Joy in the Journey

God's Warrior · Joy in the Journey

Joy in the Journey

There is a joy in the journey,
There's a Light we can love on the way,
There is a Wonder, and while there's still life,
And freedom for those who obey.

And all those who seek it shall find it,
a pardon for all who believe,
hope for the hopeless,
and sight for the blind.

To all who've been born of the Spirit,
and who share incarnation with Him.
Who belong to eternity, stranded in time,
and weary of struggling with sin.

Forget not the hope that's before you,
and never stop counting the cost.
Remember the hopelessness, when you were lost.

Lyrics by Michael Card

God's Warrior

A Bend In the Road
Author Unknown

Sometimes we come to life's crossroads
And view what we think is the end,
But God has a much wider vision
And He knows it's only a bend.

The road will go on and get smoother,
And after we've stopped for a rest,
The path that lies hidden beyond us
Is often the part that is best.

So rest and relax and grow stronger.
Let go and let God share your load,
And have faith in a brighter tomorrow.
You've just come to a bend in the road.

smokey the dog

I like both these Cool

God's Warrior

We must adjust to an ever changing road while holding onto our unchanging principles.

God's Warrior

Praise Jesus

I just came unto a valley
One like I've never been before
I keep searching for a way out
Seems like padlocks are on the door

Oh, there must be another sunrise
Another sunset that I'll see
GOD will make this trial a blessing
That's the love HE has for me

GOD will make this trial a blessing
Though it sends me to my knees
Though my tears flow like a river
Yet in HIM there's sweet relief

There's no need to get discouraged
There's no need to talk defeat
GOD will make this trial a blessing
And the whole wide world will see

I was not the first one
To come into this place
You see every child of GOD
This test he must face

It is here that GOD will mold you
And make you what you ought to be
GOD will make this trial a blessing
Just be patient, you will see...

Now I'm standing on the mountain
Looking back I can see
When I was in that lowest valley
HIS strong hand was leading me

For it's good to see the sunshine
And to taste sweet victory
GOD has made this trial a blessing
Oh the grace HE gives to me

God's Warrior

Traveling With God
Author unknown

My plans were made, I thought my path all bright and clear
My heart with songs o’erflowed, the world seemed full of cheer
My Lord I wished to serve, to take him for my guide
To keep so close that I could feel him by my side
And so I traveled on.

But suddenly in skies so clear and full of light
The clouds fell thick and fast, the days seemed changed to night
Instead of paths so clear, and full of things so sweet
Rough things and thorns seemed all about my feet
I scarce could travel on.

I bowed my head and wondered, why this change should come
And murmured, Lord, is this because of aught I’ve done?
Has not the path been full enough of pain and care?
Why should my path again be changed from dark to fair
But still I traveled on.

I listened . . . quiet and still, there came a voice
‘This path is Mine, not thine, I made the choice
Dear child, this Service will be the best for thee and Me
If thou will simply trust, and leave the end to Me.
And so we travel on.

God's Warrior

Brighten up the Corner Where You Are
Helen Steiner Rice

We cannot all be famous or be listed in “WHO’s WHO.”
But every person great or small has important work to do.
For seldom do we realize the importance of small deeds
Or to what degree of greatness unnoticed kindness leads.

For it’s not the big celebrity in a world of fame and praise.
But it’s doing unpretentiously in undistinguished ways
The work that God assigned to us, unimportant as it seems,
That makes our task outstanding and brings reality to dreams --
So do not sit and idly wish for wider, new dimensions

Where you can put in practice your many “GOOD INTENTIONS”--
But at the spot God placed you begin at once to do
Little things to brighten up the lives surrounding you.
For if everybody brightened up the spot on which they’re standing
By being more considerate and a little less demanding.

