I Raced

I raced through the store 

And found myself behind 

The same man in the checkout lane .

He turned smiled and began

Emptying my cart for me 

While the cashier scanned his items .

I stood amazed

I returned the smile and thanked him 

For both good deeds .

He shrugged and said ,

It does not cost anything 

To be nice .

I cringed and felt my face 

Go red as I remember Jesus 

Command , just as I have loved you  ,

You also should love one another 

I realized I was angry 

Over something trivial 

And a sudden rush at gratitude 

Swept over me .

I am thankful for the man 

Whose acts of kindness

Had an impact on my attitude .

                                 I Love You All

                                 By Brock

I Wonder

I wonder if God ever tires

Of my many request .

In the Bible there are numerous passage .

My prayers tell God of my true 

And abiding faith in God’s grace .

Paul said  it well in his letter 

To the Philippians .

Do not worry about anything ,

But in every thing by prayer 

And supplication 

With thanksgiving .

Let your request be known to God. 

That is what I am doing today .

God is love 

And I am most thankful 

For that and for God’s listening ear .

                              I Love You All

                              By Brock

At The End Of The Day

I choose to begin and end my day 

In prayerful reflection ,

Paying attention to the goodness

Of God that surrounds me .

I review the day with gratitude

Even the parts that were difficult 

And deliberately name the joys .

When I choose to rejoice ,

Pray and give thanks ,

I can see beyond my circumstances 

And my heart is oriented 

Toward God’s purpose .

                      I Love You All

                      By Brock

God Does It

Life is like a maze .

Many times we ask God

Why certain things happen to us .

We try to grasp difficult situations 

But are unable to understand them .

We hurry here and there 

Looking for the right path .

Obstacles stop us in our tracks 

And we do not understand 

Why we must back track 

Or even face those obstacles 

In the first place .

It becomes crucial to allow God to guide us 

Through the twisting 

And turning passageways of life 

So that we can find the path 

That will lead to the fullness of joy 

That only God can offer .

                              I Love You All

                              By Brock

A Beautiful Tree

I want to be like a beautiful tree

When I am faced with hardship

I want to trust in God my Creator .

God has made good plans for us 

And can turn our struggles 

Into blessings if we persevere .

When hard times attack me 

I want to be strong enough 

To say to them  ,

You are helpless against me 

Because God made me 

 And I can overcome anything 

Through God’s power .

With this faith I can stand tall

Like the stead fast  green tree

In my front yard today .

                                I Love You All

                                By Brock

That Night

That night , I decided to pray again .

I did not ask for anything .

I gave thanks for all that I had .

And I felt blessed by everything 

On my list .

After this prayer of gratitude 

I had in my heart 

It was the beginning 

And looked hopeless 

In that bleak situation ,

God spoke light 

With that light came hope ,

God kept speaking ,

Forming the sky , sea and land  .

What God wants for the future ,

Day after day ,

God spoke into being 

Until it was all good ,

God spoke .

                       I Love You All

                       By Brock 

An Aging Body

 

An aging body is an amazing gift from God .

What if the drawbacks of aging 

Are actually tremendous blessings ?

What if our ailments are God’s way

Of slowly gently and lovingly 

Preparing us for eternity ?

Maybe our physical weakening 

Can lead to our spiritual strengthening .

Maybe this is God’s way of whispering 

Something incredibly joyful in our ears .

You are getting closer to me .

God may be saying 

Closer to my unconditional love .

Closer to being able to run 

And not grow weary .

Closer to being delivered 

From this mortal body .

                   I Love You All

                   By Brock

It Is Amazing

It is amazing what we do 

When we are in denial .

Nothing like problem avoidance 

To move us in the wrong direction .

What might we be avoiding today ?

Making a tough decision

Or scheduling an overdue 

Doctor’s appointment ?

Healing a rift with a loved one 

Or sharing difficult  news ?

What ever it is , rise up 

And call upon the Lord .

He will guide us through it .

