Pearls of Grace - copyright Lori Dingman

From tears to pearls
grace and strength to endure
to praises of deliverance
When our Heavenly Father
hears the cries of our heart
as we touch the hem of His robe in prayer
and leave our cares at the cross
~
His mercy and grace abounds
as He whispers 'I will not
leave you nor forsake you'
reminding us of Isaiah 43:2
'When thou passest through the waters,
I will be with thee; and through the rivers
they shall not overflow thee;
when thou walkest through the fire
thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee'
~
Watching and waiting
giving the impression that He
has stepped back from our side
but teaching us to keep trusting Him
as deliverance is nigh
~
Though facing difficulties
we choose to faithfully serve Him
praising the Savior of deliverance
Have you chosen to faithfully serve Him?

What Right to Judge - copyright August 7, 2010

Brown bag lunches, leather boots
western ties and blazers
Preston Charles, a twenty four year old
cattle rancher resides
in Torrance Bridge Montana
Since childhood, Preston has been groomed
to work his own ranch
Coming from a family whose priorities
center around keeping company with the right people
~
On an early August morning
while in the stables, grooming his favorite horse
Preston receives a visit
from an old school friend,
the daughter of the local textile manufacturer
Presenting herself in jeans and plaid shirt
she is not the kind of company Preston is exptected to keep
~
During a round of golf
at the Torrance Bridge Social Club
Preston mentions the visit
As conversation erupts concerning
his friend's background, eyebrows are raised
criticizing the young woman's social status
~
Remembering the words of Matthew 7:1
'Judge not, that ye be not judged'
Preston is initially puzzled by the reaction,
and wonders why they were willing
to look past his rought exterior
and see there is more to him than meets the eye
Realizing his friend is being judged
by a different set of values
opens his eyes to the kind of club
whose standards are less than honorable
~
Tired of the biases the club has adopted
Preston's voiced disapproval
receives defended justification in spite
of his fervent request that its members
look inside themseves
and re-evaluate membership standards
Like Preston, are you also willing
to look inside yourself
and take a stand against open prejudices?

River of Gold - copyright November 2005 - signature poem

Trees dressed in vivid colors
of gold, orange, red and yellow leaves
In the midst of autumn splendor
she loved walking with her King
~
The longer they strolled
the more she enjoyed
the majesty of His presence
and began to thank Him for who He is
~
In awe of His perfection and glory
as they enjoyed the afternoon
she humbly asked her Savior
to help her understand
the reasons she endured difficulties
~
'My child, because I love you
I wept in the midst
of watching you
but it was necessary
to shape your heart
so that in my likeness you would be'
~
At first glance it seemed
like just a river and the purpose initially
was unclear, then she knelt
beside her Savior at the river's edge
and gently touched the hem of His garment
Instantly she felt something unmistakable
that spoke to her soul
~
Because He knows the depth
of her love and how she has longed
to serve Him and strives
to please Him in all ways
He smiled at the sincerity
of her worship as He listened
to her gratitude for abundant blessings
daily guidanc, strength
and the wisdom of Solomon
~
The longer she knelt beside her King
the more it all made sense
Each time her tears flowed
her faith never faltered
Instead she held tighter to His hand
Her trust never diminishing
~
If you walked with Jesus
through autumn's splendor
unaware of your destination
would you also continue
to hold tight to His hand
and trust where He leads you
without questioning His perfect plan?

From Vision to Fruition - copyright October 20, 2011

Like pieces to a puzzle
each painted with a clue
slowing revealing a picture
beautiful and new
Because of Jesus, the master designer
and creator of our lives
who was sent to Calvary on the cross to die
~
We are redeemed by the blood
on that old rugged cross
Because He knows the future
of souls that have been lost
and now have been found
~
The words of Ephesians 1:7 'In whom
we have redemption through His blood
the forgiveness of sins, according
to the riches of His grace'
reminds us that we are cleansed
by the blood of the lamb
~
And when we humble ourselves daily
before the Lord in prayer
obeying His Holy Word
Because He is a loving, merciful and gracious God
we are assured of being brought into His fold
to enjoy a personal relationship
~
Have you allowed God to transform you
let Him place the pieces
painted with His love and mercy
grace and forgiveness
revealing your life beautiful and new

Circle of Light - copyright March 14, 2011

Europe, the Orient and Caribbean Islands
Bibles in many languages
Gospel tracks in the hands
of those who have answered the call
of Mark 16:15 'And He said unto them
go ye into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature'
~
Michael Andrew, is a member
of Rutgers Hollow, Community Church
burdened to bring the good news
of the Gospel to the farthest
corners of the world
~
After Michael Andrew is chosen
to represent Rutgers Hollow
like Moses doubted his ability
to carry out Jesus' request
Concerns of a lack of confidence
fill Michael Andrew's thoughts
until he commits his concerns to prayer
~
What he first perceives to be
an impossible task
communicating in a foreign tongue
the good news that is the gospel
He comes to realize
as he searches their faces
it is not fear he senses
but rather curiosity
~
Are you like Moses, afraid
to step outside your comfort zone
and carry out a task Christ has entrusted to you
or are you like Michael, do you
also believe the words
of Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things
through Christ which strengthens me'