Hello, I am new here

[nChrist]

Hello Islandboy,

Thanks!  -  You've given a nice reminder about how rich and beautiful the Psalms are.

Love In Christ,
Tom

 

[islandboy]

THE  BATTLE  IS  NOT  YET  DONE
by  Ella Wheeler Wilcox

However the battle is ended
though proudly the victor comes
with fluttering flags
and prancing nags
and echoing rolls of drums,
still truth proclaims this motto
in letters of living light,
no question is ever settled,
until it is settled right.

Let those who have failed take courage
tho' the enemy seems to have won,
tho' his ranks are strong,
if he be in the wrong
the battle is not yet done,
for, sure as the morning follows
the darkest hour of the night,
no question is ever settled,
until it is settled right.

[islandboy]

POEM:  By Oliver Wendell Holmes

Father, send on earth again
peace and goodwill to men;
yet, while the weary track of life
leads Thy people through storm
and strife,
help us walk therein.

Guide us through the perilous path;
teach us love that tempers wrath;
let the fountain of mercy flow
alike for helpless friend and foe,
children all of Thine.

God of grace, hear our call;
bless our gifts, Giver of all;
the wounded heal,
the captive restore
and make us a nation evermore
faithful to freedom and Thee.

[islandboy]

POEM: By John Quincy Adams

Almighty Father.
Look in mercy down;
Oh, grant me virtue to
perform my part:
the patriot's fervor, and the
statesman's art
in though, word, deed,
preserve me from Thy frown.

Direct me to the paths of
bright renown.
Guide my fail  bark, by
truth's unerring chart.
Inspire my soul and purify
my heart;
and with success, my steadfast
purpose crown.

My country's weal, be that my
polar star,
Justice, Thou Rock Of Ages,
is Thy law-
and when Thy summons calls me
to Thy bar,
Be this my plea, Thy gracious
smile to draw-
that all my ways to justice
were inclined-
And all my aims - the blessing
of mankind.

[islandboy]

Blessed Savior, make me humble,
Take away my sinful pride;
In myself I'm sure to stumble,
Help me stay close by Your side.

[Hawk]

Those posts are wonderful, Ilsland! Thank you, I needed to read those today.

[nChrist]

Those posts are wonderful, Ilsland! Thank you, I needed to read those today.

YES, they are quite beautiful. I second the THANKS!

[islandboy]

PRAISE AWAITS you, O God, in Zion,
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
O you who hear our prayer,
to you men will come.
When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you atoned for our transgressions,
Blessed is the man you choose
and bring near to live in your courts.
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.

You answer us with awesome deeds of
righteousness,
O God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
Those living far away fear your wonders;
where morning dawns and evening fades
you call forth songs of joy.

You care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.
You drench its furrows
and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers
and bless its crops.
You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.
The grasslands of the desert overflow,
the hills are clothed with gladness.
The meadows are covered with flocks,
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing.
               PSALMS  65: 1-13

[islandboy]

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they
are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."
                                                    LAMENTATIONS 3: 22-24

[nChrist]

Amen! - Beautiful!

[islandboy]

                                                 THE  TRUE  GLORY  of  a  NATION
                                                           by E. P. Whipple


The true glory of a nation is an intelligent, honest, industrious people. The civilization of a people depends on their individual character; and not the constitution which is not the outgrowth of this character, is not worth the parchment on which it is written. You look in vain in the past for a single instance where the people have preserved their liberties after their individual character was lost. It is not in the magnificence of its palaces, not in the beautiful creations of art lavished on its public edifices, not in costly libraries and galleries of pictures, not in the number or wealth of its cities, that we find a nation's glory.

The ruler may gather around him the treasures of the world, amid a brutalized people; the senate chamber may retain its faultless proportions long after the voice of patriotism is hushed within its walls; the monumental marble may commemorate a glory which has forever departed. Art and letters may bring no lessonto a people whose heart is dead.


The true glory of a nation is the living temple of a loyal, industrious, upright people. The busy click of machinery, the merry ring of the avail, the lowing of the peaceful herds, and the song of the harvest home, are sweeter music than the paeans of departed glory or the songs of triumph in war. The vine-clad cottage on the hillside, the cabin of the woodsman, and the rural home of the farmer, are the true citadels of any country. There is a dignity in honest toil which belongs not to the display of wealth or the luxury of fashion. The man who drives the plow or swings the axe in the forest, or with cunning fingers plies the tools of his craft, is as truly the servant of his country as the statesman in the senate or the soldier in battle.

The safety of a nation depends not alone on the wisdom of the statesman or bravery of its generals...

Would you see the image of true national glory, I would show you villages where the crown and glory of the people are in comman schools, where the voice of prayer goes heavenward, where the people have the most priceless gift, faith in God --for--

" Not gold, but only men can make
A people great and strong.
Men who for truth and honor's sake,
Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly--
They build a nation's pillars deep
And lift them to the sky."

[islandboy]

LIBERTY"S      PRAYER
                  by Paul W. Keyes

Lord God of low tides and high hopes,
who has brought millions to our shores,
grant that each of them shall find the freedom he sailed for
in this land which honors
all who honor it.

Lord God of willing hands and opportunity,
of past failures, present mistakes and future successes,
who has brought man from wagon to space capsule
and filled this great country,
imperfect though it may be called by some,
give equal dignity to all
and send word back to Thomas Jefferson
that we do try to fulfill the promises
he filed under the Declaration of Independence.

Lord God of foreign ancestors and homegrown Americans,
who taught strangers to live together,
do as much now for friends.
Remind fiery young hearts
that passion works best when tempered with reason
and that nothing was ever built up
and torn down at the same time.

Lord God of broken promices and hungry hearts
remind us constantly the land we call home wasn't built in a day,
bear with our failures, forgive us our trespasses.
As you once trained lightning and fireflies to live together,
teach us now that good intentions are a beginning not an end,
that doing is still better than hoping and wishing,
that today holds the cure of yesterday
and the torch I hold high
is Liberty's nightlight welcoming tomorrow
with a rainbow of freedom
rising from the thunder of despair.

[nChrist]

Amen! - Beautiful!

[islandboy]

                            TEMPLES   OF  THE   LORD
                          by  Agnes Davenport  Bond

How thrilled, we stand beneath the peaks
That tower up to God
And gaze upon their ragged cliffs,
Where man has never trod!

Majestic mountains, lofty, bold,
Projecting in the sky,
Seem mighty temples of the Lord,
With spires of crags on high.

And all His creatures of the woods,
The birds that chirp and sing,
The roaming deer, the lizards small,
Each day are worshiping.

And we, who wander in their midst,
And up the steep trails climb,
Are moved to cherish only thoughts
Which are the most sublime.

The wilds of nature kindle strong,
In most of us, the best.
Their tranquil silence brings a peace,
Their changing shadows, rest.

And like the psalmist, we look up
Unto the hills for strength;
Unto the heights, whence cometh help
For all our needs, at length.

[islandboy]

GIVE  ME  A  GRATEFUL  HEART  LORD
By Grace E. Easley

Give me a grateful heart, Lord,
For each small favor granted.
As years unfold, may I behold
Life, still, through eyes enchanted,
Let me find beauty in all things,
Not be too blind to see
The goodness in my fellowman,
That he would find in me.

Grant that my ears remain attuned
To hear the smallest sigh,
And may I lend a gentle touch,
To those less sure than I.
Let me remember lessons learned,
To profit from the past,
And may I build a bridge of dreams,
That shall forever last.

Let me rejoice in simple things;
I need no wealth to buy
The scent of pine upon the wind,
A burnished copper sky,
Scarlet roses on the fence,
Sunrise through the trees--
Oh, grant that I may not outgrow
Affinity for these!

Give me a grateful heart, Lord;
Let me be satisfied
When days are less than sunny
And plans lie at low tide.
Life is a sweet adventure
That will lead to who knows where,
So, give me a grateful heart, Lord,
That I may always care.