Love’s strength

Measure thy life by loss instead of gain ,
Not by the wine drunk , but the wine pored forth ;
For love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice ,
And who so suffers most hath most to give .
For labor , the common lot of man ,
Is part of the kind Creator’s plain ;
And he is a king whose brow is wet
With the pearl-gemmed crown of honest sweat .
Some glorious day , this understood ,
All toilers will be a brotherhood ,
With brain or hand the purpose is one ,
And the Master-workman , God’s own Son .
Jan Bagwell

A Prayer

A Prayer

Let me my work each day ;
And if the darkened hours of despair overcome me
May I not forget the strength that comforted me
In the desolation of other times .
May I still remember the bright hours that found me ,
And I promised my early God to have courage
Amid the tempests of the changing years .
Spare me from bitterness .
And from the sharp passions of unguarded moments .
May I not forget that poverty and riches are of the spirit .
Though the world know me not ,
May my thoughts and actions be such
As shall keep me friendly with myself .
Lift my eyes from the earth ,
And let me not forget the uses of the stars .
Forbid that I should judge others ,
Lest I condemn myself .
Let me not follow the clamor of the world ,
But walk calmly in my path .
Give me a few friends who will love me for what I am ;
And keep ever burning before my vagrant steps
The kindly light of hope .
And though age and infirmity overtake me ,
And I come not within sight of the castle of my dreams ,
Teach me still to be thankful for life ,and for time’s olden memories that are good and sweet ;
And may the evening’s twight find me gentle still
Jan Bagwell

Give them the flowers now

Give Them the Flowers now

Closed eyes can’t the white roses.
Cold hands can’t hold them , you know .
Breath that is stilled cannot gather
The odors that sweet from them blow.
It’s children of earth doth endow;
Life is the time we can help them,
So give them the flowers now!

Here are the struggles and striving.
Here are the cares and the tears;
Now is the time to be smoothing
The frowns and the furrows and fears .
What to closed eyes are kind saying?
What to hushed heart is deep vow?
Naught can avail after parting,
So give them the flowers now!
Just a kind word or a greeting;
Just a warm grasp or a smile –
These are the flowers that will lighten
The burdens for many a mile.
After the journey is over
What is the use of them; how
Can they carry them who must be carried ?
Oh , give them the flowers now!
Jan Bagwell

LOVE THAT LIGHTS THE EVENING SKY

O Love that lights the eastern sky
And shrouds the evening rest ,
From out whose hand the swallows fly,
Within whose heart they nest!

O Life , content beneath the blue !
Or if, God will, the gray ,
Then tranquil yet , till light breaks through
To melt the mist away .

O Death that sails so close to shore
At twilight ! from my gate
I scan the darkening sea once more ,
And for its message wait .

What lies beyond the afterglow ?
To life’s new dawn how far ?
As if an answer ,spoken low ,
Love lights the evening star .
Jan Bagwell

Watch your words

WATCH YOUR WORDS


Read Esther 4:1--8

Have you noticed how suffering brings people together? Have you watched how people join forces to respond to disasters? Hardship forces us to grab hands with one another and pull up closer together. Suffering never ruined a nation! Hardship doesn't fracture families. Affluence does! But not suffering. Not hardship. It pushes everybody to the same level with the same goal: survival. And so we're not surprised to find the Jews weeping and wailing and fasting together.

Mordecai not only informs Esther, through her servant, of all that has happened, even down to the specifics regarding the exact amount of money in the deal; he also sends along official evidence---a copy of the text of the edict. "Have your queen read this," he says. "This was signed with the king's signet ring." He didn't lose control of his emotions; he didn't exaggerate. He was careful with the information he communicated.

Why do I make such a point of this? Because we live in a day of hearsay, when few people pass along information that is precise and reliable. Do you? Are you careful about what you say? Do you have the facts? Do you offer proof that the information you are conveying is correct? While there are occasions when it's appropriate to pass along needed and serious information to the right sources, there's a growing preoccupation with rumor and slander. Half truths and innuendos become juicy morsels in the mouths of unreliable gossips. There is no way to measure the number of people who have been hurt by rumor, exaggeration, and hearsay. Perhaps you have suffered this yourself.

Be careful what you say. Be careful how you say it. Be careful that you send the right message, that you send it to the right person, and that you do so with the right motive.

Heavens Grocery Store

As I was walking down life's highway many years ago I came upon a sign that read
Heavens Grocery Store.
When I got a little closer
the doors swung open wide
And when I came to myself
I was standing inside.

I saw a host of angels.
They were standing everywhere
One handed me a basket and said
"My child shop with care."

Everything a human needed
was in that grocery store
And what you could not carry
you could come back for more.

First I got some Patience.
Love was in that same row.
Further down was Understanding,
you need that everywhere you go.

I got a box or two of Wisdom
and Faith a bag or two.
And Charity of course
I would need some of that too.

I couldn't miss the Holy Ghost
He was all over the place.
And then some Strength and Courage to help me run this race.

My basket was getting full but
I remembered I needed Grace,
And then I chose Salvation for
Salvation was for free
I tried to get enough of that
to do for you and me.

Then I started to the counter
to pay my grocery bill,
For I thought I had everything
to do the Masters will.

As I went up the aisle I saw
Prayer and put that in,
For I knew when I stepped outside
I would run into sin.

Peace and Joy were plentiful,
the last things on the shelf.
Song and Praise were hanging near so I just helped myself.

Then I said to the angel
"How much do I owe?"
He smiled and said
"Just take them everywhere you go." > > > Again I asked "Really now,
how much do I owe?"
"My child " he said,
"God paid your bill a long,
long time ago."

Jan bagwell 8/17/08