God has a better country
where
No pollution taints the air;
Where every breath is free of pain
And health enjoys unbroken reign;
Where beauty thrives, by time unmarred,
And lives by sin are never scarred;
Where each relationship delights,
And no impending storm affrights;
Where no one dies, while others sob,
No hearts with stifling sorrow throb;
Where all are holy, glad and free
In love-filled, joy-crowned company.
And thanks to His redeeming grace
I have a passport to that place!
He was an unassuming man
Who spoke with quiet voice,
But the story that he told us
Caused all hearts to rejoice:
My mother was a hooker,
My father was her pimp--
Both died much too early
And left me with a limp.
That was all they left me--No money, pride, or food,
No memories worth having,
Nothing that was good.
I grew up without guidance,
A tough unwanted child,
Surviving on the city streets
Where life was raw and wild.
I was early into manhood
And early into crime;
Before the age of twenty
I learned to do hard time.
While bunking at a halfway house
I met a Christian man
Who treated me with kindness
As only Christians can.
I shortly found myself in church
Listening to God's word,
And hope was growing swiftly
With each message that I heard.
I gave my heart to Jesus,
Who took my sins away,
Changed my life completely--And here I am today!
When he had finished
speaking
There were tears on every face,
And every heart was grateful
For the Father's saving grace.
Lord God, I cannot speak
To those who from me seek
Some word by which to live,
Unless, in grace, You give
Me light, and truth, and fire--Unless You now inspire
My heart to know and say
The words that point the way
To You, to life, to heaven,
To joy of sins forgiven.
After the Shower
A welcome rain revived again
The thirsty, dusty anguished earth.
And throats of grateful birds and men
Now fill the air with sounds of mirth.
Since brown has given place to green
And dull has acquiesced to bright,
Our fates and futures now are seen
In radiant and hopeful light.
So as we celebrate relief,
Let us renew our faith again-
Our dry spells whether long or brief
Have always ended in a rain.
A Wondrous Thing
This is to me a wondrous thing
That God to tainted earth would bring
His only Son, the sacrifice
Whose blood alone can be the price
That ransoms sinners from the strife
Of ancient bonds and gives new life.
This is to me more wondrous still,
That even I a place can fill
Within the heart of boundless love
That brought the Savior from above.
This is the truth that makes me free--
That God in Christ atoned for me!
(Refrain)
O wondrous truth, my soul has heard
The saving promise of His word,
“Forsake your sins, I will forgive--
For my Son died that you might live.”
An Appreciation
When Henry teaches Sunday School,
His lesson deftly planned,
The Word's so plain that any fool
Like me can understand.
The interplay of teacher-taught
Exudes a sheer delight.
Truth heard and, even better, caught,
On darkness pours its light.
And when each lesson is complete,
I leave the room resolved
To give its meaning hands and feet,
With head and heart involved.
Thanks, Henry, for inspiring me
To follow Christ always,
To love and serve enduringly,
Through bright and cloudy days.
Alibis
The woman, Lord, Your gift to me!
'Twas at her word I shared the tree.
The serpent, Lord, Beguiling brute!
'Twas at his word I ate the fruit.
To Eden's pair We all are kin,
As loath to bear The guilt of sin.
For when we fall, To shift the blame
We quickly call Another's name.
And still today Weak alibis
Drive men away From paradise.
Christmas
God came to earth
In a helpless infant's birth,
And in a span
Of thirty years became a man
With strength enough
To bear alone, on crossbeams rough,
The loathsome weight
Of a whole world's sin and hate;
To die, and then,
All pow'r possessing, rise again,
And thus create
The season we now celebrate.
He pardons sin
And grants believers peace within
That brings us joy
No storm or sorrow can destroy.
To Him we raise
From grateful hearts our Christmas praise.
Christ in Others
There is no way to live
For Christ alone. He's bound
To others. I must give
The mercy I have found
To them, and share the things
With which He blesses me--
The bounty each day brings,
The heart's tranquility
In times of stress and strife,
The good and goods that so
Enrich my daily life
As heavenward I go.
I meet Christ in each one
Who needs the help that I,
From stores miscalled my own,
Can readily supply.
I see His shadowed face
In ev'ry hurting soul
Who seeks a touch of grace
To make the spirit whole.
In poor, sick, lonely men
Christ now before me stands--
I can reach Him only when
I stretch to them my hands.
Christmas Rush
Angels sped from heaven,
And filled the sky with light,
Sang a birth announcement
For Mary's child that night.
Shepherds hasted, breathless,
O'er hillsides to the place
Where lay a babe unique--Incarnate saving grace.
Magi raced their camels
Beneath a guiding star;
Eager to see God's king,
They traveled from afar.
Hurry, hurry, hurry!
To find the Savior we
Should not waste a moment--Our life and hope is He!
Come, Holy Spirit!
Upon my heart descend like rains
That bring new life to arid plains,
That flood the creeks until debris
Is washed away and life flows free,
Until the grass and flow'rs revive
And corn and wheat begin to thrive,
While meadow larks to heaven raise
Their argent notes of grateful praise.
Upon my heart descend like fires
That will consume all base desires,
And from the ashes summon forth
A life and work of greater worth.
Burn fiercely hot, the dross to melt,
Until those purging flames are felt
Soul-deep, brain-high, and energy
To serve Your cause possesses me.
Condescension
Down from regions of light,
Into a world of shame
Shrouded in sin’s dark night,
Our blessed Redeemer came.
Laying aside His crown—For only He could wear it—
Jesus the Christ stooped down
To save us by His merit.
Marvelous, mighty love
Devised this costly plan
For gathering above
Lost, fallen, ruined man!
Wonder of wonders! Grace
Has no greater measure--
Earth’s lowest can embrace
Heaven’s highest treasure!
Contrast
Beneath a decorated tree
Aglow with light
And tinsel bright
Are laid the gifts that we
To one another give.
Upon a stark and ugly tree,
Adorned with pain
And crimson stain,
God's gift was hung that we
At last should live.