This dark old world would very soon eclipse the “Evening Star”
If everybody BRIGHTENED UP THE CORNER WHERE THEY ARE.
~~~~~~~~

God's Warrior

What Have We Done Today
Nixon Waterman.

We shall do much in the years to come,
But what have we done today?
We shall give our gold in a princely sum,
But what did we give today?

We shall lift the heart and dry the tear,
We shall plant a hope in the place of fear,
We shall speak the words of love and cheer,
But what did we speak today?

We shall be so kind in the after while,
But what have we been today?
We shall bring to each lonely life a smile,
But what have we brought today?

We shall give to truth a grander birth,
And to steadfast faith a deeper worth,
We shall feed the hungering souls of earth,
But whom have we fed today?

We shall reap such joys in the by and by,
But what have we sown today?
We shall build us mansions in the sky,
But what have we built today?

‘Tis sweet in the idle dreams to bask;
But here and now, do we our task?
Yet, this is the thing our souls must ask,
What have we done today?

God's Warrior

Thank You
Lyrics by Ray Boltz.

I dreamed I went to heaven
And you were there with me
We walked upon the streets of gold
Beside the crystal sea

We heard the angels singing
Then someone called your name
You turned and saw this young man
And he was smiling as he came

And he said, friend you may not know me now
And then he said but wait
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight

And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start
And one day when you said that prayer
I asked Jesus in my heart.

CHORUS
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave.

Then another man stood before you
And said remember the time
A missionary came to your church
And his pictures made you cry

You didn’t have much money
But you gave it anyway
Jesus took the gift you gave
And that’s why I’m here today.

CHORUS (repeat)

One by one they came
Far as the eyes could see
Each life somehow touched
By your generosity
Little things that you had done
Sacrifices made
Unnoticed on the earth
In heaven now proclaimed.

And I know that up in heaven
You’re not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure
There were tears in your eyes
As Jesus took your hand
And you stood before the Lord
He said, my child look around you
For great is your reward.

CHORUS (repeat)

I am so glad you gave.

God's Warrior

Build a Ladder
Author Unknown

And, he dreamed, and behold a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven..
Gen. 28:12 .

Build a ladder to the stars,
Climb a rung each day.
If the past held sorrowing
Time will pave the way.

To rebuild you life again.
Take the Master's hand;
If your step is faltering,
He will understand.

Let the future hold no doubt,
Upward, always climb.
Resolve to give it all you've got,
All things come in time.

Once you've reached the pinnacle,
Braved the storms and gales,
You'll confirm with faith-filled heart
That Jesus never fails!

God's Warrior

Slow Down - God Is Still in His Heaven

You are not responsible for doing
it all yourself, right now.
Remember a happy, peaceful time in your past.
Rest there. Each moment has richness
that takes a lifetime to savor.
Set your own pace.
When someone is pushing you,
it's OK to tell them they're pushing.

Take nothing for granted:
watch water flow, the corn grow,
the leaves blow, your neighbor mow.
Taste your food.
God gives it to delight as well as to nourish.
Notice the sun and the moon as they rise and set.
They are remarkable for their steady pattern
of movement, not their speed.

Quit planning how you're going to use
what you know, learn, or possess.
God's gifts just are;
be grateful and their purpose will be clear.
When you talk with someone,
don't think about what you'll say next.
Thoughts will spring up naturally if you let them.
Talk and play with children.
It will bring out the unhurried little person inside you.

Create a place in your home...
at your work...in your heart...
where you can go for quiet and recollection.
You deserve it.
Allow yourself time to be lazy and unproductive.
Rest isn't luxury; it's a necessity.
Listen to the wind blow.
It carries a message of yesterday, tomorrow
and now. NOW counts.

Rest on your laurels.
They bring comfort whatever their size,
age, or condition.
Talk slower. Talk less.
Don't talk. Communication isn't measured by words.
Give yourself permission to be late sometimes.
Life is for living, not scheduling.

Listen to the song of a bird; the complete song.
Music and nature are gifts,
but only if you are willing to receive them.
Take time just to think.
Action is good and necessary,
but it's fruitful only if we muse, ponder, and mull.
Make time for play - the things you like to do.
Whatever your age, your inner child needs re-creation.

Watch and listen to the night sky.
It speaks.
Listen to the words you speak, especially in prayer.
Learn to stand back and let others take their turn as leaders.
There will always be new opportunities
for you to step out in front again.