                     I Love You All

                     By Brock

Knowledge

For information to become knowledge ,

It must be both retained 

And put into practice  . 

Otherwise  it is just information 

Replaced soon with other new information .

Spiritual knowledge is no different .

We can not just passively hear Scripture 

At mass 

Or read a passage in a morning devotion 

And move on .

That is the equivalent of chewing food 

And spitting it out .

You must swallow it 

And digest it 

To receive any nourishment .

Think about it and eat it 

And keep it all inside .

                   I Love You All

                   By Brock

Be Persistent

Let us recall that only truth is real 

And only Christ is the truth .

The truth he shares with us 

Is that we need to persist 

In prayer and in our relationship 

With God yes we must have faith .

We can knock on the Lord’s door 

At all hours he insists .

We can ask for everything we need .

Seek him and never give up .

The answer to our longing 

Is already given 

And it will not be taken away 

From us .

                     I Love You All 

                    By Brock

By Grace

By the grace of Jesus ,

You are more than His servant .

He has also called you His friend .

He wants to spend time with you .

He wants to be Involved in your life .

You can come before Him .

With whatever is in your heart  .

You will find no better listener .

He rejoices when you rejoice 

And He is patient with you 

When you fail Him .

It is this same tender love Jesus    shows  us 

That He desires us to share with others

And because of Him , we can  .

                                       I Love You All

                                      By Brock

Our Greatest Treasure

Jesus did suffer many things for us .

Jesus justified by His grace 

As a gift ,

Through the redemption that is in Christ 

Jesus .

He took our place before God 

As the sacrifice that would forever free us 

From our sins .

He became a man of sorrow 

And grief for us 

So we would have peace 

And new life in Him .

He is glad to have done this for us .

This undeserved grace is our

Greatest treasure .

       I Love You All                     

    By Brock  

Love

Let us adopt God’s love .

Let us cut through the  discord ,

Evil and wickedness of our world 

So we will go straight into the hearts .

Then may we be the ones

Who help put love back into those hearts 

So that they expand 

And grow for God’s glory .

                     I Love You All

                     By Brock

An Appointment

As the Great Dr Jesus Himself 

Is the only cure for our sinful condition 

And that means  we always need Him ,

The forgiveness He pronounces ,

The grace He offers .

But Jesus does not wait for us

To schedule an appointment  .

He does make house calls .

Jesus meets us where we are 

Broken by our sins 

And He abides with us .

He is pleased to dwell 

With those who are sick with sin .

                                I Love You All

                                By Brock

He Adores Us All

Praise God that no matter 

How many times we forget Him ,

He always remembers us .

More than that actually 

We are ever at the fore front 

Of His mind .

His thoughts about us 

Can not be measured 

They far exceed the number 

Of grains of sand in this earth .

The  Heavenly Father 

Has adored us for days without number .

He can not stop thinking about us all 

Or stop loving us all .

                                     I Love You All

                                    By Brock

We Wait

We wait for many things  .

A diagnosis , a job offer , a vacation ,

A promotion , retirement , a visitor

A smile and so much more .

Waiting in prayer is another form of waiting ,

One that calls for patience 

Because God’s timing does not always 

Coincide with ours .

It calls for trust that what we wait for

Will be worthwhile ,

It calls for hopeful expectation 

That the promise of the Holy One 

Will be fulfilled .

                                 I Love You All

                                 By Brock

A Work Of Art

Oh God , from the beginning of time ,

From our physical beginning to our end ,

Our lives are stretched out before Him .

He sees it all ,

The highs and lows ,

The good times and bad times ,

And it is a work of art ,

Made beautiful before God sees 

It through the lens 

Of the sacrifice of Christ .

We do not always 

 Know what is going on in our lives

Or why things happen to us .

But God does .

He is completing you 

As His master piece ,

A wounded of beauty with a smile .

I will speak for God today 

And say to you all

I love you 

And we all are God’s master piece 

Even if you do not believe it 

God does .

