I Saw God Today

Be strong.  Take courage.  Don't be intimidated.

Don't give them a second thought because God,

your God, is striding ahead of you.  He's right there

with you.  He won't let you down; He won't leave you.

Deuteronomy 31:8

Sometimes a song says it best… 

Just walked down the street to the coffee shop -

had to take a break -

I've been by her side for 18 hours straight.

Saw a flower growing in the middle of a sidewalk -

pushing up through the concrete

like it was planted right there for me to see.

The flashing lights, the honking horns

all seemed to fade away.

In the shadow of that hospital at 5:08,

I saw God today.

I've been to church, I've read the Book,

I know He's here, but I don't look near as often

 as I should .. yeah I know I should.

His fingerprints are everywhere

if I just slowed down to stop and stare.

Open my eyes and man, I swear

I saw God today. 

Saw a couple walking by - they were holding hands

Man, she had that glow -

Yeah, I couldn't help but notice she was starting to show.

Stood there for a minute taking in the sky -

Lost in that sunset

A splash of amber melted into shades of red. 

I've been to church, I've read the Book

I know He's here, but I don't look near as often

as I should...yeah, I know I should.

His fingerprints are everywhere

if I just slowed down to stop and stare.

Open my eyes and man, I swear

I saw God today

Got my face pressed up against the nursery glass

She's sleeping like a rock

My name on her wrist wearing tiny pink socks.

She’s got my nose, she’s got her mama's eyes -

my brand new baby girl - she's a miracle.

I saw God today.

* 

Open my eyes that I may see

Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me,

Place in my hands the wonderful key

That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready, my God, Thy will to see.

Open my eyes, illumine me,

Spirit divine.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 454

The Little Guy

 The Little Guy

A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the

Philistine line into the open - Goliath from Gath.

He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed

in armor - 126 pounds of it!  He wore bronze shin

guards and carried a bronze spear.  His spear was

like a fence rail - the spear tip alone weighed over

fifteen pounds.  His shield bearer walked ahead of him.

1 Samuel 17:4-6 

I love the photo above.  It reminds me of one of my favorite Bible stories - David vs. the giant Goliath.  The Cliff Notes version:  a young man named David went to the battlefield to visit his brothers and take them supplies.  When he arrived, a huge giant came out and challenged Israel to send out a champion - one individual - to fight him.  David went to King Saul and volunteered. 

At first the king said, NO - TOO YOUNG!

Then he said, MAYBE - TOO GREEN!

Finally the king said, OK, BUT WEAR MY ARMOR!.

Suffice it to say that the armor didn't fit the kid, so David shook it off, grabbed his slingshot and "five smooth stones" and went out to see what the giant was yelling about.  When Goliath mocked both David and God, and then came forward to kill him, David let fly with a stone that embedded itself in Goliath's forehead, and he tumbled to the ground.  David took the giant's massive sword and cut off his massive head, and that was the end of that.

I think the moose is simply curious.  I have no idea what in the world the cat is thinking.  I'm fairly certain that the kittie had no intention of trying to bring down the moose, and I certainly hope that crazy little feline escaped unharmed from its encounter.  It is always scary business to face the giants of our fears, worries and problems.  If you have a Goliath to face today, turn to the One who is eager to help you cut those huge problems down to a manageable size.

* 

No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you.

Lean, weary one, upon His breast.  God will take care of you.

God will take care of you

Through every day, o’er all the way.

He will take care of you.  God will take care of you.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 130

Rest!

Rest!

Heaven and earth were finished, down to the last detail.

By the seventh day, God had finished His work.

On the seventh day, He rested from all His work.

God blessed the seventh day.

He made it a Holy Day,

because on that day He rested from His work –

all the creating God had done.

Genesis 2:1-3

So what's happening here?  God, the omnipotent Creator, is tired?  Considering that the psalmist says that God “never slumbers nor sleeps,” I don’t think God was exhausted by speaking the universe into existence, no matter how long it took.  He rested as an indication that He was finished with His work, and as an example to us, His created humans, who are never finished with our work.

