lively hope...
Current mood: rejuvenated

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...

1 Peter 1:3

Lively hope is leaving everything behind you…
Lively hope is keeping the vision…
Lively hope sees Him coming…
Lively hope, we live in it!
We are not trying to make ourselves feel that we believe…
The lively hope is ready, waiting, filled with the joy and expectation of the King,
Praise the Lord!

If you have any love for the world you cannot have this hope, because Jesus is not coming for the world…He is coming for and to the heavenlies, and all the heavenlies are going to him…There is nothing but Joy there!

Smith Wigglesworth

12:53 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

confession...

i must confess…
in this world, I find no shimmer…
no spark of the divine…
starving…thirsty…humanity
enslaved
in a prison for the mind…blind
blood
sweat
tears
pain
suffer
chains
fight
kill
war
desperate
death
grave
entropic dust…
vanity
but…
i don’t belong to this reality
i took a leap of faith
turned myself in
a glimmer…on the horizon
i grasped
the outstretched hand
grace
love
light
truth
freedom
peace
hope
salvation…
life eternal
blessed abundant
death…your laugh so hollow
no power over me
i must confess…
one so loved
he gave all
now what can this man do…
but give myself
to those lost souls
a flickering light
piercing the blackness
guide
to
new life…
my home
beyond the setting sun
strip me…
chain me…
beat me…
burn me…
nothing
can quench
eternal flame…
victory
already won
this is my confession…

Currently listening : Fire of Freedom By Black 47 Release date: 23 March, 1993

6:00 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

rendering what is due...
Current mood: contemplative

It is that time of year again in the states: tax season. A couple of days ago I was briefly giving thought to such little things as running down a W-2…how to file from overseas…maybe this year I will go ahead and file for ministry non-profit status …I probably spent all of 0.2 seconds on this thought pattern, before I realized that I felt absolutely zero emotion. I…really…did…not…care…what…they…took…It was all simply an administrative foot note…like combing my hair…that has no effect on me what so ever…my life that I now live is hid with Christ in the bosom of our loving heavenly Father, God Almighty…he bought my by paying the price of giving his only begotten son…so that now I walk in newness of life eternal, able to fellowship my Abba Father. He meets my every need, not by any of my own work…foresight…hording…but entirely be his grace…

20…And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. 21And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: 22Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? 23But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? 24Show me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar’s. 25And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s. 26And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace…

Luke 20:20-26

I am a stranger, foreigner, alien, not only in this world, but also to all that is not of Christ via the new birth…I am dead, never the less I live, yet not I that lives, but Christ liveth in me…old realities pass from view…I can ether abide in the Light, or huddle in the dark prison of the world…there is no middle ground, It is all or nothing, one way or the other…monetary wealth is of this world and stays in this world…but God is my only sufficiency…if the world wants something that is theirs back, I am more than happy to let them have it…And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also…my wealth…wellbeing…my more than abundant life, is not subject to the entropy of this dark planet we stand on, the Truth to shine …Christ is my life and God my Rock, my High Tower, my Grace to help in time of need…whether I have a Roth IRA or have a negative balance, whether I am missing appointments with car bombs in asia or quietly watching the north sea crash and roll on the Galway shore…I will fear nothing, for my Father is with me…and no thing under heaven has any power over me…I possess no treasure here on earth…I do not belong here any more…I am blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ…and all eternity to enjoy the fruits! The Love of God compels us to give ourselves in fellowship with our Father…and in loving service one to another…

Render unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s…put away the old…walk in heavenly fellowship with your Father…rejoycingly anticipating the gathering together of the Body of Christ!

Currently listening : Nothing Is Sound By Switchfoot Release date: 13 September, 2005

5:17 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

meditations of a pilgrim in search of a city to come...
Current mood: thankful

Dearly Beloved Saints,
Grace and Peace from God our father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I  pray and give thankt to God for you all.

…If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are be come new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ…

2 Corinthians 5:17b,18a

The living reality of who and what we are as partakers by grace in the finished work of Christ Jesus are, is unbelievable to the senses mind! We are new creatures! We are members one of another in the body of the One New Man, created by God unto righteousness and holiness. We have one head and one mind, Christ. Our nature is no longer that of bondage and darkness, but the perfect nature of Christ. We are dead, crucified with Christ, and yet we are raised and alive eternally in Christ, with Jehovah as our father.

