Just Let Me Say

Just let me say how much I love You
Let me speak of Your mercy and grace
Just let me live in a shadow of Your beauty
Let me see You face to face

And the earth will shake as Your Word goes forth
And the heavens will tremble and fall
But let me say how much I love You
Oh my Savior, my Lord and Friend

Just let me hear Your finest whispers
As You gently call my name
And let me see Your power and Your glory
Let me feel Your spirit's flame

Let me find You in the desert
Till this sand is holy ground
And I am found completely surrendered
To You my Lord and Friend

So let me say how much I love You
With all my heart I long for You
For I am caught in this passion of knowing
This endless love I've found in You

And the depth of grace, the forgiveness found
To be called a child of God
Just makes me say how much I love You
Oh my Savior, my Lord and Friend (x2)

Just makes me say how much I love You
Oh my Savior, my Lord and Friend

Refiner's Fire

Purify my heart
Let me be as gold and precious silver
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold, pure gold

Refiner's fire
My heart's one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You, Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You, my Master
Ready to do Your will

Purify my heart
Cleanse me from within
And make me holy
Purify my heart
Cleanse me from my sin
Deep within

Someone's Watching Over Me

Dear God

Dear God,

I'm writing to say I'm sorry,
For being angry yesterday;
When You seemed to ignore my prayer,
And things didn't go my way.

First, my car broke down,
I was very late for work;
But I missed that awful accident,
Was that Your handiwork?

I found a house I loved,
But others got there first;
I was angry, then relieved,
When I heard the pipes had burst!

Yesterday, I found the perfect dress,
But the color was too pale;
Today, I found the dress in red,
Would You believe, it was on sale!

I know You're watching over me,
And I'm feeling truly blest;
For no matter what I pray for,
You always know what's best!

I have this circle of E-mail friends,
Who mean the world to me;
Some days I "send" and "send,"
At other times, I let them be.

I am so blessed to have these friends,
With whom I've grown so close;
So this little poem I dedicate to them,
Because to me they are the "Most"!

When I see each name download,
And view the message they've sent;
I know they've thought of me that day,
And "well wishes" were their intent.

So to you, my friends, I would like to say,
Thank you for being a part;
Of all my daily contacts,
This comes right from my heart.

God bless you all is my prayer today,
I'm honored to call you "friend";
I pray the Lord will keep you safe,
Until we write again.

~ Author Unknown ~

It's Friday!

It's Friday, Friday, Friday! Finally... it's Friday! Hopefully I'll be able to get more sleep this weekend. Looking forward to catching Transformers 2 this Sunday. Yeah, I know, most people have already seen it, but the cinemas are still as packed as sardines in a can. Anyway, the weekend's on the way. Yeah!

God Sees

It's strange. Today is only Tuesday; not even mid-week yet and I'm already weary to the bones. Did I get enough sleep? Yes, I had a good 7 hours, although after many years of "training", I can function very well on just 5 hours, or sometimes lesser.

Maybe it's all the thinking that I've been doing... thinking, worrying and running about on errands, and not doing enough of praying and waiting on God. Mental drain can really tax the physical body, likewise when you're not spiritually fed. Sleep can maybe ease a little of the strain, but mental weariness takes a while to go away - often times when a problem gets solved. But the best option (always) is to wait upon the Lord and to leave your problems in His trusty hands. And when you do leave it with Him, remember NOT to take it back. It's complete surrender. He'll take care of the rest.

Well, time to put this thought into action.

~ He Sees ~

Feeling as if her heart would break,
Stinging words, they had lashed out.
The tears she held, so deep within,
Revealed her anguish and doubt.

They cut as if a two-edged sword.
She fought the emotions within.
But, in the recesses of her mind,
Words echoed time and again.

In the stillness of the night,
She knelt to voice her plea.
Within her soul, she plainly heard,
"Fear not, because He sees."

He knows your deepest heartaches.
Unnoticed? Not even one.
He's interceding for you,
For, you see, He's God's own Son.

There's nothing that could be hidden.
All things lay before Him bare.
Toss your burdens on the Lord.
He loves you and He cares.

Choose to walk in love and joy.
Let your heart be filled with peace.
All your pain will soon recede,
Just remember that He sees.

© 2003 by Marie Williams

God's Bank Ain't Busted Yet!

The bank had closed; my earthly store had vanished from my hand; I felt that there was no sadder one than I in all the land. My washerwoman, too, had lost her little mite with mine, And she was singing as she hung the clothes upon the line. "How can you be so gay?" I asked; "Your loss don't you regret?" "Yes, Ma'm, but what's the use to fret? God's bank ain't busted yet!"

I felt my burden lighter grow; her faith I seemed to share; In prayer I went to God's great throne and laid my troubles there. The sun burst from behind the clouds, in golden splendour set; I thanked God for her simple words: "God's bank ain't busted yet!"

And now I draw rich dividends, more than my hands can hold; Of faith and love and hope and trust and peace of mind untold. I thank the Giver of it all, but still I can't forget; My washerwoman's simple words: "God's bank ain't busted yet!"