God knew that the human body could not withstand the stress and strain of working every day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year.  Particularly if you work in a high-stress environment, body and brain absolutely must have a break in order to continue to function.  God gave us one day in seven in which to do absolutely no work at all – just rest, relax, rejuvenate, worship, fellowship, and spend time with the family.  Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, NOT man for the Sabbath.  When He made it a “Holy Day,” He set it aside for a special use – a resting day instead of a working day.

How many times do you hear the old phrase about stopping to smell the roses, yet how many of us actually do so.  When I get home from work, I tend to feel guilty if I decide to sit down and do nothing.  After all, there is laundry to be done, watering in the garden, cleaning the house, mowing the lawn – the list goes on and on.  What a blessing it is for me to know that at the end of the week, I have one full day to cease from my never-ending labors and just rest.  Believe me, I look forward to the Sabbath.  Frankly, I don’t know what I would do without it.

 *

There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God.

A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.

O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,

Hold us who wait before Thee near to the heart of God.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 472

Man

God spoke:

Let us make human beings

in our image; make them reflect our nature

so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,

the birds in the air, the cattle, and yes, Earth itself,

and every animal that moves on the face of the earth.

God created human beings; He created them godlike,

Reflecting God’s nature.   He created them male

and female.  God blessed them:

“Prosper!  Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take Charge!

Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,

for every living thing that moves on the face of the Earth.

God looked over everything He had made;

it was good, so very good!

It was evening, it was morning –

Day Six.

Genesis 1:26-28, 31

I remember as though it were yesterday the birth of each of my three daughters.  To hold in my arms a precious little one that came from me, born of my love, like me in ways that just waited to be discovered was the highlight (times three!) of my life.  They were flesh of my flesh, and I could not have loved them more.

If we, as human beings, have such an emotional attachment to the children we create, imagine the depth of love of the God of the universe as He created a person – a man – in His image and likeness.  Some (actually, many) call this a myth.  For me, the myth is the thought that our amazing, intricate, intelligent race came from a primordial slime pool, or that my ancestor was a fish that walked on four legs.  I do understand the desire – the need – for an explanation other than a Creator God.  After all, that four-legged fish is long gone and has no strings on me, whereas a Creator God, who could still be around, just might desire to have an input into my life that I neither need or want.  Better to align oneself with the evolutionary slime pool than to accept the possibility of Divine direction.

Better for some, perhaps, but not for me.  I align myself with the Creator God – the One who threw light into darkness, who placed the stars in the heavens, who spoke every creature into existence – then formed the human race with His hands and with His heart.  

*

Mine is the sunlight, Mine is the morning

Born of the one light Eden saw play.

Praise with elation, praise every morning,

God's recreation of the new day.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 145

Earth, Generate Life!

God spoke:

Earth, generate life!

"Every sort and kind: cattle and reptiles and wild animals,

all kinds.  And there it was:

wild animals of every kind, cattle of all kinds,

every sort of reptile and bug. 

God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:24-25 

On Day Six of creation, God decided to fill the land that he created on Day Three with animals of every size, shape, color and description.  I wonder what God called out when He wanted a lion to appear?  Did He call out a description?  A unique name?  The whole idea of it is so mind-boggling that many people prefer to believe in no creation at all - it is so much easier to explain!  I choose to believe that my animal friends were God's doing - in the same way that I am His creation.

I love to visit zoos - although I must admit that I have not been to very many!  Our zoo here in Richmond is very small, but if I were to name a particularly outstanding feature, the Richmond Metro Zoo would be known for its giraffes.  The giraffe exhibit is very large, and there is a feeding station where you can get up close and personal with the animals, including feeding them.  My favorite portion of the Pittsburgh Zoo were the lions.  The Bronx Zoo has a wonderful tiger exhibit (Tiger Mountain), while Chicago has the massive Shedd Aquarium.  The Phoenix Zoo (one of the nation's top five zoos for kids) has the Monkey Village, and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo has a Wildlife Safari Park.  So many animals fall into the category of "see but don't touch" that without a good zoo or the opportunity to travel and see these animals in their natural habitat, we would have no knowledge of the hundreds of animals that God brought into existence. 

