The Blessed

From prisons dark, in caverns deep-

They gather; round the world, they creep

To meet in hidden places

Tucked in silent alleys,

Tiny homes,

And fields.

They meet to rally round the Word-

Their bread, their life

For this they dared

To come

And risk their everything

On earth-

For this, the Word of Truth.

It burns within their hearts, their souls

With grace

And boldness

Sharpened like the angel’s sword

By troubles, persecutions, torture-

Great is their reward.

They are the blessed ones-

They come-

The world cannot conceive

What they believe and why

Each one would risk their all

For this Great One-

The Son of God,

His favor rests upon their heads . . .

“Blessed are those

Who are persecuted

For righteousness’ sake”—

For they will wake

In light-

Some with a martyr’s crown-

No frown will be upon them.

And they will cry before the everlasting throne –

“How long, O Lord?”-

And He will answer-

“Just a little while; wait-

Until the hour is complete-

For now, you sit here at My side-“

The glorified

Redeemed in love,

Refined,

And blessed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




You might find me on these link-ups:


Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage,  Graced Simplicity, Children Are A Blessing, Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, A Little R&R Wednesdays. TGI Saturdays Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Sharing His Beauty Blog Linkup, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp

The Risen Glory

Cross-made-homely, scorn-crowned, scarred-

the Crucified

His hands in flames

and feet

held captive by the nails

               that tore

His man-garb,

Splattered blood

on windy ground.

The sky

                fell dark

and ominous

The vale, dark-rent and torn asunder

                               while the thunder drowned

the drone of earth

                       As God - as Man

bowed down His head

                         surrendered up His soul

and died. The Crucified--

and It is Finished.

Finished--

                            Father-grace-bestowed

The Son-born-wrath

The anguished face, dark sky

and grace

washed over me

These beams of mercy

flood my soul

with light--------------

His life

                       for mine

                                      The creature-homely

Drinking fully

Deeply-

Glory, glory!

Finished grace

And mercy

                     Wholly

                     Richly satisfied

The blood applied.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friends, I pray that you have a blessed Easter celebrating the resurrection of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ . . . I'd like to offer you my devotional, This Last Surrender, for $0.99 (for Kindle only). Share it with a family member, friend, or download a copy for yourself! I pray that it will be a blessing and refreshment for you and draw your heart nearer to our Lord and Savior.

Find it on Amazon: HERE

You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, Yes They Are All Ours, Missional Call, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, So Much at Home, Raising Homemakers, Hope in Every Season, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, A Soft Gentle Voice, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Messy Marriage, My Teacher's Name is Mama, The Charm of Home, Graced Simplicity, Children Are A Blessing, Mittenstate Sheep and Wool, Imparting Grace, Preparedness Mama, A Look at the Book, Essential Thing Devotions, Count My Blessings, Beauty Observed, Christian Mommy Blogger, Renewed Daily, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Saturday Soiree Blog Party, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Monday Link-Up, A Little R&R Wednesdays. TGI Saturdays Blog Hop

Beauty For Ashes

"To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Isaiah 61:3

When all the sky has turned to dust of gray
And sun-warmed days are gone at last
Then, to my Lord I kneel and pray
When every hope of dawn seems past

When smoky leaves turn into barren ash
The wind of summer turned away
The hills are silent, clothed in dying grass
Their emerald splendor could not stay

When all the sweetness of the harvest’s gone
And hungry souls ache to be filled
Glad singing ended and the fields, forlorn
The land in sorrow—hushed and still

Then God will come with all His hosts of light
My God who changes night to day
And makes the ache of darkness bright
When all the shadows flee away

Photo credit: James Jordan / Foter.com / CC BY-ND

Refuge

Search me, O God, and know my heart
Try me, and know my anxieties
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24

Beneath the Rock for refuge go
No other aid than this I know
No other shelter can I find
And to that Rock my will I bind

There is no other place of rest
Where pilgrim hands and feet are blessed
For when the wind my life would take
Beneath the Rock I will not break

Dear Rock, I need Your shelter sure
And I could ask for nothing more
There is no Refuge close to You
No one so perfect, certain, true

Forgive me, Lord, for times of doubt
When from my mind I cast You out
For when I hide in You I know
A place where wind and storm won’t go

For underneath the Rock is peace
My heart from fear is there released
And there, my Father’s gentleness
A pillow for my head to rest.

