HOW GREAT THOU ART

 

How commendably patient Thou art

With the slow progress of

My proud heart.

There is none like Thee,

My Saviour and my King;

How great Thy wisdom,

How great Thy mercy,

How great Thy love,

That fills my joyful heart,

How very great Thou art!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Hope Deferred by Chris Brazelton)

ODE TO THE MOTHERS OF STRIPLING WARRIORS

 

Son of my body,

Heart of my heart,

I give you to God,

Knowing not despair,

I know my son, you will be safe

In His merciful, tender care.

 

I know He will watch over you

And honour your faith;

I trust He will guard you

Against the open jaws of hate.

 

Son of my body,

Heart of my heart,

I will wait with faith

Knowing not despair,

I know you will return

To my loving, tender care.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Divine Call by Sandy Freckleton Gagon)

THE MIGHTY GOD

Did You ever feel the weight

Of Your calling as You spoke the Word

For heavens and earth to be?

 

From the valleys, the hills, the oceans

And grand mountains that be,

You left Your mark of power for all to see.

 

Were You heavy hearted

When You created the hill of Calvary?

And did You hear it whisper Your victory

When You were in Your agony:

The mighty God, the Author of Creation,

The fountain of all salvation…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus Christ the Creator by SKAI Studios)

 

A CALL TO BATTLE

 

There is a desire in my soul

That wants to conquer Goliath

And watch him fall….

This warrior within me never sleeps

And yearns to hear the angels’ call,

A call to battle to make the devil fall.

And when Christ comes in clouds so holy

He will conquer that enemy

And we will confess His glory.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Put On the Armour of God by Celestial Heritage)

THE WISH

 

When in the realms of heaven

You asked me what in mortality

I wanted to be, it was so easy,

I said I wanted to be like Thee.

You warned me of the suffering 

That would have to be equal in measure

To what You would suffer for me;

That my life would not be easy

But that You would make up for everything.

Now I am here,

I fear the refiners' fire of the kiln

When Your potter hands are moulding me,

But I try to be the woman I was who said

She wanted to be like Thee.

Some days I want to change my wish

I am not worthy to bear my suffering,

But then I notice the chains around my heart

Are broken, and I remember:

You will make up for everything.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Clay Full by Ron diCianni)

PERFECT FAITH

 

For now I walk unsteady steps

On this earthly soil beneath my feet

But one day I will come to You

With perfect faith in waves of deep.

 

And when in distance Your glory beckons,

When You come to take me home,

I will run into Your arms

And forever be Your own.

 

-      Cathryne Allen

(Art: Serene Saviour by Ivan Guaderrama) 

SELF-WILL

 

I pleaded with you on bended knee

My fears to dissolve.

You sat in silence

Hoping I would give You

what You yearned the most to own:

My self-will,

My hesitance to relinquish control.

In the end I gave it up

And found solace to my soul.

 

Yes, You said,

Now you understand.

I paved the way

In Gethsemane long ago.

                 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Thy Will Be Done by Jay Bryant Ward) 

MY GUIDING STEPS

 

When I am tempest tossed on turbulent seas

I look to find Thee walking on waves

To rescue me.

I hear Your call, I see Your light,

A beacon of hope,

Your unconquerable might.

I know You will gather me amidst

The storm that seeks to swallow me;

And take me home

When the waves no longer frighten me.

You are my guiding light, the footsteps I clearly see.

I don't stumble but follow into Your arms for eternity. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Footprints of Faith by Ivan Guaderrama)

TRUST

 

I viewed my life as hopeless pieces

And shame consumed my fragile heart.

I questioned every move and every choice;

I berated, I gave no value to any part.

Not until my trust consumed me

And my will to heavens flew

Did solace nestle in my soul

And such freedom as I never knew.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by David Beraru)

RETURN TO HEAVEN

 

Will I be lost in crowds of heaven

When my mortal shell at last I leave,

And will this earthly life appear unreal

When my true home is to me revealed?

