Give Me Tomorrow

Wrote a new poem yesterday.  :]

For the days I fail You

For the Words I ignore

For the missed opportunities

For the trials in store

Grant me strength!

To live for You and show

A dark world Your Hope--

Lord, give me Tomorrow.

Poem written by me, Sarah Dake.  Photo via Pinterest.

Blessings this lovely Sunday!

Sarah

P.o.t.W.

This poem was inspired by a heart-breaking tragedy that turned into glorious rejoicing among God's children.

One week ago from this past Saturday, May 10th (the day before Mother's Day), a family suffered the loss of their home and everything therein to a fire.  Among the lost possessions and items, including two vehicles, was the precious life of a 18-month-old baby girl.  Despite the death of their daughter and the overwhelming sadness, the parents remain strong and steadfast in their faith, portraying the perfect example of followers of Christ Jesus.

At the funeral, Saturday, May 17th, the father stood and preached the Gospel to those attending, then sang the beautiful hymn, "It Is Well."  Oh, to have such faith!  By the time the service ended, there was great rejoicing at the harvest of seven souls, and many more re-dedications!  Have you ever heard of that happening at a funeral?  How I wish we could have seen it!

God's grace still amazes me.  He used a horrific tragedy to bring others to know Him.

Please keep this sweet family of eight in your prayers.  Though God has provided every possible need, they still crave your prayers.  Many thanks to you, prayer warriors!

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Heavy Heart

My heavy heart is burdened, Lord!

When precious life abruptly ends, 

And we are left to journey forward

Thru pain and trial, frail faith defends.

Tho' Death has lost Your battle fought,

He seems to reign on Earth, yet still;

For every day, lives are o'erwrought

And grief abounds in Death's cold chill.

When cancer takes young mother away,
And children are left to grieve and mourn;

When humanity argues, rights to sway,

And women give in to slaughter unborn.

When feeble body succumbs to age,

And dying woman with family surround

Sees Jesus free her from fleshly cage,

To welcome her home--wisdom now crowned.

When father must bury his baby girl;

In the midst of tears, he takes control,

Speaks forth Christ's truth, sacred pearl,

Then sings, "It is well, it is well with my soul!"

Oh, such faith, I could only wish for!

To sing despite doubt and despair;

To show the love and peace You store,

And help the hurting, their load to share.

My God, my God, I see Your face!
Heavy heart of mine, in Love do dwell.

Still, I sing Your amazing Grace,
And oh! my soul, it is well! It is well!

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Poem written by Sarah Dake.
Photo via Pinterest.

P.o.t.W.

New poem by me, Sarah. 

Pinterest

God of My Praise

Psalm 109:1

Though stormy waters of life I face

And trials by fire I daily race;

Though friends betray and family falls,

And for faith I'm bound in prison walls;

Still I pray my song shall be

To God my King in whom I'm free.

Though beaten and bruised in shackles of sin,

My hope is, and will, remain in Him.

He who has defeated Death,

And in whom I draw my every breath.

I trust all to Him, my hands I raise,

For He, alone, is God of my praise.

P.o.t.W. {A Man Called Love}

He speaks in a whisper, rarely a shout;
His arms are Comfort; He drives away Doubt.
His Word is a sword, sharp and sheet;
His hands, always open, are warm and dear.
He came for sinners, the vilest of all;
Those ready to listen and heed His call.
He came to live, an example to be;
Then surrendered everything to die on a tree.
He lived and died for vast mankind,
Bound in world-chains, hopeless and blind.
His Rescue of Mercy and Grace displayed,
Shattered Death's plan -- man's debt was paid!
He sits now on Heaven's righteous throne,
Awaiting the Day He shall bring us Home.

Who is He?  This Lord of Above?
He is my God -- a Man called Love.

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Poem written by me, Sarah.  

Photo via Pinterest.  Words Photoshopped by Sarah (with exception of "love").

Happy Monday!

Sarah

Christ in All

We should have had this quote yesterday, but just remembered it today...

However, this sort of thing is appropriate for all times.

"Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me

Christ to comfort and restore me."