When God finished with the creation of all these creatures - every animal, reptile, insect and bug - He wasn't quite finished with Day Six.  No, the very best of God's creative energy was yet to come.

*

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small.

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

 

Swarm, Ocean!

God spoke:

Swarm, Ocean

"with fish and all sea life!

Birds, Fly 

through the sky over Earth.

God created the huge whales,

all the swarm of life in the waters,

and every kind and species of flying birds.

God saw that it was good.

God blessed them:  Prosper!  Reproduce!

Fill Ocean!  Birds, reproduce on Earth."

It was evening.  It was morning -

Day Five.

Genesis 1:20-23

On the fifth day of creation, which parallels with Day Two, God spoke into existence sea creatures and fish to fill the waters that were separated from the sky.  He then created birds of every shape and size to fill the heavens over the oceans.  The thought bears repeating that God could have made cookie-cutter birds that all looked and acted and flew alike.  Instead, the breadth and depth of His vast imagination produced an astonishing variety of birds and fish.

Growing up, my mother raised parakeets.  I can't remember a time in my childhood when there was not a budgie or two chirping in a cage or hanging onto the top of the living room drapes.  She delighted in speaking to them as they perched on her finger, and spent hours teaching them how to talk.  The few times that a bird managed to escape the house and into a nearby tree, Mom would find it almost immediately, because it would be sitting on a branch just yakking away.  

When I see a bluebird or cardinal flying through my backyard, I wish that I could hold out my finger and have one land on my hand.  That is not about to happen in today's world, but in the world to come, I really look forward to enjoying the company of a wealth of beautiful birds.

*

And God will raise you up on eagle's wings,

Bear you on the breath of dawn,

Make you to shine like the sun,

And hold you in the palm of His hand.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 143

 

 

 

 

 

Lights!

God spoke:

Lights!

“Come out!

Shine in Heaven's sky! 

Separate Day from Night.

Mark seasons and days and years.

Lights in Heaven's sky to give light to Earth."

And there it was.

God made two big lights, the larger to take charge of Day,

the smaller to be in charge of Night;

and He made the stars.

God placed them in the heavenly sky to light up Earth

and oversee Day and Night, to separate light from dark.

God saw that it was good.

It was evening, it was morning -

Day Four.

Starting with Day Four, we begin to see the pattern of a unique parallelism that God employed in the days of creation.  Take a look: 

Day One	Day Four
Creation of Light	Creation of that which holds light: sun, moon, stars
Day Two	Day Five
Separation of Sky and Water	Creation of sea creatures for the water; birds for the sky
Day Three	Day Six
Creation of dry land, prairies, gardens, forests, jungles	Creation of animals and humans to inhabit the land

This was no haphazard plan!  Instead, the entire process was conceived in the mind of the infinite God and spoken into existence by the words of His mouth.  On the fourth day, He created the moon and stars to break up the blackness of the nighttime sky, and a huge orb of fire to illuminate the day.  When it was finished, everything was in place, awaiting the formation of those who would inhabit this realm - living, breathing creatures to live and love on this earth.

* 

The law God enforces, the stars in their courses

And sun in its orbit obediently shine.

The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,

The deeps of the ocean proclaim the Divine.

We, too, should be voicing our love and rejoicing,

With glad adoration a song let us raise.

Till all things now living unite in Thanksgiving:

To God in the highest hosanna and praise!

The Faith We Sing, No. 2008

 

Separate!

 

God spoke:

Separate!

"Water beneath Heaven, gather into one place;

Land, appear!"  And there it was.

God named the land Earth.  He named the pooled water Ocean.

God saw that it was good!

God spoke:

"Earth, green up!  Grow all varieties of see-bearing plants,

every sort of fruit-bearing tree."  And there it was.

Earth produced green seed-bearing plants, all varieties,

and fruit-bearing trees of all sorts.  God saw that it was good.

It was evening, it was morning -

Day Three.