 

Will I come to see Thy face

I so often sought on bended knee,

And forget all the lonely moments

I suffered with merciful help from Thee?

 

My heart will rend within my chest

When I kneel before Thy throne;

I will weep with grateful heart

For cherished truths that I have known.

 

-       CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Christ by David Beraru)

LIVING WATER

 

You paved the way to glories untold

With drops of blood and hallowed tears,

Gifting me life beyond these mortal years.

The bread of life, the living water,

Flowing into my heart from yours;

With parched lips I approach

So I will thirst never more.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Water That I Shall Give by Eva Koleva Timothy)

GUIDING LIGHT

I lift, I lift,

Above the world below.

I reach and find Your hand

To guide me where I am meant to go.

You are my guiding light,

You are my all,

You are my inner compass

That will bring me home.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Guiding Light by Ivan Guaderrama)

 

PRINCE OF PEACE

 

He arose and rebuked the roaring winds

and the raging sea,

He, who with His word

caused the earth to be,

Spoke to the Galilean tempest:

 “Peace, be still”.

He who has all things

under His command,

Calmed the troubled sea of dismay

in the souls of men.

He, who holds all humanity

in the palm of His hand,

Caused the waves of the sea

to whisper His name.

 

-      CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Emmanuel by Danny Hahlbohm) 

LIVING CUP

 

When all hope flees and darkness comes

I find You deep within my heart.

You cradle me in Your loving arms

And offer me Your godly cup.

With eager haste I drink my fill

New hope is born, I continue to live. 

- Cathryne Allen

(Art: Fill My Cup Lord by Danny Hahlbohm)

WILLING ARMS

 

Your arms, so willing and so strong,

Dived into the deep and shattered my sorrow;

The depth was no match for the strength

You gained at Calvary so long ago.

Your saving grace

Has lifted me to Your cross

Becoming my mortal weakness’ greatest foe.

I now walk with You

In paths I dare not walk alone;

In the valley of shadow of death,

I rejoice to be Your own. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: God of Wonder by Yongsung Kim)

KNOWING YOU

 

You met me at dawn

With my memories so vast;

I remembered coming to You

Long ago through the water’s gate,

So wide open for my soul to embrace.

 

You flowed through my heart since that day

Showing me the wonder of You;

I have seen Your agonising sacrifice,

Never to be erased.

I hear You, I am Your sheep,

I know You and Your sacrificial pains,

For the believing blood of Israel

Runs through my veins.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Solitary View by Greg Collins)

MOTHERHOOD

 

“Motherhood is near to divinity.

It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind.

It places her who honours its holy calling and service next to the angels.”

 

-          The First Presidency: Heber J. Grant, J. Reuben Clark, David O McKay

 

What are children to a mother

If not gifts from heaven’s door;

As jewels from God’s own bosom

Gifted to her heart forever more.

Entrusted with the greatest charge

Sealed with hope of tender care;

From His hands

To mothers given

As gifts of worth beyond compare.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Mercy's Light by Annie Henrie Nader)

ODE TO GRANDMOTHERS

 

You followed your mother into my heart

Carefully tracing her footprints that led to mine,

Knowing I was waiting for your loving arms.

You are the offspring of my body and my heart;

The proof of God’s mercy,

The proof of His love divine.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Angels Round About Thee by Annie Henrie Nader)

 

MOTHER IN ZION

 

I give you my patience

That you might follow your path;

I give you my understanding

That you might love you more;

I give you my forgiveness

That you might learn to love;

I give you my tolerance

That you might grow;

I give you my wisdom

That you might have courage.

I give you my witness

Of the fountain of it all

In whom if you believe,

You will never fall.

From my heart to yours;

Forever more

Because a heart can give no more.

-      CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Mother In Zion by Greg Sargent)

 

HEAVEN'S GATE

 

I wept today to feel Your touch

As You lifted me on wings of faith

And brought my soul to heaven’s gate.

My grateful heart burned within

When I felt, that for me,

You rose above Gethsemane.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: His Glorious Light by Greg Collins)