The Sunflower

How many times are we like the sunflower ?

It is easy to look to God 

When we see God's wonders around us .

But when life gets messy ,

It can be difficult to see God's working .

We may hang our heads 

And let our hearts turn away from God .

Trusting in God and waiting 

Patiently for God's answer

Can be the hardest thing 

That we face on our spiritual journey 

However , we can keep our eyes 

Fixed on God 

And follow where God leads 

Even on  cold cloudy days .

                         I Love You All

                         By Brock 

                         Smiley

To Face Doubts

We will face doubts 

And difficult situation .

But God wants only the best for us ,

Full lives following the path Jesus Christ has set .

We can be certain 

That in all circumstances 
God will sustain us 

And remain faithfully by our side .

                               I Love You All

                               By Brock

                               By Smiley

It Opened Up

When I got to know 

The living God ,

I finally understand .

Before I had regarded the Bible 

As an excellent collection of writing .

But through faith in God ,

It opened up before me 

And I think about my uncle Jimmy 

Because he knew the Bible 

From cover to cover as a Catholic !

And I never will .

But I know the word of God 

Which helps me find real answers 

To the old How questions

And gives real strength to me 

As I am getting older and understanding 

God ever more .

                                       I Love You All  

                                       By Brock

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The Smile

The smile on my face 

Means I do not have absence 

Of joy .

The smile on my face 

Does not mean I am perfect 

But what I have 

And what I have been blessed with

I choose to be happy 

So I try to call someone every day Smiley !

                                           I Love You All

                                           By Brock

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To Dread

I no longer dread daily task ,

I once thought boring or unimportant .

Instead , I have come to see them 

As opportunities to quiet my thoughts 

And focus on God in prayer and meditation .

God can use those times to draw me closer ,

and strengthening my life of discipleship .

                                           I Love You All

                                           By Brock

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I Struggle

I learn that even when I struggle 

God gives love relief and opportunities 

Throughout my life  .

I have had much

And I have had little ,

But the amount of grave 

And comfort that God 

Has provided for me 

Has never changed .

                    I Love You All

                    By Brock

                    Smiley

God's Blessings

Even when God's blessings seem distant . 

The promises of God 

Like the promises of Spring 

Will be fulfilled .

When we remember these promises 

While waiting 

Oh God ,

They can become more evident .

We can give thanks 

To God and remember Jesus' promise

To the man next to him as they were both dying 

Remember , the promise is coming .

                                                   I Love You All

                                                   By Brock

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I Can Write

Now I can write about the journey toward healing .

I have experienced and the blessings I continue to receive .

A sense of peace , my grandson , the support of friends 

And family and church and a connection with others 

Who have lost loved ones 

To covid and suicide are some of the gifts 

That have turned my life's greatest tragedies into something 

Powerful and good .

                                                               I Love You All

                                                               By Brock

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Be Alert

Scripture tells us to be alert 

Because evil prowls like a roaring lion .

God has not left us defenceless 

In our times of vulnerability and pain .

In those times , we can ask others 

To gather around us and pray 

For God's powerful presence 

To bring relief .

                              I Love You All

                              By Brock

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He Will Listen

God will listen to our prayers anytime ,

Regardless of what we have done in the past 

Or where we are in our spiritual journey .

All we have to do is show up, turn our distractions ,

And open our hearts .

We are not always successful in listening to God ,

But we have learned that its always worth the effort .

                                                          I Love You All

                                                          By Brock

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Aimless

When our lives seem aimless

And purposeless ,

We can learn to trust God 

The Creator and Sustainer of life .

When we trust God's direction  ,

We can be assured that God 

Will lead us to a life of goodness 

And purpose .

                                I Love You All

                                By Brock

                                Smiley

Savior's Love

There is no greater place to be 

Than within the safe confines 

Of our Savior's love .

Disappointment ?

They will come .

Failures ?

For sure ,

Sins , death and hell still seek

To do their worst .

Yet they are no match 

For the Savior

Who qualified , delivered and transferred us 

In His wound , we have made the cut .

By his grace ,

We are on his team .

                                               I Love You All

                                               By Brock    

                                               Smiley

The Manual

The most important manual

I have ever read 

And then have at times forgotten 

To apply is the Bible ,

God has given us a book 

That can help us figure out 

How to live .

While it does not offer 

Direct help for every situation ,

The Bible includes a guideline

That can equip us for living 

A God gilled life .

                         I Love You All

                         By Brock

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I Am Frightened

When I am frightened in the night

And I have so many things racing

Through my mind .

Oh Lord , I need you by me ,

I love you .

When I am in bed and then just lay and pray 

And I do not hear a thing ,

And I can not sleep 

I take my fingers 

And make a cross 

That reminds me 

That you are here .

I therefore no longer frightened 

Because of you and your glory .