With only one basic step accomplished on each of Days One and Two, it was time to get down to business!  The Creator spoke the waters into seas and caused dry land to appear. Upon that sandy brown canvas, God began to paint a living, breathing landscape such as we have never seen.  Tall trees and prickly bushes, formal gardens and thick hedges, green plants of every description for food and decoration, and a million flowers in every color imaginable. 

Lowe's Home Improvement Centers once had an advertisement:  A woman approaches her backyard, reaches down for what appears to be the side of a large rug, and starts to "shake it out."  What unfolds is her entire backyard landscape, fully grown, brilliant in the sunlight - glowing with flowers, beautifully trimmed grass and gorgeous foliage. Every time I saw that ad, it reminded me of creation.  No, God didn't flip out a fully-formed landscape.  He simply talked - and each thing He mentioned immediately appeared.  Hibiscus!  Peach trees!  Redwoods!  Syacamores!  Red roses!  Hydrangeas!  Lilies! Fig trees!  As His mind thought of them, His voice spoke them, and after all was said and done, God saw that it was good.

 *

You shall go out with joy and be lead forth with peace,

The mountains and the hills will break forth before you;

There’s be shouts of joy and all the trees of the field

Will clap, will clap their hands.

And all the trees of the field will clap their hands,

The trees of the field will clap their hands.

The trees of the field will clap their hands

While you go out with joy.

The Faith We Sing, No. 2279

Sky!

 

God spoke:

Sky!

"In the middle of the waters; separate water from water!"

He separated the water under the sky from the water

above the sky.  And there it was;

He named sky the heavens;

It was evening - it was morning -

Day Two.

Genesis 1:6-8

If I were to name my favorite part of this world in which I live, it would have to be the sky.  First of all, it is blue - most of the time!!  The sky holds the clouds, the sun, the moon, the stars.  The sky is the aerodrome for the birds.  It is beautiful on a sunny day and can be terrifying during a storm.  I do not like to fly in the sky, but I do love to look at it.

On the second day of creation, God parted the waters from the sky, creating two landscapes on which to paint with His creative brush.  From the sky would later emerge the sun, moon, planets, stars and the vast expanse of galaxies near and far.  From the water would spring the land that would house the plants and animals to come.

God has to have something of the dramatic in Him, because He chose to speak everything into being (Psalm 33:9)].  I appreciate that God took His time – calling out one basic element, then standing back to admire His work and plan His next step.  When Day Three arrived, the pace would definitely accelerate.    

* 

When morning gilds the skies, my heart awaking cries:

May Jesus Christ be praised!

Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus I repair.

May Jesus Christ be praised!

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 185 

Light!

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth -

all you see, all you don't see.  Earth was a soup of nothingness,.

a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. 

God spoke:

Light!

and light appeared! 

God saw that the light was good

and separated light from darkness.

God named the light Day,

He named the darkness Night.

It was evening, it was morning--

Day One.

Genesis 1:1-5

When God faced the shapeless darkness that was the area of earth, He knew that the first thing needed was light - piercing, bright light, able to cut through the darkness and illuminate our world.  So He said it, and it was so.  The light was everywhere!  Where did it come from?  Certainly not the sun, moon or stars!  Those were not created until the fourth day.  No, that all-encompassing light had its source in God Himself. 

When Jesus came to this earth, He called himself the Light of the World, intent on breaking up the darkness of sin and death, revealing beams of grace, beauty and truth.  Jesus came to shine the light of His truth into the deep shadows of our world - confronting evil head on and, eventually, giving His life in order to banish all darkness forever.  

* 

Lord, the light of Your love is shining

In the midst of the darkness shining;

Jesus, Light of the World, shine upon us,

Set us free from the truth You now bring us.

Shine on me – Shine on me!

Shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory,

Blaze, Spirit, Blaze, set our hearts on fire.

Flow, river, flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy,

Send forth Your Word, Lord, and let there be light.

The Faith We Sing, No. 2173

Cats

Cats 

The lions roar for their prey,

And seek their food from God.

The sun rises and they steal away,

They return and lie down in their dens.

