Security

No matter how we feel

And believe regarding the politics 

Surrounding those who cross

Borders into foreign lands .

Let us have empathy 

For what they are going through,

Let us extend our compassion 

And pray for those struggling families 

Who long for security .

                                       I Love You All

                                       By Brock

Out Of Control

When life feels out of control and unstable ,

We have a God whose reliability we can trust .

It is God's arms that gives me strength .

You provide a broad path 

For my feet even in the show oh You !

So that my ankles do not give way !

God has sustaining power and presence .

I even try to get out of the way of trouble

And not even try to take an unnecessary risk

With some people

Even if they do not want my love 

I know God loves us all always .

                                  I Love You All

                                  By Brock

The Stones

Life throws us different types of stones

On our paths .

When we are faced with problems 

That are to much for us to handle ,

We can turn to God .

For God is with us through all 

Frighting times .

No burden is to heavy

For God to carry 

And no stone is to large 

For God to move .

God is willing and able 

To sustain us through any trial 

Or suffering .

                                   I Love You All

                                   By Brock

Be His Angel

Do not wait to be an angel .

Be His angel now .

He will show 

You the flight path

To take so fly .

He will show you how .

An angle is God's lovely creation 

And can arrive in sunshine 

Or in a blizzard  or any storm 

Or from the sky of the darkest blue .

Remember , be grateful 

For your guardian angel

Who truly loves you .

                   I Love You All

                   By Brock

That Moment

Let us share a moment 

Of sweet reprieve ,

And be awakened

By an angel's wings ,

And in the hearts

Of all of us 

Who believe in them 

We will hear

The quietest melody 

Before we sleep 

Again tonight .

               I Love You All

               By Brock

It Is Worth Saving

Christmas offers not an escape 

From the world 

But the redemption of the world .

Jesus came in the flesh ,

He died and rose in the flesh ,

He now gives us His flesh 

As resurrection food .

Christmas clearly proclaims 

That our lives in the flesh 

Are worth living and the world 

In which we live is worth saving .

                                I Love You All

                                By Brock

                               

The Light

I was struck , once again 

How our lives impact others 

In ways that we can never

Predict and might never ever

Be aware of .

Embracing the Child of light 

And caring him with us 

Wherever we go

In this messy world .

Yes just like my dad 

I carry a rosary 

In my pocket every day .

Who knows what shadows

I can help lift when I pray .

                       I Love You All

                       By Brock

The Angels Did Descend

The angels descend into the midst 

Of the shepherds tonight 

Reflects the bond we see embodied 

In the Christ child .

Yes the connection between heaven and earth  ,

God and humans .

God wants to connect with each of us .

Just as God's presents 

Brought brightness to the shepherds ,

God wants to brighten the lives of us all .

In the midst of the challenges of life ,

God send a message of joy 

Through God's son , Jesus Christ .

God Loves us

And this and every Christmas ,

God offers us lives full of peace .

                              I Love You All

                              By Brock

The Lord Is Kind

The Lord is kind to everyone 

Who is humble .

In His kindness God calls us 

To share in His eternal glory  .

By means of Christ Jesus ,

He will restore , support 

And strengthen you ,

He will place you 

On a firm foundation .

The grace of the Lord Jesus 

Will be with God's people .

Remember , you should tell all

Your troubles ,

He is a kind compassionate 

Friend just like you !

Happy Birthday friend .

                       I Love You All

He Handles The Situation

How often do I worry 

That God is not going 

To handle my situation or my problem ?

How often do I not even take it to the Lord ,

Wanting to address the problem on my own ?

I know God can handle all situations

And problems large and small .

God I trust you with my salvation 

And my eternity ,

Surely I can trust you with all

Big and small things in my life .

                                 I Love You All

                                 By Brock

Everywhere There Is An Angel

There is an Winter angel 

That you will never see 

Who cleaned a snow clad driveway 

And sidewalk too .

There is a Spring time angel 

Who helps you sow seeds .

Oh yes there are angels all year long 

Who give to anyone in need .

In winter , spring , summer or fall 

The angels are always 

Around for us all .

My Calling

I will call a child Smiley .

I may call a child squeaky .

I feel my calling is to be ,

There for children ,

Greet them at the door with a smile ,

Play with them ,

Pray for them ,

Tell them about Jesus .

Caring for children 

Provide opportunities 

To show them through my words 

And my action how much Jesus 

Loves them .

                                      I Love You All

                                      By Brock

Angels Of God

God has many angels to carry out His words .

They carry the messages so He can be heard .

Angel send words of joy and comfort ,

They send peace to the sad and lonely souls .

God has all things under control .

Angels are there for the old 

And the young children 

To guard and protect everyone .

We all can depend on Him .

Like an angel just reminded me

To take 1 day at a time .

God's angles are in the millions .

The angles are here for everyone .

Remember , God is never short on grace

Or mercy or angels .

                                            I Love You All

                                            By Brock

My Journey

My long journey began with my family

And friends when I was young .

I accepted Jesus into my life .

This journey changed me completely ,

And it will take the rest of my life .

I will never travel alone on this journey ,

Because the Holy Spirit is at my side 

And Jesus leads the way .

A multitude of travelers accompany 

Me on the same road ,

And I am grateful for all of them .

My toll has been paid ,

My itinerary has been set 

And the route has been marked .

In the distance I can see my glorious home ,

                                                I Love You All

                                                By Brock

Advent

Having learned to never assume

I know what is going on 

In another person's heart !

During this time of Advent  ,

We wait for a greater fullness 

Of Christ's Spirit to penetrate 

Our hearts .

When we become impatient 

With ourselves ,

May we recognize God's mercy 

And compassion in the people 

Who support and nurture us 

As we change and grow .

                            I Love You All

                            By Brock

Angels With Us

Never forget the angels 

Like Michael ,

Or unnamed angels .

Do angels really exist ?

We can not prove that they

Do or that they do not .

But most of us can point to times

When in the midst of adversity ,

Sorrow or conflict ,

A curious sense of calmness

That comes over us .

Whether we ask for help or not ,

This sense that all would be well likely 

Comes not from within us 

But from beyond us .

                               I Love You All

                               By Brock

The Darkness

As I rode my bike 

The sky was still dark ,

As dark and despairing 

As I felt .

Suddenly I looked up and saw 

A large lighted star

Atop the courthouse in town .

I am sure it had been there

Other mornings ,

But I had never noticed it 

But this morning it seems

To be saying look at me !

It is not as dark 

As you think .

I was filled with hope .

I sensed Emmanuel .

God is with me this morning .

                           I Love You All

                           By Brock

Be Surprised By God

We can be surprised by God .

If we look , we may see God

In the expectant eyes 

Of a child or a grandchild 

Or the desperate looks 

In the face of someone 

Who is homeless or hungry .

We can bring God's presence 

Into the emptiness of a family 

Grieving the death of a loved one .

I know we can look beyond 

Our busyness to see God 

In unexpected places .

Maybe we will see 

and hear the Christ child 

Real soon .

                        I Love You All

                        By Brock

The Simple Task

When we reach out in love 

And concern for each other ,

We are actively living 

Out the gospel message .

When we commit ourselves 

To following Christ 

And to a life of service 

It may at first seem daunting .

Will I be asked to do something 

Beyond my abilities .

If we are sincere in our commitment ,

We will discover countless ways 

That God can use us to advance 

The cause of Christ .

We will also discover the real blessings 

Of giving ourselves in service .

Even our simple acts of service 

Can make God's love a reality 

In our world .

                                   I Love You All
                                   By Brock

Extravagant Overflowing Love

God's love for us is not conditional 

And it knows no bounds .

When we return to the fold ,

When we come with our tail

Between our legs 

Like a lost sheep ,

When we are contrite 

And we walk in God's truth 

And allow ourselves to be taught ,

Remember , God rejoices 

And embrace in a hug .

Our imperfection and our past sins 

Do not stand in the ways of this all .

With encompassing parental love ,

They do not even come up

Because of God's love for us .

                               I Love You All

                               By Brock

Count Your Blessings

If you truly know what you are doing ,

You will prosper .

God blesses everyone who trust Him .

Good planing and hard work lead to prosperity .

May the God of Hope fill you with all joy 

And peace in believing 

So that by the power of the Holy Spirit 

You may abound in hope .

I will count my blessings ,

Bountifully and free .

Yet , I can never count them all

So good is God to me .

                                 I Love You All

                                 By Brock

A Blank Canvas

I start each day with a blank canvas .

The colors that result on my canvas 

Can be from the fruit of the Spirit 

Like love , joy , peace , forbearance ,

Kindness , goodness , faithfulness ,

Gentleness and even self control 

And not just on Christmas day .

You know what I mean !

I see the colors of the Spirit as bright

Yellows , oranges and greens 

And the colors of pride as drab and gray .

At the end of the day ,

When I may have found that I have messed up

And my canvas is full of drab and gray colors ,

God will wipe it clean 

Then I can start a new day 

With a blank canvas 

So that God can paint vibrant colors 

Of the fruit of the Spirit 

And again He began a masterpiece in me .

                                                 I Love You All

                                                 By Brock

Everyday is Caring Watering And Feeding Time

Waiting for our faith to grow can feel 

A lot like waiting for grandma's plants to germinate 

And reach toward the sun when I was young .

We need the daily food of prayer ,

Sacraments and the community to urge us upward .

But growth is sure hard and sometimes a painful 

Thing for which to wait 

We can not rush the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives ,

But we can learn to savor the intimacy 

Of being fed and cared for .

Remember , God is truly the master gardener 

Of them all

And of our soul and he nurtures me and you .

                                                     I Love You All

                                                     By Brock

Heard By God

For some , Christmas is not always

A happy time but when feelings 

Of disappointment or loss this year 

Is magnified as everyone else seems 

To be experiencing Christmas cheer .

God does hear our need and sent us Jesus ,

His Son to be born for you 

And He will bring you joy .

Remember , grab a child 

Or better yet a grandchild 

If you are lucky .

Remember , Jesus is the Prince of Peace ,

The sure evidence that you are heard by God 

That in the midst of your distress 

Though the devil and the world at times 

Seem to taunt you ,

Jesus was dedicated to his Father's service 

Of exalting the lonely .

                                             I Love You All

                                             By Brock

Opportunity

Sometimes we have opportunities .

To display our faith in grand spectacular ways 

Like a Christmas tree .

More often we can show it through small

And simple acts of kindness 

Compassion and service 

Like visiting the elderly 

In a nursing home ,

Cutting the grass for someone ,

Buying food for someone who is hungry ,

Remember ,that when it comes 

To help others 

You will have no regrets .

                          I Love You All

                          By Brock

The Larger Family

God defines family 

As those who hear 

The word of God 

And act on it .

This faith family he describes 

Is well beyond blood relatives .

Jesus opens the door to all of us .

He tells us that if we put God's 

Word into action by caring 

For the poor and marginalized ,

If we forgive those who hurt us ,

If we show mercy and compassion 

Toward the hungry , the thirsty ,

The lonely and the outcast ,

If we turn the other cheek ,

We become members 

Of the large family of man .

So Merry Christmas to everyone .

                                I Love You All

                                By Brock

We Do

We may worry about monthly bills ,

A wayward child , a bully , retirement ,

Our health or what we will 

Eat , drink or even wear .

Do not be anxious about anything ,

But in everything by prayer and petition ,

Remember , with thanksgiving ,

Present your requests to God 

And remember do not worry 

About tomorrow for tomorrow 

Will worry about itself 

And each day has enough trouble 

Of its own 

And before you put it in the can 

So let God handle it his way .

                               I Love You All

                               By Brock

Angels With Us

Never forget the angels like Michael ,

Or unnamed angels .

