The Morning Star

Jesus the bright morning star has come 

To make a bed in the chambers 

Of our hearts .

The light of Christ shone 

In the manger , on the cross, 

From the empty tomb 

Now it illumines our lives 

With Christ love  ,

Driving away the darkness

Of our fears and sins .

By faith , we believe that our Savior 

And our Lord our , our Immanuel ,

Our God , is with us forever .

This is the morning stat that rises  

In our hearts  and guides us 

Now and forever .

Thanks be to God .

                              I Love You All

                              By Brock

Our Lives

We find that our lives are threatened 

By uncertainties .

God has a message of hope for us .

God lifts our hearts to remember 

That no matter what we see and experience ,

He still is in charge .

He is still reigning 

And His Word brings 

Hope for us all .

The good news is that God still calls 

Sinners to Himself .

Despite our sinful nature ,

God calls us into His kingdom  

And cleanses us .

God makes us His own .

He puts His seal on us .

                    I Love You All

                    By Brock

His Yoke

Jesus links us to what He has done 

And what He will do for us  .

He puts His yoke of peace ,

Comfort and rest on us .

He connects us to the cross

And the empty tomb .

He shows us how death 

Has no power over us .

He takes us to the waters

Of Holy Baptism 

And lifts us up from the Holy Communion

Table ,

Strengthened and renewed 

For ministry and missions,

Together in His name .

                       I Love You All

                       By Brock

Our Sins

Like a master gardener removing 

Dead wood from a tree or a bush ,

Through the cross ,

Jesus prunes us to cast our sins 

On Him so that we may grow more 

Like Him every day .

From His tiny manger through

The means  of Grace  ,

He powers us to true servanthood ,

That we might blossom 

And grow in daily acts 

Of love , enabling us 

To bear fruit in His name . 

                          I Love You All

                          By Brock   

The Door

Only God the Father knows how long 

He will give us on this earth 

Or how many saints will be added 

To the kingdom of heaven .

Until then , we have a glorious mission 

To seek the lost and find other sheep

For the fold .

As God’s doorkeepers in the house 

Of the Lord .

Let us fling wide the portal 

Of our churches , our hearts  and lives  .

Remember , Jesus is knocking  .

He graciously invites us all .

The narrow door is open. .

                                  I Love You All

                                  By Brock

Time Card

If we were to hand God our time card  ,

He would see many failures  .

No matter where we start in our relationship  

With God ,

Whether in the first , third or ninth hour ,

We do not deserve God’s blessings  .

But there is something quite generous 

And graceful about God. .

He takes our time cards 

And tear them up .

He has mercy on us all  .

What God hands back to us 

Is something greater than a full day’s pay .

God gives our lives meaning ,

Now and for eternity .

                                     I Love You All

                                     By Brock

God Is Looking

God is looking for you  ,

Not to terrify you  ,

Not to burden you ,

But to bring you back to His side 

He is never ashamed 

To call you His child ,

No matter where He finds you .

He will never stop seeking you .

He rejoices when you return .

                            I Love You All

                            By Brock

Terrible Effect

 

The United States is a melting pot of people .

From different countries  , languages 

And beliefs who seek liberty. 

We are blessed with the freedom 

To worship freely 

And share our faith with others .

However , things like breakdown 

Of the family  ,

The disregard of the Ten Commandments , 

The lack of concern for the sanctity 

Of life 

And senseless killings 

Remind us that while there is much 

 Goodness about America ,

We can not hide our heads 

From sin’s terrible effects these days .

                                   I Love You All

                                   By Brock

The Crowds

The crowds of the world 

Seek to make things  right 

On their own .

Those efforts will fall short  .

But what Jesus will bring life 

And eternal health for our souls  .

He gives us our daily bread  .

Jesus feels us with Himself  .

The very bread of life 

Nourishes us in His Word 

And Sacraments. .

In Christ  we will never 

Hunger or thirst again. .

