O Great God

by Bob Kauflin

Sovereing Grace Music

O great God of highest heav'n occupy my lowly heart.

Own it all and reign supreme, conquer every rebel pow'r.

Let no vice or sin remain that resists Your holy war.

You have loved and purchased me, make me Yours forevermore.

I was blinded by my sin, had no ears to hear Your voice.

Did not know Your love with-in, had no taste for heaven's joys.

Then Your Spirit have me life, opened up Your Word to me.

Through the gospel of Your Son, gave me endless hope and peace.

Help me now to live a life that's dependent on Your grace.

Keep my heart and guard my soul from the evils that I face.

You are worthy to be praised with my every thought and deed.

O great God of highest heav'n glorify Your Name through me.

Spring

Spring is in the air!!

Tulips are some of my favorite flowers, as they are such a symbol of spring!

Morning by Morning....

Morning by morning I wake up to find the power and the comfort of God's hand in mine.

Season by season I watch Him amazed in awe of the mystery of His perfect ways.

All I have need of His hand will provide. He's always nee faithful to me.

I can't remember a trial or a pain, He did not recycle to bring me gain.

I can't remember one single regret, in serving God only and trusting His hand.

All I have need of His hand will provide. He's always been faithful to me.

This is my anthem, this is my song, the theme of the stories I've heard for so long.

God has been faithful, He will be again. His loving compassion, it knows no end.

All I have need of, His hand will provide. He's always been faithful to me.

He's Always Been Faithful ~ Sara Groves

"Be strong and let your heart take courage all you who hope in the Lord."

Psalm 31:24

Christ Is Risen

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!

Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!

Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!

Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia

Death is vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia!

Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!

Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!

Once He dies our souls to save, Alleluia!

Where's thy victory, boasting grace? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!

Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!

Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!

Ours the cross the grave the skies, ALLELUIA!

~ Christ the Lord Is Risen Today ~

Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood, from Thy riven side which flowed,

be of sin the double sure, cleanse me from its guilt and power.

Not the labors of my hand can fulfill Thy law's demand;

Could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone; Thou must save and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress; helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to Thy Fountain fly; wash me Savior or I die.

Rock of Ages by Augustus M. Toplady, 1776

Palm Sunday

Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

Love

"Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which

becomes a habit."

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;

Thou in my dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,

Thou mine inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of heaven, my Treasure, Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,

My I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Son!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my vision, O ruler of all!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changes not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Heaven Desired

Oh my Lord,

May I arrive where means of grace cease and I need no more to fast, pray, weep, watch, be tempted, attend preaching and sacrament; where nothing defiles, where is no grief, sorrow, death, separation, tears, pale face, languid body, aching joints, feeble infancy, decrepit age, peccant humours, pining sickness, griping fears, consuming cares; where is personal completeness; where the more perfect the sight that more beautiful the object, the more perfect the appetite the sweeter the food, the more musical the ear the more pleasant the melody, the more complete the soul the more happy its joys, where is full knowledge of Thee.

Here I am an ant, and as I view a nest of ants so dost Thou view me and my fellow-creatures; But as an ant knows not me, my nature, my thoughts, so here I cannot know Thee clearly.

But there I shall be near Thee, dwell with my family, stand in Thy presence chamber, be an heir of Thy kingdom, as the spouse of Christ, as a member of His body, one with him who is with Thee, and exercise all my powers of body and soul in the enjoyment of Thee.

As praise in the mouth of Thy saints is comely, teach me to exercise this divine gift, when I pray, read, hear, see, do, in the presence of people and of my enemies, as I hope to praise Thee eternally hereafter.

Valley of Vision ~ Heaven Desired

Jane Austen Quote

Jane Austen said

"There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart."

I do believe I agree with that statement!

Steadfast Love

"For great is His steadfast love towards us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!"

Psalm 117:2

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end.

They are new every morning, new every morning;

Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord.

Great is Thy faithfulness.

Music by Edith McNeill

Another Beautiful Thing

I saw another beautiful, sweet and humble thing today....

The precious smile of a baby!

I don't think there is hardly anything sweeter!

Finding Beauty

"The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely."

-Louisa May Alcott

I found this quote the other day and immediately loved it. I enjoy finding beauty in the humble things. These are some moments I find beautiful:

~Pulling out a fresh baked loaf of bread!

~The dogs sitting faithfully near me while I'm outside, protecting me.

~The first sighting of a swallow in the spring.

~The first snow!

~My sister climbing into bed with me in the morning to talk and laugh.

~Sitting in front of the fire with a cup of tea or hot chocolate and my Bible or a good book.

~Holding hands for prayer at dinner.

~My Dad laughing at one of my jokes.

~My Mom and I being able to communicate with each other without saying a word.

~Family time, no words even needing to be said, just spending time with each other.

~A beautiful song reminding me of God's love and Christ's sacrifice.

What do you find beautiful?

"...admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all."

1 Thessalonians 5:14

This is a wonderful verse for Christians. It is perfect for mothers, sisters, brothers, fathers... everyone! It is quite a challenge to learn how to admonish, encourage and help. I think this is a good verse for a new year. I am going to pray that the Lord will show me other people who I can encourage and help and sometimes even admonish. It can be difficult to know not only the right words, but the right time to say them. It will not be easy, but that is why I think it says at the end of the verse "be patient with them all."

Lord,

Thank you for Your patience with me. Help me to be patient with others in order to encourage and help them. Therefore, in a small way Lord, I might be a reflection of Your amazing love and kindness and patience.

Speak, O Lord

Speak, O Lord as we come to You to receive the food of Your Holy Word. Take Your truth plant it deep in us; shape and fashion us in Your likeness. That the light of Christ might be seen today in our acts of love and our deeds of faith. Speak, O Lord and fulfill in us all Your purposes for Your glory.

Teach us Lord full obedience. Holy reverence, true humility. Test our thoughts and our attitudes in the radiance of Your purity. Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see Your majestic love and authority. Words of power that can never fail; Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord and renew our minds; Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us. Truths unchanged from the dawn of time that will echo down through eternity. And by grace we'll stand on Your promises; And by faithful we'll walk as You walk with us. Speak, O Lord, 'til Your church is built and the earth is filled with Your glory!

Speak, O Lord by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

Happy New Year!

"For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!"

Psalm 117:2

I hope that we can all look back on 2009 and look forward to 2010, to remember and anticipate God's faithfulness to us. It does endure forever! Our response is and should always be "praise the Lord!"