I Meet God in the Morning

The earth is the Lord’s

    and the fullness thereof ,

It speaks of His greatness ,

    it sings of His love ,

And each day at dawning

    I lift my heart high

And raise up my eyes

    to the infinite sky …

I see the dew glisten

    in crystal-like splendor

While God ,with a touch

    that is gentle and tender ,

Wraps up the night

     and softly tucks it away

And hangs out the sun

     to herald a new day ,

A day yet unblemished

     by what’s gone before ,

A chance to begin

     and start over once more ,

And all I need do

     is to silently pray ,

God , help me and guide me

     and go with me today

Jan Bagwell

God Bless !

God’s gifts put man’s dreams to shame .

Way of The Cross

Tis important to remember,
the holy Standard that was set for us!
Its purchase was selflessly made
by our beloved Christ Jesus.

Upon Calvary, this single sacrifice
of Jehovah's perfect, atoning Lamb
completely demonstrates the truest form of Love
from our God, the Great I Am.

Lord, we may not entirely comprehend,
how Your ways are superior to our own,
but we need to realize that we're called
to reach towards Your Kingdom throne.

From the cruel spilling of Your Son's royal blood,
the ransom for Humanity was fully paid;
and the foundation of Heaven's eternity
has been utterly sealed and forever laid.
Jan Bagwell
God Bless

GOD OF OUR LIFE THROUGH ALL THE CIRCLING YEARS:

God of our Life All The Circling Years

God of our life ,through all the circling years,

We trust in Thee ;

In all the past ,through all our hopes and fears,

Thy hand we see .

With each new day ,when morning lifts the veil ,

We own Thy mercies , Lord ,which never fail .

God of the past ,our times are in Thy hand ;

With us abide .

Lead us faith to hope’s true Promised Land ;

Be Thou our guide .

With Thee to bless ,the darkness shines as light ,

And faith’s fair vision changes into sight .

God of the coming years ,through paths unknown

We follow Thee ;

When we are strong ,Lord ,leave us not alone ;

Our Refuge be .

Be Thou for us in life our Daily Bread ,

Our heart’s true Home when all our years have sped .

Jan Bagwell

A Song Of living

It is so good to be alive ;

To have deep dreams : to greatly strive

Through the day’s work :to dance and sing

Between the times of sorrowing _

To have a clear faith in the end

That death is life’s best ,truthful friend .

To be alive : to hear and see

This wonderful ,strange pageantry

Of earth ,in which each hour’s session

Brings forth a new unknown procession

Of joys :stars ,flowers ,seas and grass

In ever new guise before me pass .

To have deep dreams : ah me , al me !

To bring far things close by see ;

To have my voyaging soul explore

Beyond my body’s ponderous door .

To make my love from a thousand graces ,

Seen in a thousand  faces .

To greatly strive :perform my share

Of work : for the world grows more fair

To him who measures Time and Fate

By what his laboring days create-

For work is the voice that lifts to God

The adoration of God .

To dance and sing :my body’s praise

For being fair in many ways .

It hath no other voice than this

To thank God for a moment’s bliss –

When art and heaven together trust

Joy to the perfection of the dust .

Times of sorrowing :yea , to weep :

To wash my soul with tears , and keep

It clean from earth’s too constant gain ,

Even as a flower needs rain

To cool the passion of the sun ,

And take a fresh new glory on .

To have clear faith :- through good or ill

We but perform some conscious will

Higher than man’s The world at best

In all things do but manifest

That God has set His enternal seal

Upon the unsubstantial real .

Jan Bagwell

God Bless

The Rustle of a Wing

The Rustle a Wing

Life is a narrow vale

Between the barren peaks

Of two eternities ,

We strive in vain to look beyond the heights

We cry aloud and the only answer

Is the echo of our wailing cry.

From the unreplying dead

There comes no answer .

But in the night of death

Hope sees a star ,

And listening love

Can hear the rustle of a wing .

Jan Bagwell

Count Your Blessings....and Pass Them On

Count Your Blessings....and Pass Them On

He almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road.  But even in the dim light of early evening, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His old Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so ... was he going to harm her?  He didn't look safe; he looked ragged and hungry.  He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold.  He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you. He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warmer? By the way, my name is Bryan."

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. After scouring the trunk for tools, Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire.  But he had gotten very dirty and his hands were hurting.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window  and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She just couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.  Bryan just smiled as he replaced the tools and closed the trunk.

She asked him how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God   knows plenty of people had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life for others, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw   someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and then Bryan added, "And think of me." He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She decided to go in and grab a bite to eat, and to take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant.  Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene seemed rather stark to her. The cash register was silent -- it didn't ring much.

The waitress came over, bringing a clean towel to wipe her wet hair.  She
had a sweet smile, a smile that even being on her feet for the whole day  couldn't erase. The lady noticed that the waitress was heavy with child, but she hadn't let the stress and weariness affect her gracious attitude.

The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a total stranger. Then she remembered Bryan. After she finished her meal, and the waitress had gone to get change for her $100 bill, the old lady slipped out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress returned, wondering where the old lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin, under which were four more $100 bills.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady had written: "You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you."

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard.    She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered, "Everything's gonna be all right now. I love you, Bryan."

There is an old saying that goes "What goes around comes around." So, pass this thought on, and give thanks by giving to others.

Jan Bagwell 

God Bless

Stop Light!

Stop Light!
Two cars were waiting at a stoplight. The light turned green, but the man
didn't notice it. A woman in the car behind him is watching traffic pass
around them. The woman begins pounding on her steering wheel and yelling
at the man to move. The man doesn't move.

The woman is going ballistic inside her car, ranting and raving at the
man, pounding on her steering wheel and dash. The light turns yellow and
the woman begins to blow the car horn, flips him off, and screams
profanity and curses at the man.

The man, looks up, sees the yellow light and accelerates through the
intersection just as the light turns red.

The woman is beside herself, screaming in frustration as she misses her
chance to get through the intersection. As she is still in mid-rant she
hears a tap on her window and looks up into the barrel of a gun held by a
very serious looking policeman.

The policeman tells her to shut off her car while keeping both hands in
sight. She complies, speechless at what is happening. After she shuts off
the engine, the policeman orders her to exit her car with her hands up.
She gets out of the car and he orders her to turn and place her hands on
her car then handcuffs her and takes her to the police station where she
is fingerprinted, photographed, searched, booked and placed in a cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approaches the cell and opens the
door for her. She is escorted back to the booking desk where the original
officer is waiting with her personal effects and says, "I'm really sorry
for this mistake. But you see, I pulled up behind your car while you were
blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing a
blue streak at him. I noticed the "Choose Life" license plate holder, the
"What Would Jesus Do" bumper sticker, the "Follow Me to Sunday School"
bumper sticker, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk.


Naturally I assumed you had stolen the car."

Jan Bagwell
God Bless