If I knew

If I Knew

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

There will always be another day
to say "I love you,"
And certainly there's another chance
to say our "Anything I can do?"

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day,

That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.

Jan Bagwell
God Bless !

God in the Morning

God in the Morning
"I met God in the morning

When my day was at its best,
And His presence came like sunrise,
Like a glory in my breast.
 
All day long the Presence lingered,
All day long He stayed with me,
And we sailed in perfect calmness
O'er a very troubled sea.
 
Other ships were blown and battered,
Other ships were sore distressed,
But the winds that seemed to drive them
Brought to us a peace and rest.
 
Then I thought of other mornings,
With a keen remorse of mind,
When I too had loosed the moorings,
With the Presence left behind.
 
So I think I know the secret,
Learned from many a troubled way:
You must seek Him in the morning
If you want Him through the day."

To pray as Jesus prayed

To pray as Jesus prayed,
    When faithless brethren sleep,--
To weep the ruin sin has made--
    The only ones that weep,--
To bear the heavy cross,--
    To toil, yet murmur not,--
To suffer pain, reproach, and loss,--
    Be such our earthly lot.

Yet oh, how richly blest
    The Master's cup to share,--
The aching grief that wrung His breast,--
    His broken-hearted prayer,--
If thus we may but gain
    One sheaf of golden wheat
Gleaned from Earth's sultry harvest-plain,
    To lay at His dear feet!--

If thus we may but win
    One precious earthly gem
Snatched from the mire of vice and sin,
    For His rich diadem!--
Here, sorrow, patience, prayer;
    In Heaven, the rich reward!
Here, the sharp thorns, the cross,--and there
    "Forever with the Lord"!    
  Jan Bagwell
God Bless !

Testify

I testify that God is good – He was all through the year
During the times of great success, and moments of despair.
He’s kept me on the road of right – He’d gently give a prod
If anything should make a try to shake my faith in God.
You all would know temptations that would tend to come our way;
But were it not for love and grace – where would I be today?
The many times God’s shielded me from accidents and death;
When careless drivers drive too close, and I can’t catch my breath.
You know the times I stopped the car for one minute or so;
And laughingly would ask the Lord “But why you love me so?
For day by day you’re shielding me along these tortuous roads;
From drivers who just cannot wait, and trucks with heavy loads.”
Financially, God has been there – I am no millionaire;
But God provided day by day – I did not have to fear.
The strangest thing is - as I gave to church and charity:
I found the more I gave for God, the more came back to me.
Some days my body was not well, some days I felt so low.
That’s when I would repeat the promises of God I know.
His words are reassuring – whether spoken or in song;
It’s always gratifying when the right words come along.
So, I can testify today that God is good to me;
As long as I keep faith in Him, my Rock He’ll always be.
They say next year will not be bright that it will start out dim
Don’t let that shake your faith in God – just put your trust in him.
And as we press on day by day let’s motivate a friend
To join this wondrous race, and then, to hold on to the end.
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !
 "And God promised men that good and obedient wives
would be found in all corners of the earth".
Then he made the earth round...

and He laughed and laughed and laughed!

The Christian

The Christian  

Honor and happiness unite
To make the Christian's name a praise;
How fair the scene, how clear the light,
That fills the remnant of His days!

A kingly character He bears,
No change His priestly office knows;
Unfading is the crown He wears,
His joys can never reach a close.

Adorn'd with glory from on high,
Salvation shines upon His face;
His robe is of the ethereal dye,
His steps are dignity and grace.

Inferior honors He disdains,
Nor stoops to take applause from earth;
The King of kings Himself maintains
The expenses of His heavenly birth.

The noblest creature seen below,
Ordain'd to fill a throne above;
God gives him all He can bestow,
His kingdom of eternal love!

My soul is ravished at the thought!
I thinks from earth I see Him rise!
Angels congratulate His lot,
And shout Him welcome to the skies. 

Jan Bagwell

God Bless 

The Greatest
Of all acts of man repentance is the most divine.
The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none.

In the Presence of the Lord

Lord, what a change within us one short hour
Spent in thy presence will prevail to make,
What heavy burdens from our bosoms take,
When parchëd grounds refresh, as with a shower!
We kneel, and all around us seems to lower;
We rise, and all, the distant and the near,
Stands forth in sunny outline, brave and clear;
We kneel how weak, we rise how full of power.
Why therefore should we do ourselves this wrong
Or others--that we are not always strong,
That we are ever overborne with care,
That we should ever weak or heartless be,
Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer,
And joy and strength and courage are with Thee? 
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !