O Gott, Du Frommer Gott

O God, Thou Faithful God

O God, Thou faithful God,

Thou Fountain ever flowing,

Without whom nothing is,

All perfect gifts bestowing;

A pure and healthy frame

O give me, and within

A conscience free from blame,

A soul unhurt by sin.

And grant me, Lord, to do

With ready heart and willing,

Whate'er Thou shalt command,

My calling here fulfilling;

And do it when I ought,

With all my strength, and bless

The work I thus have wrought

For Thou must give success.

John Heermann,1585-1647

Chief of Sinners though I Be

Chief of sinners though I be,
   Jesus shed His blood for me,
Died that I might live on high,
   Lives that I might never die.
As the branch is to the vine,
   I am His, and He is mine.

Chief of sinners though I be,
   Christ is All-in-All to me;
All my wants to Him are known,
   All my sorrows are His own.
He sustains the hidden life
   Safe with Him from earthly strife.

O my Savior, help afford
   By Your Spirit and Your Word!
When my wayward heart would stray,
   Keep me in the narrow way;
Grace in time of need supply
   While I live and when I die.
                       -William McComb, 1793-c.1870

With loving thoughts of childhood friends Debbie and Ruth Ellen, who gave me more patience and grace than I ever could deserve and many cherished memories of times long ago, in a little town in Ohio. (I still use my very first sewing box, given to me by Debbie, and wear the birthday necklace from time to time, given to me by Ruth Ellen when we were youngsters) God grant them grace and bless them.

Remember our Creator

God Who Madest Earth and Heaven

God who madest earth and heaven,

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

Who the day and night hast given,

 Sun and moon and starry host,

Thou whose mighty hand sustains

Earth and all that it contains:

Grant that I may rise this morning,

 From the lethargy of sin;

So my soul, through Thy adorning,

 Shall be glorious within;

And I at the close of day

 Shall not shrink from Thee away.

Wholly to Thy best protection

 I can commit my heart and mind.

Mighty God! to Thy direction

 Wholly may I be resigned.

Lord, my Shield, my Light divine

O accept, and own me Thine. 

Heinrich Albert, 1642

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:2

In loving memory of Joel P. McKanna, April 23,1979 - May 25,2011

When in the Maddening Maze of Things

by John G. Whittier, 1807-1892



When in the maddening maze of things,

When tossed by storm and flood,

To one fixed hope my spirit clings,

I know that God is good.

I know not what the future hath

Of marvel or surprise,

Assured alone that life and death

His mercy underlies.

And if my heart and flesh are weak

To bear an untried pain,

the bruised reed He will not break

But strengthen and sustain.

And so beside the silent sea

I wait the muffled oar;

No harm from Him can come to me

On ocean or on shore.

I know not where His islands lift

Their fronded palms in air;

I only know I cannot drift

Beyond His love and care.

"...The Lord is gracious and full of compassion." Psalm 111:4

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28

 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

                            

Treasures

Bask in the risen Son's great light,
   Warm and fair and true,
Walk not in paths of darkness;
   The dark is not for you.
Stand not in world-bound wonder,
   At enticements and fleeting pleasure
For folly is in the heart of fools
   Clutching their earth-bound treasure.
                         By Grant Sullivan  (excert of
                                     poem written upon the dedication of
                                     Paige Sullivan to his Lord)

Life's Goal

So let me work on Life's patchwork quilt
   Through the rainy days and the sun--
Trusting that when I have finished my block
   The Master may say: "Well done."
                            Elizabeth Ryan DeCoursey

Cares in This Life

Should Thy mercy send me
   Sorrow, toil, and woe;
Or should pain attend me
   On my path below;
Grant that I may never
   Fail Thy hand to see,
Grant that I may ever
   Cast my care on Thee.
                       James Montgomery, 1771-1854
                       The Mennonite Hymnary

God's Mercy

What mercy and divine compassion
  Has God in Christ revealed to me!
My haughty spirit would not ask it,
  Yet He betowed it, full and free.
In God my heart doth now rejoice:
  I praise His grace with grateful voice.
  I praise His grace with grateful voice.

Eternal wrath should be my portion:
  The Lamb of God, for sinners slain,
Removed the curse and condemnation,
  His blood atoned for every stain.
God's love in Christ on Calvary's Tree
  From guilt and shame has set me free.
  From guilt and shame has set me free.
                   Gerhard Tersteegen, 1697-1769
                          from the Mennonite Hymnary,1942

Love of Christ

O grant that nothing in my soul
   May dwell, but Thy pure love alone;
O may Thy love possess me whole,
   My joy, my treasure, and my crown!
All coldness from my heart remove;
   May every act, word, thought, be love.
                                 by Paul Gerhardt,1651
                                 translated by John Wesley
                                 from The Mennonite Hymnary

Forgiveness

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9