Words of Comfort

Words of Comfort from Psalm 121: 1-8

I will lift up my eyes to the hills-
from whence cometh my help?
My help cometh from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold. He who keeps Israel shall neither
slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your
shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike
you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve
your going out and your coming in from this time
forth and evermore.

 (cross reference:
Deuteronomy 28:6)

THE PLACE WHERE KINDNESS LIVES

The place where kindness lives is not so very far away

You'll stumble quite by chance upon its presence one sweet day

As if it were a dream, a gift, a treasure chest of gold

You'll walk into the depths and breadth of kindness unfortold

Some fortunate among us knew its essence long ago…

Childhood memories whisper warmth's sweet breeze as we grow old

Yet others of us wait till quite by happenstance it seems

The place where kindness lives, at last no longer crowds our dreams

At last we taste its sweet, sweet peace and breathe its fragrance new

And bask in fields of daisies _sunshine bright and daybreak's dew

And so we find the place where kindness lives not far away

Around our bend and up the street

A home where minds content retreat

A dwelling place where warm hearts meet

… This place where kindness lives

 

© October,  2012,  Carole Castagna

Dear Father,  
Help me to minister to  your people with your passion, compassion, love and grace.  Let me seek the lost and find them, reach out to them and touch them with your love, for Your honor and Your glory.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Autumn's Dance

Autumn's Dance

Leaves, careless and playful,

dance against a rainbow,

flirting with the wind,

laughing "Catch Me If You Can"

in autumn's splendor.

Your majesty

commands first place

among the seasons,

fair autumn.

Drape your crimson-emerald gold

over my shoulders.

Stay a while and warm me with color

before winter breaks the day with

-cold and ice.

October morn, wait!

© carol castagna 2012

Companion Poem to Autumn's Dance:

Tango Wind-Song

Sundrenched autumn,

Strut your stuff.

Lift your leaves, flirtatious,

bare-backed, arched, victorious

to the tango wind.

Melon-persimmon and strawberry-pink

inspire a blush,

on a rust-spattered

mountain-side canvas,

slipping into sleep.

As dusk sweeps across a whisper

In the hush of early morning,

you feel the soft nudge of a wind-song,

beckoning,

“Yawn and stretch!”

to dance again at daybreak,

in the morning’s crackling crisp.

© 2015 Carol A. Castagna

Winter Statement - a poem

On the Northeastern Coast, the weather is still chilly in May.  What a stark contrast

for those of us who live in the warmth of Florida's sunshine. It has been quite

a winter for those Northern dwellers!  With all it's challenges, though, winter is a beautiful

season and claims it's own sweetness. The following poem glorifies God for all of winter's beauty...

 

Winter Statement

 

Ice-covered branches,

drenched in frost,

dripping in daybreak,

preside against a backdrop

of Tchaikovsky's Waltz.

I marvel at Your Winter Statement, Lord,

-at Your Winter Statement

of sight and of sound

and of the Great I Am!

This morning,

from my window,

in humble gratitude,

I praise You!

Prayer:

Dear Father, Thank You for the beautiful winter season and for all the lovely drapery of each season that follows as well.  Thank You

for Your favor in us.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

© carol castagna 2015

"Forget Not All His Benefits"

                                                                                                                                                       photo: © www.joypsalms.com

Jeramiah 31: 3

I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you.

Psalm 103

1.   Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me,

       bless His holy name!

2.   Bless the Lord, O, my soul,

       and forget not all His benefits:

3.   Who forgives all your iniquities,

       Who heals all your diseases,

4.   Who redeems your life from destruction,

       Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5.   Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

       so that your youth is renewed like eagle's.

....................................................................

8.   The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and 

       abounding in mercy.

9.   He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep

       His anger, forever.

10.  He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor

       punished us according to our iniquities.

11.  For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is

       His mercy toward those who fear Him:

12.  As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed

       our transgressions from us.

13.  As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.

14.  For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

 

Prayer:

Thank You for Your abiding grace, Heavenly Father.  And for Your tender mercies

and endless love  -We are grateful, In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

Scripture Photos and Photo -Courtesy Public Domain

 

 

© carol castagna 2015 www.joypsalms.com