Do angels really exist ?

We can not prove that they do

Or that they do not .

But most of us can point to times 

When in the midst of adversity ,

Sorrow or conflict ,

A curious sense of calmness 

That comes over us .

Whether we ask for help or not ,

This sense that all would be well likely 

Comes not from within us 

But from beyond us .

                                  I Love You All

                                  By Brock

He Is Waiting

God always keeps a hand out waiting

For us .

Even when we were happily going 

On with life ignoring 

God or putting God first .

Despite this when we go to God 

With our life that has broken into pieces ,

God puts us back together .

We then have a choice to thank God 

And to take hold of our Creator's hand ,

Or to go back to ignoring God ,

Either way , God waits for us 

Just like our mothers .

Remember , praise be to God 

For God's ever beckoning 

Hand and unconditional love .

                            I Love You All

                            By Brock

Everyone Is Invited

When I was young ,

My mother invited everyone 

To her table to play cards

And eat and drink .

She was a special servant of God .

She had that special feeling 

And ability to tell everyone 

No matter their age 

To come and in fellowship 

As God's family 

And we all had fun always 

And not just on Christmas Eve

Or on Sundays !

                             I Love You All

                             By Brock

Soar Like An Eagle

Hope is the virtue that carries our faith

And love in the future ,

Every day we place our hope 

In the Lord , in God .

I think of an eagle that is always free

Soaring in the air high above the earth 

Seemingly , effortlessly and with strength ,

 Perseverance and grace .

When I see an eagle fly ,

I know there is always hope 

And I always place hope in God the almighty .

                                                 I Love You All

                                                 By Brock

My Journey

I know that I learn to endure 

By having my faith tested every day .

I must learn to endure everything ,

So That I will be completely 

Mature and not lack in anything !

With confidence it will draw me 

To the throne of grace ,

That I may receive mercy 

And find grace to help in my 

Time of need .

I need to persevere 

So that when I have done 

The will of God ,

I will receive what He 

Has promised me .

                   I Love You All

                   By Brock

It Comes From God

True help comes from God .

Who is by my side at .all times .

With God's power I can move 

Forward , even with my worry 

And with my fears .

I need to be bold in the face 

Of my adversities 

That the power of the Holy Spirit 

Is with me .

So the next time I feel dread ,

I know I can pray and ask God 

To give me courage to move forward 

With strong power , love 

And with a sound mind 

And calmed by God's spirit .

                          I Love You All

                          By Brock

Justice

If only our leaders began their reign 

By renouncing their desire for glory .

Fame and riches ,

If they would pray for wisdom 

To rule honestly and faithfully ,

If they just publicly profess 

And produce the qualities 

Of good judgement and justice ,

I believe the people would then cheer loudly 

With deep gratitude .

What do you think today ?

                               I Love You All

                               By Brock

Oh Give Thanks

Give thanks to God 

In every situation .

I find it easy to thank God 

When my life feels good 

But oh so difficult when I am afraid .

Yet we can find something

To be thankful for in all situations .

We need to trust God's promise to bring 

Good from the circumstances 

That cause us to fear .

We know that God works all things together

For good for the ones who love God ,

For those who are called according 

To his promise .

                                 I Love You All

                                 By Brock

He Is Powerful

The :Lord is powerful , yet patient .

The Lord is not snow 

In keeping His promise .

Do you truly understand slowness?

He is always patient with you and me .

Always be still in the presence 

Of the Lord especially while we pray 

And wait patiently for Him to act .

When we have just an atom of faith

In us sometimes in our heart ,

We can see God's face ,

Gently , serene and approving .

                                  I Love You All

                                  By Brock

The Last Word

Very often in conversation or arguments ,

We like to get in the last word .

This is a way of asserting our own power 

Or position 

But the only One who truly has the last word is God .

He has the final say 

And what He says is for our benefit .

God's last Word says it all Jesus .

When you hear deceitful talk

That makes you wonder if God really

Is good or if He really cares about you ,

Remember that He speaks clearly 

By the child of Mary .

