The Lamb of God

NOTE: The battle rages on every side and it may feel like you are
going through some deep dark waters. The very foundation you
are standing on is being shaken. Yet you are victorious and will
emerge triumphant, being made whole because of the
finished work done at the Cross of Calvary. May this poem bring
comfort and inspiration, as you go through these most difficult
and trying times!
To love and not be loved
To be despised and rejected
By your very own.
To speak truth,
And still be called a liar.
To suffer pain and humiliation
To be faithful in spite of it all.
To be condemned to die
Without any evidence of doing
Anything wrong.
To be hung on a tree,
And stripped of everything
Except God the Father's Love.
Yes, Jesus Christ the Lamb of God
Willingly gave up His life so that you and I
Can be free to live an abundant life,
Experiencing God's Love in the midst
Of your circumstances.
Glory, Honor, and Praise to The Lamb Of God!

---

Jan Bagwel
God Bless !

I am condensing the last 25 years in to this poem. I have had many struggles. Some very intense. But even though God didn't spare me from trouble in every situation, He always was with me through it. Sometimes young people can't see light at the end of the tunnel. And some of us older folks can lend a helping hand. I wish the best for all who read it.

Lighten Up Today

When you're going through life's valleys,
And you think there's no way out,
You're not the first to feel this way,
There's hope, without a doubt.

It was easier many years ago,
Thought life would stay that way,
But now you feel like crap,
And it seems it's here to stay.

Your friends have tried to help,
But you tell them it's no use,
You think one has it in for you,
It seems you can't get loose.

Set the problem aside today,
Have fun and take a break,
You have no idea until you try it,
What a difference it can make.

So your trouble didn't vanish,
What time you were away,
But it sometimes makes it easier,
And can help you through the day.

If you feel like giving up,
How will you ever Know,
If you had diverted your attention,
Learned what God wants you to know.

He wants you to be blessed He does,
He loves you till it hurts,
He's cared about you many years,
Since you were a little squirt.

If the devil tries to scare you,
You know he's telling tales,
Jesus defeated him completely,
The day he got those nails.

What ever you are going through,
Keep a song playing in your heart,
And give thanks to God above,
You don't push a shopping cart.

Use a little humor today,
It makes things seem much lighter,
And I'm hoping that you real soon,
Will feel a whole lot brighter.

Jan Bagwell

God Bless !

Thou Hidden Love of God

  Thou Hidden Love of God
Thou hidden love of God, whose height,
Whose depth unfathom’d no man knows,
I see from far thy beauteous light,
Inly I sigh for thy repose;
My heart is pain’d, nor can it be
At rest, till it finds rest in thee.

Thy secret voice invites me still,
The sweetness of thy yoke to prove:
And fain I would: but tho’ my will
Seem fix’d, yet wide my passions rove;
Yet hindrances strew all the way;
I aim at thee, yet from thee stray.

’Tis mercy all, that thou hast brought
My mind to seek her peace in thee;
Yet while I seek, but find thee not,
No peace my wand’ring soul shall see;
O when shall all my wand’rings end,
And all my steps to thee-ward tend!

Is there a thing beneath the sun
That strives with thee my heart to share?
Ah! tear it thence, and reign alone,
The Lord of ev’ry motion there;
Then shall my heart from earth be free,
When it hath found repose in thee.

O hide this self from me, that I
No more, but Christ in me may live;
My vile affections crucify,
Nor let one darling lust survive;
In all things nothing may I see,
Nothing desire or seek but thee.

O Love, thy sov’reign aid impart,
To save me from low-thoughted care:
Chase this self-will thro’ all my heart,
Thro’ all its latent mazes there:
Make me thy duteous child, that I
Ceaseless may Abba, Father, cry!

Ah no! ne’er will I backward turn:
Thine wholly, thine alone I am!
Thrice happy he who views with scorn
Earth’s toys, for thee his constant flame;
O help that I may never move
From the blest footsteps of thy love!

Each moment draw from earth away
My heart that lowly waits thy call:
Speak to my inmost soul, and say,
I am thy love, thy God, thy all!
To feel thy power, to hear thy voice,
To taste thy love, be all my choice.

Jan Bagwell

God Bless 

Neighborhood Church , Easley , S.C.

Our God , Our Help

Our God, Our Help
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home:

Under the shadow of thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting thou art God,
To endless years the same.

Thy word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men”;
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.

A thousand ages in thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by thy flood,
And lost in following years.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

Like flowery fields the nations stand,
Pleased with the morning light;
The flowers beneath the mower’s hand
Lie withering e’er ’tis night.

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !

How Important Were Women to the Easter Story

How Important Were Women to the Easter Story?
======================================

1. As Jesus walked the road to be crucified, the only recorded
words he said on the way were to women who were following him
and crying.  (Luke 23:27-31)

2. There were many women who watched the crucifixion from a long
ways away.  (Matthew 27:55)

3. There were at least 3 women named Mary at the crucifixion:
Jesus' mother Mary, Jesus' aunt named Mary, and Jesus' friend
named Mary.  (John 19:25)

4. With some of his last words, Jesus saw to it that his mother
would be taken care of by giving her to his best friend John,
and Mary lived in John's home ever after that.  (John 19:26-27)

5. The first people to find the stone rolled back and Jesus gone
out of the tomb were women.  (Luke 24:1-3 and Mark 16:6)

6. The men who were Jesus' best friends, didn't believe the
women when they reported their findings.  (Luke 24:9-11)

7. The angels at the tomb who said Jesus was risen from the dead
are only reported to have talked to and been seen by the women
and not the men.  (Matthew 28:5-7, Luke 24:4-10, & Mark 16:1-7)

8. The first person Jesus appeared to and talked to after he
returned from the dead was a woman. And, she was even a woman
who had once been demon possessed, Mary Magdalene, delivered and
forgiven by Jesus!  (John 20:14-15)

MESSAGE TO ALL WOMEN:
Stay in touch with Jesus.
You are very important to Him!
Jan Bagwell
God Bless