United, We Stand

Hooray! For the Red, White, and Blue;
A flag that represents me and you.
All across America, may it wave;
For the home of the free and the brave.

We cry, "Stars and Stripes, forever";
Unity in our land, can we sever?
What our flag stands for, if we forget,
Our land will then see much regret.

Hardiness and valour is the color, Red;
Remember all who've fought, and those dead.
White represents innocence and purity;
Fifty Stars are for our States of Unity.

Blue, on our flag, stands for vigilance,
Justice for all, and perseverance.
May we pledge, "One Nation, Under God",
And keep on the right path, we're to trod.

Psalm 33:12-Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Jan Bagwell

God Bless

Happy  July 4,

Betrayed

In this poem I expressed some of my thoughts about the Charleston church shootings which happened in June of 2015.

Betrayed

At their beloved church, it was time to meet,
And they welcomed a visitor off the street.
He asked for the pastor and wanted to stay
While they studied the Bible and bowed to pray.

They trusted the young man as he sat near.
They were sitting in church with nothing to fear.
For an hour the visitor behaved all right.
He did nothing violent nor wanted to fight.

Then to their surprise, he pulled out a gun
And started to shoot them one by one.
To take their lives, he said that he must.
In tragedy and violence, he betrayed their trust.

He killed six ladies and also three men
Just because of the color of their skin.
God in His wisdom and God in His grace
Made each individual, and He made each race.

When children grow up hearing God's Word,
And the salvation story, they have heard,
And they take Christ Jesus as their Savior,
In them, we don't usually see violent behavior.

One day God sent His Son to the earth.
Born in a manger, He had a lowly birth.
He grew up, and He became our sin sacrifice.
As the Lamb of God, He paid the great price.

Into enemy hands, Jesus Christ was betrayed.
"Thy will be done" to His Father He prayed.
On a cruel cross, He was crucified.
For each person's sins, He bled and died.

Jesus, God's Son, arose from the dead.
He had victory over death just like he said.
He died for me and for the young murderer too.
He died for all races, and He died for you.

Trust Jesus Christ as your Savior today.
You can go to Heaven with your sins washed away.
Our God is merciful, and our God is just,
And He will never, never betray our trust.
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !

An Independence Day Prayer

Lord, on July fourth we'll celebrate
Independence Day in our nation.
You gave us the truth to set us free.
You sent Jesus to die for our salvation.

We thank you for the precious freedom
That we have in our nation today.
We know this country's not perfect,
But we honor our nation, the USA.

We thank you for the Founding Fathers,
Who for freedom took a brave stand.
Many placed their very lives in peril
To start a free country in a new land.

I thank you for the brave soldiers,
Who gave their lives to keep us free.
They gave their ultimate sacrifice
For freedom for Americans like me.

As we shoot fireworks and celebrate
With patriotic concerts and parades,
We thank you for all your blessings
And your great love that never fades.

As we gather with our loved ones
For picnics and barbecues and fun,
We want to thank you for everything,
Especially for sending your only Son!
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !

A Soldier Comes Home

He listens carefully to every sound.
He learns to keep an ear to the ground.
He does his duty in all kinds of weather,
And war and sleep do not go together.

Of battlefields, the soldier grows weary.
Oft times the outlook is very dreary,
But then his mind begins to roam
To happy scenes and thoughts of home.

With life so fragile from day to day,
The soldier doth all his priorities weigh.
Though terrors of war may take their toll,
Going home is the number one goal.

The plane lands at an American base.
A soldier departs with a smile on his face.
He exits the plane with a leap and a bound.
Then he kneels down and kisses the ground.

A Christian soldier stays on the alert.
He serves his Savior and does not desert.
He serves through trials, sorrows, and woe.
Victory comes through Christ who loves us so.

Battling temptations from day to day,
That soldier gets weary along the way.
Then happy thoughts of home may loom,
And victory seems to swallow the gloom.

He knows it will be worth it all
When before his Savior he will fall,
Because that soldier was saved by grace,
He'll go home to see Jesus face to face.
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !