New Blog, New Name, New Look

Hello Everyone,

I would like to thank everyone that visited Naphtali's land.  All of the stories and poems have been transferred to a new blog.  Look for your favorites and new posts at http://ohlucylordhelpme.blogspot.com/

Humoms

We work to meet your every need

            And build your faith each day
            When life is hard and things go wrong
            We sometimes lose our way

We know our weakness shakes your world

               That’s why we try to hide it

It’s often just beneath the surface

Though our smiles deny it

To never dim your faith with doubt

Because we fail to trust Him

We put our best faith forward

Thinking it’s a fight we must win

                His word reveals the battle’s His

                And we can just let go

                He understands our fears for you

                And teaches us to know

 That In our weakness He is strong

                 Hi love for you is true
                 He holds each teardrop in His hands
                 Cause sometimes Mom’s cry too

IT Forever or I'd Back it Up if I Could Find It

Overwhelmed? I don’t know

Just how low is whelmed?

How high must I go to see it below?

How will I be able to tell?

Why are you looking at me like that?

Everything’s perfectly fine

I always curl up under my desk

To prepare for approaching deadlines

No worries, I’ve got this

How can it miss?

Nothing can happen

That IT can’t fix

So what if the screen didn’t say save?

And the file name is not allowed

I’m sure I remembered to back it up

Do you think it could be on that Cloud?

Alright, I admit it, I’ve seen better days

I think I now know how to tell

My computer is down and IT's not around

That’s when I’m over the whelmed

57 Reasons I Can't Quit Now

No Regrets

                  You Wanna Bet
            Just wait til you turn fifty
            Through everything you’ve ever done
            You suddenly start sifting
 

Counting failures, broken dreams

            And things I could have done
            Excuses, blame and rational
            For me the battle had begun

 The past was not my enemy

             And failure not my foe
             My fears would cause my sure defeat
             If I could not let go

 Fear there was no time to start

             Or no time to finish
             That the passions in my heart
             Just could not be replenished

 The past has been defeated by

             The knowledge that God’s near
             And when I give them all to Him
             His perfect love casts out my fears

                  Now anything is possible

            My hopes deferred set free
            I can’t go back I can’t remain
            The future holds my victory

The Courage to Be Free & the Freedom to Be Courageous

They had the courage to stand and fight

            For man’s most essential rights
            The courage to begin again
            Down the untried path of a virgin plan
 

They weathered the tests and trials unknown

            And continued to work, to build and to grow
            A sanctuary where all could find
            Freedom for hearts and souls and minds

 The blood bought freedom that we must maintain

             Is the freedom to stand and the courage to change
             The things that would find us bound again
             When power corrupt our freedoms demand

 To believe in what’s right – not from afar

             But be willing to fight for who we are
             May our freedom give us the courage we need
             To honor their lives in word and deed

 To stand on our honor, our faith and the truth

             May Freedom for all be our lasting pursuit

Ebb and Flow

Constant momentum beneath a tranquil façade

            Awakened and stirred to a frenzied pitch

With relentless increase its power overwhelms

            Unleashed and remorseless its hunger fulfills

 Then nobly retreating at an unhurried pace

             Slipping back into the guise of serenity

 Its ambitious desires known only by God

             Hindered, barely, by the feeble arms of earth

 

 

Sometimes The Simplest Explanation Is The Best

Being a flatlander from Illinois on a Colorado ranch I had a lot to learn.  One of my teachers was the lead wrangler.  He made his living with horses, working the ranch in the summer, guiding hunts in the winter and blacksmithing year round.  My classrooms were the tack room and the barn where he explained the different types of halters, saddles and leads.

 

He knew every horse on the ranch and talked about each like they were old friends.  Doc, the oldest, was still used for beginners.  He would fall asleep saddled at the rail waiting for his rider and his top speed was a cha-cha-cha – walk two steps and trot three, walk two steps and trot three.  General Patton was a large grey that was used in the lead position on rides when the creek crossings were at high water.  He just walked right in without hesitation and the other horses would follow. 

 

One of the wranglers was showing off his new horse tied to the corral fence next to the barn. As we passed by I commented on how beautiful it was.  My horse loving teacher took one look, shook his head, spit in the dirt (he was chewing tobacco) and said, “That horse is loco, pure and simple. (spit) I told him not to buy it and he went and did it anyway. (spit)  There’s gonna be trouble you wait and see. (spit)”  I started to duck under the fence rail to walk over and take a look but he caught my arm and said, “Don’t ever go near that animal”. He said it with such forcefulness  that I pulled back and decided to watch from a distance.

 

As if on cue, the new horse reared up on its’ hind legs neighing and throwing back its’ head with so much force that he pulled down the entire corral gate and part of the fence.  His owner looked stricken as he surveyed the damage.  My instructor, who was the resident expert, pushed back his hat, and said calmly, “(spit) I told you he was loco” and strolled away. 

The Great Matt or My Dad Walked On Water - Well Almost

Some memories seem to stay with you beyond the years and clutter of everyday

life. They remain vivid while others fade or disappear completely. Included in mine are
memories of my father that I seem to be able to relive in my mind as though they happened yesterday.

My dad came from a large family. He was not the oldest or the youngest but I am pretty sure he

was the one that commanded the most attention. He described himself to his own family as
The Great Matt and told us all that he would live to be 100.  Whenever he saw an opportunity to prove his self-proclaimed greatness and shake things up a little he would grab it.

One Sunday afternoon, at our home by the river, a weekend picnic was in full swing. We heard the sound of Dad's car pull up after a quick trip to the grocery store for Mom.  Everyone was standing
or sitting near the waterfront watching the boats and talking when suddenly he came running
toward us at full speed.  He let out a whoop and ran straight for the seawall.  No one could
believe he was going to jump in with all his clothes on.  He never hesitated or slowed down
and it looked like he was planning to run right across to the other side.  Suddenly his feet left the
ground and it was as if for a few seconds he was suspended in midair.  There was silence as  we
all watched him drop straight down and waited for the inevitable splash. Instead of a splash came the sound of a full grown man landing, no crashing, into a row boat.  The water level was about
4 feet below the top of the wall so no one could see the boat that somehow my dad knew was there.  We stood stunned at the sound but before we could reach the seawall he popped his head over the top grinning from ear to ear.

I will never forget how, in just a few seconds, he took us all on a wild and joyful ride from

disbelief to laughter. That was the Great Matt.  We lost him at age 52 and history would tell you that a great part of his life was very difficult, but he had survived and thrived. His legacy to us was a joyful heart that defied adversity and dared others to join him.
I only hope that I honor him and my Heavenly Father by seizing every opportunity to
to continue that legacy.  Defying the odds and sharing the truth that some may not see, to  move them from disbelief to joy.

Even Then or When Having No Secrets is a Good Thing

Even when I mumble
Even when I whine
Even when I stamp my foot
And refuse to try

Even when I’m quitting
And turn to go my way
Even when the pity party held
Is in my name

Even then You listen
And You never leave my side
Even then You love me
Because You know the Why

Mothers Day or A Place Like No Other

Todays about Mothers
Those here and those gone
To honor, remember and thank them for all

Beginnings don’t matter
The time, place or source
To love as a mother she made the choice

No matter how many

She holds in her heart
There’s a place never shared that was yours from the start

It’s all about you there

You are treasured and known
No matter the distance it is always your home

It’s filled with her prayers

Her hopes and her dreams
For your needs to be met and your goal’s to be reached

How can I be sure

That all this is true
I’m not just a daughter, I’m a mom too

It Could Have Been Friday Forever

Before our Saviors love displayed

Constant sacrifice was made

To cover sin and ease the shame

Because the law was disobeyed

Unblemished blood was spilled each day

To keep the power of sin at bay

To find the Promised Land they prayed

His mighty power would lead the way

And then their came a precious King

To end the pain and suffering

They praised His name and led the way

With hopes his power would win the day

They didn’t understand the plan

God our Father designed for man

They chose the innocent again

To be slain by their own hand

When I remember that fateful day

How for man’s sins Our Lord was slain

I see the choices that I make

And realize how I partake

Because my sins cause others pain

I slay the innocent again

For sins, past present and to come

His sacrifice the victory won

Forgiveness and love that knows no measure

It could have been Friday forever

Eyes of Grace

Hate the Sin and not the sinner

I was told when I found Grace
As He served so I could be His
I must serve to share His grace

How then do I hate the sin

If they think that I hate them
To let You judge and only love
Not to fear but just to care

I asked You to reveal the way

To reach their hearts and feel their pain
To stand on truth because it heals
And let them know your love is real

In Your Word there was a time

When men condemned someone to die
And you asked those who stood by
To cast a stone if sin denied

And when you wrote upon the sand

Not even one could raise a hand
They turned away and could not face
Their sinful hearts in need of grace

Then I remembered love that flowed

Still in my sin Your grace bestowed
On your forgiveness now I stand
No victory by my own hand

The pain, the lies, the circumstance

When I thought there was no chance
How can I hate or judge or shun
Those from the very place I’ve come

When in paradise by grace

Among the saved I see their face
How will I look them in the eye
If I know I passed them by

No difference here or there between us

It is Your Grace that has redeemed us
And Your Word that speaks the truth
Into our hearts and makes us new

 

A Fool Proved Plan or Oh Lucy V

Well here I am again after the longest “month” in history.  The changes to Naphtali’s Land are not quite as amazing as I had hoped they would be.  My own technological deficiencies, procrastination and disorganization are mostly to blame and I won’t even mention the writer’s panic. (Kind of like writer’s block but heavy on the self-doubt).  But my love for writing, reminiscing and sharing His love won out.  I have added some pictures and will continue to add to them to future and past posts as I find them (that is the disorganization part). So without further ado, welcome to the new, semi-illustrated Naphtali’s Land.

 

  

Determined to get back to writing, I decided that a desk in the living room was the answer to the things that had been getting in the way of my creativity. There was a wonderful large wooden desk in my bedroom on the 3^rd floor that I thought would be perfect set back in the corner. I could look out over the balcony, inspired by the seasons and be more accessible to family, kitchen and yes I admit it, the TV. 

 I was so excited about it that I almost didn’t consider how I would get it down the stairs.  My plan consisted of laying it down on its’ top, getting in front of it on the stairs, and slowing sliding down on the seat of my pants with it braced against my back.  I thought that by holding on to the railings on either side of the stairs the chances of anything going wrong were minimal.

 

After taking the drawers out and flipping it over I maneuvered it to the top of the stairs, positioned myself in front of it and reached back to gently tip it over the top step.
I am not sure what all the natural forces that came into play were but they meant business.  I am pretty sure gravity was one of them because as soon as the desk tilted down it began to slide and was not inclined to stop.  It suddenly weighed 500 lbs and there was no way I could either straighten all the way up or relax into a fully seated position.  Half crouched, holding on to the railings for dear life and pushing my back against it as hard as I could, I realized I was no longer in control. Praying as I inched my way down each step I seriously asked the Lord not to let my family find my lifeless body at the bottom of the steps crushed beneath the desk.

To make matters worse when I finally got to the bottom and tried to turn it into the living room it got stuck against the wall opposite the stairs, suspended above the floor.  It is a free standing staircase.  The kind that kids and dogs like to run around from room to room, and I found myself doing a variation of that as I went back and forth repositioning it inch by inch until I could set it down on the floor without damaging the wall.

I am sitting at the desk as I write this thinking about how I pray each day that God will give me the strength and determination I need for whatever I do.  From now on though I think I will let Him pick the projects.