Dishes
They had a set of dishes
Given them when they wed ,
With luck and happiness and wishes
By loved ones, who to them said
They wished they’d always be happy
As the moment when ,”I will,”
Was said with so much rapture
That their hearts were standing still.
The dishes tell a lovely story
Of the lives they were to live _
How they shone in all their glory
When the very first forgive
Was whispered, and I love you truly ,
Which made things right again,
For it was just as surely said,
As sun comes after rain
Time as long since passed ,
Since they were first together ,
When he’d sit and gaze and ask her
If she loved him as no other –
And she was just content
With the answer in her heart ,
For she knew that it was meant
That they should never part ..
Although their lives had many scars
Like cracks upon the china ,
Their love outshone the mar’s
,
For it was only minor ,
If the one who’d done the wrong
Down in his heart had sorrow ,
For they never let the sun go down
Without a ,” Bright Tomorrow ,”
She’s an old lady now ,
And he is eight-two ,
The cups and saucers wonder
What the other one will do ,
Until they both are able ,
To sit at God’s own perfect table ,
Be fed by His own hand
By Jan Bagwell
I wrote this poem the first Christmas after My Dad die . My mother had the blues and I sit down and wrote this Poem . It came to me just like you see it,
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
In the valley I grow
In The Valleys I Grow
Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe.
It's then I have to remember
That it's in the valleys I grow.
If I always stayed on the mountaintop
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love
And would be living in vain.
I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountaintops,
But it's in the valleys I grow.
I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.
My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan's loss.
Forgive me Lord, for complaining
When I'm feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it's in the valleys I grow.
Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day,
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.
Thank you for valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know,
The mountaintops are glorious,
But it's in the valleys I grow!
Jan Bagwell
Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe.
It's then I have to remember
That it's in the valleys I grow.
If I always stayed on the mountaintop
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love
And would be living in vain.
I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountaintops,
But it's in the valleys I grow.
I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.
My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan's loss.
Forgive me Lord, for complaining
When I'm feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it's in the valleys I grow.
Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day,
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.
Thank you for valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know,
The mountaintops are glorious,
But it's in the valleys I grow!
Jan Bagwell
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Only a Man
Only A Man . . .
At first glance she looked like any other old woman. Plodding
along in the snow, alone, neglected, head bowed. People passing
on the busy city sidewalk averted their eyes, lest she remind
them that pain and suffering did not stop to celebrate
Christmas.
A young couple, smiling, talking, laughing, arms loaded with
Christmas presents, took no notice of the old woman.
A mother with two small children hurried by, on their way to
grandmother's house. They took no notice.
A minister walked by proudly carrying his Bible in his right
hand, like a well armed Christian soldier. But his mind was
stayed on heavenly things, and he took no notice.
If these people had noticed, they would have seen that the old
woman wore no shoes. She walked barefoot in the ice and snow.
With both hands the old woman gathered her worn button-less
overcoat at the collar to keep out the wind. She stopped and
stood bent and bowed at the bus stop. A red and blue scarf
covering her head, she waited for the downtown bus.
A gentleman carrying an important looking briefcase waited near
her, not too closely. After all, she could have something
contagious.
A teen-age girl also waited for the bus. She glanced repeatedly
at the old woman's feet, but said nothing.
The bus arrived and the old woman slowly, painfully boarded.
She sat on the side-ways seat just behind the driver.
The gentleman and the teen-age girl hurried to the rear.
The man sharing the seat with the old woman shuffled uneasily
and twirled his thumbs. "Senile," he thought.
The bus driver saw her bare feet and thought; "This neighborhood
is sinking deeper and deeper into poverty, I hate to see it,
I'll be glad when they put me on the College Park route."
A little boy pointed at the old woman.
"Look, Mother, that old lady is barefoot."
The embarrassed mother slapped his hand down. "Don't point at
people, Andrew. It's not polite to point."
She looked out the window.
"She must have grown children," a lady in a fur coat suggested.
"Her children should be ashamed of themselves."
She felt morally superior, because she took good care of her
mother.
A teacher seated near the middle of the bus steadied the bag of
gifts on her lap.
