My Pen...

My Pen...
    ©Kerrie O'Hearn Marquart
          (written in 2005)
At times, the words flow from my pen
As though it knows beginning to end
Just where my thoughts are flowing
The creativity burns within
 To put on paper all that I am
To express my feeling for God and man.

What is my place and task upon this earth?
I look forward to God's guidance to show my worth
As a servant of the Lord.
Every day I have a quest
To see what God thinks will suit me best
And where best, I can serve Him.

Singing praises to my Lord
I love to sing among the crowd
I pray not to think of only me
But only of others, then I am free.

For in giving, I shall get
In loving, I shall be loved
In suffering, I will be comforted
In going without
God will dwell within
Filling my growing heart.
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I was visited by an astonishing young man today and in visiting his Christian blog, I was pleasantly surprised at his wisdom and honesty.  Click on his name on the comment from the last post and you will be glad you did!
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Have a wonderful Memorial Day and remember all of those who are keeping us a free nation where we can worship as we choose and express our views without fear of retaliation!  God Bless America!

♥KERRIE♥
My Christian heart to yours...

Waiting on the Lord...

Work while you are waiting for the Lord's return...

Work and idleness, what is the balance?


  "The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow will not wait while you do the work." ~anon 
  
Take time to enjoy the beautiful things that God has given to us for free, but then work for the things that are not.

   When Jesus promised a second coming, we were to wait upon the Lord.  Some of his followers thought that they need not work or carry on as they had before, they felt they should be idle while waiting, that work was in vain.  but of course God and His Son did not intend this.  We are to work while we are waiting, What can we do?

God intends that we should spread his word, we should minister to the sick, to the ill in spirit, to the poor, to our families and ourselves.  That involves WORK.  We cannot feed our families or buy necessities without an income, can we?  And since no one but God knows the time and the hour of Jesus' return, we cannot sit idly by waiting while God has so much for us to do!

   Matt  25:26    "Upon the master's sudden and unexpected return, the stewards were all summoned to give account. The unfaithful servant, by hiding his master's talent in the ground, guaranteed that those resources would never earn any profit. His behavior was "wicked" and "lazy" (Matthew 25:26). He showed great disregard for his duty to the master and a complete lack of concern about his master's business. The two faithful servants were commended, and their reward was an expanded sphere of service. Because they had made the most of an opportunity to serve him, he rewarded them with more opportunity to serve, and this was opportunity of the most joyous kind: "Come and share your master's happiness" (Matthew 25:23).

   The good steward looks forward to the return of the Master, but also follows His instructions to "Put this money to work until I come back" (Luke 19:13). The Scriptures tell us to plan, save, invest, and give generously, and as we do, God has promised "to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).

♥KERRIE♥
My Christian heart to yours...

Do not despair...

So much happening with my husband's cancer treatment this week, it would be so easy to despair.  But when we are weak, that is when we are strong and we can still find the blessings if we look for them...

A surprise visit from old friends from our hometown let us forget for a few hours the cancer and we had lots of laughs reminiscing the wonderful times past when our children were growing up together.

2 Corinthians12:10 "for when I am weak, then I am strong-the less I have, the more I depend on him."

Many of us are suffering in one way or another.   It may be monetary, health problems, disease, a break up, a loss of a loved one.  It is natural for us to sink into despair but we need not.  We can always find God's blessing among the thorns, a beautiful flower blessing at just the right time and place to ease our troubled mind.  Trust in the Lord. Psalm 34:19  "The good man does not escape all the troubles-he has them too.  But the Lord helps him in each and every one."

♥KERRIE♥

My Christian heart to yours...

The Shadow of Peter...

ACTS 5:14-16  "And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.  So that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.  Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bring sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed."

The Apostles were carrying out their commission to spread the word of Jesus and the Father after His death and Resurrection.  Jesus gave Peter and the others the power to heal in His name.  When the public throngs saw that Peter had healed the lame man who was begging outside of the temple (Acts 3:14) they believed wholeheartedly in Jesus that they felt that by just the shadow of Peter who was Christ's disciple, could heal the sick and afflicted when it fell over them passing by.  What amazing faith and true belief!

We are all looking for a shadow of Peter to pass over us in some way or another.  Wait no longer, just appeal to Jesus himself!  He has never left you, He has sent the Holy Spirit to watch over you.  You can have a personal relationship with Jesus.  Just invite him into your heart and he will come.  We do not get everything we ask for all of the time.  This is because not all of what mortal man thinks he needs, is what he needs.  But rest assured that what you do receive will be from the Lord and that it is the best He has to offer you.

The Book of Acts is an account of what acts the apostles performed after Jesus left them and was taken up into heaven.  It is written by the apostle Luke as he witnessed the events.  It is concentrated on the particular works of Peter and Paul.  I hope you will read more in ACTS and that you have a most wonderful day in the Lord!!

♥KERRIE♥

My Christian heart to yours....

Prayers in Prose....

Sharing prayers in Poetry today...

8/30/2000
                          A Song in my Heart
                                    ©Kerrie O'Hearn Marquart 

There’s a song in my heart
   that is crying to be sung.
There’s a battle in my soul
   that is waiting to be won.
There’s a high road to the Lord,
    waiting to be walked,
And a word of praise
   that is waiting to be talked.
Let me never lose the desire
   to know thee better Lord,
Let me thirst for Living Water;
   show me where to drink it, Lord.

8/31/2000
                      Evening Prayer
                              ©Kerrie O'Hearn Marquart

Lord, touch my weary head,
Bless my sleep in this our bed.
Bless our dreams with sweetness and song,
So we can face the morning dawn,
Bless us when we wake in morning light
And arm us so that we might fight
The good fight for ~ Thee, Lord.