                            I Love You All

                            By Brock

Today

The fruit that Jesus ask for 

Is not worldly success .

It is not devoid of conflict and heartache .

Rather following in his footsteps ,

We are fruitful when we submit 

Ourselves to God’s will each day ,

No matter how difficult .

We are fruitful when we do our best

To love 

Others even when that love 

Is not returned .

These are the fruit that Jesus  wants .

May we bear such fruit in abundance 

Today and always  .

                                     I Love You All 

                                     By Brock

It Is True

It is true God does not always 

Act in the way we ask or expect Him to ,

And He does not always spare us 

From suffering ,

We may be tempted in those moments 

To turn to idols.

But there is only one God .

And we can trust our whole lives

And salvation .

To Him be the glory. .

                     I Love You All

                     By Brock

To Love

It is in Jesus' very nature to love 

His people fiercely ,

Even if they offer Him no love in returns . That is just who He is .

Our Baptism is the seal a guarantee , 

That all of Jesus’ promises apply to us .

He daily and richly forgives us ,

He supplies us with every thing 

We need in this life 

And He is with us in every moment .

He gives us faith in our salvation 

And eternal life with Him .

Remember , because of Jesus’ love

For us all it is unconditional love 

And we are stronger than we think

We are  because of Jesus .

 

                              I Love You All

                              By Brock

The Next Time

The next time you are outside 

And you see a cloud or fog 

Blocking the sun from your eyes

Take a moment to thank God 

For blocking your sins from His sight .

Because of what you have  done .

He has forgiven us all

And is always with us .

He never makes a fuse or fuss !!

He has all the power .

                                    I Love You All

                                    By Brock

To Hear Him

It is tempting to want to hear God 

Speaking to us in divine revelation .

So He does .

Each time we read God’s word .

We hear the living breathing voice of God .

Each time we enter His church 

And hear the word spoken by our pastors  

We hear Jesus .

Jesus’ voice does what it says. ,

It creates, it heals, it forgives sins 

And it brings mercy .

Jesus is God’s Son ,

And His voice bespeaks God’s presence ,

His holiness and His glory .

                                      I Love You All

                                      By Brock

Tears

Now that I am getting older ,

I understand that tears are nothing

To be ashamed of .

They well up when we are deeply 

Moved ,often by sorrow .

Remember , Jesus weeps with us . 

He knows all of our burdens 

And none are small at all .

He really knows 

Because He went to the cross 

With our sin weighing upon Him 

But He rose again ,

Triumphing over sin and death forever .

                                     I Love You All

                                     By Brock 

He Lives We Live

While we live on this earth ,

Satan continues to create disharmony ,

Doubt and disorder.

He targets Christ’s Church 

And tries His best to deceive believers .

However , Christ , has the last word . 

By His sacrifice on the cross ,

He is victorious .

We need not fear .

We need only to keep our eyes 

On His Cross 

And pray every day .

                           I Love You All

                           By Brock

It Is True

It is true God does not always 

Act in the way we ask or expect Him to ,

And He does not always spare us

From suffering .

We may be tempted in those moments 

To turn to idols .

But there is only one God .

And we can trust our whole lives

And salvation  .

To Him be the glory .

God’s Glory

Jesus , comes to restore His creation .

He comes to make all things new

Through Himself .

Jesus brings redemption and restoration ,

And yet , 

We live in the tension

Of the now and not yet .

The evidence of sin 

And evil still surrounds us 

Like sickness , death , war , acts of terror .

And guns being fired outside a mall 

And yet Jesus says it is done .

In Jesus we live and move .

 Jesus our refuge and peace 

Is our new Jerusalem, our Holy City 

And the place where God’s glory dwells.

                                            I Love You All

                                            By Brock

Sunday

Sunday after Sunday we enter 

Into holiness

As we cross the threshold 

Into the sanctuary .

We enter into the place 

Of a Sabbath rest ,

Where we receive 

The gifts of God .

Through His Son Jesus .

