The Greatest Birth Announcement

As shepherds watched their flocks one night
Abiding in a field near Bethlehem,
There appeared to them an awesome sight.
A great and mighty fear fell on them.

The Angel of the Lord appeared to them.
"To you good tidings I bring!" said He
"A Savior is born unto you in Bethlehem,
Who is Christ, the Lord, you shall see."

"And this shall be a sign unto thee;
In a manger, the Babe ye will find,
Wrapped in swaddling clothes, He'll be.
He is born, the Savior of all mankind."

Then many angels came, praising God then.
"Glory to God in the highest!" said they,
"And peace on earth good will toward men!"
When they were finished, they went away.

Jan Bagwell 

God Bless 

Nothing's Too Hard For God

Sometimes I get so befuddled,
That I don't know where to turn.
Cares of this life weigh me down
With the troubles they concern.

I must always remind myself
I have access to a higher power.
I don't need to worry and fret.
God is with me every hour.

God is with me in the sunshine
And when the dark shadows fall.
I am His blood-bought child,
And upon Him I can always call.

He can solve all my problems.
For Him, nothing is too hard.
God always knows what I need.
He is never caught off guard.

Yes, when I feel downhearted
With some trifling, worldly care,
I must take this burden to God,
And then I must leave it there.

Jan Bagwell

God Bless

Topsy-Turvy

Everything feels topsy-turvy:
Mankind seems to have gone mad!
Wickedness is the new normal -
Evil's good and good is bad.

Raging wars and rumors thereof -
Lies, deception, gore and greed;
Earthquakes, famine, floods and fire
Escalating: gaining speed.

These are evil times we live in
But the worst is still to come;
What seems certain now is that the
Time of sorrows has begun.

Do not fear what must soon happen,
What will presently take place:
Just stay close to God's Son, Jesus -
Persevere and run the race.

Trust in Him and you won't falter;
Get down on your knees and pray.
Shine His light while you are able
'Till He snatches us away.

Jan Bagwell 

God Bless 

The Prize

I’m thankful for his grace and love

And all the many blessings shared.
There’s just one thing I’m thinking of
While scanning all this food prepared.

I’m thankful for the turkey, ham,
The stuffing, rolls, and casserole,
Potatoes mashed, and sweetened yam;
But thoughts remain on blessed goal.

I dip a spoonful on my plate
As I begin to fill my dish.
The tempting treat will need to wait
But I’ll maintain a hopeful wish.

I mustn’t fill my tummy full
For yonder sweetness has my eye.
With yummy food so bountiful,
I’m thankful most for pumpkin pie.

This mirrors life in many ways,
With gifts and blessings plentiful.
We’re stuffed with treasure many days,
No room for glories wonderful.

We must look past this earthly spread
To sights unseen by human eyes.
By trusting all the words he said,
We’ll reach the goal and claim the prize.

Surrounded by these blessings--good,
With mighty cravings to supply,
Let’s keep our focus where we should
And not forget the pumpkin pie.

Jan Bagwell

God bless

Bridging the Gap

In Old testament days, God was so close by
Yet, seemed so very far, as hard as man did try
God was right there leading His people throughout the land
Try as they may; man just could not stay on God's plan

After years and years, and king after king
And all the laws of which man did cling
Clearly, man could never fully follow the laws of God
For he couldn't keep from straying off every path he trod

So God in His infinite love, mercy, and grace
Came up with a plan that could save the human race
A plan laid out many years in advance
And relayed to the prophets so that man may have a chance

Foretold for many years that the Son would come to earth
That He would be born of a miraculous virgin birth
He would be called Mighty God, the Prince of Peace,
Wonderful, Counselor, the one who gives sweet release

God sent His only begotten Son to earth
Exactly as the prophets had described His birth
Wise men and shepherds came from afar
Bearing gifts, they traveled led by the star

They came to worship the King on bended knee
Our perfect Savior, our sacrifice to be
The tiny infant who grew to be a sinless man
The Lamb of God; the fruition of God's plan

Compassionate and loving here on earth
Teaching others the things of great worth
This sinless, blameless man willingly died upon the cross
Humiliated and suffering so that man is not forever lost

God bridged the gap for all of mankind
With His perfect well laid design 
Man could never overcome His sinful desires
Only through His perfect Son's sacrifice could that transpire

So as you prepare to celebrate this Christmas
Take time to thank God for His Son Jesus
Remember that this is His birthday celebration
And He deserves our humble, undivided adoration

Jan Bagwell

God Bless

A Christmas Charity Choice

Ann was no stranger to wealth.
She even owned a Rolls-Royce.
Every Christmas, Ann had to make
The Christmas charity choice.

Ann discussed it with Sam, her hubby
A month before Christmas was here.
"Sam, I really want to do something
Unusual for our charity this year."

"Exactly what do you mean?" he asked.
"Choose some worthy cause," my Dear.
"Sam, I prayed and made a decision
To help some homeless ones this year."

"I will act like a homeless person
And hang out with them somewhere,
And maybe I'll find special needs
Among some homeless people there."

Sam began to grin and laugh aloud.
Then he began to shake his head.
"That's too dngerous, Ann, you know.
You could very well end up dead."

Ann found some faded old clothes.
Then she tried to dress like a bum.
She prayed and found a homeless group,
Who were sharing a bottle of rum.

They shunned her as she appoached.
She was not part of their clan,
But she stayed with them anyway
And observed each woman and man.

Soon an old truck rolled to a stop.
There exited a lady and a man.
They handed a sandwich to everyone.
"God bless you," said Betty and Dan.

When they left, Ann found a letter.
It fell from the truck to the ground.
It was an eviction notice. Said Ann,
"My charity choice I have found!"

Ann wasted no time that very day,
For such speedy plans she laid.
She found them and wrote a check.
"With a sandwich, your bills are paid!"

Betty and Dan were not homeless yet,
But because they did God's will,
God honored this with Ann's gift.
They are helping the homeless still.

JIan Bagwell

God Bless

Disappointment Doesn't Equal Discouragement

Everybody lives with disappointments that come their way
But you choose your own reactions each and every day
Discouragement can easily take a hold on you
Or you can rise to the challenge, knowing God will see you through

Faced with the knowledge of a horrible fate for his country
Instead of anger and hurt, Habbakuk held on to His faith in the Almighty
He wrote a hymn of worship and rejoiced in His Lord above
Rejoiced in God's strength and the knowledge of His love

God supports all of us in exactly the same way
He is always with us; And He's exactly the same God today
Don't let burdens and challenges consume your life
Trust in God and continually praise Him in through your struggles and strife

Jan Bagwell

God Bless