My Hope

Oct2

My hope comes in small doses,
Sliding through minute slits in stone walls,
Seeping past blocks of impossible odds
With God’s grace to guide it all.

My hope exists in ant like circumstances,
Huge supply carried on the smallest prayers,
Despite the reality of dark situations,
Faith remains in a God who cares.

My hope survives through the darkest night,
When deprived of reasonable reason to grow,
When hope should expire and fade away,
My hope believes God’s provision will forever glow.

My hope is forged in the belly of life’s fires,
When need is great and resources slim,
The day is dark and the night is long,
God is my hope and survives because it is Him.
         dfav 9/29/17

—Donna

The Ugly Truth of Man

Aug15

Into the darkness of mankind’s souls I peered,
Places dulled and racked with mocking jeers,
Places once I knew to be bustling with life,
Now endless plains twisted by fear and strife.
In silence I condemn and convict as judge,
Passing sentence to settle the grudge.
Where’s the woman I once knew myself to be?
What stripped me of everything I knew as me?
Tumbling over and knocked repeatedly about,
I took my eyes away from the truth with doubt.
Before I could catch myself I began to fall,
Losing my allegiance to God’s holy call.
Could this be the same Daughter of God I knew?
Could ever again the love of God be renewed?
Oh, yes we each posses the ability to turn
Become the fire fighter who starts to set the burn,
There lurks within each and every one of soul
The monsters we have fought to hide and control.
One wrong act willingly indulged and free,
Sets off a chain of evil with consequences still to be.
But into this abyss Christ plunges in,
One Son of God and man come to pay the debt of sin,
The same Savior who willingly died upon the cross,
Whose redemption cloak over me does toss,
And I am swept away by His mercy and grace,
Reminded I shall see Him face-to-face,
Despite how I repeatedly fail Him and His cause,
His promises to me never cease or pause.
Into the mess of mankind’s heart I peer,
From my face He bottles every single tear,
Despite my abilities for evil He has won my heart,
Evil as man representative I may be yet God upholds His part.
—dfav 8/15/17

—Donna

To You I Offer

Jul31

Photo courtesy of Shane Hobson.

Into Your presence I commit my spirit.
Unto Your will I surrender my plans.
To You and You only I offer my heart,
To You the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit,
Together as one You cannot be torn apart.

Before You I kneel with true awareness,
You are the Master of the Universe,
The God of Abraham, Jacob and Moses,
A God who has a history loyal to fickle man,
Who has pierced Him with thorns and neglected the roses.

To You I give up my selfish ambition.
It’s to You I release the love in my soul.
To You I turn for eternal salvation,
To You I concede I’m at my core a sinner,
And only in You, through You, can I have redemption.

Take of me whatever it is You can use,
Mold me and shape me by Your standard,
Remake, refashion, recreate the disciple You need,
Purge my heart ’til its whiter than snow,
Reap from my life where You’ve planted the seed.

When this life has passed for me,
Repentance will be far too late,
Hear my soul cry out to Jehovah God today,
As the sun breaks with brilliance across the sky,
It is to You, in You, with You I beg to stay.
            —dfav 7/31/17

—Donna

Abba Father, Thank You

Jul27

Abba Father,

Thank You for air.
Air that fills my lungs naturally
And that air pumped in to complete the need.
Thank You for the care
You demonstrate in this provision.

Thank You for choice.
For being able to choose my action,
To decide what I believe and don’t,
And even what in my heart gets traction,
And what slips on away.

Thank You for encouragement.
For voices of now and past,
Who clean out my wounds and scars
So poisonous infections can’t last
But are washed away by caring.

Thank You for this moment.
Of awareness of my many blessings.
For too often I focus on my needs
On what I perceive as being lacking
Instead of what You’ve already given.

Thank You for Your love.
This never-ending resource of Your being
That sets within me the standard
Through which all of life and man needs viewing.
So I can be Your hands and feet.

Thank You for this time.
When our hearts truly communicate,
When there’s no motivation or mission
Beyond what You would dedicate
Towards You and Your people.

Amen.
       —dfav 7/27/17

—Donna

From the Cottage-by-the-Sea, #21

Jul26

Lord,
It boiled out of me like an erupting volcano,
Massive rivers of red-hot painful memories,
Black-as-midnight acts of discrimination,
Spewing it’s poison from mountain to sea.
Then it was over, at least the worse of it.

The path of the destruction stretched across my heart,
Boring a scorching swatch through my prayer house,
Erasing landmarks beneath it’s horrid weight,
I felt as if it were the elephant on top of me the mouse,
So heavy the load of my anger.

Then I felt instead of heat, the sea breezes coolness blow,
Tasted salt upon the air drawn deep into my lungs,
The firm, solid foundation of the place we’ve built here,
And within my soul the phrase blooms across my tongue,
“Thank You Lord for grace.”