                     I Love You All

                     By Brock

His Place

God’s love is open to all .

His Church the assembly of believers 

Around Word and Sacrament 

Is the place for forgiven sinners  .

In His Church , we have Jesus’ assurance  

That nothing can separate us from Him .

In His Church we have the Father’s 

Overwhelming love  .

In His Church , we have that precious 

Communion with Him 

And with one another  .

Jesus is in our midst  ,

As He has promised to be 

Providing gracious gifts

To all who believe  .

                                I Love You All

                                By Brock

I Promise

 

God makes His new creation 

Through His son .

He makes us holy Himself .

We do not obey God’s commands

In order to be saved .

We obey because we are already saved .

A holy life of good works is a testimony 

Of the grace of God that we live in .

Remember the Gospel enables 

God’s eternal will for creation 

To happen again .

God Himself empowers us to join Him 

With these words ,

The Lord is my portion

I promise to keep Your words 

                             I Love You All

                             By Brock 

When Questions Arise

When questions arise in our mind 

As we face illnesses , grief , pressures 

At work or school 

Or when the world seems  upside down  ,

May the Lord help us 

To be still , look only to God’s Word 

And know that our triune God 

Is in control.

For God helps us free from every need 

And holds the field forever .

                                   I Love You All

                                   By Brock

Terrible Effect

The United States is a melting pot of people .

From different countries  , languages 

And beliefs who seek liberty. 

We are blessed with the freedom 

To worship freely 

And share our faith with others .

However , things like breakdown 

Of the family  ,

The disregard of the Ten Commandments , 

The lack of concern for the sanctity 

Of life 

And senseless killings 

Remind us that while there is much 

 Goodness about America ,

We can not hide our heads 

From sin’s terrible effects these days .

                                   I Love You All

                                   By Brock

Sinners

As sinners living in a sinful world .

We might think God’s design is unrealistic  

Or out of touch .

But Jesus lived among us ,

Holding before us God’s design .

God designed marriage to be a picture 

Of the inseparable and indivisible

Union between Christ and His church .

He washed and cleanses us 

With His pure blood so that we may be

And remain righteous 

And holy in His sight .

                   I Love You All

                   By Brock

Holy Ground

The next time you go to church 

Or make the time for personal devotion 

Around God’s word ,

Think about it as being in God’s presence 

A place of holy ground .

Because of Jesus ,

You can take your sandals off 

In repentance 

And faith 

And come before Him in reverence 

As one who has been called by the Lord  .

Today Jesus is with us .

Because  He is with us  ,

We will indeed be on holy ground .

                           I Love You All

                           By Brock

Unworthy

You may feel unworthy .

You may feel to small and insignificant  .

You may think of yourself 

As a run down rickety 

Old shack .

But God sees something different .

He sees a beautiful gleaming 

Glorious dwelling place 

For his Son .

And he loves what he sees .

                       I Love You All

                       By Brock

Served By Christ

Having been served by Christ ,

We take up our towels 

Wash one another’s  feet ,

Dry one another’s tears ,

Hold the hand of the grieving ,

Fold our hands in prayer 

For one another ,

Take food to the hungry 

And tell someone else 

Of the precious story of Jesus 

And His love .

Help us to follow your example .

                               I Love You All

                               By Brock

God’s Wisdom

God’s wisdom is not a book ,

A philosophy not even a management  style .

It is a person Jesus himself .

He sees the crowds in your life 

And his heart is always filled 

With compassion for you .

He knows the challenges 

You are facing 

And he is always ready 

To help you and guide you .

                       I Love You All

                       By Brock

Your Love Will Flow

Your Baptism makes you a tassel

Of Jesus’ clock to the people around you .

Your words , your touch , your smile ,

Your patience , your hugs , 

your compassion 

Everything about you can introduce 

People to life changing encounters 

With the Lord .