We rest and are refreshed 

In the gifts of forgiveness  of sin ,

Rescue from our enemies 

And life eternal. .

                        I Love You All

                        By Brock

Weak And Despised

Jesus often uses the weak and despised

To loudly proclaim His good news .

There was a blind and a beggar

An outcast in society .

Yet he was the very one 

Who saw and confessed 

Who Jesus is .

Remember , the kingdom of God 

Is for the lost and shame 

And blinded by the lure 

Of the world .

The kingdom of God is for us .

Jesus comes with mercy 

To open our blind eyes 

And heal us in body and soul .

                        I Love You All

                        By Brock 

Let Us Go

We are often reluctant to set

Out on the Journey 

God has set before us .

We grow tired , anxious , afraid .

We complain that the road is to difficult .

We loss sight of the One who leads 

And guides us .

But fear not ,

God promises to journey with us .

He promises to never leave or forsake us .

And He keeps His promises .

                        I Love You All

                        By Brock

God’s Word

When we come across a false teaching 

Or something that goes against 

What God has for us in Christ ,

We need to stop it in its tracks 

So it does not enter our hearts and minds .

It is to stay in God’s word ,

Which gives us all that we need for faith ,

By the truth of God’s word 

And the gifts of the Sacraments ,

We can fight the good fight of faith .

By living in God’s word 

and only His word 

Our true faith is always true .

                            I Love You All

                            By Brock

God’s Glory

Jesus , comes to restore His creation  .

He comes to make all things new 

Through Himself  .

Jesus brings redemption and restoration ,

And yet ,

We live in the tension 

Of the now and not yet  !

The evidence of sin 

And evil still surrounds us 

Like sickness , death  , war , acts of terror .

And yet Jesus said  it is done .

In Jesus we live and move  .

Jesus our refuge and peace 

Is our new Jerusalem , our Holy City 

And the place where God’s glory dwells .

                                           I Love You All

                                           By Brock

To Hear Him

It is tempting to want to hear God 

Speak to us in divine revelation  .

So He Does .

Each time we read God’s word ,

We hear the living , breathing voice of God .

Each time we enter His church 

And hear the word spoken 

By our pastors ,

We hear Jesus .

Jesus’ voice does what it says ,

It crates , it heals , it forgives sins 

And it brings mercy .

Jesus is God’s Son ,

And His voice bespeaks God’s presence ,

His holiness and His glory .

                                      I Love You All

                                      By Brock

Our Confession

Our confession of the triune  God 

Father , Son , and Holy Spirit 

Grounds us in our daily vocation .

Our confession situates us 

Into the presence of God ,

Who governs our daily work 

And gives us rest .

Our confession shapes 

Who we are in Christ , 

Forgiven sinners in need of mercy .

As we work and live , 

May we rest in the One 

Whose name we confess .

                                 I Love You All

                                 By Brock 

As We Walk

As we walk through a chaotic 

World that leaves us vulnerable ,

We might have doubts 

That we can make it through our days 

To our eternal life .

But we remember our Baptism 

And the word .

The Holy Spirit seals us tight .

 We are God’s children  

Now and forever .

We all are good to go .

                            I Love You All

                            By Brock

Memories

Memories can not be bought .

Memories can not slip away .

But we will always 

Have our memories 

And we can hold on to

All the memories 

That are inside .

Only with time 

Comes memories .

          I Love You All

          By Brock 

A Cabin In January

I can be at my forest cabin in January 

And hear the coal tits singing

From the large tree outside .

For me the salutary song of a bird 

Is a prophecy of spring ,

Warmth and sunshine . 

The snow will melt 

Green leaves will grow  .

Life will return .

Life is not easy .

Disappointments , health challenges 

The darkness and  the cold quiet days 

In the plains .

We find ourselves wondering .

When will the light return ?

When will I feel the peace ?

Jesus tells us that the love of God 

Is always near , 

Even when the darkness overwhelms us .

                                      I Love You All

                                      By Brock  

Feeling Overwhelmed

When we feel overwhelmed 

By the uncertainty of the future ,

We can rejoice in God ,

He has been faithful to us all young 

And old .