"Don't we pay enough taxes to handle situations like this?" she
said to a friend seated beside her. "It's this tax-cut crazy
Republican administration, her friend replied. "They rob the
poor and give to the rich." "No, its the Democrats," a gray-
haired man behind them interjected. "These Democrat welfare
programs just make people lazy and keep them in poverty."
"People have to learn to save their money," a well-dressed young
college man added. "If that old woman had saved when she was
young, she wouldn't be suffering now. It's her own fault."
And all these people beamed with satisfaction that their acumen
had delivered such trenchant analysis.
But, a kind businessman felt offended by this murmuring
detachment of his fellow citizens. He reached into his wallet
and took out a crisp twenty-dollar bill.
He strode proudly down the isle and pressed the bill into the
old woman's unsteady, wrinkled hand.
"Here, Madam, get yourself some shoes."
The old woman nodded her head in thanks. The businessman strode
back to his seat, feeling pleased with himself, that he was a
man of action.
A well-dressed Christian lady had noticed all of this.
She began to pray silently.
"Lord, I don't have money. There is no way I can help.
But Lord, I can turn to you in every need. Lord, I know that
you are a loving God. You make a way out of no way. Now Lord,
let your blessing shine on this old woman. Let shoes fall like
manna from heaven, so that this old woman can have shoes for
Christmas."
And the Christian lady felt supremely spiritual.
At the next stop, a young man boarded the bus. He wore a heavy
blue jacket, a maroon scarf around his neck, and a gray woolen
cap pulled down over is ears.
A wire running under the cap and into his ear was connected to a
Walkman.
The young man jiggled his body in time to music only he heard.
He paid his fare and plopped down on the sideways seat directly
across from the old woman.
As the young man's glance caught the old woman's bare feet,
His jiggling stopped. He froze.
His eyes went from her feet to his. He wore his expensive, new,
brand name sneakers. For months he had saved from his minimum
wage pay to buy these sneakers. Everybody in the gang would
think he was "so cool."
The young man bent down and began to untie his sneakers.
He removed his impressive new sneakers. He removed his socks.
He knelt down before the old woman.
"Mother," he said, "I see you have no shoes.
Well, I have shoes."
Carefully, gently, he lifted the old woman's crusty feet in his
hands.
He placed his socks and his fine sneakers on the old woman's
feet.
The old woman nodded in thanks.
Just then the bus arrived at the nest stop.
The young man left the bus and walked away, barefoot in the
snow.
The passengers crowded at the windows to watch him as he plodded
barefoot through the snow.
"Who is he?" one asked.
"He must be a prophet," said another.
"He must be a saint," someone suggested.
"He must be an angel," said yet another.
"Look! There's a halo around his head," somebody shouted.
"He must be the Son of God," said the Christian lady.
But the little boy who had pointed, said, "No Mother, I saw him
clearly,
He was only a man."
Jan bagwell
At first glance she looked like any other old woman. Plodding
along in the snow, alone, neglected, head bowed. People passing
on the busy city sidewalk averted their eyes, lest she remind
them that pain and suffering did not stop to celebrate
Christmas.
A young couple, smiling, talking, laughing, arms loaded with
Christmas presents, took no notice of the old woman.
A mother with two small children hurried by, on their way to
grandmother's house. They took no notice.
A minister walked by proudly carrying his Bible in his right
hand, like a well armed Christian soldier. But his mind was
stayed on heavenly things, and he took no notice.
If these people had noticed, they would have seen that the old
woman wore no shoes. She walked barefoot in the ice and snow.
With both hands the old woman gathered her worn button-less
overcoat at the collar to keep out the wind. She stopped and
stood bent and bowed at the bus stop. A red and blue scarf
covering her head, she waited for the downtown bus.
A gentleman carrying an important looking briefcase waited near
her, not too closely. After all, she could have something
contagious.
A teen-age girl also waited for the bus. She glanced repeatedly
at the old woman's feet, but said nothing.
The bus arrived and the old woman slowly, painfully boarded.
She sat on the side-ways seat just behind the driver.
The gentleman and the teen-age girl hurried to the rear.
The man sharing the seat with the old woman shuffled uneasily
and twirled his thumbs. "Senile," he thought.
The bus driver saw her bare feet and thought; "This neighborhood
is sinking deeper and deeper into poverty, I hate to see it,
I'll be glad when they put me on the College Park route."