Not because you are special 

In and of yourself ,

But because of your relationship with Jesus .

The closer you are to him ,

The more readily his life 

And his love 

Will flow out of you .

                         I Love You All

                         By Brock

Go To God

Praying may seem to be the least 

We can do .

But it is also the most we can do .

And there is no limit 

To what God can do .

Each need that arises 

Gives us a chance 

To practice 

Going to the Lord first  .

So let us resolve to involve 

Him sooner rather than later

And to seek his help

With every step of the way .

                               I Love You All

                               By Brock

Focus

To often we are so focused

On worldly cares 

That we forget that even in the midst 

Of the storms .

Jesus is still the bright star  .

It is good to remember that clouds 

Can not stop the light of the sun .

They can only obscure it for a while .

In about the same way ,

Christ never leaves us  .

He is with us through it all ,

Ordering our days 

And preparing straight paths 

When the clouds do lift .

                     I Love You All 

                    By Brock

When We Choose

When we choose trust rather than worry ,

Our days will be marked by confidence ,

Assurance and strength .

The important tasks will be done 

And we will finish the day satisfied  .

We will be able to lay our heads 

On our pillow and sleep in peace .

With the help of God’s word ,

Let us frame our days 

Not with worry 

But with peace .

                          I Love You All

                          By Brock

Be Open

When we pray  ,

We should be open to the gifts 

That God has for us in the present  .

Every good and perfect gift is from above ,

Coming down from the  Father 

Of the heavenly lights  .

God has a variety of gifts and blessings 

To offer 

And each one may be different 

Than the last .

We can anticipate them all 

With the excitement of joy of a child .

                                    I Love You All

                                    By Brock

Heal Me

We often think that Lent is a time 

When we do things for God .

But it is also time when God 

Wants to do things for us .

So ask Him to help you put away 

Unkind remarks and reactions  .

If and when you slip up , 

Think about what may have caused

You to act in that way 

Then ask Jesus to heal you 

And trust that he can,

Jesus  heal my heart 

So that I speak only 

Words of love , encouragement 

And caring and mercy I pray .

                         I Love You All

                         By Brock

Eternal Beacon

I have a life with Christ 

At times I am calm ,

with my green tea .

At times I feel storm tossed .

I have walked bravely 

Along a narrow path at times .

Jesus is my eternal beacon ,

If I listen carefully 

I can hear His voice 

Calming the waters 

And bidding me 

To keep the faith ,

Knowing that behind me 

Is the solid ground of forgiveness ,

Power and love .

A head of me unseen and awesome 

But certain lies eternity with Christ .

                                 I Love You All

                                 By Brock 

The Story

Now in Christ ,our Sabbaths ,

Are filled with rest 

Yes rest in God’s Word and promises 

Christ , rest in the grave

Also hallowed  the graves 

Of all who belong to Him. 

And just as surely as He rose

From the dead

Following His rest ,

So shall we rise from the dead

Following our rest 

In our graves to live with Christ 

Forever on the Last Day .

This truly will be 

The rest of the story !

                    I Love You All 

                    By Brock

A Great Comfort

What a great comfort it is 

That Jesus’ word never passes away .

Change , corruption and decay 

Surround us and  assail us ,

But God’s promise of His love 

For us that nothing can destroy 

Supports and strengthen us .

God shows His love for us 

In giving us His only begotten son .

 Jesus won forgiveness of all our sins 

And make us heirs of eternal life .

We have His Word for it ,

A Word that will never pass away .

                                 I Love You All

                                 By Brock

Graciously Lord

Lord graciously blots 

Our bitter tears

From our eyes.

He forgives our failings ,

Heals our broken hearts ,

Comforts us in sorrow 

And gives us a new beginning .

With Christ we are given new hope .

                                   I Love You All

                                   By Brock 

 

Thank You God

These are familiar aims .

They occurs not only at Thanksgiving 

But also in every Divine Service .