Divide big jobs into little jobs.
If God took six days to create the universe,
can you hope to do any better?
When you find yourself rushing & anxious, stop.
Ask yourself "WHY?"
you are rushing and anxious.
The reasons may improve your self-understanding.
Take time to read.
Thoughtful reading is enriching reading.

Direct your life with purposeful choices,
not with speed and efficiency.
The best musician is one who plays with expression and meaning, not the one who finishes first.
Take a day off alone; make a retreat.
You can learn from monks and hermits without becoming one.
Pet a furry friend.
You will give and get the gift of now.

Work with your hands.
It frees the mind.
Take time to wonder.
Without wonder, life is merely existence.
Sit in the dark.
It will teach you to see and hear, taste and smell.

Once in a while, turn down the lights,
the volume, the throttle, the invitations.
Less really can be more.
Let go. Nothing is usually the hardest thing to do
but often it is the best.
Take a walk-but don't go anywhere.
If you walk just to get somewhere,
you sacrifice the walking.

Count your friends.
If you have one, you are lucky.
If you have more, you are blessed.
Bless them in return.
Count your blessings - one at a time and slowly.

God's Warrior

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would
see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."
Psalms 27:13 NKJ

Seeing God in Everything

"Oh I need a new idea," I said,
While thinking on a sleepless bed;
"A new idea that'll bring to earth,
A balm for souls, of priceless worth;
That'll give men thoughts of things above,
And teach them how to serve and love,
That'll banish every selfish thought,
And rid men of the sins they've fought."

At last the new thought came, I'm here to tell;
It came to me, when on bended knee I fell,
And sought from Him who knows full well,
The way our sorrow's to expel.
So, see God in all things, great and small,
And give Him praise whatever befalls,
In life or death, in pain or woe,
Because God can overcome all your foes.

I saw Him in the morning light,
He made the day shine clear and bright.
I saw Him at the noon-tide hour,
And He blessed me with a refreshing shower.
At evening, when I was worn and sad,
He gave me help, and made me glad.
At midnight, when on a tossing bed,
My weary soul to sleep He led.

I saw Him when great losses came,
And found He loved me just the same;
When heavy loads I had to bear,
I found He lightened every care.
Through sickness, sorrow, and distress,
He calmed my mind and gave me rest.
He's filled my heart with joyous praise,
Since I gave Him my upward gaze.

'Twas new to me, yet old to some,
What now has become,
A revelation of the way,
We should live every day;
For as each day unfolds its light,
We'll walk by faith, and not by sight.
Life will indeed a blessing bring,
If we see God in everything!

Author unknown

God's Warrior

Let Me...

Let me not live a life that's free
From the things that draw me close to Thee,
For how can I ever hope to heal
The wounds of others I do not feel ...

If my eyes are dry and I never weep,
If my heart is cold and it never bleeds,
How can I tell what my brother needs,
For when ears are deaf to the beggar's pleas,
And we close our eyes and refuse to see,
And we steel our hearts and harden our mind,
And we count it a weakness whenever we're kind,
We are no longer following the Father's way,
Or seeking His guidance from day to day ...

For without crosses to carry and burdens to bear,
We dance through a life that is frothy and fair,
And "chasing the rainbow" we have no desire
For roads that are rough and realms that are higher ...

So spare me no heartache or sorrow, dear Lord,
For the heart that is hurt reaps the richest reward,
And God enters the heart that is broken in sorrow
As He opens the door to a brighter tomorrow,
For only through tears can we recognize
The suffering that lies in another's eyes.

Helen Steiner Rice

God's Warrior

Life Is a Miracle

Life is a miracle
Don't let it slip away,
Open your heart to others
Give of yourself each day.

See the beauty in everyone
Regardless of where they've been,
Some have a difficult journey
And really need a friend.

Share your gifts and talents
Listen with your heart.
Do the things you dream about
But don't have time to start.

Pick a bouquet of flowers
Show someone that you care,
Be gracious and forgiving
Life is never fair.

Hold on to your courage
You may need it down the road,
We all have a cross to bear
It could be a heavy load.

If you practice all these things
No matter where you roam,
You may find both sun and rain
But you'll never feel alone!

Author Unknown

God's Warrior

Life's Tug of War

Life can seem ungrateful ~ and not always kind.
Life can pull at your heartstrings ~ and play with your mind.
Life can be blissful ~ and happy and free.
Life can put beauty ~ in the things that you see.
Life can place challenges ~ right at your feet.
Life can make good ~ of the hardships that we meet.
Life can overwhelm you ~ and make your head spin.
Life can reward those ~ determined to win.
