A Holy Blog by Valerie Booker Thurman

When walking through the valley of the shadow of death

Carry the light of Jesus Christ before you

Then the shadow will always be behind you

And the light of Jesus will see you through

In the midst of a storm, bombarded on all sides

You cannot see a way out all on your own

Outside of the storm, there is Someone to call

Jesus will take your hand and bring you through it all

At the door of a trial, you turn and try to escape

Not knowing the outcome, not wanting to wait

The trial may be hurtful and may cause you some pain

But the lesson you learn is all for your gain

Trials and tribulations may be hard to go through

But by going through trials is how your faith grew

These storms give us insight to the depth of God’s grace

The otherside of through, gives us strength for life’s race

Christmas 2020

Is the same as all the others

We celebrate Jesus

As sisters and brothers

Jesus is the reason

(that will never change)

To celebrate this season

(even though things seem deranged)

With difficult circumstances

Like never before

Hatred and violence

Exposed more and more

The world and its systems

Are changing everyday

Not moving towards God

But the opposite way

The world is the world

And we are not of it

Heaven is our home

Worldly things, we forfeit

So no matter the year

Or the trials of the day

We celebrate Jesus

Every Christmas Day

Christmas is CHRISTmas

No matter the year

The focus is Jesus

His birth we will cheer

I want to represent my Lord

By the life in which I live

To reflect His love for all

And the precious life, He did give

I don’t just want to speak His words

Although they do give life

I want to live and walk the way

That my life will shed His light

Sometimes our words won’t reach the ears

Of those lost in despair

But with their eyes, they might see

Through us how Jesus cares

A picture is worth a thousand words

It gives voice without the sound

Our lives can be a picture too

Showing how God’s Grace abounds

An epistle is a messaged letter

To be read and understood

Our lives can be a living message

That with Jesus life is good

So as we walk upon the earth

Let us walk in such a way

That when others look at us

They’ll see Jesus alive today

CHRISTMAS

T’was the night before our Savior’s birth

People were moving all over the earth

For they did not know the time had come

The timely awaited, birth of God’s Son

The people were living from day to day

Not knowing there’d soon be a better way

A Savior to be born, this coming day

Shepherds in fields, attending their sheep

Families at home already asleep

There shone in the sky, a bright shiny star

That beckoned to kings to come from afar

He was laid in a manger, a symbol it was

Of the unblemished Lamb that He would become

In time He would grow into a man

Reconciliation to God was part of the plan

He came to do His Father’s will

And every prophesy, He fulfilled

As God’s only Son, He came to save

He died, was buried, but empty is His grave

For death it could not hold Him down

By the laws of God, was He only bound

He paid a debt, He did not owe

A debt for sin, and shame, and woe

Because of His love for you and me

He gladly hung upon that tree

He holds salvation in His hands

It is a gift on which we can stand

Know the story of Jesus’s birth

Learn about His life here on earth

Then live your life based on what He has done

Salvation comes by no other one

When you commit, you have decided

You, yourself, used your free will

It is a step in the right direction

For God’s purpose in your life to be fulfilled

When you commit, you say “I want to”

And you have control of what you do

It is a decision that you have made

And it’s up to you to carry through

When your commitment turns into surrender

And your will is no longer your own

You have turned your life over to Jesus

God’s will has now become your own

Surrender your life to Jesus Christ

Go further than your will to commit

Surrender your life and your will

For Jesus’ blood has made you fit

So take the first step and commit

But don’t let your journey stop there

Move forward and choose to surrender

Then God’s will and His voice you will hear

Have you ever seen a herd of sheep

With no lambs within the fold

Shepherds sure would be concerned

That their flocks would get too old

Sheep that are not reproducing

Not adding numbers to their kind

Will cause the herd to dwindle

Down to nothing in due time

If you want the flock to flourish

To grow in number and in size

Surely lambs are always needed

There can be no compromise

As a body of believers in Christ

In a church where there are no lambs

The shepherd and the sheep lose sight

Of who will carry on God’s plans

The lambs are as important

As the shepherd and the sheep

Secure the herds existence

With lambs made strong not weak

We all are ewes when it comes to the lambs

Nurturing them in God’s word and His will

That they all become sheep of His pasture

Gather more lambs for the flock to be filled

So when you look around the pews

And young lambs can not be seen

We as sheep must change our view

And bring in lambs to be weened

The meeting was called to order

They took their seats and settled in

They were there to approve the plans

To build an after school center and gym

The common concern was for the children

A place of safety for after school fun

Not going home to an empty house

Most parents workday was not yet done

The meeting became very disruptive

And soon was out of hand

People shouting from their seats

Each one had their own plans

They soon lost sight of their common goal

Fussing over flooring and the color of walls

Forgetting the children and getting of track

No building approved, they were choking on gnats

The children had nowhere to go at that time

Some made good choices, some turned to crime

Would the center have helped, having some place to go?

After choking on gnats, hmmm, we may never know

In times of trials and suffering

When things are going south

There is a form of buffering

It’s speaking God’s word from your mouth

How do we so often forget

The times of God’s refreshing

For He is faithful not to neglect

To shower us with blessings

As ones who know the word of God

We Christians should all know

To be aware of falsehoods and facades

God’s truth is what we should know

So remember trials you’ve faced before

That God has brought you through

And take a seat at Heaven’s door

Wait and see what God will do