~ Saint Patrick

Julia

P.o.t.W.

Brand new poem from me, Sarah.

Trust Me.

(Photo via Pinterest.  Poem written by Sarah.)

P.o.t.W.

via Google

Poem of the Week [P.o.t.W.]

It has been quite a while since last we posted a poem.  

I [Sarah] would like to share one from a book called "It Can Be Done," originally published in 1921 and containing 239 poems.  My edition has been edited by Mr. Scott T. Brown, where he has put together those he loved most, with a little intro before the majority of poems.  Eventually, I would love to purchase the original copy, but this one will do.  =]  

Side note:  The next few poems posted will most likely come from this book. . .

This one is titled, "Life and Death."

"Many a man would die for wife and children, for faith, for country.  But would he live for them?  That, often, is the more heroic course--and the more sensible.  A rich man was hiring a driver for his carriage.  He asked each applicant how close he could drive to a precipice without toppling over.  'One foot,' 'Six inches,' Three inches,' ran the replies.  But an Irishman declared 'Faith, and I'd keep as far away from the place as I could.'  'Consider yourself employed,' was the rich man's comment."

So he died for his faith.  That is fin,

More than most of us do.

But stay, can you add to that line

That he lived for it, too?

In death he bore witness at last

As a martyr to truth.

Did his life do the same in the past

From the days of his youth?

It is easy to die. Men have died

For a wish or a whim--

From bravado or passion or pride.

Was it harder for him?

But to live: every day to live out

All the truth that he dreamt,

While his friends met his conduct with doubt,

And the world with contempt--

Was it thus that he plodded ahead,

Never turning aside?

Then we'll talk of the life that he led--
Never mind how he died.

[Ernest H. Crosby]

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Do not worry about how you might leave this world.  Make an effort to LIVE.

Faith, Family, Freedom

I know not all who read our blog are within the home-educated sphere, but everyone needs to hear about a certain home-educating family.

You may indeed be aware of the plight of the Romeike family, a Christian family from Germany, who are even now facing the possibility of being deported back to their homeland where the government would almost undoubtedly confiscate their children.

If not, you need to be.

Answers in Genesis has an article that I would encourage you to read.  Here are a couple paragraphs that stood out to me:

"As far as liberty in the U.S. is concerned, attorney Michael Donnelly, HSLDA director of international relations, shared with AiG staff the day after the oral arguments that he found it “very troubling what the Obama Administration was arguing in court” about homeschooling. He observed that the U.S. Attorney General was supporting the German government’s assertion that homeschooling is not a parental right. In essence, the Obama Administration was endorsing a belief that the upbringing of children really belongs to the government, not to the parents, and that governments have a right to educate children in the way they alone determine. As the Obama Administration chips away at the right of parents to homeschool their children, it is undermining the biblical admonition that children belong to the parents and that parents are responsible for the education of their children."

"The shadow of the Romeike case stretches not just to homeschooling families, however, but also to all Americans who value their constitutionally protected religious freedom. You see, the Obama Administration’s Department of Justice, by its claim that the Romeike's religious freedom is not being threatened because not all Christians want to homeschool, is suggesting that religious freedom is only the freedom to conform to a religious group, not the freedom to have individual religious convictions. This sort of thinking in the Obama Administration represents a worrisome threat to the religious freedom of all Americans, not just Christians who homeschool."

I don't know know about you, but something about this situation, not to mention many others, frightens me.  I am very much reminded of the families that, so long ago, came to a strange, distant land because of the persecution of the government.  They endured incredible hardships all because they desired to truly live for God as He had convicted them.

To think the very country that was born out of the faith, convictions, and determination of those families would even consider denying a family such as this the ability, the God-given blessing, of raising, teaching, and training their own children in the way that God has convicted them to (Deuteronomy 6:4-9), is absolutely mind-blowing to me!

You can keep up with the Romeike's case on HSLDA's case page of their website here; be sure to watch the video located on either the AiG article or the case page as well.  Above all, please be in prayer for this family and our country.

If the Romeike's are denied our country's protection,

MAY GOD HAVE MERCY