The Bible tells us to "Pray for our enemies."  For what God has in store for them is much worse than we could ever wish them.  All things happen in the Lord's timing, not in ours.  God bless all those who lost loved ones on 911.  The terrorist is dead.  Praying for peace in the world as always.

Thank you for visiting today and come back soon!  Wishing you peace in your heart in the week ahead...

♥KERRIE♥
My Christian heart to yours...

When asking for God's help.....

My Best Friend is a Carpenter...

©Kerrie O'Hearn Marquart

 Music and Lyrics Written in Autumn 1997

My best friend is a Carpenter,

Your best friend is a Carpenter

Our best Friend is a Carpenter

Let that hammer ring!

The Best things in life are made with Love

Good hard work and the Lord above,

So come on and let's build His world

And let that hammer ring!

Chorus:

'Cause My best friend is a Carpenter,

Your best friend is a Carpenter

Our best Friend is a Carpenter

Let that hammer ring!

For the Good Lord ~ He gave us all the tools

And the Good Lord ~ He gave us all the rules

And the Good Lord ~ He didn't make no fools!

So let that hammer ring!

'Cause my best friend is a Carpenter

Your best friend is a Carpenter

Our best friend is a Carpenter

Let that hammer ring!

Let  that  ham - mer ri -i- ing  !!♫♫

   I wrote this particular song for the praise of God but also for my husband as he is my best friend and a carpenter, too!  The music is in an A minor key and since I do not write music but rather sing and play my guitar by ear, I have never written down the notes.  I could do a single note staff painfully if I tried-ha!  But God has already given me the ability to create and play several instruments by ear, I do not question why I do not have the sight reading ability  or writing notes-ha!  It can be sung Acupello with snapping of the fingers to a one, two beat.  I have performed it publicly that way. 

   I love the Lord so much and am inspired to write poetry in His praise very frequently.  When I had just written this praise song, we were staying at a bed and breakfast in the country between McClellansville and Charleston, SC with our eldest daughter and her husband.  There were 2 other couples there, also.  I was sitting on the steps looking out over the beautiful marshes playing my guitar and singing with my hubby beside me.  One of the ladies was a lawyer from NYC.  She and the others fell right into the rhythm and sang along with me.  It was great fun and a blessing.

 

   The next summer, my daughter saw her in Myrtle Beach while shopping.  She asked how I was and said for my daughter to tell her Mom that she was still singing, My Best Friend is a Carpenter!  I loved sharing God's word!  Perhaps I will figure out how to record for the blog so you can hear the song.

   When we are asking God for help or blessings, how do we pray?  What do we ask for?  How do we petition the Lord for blessings?  I would never even think of asking the Lord to help me write music.  I am already inspired by Him, what more could I ask?  I have an old friend who begins to pray with his palms down on a table.  After he prays, he then turns his palms upward to receive God's blessing.  I love this concept!  I have knelt by my bed as a child would do and pray to God quietly...  I have prayed while driving in my car.  Pray wherever you are able.  For the Bible tells us that God can hear us when we pray even if it is in our closet!  My Grandma Rachael also quoted this.  The important thing is God DOES HEAR YOU!  And you must accept that sometimes, just sometimes, the answer is "NO".  God knows what is best for his children and what you may ask of Him, may not be what HE wants for you, it may not be in His plan for your Christian life.  The Lord's answering with a "NO" is not a dead end however, it is a beginning orchestrated by Him.  TRUST!

   Most of the time, God guides believers to an answer through His Word. (Ps. 119:105). Our reading can take us to the very passage that deals with our situation or reveals a principle that applies. Sometimes God speaks a clear message to one person’s heart that nobody else would understand from that particular passage. The secret is to believe that the Lord is going to guide you, and never lose that faith (Mk. 11:24).

If our Lord will help even the smallest of creatures, he  will care for you, also.  Believe that he will take care of you with all of your heart and your very faith will be a testimony to all.  If you have sinned, confess.  If you have not yet invited Jesus and God into your heart, do so!  Do you know that when you confess your sins that God never thinks of them again?  It is written in the Bible.  I will ask you to go back through my earlier posts to see the Bible reference because you might find another of my posts beneficial and also a blessing.

Thank you so much for coming to visit today!  I hope you will come again soon and that you take away a blessing when you leave today.  Feel refreshed in the Lord, do something nice for someone else, even if they are a stranger.  Your reward will be great!

♥KERRIE♥

My Christian heart to yours...

CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY♫♫♫

REJOICE!
Wishing you a blessed Easter Season
A time of renewal
He is risen, the stone is rolled away
The tomb is empty…
How blessed we are!

The Son of God was sacrificed on our behalf for the purpose of atoning for our sins. When Jesus taught this to the people of that time, many considered it heresy and as a result, they demanded His death by crucifixion, a common means of punishment for lawbreakers. Instead of offering a defense before the councils, Jesus was silent. Why? It was the divine plan of the Father God, from the beginning of time, that this be done so that we might have forgiveness and life. It was His purpose.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a gift from God and fulfillment of His promise. It is the very foundation of Christianity. Since the disobedience of Adam in the Garden of Eden, all mankind is born with a sin nature. The Lord tells us that there is a price to be paid for sin and that cost is death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
A life without Christ can only offer eternal death, but the acceptance of Jesus as our risen Savior gives us eternal life. Because eternal death is not what God wants for us, He provided a way of atonement through the crucifixion of His Son, Jesus, and His resurrection.

Thank you for visiting and may you take away a Blessing with you This Beautiful Easter Day!

♥KERRIE♥

My Christian heart to yours...