Who am I?

I am the child unwanted, unloved and unplanned.
I am the woman that is batter and broken.
I am the imperfect, ugly and fat
Even the love I give is unacceptable.
I am rejected by husbands, church, and man.
I am the ungifted, untalented, lacking value
That will never amount to anything.
I am the homeless and the sick.
I am the poor and defenseless
That is overlooked or picked on.
I am the worker no one wants
And the floor mat everyone takes from.
I am lonely and abandoned
By those that should have love me.
And left to make it on my own.
I am a powerless victim
I am void of all hope and love
That would welcome the comfort of a grave.
This is who the world said that I am.

Those who become Christians become new persons. I am not the same anymore for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17
I am confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

GOD SAID
I am loved so much that God would give up his only son
that I might have an everlasting life. John 3:16
I am loved so much that God would accept me
And adopt me as His own precious child. Galatians 4:5
See how very much our heavenly Father loves me,
for He allows me to be called his child and I really am. 1 John 3:1
Before I formed in the womb, He knew me;
And before I was born I was consecrated to You. Jer 1:5
For You didst from my inward parts;
You didst weave me in my mother’s womb.
You caused me to be fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are You works, And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book they were all written,
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them. Ps 139: 13-16
But God demonstrated His own love toward me, that while I was yet a sinners, Christ died for me. Romans 5:8
Christ did seek the lost, bring me back, bind up my brokenness, and strengthening my sick. He will feed His flock and give them rest. Ezekiel 34: 15-16
He was wounded for my transgressions, He was bruised for my iniquities, the chastisement for my peace and by His stripes I am healed Is 53:4-5
Christ heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Ps 147:3
Christ pardons all my iniquities, heals all my diseases,
He redeems my life from the pit,
And crowns me with loving kindness and compassion,
He satisfied my years with good things
So that my youth is renewed like the eagles. Ps 103: 3-5
God has said, “ I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13: 5
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:18
“I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Roman 8:28
My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
The Lord will give grace and glory: No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Depend on the Lord in whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3
O taste and see that the Lord is good: How blessed is the man that takes refuge in Him! Ps 34: 8
The Lord is a strong fortress. The Godly run to him and are safe. Proverbs 18:10
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies. PS 18:2-3
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Ps 46:1
Cast your burden upon the lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken Ps 55:22

Kathy Barnes
Copyright 5-19-09

The Promise

I have been angry with God and I have been put to shame.
This clay has said to the potter, “What are you doing?”
I lack understand and wisdom. I thought myself equal to God.
I said I know best and this is not fair.
I presented my case, brought forward my strongest argument.
I cried to God to explain to me His reasoning
But He did not answer me for I was a fool.
Woe has come to me because I have quarreled with my Maker.
The justice due me did not escape the notice of my God
Because of my raging and grumbling against Him
And because of my arrogance and pride.
His hand of blessing He removed from me
And gave to me instead a hook for my nose
That I might learn humility, my power, and my wisdom.
Depression and sorrows were my only friend
And the little faith I had abandon me.
I wandered in the wilderness for many days
Until thirst and starvation over took me.
I could not stand before the consuming fire of the Holy One
And the continual burning within the bitterness of my soul.
As I lay dying I remembered my true form and my spirit cried out,
Was it not the Lord, against whom I have sinned,
And in whose ways I would not walk, and would not obey?
Jesus Christ forgive me once again I begged.
Restore me to health and let me live!
I will again bow my knee to Your will.
I will again offer up to You the sacrifice of Praise.
I will again give thank for all that You have done.
I will again declare Thy faithfulness and goodness.
I will again fall down from the weight of Your Holiness.
I will again bask in Your presences and wonder.
I will again serve my Maker and Creator.
I will again be a witness of Your love.