Forest Brook

Softly,

My eyes gaze over the glad, rushing brook,

Dancing merrily, gaily through the forest.

How happy the smooth stones,

The waters gurgling in laughter over them.

I look up at the sandy banks-

To see the river grasses nestled there.

When will the forest creatures come to drink

Beside the cool riverbank?

When will the tiny birds

Hop down beside the welcoming waters?

At dusk,

When the sun

Dips her happy soul

Into the covering of the hills.

Then I will see the Robin,

The deer of the forest,

The nightingale.

The Blessed

From prisons dark, in caverns deep-

They gather; round the world, they creep

To meet in hidden places

Tucked in silent alleys,

Tiny homes,

And fields.

They meet to rally round the Word-

Their bread, their life

For this they dared

To come

And risk their everything

On earth-

For this, the Word of Truth.

It burns within their hearts, their souls

With grace

And boldness

Sharpened like the angel’s sword

By troubles, persecutions, torture-

Great is their reward.

They are the blessed ones-

They come-

The world cannot conceive

What they believe and why

Each one would risk their all

For this Great One-

The Son of God,

His favor rests upon their heads . . .

“Blessed are those

Who are persecuted

For righteousness’ sake”—

For they will wake

In light-

Some with a martyr’s crown-

No frown will be upon them.

And they will cry before the everlasting throne –

“How long, O Lord?”-

And He will answer-

“Just a little while; wait-

Until the hour is complete-

For now, you sit here at My side-“

The glorified

Redeemed in love,

Refined,

And blessed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




You might find me on these link-ups:


Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage,  Graced Simplicity, Children Are A Blessing, Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, A Little R&R Wednesdays. TGI Saturdays Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Sharing His Beauty Blog Linkup, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp

The Blessed

From prisons dark, in caverns deep-

They gather; round the world, they creep

To meet in hidden places

Tucked in silent alleys,

Tiny homes,

And fields.

They meet to rally round the Word-

Their bread, their life

For this they dared

To come

And risk their everything

On earth-

For this, the Word of Truth.

It burns within their hearts, their souls

With grace

And boldness

Sharpened like the angel’s sword

By troubles, persecutions, torture-

Great is their reward.

They are the blessed ones-

They come-

The world cannot conceive

What they believe and why

Each one would risk their all

For this Great One-

The Son of God,

For this pure pleasure,

Heaven’s Treasure

Full of grace and truth.

His favor rests upon their heads . . .

“Blessed are those

Who are persecuted

For righteousness’ sake”—

For they will wake

In light-

Some with a martyr’s crown-

No frown will be upon them.

And they will cry before the everlasting throne –

“How long, O Lord?”-

and He will answer-

“Just a little while; wait-

Until the hour is complete-

For now, you sit here at My side-“

The glorified

Redeemed in love,

Refined,

And blessed.

The Little Seed--A Poem for Children

A seed is buried in the ground 

And wonders in the deep,

How long will I be kept down here

And in the soil sleep? 

The farmer pushed me down, down here

He must know what is right

So I will stay tucked in the earth

Where it is always night.

I will stay pressed in the soil

And rest here for awhile,

Until the sunlight wakes me up 

And warms me with her smile.

The rain, it will come too, you know

For that, I also need

Until the plant that’s tucked inside

Breaks from my little seed. 

And yes, yes I, will soon sprout up

To flower in the sun;

The day will wrap her arms ‘round me

The time of darkness done.

--Rebekah Neal

You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, SDG Gathering, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Motivate and Rejuvenate Mondays,, Raising Homemakers, Hope in Every Season, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, A Soft Gentle Voice, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage, The Charm of Home, Graced Simplicity, Theology Thursdays, Children Are A Blessing, Imparting Grace, A Look at the Book, Essential Thing Devotions, Thought Provoking Thursday, Count My Blessings, Christian Mommy Blogger, Renewed Daily, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Blessing Counters Link Party, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, Faith and  Fellowship Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Monday Link-Up, A Little R&R Wednesdays. TGI Saturdays Blog Hop. Totally Terrific Tuesday, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday

Sweet Baby

Baby sweetness

Little one

Sleeping soundly

Sleeping softly

Peaceful, breathing

In and out--

Baby brightness

Joy of heaven

My heart’s blessing

My soul’s loving

Loving-kindness

Gift of heaven

This sweet baby

Baby crying

Clinging to me

Drawing closer

Each glad morning

Each new sunshine

Flesh of our flesh

Bone of union

This, our small one

This our bright one

Lamb of Jesus

Loved of heaven

Precious, tiny one

Pursuit

O Lamb of God who takes away my sin

What I thought gain, now will I count as loss

And dwell beneath the glory of the cross

For He has taken all my shame away

I sing to Him with all my heart and might

And with my mind, with all my soul engaged

For even to the end of this world’s age

With all my strength pursue His perfect will 

And run the course, of His commandments true

For He, His love, it shall enlarge my heart 

And set my feet upon the righteous chart

For His own glory’s sake, and for my peace

Restored

Suffering breaks upon my soul-

The rain of the leprosy of affliction.

It eats away my flesh, my joy-

The pride of life is gone

Flitting away, like a moth in the wind--

O Lord, restore my joy again

Unite my soul to You in suffering

That I may see

This momentary affliction

As a light weight,

A prelude to dawn, to glory—

O Lord,

Fix my eyes upon Your sweetness,

The light of Your brightness

The radiance from Your scepter in the sky

Heal the wound of my leprosy-

My bitterness

My spirit complaining against Your ways

And let my sinful, pallid flesh

Be restored

In Your joy

By Your Spirit

Through Your hope

For Your glory

Evermore.

Joy Restored

My blessed Lord, in You I find
Rich consolation for my mind
With all Your joy, my being fills
For now I want Your will

Night’s unbelief has fled away
It, You replaced with faith of day
Now after You, I thirst and yearn
With all Your hope, my heart will burn

I wait for You through all the night
Until my faith becomes as sight
Then I will see you as You are
And You are near, though once thought far

My heart within me whirls and leaps
Just as Your servant in the streets
To bring Your ark back to its place
And feel the sunshine of Your face

Struggle

Struggle, struggle

       strain and toil

                  busy, tired soul

Fruitless work

       and prayer forgotten

                    bitter thoughts

             absence of praise

                  these wretched days

My withered, stricken mind--

             The serpent seeks to wind

his twisted body,

          squeezing round the heart

    and draining life and joy.

The bubble of this earth

          fretting round

                  my weary soul.

   The hole of haste

            emptying peace and rest

                    and blessing.

    Rain pours down--

          the dripping drone

                 of stress,

                      duress.

      I cry to Him,

           cry out to Him.

The Spirit soars,

     strengthens my bones,

           restores

      and living water

races down

     the banks

          of this poor soul.

Gushing,

     running,

          grace restoring,

                    mercy moving,

      comfort streaming,

my heart flooding

        with His love.

Spring Life

Morning spring

The Robins sing

And listen, ear-tuned to the earth

New life, rebirth

Creation soars

In egg-blue sky and

Budding tree and branch

Hold life

On every leaf

A dew drop glists-the joy of spring

And winter’s law of death and doom

Is cracked

Split open, like a grave-

The trees burst into leaf

The earth to flower

While a shower

Of refreshing rain alights

The brightness rings

And death’s sting lost

Rebirth-and resurrection joy

The hush of wonder aches with hope and grace.

Hope

The earth was silent, still

And all the people, hushed in breath

Looked up into the brilliant clouds

Of heaven, though the ice of death

 Was on their weary hearts-

For hopeful spring’s last shower

Had passed away at last-

And that without a flower

 The time had grown so deep

And many hearts were crying

For hope to be renewed

And many now were dying

 I see the fragrant light

Look now! For through the trees

A fiery chariot comes

To part our stormy seas!

Spring and Gladness

All around

           the aching shadows

                             sift their gloomy apparitions

              over winter's sorrowing hills.

The rain falls in great teardrops.

               The wind moans a mourning song,

the glory seemingly departed

                       from this forsaken land.

           But look-there-

on the pale line

          of the misty horizon

                      the gray mist vanishes-

                             with tender drops of sunlight.

          Silently now, the light hushes over the barren earth

pushing away the deep-settled darkness

                        with her warm hands of spring.

            The birds rejoice, in glad, hopeful voices.

      The flowers burst from their sleeping womb-

All around is spring and gladness

 and rest.