He has come to this world .

He has lived , died , risen and gone 

To heaven for us .

He provides for and cares for us .

He gives us forgiveness of sins 

And has promised to be with us always .

He has looked on us lowly sinners 

With mercy and is forever  faithful

To us  .

                                    I Love You All

                                    By Brock

Our Hope

Our hope is certain ,

God has promised something better 

And has begun it is in us .

We are members of His kingdom .

As one big family gathered 

Around the throne .

Even as we celebrate being a part 

Of a country ,

May we all the more celebrate 

Being a part of God’s family 

As His beloved children 

Through faith in Jesus 

My brothers .

What great love 

He gives to us. .

                       I Love You All

                       By Brock

Falling

We can fall backward or forward . 

How about we focus 

Our attitude on falling forward 

Into God’s grace 

In Christ that forgives every sin  ?

From God’s forgiveness of our sins ,

How about we keep falling 

Into God’s hands of grace  ?

How about we keep moving 

Into the good things 

God has for us  ,

Like His love and forgiveness 

And grace 

That we can share with others ?

                                  I Love You All

                                  By Brock

A Battle

Life might feel like a battle 

That is taking a toll on us ,

But is it strange to think 

That Jesus has already radioed 

To the Holly Spirit to come 

And help us ?

When we think we are pinned down 

And losing the battle ,

We can pray .

And as we pray 

Even before the words are on our lips ,

The Holly Spirit is here 

Sustaining us  , strengthening us 

And fighting the evil one for us .

The victory.  Is ours in Christ .

                        I Love You All

                        By Brock

The Race Before Us

We are all called to pray daily 

And follow God’s plan for our lives every day.

We are encouraged to run 

God’s race with perseverance .

The race set before us 

Spans our entire lives 

And requires us to say yes 

Over and over .

Praying , showing compassion ,

Going to church 

And following God’s plan for us .

We are challenged to say yes to God .

We can give thanks to God 

For every opportunity 

To run the race before us .

                      I Love You All

                      By Brock

The Beauty Inside

God views us as beautiful children ,

No matter how secured and damaged 

We are .

God often has to strip away 

One small part of our lives at a time 

To reveal the beauty hidden inside .

But as with that old piece of furniture ,

Our lives can shine again 

And be brighter and more beautiful 

Than any new piece of furniture .

God can reveal our character 

And uniqueness .

God will never choose to toss us aside .

We just have to allow God to finish 

The good work in us 

That has already begun .

                   I Love You All

                   By Brock

God Works

God works in our world to heal , rescue

And comfort in many ways ,

Including through our own hands .

And then what do we find 

When we are a part of this circle ?

Perhaps that allowing the Lord to work 

Through us to offer others justice ,

Freedom or even just a helping hand 

Teach us and leads to our own growth

As well .

Oh God of Love , work through me 

And teach me Ok

                              I Love You All

                              By Brock

Imagine

Sometimes we can not see God’s purpose

For us 

We complain , bargain  and try to escape 

Our situation .

But God’s goals are not our goals .

It maybe difficult ,

But if we believe God is with us ,

We can trust the One 

Who is able to do immeasurably 

More than all we ask or imagine .

                              I Love You All

                              By Brock

Leftovers

A dog will rest his chin on my knee

While I eat .

Hoping he may get a few leftovers 

When I am done .

The dog is always delighted in the food 

I had prepared .

I was always happy to give him more

Of what he desires .

God treats us even better .

He never gives us leftovers 

But the riches of His kingdom .

We act like a bunch of dogs ,

Barking at one another 

But he makes us part of his family .

He unites us with Christ Jesus 

And gives us all the benefits 

Of his kingdom .

God does the work ,

But our obedience and faithfulness

To him  a sure that we are present  

To receive His  blessings .

                        I Love You All

                        By Brock

My Legs

I face many hardships 

Due to my legs ,

But I can still get to work 

And do most of my routine tasks .

