A Praise

I will praise God
All {of my life,
For God is always
There for me
In good times
And in the bad.
I am loved
And comforted
And I find peace
For my weary soul.

On the Hill

On the hill He stood
And taught the way of life.
“Blessed are you…” He said.
And then He taught,
Speaking of God’s love
For all His children.
And then He taught them how to live,
And that they should
Be as perfect as God.
Then He called loud and clear;
“Come unto me all you who labor…
And I will give you rest.”
And still that call rings out
Drawing people unto Him;
The Christ, the Lamb of God.

1964

Anx God Sighed... by Rdv Micah G Hartung

...and God Sighed
by Rev Micah G Hartung

I created a world with infinite colors divine, textures and temperatures flowed in a line.
I created the egg holding the tadpole of kind, and watched as a family matured as mine.
I created birds and watched them soar long, up into the heavens singing their cheerful song.
I created the mammals pressed to their mom, that  would remain for a period ere long.
I put  speed in the hooves of running deer, and stood in awe when they would appear.
I created the human who knew no fear and knew that all wonder soon would be near.

And God sighed...

My glaciers cut shapes in the land, forming ridges and valleys with a sweep of My hand.
Then rain for rivers upon the dry land, and oceans and seas moving in and out on the sand.
I created the flora and fauna that rooted abound, to hold the earth solid and create the ground.
I created the sun, moon and stars all around, so creation would know that rest could be found.
I married the creatures with the earth and sea, then I rested  to see what would come to be.
I saw creatures move and natures first bee, study  the ground and all that they could see.

And God sighed.....

The sun rose brightly on creations first day, and its brilliant light was what it displayed.
The colors of this creation illumined this day and were a bit of everything I brought into play.
I gazed at this creation as they looked to the sky, and waited to hear joy being sung in the reply
It was diversity I made and  bound with a tie, and their soul I saw, shining through their eye.
There was no song of praise in harmony or words of reverence about  the mystery of Me.
Instead they began to fight as it would be, power, property and creation you see.

And God sighed....

Some would say that in this confusion we flee, or its my Creation I should leave.
But how could I leave the very essence of me, a world I created and gave no reprieve.
Instead I gave to My children created above, a gift of value known as unconditional love.
Wisdom and knowledge sent by a dove, and a covenant in the rainbow reaching from above.
Some of Creation stand firm  in the light, illuminating peace and  kindness until it takes flight.
I am the God of  hope brought right, I am the light always present in the darkest of night.

And God Smiled and  Sighed...

Help Comes

I labor
     And am heavy laden
     With the cares
     Of the world.
     I grow weaker
     And cannot
     Stand up under
     The load I hold

Then  comes God
       And gives me strength
      To walk the road.
      The load is lifted
      My cares evaporate
      For God
      Is my strength
      And stay.

Friends

       People
Are more important
       Than things!

Thanks be to God
For such friends
As those around me
Who accept me
As I am!

Thanks be to God
For friends
That are so caring
And loving.
Thanks be to God!

Jesus - Following Him??

Are we really following Jesus? Do we really know what was in His mind through all the layers of history?   Do we know who Jesus was in that time?   Questions with no real answers.   Yet how  can we know much about the real Jesus  after all this time?   And would Jesus accept the religion that has grown up  in His name? What would He say about all of us?   Would He accept the religion and worship that has grown up around His name?

I am not trying to be a rebel or a heretic here,  these are just questions that have occurred to me recently.   What I am doing is seeking a deeper understanding of and relationship with God and the man we know as Jesus. What did He really know  and think about Himself?  I   wonder what He would think of  our priests and preachers and our tendency to be follow those people who preach division instead of unity.  What would He think of all our religions?   And would  He even approve of what we do in His name?   It strikes me that there is too little love in some of the denominations of what we call Christianity.  Are we really following Jesus if we do not love all people?   And what does the personality we call God have to say about the way we treat others in our world?  I  find myself wondering about such things.

