ROBES OF ROYALTY

A purple robe of royalty
Became a cloak of mockery
Laid upon Jesus' shoulders
Made fun of by soldiers

Upon His head a crown of thorns
Made with cruelty and scorn
Yet He would make no sound
By His promise He was bound

To suffer shame and cruelty
Because of love for you and me
He bore all that we deserve
He did it all with no reserve

He was cruelly whipped
From Him all dignity was stripped
He took the beating meant for us
God's own dear Son, Jesus

And when they took Him to Calvary
They brutally killed Him on a tree
It should be me who died
I'm the one who sinned and lied

He did nothing wrong
Why did He go along
With a plan where He would die
Why did He leave His throne on high

But His death is not the end of the story
He rose again and is in glory
He shed His blood so we may live
He gave His all, He came to give

He has traded the robes of mockery
For the pure robes of God's royalty
He asks us to exchange our rags of sin
For robes of salvation and enter in

Jan Bagwell

God Bless !

Even To This Mountain

"I have led My children onward
Through the Wilderness of Sin,
Through ways lone and twisted,
With enemies hemmed in.

I clave the rock and gave them drink.
I lit their way with cloud and fire.
I fed them with angel's food,
And My Right Arm did not tire.

Onward, upward--teaching them
In all things to obey;
And those, who overcome, will know
I have led them all the way.

Tempting Me, forsaking Me,
I gave them their desire
But, I also brought them discipline
By rod, and death, and fire.

Those who repented, I forgave.
I opened Grace's Fountain.
Like a flock, I--The Good Shepherd
Led them even to this Mountain."

Mount Zion! Great and Glorious!
Her beauty streams with Light.
Heaven's border--God's own Sanctuary
Where all within is Right.

Oh, Shepherd, forgive my wanderings!
Feed me ever with  This Fountain...
That I may rejoice in truth to know
You have led me even to This Mountain!

Jan Bagwell

God  Bless !

Rev 21 : 10-12

[10] And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
[11] Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
[12] And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

-Rise and Shine- (The Dream)

You ruffled your nest the night before
Turned off the light, shut the door
So tired of the daily heap
That closes in and robs your sleep
You tucked your child into bed
He said his prayers, laid down his head
You filled his basket to the brim
Does the Easter Bunny take away from Him?
You thought to yourself as you closed your eyes
So unaware of the night's surprise
That would climb inside your deepest dream
Some things are not the way they seem

You find yourself on a mountain top
So far away from a bunny's hop
Off in the distance you see a tomb
Where light pours out, there is no room
No room to contain the power inside
The darkness had to run and hide
And there beside a sun risen sky
Something else caught your eye
A Man in white rises above
A familiar face you've grown to love
He sits right next to the Father's throne
You realize you are not alone
There beside you jumping in bed
You feel your child's tousled head
A basket of candy, chocolates and eggs
Jostle you, along with legs
"Happy Easter," says your boy
The Easter Bunny brings him joy

Back on earth, awakened from dream
You know the Father reigns supreme
You hug your son making sure he knows
That Jesus died, and Jesus rose
And that's one thing no man can stop
No matter where the bunnies hop
You smile to yourself, and rub your eyes
Then out of bed, you both do rise
Rise and shine to a brand new day
The Light of Christ will lead the way...

Jan Bagwell

God Bless !

Please  Pray for Me !

Beyond the deepest darkness

Beyond the deepest darkness there shines a Great Light;
inextinguishably burning, forever bright.
But the servants of darkness united as one
in their hatred against The Brightly Burning One.

They were determined all of His goodness to quell
so they dragged Him into the pit of death and hell.
This world of the dead became the last battle ground
and all of Satan's minions gathered around.

But He stood His ground before this mighty throng
when in death's sepulchre they rushed at Him headlong.
Trying to find one sin as in battle they engaged
and His soul was ravaged as Satan’s forces raged.

His strength was all dried up in His great weariness.
His tongue cleaved to His mouth and yet onward He pressed.
For three long days and nights without respite He fought
with those unearthly foes He wrestled and He wrought.

By His sinless life He destroyed Satan's powers,
winning the fight with death that final foe of ours.
Then bursting from the grave in triumph He arose
with victory and supremacy over His foes.

The Eternal Light and that Uncreated Beam
in which the Glory of God’s greatness can be seen;
that Wholesome and Holy; that Everlasting Light
still shines in the face of Jesus Christ burning bright.

Jan Bagwell

God Bless !

Please have me in your  Prays

2 Corinthians 4:4-6

 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2Tim.2

 

Vessels Unto Honor

We never drink from a vessel
That is not washed and clean.
We would like to cleanse it well
From germs that are not seen.

Clean vessels are chosen by God
For use in His service on earth.
Be a clean vessel for God's use,
Blood-washed by the second birth.

A clean vessel unto honor
Is a vessel fit for the Master,
Whether we serve as a janitor,
Or whether we serve as a pastor.

Christians, let's live clean lives,
Free of worldly, sinful pleasure.
Let us be vessels unto honor.
Let's be God's "peculiar treasure."

Jan Bagwell

God Bless 

Please for Me 

2Tim.2

 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,

 sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

From A Pastor's Wife

From A Pastor's Wife
My husband and I started a church two years ago, and have had
many twists and turns during that time (not including the 30+
years in ministry). We've experienced great joy, as well as
great sorrow. We feel He is leading us to let go of this
ministry (we've taken this congregation as far as we can)
and seek another ministry.

We haven't been paid in many months, and it was only through a  generous gift of an ex-member (a family who moved away) that his  pay was partially caught up. I know all the sayings, "It's  darkest just before dawn...there is no temptation too great...",  but it can be discouraging when you're coming up to a twist and  can't see the road ahead.

We have listened for that still small voice. So far, He has not
opened another door of ministry, although we've been actively
searching. I recently read  that "The waiting doesn't seem so
long after it's accomplished."

And it really isn't about the money,.but money in a church can
be a symptom of another problem. And you DO need money to live.
Fortunately, my husband has been a good steward of what the Lord
has provided in 30 years of ministry. We still own our home and
eat healthy.

I'm reminded of a line in "Out of Africa" when Meryl Streep's
character comments, "God made the earth round so that we
could not see too far down the road."

My husband and I struggle daily, attempting to "pump up tires,
and put out fires." He's never missed being with a family
member before surgery, no matter what time of the day or night
it was. He's been called to counsel at truly ungodly hours.
He's listened to people who separate, divorce or just fight
because they can't say 2 phrases:
#1-- I love you, and
#2-- I forgive you (or will you forgive me).

Please encourage your pastor and his family. They love you and
pray for you daily. They have spent their lives in service to
you and need your care. Some of them are at the end of their
ropes.

Thank  You Pastor Paul and Janet