting for a Friday night .

Oh to wait .

There is so much waiting in life ,

But God is never in a hurry .

God has His hour and delay .

So we wait .

We twiddle our thumbs ,

Shuffle our feet .

We may heave long sighs .

God will say ,

Wait awhile and see 

What I will do .

It is in waiting 

That we develop endurance ,

The ability to trust God's love and goodness .

Even when things are not going our way .

Oh to wait .

                                         I Love You All

                                         By Brock 

A Special Father

He is a special father .

He never ask why .

Give an ear ,

Oh heaven while I speak .

Let the earth harken to the words 

Of my mouth .

May my instruction soak 

In like the rain in spring ,

And my discourse permeate 

Like the dew in early morning ,

Like a big down pour upon the grass ,

Like a shower upon the crops .

His words bring light from the darkness

And will still the storm .

His words heal the sick .

You need to believe in him 

For he is a special father for us .

                              I Love You All

                              By Brock

What Is Fear

God chooses fearful people .

When you are at the end

Of your crises ,

Either He will grip your hand

When you fall 

Or He will teach you to fly 

And I have a fear of flying .

I know we need to trust God .

Through fear we learn reverence 

For God .

Our feet will be set on the road

That leads to wisdom .

Fear is perhaps the first companion 

That will make its chill presence 

Felt as God's hedge closer about our life .

Discouragement and doubt walk in hand with fear .

                                               I love You All

                                               By Brock

The 2 Sides Of Pain

Sometimes our afflictions 

Do not feel momentary 

Or light at all .

Our suffering in the moment 

Often feels permanent .

Without remembering 

To exchange burdens 

With the Lord ,

The weight of our present 

Pain can be crushing .

Many times we have so preoccupied 

With difficulty we see and feel ,

That we forget to look for what is unseen .

Like God's power to transform .

Remember what you focus on expands .

When we focus on our suffering 

Misery grows .

When we focus on abundance 

On faith , on God's ability 

To heal and redeem , hope grows .

Remember that suffering always produces 

Something valuable on the other side of pain .

                                               I Love You All

                                               By Brock

Coping

The world is hip deep in tears .

Compassion is not an option .

It is a matter of survival .

The Lord is close to those 

Whose courage is broken .

When you find yourself 

In the midst of suffering .

It is almost always wise 

To let go of the why question .

When things go wrong 

In people's lives .

                   I Love You All

                   By Brock

Dad Said

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And lean not on your understanding 

In all your ways .

Submit to him and he will make your path

Straight 

God will guide you toward this goal 

For your growth .

His ultimate goal is that you 

Become more like Him .

This does not mean that the path

He chooses will be easy .

I knew that when I ran with a braces on one leg ,

But when you choose to trust His direction 

And Timing are ultimately for my good .

Oh this 4th of July I will trust the Lord ,

Because my dad said so many years ago .

                                               I Love You All

                                               By Brock

Answer Me

When I call answer me ,

You relieve me when I

Am in distress .

Have pity on me 

And hear my prayers .

I know the Lord 

Does wonders for his faithful one .

The Lord will hear me 

When I call upon him 

When I am upon my bed in silence .

Lord you let the light of your face 

Shine upon me .

You can put gladness 

Back into my heart 

For you do answer me .

Thank you Lord for caring about me 

And loving me always .

                                      I Love You All

                                      By Brock

A Morning Moon

As with most people I know

My life is a constant whirlwind .

I always want to fit in .

My days are filled with

What I need to do and yet

Various other obligations .

I feel sometimes overwhelmed by it all .

When I try to make an effort 

To slow down and notice 

The beauty of God's creation .

I remember how God's presence 

And peace can surrounded me .

One day I was hiking 

With my dog Spike .

I noticed the moon in the morning sky .

I had to look carefully to see it .

I started thinking the moon 

Is always there ,

Whether I can see it or not .

It is like God who is always here

Watching me ,

Even when I do not particularly 

Feel God's presence .

Since that day I often notice 

The morning moon more often 

When I run and when I feel

Stressed , worried and sad .

                       I Love You All

                       By Brock

Forgiveness

Unforgiveness is the bind that lies 

Chokes and contorts , poisons and paralyzes .

Forgiveness releases , straightens 

And energizes .

Forgiveness is a willingness to bear the pain .

When we choose to forgive ,

We meet the pain head on .

Forgiveness is a process .

Forgiveness is a choice .

Forgiveness is impossible 

Apart from God .

Forgiveness heals the forgiver .

                              I Love You All

                              By Brock

Only A Child Knows

A child told me what happens 

When you die .

He said when you die 

Only your face goes to heaven 

Not your body .

You get a new body ,

But you keep the same face .

In a sense our face is a visible 

Reflection of our invisible soul .

Kind eyes , a gentle look ,

A warm and welcoming smile .

Despite wrinkles , blemishes 

And other disfigurements ,

Become the marks of inner transformation .

We can not do much about our face ,

But we can do something 

About The kind of person we grow into .

We can pray for humility ,

Patience , kindness , tolerance ,

Gratefulness , forgiveness ,

Peace and love .

It is to bad that children grow old .

God will call you smiley .

                                 I love You All

                                 By Brock

A Hot Summer

By the end of summer

I am truly ready for fall .

Grandma's garden is overgrown 

To the point of deteriorating .

I am a little bored with grandma's

Red tomatoes and her zucchini .

The warm evening have left me 

Short tempered and even restless .

My sneakers are overripe 

From to much early morning jogging .

Now I want a cool nice rain 

And the smell of autumn leafs 

When I run early in the morning .

                               I Love You All

                               By Brock

A Peaceful Time

When you get up an hour early ,

You should take time slowly 

And have a good breakfast 

Is the best way to begin the day .

If you start the day in a rush

It can cause your stress level to rise .

I find that spending time with God

In the morning can set me right 

For the rest of the day  .

As the day goes on

Other demands may rush in 

But spending time in quiet contemplation ,

Reading God's words and praying

in the early morning can help set the tone

For the day .

                                             I Love You All

                                             By Brock

She Is A Gift

She has made peace 

With growing old 

And chose to do it with humor .

When her grandchildren wondered 

Why the knuckles on her fingers

Were gnarled , 

She told them she was turning 

Into a tree 

Where birds will sit and sing .

If they tried to guess

How old she was ,

She invited them to add

Up the age spots on her arms .

She said the total 

Would reveal her real age .

She said she felt 

Like she was 17 years old inside .

She did wonder why people 

Spoke to her with such deference .

                                 I Love You All

                                 By Brock

Clocks And Calendars

My dad died at 42c ever sense then 

I pause on that date he died 

To remember dad and reflect 

On his influence in my life .

When I realized I had lived 

More of my life without my dad 

Then with him ,

I am now pondering the brevity 

Of my own life .

On reflection I may wrestle 

With an event in time and the feeling 

It stirs with in me .

Thought I measure time with a clock 

And calendar ,

I remember times because of events .

In the moments of life 

That trigger my deepest emotions .

I can experience joy , lose , a blessing ,

Pain ,success and failure .

I know to trust in him at all times 

And to pour out my heart to him 

For God is my refuge .

                                   I Love You All

                                   By Brock (Brinnie )

He Holds Me

Oh God , you are my God

Whom I seek for you my flesh pines 

And my soul thirsts 

Like the earth , parches lifeless

And without waters .

These words above are lovely words 

For times when feeling forsaken

And abandoned ,weary and anxious 

And distress .

Those words can also serve 

As a gentle reminder that God is always 

A wakening us .

At every moment we are invited into a deeper

Relationship with the One whom we lift up

Our hands our voices and our hearts .

So let us not just call out to God 

When we are feeling parched and lifeless.

Never forget in the morning or at night

The One whose love is better than life 

And also feel good that you are held in hands 

Larger than your own .

                                            I Love You All

                                            By Brock

A Special GPS

I have a special GPS 

To help me find the right direction .

Where do I find it ?

It can keep me in line .

It is needed to find

My purpose and my way of life .

My special GPS is God's GPS .

God's GPS is made up of 3 things 

He gave me Gift .

God gave me Passion .

God gave me Struggles 

to help me learn about myself

And to always love and trust Him .

With God's GPS ,

I will always have a spiritual direction .

With God's GPS ,

He is ready to be with me 

In all times of my life .

Jesus,all I can say

Is thank you 

For the GPS you gave me .

                       I Love You All

                       By Brock 

Stop And Rest

Two friends sat in the sand 

Near the ever rhythmic ocean .

As the sun sank in the distance 

Wave after wave curled ,

Paused and then ripped 

Toward their extended toes 

Stopping just short each time .

I said to the other friend 

I love the ocean .

The ocean moves so I 

Do not have to !

What a thought 

So many of us struggle to stop .

We do somethings and then go

Go go .

Somehow after that ,

If we cease our efforts ,

We will expose ourselves

To the ever present realities

We work to keep at bay .    

                   I Love You All

                   By Brock

No Foreigners And Strangers

We are foreigners and strangers only once ,

But gazing at the horizon 

Of God's promises provide the point of reference ,

Because we all need help sometime .

We are all better together .

Like the ducks fly together to go faster and further .
It is not always good to fly solo .

We need each other to do great things 

With the help of each other .

We get strength from each of us .

We become better people and friends ,

When we pray , smile and laugh and share joy 

With faith and stay connected .

We are refueled ,

When we huddle together on sad days 

And stay warm with unity 

To praise and smile and laugh together

Is good for everybody .
We are like roots of a red wood tree 

The 90 some roots make the tree stronger .

Our roots will grow together 

As a family of faith .

We will help each other stand up

For no one is alone .

                         I Love You All

                         By Brock