Yes , I have given you My very heart ,

My own dear son to share in your faith 

And blood and to reconcile you to Myself .

My utmost desire is to save you 

And have you with me forever 

                                  I Love You All

                                  By Brock

My Best Friend

The lord is merciful 

He is kind and patient 

And His love never fails .

For His unfailing love for us 

Is so powerful .

The Lord's faithfulness 

Endured forever .

We patiently endure troubles 

And hardship and calamities 

Of every kind .

Yes , I have a friend , 

So patient and kind .

Of all my friends 

This friend doth love me best ,

                                I Love You all

                                By Brock

The World's Greatest Love

God gives each of us gifts ,

And He shows his love for us 

When we put these gifts to work 

In the Work around us .

Learning the words of the Lord 

And then not putting them into action 

Behind those words is like reading 

Recipes and not cooking anything .

Just like my mom and my grandmas 

Could brighten the world around me

With their special recipes of cookies .

We can show God's love to others in such a way 

That whoever tastes what God offers 

Will know that they have tasted 

The world's greatest love .

                                      I Love You All

                                      By Brock

It Is Right

Jesus does not just say 

To help the poor .

He does not even say 

To help the poor even thought .

They can not repay you .

Jesus tells us to have total

Disregard for fairness  .

Our goal should be not equity  ,

But generosity .

We help not because we expect 

To gain something .

We help even knowing 

That we have nothing 

To gain .

                       I Love You All

                       By Brock

To Find Rest

I do not know the future holds for me .

I try not to be consumed

With fear , worry and anxiety .

I should be content to leave 

The future in God's hands .

I know God knows the end from the beginning .

I should be able to rest 

Because I do know God's 

Care and protection surrounds me .

When my future seems uncertain 

And my fear , my anxiety and worry 

Overwhelms me ,

I can lie down and rest 

Because God is in control of all things .

                                         I Love You All

                                         By Brock

Things Are Looking Up

Rainbows have nothing to hide .

Did you know that snowflakes are like

Kisses from heaven ?

Don not just dream but do it .

When you weep it is OK 

To weep a river .

Have you ever fished 

In the dark ?

Everything you dream is possible .

Remember , your truly alive 

When you look up into the sky 

For you are truly looking up .

                          I Love You All

                          By Brock

Bless Others

Lord , Jesus come quickly 

To safe me .

I feel tempted to feel sorry 

For myself . 

I know change is inevitable .

I also know where there is space

There is hope .

I know that if I take a short cut 

That requires turning my back 

On the Lord's peaceful Presence 

I must choose the longer route .

I also know that it is important 

To bless others .

Instead of something dwelling 

On how unfortunate I feel ,

I thank God for the beautiful opportunity 

I have to be a blessing 

To all my loved ones .

                                      I Love You All

                                      By Brock

Waiting

When you are sick 

And waiting to feel better someday 

The waiting is the worst .

But another kind of waiting 

Moves us to put up trees ,

Light candles and hang wreaths .

This anticipation brings joy .

It thrills our souls .

We look forward to it all year long 

Waiting for the appearance 

Of the Christ child .

As we mark each day 

Off the calendar ,

The excitement grows ,

Moving us to acts of love 

And kindness toward friends 

And strangers alike .

We wait , full of hope 

Because we know 

That God's news is coming .

                          I Love You All

                          By Brock 

It Would Not Be Christmas Without You

When a child is born 

Tears are turned into joy .

When a child is born 

Sadness is turned into laughter .    

When a child is born 

Silence is turned into action .

When a child is born 

War is turned into peace .

When a child is born 

It has its whole world in its little hands .

When a child is born 

The world is so much brighter in our eyes .

Love is all around us forever .

When a child is born 

Always watch its soul soar .

Remember when a child is born 

It is a miracle and also a blessing 

All into one so love it always 

With your heart and soul .

Each child that is born

Is a sensation all on its own .

                  I Love You All

                  By Brock