Also see Faith and Prayer, Angels, ABC Lists, Memorial Albums. For First Communion, Christening and Baptism see Children and Religion.
I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease.
All day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer.
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They'd laugh at me I'd fear.
No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need
But at last the time, the time to die.
I went before the Lord,
I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in his hands God held a book;
It was the book of life.
God looked into his book and said
"Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down . . .
But never found the time"
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul;
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
(Cecil Frances Alexander)
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures, great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
(grownup version)
Jesus loves me, this I know,
Though my hair is white as snow.
Though my sight is growing dim,
Still He bids me trust in Him.
(CHORUS)
Yes, Jesus loves me . . . Yes, Jesus loves me . . .
Yes, Jesus loves me, The Bible tells me so.
Though my steps are oh, so slow,
With my hand in His I'll go.
On through life, let come what may,
He'll be there to lead the way.
(CHORUS)
Though I am no longer young,
I have much which He's begun.
Let me serve Christ with a smile,
Go with others the extra mile.
(CHORUS)
When the nights are dark and long,
In my heart He puts a song.
Telling me in words so clear,
"Have no fear, for I am near."
(CHORUS)
When my work on earth is done,
And life's victories have been won.
He will take me home above,
Then I'll understand His love.
(CHORUS)
I love Jesus, does he know?
Have I ever told Him so?
Jesus loves to hear me say,
That I love Him every day.
Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keep You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going!
It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design,
But I can't unfold the petals,
With these clumsy hands of mine
The way of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I,
The flower God opens sweetly
In my hands would surely die.
If I can't unfold a rosebud,
this flower of God's design--
Then how can I have wisdom
to unfold this life of mine?
So I will trust him to lead me
Each moment of every day,
And I'll ask him to guide me
Each step of the way.
For the pathway before me
My heavenly Father knows,
And I'll trust him to unfold it
Just as He unfolds the rose.
(Edgar Guest)
I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.
The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear;
And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.
I soon can learn to do it if you'll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lecture you deliver may be very wise and true,
But I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do;
For I might misunderstand you and the high advise you give,
But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
When I see a deed of kindness, I am eager to be kind.
When a weaker brother stumbles and a strong man stays behind
Just to see if he can help him, then the wish grows strong in me
To become as big and thoughtful as I know that friend to be.
And all travelers can witness that the best of guides today
Is not the one who tells them, but the one who shows the way.
One good man teaches many, men believe what they behold;
One deed of kindness noticed is worth forty that are told.
Who stands with men of honor learns to hold his honor dear,
For right living speaks a language which to every one is clear.
Though an able speaker charms me with his eloquence, I say,
I'd rather see a sermon than to hear one, any day.
We're all dressed in Our Sunday Best
I have been to church and love to go . . .
Tis like a little heaven here below . . .
Not for my pleasure or my play . . .
Will I forget the Sabbath Day.
If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring.
He sends you a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He listens.
He can live anywhere in the universe,
but . . . He chose your heart.
And . . . that thing He did at Calvary . . .
Face it, friend--He is crazy about you!
God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without
sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise
strength for the day,
comfort for the tears,
and light for the way.
People important to you,
people unimportant to you cross your life,
touch it with love or carelessness and move on.
There are people who leave you and
you breathe a sigh of relief and
wonder why you ever came into contact with them.
There are people who leave you
and you breathe a sigh of remorse, and
wonder why they had to go away and
leave such a gaping hole.
Children leave parents, friends leave friends,
acquaintances move on.
People grow apart.
Friends love and move on,
you think of the many who have moved into
your hazy memory.
You look on those present and wonder.
I believe in God's master plan.
He moves people in and out of each other's lives,
and each leaves his mark on the other.
You find you are made up of bits and pieces
of all who every touched your life.
You are more because of it,
and you would be less if they had not touched you.
Pray God, that you accept the bits and pieces in humility and wonder.
Never question and never regret.
(Reinhold Neibuhr-1926)
GOD, grant me the serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,
Courage to change the
things I can, and the
wisdom to know the difference.
Living ONE DAY AT A TIME;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as the
pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this
sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make
all things right if I
surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy
in this life, and supremely
happy with Him forever in
the next. Amen
One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand:
one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it.
"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."
The LORD replied,
"My son, My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
(William Blake)
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
(E.Y. Harburg)
No matter how much I prove and prod,
I cannot quite believe in God;
But oh, I hope to God that He
Unswervingly believes in me.