There , not only do we confess our sins ,

Import God’s forgiveness and mercy ,

And thank Him for His manifold blessings ,

But we also receive the riches of His grace 

That He lavishly and generously 

Pours out in Christ in Word and Sacrament .

He forgives our sins , strengthens us 

In faith 

And love and feeds us to life eternal .

We thank Him for these gifts 

In the Great Thanksgiving ,

Then joyfully receive 

Them anew in the Holy Eucharist .

Thanks be to God .

                                  I Love You All

                                  By Brock

Notions

How many of the notions  

we have about Christ are off target  ?

How many are driven 

By our thought and desired .

Rather than by what God has said 

And done ?

We and the world around us 

Need the Christ that Jesus is .

We need a Savior who suffers 

And died in our place ,

Bearing our sin and inquiry

And freeing us from guilt and condemnation .

He bore the punishment we deserved 

For our sin in order to free us 

From the curse of sin 

And to grant us forgiveness

And His name .

This is the Christ Jesus 

Came to be for us .

                           I Love You All

                           By Brock

Entitlement

We live in an age of entitlement .

People think they deserve to have everything 

They want ,

Even from God .

But before God , we deserve nothing 

But punishment .

Before Him , our only plea can be based 

Not on our merits , grace and mercy .

Like puppies under the table 

We hope for crumbs .

Yet in His mercy .

God sets before us the lavish 

Riches of His grace ,

Seating us at the marriage feast 

Of the lamb in His kingdom .

                           I Love You All

                           By Brock

From Christ To Us

In order to thrive and bear fruit  ,

Climbing plants depend on 

Strong central vine 

And require occasional pruning .

Jesus is our true vine 

And when we remain  connected to him ,

We can bear much fruit .

All we need to do is receive 

And rest in Jesus’ love .

Just as a plants nutrients flow 

From the vine to its branches ,

God’s divine love flows 

From Christ to us .

                  I Love You All

                  By Brock

He Comforts Us

God longs to comfort us .

In our most difficult moments ,

God whispers words of peace ,

Love , comfort and encouragement 

To our souls .

When I was deeply distressed ,

God brought comfort to my heart ,

Heard my prayers ,

And gave my parents strength to help me  .

Our good God desires our well being 

And is ready 

To extend comfort and peace anytime .

                                      I Love You All

                                      By Brock

With Our Words

With the words , we encourage 

And uplift those around us ,

Tell people we love them ,

And sing praise to God .

We also might complain  

About those who wrong us ,

Insult those we dislike ,

Gossip about others behind their backs 

And more .

We build up ,

But we also tear down 

As James points out .

This is wrong .

All people on earth are loved by God .

Why would we want to affect anyone 

With our words.

But thanks be to God .

He teaches us 

What to say to others ,

How to speak words of life 

Even to people we rather steer clear of .

He has the words of eternal life .

He also shows us how to forgive 

And love others .

                            I Love You All

                            By Brock

Work For The Lord

We are encouraged to work 

At whatever we do 

With our entire hearts ,

As if working for the Lord .

No job God has placed us in is unimportant .

When we commit whatever we do for God ,

Working willingly with everything we have ,

We honor God .

Whether we are working as a CEO ,

Custodian , teacher , secretary 

Or a stay at home parent ,

God can help us to bear fruit 

For the kingdom .

No job is small or insignificant 

Because  we work for God 

                         I Love You All

                         By Brock

When I Am Stuck

When I seem to be stuck 

In a barren situation ,

God is able to make water spring up 

And bring me renewed life .

Often times when we feel like 

We are dwelling in a desert

Our needs over whelm us .

When our work seems not to be 

Yielding anything good ,unfruitful 

But God is able and willing 

To cause waters to flow 

In the midst of our desert 

To give life , fruitful and productivity 

Even where there seems to be no hope .

So let us be encouraged 

By our powerful and loving God .

                                   I Love You All

                                   By Brock