Where do we go from here?   Can anyone find the answers to these and other questions people have about religion and Christianity?   I wait and wonder if our questions will ever be  answered.   And yet these questions need an answer.   The problem is, where do we find those  answers?  Can any answers even be found?   It has been too many years since  Jesus lived, so any answers will be suspect.

Yet we live in faith, trusting that what we have been told over the years is the truth.   Faith is the only thing we have to rely on.    What else is there when we can't question the source, Jesus?  We can never be sure if we rely on our own thoughts,  even if we say the idea is an answer to a prayer.   There have been  too many cults set up  because someone said they had the answers are  to everything.   Too many people believe what the person says without thinking it over and doing a lot of research.  So where do we go  from here?   How do we find the answers to our questions?  If we  really want to follow Jesus, how do we get to know the man and what He believed? Are we ready for the answers to our questions?

Are we following Jesus when we don't stop to help those we meet along the way?   What about not helping those who are different?   Do we know what Jesus wants of each of us?   Do we even follow the right path?  Does love rule our lives or are we selective about who we love?    Could any of us leave everything behind if that was our call?   Everything means family, friends and material goods.  Would we even hear that kind of call or  would we think it a false call?   Following Jesus does cost,  especially if the people we know and trust believe a different way and tell us we are crazy and will go to hell because we have come to believe different than they do.

Come and learn with me who this Jesus is.   Let us study what we have and see if we can find the  truth about Him.   For example did Jesus intend to start another religion?   Or did  He just intend to  reform the religion He knew?   By the time Jesus was born,  there was much wrong with Judaism, and the religious leaders of that time didn't  seem to be going the way their own books taught.  Or at least that's what I read in our part of the Bible.

Something else that has occurred to me, what if we are  all worshipping the same God in different ways,  ways that go with our culture? After all,  the basic principles of each of the major religions are very similar.  We are not as different from each other as we might think.  God is the creator of all,  why can't God be revealed to different people in different ways?   And if this is true,  we shouldn't be fighting each other.   Instead,  we should be gathering together, learning who each person is and how to live together in peace and love.

Jesus

Jesus:
Come, let's go fishing together.  I will help you.  We are fishing for people, those turned away or oppressed by others.  Talk to them and bring them to me, tell them that God's love is theirs to have, always.
Come, let's go fishing  - for people.

God is Near

God is Near
for Carol Houston

Psalm 139 :1 -6
Oh my God,
You are always near.
You know completely.
Who I am,
And always
Dwell with me.
I do not understand
Such a love
As that.

Psalm139:7 -10
There is nowhere
That I can go
That you are not
With me.
You are always near
To show  me
Which way to go
And you will never
Let me go on alone.

Psalm 139:11-16
Even the darkest
Of the nights
Cannot hide me
From you.
And it is you
Who created me,
And made me
Who I am today.

Psalm139:17-18
Awake or asleep ,
You, oh God,
Are with me.
I cannot comprehend
Such a love as that





And what the number
Of your ideas are.

Matt 22:37-40
And I come to this,
Loving you with all
That I am.
And because you
Made all that its,
Loving my neighbors
As I love myself.
And in this ,
I fulfill
All your laws ,
And you will
Stay always near me.

Service 1 2

Servic12
God is Good

God is good,
   All the time!
God is here for us
   Every day!
We need not fear
At any time
For all the time,
   God is good!


You have given us
Such beauty
That we often
Can not see it all;
And we do not see
Al the good
That is there for us.

We turn away
From all the good
That you put
In our lives.
We often refuse to see
That you mean
Only good for us
And just see the bad
That is there.
We too often
Let fear rule us
And will not see
That your hand
Is there for us.
Help us to see
That the beauty around us
Is a reminder for us
That you are always there.


God is near us, always
Ready to forgive us all
When we turn around again
And take that hand
There for us all.


Go out from here
And show all people
That God is always there
Wanting to love them all.

Go in peace and love
And always remember
That all the time
   God is good!

A Praise

Oh my God, my love,
You are always near.
Even when I turn away,
You stay with me,
Ready to help me
When I finally
Turn back to you.
Your strong arms
Of a Father
Keep me safe
And the gentle arms
Of a Mother comfort me
When I am sad.
God is my greatest love
And will never
Leave me alone.

