THE LORD HAS NEED OF YOU

"The Lord has need of YOU! Not only are you blessed with certain gifts of the Spirit, but you can channel their powers through your unique personality, experience, influence, and preparation to aid you in performing important acts of service to mankind. No one else will ever see with your eyes, hear with your ears, discern with your understanding. No one else will ever be able to minister with your particular ability and sensitivity. If you are willing to develop these spiritual gifts and abilities and exercise humility and faith, the Lord and his angels stand ready to assist you in any way they can.."

- Author unknown

HE WISHES FOR THE CLOTHS OF HEAVEN

Had I the heaven's embroider'd cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet;
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

- W.B. Yeats

JUST FOR ME

"Father, where shall I work today?"
And my love flowed warm and free.
Then He pointed out a tiny sport
And said: "Tend that for me".
I answered quickly: "Oh no, not that!
Why no one would ever see,
No matter how well my work was done;
Not that little place for me!"

And the word He spoke, it was not stern;
He answered me tenderly;
"Ah, little one, search that heart of thine.
Art thou working for them or for me?
Nazareth was a little place,
And so was Galilee."

-  Meade McGuire

WHEN THE SONG OF THE ANGELS IS STILLED

When the song of the angel is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas beings:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.

-  Howard Thurman

THE CAPTAIN OF MY SOUL

Art thou in truth? Then what of Him
Who bought thee with His blood?
Who plunged into devouring seas
And snatched thee from the flood?

Who bore for all our fallen race
What none but Him could bear,
The God who died that man might live
And endless glory share?

Of what avail thy vaunted strength,
Apart from His vast might?
Pray that His light may pierce the gloom
That thou mayest see aright.

Men are as bubbles on the wave,
As leaves upon the tree,
Thou, captain of thy soul, forsooth!
Who gave that place to thee?

Free will is thine - free agency,
To wield for right or wrong;
But thou must answer unto Him
To whom all souls belong.

Bend to the dust that head 'unbowed',
Small part of life's great whole!
And see in Him and Him alone,
The Captain of thy soul.

-  Orson F. Whitney

TO KNOW JOY

"God gave man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He left the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved that man might know the joys and glories of creation."

- Author unknown

I WALKED A MILE WITH PLEASURE

I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow;
Not a word said she;
But oh, the things I learnt,
When sorrow walked with me.

-  Robert Browning Hamilton