Life can be hurtful ~ and not always fair.
Life can surround you ~ with people who care.
Life clearly does offer ~ its ups and its downs.
Life's days can bring you ~ both smiles and frowns.
Life teaches us to take ~ the good with the bad.
Life is a mixture ~ of happy and sad.

So.....

Take the life that you have ~ and give it your best.
Think positive, be happy ~ let God do the rest.
Take the challenges ~ that life has laid at your feet.
Take pride and be thankful ~ for each one you meet.
To yourself give forgiveness ~ if you stumble and fall.
Take each day that is dealt you ~ and give it your all.
Take the love that you're given ~ and return it with care.
Have faith that when needed ~ it will always be there.
Take time to find the beauty ~ in the things that you see.
Take life's simple pleasures ~ let them set your heart free.
The idea here is simply ~ to even the score.
As you are met and faced with ~ Life's Tug Of War.

Author Unknown

God's Warrior

Whatever Your Cross
Author Unknown

Whatever your cross,
whatever your pain,
there will always be sunshine,
after the rain ....

Perhaps you may stumble,
perhaps even fall,
But God's always ready,
To answer your call ...

He knows every heartache,
sees every tear,
A word from His lips,
can calm every fear ...

Your sorrows may linger,
throughout the night,
But suddenly vanish,
in dawn's early light ...

The Savior is waiting,
somewhere above,
To give you His grace,
and send you His love ..

Whatever your cross,
whatever your pain,
"God always sends rainbows ....
after the rain ... "

To get out of difficulty, one must usually go through it! God never gives you more than you can bear - so bear it willingly and you will rejoice in your rewards!

God's Warrior

Peace
By Henry van Dyke

With eager heart and will on fire,
I strove to win my great desire.
"Peace shall be mine," I said; but life
Grew bitter in the barren strife.

My soul was weary, and my pride
Was wounded deep; to Heaven I cried,
"God grant me peace or I must die";
The dumb stars glittered no reply.

Broken at last, I bowed my head,
Forgetting all myself, and said,
"Whatever comes, His will be done";
And in that moment peace was won.

God will never leave you, not once you have
asked Him into your heart, and let His will be done!

God's Warrior

“The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you”

God's Warrior

A Psalm of Life ...
by Henry W. Longfellow

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each tomorrow
Find us farther than today.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, however pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, act in the living Present!
Heart within and God overhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing over life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

God's Warrior

High Adventure
A. W. Spalding

As I have seen a child,
Round-eyed and innocent,
Leaving his treasured playthings piled
Where new adventure overtook,
Climb up a little staired ascent,
Holding in fear his parent's hand,
And trepidant with fresh alarms
Yet gathering courage from each trustful look,
With utter confidence in a last command,
Fling himself laughing into his father's arms—

So I, another child,
Holding my Father's hand,
Now from my busy arts beguiled
By what He promises beyond,
Forgetting all that I have planned,
And pressing on with faith's sure sight
O'er rock and ridge, through mists and storms,
With confidence that swallows up despond,
From the last crag of life's most glorious height
Cast me exultant into my Father's arms.

God's Warrior

The Mystery of Life
Helen Steiner Rice

We walk in a world that is strange and unknown
And in the midst of the crowd we still feel alone,
We question our purpose, our part and our place
In this vast land of mystery suspended in space,
We probe and explore and try hard to explain
The tumult of thoughts that our minds entertain...
But all of our probings and complex explanations
Of man's inner feelings and fears and frustrations
Still leave us engulfed in the "mystery of life"
With all of its struggles and suffering and strife,
Unable to fathom what tomorrow will bring --
But there is one truth to which we can cling,
For while life's a mystery we can't understand
The "great giver of life" is holding our hand
And safe in His care there is no need for seeing
For in Him we live and move and have our being.

God's Warrior

Nehemiah 9:12 KJV Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.

You Light the Way, Lord

You light the way, Lord,
As I journey down life's road.
You lead the way, dear Father,
And lift the heavy load.

Your love carries me
On the path that leads to You,
My journey seems to shorten
And life is fresh and new.

Thank you, Heavenly Father
For all the love You've shown.
And guiding, ever guiding me
Gently to Your home.
Donna Maroney

God's Warrior

The Weaver

My life is but a weaving
Between my Lord and me,
I cannot choose the colors
He worketh steadily.

Oftimes He weaveth sorrow,
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I, the underside.