Sometimes I am even able 

To forget my pain  .

I know these graces 

Come from God’s goodness 

And his mercies are new every morning .

Maladies can make us weak physically ,

But faith can make us strong .

When we depend on the Lord ,

We find new strength .

Thank God for the grace 

And strength we find in Christ .

                               I Love You All

                               By Brock

The Puzzle

We sometimes think about not fitting in 

Like the oddly shaped puzzle piece 

With those around us 

And we struggle to understand 

Why God 

Does not change our current situation ,

Like all the pieces of the puzzle 

Fit perfectly into God’s plan .

God sees the whole picture 

While we can see only our piece .

I know it is up to us 

To remain faithful knowing that our lives 

Will always fit perfectly into God’s picture .

                                   I Love You All

                                   By Brock

When Broken

When we are broken 

We can reach out to Jesus ,

The light of the world .

As we endure our trials ,

We have the assurance 

That God has overcome the world 

And that nothing can separate us 

From God’s love .

Through our experiences ,

We become more understanding 

And compassionate  toward others 

And their struggles .

We also learn to draw closer to God 

And to rely on God in deeper ways 

Than before .

Remember , in Christ we receive  ,

Comfort , strength , hope 

And new spiritual growth .

                      I Love You All

                      By Brock

My Despair

Even though it is my habit to pray every Morning 

I found it hard to go to God in prayer during 

Hard times .

One day I decided  I had to do something 

To break myself out of this pattern .

I sat quietly and said simply 

Thank You God .

The next day I thanked God again ,

With each new day ,

My time with God grew longer 

As did my list of thanks and praise .

Each times I expressed gratitude  to God ,

I felt like light was breaking through 

The darkness that surrounded me.

As my spirit of thanksgiving grew,

God’s light overcame my despair .

                               I Love You All

                               By Brock

Those Who Believe

Those who believe in Jesus as Lord 

And Savior have salvation of their soul ,

But Jesus work is not yet complete .

Along with the work of  sustaining 

The world ,

Which He does while sitting 

At the right hand of God the Father ,

The rest will be accomplished 

When He comes again .

For us , knowing that our forgiveness 

And salvation are complete 

Allows us to confidently 

Wait for Jesus  to finish His work 

That will bring us 

To Him in complete pease 

And joy for all of eternity. .

              I Love You All

             By Brock

I Fall To Pieces

I am your grandpa .

I have your pictures

On the wall of you and me alone 

And so many more in my home .

You will never see grandpa’s tears fall .

How can I be just your grandpa ?

Only time adds to the pain .

I take you places in my van 

But I have to ask for a hug from you

And I tell you you are the best grandson

In the world .

You are growing up so fast .

Nothing is like it once was 

But I will always love you 

Big guy , my Squeaky and my special  Smiley 

When I see you walk away 

I fall to pieces 

Because I am your loving grandpa .

God Is Waiting

God is waiting for us ,

Watching us ,

Hoping for us to return .

When we wander off. 

We humans might let  our kids 

Stew in their own juices 

For awhile ,

But God will rush  to forgive .

What an affirmation of God’s mercy .

His ways are not our ways .

                            I Love You All

                            By Brock 

The Storm

The walls and roof of the house

Gives me a sense of security ,

And peace from the cold and wind ,

While God has not promised 

Us an east life ,

God has promised to be my shelter

In all challenging times.

When the disciples were caught in a storm 

On the sea ,

They were indeed fearful 

But they found peace 

Because Jesus was there with them .

I know we who trust 

In God are never alone .

             I Love You All

             By Brock

The Past

When we live in the past ,

We may miss out on greater things .

We can learn from our past mistakes ,

But we should not dwell on them .

Similarly , it is good to be happy 

About our past achievements ,

But we should not dwell on them either .

God is always making things new for us 

And when we place our trust in Christ ,

We can hold on to the hope 

Of the beautiful things 

That are still to come .

                     I Love You All

                     By Brock