The Power of Love

The power of love is stronger than any of us realize. I write about God's love in our lives but even I don't know just how much God loves us. And the power of that love can do a lot for us if we will let it flow. There is so much God does for us to show just how much swe are loved. And if we follow the path we are shown , we will learn just how strong this kind of love is. 

I said A Prayer

I said a prayer for you today,

And asked God to guide you

In the path that you should go

And keep you safe and sound.

 

I said a prayer for you today

And told God that I cared for you.

I asked for health and happiness

And that you should know love.

 

I said a prayer for you today

And asked God to dwell

Within your heart and soul

Each and every day.

 

I said a prayer for you today

And asked that you have help

In your daily life

To know what you should do.

Raised

Raised up

Out of our brokenness 

Out of our sorrow, 

Raised in joy.

Raised up 

To find that God 

Is standing next us,

Raised to life. 

Real

Are we real in out lives? 

Have we become authentic humans? 

Do we just talk about God or are we willing to be with God? 

Do we see Jesus as the "bridge " between people.?

Will we build bridges or walls? 

Do we welcome others or ignore them? 

Do we bridge the chasms? 

Treasure

Where is our treasure? 

Is it in things or in others? 

Can we see God in the others around us? 

Do we see the people who need help? 

Or are we blind to them all? 

Will we be different and turn and serve the outsiders who is ignored by all other people? 

The God of

The God of love 

Is the joy of my life! 

Come with me 

And you will see 

Just how loving

God is to all people. 

It does no matter 

What you may 

Have done in your life, 

God loves you 

And will be with you 

All the days 

Of your life. 

Just turn and see, 

God is near you now! 

But Lord

  But Lord, they're black.
You don't mean to say
That I should care about
Such as they!

But Lord, they're gay.*
You couldn't have
Created these people
As they are!

But Lord, they're different.
You can't mean
That I should love them
Just as they are! 

*book by Rev Sylvia Pennington

added later:
But Lord, they're asexual.
You couldn't have
Made these people
As they say they are!

God Is There

God is There

Psalm 23

God is with me,

There to protect

And to show me

Which way to go.

In good times

Or in the bad,

God is there

And will not

Leave me alone.

Isaiah 56:1-8

God is there for me

And for all people

From all nations

Who come together

In love and fellowship, 

Loving one another.

Many are called

From other places

To be here

Where God is,

Where love is.

Matt 28:18-20

As God is there for us,

We are called

To go out to the world

And tell all people

Of the love of God

Shown us in Jesus.

Acts 2:1-4

And God's Spirit

Descends on me,

Leading me to go

And tell the world

Of the love

That is there for them.

Acts 10:9-15

The message

That I was given 

Is this:

God's Love 

Is for all people

And no one 

Will be turned away.

All people are loved

And all are God's!

I Am Love

I Am Love       

I Am here.
Before the world was,
I Am there,
And I created all.
Yahweh, Elohim,
Call me what you will,
I Am always near.
Out of love
I created you.

John 1:1-5   
I am the word
That created all,
And I became
One with you
To show you all
The way to live
With each other
In love.

John 3:16
I came in love
To teach all
How to live together
In peace and love.
Can you learn
To follow me
And love
All that you meet?

I John 3:1
In this know
How much you are loved,
You are my children!
You are all
Precious to me
And I would
Hold you close
If you will only
Come near.

I John 3:11   
And being all
Children of mine,
Learn to love
One another,
For you all are
Brothers and sisters.
Come together
And see
Who you really are.

I John 4:7-10
I came
That you might
Know what love is,
And how much
I really love you.
Come and see
And find forgiveness
And love
For yourself.

I John 4:11-16
You will come
To live in union
With me
If you will only
Love one another.
And in this union
Is my love shown,
That though you have
Never seen my face,
You still live in union
With each other.

I John 4:17-18
You need not
Fear anything,
For my love
Is always there
To protect you.
Come to me
And see
How great my love
For you is.


I John 4:19-21
I created you
And I loved you
Before you knew me.
I came that you
Might know love
And not hate,
For there is no room
For hate near me.
If you love me,
You love others!
Come to me and know
My great love
For you!

Following Jesus

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.