On this Easter Morning

Thank You Lord once again 

For protecting me and loving me .

I love you to and thanks for saving me .

                                             I Love You All
                                             By Brock

                                             Smiley

He Is Less Than One

He is less than one year old .

He seems to only have one single purpose 

And that is to be himself .

He has that touch .

He has that reach .

He has a special laugh .

He has a sound that is his own .

His voice boy can he sing !

He has an impact on everyone he meets .

You can call him Smiley 

For there is a smile in him always .

                                I Love You All

                                By Brock

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Shame

As we sincerely repent 

Of our own sins

And respond in kindness

And forgiveness to those 

Who wrong us ,

Our enemies feel their own shame .

When we combat evil with underserved  good ,

We experience a kind of sweet victory .

This underserved goodness

Can have a sweet affect on our enemies ,

Filling their hunger for love and quenching 

The thirst of our souls .

                                       I Love You All

                                       By Brock

                                       Smiley

It Is Broken

As the broken pieces of pottery

Created a beautiful story ,

God can use our brokeness 

To give hope to others .

Together we can tell a beautiful story 

Of God's restorative love .

                                        I Love You All

                                        By Brock

                                        Smiley

To Be Assured

The power of God and the faith

And witness of Christ followers 

Like Peter and John can assure

Me that when I face a situation 

That I think will never change 

We all can pray like never before

And put full faith in God 

Whose power can change everything .

                                       I Love You All

                                       By Brock

                                       Smiley

Lost And Change

The older you get the more you lose .

So hold on to what you got before you lose it .

The older you get

The more you will use 

The words lost and change 

And you will know what I mean .

The more you have lost 

The more you will see change 

And more memories you will remember .

                                          I Love You All

                                          By Brock

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The Season

God will lead us 

In all sorts of ways 

Instead of feeling resentful 

About giving something 

Up for Lent ,

We may find ourselves looking 

Forward with anticipation 

To the new experience  ,

God is calling us .

In this season .

                      I Love You All

                      By Brock

                      Smiley

Perfection

Jesus left the perfection 

And glories of heaven 

To come to earth 

In order to serve us 

From our sins .

When His redeeming work 

Was done .

He returned to that perfection 

And is there now preparing 

A place for us

Waiting is hard  ,

But what we are waiting 

For is very much worth the wait .

                                I Love You All

                                By Brock

                                Smiley

 Worry

God cares very deeply for us .

But all this worrying 

About whether He cares 

And this restless pursuit 

For meaning and purpose 

In our lives only weighs us down .

We need to hear God's word again 

And again to remind us that He 

Does care and that He has a plan for us .

This plan includes the end of all of life's as problems 

As well as a glorious eternal home in heaven 

I Live You All

By Brock

Smiley !!!!!!!!

Withdraw

When we are tempted to withdraw 

From loving people wholeheartedly  ,

We can take courage from Jesus' example .

He accepted the danger of loving us

And never retreated .

He was willing to risk it all on the cross 

Because of His love for us

And we are called to love others 

The way Christ loves us .

                                    I Love You All

                                    By Brock 

                                    Smiley

He Asked

Jesus asked , Do you finally believe  ?

The time is coming

When you will be scattered ,

Each one going his own way ,

Leaving me alone .

Yet I am not alone 

Because the Father is with me .

I have told you all this 

So that you may have peace in me .

Here on earth you will have many 

Trials and sorrows .

But take heart ,

Because I have overcome the world .

So let us pray .

                                      I Love You All

                                      By Brock

                                      Smiley

Forgiven

What do you want to be 

I suspect a child would answer

The question differently about everyday .

But one thing is for certain 

Who we are in Christ is forgiven .

Remember , to set about to live 

Such life of forgiveness in Jesus' name .

                                          I Love You All

                                          By Brock

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Thanks To God

Thanks to God  .

We are not what we were  ,

Nor are we all we hope to be  .

But today , we are by grace 

Who we are .

It is enough  

Go forth , child of God ,

Rejoice in the Savior 

Who set you free .

                  I Love You All

                  By Brock

                  Smiley

God's Grace

What temptation strives to overtake you ?

What affliction seeks to humble you ?

God's grace is enough  ,

As are the means He provides 

For the forgiveness and strength 

You seek in such time .

Rejoice to receive His gifts 

And the assurance that God in Christ 

Will never let you go .

His grace is enough .

It was my father's salvation ,

And it is yours .

                       I Love You All

                       By Brock

                       Smiley

Rejoice Today

Rejoice this day in the abundant 

Provisions of the Lord .

Give thanks for His goodness 

As you revel in the joy of both 

God's creation and His salvation .

One loaf of bread can certainly satisfy ,

Remember , one drop of the Savior's 

Precious blood can too .

Truly a little is enough .

                                     I Love You All

                                     By Brock

                                     Smiley