Psalm 104:21 

I love cats.  Big cats, little cats, tame cats, wild cats - there is nothing in the world quite so beautiful as a cat.  All cats have flexible bodies, quick reflexes, sharp retractable claws, and teeth for killing small (or large) prey.  Not only can cats hear sounds too faint for human ears, they can also hear sounds higher in frequency than humans can perceive.  Cats are adept at both seeing in near darkness and (almost) always landing on their feet.

My first cat as a child was a kitten machine named Susie.  I have no idea how many batches of babies she had when I was a kid, but there were a lot of them.  I have shared a home with a giant cat named Chubbs, a flat-faced, snow white Persian, a female cat named George, a large, tiger striped male named Boopie, and a very talkative Siamese.

The cat in the photograph above is a young tiger who lives on Tiger Mountain in the Bronx Zoo in New York.  There were six or seven tigers lazing around on the day I visited, but this fellow decided he had slept enough and between splashing/swimming/nose diving in the pond and harassing his dozing buddies, he put on a real show for everyone on the other side of the protective glass.  

God’s creation always amazes me – not only for its beauty, but for its color and variety.  God could have made just one species of cat, but instead, he filled the earth with lions, tigers, cheetahs, lynx, leopards, cougars, ocelots, bobcats, and jaguars, to name a few.  I have loved my various house cats, but I look forward to the day when the heavens and the earth will be recreated, and I won’t need a piece of safety glass protecting me from those big, beautiful cats.

*

On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand and cast a wistful eye

To Canaan’s fair and happy land, where my possessions lie.

I am bound for the promised land,

I am bound for the promised land.

Oh, who will come and go with me,

I am bound for the promised land.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 724

 

Delightful Children

Delightful Children

Discipline your children; you’ll be glad you did –

they’ll turn out delightful to live with.

Proverbs 29:17

Your children change so much over the years.  They grow, they mature, they make mistakes, they exhibit good judgment and then bad judgment, they experience heartbreak, they find love, they get their hearts broken, and then mended again.  Not one of my three girls lives her life the way I might do it if I were in their shoes, but I’m not them, they are not me, and they are succeeding at living beyond my wildest dreams.  Each in her own way is truly delightful – a joy for their mother to love and know.

There were times when the girls were growing up that I was too hard on them.  At other times, I was not hard enough.  I was not a perfect parent – they were not perfect children.  The goal of a family is not perfection, however – it is growth, support, and unconditional love.  Whether they are here with me or off living life on their own, I treasure every moment I have with them. 

During this pandemic, I have discovered how very hard it is when my interaction with my kids is severely curtailed.  No visits to New York, no visits to D.C., and very little face-to-face interaction with the ones who live here in town.  We try for weekly phone calls and the occasional Zoom gathering, but it is difficult to mesh schedules even with all three girls working from home.    The coming holiday season will be very different this year, but we are determined to make it a joyful, connected, delightful time.

*

Happy the home when God is there,

And love fills every breast.

When one their wish, and one their prayer,

And one their heavenly rest.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 445

True Friends

Friends come and friends go,

but a true friend sticks by you like family.

Proverbs 18:24

The place: the northern mountains of Albania.

 The time: May of 2007.

Villagers in the northwestern city of Patok captured a wolf; one of them - a fellow known to be an evil, selfish man - put him in a pen.  To feed the wolf, he decided to use "live food" - an old donkey who had been exploited by his owner for years and was now considered worthless.  So he pushed the donkey into the pen with the wolf, and waited to see the gruesome "show."

What happened next?  Certainly not a slaughter!  Somehow the titles of predator and prey were meaningless to these two animals, and they instantly took the stance of protecting each other - becoming friends, if you will, as evidenced by the photo above. 

The story of this amazing companionship quickly became public, and thousands of people petitioned the Albanian government to set the two animals free.  Albanian television covered the story, and under pressure from the public, the animals were finally released.  The donkey was moved to green pastureland and the wolf was released into the wild.  As befits a great story about two good friends, the wolf has been known to drop by the pasture to visit his old buddy.

A true friend is one of the greatest blessings of life.   Take a moment today and let a friend know how much they mean to you.

*

We are pilgrims on a journey,

We’re together on this road.

We are here to help each other

Walk the mile and bear the load.