The Winds of Time

The Winds of time
Blow across the years
And everything does change.
The times go by,
Too swiftly now
The years do fly,
And everyone grows too fast.
For yesterday, it seems,
That I was but a child
With no responsibility
And little to worry me.
While today an older version
Of that child lives,
Lives and worries every day
About everything around.
Slow down, ob years,
Blow not so hard, oh winds.
For I need time
To catch my breath
And to look down
The corridor of time
To try to see what the future brings.

Forgiveness

Let go of the hurt
And forgive
Those who have
Hurt you in any way.

Let go of the pain,
Move on along
And walk the path
In peace and love.

Let go go of the anger
And let God lead
In the way
That you should go.

Forgive

Forgive others
In big and small things
That in your heart
Love might grow.

Forgive others
Each and every day
That your soul
Might stronger -grow.

Forgive other
And learn the lessons
Kf what true love
Really is.

The Lonely

Ah - see them there, the lonely.
See her sitting there,
Among the crowd, with the people
Yet alone and lonely
See him walking
Along the shadowed path,
With people on all sides,
Yet alone and lonely.
They walk alone,
Lonely for companionship,
For a true friend,
Yet they are scared,
Scared lest anyone
See their loneliness
And take pity on them.
So they hide their loneliness
Behind a facade of happiness
Pretending they are not
Alone and unhappy.
Yet they cry, though not aloud,
To be noticed and liked
If only for a time.
To be liked for who they are
And not for who they seem to be.
See them there - the lonely ;
See them and notice - the lonely.

I Love

Oh how I love God!
God has been
My protector
And the strength
I have needed
When things go wrong.
God is always there,
Helping me
Stay on the path.
Oh how I love God!

Darkness

Darkness lies around me,
But I shall fear not,
For the sun
Will rise again
And give me light
Tha I might see
The path
That is before me.
The darkness is thick about me
And like a blanket
Shuts out all light.
But I shall fear not,
For my God,,
The light of my life,
Shall not leave me alone
In the darkness.
He comes,
And the night is as day,
And I shine in His glory
As the moon shines
In the light and glory
Of the sun.
Then the darkness
Is no more,
For my God
Is  my sun.

Connected

Rejoice and sing for we are all connected to each other in God's love!  It does not matter if you can vet to your church or choice, you are still connected to the greater church, wherever it may be.  So come celebrate with me God's great love for all of us!!!

God Is too Great

God is too great for me,
Too big and too full
For me to understand.
I cannot hold the idea
Of so much love within.
So I back away,
Afraid of what
I might find out about
Who this God is.
And I turn away
To the things around me.
God is too great for me,
I cannot see Him,
Or is it Her?
I cannot tell
Which it is.
Oh, it does not matter,
For I find that this
God is too great for me.

Love of God

I am consumed
By my love of God.
I cannot hold it within me,
For it flows out
In a never-ending stream.
And yet I know not
How to express my love,
What to say,
That can tell it
What can say
That can tell the depth
Of the love
I hold for God.
The words burn within
Seeking for release
And come slowly flowing out
From deep within.
Yet all the words
The world could ever use
Could not express my love,
My feeling for my God.

Expect A Miracle

Expect a miracle,
Look for something good
To happen.

Expect a miracle.
Turn away from logic
Towards faith.

Expect a miracle,
Look for something unexpected
In your life.

Celebrate the Day

Celebrate the new day
God has given us!
Sing songs of praise
To the Creator
And let all the world
Hear your song!
Come with me
And celebrate
A loving God!

God Loves

Come and celebrate
For I have found
God loves me!

Look around you
And know that always
God loves you!

Stop and know
That each and every day
God loves them!

What If

What if we did
What we said
That we believed?

What if all people
Were accepted
As children of God?

What if we let
All people
See Chrisr in us?

God Loves

God loves us all
In spite of who we are!

God loves us all
Even though we do not deserve it!

God loves us all
Because we are His children!