Not till the loom in silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver's skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

Author Unknown

God's Warrior

Father, I know that all my life
Is portioned out for me,
And the changes that are sure to come
I do not fear to see:
I ask Thee for a present mind,
Intent on pleasing Thee.

I would not have the restless will
That hurries to and fro
Seeking for some great thing to do
Or secret thing to know;
I would be treated as a child
And guided where I go.

Wherever in the world I am,
In whatsoe'er estate,
I have a fellowship of hearts
To keep and cultivate.

I ask Thee for daily strength
To none that ask denied,
A mind to blend the outward life,
While keeping at Thy side;
Content to fill a little space,
If Thou be glorified.

There are briers besetting every path,
That call for patient care;
There is a cross in every lot,
And an earnest need for prayer;
But a lowly heart that leans on Thee
Is happy anywhere.

In service which thy will appoints
There are no bonds for me;
For my inmost heart is taught the truth
That makes thy children free.
A life of self-renouncing love
Is one of liberty.

Anna L. Waring - 1850

God's Warrior

The following wonderful poem and beautiful pictures were found at the following great site: http://www.windmillministries.org/D1.htm

I Heard the Stories Many Times

I heard the stories many times
The stories of Jesus and His love
Over and over I heard the same lines
Speaking of wonders from above

But, it was for them and not for me
Because God was so far, far away
Back then he was there for all to see
But not now, no… not for me… today

Sometimes I thought I felt him close to me
Sometimes I thought I heard His call
But that was just me ‘daydreaming again’ you see
Because God was not here at all

Oh! I kept on wondering how it would have been
To have Him with me every day
And all the miracles I could have seen
But… Jesus did not stay

He left me here on earth alone
Without telling me why
And the world felt cold as stone
But still…I knew it was not all a lie

Because Jesus was in Heaven above
And I would meet Him there one day
En then I could ask Him about His love
And why He could not stay

My heart grew lonely, sad and cold
With emptiness I could not fill
Even with things like money and gold
My heart kept quiet and still

And then one day I cried to God above:
“Oh Lord! I need you here and now!!
My heart is longing for your love
Please, can’t you come back somehow?”

O, that day! The most glorious day of all
He came down from Heaven just for me…
I couldn’t believe He heard my call!
But that day I saw Jesus in a friend you see

A friend who shared with me God’s love
And helped me find my Jesus…not just high above
She said that He was here for me today
And how He had been waiting all these years
How He would come if I was willing just to pray
To fill my emptiness and take away my tears….

So I prayed and yes! Jesus came
And filled my lonely heart
And now I forever will praise His name
Knowing that we will never be apart
So I hope that you will tell YOUR story
To friends that know his just by name
That they will find in YOU the living Jesus and His glory
Because when you share, their lives will be like mine:

God's Warrior

If Jesus Came to Your House

If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two
If He came unexpectedly,I wonder what you'd do

Oh, I know you'd give your nicest Room to such an honored Guest
And all the food you'd serve to Him would be the very best,

And you'd keep assuring Him you're glad to have Him there-
That serving Him in your home is joy beyond compare

But when you saw Him coming would you meet Him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome to your Heavnly Visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in
Or hide some magazines and put the Bibles where they'd been?

Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn't heard
And wish you hadn't uttered that last, loud, hasty word?

Would you hide your wordly music And put some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus walk right in,or would you rush about?

And I wonder - if the Saviour spent a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing the things you always do?

Would you keep right on saying the things you always say?
Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?

Would your family conversation keep up it's usual pace,
And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?

Would you sing the words you sing and read the books you read
And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?

Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you'd planned to go?
Or would you maybe change your plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends,
Or would you hope they'd stay away until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on,
Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know the things that you would do
If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you.

Author Unknown