No, things aren’t easy and everything is tough,
But, not once have You failed me even if I let You down,
Even when I erupt in anger and frustration,
You keep smiling at me though I give You reason to frown,
Giving me mercy new every day.

Together we can repair the damage and mend the walls,
For the foundation it was built upon is The Cornerstone,
The solid rock of Jesus Christ and His salvation,
Backed by the Father God upon Heaven’s throne,
And the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Praise God, I do not stand alone.
         —dfav 7/26/17

—Donna

A Look into the Heart

Jul21

What evil in mankind’s heart does lurk?
What vile thoughts dare not weave in?
Doesn’t everyone imagine wrongdoings check to skirt?
Oh, don’t forget to dance the band must get paid.

Not far beneath the mask worn each day,
Is the truth about who we are at heart,
Woven skillfully behind the words we say,
Man desires that which God names sin.

Though we may think we’re good at heart,
And sometimes nice things we do achieve,
More often than not we play the part,
Our hearts still remain stained within.

The day will come when life’s dance will cease,
An invoice for our actions be presented,
And payment in full will be expected without a please,
Are you prepared to pay the total cost?

Satan hopes to keep us pleasured and blind,
Thinking ourselves good, well-meaning people,
That man is basically, internally kind,
And that will prevail over the course of time.

Heed the warning and see the true situation,
Separate from God our eternity is cast,
To the destination paved with good intentions,
Unless we accept the price He paid.

The Son of God and man died upon a cross,
A heart pure having never sinned,
Who between God and us recognized the loss,
And willingly gave His life to pay the cost.

Though that act is over two thousand years old,
His Spirit still knocks upon our hearts door,
His gift He gave more precious than gold,
Seals our eternal home with God in Heaven.
          –dfav 7-21-17

—Donna

First Stone

Jul19

With aching heart I turned to God,
“How can she treat me so terribly?
With no respect or understanding?
Dismissing my love so carelessly?”
I quickly named Him a top ten list,
Of the examples of her rude behavior.
And followed that by all the things
That left me with a bitter flavor.
When I at last grew silent and waited
For my Father to validate my hurt,
He said softly, “My Dear Child”,
You too have stomped my feelings into the dirt.”
Puffed up with foolish pride I said,
“No, my dear Lord, never have I!”
But I caught hold of countless memories,
That could fill the canvas of the sky.
The times I failed to thank Him,
For His provisions of the day.
Or times I didn’t try to hard at all,
To follow anything He had to say.
By my actions I have denied His place,
As my God, my Savior and Friend.
Truth is, I all too readily forget
To speak to Him for hours upon end.
Aren’t my sins what condemned my soul?
Aren’t they what put Him on the cross?
Wasn’t I the one upon His mind,
When the Son paid my sins cost?
Suddenly my complaints sound small,
My head is clearer and I can forgive,
I will think about my own attitude,
Pray harder for the life God have me live.
Before I can cast a stone at someone,
For a wrong they’ve done to me,
I must first be without sin myself,
My relationship with God where it should be.
          —dfav 7/18/17

—Donna

Sometimes I Must Ask

Jul18

Is God really silent?
Or do I choose not to hear?
Are there selective buzz words
That my ears want to bear?

Is God not communicating?
Or am I closing my eyes,
Am I refusing to read
The words in the skies?

Is God turned away from me?
My presence to ignore?
Or am I just unwilling
To open my heart’s door?

Am I prideful, strong-willed?
Can’t admit I’ve done wrong?
So by saying God is silent
Makes a more acceptable song?

Do I find the truth ugly?
Does me it even offend?
Sadly, yes Lord it’s true,
I am a fair-weather friend.

O Father forgive me!
May my selfish pride fall,
To You I must cling,
Your voice I hear call.

Wipe away all pretending,
May I seek You and find,
You’ve always been ready
To claim my heart, soul and mind.
           —dfav 7/18/17

—Donna

From the Cottage-by-the-Sea, #20

Jul17


There’s a storm brewing up off the coast.
A long, nearly black mountain range of clouds
Are planted in the horizon like angry boasts
That spill from the mouth of a bully.

Nothing I can do will prevent it from coming.
It has a path and an energy all its own
So I draw in and closer to You by praying,
Whatever the storm brings You will be there.

Let the winds howl with screeching suction,
Let the sand blast as if alive on it’s own,
Let the waves crest with their destruction,
You are here with me through it all.
—dfav 7/17/17

 —Donna

You are God, You are Always True

Jul14

Abba Father,
Before Your throne I call to You,
You are Holy, You are mighty,
There can be no one above You.
Here I prostate myself before You,
Seeking hard to do what’s true,
To worship and adore You.

Through tears that flood like rivers two,
Dams weakened with too much, too soon,
Though calling I can’t seem to locate You,
I will worship You and only You,
No matter what man or nature may do,
You are God, You are always true.
       dfav 7/14/17

—Donna