The Faith We Sing, No. 2222

 

Expectations

My soul, wait only upon God,

for my expectation is from Him.

Psalm 62:5

It was the summer of 1987, and my oldest daughter, a happy four-year-old, was perched in the middle of a hospital bed.  She was scheduled to have heart surgery the next day – the second such operation in her young life.  We had finished our check-in, and she had been placed in a room with another mother/child combo – this one a boy of approximately the same age.  Just as dinner arrived, the other mother smiled and asked what we were there for.  After my explanation, I returned the question, and she said, “Jimmy came in with a temperature above 105 degrees – a fever of unknown origin.”

I was blindsided.  My child was pre-op for heart surgery, and she had been given a roommate with a high fever of unknown origin?    My expectations of the hospital keeping my child as safe as possible evaporated into thin air.  Muttering an apology to the other parent, I kicked off the brake on the hospital bed, grabbed the end rail, and hauled my daughter – bed and all – out of that room and down the hall.  I was almost to the elevators when the medical staff registered that something was amiss and came running after me.  Eventually they placed us in a room with a little girl with sleep apnea.

Expectations of how someone is going to behave, or how a situation is going to evolve, or how things "should be" often let us down - failing to match reality.   The Psalmist set his expectations upon God - the One who never changes - today, tomorrow, and forever.

* 

In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song.

This Cornerstone, this solid ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.

My Comforter, my all in all,

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

UMC Worship in Song, No. 3105

 

Generous Hands

Generous Hands 

Generous hands are blessed hands

because they give bread to the poor.

Proverbs 22:9

Once upon a time, a woman living in a small town in Pennsylvania started handing out free lunches to the children in her neighborhood while they were home on summer vacation.  The food was supplied by a local church to help low-income residents of the township.  For children whose main meal of the day was the school lunch, summer break brought the very real danger of malnutrition for those kids.

The city council found out what the nice lady was doing and ruled that she was violating a zoning law because she was giving food away in a residential area.  She would need to pay $1000 for a variance from the City Council  or face fines of $600 a day.  The community responded with outrage, and under pressure, the Council finally agreed to let the nice lady continue for the rest of the summer.

You would think that the township's administration would have been falling all over themselves to thank a woman who was willing to give of herself for such a thankless task.  The nice lady should have been admired, encouraged and assisted, not tarred and feathered with red tape.  Maybe someone should have urged the City Council to pop down to her side of town at lunchtime and help pass out the food.  Perhaps they would have gained a different perspective and a more generous disposition. 

*

Give thanks with a grateful heart,

Give thanks to the Holy One,

Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son.

And now, let the weak say “I am strong!”

Let the poor say “I am rich,

Because of what the Lord has done for us.”

Give thanks.

The Faith We Sing, No. 2036

 

Honesty is the Best Policy

 Honesty is the Best Policy 

An honest answer

is like a warm hug.

Proverbs 24:26

When I was in my teens and went to my father for his opinion on any terribly important topic to my teenage mind, he would invariably look me straight in the eye, give me his cockeyed grin, and say:  Do you want the truth, or a nicely varnished lie?

When I ran into my problems with the community chorus ladies and made the decision to "retire" from the group immediately, I faced the task of informing the director.  I briefly flirted with the thought of coming up with some urgent emergency (you wouldn't believe!!) that had suddenly (and unexpectedly) popped up from nowhere (things like this do happen), and I just wouldn't be able to perform (oh, I am so disappointed!).  Those thoughts quickly went out the window, however, because I valued him far too much to lie to him.

Friendships are based on trust, and I needed to trust him to understand the unfortunate circumstances and my decision to vacate the field.  Telling someone the truth says, "I trust you with my honesty and with my feelings; I know you will try to understand and give me the benefit of the doubt."  It was trust well placed, for I received a reply of sorrow for what had happened, and complete understanding of my ensuing decision.  His statement, “Thank you for being so honest with me" calmed my heart.  I gave him the unvarnished truth and received a warm hug of friendship in return.

*

Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.

To reach out and touch Him, and say that we love Him.

Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen.

Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.

The Faith We Sing, No. 2086