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God…

Colossians 3:3

Old thing are passed away because we are dead. Our new spiritual life has no relation to the natural one that we led before. As natural men, we were of this world, darkness, in complete and utter bondage to the god of this world, Satan. No matter what anyone on this ball does to have peace, freedom, joy, love…life, be it by hard work, violence, eloquent declarations, etc., they are still of this world and thereby in bondage. It does not matter if you are rotting in a maximum-security prison or you are driving down the motorway in you Lexus, you are still in bondage. You may be a hard working middle class "productive member of a democratic society," but you are no less enslaved, and no less a sinner than the transsexual prostitute laying in a Beijing gutter with a needle in her vein. Pick your Novocain, their all same. All are vanity, and all lead to dust. To tell the truth, the person who commits suicide is just being honest. This world is dark, the only way to have freedom is to leave it, and the only way to leave this world is to die. ..>

I am crucified with Christ: never the less I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who love me and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, than Christ is dead in vain.

Galatians 2:20,21

When Christ died, we died with him. When he was raised, we were raised in him and seated in him at the right hand of God Almighty. Christ is our salvation, wholeness, life.  We are no longer of this world, completely and totally free of all association with it. The old you, everything, is dead. All that is true of your life now is Christ. We have this new, everlasting life, is totally, and entirely by grace. We did nothing to get it, and can do nothing to add to it. We cannot work to make it better. If we do anything of our selves, thinking that we must now work to be holy, to be mature Christians, than we call God liar. If we want to walk mature in this new life, all we must do is put off the old and walk out in the new. If  your old life is dead, and you reckon it so, than all that is left is Christ. Your thoughts, words, and actions, will be those of your new heavenly nature. Spiritually maturity is simply resting totally on what has already been done by God in Christ, totally ceasing self-centered action. This is the opposite of what is commonly taught, that maturity is immersing your self in the cares of this world and allowing your self to be just another cog in the devils system.

Time dose not exist for us any more, really. Our new life is eternal. Sure, our flesh and blood vehicles with which we travel on this earth will go back from whence they came, but that is not what we are. We are spiritual beings in Christ, who, if our breaths cease before he returns, will simply sleep until the trump. Our eyes will close, and the next thing we will know we will be gathered together in the air unto him, in our new bodies.

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. ..>

Colossians 3:10,11

We are one new man in Christ. This is our only identity. Our old life is dead, and with it it's identity. We are free of our former age, ethnicity, nationality, and habits, all of it. We bring nothing into the Body of Christ. None of it has any place in this new life. Our only kin are those of the One Body. Our ties with the world are severed. The One Body is all that we have. God so loved us that he gave his only begotten son. Jesus Christ so loved us that he freely gave his life, and this when we were yet darkness! We are in Christ, so we have this love in use. How then should not love every one with this love, especially our own brethren, those that are members of Christ one of another with us! We are nothing other side of Christ. There is no room for self. Self is dead, so need to vainly seek to provide, preserve, or defend it. We have all things that pertain unto life and godliness by G-R-A-C-E.

We are not to know any one according to the senses, but only according to the truth of the spiritual reality of who we all are in Christ. If we do this we will stand together as one spiritual body, perfectly united.

According to the grace of God which is given unto me, As a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hey, stubble: Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try ever man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by fire.

At the Bama, rewards will be given to those whose lives were lived by the grace which is in Christ, not those that trusted in their ability and lived as they themselves thought best. ..>

We walk on this earth as strangers to it and pilgrims in it. We have the hope of glory to come. What amazing grace hath God made available by Jesus Christ!  Our response only proper response is to give thanks continually in all things.

Christ is the Truth that breaks the chains of slavery. This "new" year let us shine this Truth in the darkness, as one New Man in Christ, nit together in the love, walking in newness of life, fellowshipping with our heavenly father, bringing him glory, ever mindful of the hope and the grace wherein we stand, eternally!

Bretheren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Philippians 3:13-16

Your servant, separated unto the Gospel by God's grace,
derek zika  
..> --
One man awake awakens another,
The second awakens his next-door neighbor,
And three awake can rouse the town,
And turn the whole place upside down.
And many awake can raise such a fuss
That it finally awakens the rest of us.
One man up with dawn in his eyes, multiplies.

