A Collection of Love Gifts (Paperback)

Chapter One

Love is like magic and it always will be, for love still remains life's sweet mystery! Love works in ways that are wondrous and strange and there's nothing in life that love cannot change! Love can transform the most commonplace into beauty and splendor and sweetness and grace! Love is unselfish, understanding, and kind, for it sees with its heart and not with its mind! Love is the answer that everyone seeks- Love is the language that every heart speaks- Love can't be bought, it is priceless and free, Love like pure magic is a sweet mystery!

The Power of Love

There is no thinking person who can stand untouched today And view the world around us drifting downward to decay Without feeling deep within them a silent unnamed dread, Wondering how to stem the chaos that lies frightfully ahead ... But the problems we are facing cannot humanly be solved For our diplomatic strategy only gets us more involved And our skillful ingenuity, our technology, and science Can never change a sinful heart filled with hatred and defiance ... So our problems keep on growing every hour of every day As man vainly tries to solve them in his own self-willful way ... But man is powerless alone to clean up the world outside Until his own polluted soul is clean and free inside ... For the amazing power of love is beyond all comprehension And it alone can heal this world of its hatred and dissension.

Warm Our Hearts with Thy Love

Oh God, who made the summer and warmed the earth with beauty, Warm our hearts with gratitude and devotion to our duty, For in this age of violence, rebellion, and defiance We've forgotten the true meaning of dependable reliance- We have lost our sense of duty and our sense of values, too, And what was once unsanctioned, no longer is taboo, Our standards have been lowered and we resist all discipline, And our vision has been narrowed and blinded to all sin- Oh, put the summer brightness in our closed, unseeing eyes So in the careworn faces that we pass we'll recognize The heartbreak and the loneliness, the trouble and despair That a word of understanding would make easier to bear- Oh God, look down on our cold hearts and warm them with Your love, And grant us Your forgiveness which we're so unworthy of.

There's Sunshine in a Smile

Life is a mixture of sunshine and rain, Laughter and pleasure, teardrops and pain, All days can't be bright, but it's certainly true, There was never a cloud the sun didn't shine through- So just keep on smiling whatever betide you, Secure in the knowledge God is always beside you, And you'll find when you smile your day will be brighter And all of your burdens will seem so much lighter- For each time you smile you will find it is true Somebody, somewhere will smile back at you, And nothing on earth can make life more worthwhile Than the sunshine and warmth of a beautiful smile. A Collection of Love Gifts 11

Count Your Gains and Not Your Losses

As we travel down life's busy road complaining of our heavy load, We often think God's been unfair and gave us much more than our share Of little daily irritations and disappointing tribulations ... We're discontented with our lot and all the bad breaks that we got, We count our losses, not our gain, and remember only tears and pain ... The good things we forget completely when God looked down and blessed us sweetly, Our troubles fill our every thought, we dwell upon lost goals we sought, And wrapped up in our own despair we have no time to see or share Another's load that far outweighs our little problems and dismays ... And so we walk with head held low and little do we guess or know That someone near us on life's street is burdened deeply with defeat ... But if we'd but forget our care and stop in sympathy to share The burden that our brother carried, our mind and heart would be less harried And we would feel our load was small, in fact, we carried no load at all.

The Peace of Meditation

So we may know God better And feel His quiet power, Let us daily keep in silence A meditation hour- For to understand God's greatness And to use His gifts each day The soul must learn to meet Him In a meditative way, For our Father tells His children That if they would know His will They must seek Him in the silence When all is calm and still ... For nature's greatest forces Are found in quiet things Like softly falling snowflakes Drifting down on angels' wings, Or petals dropping soundlessly From a lovely full-blown rose, So God comes closest to us When our souls are in repose ... So let us plan with prayerful care To always allocate A certain portion of each day To be still and meditate.

My Garden of Prayer

My garden beautifies my yard and adds fragrance to the air ... But it is also my cathedral and my quiet place of prayer ... So little do we realize that the glory and the power Of He who made the universe lies hidden in a flower.

Our Soul Is Then Preparing

For a deeper dedication That will make it wholly possible To quietly endure The violent world around us- For in God we are secure.

If You Meet God in the Morning, He'll Go with You through the Day

"The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof"- It speaks of His greatness, it sings of His love, And each day at dawning I lift my heart high And raise up my eyes to the infinite sky ... I watch the night vanish as a new day is born, And I hear the birds sing on the wings of the morn, I see the dew glisten in crystal-like splendor While God, with a touch that is gentle and tender, Wraps up the night and softly tucks it away And hangs out the sun to herald a new day ... And so I give thanks and my heart kneels to pray- "God, keep me and guide me and go with me today."

(Continues...)