God loves us all
Just because...

A Child

A child is precious
A jewel created by God,
The master workman.
A child is wonderful
And warms the heart
Of everyone 'round about.
A child is glorious,
Always seeming to have
A little bit of heaven.
A child is a dynamo
Of energy and oep
That never seems to tire.
A child is a miracle,
At once an angel
And a devil in disguise.

The Ministers

They are God's messagers
To folks here on earth.
They give to all the people
The meaning of God's word.

They only work for -God
But yet are only human
And make the same mistakes
As others of us do.

They only [try their best
To tell to all who listen
What God would have us do
While we are here on earth.

The Light

It was dark, oh so dark,
No light could there be seen..
Then like magic, a light,
A glimmering,  as a candle smell
Glowed there in the dark.
And grew each passing day.
The dark did try to put it out
But could not do it
For it was the light of the world
That shone there.
Still itand stronger grows
As more and more
The people come to it
And worship God as the source,
The source of light and life.

Celebrate

Celebrate,
Celebrate the life given
To all of us
By a loving God
Who loves us all
Right now as we are.

Celebrate,
Celebrate the love
That is ours always,
No matter who we are
For our God
Created us this way.

Celebrate,
Celebrate our God
Who always has love,
Love enough to embrace
The whole world.

3 PRAYERS

Loving God, thank you for reminding me every day that you do
love me.  But you also remind me that you love all other people,
too.  You have told me that it does not matter what people
look like, who they are or what they believe.  You told me
that you still claim them as your children, and you love all
of them.  You have said again and again that there is no one
who is outside of your love.  Please keep reminding me until
it is so much a part of me that there is no one who I can hate, 
for I do not want to ever do anything that is outside of what
you want. AMEN

Dear God, I'm sorry, but I'm not doing as well as I should. I
there are still some people who I would like to
hate, or at least think that you do not love them. These people
think too differently than I do, and I cannot handle that.
Remind me again that those who are different in any way are
still your children, created by you. Help me always to remember
that your love cannot be restricted to just some people, but
is inclusive of all. Stay always near me, and help me to learn
your love. AMEN

Oh God, immerse me so much in your love that there is no one
who I can hate or think can be outside of your love.  Fill me
so full of your love that no matter who the others are or what
they believe, I will remember that your love is theirs, also,
even when they disagree with me.  Help me to love others, for
it is so much easier to love family and friends than to love
others who are so much different.AMEN

God Among Us

servic3
God among us

Watch it  -
For God
Has broken loose
And is out
Among the people!


Awake!
For God is here,
Among us!
Beware!
For He walks
And dwells with us!

Oh God
Of the unexpected,
Forgive us
That we do not see
Your hand
In all things.
Forgive us
When we try
To cage you
And pull you down
To our size.
Forgive us
That we do not see
That you are bigger,
And more active
In our world
Than what we expect.

And God speaks to us all:
"I am with you
At all times
And will not leave
Those of you
Who will come to me."


God is always here,
Among us all,
Working where
We are not looking.
God is always here,
Working among us
Where we do not expect.

But then,
Who expected a baby
In a manger?


Watch it!
Be careful!
For God is out
In the world
And is always doing
The unexpected!
Look around you to see
Where God is doing
The unexpected
In your part of the world.

Go forth from this place
In love and in peace.

Sing

For Paul
Translation used: The Inclusive Bible

Psalms 67:5-7
Let all the people
Come together
And sing praises
To God,
Who has blessed us all.

Psalms 92:1-5
Let us come together
And sing our praises
Of Yahweh, our God.
Let the music soar
And let your joy
Be heard
That all will know
How great
Are the works
Of our God!

Isaiah 52:7-9
And welcome
The one who
Brings the good news
Of deliverance
With songs of joy
And praise.

Ephesians 5:18-20
Let yourself
Be filled with the spirit,
Meditating and singing
Songs and hymns
Of praise to our God
For everything
Given to us all.

James 5:13
And when
Trouble comes, pray,
Then sing your songs
Of praise to God
Who is always there
For us all.