10:58 PM - 3 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Some poetry...
Current mood: mellow

Young Enough

I am young enough to have joys and sorrows, deep longings and high dreams, and many, many problems, but old enough to know there is a cause for every joy, a cure for every sorrow, a solution to every problem, and fulfillment for every aspiration. I am young enough to desire success, but old enough to know that true wealth consists not in abundance of things one possesses. I am young enough to covet fame, but old enough to know that better than fame is the joy of spending oneself in self-forgetful, loving service. I am young enough to enjoy a good time, but old enough to know one cannot have a good time if pleasure-seeking is put first in life. I am young enough to be enthusiastic over people and things, but old enough not to let any enthusiasm run away with me. I am young enough to love to play, but old enough to have learned that what is most fun is having a hard task and seeing it courageously through. I am young enough to want to be beautiful, but old enough to know true beauty comes from within. I am young enough to seek far and wide for the Truth, but old enough to know that it is most often found in being faithful to the task in hand. I am young enough to make many mistakes, but old enough to learn the lesson, forget the experience, and pass on to better things. I am young enough to dread pain, sorrow, misfortune, but old enough to be grateful for their chastening, mellowing influence. I am young enough to long for happiness, but old enough to know it tarries longest with us when we seek it least. I am young enough to crave true friends, but old enough to appreciate them when I find them. I am young enough to believe passionately in the goodness of the human heart, but old enough to keep that faith regardless of some disillusionment. I am young enough to know the meaning of love, but old enough to realize it is life's most priceless possession. I am young enough to have faith in God, in His goodness, in His loving care over me, in His wise and beautiful plan for me, but old enough to value this faith as the thing that gives life purpose and makes it worth living.

One Day At A Time

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry; Two days which should be kept from fear and apprehensions. One of these days is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, Its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever, beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot undo a single act we performed. We cannot erase a single word we said, yesterday is gone. The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow, With its possible adversaries, its burdens, Its large promise and poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow the sun will rise -- Either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise. Until it does we have no stake in tomorrow for it is as yet unborn. This leaves only one day, today. Any man can fight the battle of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burden of those two awful eternities, Yesterday and Tomorrow, that we break down. It is not the experience of Today that drives men mad. It is the remorse of bitterness, something which happened yesterday, And the dread of what tomorrow may bring. Let us therefore live but one day at a time ... And leave the rest to God.

A Man Needs To Hold His Ground
	A man needs to hold his ground From his lips--truth to sound All compromise shall he cast down. This is distinction--to show mercy and grace This is what enables to keep the pace This is law fulfilled--the end of the case. In his heart--Truth is found Error no longer to propound A man needs to hold his ground.

The Woman Of God

The beauty of a woman of God is mirrored in her eyes. Her lips are beautiful to behold. Her smile portrays the inner depth of her soul. Her voice is soft and clear, From a heart that is tender and pure. Her walk is a gracious carriage Of a woman of dignity supreme. Her hands are like the softness of spring, With a touch of blessing, comfort and peace. All this ... and far more. The woman of God whose joy springs from a fountain of life within. She is a kaleidoscope of ever-changing beauty, A spectrum of color beyond the rainbow, A light more scintillating Than the Milky Way or the Aurora Borealis. Yes she is, she is ... the woman of God.

Genuine, And From The Heart

With the Word established in his mind, He stands an overseer of those Who God has called out. His life is genuine, His love from the heart. His thoughts are pure, and what he speaks Will never tear down, only build up. With distractions conquered, He looks to God for the strength and power That shall make him a champion in the competition. He is fearless, with no sense of self-preservation, The loins of his mind girded with the truth. His life is genuine. His love from the heart. He is a true example, His walk a sermon to be seen. He teaches with authority, And many are set free. His life is genuine. His love from the heart. He can be trusted. People come to him. His fame has spread abroad. He has answered God's call. His life is genuine. His love from the heart. He has no price. His commitment is sure. With the Hope burning in his heart, he endures. Yes, his life is genuine. His love straight from the heart.

The Key To Living Is Giving

A very favorite story of mine is about Two Seas in Palestine -- One is a sparkling sapphire jewel, its waters are clean and clear and cool. Along its shores the children play and travelers seek it on their way, And nature gives so lavishly her choicest gems to the Galilee ... But on to the south, the Jordan flows into a sea where nothing grows. No splash of fish, no singing bird, no children's laughter is ever heard. The air hangs heavy all around and nature shuns this barren ground ... Both seas receive the Jordan's flow, the water is just the same, we know. But one of the seas, like liquid sun, can warm the hearts of everyone. While farther south another sea is dead and dark and miserly -- It takes each drop the Jordan brings and to each drop it fiercely clings ... It hoards and holds the Jordan's wave until like shackled, captured slaves The fresh, clear Jordan turns to salt and dies within the Dead Sea's vault ... But the Jordan flows on rapturously as it enters and leaves the Galilee, For every drop that the Jordan gives becomes a laughing wave that lives -- For the Galilee gives back every drop, its waters flow and never stop, And in this laughing, living sea that takes and gives so generously We find the way to Life and Living is not in keeping, but in Giving!

