The Star Spangled Banner

In 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote the poem, Defense of Fort McHenry. The poem was later put to the tune of (John Stafford Smith's song) The Anacreontic Song, modified somewhat, and retitled The Star Spangled Banner. Congress proclaimed The Star Spangled Banner the U.S. National Anthem in 1931.

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !

Have a great July 4^th  and  God Bless you and your family and God Bless  The United States of  America !

Do not cheer, for men are dying

Do not cheer, for men are dying
     From their distant homes in pain;
And the restless sea is darkened
     By a flood of crimson rain.

Do not cheer, for anxious mothers
     Wait and watch in lonely dread;
Vainly waiting for the footsteps
     Never more their paths to tread.

Do not cheer, while little children
     Gather round the widowed wife,
Wondering why an unknown people
     Sought their own dear father's life.

Do not cheer, for aged fathers
     Bend above their staves and weep,
While the ocean sings the requiem
     Where their fallen children sleep.

Do not cheer, for lips are paling
     On which lay the mother's kiss;
'Mid the dreadful roar of battle
     How that mother's hand they miss!

Do not cheer: once joyous maidens,
     Who the mazy dance did tread,
Bow their heads in bitter anguish,
     Mourning o'er their cherished dead.

Do not cheer while maid and matron
     In this strife must bear a part;
While the blow that strikes a soldier
     Reaches to some woman's heart.

Do not cheer till arbitration
     O'er the nations holds its sway,
And the century now closing
     Ushers in a brighter day.

Do not cheer until the nation
     Shall more wise and thoughtful grow
Than to staunch a stream of sorrow
     By an avalanche of woe.

Do not cheer until each nation
     Sheathes the sword and blunts the spear,
And we sing aloud for gladness:
     Lo, the reign of Christ is here,

And the banners of destruction
     From the battlefield are furled,
And the peace of God descending
     Rests upon a restless world.
Jan Bagwell 
God Bless !

Strong Faith.

Strong Faith.
 A small congregation in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains built [Tyron , N.C.]

New sanctuary on a piece of land willed to them by church member.

 Ten days before the new church was to open, the local building inspector
 informed the pastor that the parking lot was inadequate for the size of
 the building Until the church doubled the size of the parking lot, they
 would not be able to use the new sanctuary.

 Unfortunately, the church with its undersized lot had used every inch of
 their land except for the mountain against which it had been built.  In
 order to build more parking spaces, they would have to move the mountain
 out of the back yard.  Undaunted, the pastor announced the next Sunday
 morning that he would meet that evening with all members who had
 "mountain moving faith."
 They would hold a prayer session asking God to remove the mountain from
 the back yard and to somehow provide enough money to have it paved and
 painted before the scheduled opening dedication service the following
 week.

 At the appointed time, 24 of the congregation's 300 members assembled
 for prayer.  They prayed for nearly three hours.  At ten o clock the
 pastor
 said the final "Amen".  "We'll open next Sunday as scheduled "
 he assured everyone.  "God has never let us down before, and I believe
 He will be faithful this time too."

 The next morning as he was working in his study there came a loud knock
 at his door.  When he called "come in", a rough looking construction
 foreman appeared, removing his hard hat as he entered.
 "Excuse me, Reverend.  I'm from Durham Construction Company over in the
 next county.  We're building a huge shopping mall.  We need some fill
 dirt.
 Would you be willing to sell us a chunk of that mountain behind the
 church?

 We'll pay you for the dirt we remove and pave all the exposed area free
 of charge, if we can have it right away.  We can't do anything else until
 we get the dirt in and allow it to settle properly."
 The little church was dedicated the next Sunday as originally planned
 and there were far more members with "mountain moving faith" on opening
 Sunday than there had been the previous week!

 Would you have shown up for that prayer meeting?
 Some people say faith comes from miracles.
 But others know:
 MIRACLES COME FROM FAITH

Jan Bagwell

God Bless !

Remember God is not limited to small Prayers

If  you have the impossible take to  God

Because with Him all things are possible !!

How to Save a Nation

How to Save a Nation
Colossians 1:3-14


July 4th is the day we honor our nation's founding. We celebrate it in many ways: watching firework displays with their dazzling colors and sounds; participating in backyard barbecues in the company of family and friends; and watching colorful parades with high school bands and armed forces units marching by. It is a day filled with activity.

This July 4th finds our nation in need of rescue. Our country's slide down the slippery slope of godless living has accelerated. It started years ago when our nation departed from God's Word and established a belief system that separated our country from God and His ways. As a nation, we are now reaping a bitter harvest from those decisions in every level of government and business, in our communities, and in our families as well.

However, there is still hope. While we have seen our nation's values change dramatically, our God has not changed. He continues to have the power to turn our country back to Him. Scripture makes it clear that when Christ-followers obey the command to pray (Colossians 4:2), God is willing to act in response to those prayers. Because our nation's future is in our leaders' hands and they, in turn, are in God's hands (Romans 13:1), our prayers for them can have a powerful impact.

This July 4th, won't you add in a time of prayer for our nation? Establish a new tradition, one of appealing to God on behalf of our government's leaders. Then continue to pray until God turns our country toward trusting in Christ alone. 

Jan Bagwell 

God Bless !

 Men become what they dream.