Oh, weary ones upon life's road, when everything seems drear, And losses loom on every hand, and skies seem not to clear; Throw back your shoulder, lift your head, and cease to chafe and fret; Your dividend will be declared: "God's bank ain't busted yet!"

~ Alice P. Moss, 1931
Written during the Depression

The Basics of Life

Is the world getting more complicated by the day, or are we just asking for too much? Are we compromising our virtues and beliefs just to get ahead in this day where success is measured by fancy houses, fast cars and fashionable clothes? Have we forgotten our beginnings, who we are, what's important and the people who really matters?

Some of us are busy climbing the ladder of success, while others are struggling to make ends meet. While we're bathing in our success, we forget there are people who are just trying to get through another day. We complain about what we eat, when there are people out there who consider bread crumbs as manna from heaven. We complain about our jobs and forget that those jobs put food on the table, clothe us and place a roof over our head. We forget to be thankful for what we have; we compare and lament about what we do not have.

We've forgotten... and need to get back on track. This classic from 4HIM correctly sums it all up. Father, please forgive me. Help me remember and to be thankful everyday.

Listen to Basics Of Life by 4Him

We've turned the page, for a new day has dawned
We've re-arranged what is right and what's wrong
Somehow we've drifted so far from the truth
That we can't get back home

Where are the virtues that once gave us light
Where are the morals that governed our lives
Someday we all will awake and look back
just to find what we've lost

Chorus:
We need to get back
To the basics of life
A heart that is pure
And a love that is blind
A faith that is fervently
grounded in Christ
The hope that endures for all times
These are the basics,
we need to get back
To the basics of life

The newest rage is to reason it out
Just meditate and you can overcome every doubt
After all man is a God, they say
God is no longer alive

But I still believe in the old rugged cross
And I still believe there is hope for the lost
And I know the rock of all ages will stand
Through changes of time

Bridge:
We've let the darkness invade us too long
We've got to turn the tide
Oh and we need the passion that burned long ago
To come and open our eyes
There's no room for compromise

Stand by Me

This is amazing! Changing the world through music? I dig! But I also firmly believe that real change comes through Jesus - He's the creator of music after all!

Check out http://www.playingforchange.com/ and be inspired!

Au Revoir Vivien

A simple bracelet that I made for my friend, Vivien who is migrating to Australia very soon. Bracelet is made of Moonstones, Balinese silver beads and Hematites. Will definitely miss her.

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And - which is more - you’ll be a Man my son!

~ Rudyard Kipling

Awesome Book - A Prisoner of Birth

Anyone who knows me knows this: when buying a gift for me, he/she could never go wrong with bookshop gift cards. That way, I can indulge my love for books and be very thankful to the giver at the same time :)

Anyway, my very kind boss bestowed me with a Border's gift card for Christmas and needless to say, I made a beeline for the nearest Borders store at the first opportunity.

Picked up four books (listed in reading order):

The Appeal (John Grisham)
The First Patient (Michael Palmer)
A Prisoner of Birth (Jeffrey Archer)
Hold Tight (Harlan Coben)

Just finished reading A Prisoner of Birth. The verdict? Probably the best book that I've read in a long time! In brief, this book is about a man convicted for a crime (murder) he did not commit and the thrilling path he embarked on for revenge.

"If Danny Cartwright had proposed to Beth Wilson the day before, or the day after, he would not have been arrested and charged with the murder of his best friend. And when the four prosecution witnesses are a barrister, a popular actor, an aristocrat and the youngest partner in an established firm's history, who is going to believe his side of the story?

Danny is sentenced to 22 years and sent to Belmarsh prison, the highest security jail in the land, from where no inmate has ever escaped. But Spencer Craig, Lawrence Davenport, Gerald Payne and Toby Mortimer all underestimate Danny's determination to seek revenge and Beth's relentless quest to win justice, which forces all four protagonists to fight for their lives."

You can read the excerpt here, http://www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk/excerpt-pob/1-18.pdf.

The Appeal and The First Patient were both excellent by the way, but A Prisoner of Birth got me hooked from the very first page. I was under a spell that compelled me to turn the pages.

Anyway, that was Archer, and now, Coben. If the rest of Hold Tight are as gripping as the first few pages when I began this morning, you can count on me holding on tight until the very last page.

For now... I'm impatiently waiting for Archer's next book, Paths of Glory. Would it be as good, if not better?

Great Song

I'm Back!

Yup, I'm back! It's been a little over two months since I last wrote here and a crazy two months they were!

What happened over the two months in a nutshell: I got married, one of my sisters declared war with her husband and I just took possession of my new home. So yeah, the two months were hectic.

Anyway, I'm back and popping in to say "Hi" to those who have been checking in and out of "I Don't Blog" and dropping me (or pestering me with) questions, "How come you don't update your blog?" and "You've gone MIA, is it?"

Will (try to) write again soon. Until then, Happy New Year!

Ciao!