How To Be Happy

Are you almost disgusted with life, little man? I'll tell you a wonderful trick That will bring you contentment, if anything can, Do something for somebody, quick! Are you awfully tired with play, little girl? Wearied, discouraged, and sick - I'll tell you the loveliest game in the world, Do something for somebody, quick! Though it rains, like the rain of the flood, little man, And the clouds are forbidding and thick, You can make the sun shine in your soul, little man, Do something for somebody, quick! Though the stars are like brass overhead, little girl, And the walks like a well-heated brick, And our earthly affairs in a terrible whirl, Do something for somebody, quick!

It Will Show In Your Face

You don't have to tell how you live each day, You don't have to say if you work or play, A tried, true barometer serves in its place -- However you live, it will show in your face. The false, the deceit that you bear in your heart, Will not stay inside, where it first got a start, For sinew and blood are a thin veil of lace; What you wear in your heart you wear in your face. If your life is unselfish, if for others you live, For not what you get, but how much you can give: If you live close to God, in His infinite grace, You don't have to tell it, it shows on your face.

One Man Awake
	One man awake awakens another, The second awakens his next-door neighbor, And three awake can rouse the town, And turn the whole place upside down. And many awake can raise such a fuss That it finally awakens the rest of us. One man up with dawn in his eyes, multiplies.

The Old Lamp

A lamp once hung in an ancient town At the corner of a street, Where the wind was keen, and the way was dark, And the rain would often beat; And all night long, its light would shine To guide the travelers' feet. The lamp was rough and plain and old, And the storm had beaten it sore; 'Twas not a thing one would care to show, Whate'er it had been before, But no one thought what the lantern was, 'Twas the light that, within, it bore. The lamp is a text for young and old, Who seek in a world of pride To shine for their lord and to show him forth, And never their light to hide; You are the lantern, But Christ is the light inside.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh; When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must -- but don't you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don't give up, though the pace seems slow -- You might succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than It seems to a faint and faltering man. Often the struggler has given up When he might have captured the victor's cup. And he learned too late, when the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown. Success is failure turned inside out -- The silver tint of the clouds of doubt -- And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems afar; So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -- It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

The Song

It makes no difference who sang the song, If only the song was sung. It makes no difference who did the deed, Be they old in years or young. If the song was sweet and helped a soul, What matters the singer's name? The worth was in the song itself And not in the world's acclaim. The song and the deed are one, If each be done for love -- Love of the work but not of self, And the "score" is kept above.

Pray Don't Find Fault

Pray don't find fault with the man who limps, Or stumbles along the road Unless you have worn the shoes he wears Or struggled beneath his load. There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt, Though hidden away from view, And the burden he bears, placed on your back, Might cause you to stumble, too. Don't sneer at the man who's down today, Unless you have felt the blows That caused his fall, or felt the same As only the fallen know. You may be strong, but still the blows That were his, if dealt to you In the selfsame way at the selfsame time, Might cause you to stagger, too. Don't be too harsh with the man who sins, Or pelt him with words or stone, Unless you are sure, yes, doubly sure, That you have no sins of your own. For you know perhaps if the tempter's voice Should whisper as soft to you As he did to him when he went astray, 'Twould cause you to falter, too.

Show Me How
	If I can do some good today, If I can serve along life's way, If I can something helpful say, Lord, show me how. If I can right a human wrong, If I can help to make one strong, If I can cheer with smile or song, Lord, show me how. If I can aid one in distress, If I can make a burden less, If I can spread more happiness, Lord, show me how.

This Moment

I may never see tomorrow; there is no written guarantee. And things that happened yesterday belong to history. I cannot predict the future, I cannot change the past. I have just the present moment, I must treat it as my last. I must use this moment wisely, for it soon will pass away. And be lost forever as a part of yesterday. I must exercise compassion, help the fallen to their feet. Be a friend unto the friendless, make an empty life complete. The unkind things I do today may never be undone. And friendships that I fail to win may nevermore be won. I may not have another chance on bended knees to pray. And thank God with a humble heart for giving me this day. Say It Now   If you have a friend worth loving, Love him. Yes, and let him know That you love him, ere life's evening Tinge his brow with sunset glow. Why should good words ne'er be said Of a friend - till he is dead? If you hear a song that thrills you, Sung by any child of song, Praise it. Do not let the singer Wait deserved praises long. Why should one who thrills your heart Lack the joy you may impart? If you hear a prayer that moves you By its humble, pleading tone, Join it. Do not let the seeker Bow before his God alone, Why should not your brother share The strength of "two or three" in prayer? If you see the hot tears falling From a brother's weeping eyes, Share them. And by kindly sharing Own our kinship in the skies. Why should anyone be glad When a brother's heart is sad? If a silvery laugh goes rippling Through the sunshine on his face, Share it. 'Tis the wise man's saying - For both grief and joy a place. There's health and goodness in the mirth In which an honest laugh has birth. If your work is made more easy By a friendly, helping hand, Say so. Speak out brave and truly Ere the darkness veil the land. Should a brother workman dear Falter for a word of cheer? Scatter thus your seeds of kindness All enriching as you go - Leave them. Trust the Harvest Giver; He will make each seed to grow. So until the happy end Your life shall never lack a friend.

