I'd Rather Walk by Faith

I’d Rather Walk by Faith

Sometimes a lonely road I tread ,
Sometimes the path is rough ;
But I’d rather walk along by faith ,
To me this is enough .

I’d rather walk along by faith
Though others walk by sight;
My Father knows where Imust go ,
He‘ll guide my steps alright .

I’d rather walk along by faith
No dangers lurk ahead ,
And those who travel in His steps
Have naught of harm to dread .

Though others go their way by sight ,
And trust in lands and gold ,
I’d rather walk along by faith
And have His wealth untold .

I’d rather walk along b7y faith
And never halt or quail ,
For He who guides me on the way
I know will never fail .
Jan Bagwell
God Bless
“For we walk by faith , and not by sight .”
11 Cor. 5:7

God will find you

GOD will find you.....

Father John Powell, a professor at Loyola University in Chicago, writes
about a student in his Theology of Faith class named Tommy:

Some twelve years ago, I stood watching my university students file into
the classroom for our first session in the Theology of Faith. That was
the day I first saw Tommy. He was combing his long flaxen hair, which
hung six inches below his shoulders.

It was the first time I had ever seen a boy with hair that long.
I guess it was just coming into fashion then. I know in my mind that it
isn't what's on your head but what's in it that counts; but on that day.
I was unprepared and my emotions flipped.

I immediately filed Tommy under "S" for strange... Very strange.
Tommy turned out to be the "atheist in residence" in my Theology of
Faith course.

He constantly objected to, smirked at, or whined about the possibility
of an unconditionally loving Father/God. We lived with each other in
relative peace for one semester, although I admit he was for me at times
a serious pain in the back pew.

When he came up at the end of the course to turn in his final exam, he
asked in a cynical tone, "Do you think I'll ever find God?"

I decided instantly on a little shock therapy. "No!" I said very
emphatically.

"Why not," he responded, "I thought that was the product you were
pushing."

I let him get five steps from the classroom door and then I called out,
"Tommy! I don't think you'll ever find Him, but I am absolutely certain
that He will find you!" He shrugged a little and left my class and my
life.

I felt slightly disappointed at the thought that he had missed my clever
line -- He will find you! At least I thought it was clever.

Later I heard that Tommy had graduated, and I was duly grateful.

Then a sad report came. I heard that Tommy had terminal cancer.

Before I could search him out, he came to see me.

When he walked into my office, his body was very badly wasted and the
long hair had all fallen out as a result of chemotherapy. But his eyes
were bright and his voice was firm, for the first time, I believe.

"Tommy, I've thought about you so often; I hear you are sick," I blurted
out.

"Oh, yes, very sick. I have cancer in both lungs. It's a matter of
weeks."

"Can you talk about it, Tom?" I asked.

"Sure, what would you like to know?" he replied.

"What's it like to be only twenty-four and dying?

"Well, it could be worse.

"Like what?"

"Well, like being fifty and having no values or ideals, like being fifty
and thinking that booze, seducing women, and making money are the real
biggies in life."

I began to look through my mental file cabinet under "S" where I had
filed Tommy as strange. (It seems as though everybody I try to reject
by classification, God sends back into my life to educate me.)

"But what I really came to see you about," Tom said, "is something you
said to me on the last day of class." He remembered!) He continued, "I
asked you if you thought I would ever find God and you said, 'No!' which
surprised me. Then you said, 'But He will find you.' I thought about
that a lot, even though my search for God was hardly intense at that
time. (My clever line. He thought about that a lot!) "But when the
doctors removed a lump from my groin and told me that it was malignant,
that's when I got serious about locating God.

And when the malignancy spread into my vital organs, I really began
banging bloody fists against the bronze doors of heaven.

But God did not come out. In fact, nothing happened. Did you ever try
anything for a long time with great effort and with no success?

You get psychologically glutted, fed up with trying. And then you quit.