Never let me go

I'm not blind
but sometimes I don't see
why, dear God, you're so good to me

I know, my dearest Lord, that I've made you cry
and every time I did you just turned a blind eye
Your patience with me, it must get a little thin
because of all the trouble that I've caused and been in
but just know, my God, that I don't mean to be a thorn
and I thank you for the chance of being born and reborn
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
I thank you with all my heart just for being so good

I'm not deaf
but sometimes I don't hear
the sound of your love, so loud and clear

The lightning, the thunder, it scares me, makes me wonder
why I don't listen, and why you don't let me go under
You tell me what to do and you tell me how to do it
but I go the other way...standing lost, again I blew it
I hear your word, in your works and in your graces
I can see your word at work in all my little babies faces
I'm listening, Lord, but sometimes I don't hear you
and even though I've wandered, you've always kept me near you

I'm not mute
but sometimes I can't speak
because the beauty of your mercy has made me weak

How many times, my Christ, have you had mercy on me
and how many times has your love set me free
How many more times am I going to fall
before I finally get up, and over the wall
The wall that is the world, the wall that keeps me down
The wall that traps me underwater and wants me to drown
I know it's only by your mercy, and your mercy alone
that I am given another chance, another chance to atone

I'm not crippled
but I know I can't stand
without my dearest Christ always holding my hand

I stand here before you, Lord, being torn apart
The devil sometimes gets my mind, but he'll never get my heart
He sometimes gets my body and it sometimes takes it's toll
but as long as you hold my hand he will never get my soul
I've tried it on my own, I know I've left you...turned away
and I stumbled and I fell every time I went astray
Will I wander again, dear God only you know
but if I do, I won't go far, because you will never let me go

Jan Bagwell
God Bless

Never let me go

by rhymarhyma

I'm not blind
but sometimes I don't see
why, dear God, you're so good to me

I know, my dearest Lord, that I've made you cry
and every time I did you just turned a blind eye
Your patience with me, it must get a little thin
because of all the trouble that I've caused and been in
but just know, my God, that I don't mean to be a thorn
and I thank you for the chance of being born and reborn
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
I thank you with all my heart just for being so good

I'm not deaf
but sometimes I don't hear
the sound of your love, so loud and clear

The lightning, the thunder, it scares me, makes me wonder
why I don't listen, and why you don't let me go under
You tell me what to do and you tell me how to do it
but I go the other way...standing lost, again I blew it
I hear your word, in your works and in your graces
I can see your word at work in all my little babies faces
I'm listening, Lord, but sometimes I don't hear you
and even though I've wandered, you've always kept me near you

I'm not mute
but sometimes I can't speak
because the beauty of your mercy has made me weak

How many times, my Christ, have you had mercy on me
and how many times has your love set me free
How many more times am I going to fall
before I finally get up, and over the wall
The wall that is the world, the wall that keeps me down
The wall that traps me underwater and wants me to drown
I know it's only by your mercy, and your mercy alone
that I am given another chance, another chance to atone

I'm not crippled
but I know I can't stand
without my dearest Christ always holding my hand

I stand here before you, Lord, being torn apart
The devil sometimes gets my mind, but he'll never get my heart
He sometimes gets my body and it sometimes takes it's toll
but as long as you hold my hand he will never get my soul
I've tried it on my own, I know I've left you...turned away
and I stumbled and I fell every time I went astray
Will I wander again, dear God only you know
but if I do, I won't go far, because you will never let me go

- See more at: http://www.christart.com/poetry/poem1568.htm#sthash.wRKtjX0D.dpuf

Never let me go

by rhymarhyma

I'm not blind
but sometimes I don't see
why, dear God, you're so good to me

I know, my dearest Lord, that I've made you cry
and every time I did you just turned a blind eye
Your patience with me, it must get a little thin
because of all the trouble that I've caused and been in
but just know, my God, that I don't mean to be a thorn
and I thank you for the chance of being born and reborn
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood
I thank you with all my heart just for being so good

I'm not deaf
but sometimes I don't hear
the sound of your love, so loud and clear

The lightning, the thunder, it scares me, makes me wonder
why I don't listen, and why you don't let me go under
You tell me what to do and you tell me how to do it
but I go the other way...standing lost, again I blew it
I hear your word, in your works and in your graces
I can see your word at work in all my little babies faces
I'm listening, Lord, but sometimes I don't hear you
and even though I've wandered, you've always kept me near you

I'm not mute
but sometimes I can't speak
because the beauty of your mercy has made me weak

How many times, my Christ, have you had mercy on me
and how many times has your love set me free
How many more times am I going to fall
before I finally get up, and over the wall
The wall that is the world, the wall that keeps me down
The wall that traps me underwater and wants me to drown
I know it's only by your mercy, and your mercy alone
that I am given another chance, another chance to atone

I'm not crippled
but I know I can't stand
without my dearest Christ always holding my hand

I stand here before you, Lord, being torn apart
The devil sometimes gets my mind, but he'll never get my heart
He sometimes gets my body and it sometimes takes it's toll
but as long as you hold my hand he will never get my soul
I've tried it on my own, I know I've left you...turned away
and I stumbled and I fell every time I went astray
Will I wander again, dear God only you know
but if I do, I won't go far, because you will never let me go

- See more at: http://www.christart.com/poetry/poem1568.htm#sthash.wRKtjX0D.dpuf