Touching Shoulders

There's a comforting thought at the close of the day, When I'm weary and lonely and sad, That sort of grips hold of my crusty old heart And bids it be merry and glad. It gets in my soul and it drives out the blues, And finally thrills through and through. It is just a sweet memory that chants the refrain: "I'm glad I touch shoulders with you!" Did you know you were brave, did you know you were strong? Did you know there was one leaning hard? Did you know that I waited and listened and prayed, And was cheered by your simplest word? Did you know that I longed for that smile on your face, For the sound of your voice ringing true? Did you know I grew stronger and better because I had merely touched shoulders with you? I am glad that I live, that I battle and strive For the place that I know I must fill; I am thankful for sorrows, I'll meet with a grin What fortune may send, good or ill. I may not have wealth, I may not be great, But I know I shall always be true, For I have in my life that courage you gave When once I rubbed shoulders with you.

Beautiful
	Beautiful faces are they that wear The light of a pleasant spirit there. Beautiful hands are they that do Deeds that are noble, good and true. Beautiful feet are they that go Swiftly to lighten another's woe.

People Who Share

People who know How to brighten a day With heartwarming smiles And with kind words they say. People who know How to gently impart The comfort it takes To cheer somebody's heart. People who know how to Always come through When there's anything They can possibly do. People who know How to willingly share Who know how to give And who know how to care, Who know how to let All their warm feelings show ... Are the people that others Are privileged to know.

Tell Him So

If you hear a kind word spoken Of some worthy soul you know, It may fill his heart with sunshine If you only tell him so. If a deed, however humble, Helps you on your way to go, Seek the one whose hand has helped you, Seek him out and tell him so! If your heart is touched and tender Toward a sinner, lost and low, It might help him to do better If you'd only tell him so! Oh, my sisters, oh, my brothers, As o'er life's rough path you go, If God's love has saved and kept you, Do not fail to tell me so!

The Time Is Now

If you are ever going to love me, Love me now, while I can know The sweet and tender feelings Which from true affection flow. Love me now While I am living, Do not wait until I'm gone And then have it chiseled in marble, Sweet words on ice-cold stone. If you have tender thoughts of me, Please, tell me now, If you wait until I am sleeping, Never to awaken, There will be death between us, And I won't hear you then. So, if you love me, even a little bit, Let me know it while I am living So I can treasure it.

Around The Corner

Around the corner I have a friend In this great city that has no end, Yet the days go by and weeks rush on, And before I know it, a year is gone. And I never see my old friend's face, For life is a swift and terrible race, He knows I like him just as well, As in the days when I rang his bell. We were younger then, And now we are busy, tired men. Tired of playing a foolish game, Tired of trying to make a name. "Tomorrow" I say "I will call on Jim" "Just to show that I'm thinking of him." But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes, And distance between us grows and grows. Around the corner! -- yet miles away, "Here's a telegram, sir, Jim died today." And that's what we get and deserve in the end. Around the corner, a vanished friend.

A Tribute To Friendship

I love you not only for what you are, But for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, But for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out. I love you for putting your hand into my heaped up heart and passing over all the Frivolous and foolish and weak things which you cannot help dimly seeing there; And for drawing out into the light all the beautiful radiant belongings That no one else had looked quite far enough to find. I love you for ignoring the possibilities of the fool and weakling in me, And for laying firm hold on the possibilities of good in me. I love your closing your eyes to the discords in me and for adding to the Music in me by worshipful listening. I love you because you are helping me to make of the lumber of my life Not a tavern, but a temple -- And of the words of me every day not a reproach, but a song. I love you because you have done more than any creed could have done To make me good, and more than any fate could have done to make me happy. You have done it just by being yourself. Perhaps that is what a friend means, after all.

Just Like His Dad