"Well, one day I woke up, and instead of throwing a few more futile
appeals over that high brick wall to a God who may be or may not be
there, I just quit. I decided that I didn't really care about God,
about an afterlife, or anything like that. I decided to spend what time
I had left doing something more profitable. I thought about you and
your class and I remembered something else you had said:

'The essential sadness is to go through life without loving.'

But it would be almost equally sad to go through life and leave this
world without ever telling those you loved that you had loved them.

"So, I began with the hardest one, my Dad. He was reading the newspaper
when I approached him. "Dad. Yes, what?" he asked without lowering the
newspaper. "Dad, I would like to talk with you."

"Well, talk."

"I mean. It's really important."

The newspaper came down three slow inches. "What is it?"

"Dad, I love you, I just wanted you to know that." Tom smiled at me and
said it with obvious satisfaction, as though he felt a warm and secret
joy flowing inside of him. The newspaper fluttered to the floor. Then
my father did two things I could never remember him ever doing before.
He cried and he hugged me.

We talked all night, even though he had to go to work the next morning.

"It felt so good to be close to my father, to see his tears, to feel his
hug, to hear him say that he loved me."

"It was easier with my mother and little brother. They cried with me,
too, and we hugged each other, and started saying real nice things to
each other. We shared the things we had been keeping secret for so many
years.

"I was only sorry about one thing --- that I had waited so long.
Here I was, just beginning to open up to all the people I had actually
been close to..

"Then, one day I turned around and God was there.

He didn't come to me when I pleaded with Him. I guess I was like an
animal trainer holding out a hoop, 'C'mon, jump through. C'mon, I'll
give you three days, three weeks.

Apparently God does things in His own way and at His own hour.

But the important thing is that He was there. He found me! You were
right. He found me even after I stopped looking for Him.


"Tommy," I practically gasped, "I think you are saying something very
important and much more universal than you realize. To me, at least,
you are saying that the surest way to find God is not to make Him a
private possession, a problem solver, or an instant consolation in time
of need, but rather by opening to love..

You know, the Apostle John said that. He said: 'God is love, and anyone
who lives in love is living with God and God is living in him.

'Tom, could I ask you a favor? You know, when I had you in class you
were a real pain. But (laughingly) you can make it all up to me now.
Would you come into my present Theology of Faith course and tell them
what you have just told me? If I told them the same thing it wouldn't
be half as effective as if you were to tell it."

"Oooh.. I was ready for you, but I don't know if I'm ready for your
class."

"Tom, think about it. If and when you are ready, give me a call."

In a few days Tom called, said he was ready for the class, that he
wanted to do that for God and for me.

So we scheduled a date.

However, he never made it. He had another appointment, far more
important than the one with me and my class.

Of course, his life was not really ended by his death, only changed.

He made the great step from faith into vision. He found a life far more
beautiful than the eye of man has ever seen or the ear of man has ever
heard or the mind of man has ever imagined.

Before he died, we talked one last time.

"I'm not going to make it to your class," he said.

"I know, Tom."

"Will you tell them for me? Will you ... tell the whole world for me?"
I will, Tom. I'll tell them. I'll do my best."

So, to all of you who have been kind enough to read this simple story
about God's love, thank you for listening. And to you, Tommy, somewhere
in the sunlit, verdant hills of heaven --- I told them, Tommy, as best I
could.

It is a true story and is not enhanced for publicity purposes.

With thanks, Rev. John Powell, Professor, Loyola University, Chicago

Well , I usually don't fowward other people work . Because I try to give you what God give me .Not that it not good , but every once in a while something send to me . I feel like God said ,"Send it "!
Thank you Brother Mike Wells for send it to me .
Jan Bagwell
God Bless

Praying Hands

Praying Hands
There are hands that help and comfort
Hands that plan and teach
Hands that rest and hands that strive
For a goal just of reach …
Hands that grasp and hands that give
Hands that work and play
Friendly hands and loving hands
That soothe life’s cares away
But praying hands are dearest
In the sight of God above
For in their sweet and earnest clasp
Is reverence and love …
No hands can do an unkind act
Nor cause another care
Nor sin against Our Father’s Love
When they are clasped in prayer
Jan Bagwell
God Bless
Tonight my cat was killed , never realize how much I would miss it .

From A Distance

From A Distance
================

From a distance the world looks blue and green
And the snow-capped mountains white
From a distance the ocean meets the stream
And the eagle takes to flight

From a distance there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
It's the voice of hope
It's the voice of peace
It's the voice of every man

From a distance we all have enough
And no one is in need
And there are no guns, no bombs and no disease
No hungry mouths to feed

From a distance we are instruments
Marching in a common land
Playing songs of hope
Playing songs of peace
They're the songs of every man

God is watching us
God is watching us
God is watching us from a distance

From a distance you look like my friend
Even though we are at war
From a distance I just cannot comprehend
What all this fighting is for

From a distance there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
And it's the hope of hope
It's the love of love
It's the heart of every man (every man)
It's the hope of hope
It's the love of love
This is the song of every man

And God is watching us
God is watching us

God is watching us from a distance
Oh, God is watching us
God is watching
God is watching us from a distance


from the song “From A Distance”
Written by Julie Gold, sung by Bette Midler

Thank you for inviting Jan Bagwell Minist5ries in your mailbox.
See you tomorrow.I am truly blessed to have the readership , that each one of you given to me .

It's Your Call

It's Your Call

He doesn't have an e-mail,
His address is unknown,
you can't call information
to find His telephone.

But His line is never busy,
He answers every call,
He's always there to help,
even when you fall.

All you need to do is pray,
You need no fancy words,
it costs no money for the call,
and every prayer is heard.

So if you are in pain,
and feeling lonely too,
just reach our for His help,
His love for you is true.
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !
Every once a while you run across somebody that does'nt agree with your faith . They really want to argue . My answer is, "God wrote it and I believe it ".

The Long Monent

The Long Moment


Maybe this will help another person, I don't know.

I was taking a bath one day in September 1981. I found a lump
on my left breast. I went to the doctor and told him about the
lump. He sent me to another doctor.

I got x-rays and the surgeon decided that I needed to go into
the hospital for a biopsy.

While in surgery for the biopsy, my heart stopped. Needless to
say, when I came to, my breasts were black and blue.

When the doctor came to my room, he said, "we couldn't tell if
it was cancer, but we sent the tumor off to Nashville and we
will know tomorrow if you have cancer."

OK? The next day he came in and yes, I had cancer.
The next day, I had surgery again for the removal of the breast.

I was in the hospital for 12 days.
During seven of the 12 days, I would sit by the window and look
out at the stars, praying to God.

Please let me live long enough for me to get the four children
out on their own.

After the children were married and out on their own, I found
out my husband had lung cancer. My prayers changed to "help me
stay alive long enough to take care of my husband."

Time has passed, my husband has passed away. He's been gone
seven years. I am still here by the grace of God.

On September 13 it will be 22 years. So, cancer patients don't
give up praying because it does help. And men, just remember
you can get breast cancer too, my uncle passed away with it.

Thank you God, I am still alive.
I gave him my life to do as he saw fit, 21 years ago.

Original by Pat King~
Jan Bagwell
God Bless
Thank you Pat

The Soul Of a Child

The Soul of a Child

“Each day we are carving , not upon stone or marble , but upon the lives of precious young boys and girls ; therefore be careful with what tools you carve and how you use them.”

The soul of a child is the loveliest flower
That grows in the garden of God
Its climb is from weakness to knowledge and power ,
To the sky from the clay and clod .
To beauty and sweetness it grows under care ,
Neglected , ‘tis ragged and wild .
“Tis plant that is tender , but wondrously rare,
The sweet , wistful soul of a child .
Be tender , O garner , and give it its share
Of moisture , of warmth , and of light ,
And let it not lack for the pains-taking care ,
To protect it from frost and from blight .
A glad day will come when its bloom shall unfold ,
It will seem that an angel has smiled ,
Reflecting a beauty and sweetness untold
In the sensitive soul of a child .
Jan Bagwell
God Bless
Remember sister Mary Carpenter in your prayers , she still sick .