A little boy pointed at the old woman.
"Look, Mother, that old lady is barefoot."
The embarrassed mother slapped his hand down. "Don't point at
people, Andrew. It's not polite to point."
She looked out the window.
"She must have grown children," a lady in a fur coat suggested.
"Her children should be ashamed of themselves."
She felt morally superior, because she took good care of her
mother.
A teacher seated near the middle of the bus steadied the bag of
gifts on her lap.
"Don't we pay enough taxes to handle situations like this?" she
said to a friend seated beside her. "It's this tax-cut crazy
Republican administration, her friend replied. "They rob the
poor and give to the rich." "No, its the Democrats," a gray-
haired man behind them interjected. "These Democrat welfare
programs just make people lazy and keep them in poverty."
"People have to learn to save their money," a well-dressed young
college man added. "If that old woman had saved when she was
young, she wouldn't be suffering now. It's her own fault."
And all these people beamed with satisfaction that their acumen
had delivered such trenchant analysis.
But, a kind businessman felt offended by this murmuring
detachment of his fellow citizens. He reached into his wallet
and took out a crisp twenty-dollar bill.
He strode proudly down the isle and pressed the bill into the
old woman's unsteady, wrinkled hand.
"Here, Madam, get yourself some shoes."
The old woman nodded her head in thanks. The businessman strode
back to his seat, feeling pleased with himself, that he was a
man of action.
A well-dressed Christian lady had noticed all of this.
She began to pray silently.
"Lord, I don't have money. There is no way I can help.
But Lord, I can turn to you in every need. Lord, I know that
you are a loving God. You make a way out of no way. Now Lord,
let your blessing shine on this old woman. Let shoes fall like
manna from heaven, so that this old woman can have shoes for
Christmas."
And the Christian lady felt supremely spiritual.
At the next stop, a young man boarded the bus. He wore a heavy
blue jacket, a maroon scarf around his neck, and a gray woolen
cap pulled down over is ears.
A wire running under the cap and into his ear was connected to a
Walkman.
The young man jiggled his body in time to music only he heard.
He paid his fare and plopped down on the sideways seat directly
across from the old woman.
As the young man's glance caught the old woman's bare feet,
His jiggling stopped. He froze.
His eyes went from her feet to his. He wore his expensive, new,
brand name sneakers. For months he had saved from his minimum
wage pay to buy these sneakers. Everybody in the gang would
think he was "so cool."
The young man bent down and began to untie his sneakers.
He removed his impressive new sneakers. He removed his socks.
He knelt down before the old woman.
"Mother," he said, "I see you have no shoes.
Well, I have shoes."
Carefully, gently, he lifted the old woman's crusty feet in his
hands.
He placed his socks and his fine sneakers on the old woman's
feet.
The old woman nodded in thanks.
Just then the bus arrived at the nest stop.
The young man left the bus and walked away, barefoot in the
snow.
The passengers crowded at the windows to watch him as he plodded
barefoot through the snow.
"Who is he?" one asked.
"He must be a prophet," said another.
"He must be a saint," someone suggested.
"He must be an angel," said yet another.
"Look! There's a halo around his head," somebody shouted.
"He must be the Son of God," said the Christian lady.
But the little boy who had pointed, said, "No Mother, I saw him
clearly,
He was only a man."
Jan bagwell
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Although things are not perfect [ABC]
Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know
Imagine life without His love
Joy would cease to be
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts to thee
Move out of "Camp Complaining"
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone
Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To "thank" is a command
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky
We'll run the race with gratitude
Xalting God most high
Yes, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
Zion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!
"I AM Too blessed to be stressed!" The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.
The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything. Love and peace be with you forever, Amen.
Jan Bagwell
Because of trial or pain
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know
Imagine life without His love
Joy would cease to be
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts to thee
Move out of "Camp Complaining"
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone
Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To "thank" is a command
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky
We'll run the race with gratitude
Xalting God most high
Yes, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
Zion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!
"I AM Too blessed to be stressed!" The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.
The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything. Love and peace be with you forever, Amen.
Jan Bagwell
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
I don't regret a mile
I Don't Regret A Mile
I've dreamed many dreams that never came true.
I've seen them vanish at dawn.
But I've realized enough of my dreams, thank God,
To make me want to dream on.
I've prayed many prayers, when no answers came,
Though I waited patient and long,
But answers came to enough of my prayers
To make me keep praying on.
I've trusted many a friend that failed
And left me to weep alone,
But I've found enough of my friends true blue
To make me keep trusting on.
I've sown many seeds that fell by the way
For the birds to feed upon,
But I have held enough golden sheaves in my hands
To make me keep sowing on.
I've drained the cup of disappointment and pain
And gone many days without song,
But I've sipped enough nectar from the roses of life
To make me want to live on.
Jan Bagwell
6/8/09
I've dreamed many dreams that never came true.
I've seen them vanish at dawn.
But I've realized enough of my dreams, thank God,
To make me want to dream on.
I've prayed many prayers, when no answers came,
Though I waited patient and long,
But answers came to enough of my prayers
To make me keep praying on.
I've trusted many a friend that failed
And left me to weep alone,
But I've found enough of my friends true blue
To make me keep trusting on.
I've sown many seeds that fell by the way
For the birds to feed upon,
But I have held enough golden sheaves in my hands
To make me keep sowing on.
I've drained the cup of disappointment and pain
And gone many days without song,
But I've sipped enough nectar from the roses of life
To make me want to live on.
Jan Bagwell
6/8/09
Monday, June 8, 2009
Live life one day at a time
Live life one day at a time.
For it seems that when we are young,
it is all an uphill climb.
But when we get to the top,
we are gravely disappointed.
Because it is the little things in life that matter:
Time spent with family and friends,
and being there for one another.
And time is one thing we cannot take back.
I think that as a society, we are in such
a hurry to achieve all our goals
that we miss out on the one thing
we should conserve
and treasure:
TIME.
Before we know it, our time is up.
It could be any day, any hour, any minute.
It could be expected or unexpected.
Have you spent your time wisely?
Take this time, this moment, to tell your friends and family
what they mean to you. And be sure to Praise God everyday of your Life !!
Your Brother in Christ
Jan Bagwell
For it seems that when we are young,
it is all an uphill climb.
But when we get to the top,
we are gravely disappointed.
Because it is the little things in life that matter:
Time spent with family and friends,
and being there for one another.
And time is one thing we cannot take back.
I think that as a society, we are in such
a hurry to achieve all our goals
that we miss out on the one thing
we should conserve
and treasure:
TIME.
Before we know it, our time is up.
It could be any day, any hour, any minute.
It could be expected or unexpected.
Have you spent your time wisely?
Take this time, this moment, to tell your friends and family
what they mean to you. And be sure to Praise God everyday of your Life !!
Your Brother in Christ
Jan Bagwell
Sunday, June 7, 2009
My child
My Child…
You may not know me, but I know everything about you…Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up…Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways…Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered…Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image…Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being…Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring…Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived…Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation…Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book…Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live…Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made…Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb…Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born…Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me…John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love…1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you…1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your father…1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could…Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father…Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand…James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs…Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope…Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love…Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore…Psalm 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing…Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you…Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession…Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul…Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things…Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me…Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart…Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires…Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine…Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager…2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles…2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you…Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart…Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes…Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth…Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus…John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed…John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being…Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you…Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins…2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled…2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you…1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love…Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me…1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again…Romans 8:38-39
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen…Luke 15:7
I have always been Father, and will always be Father…Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is…Will you be my child?…John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you…Luke 15:11-32
Love, Your Heavenly Father. Almighty God
You may not know me, but I know everything about you…Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up…Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways…Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered…Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image…Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being…Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring…Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived…Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation…Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book…Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live…Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made…Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb…Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born…Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me…John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love…1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you…1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your father…1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could…Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father…Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand…James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs…Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope…Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love…Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore…Psalm 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing…Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you…Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession…Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul…Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things…Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me…Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart…Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires…Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine…Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager…2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles…2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you…Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart…Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes…Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth…Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus…John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed…John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being…Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you…Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins…2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled…2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you…1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love…Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me…1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again…Romans 8:38-39
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen…Luke 15:7
I have always been Father, and will always be Father…Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is…Will you be my child?…John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you…Luke 15:11-32
Love, Your Heavenly Father. Almighty God
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