Not because I deserved it or merit it, but for His own sake
He heard my cry and answered me in His faithfulness.
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor my praise to graven images.
I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
And I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.
You have burdened Me with your sins,
You have wearied me with your iniquities.
Yet you have not relied on me and have become weary of Me.
It is I who wipe out your transgression for My own sake.
It is I who choose to remember them no more.
You have rejected me, but I not rejected you
Because you have humbled yourself at the foot of the cross.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But my Word stands forever
My covenant of love I will not break.
You are my servant, whom I have chosen
Descendant of Abraham, my friend.
I am your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb
I have created you for My glory
And you will not be forgotten by me for I am faithful.
I called you by your name, and gave you a title of honor
Though you did not yet know me.
Do not fear, for I am with you,
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am Your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help You,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched.
Since you are precious in My sight,
Since you are honored and I love you
I will give other men in your place
And other peoples in exchange for your life.
Do not fear, for I am for you.
I will never leave or forsake you.
Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
Nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing,
Shall be able to separate you from my love.
There is no longer any condemnation in you
For you are know my adopted child set free from slavery.
I am conforming you into the image of my Son.
I will cause all things to work together for your good and my purpose.
You can trust me because heaven and earth will pass away
But My word never will. It is every faithful every true.
It will not return to me void without accomplishing
That which I sent it forth for I am the Great I AM.
It is my good pleasure to give to you every good gift
And every spiritual blessing so that you want for nothing.
Place your faith in me and you will see that it will be.
But above all be still and know that you are loved.
Open up yourself to receive all of me for there
You will find my mercy, my joy, my peace, my hope and my healing.
When the storms come and you cannot see my hand
Look into my face, my eyes, and my heart
And know that all is well with your soul
For He that is in you in greater that he that is in the world.
You have sow in tears but shall reap with joyful shouting
For the Lord your God, the Rock on which you stand
Promises are forever true regardless of what you do.

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Thy word.
It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Thy statutes.

Kathy Barnes
Copyright 2-3-2010

Trust

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. It sounds so simple yet so impossible. If I had not been so broken by life’s disappointments I wonder if it would be just as hard. But, other things have failed me; family, friend, jobs, possessions, love, and health I find myself doubting the Lord.
It is so hard for me to trust in that which I cannot yet see. I trust the sun will come up in the morning and the moon at night for I have never known a day when it did not. It is easy to trust when there is no test. But, what do we trust when we are in the fire and the flames are getting higher. We trust that there is a God. Nature and life proclaim it. We know without a doubt that we are not that perfect, and that wise. It is the first step.
We trust that He is bigger than we are. If you are like me you already tried and failed to do the job. You have been unable to blend the world to your desires. God spoke and made the Heavens and the Earth, flood the Earth when there had been no rain, parted the Red Sea, brought water from a desert rock, and raised the dead. Therefore, we fall back on trusting in a God bigger than ourselves. Step two we acknowledge that He can for if He cannot there is no hope.
Next come the hard question will He do it for me. Do I trust God enough to believe what He says about me? He says that I am loved, that I have value, that I have been bought with a price, and nothing can take me out of His hand. I am His child and that He has a hope and a future for me. It does not come easy for I know who I am, and who He is. God did it for David, for Paul, for Abraham, for the women at the well, and for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He has never turn anyone away or said you are not good enough. Christ blood will always cover us if we but ask forgiveness and He bestows on us His righteousness.
Fourth comes the real test do I trust Him enough to do the things He said I can. Can I stand and speak forth the things that He has said to be, or do I tremble in fear and said I cannot do it? Do I give up because I cannot see what is around the corner? Do I believe the lies and curses that other have spoken of me, or take my value from my Father?
Trust may not be easy for me, but it is not just wishful thinking. It is based on something more. I look at a chair and judge whether it will hold my weight for I have sat in chairs before and I have seen others sit. I have seen the Lord do for others and I have seen what He has done in the past for me. I have not been put to shame as Baal believers, for just as He did for Elijah, He has always answered me. He has not always answered in my time or the way I would have chosen, but He has answered. Still, I do not base my hope on what someone else has said about a stranger, but on a Father, I know. Therefore, when things look their darkest with no way of escape, I look for the light and trust that it will be there. I can go through the fire for I am not alone. I may fall down and be singed by my unbelief, but I will regain my sense, rise again, and run into the victory that He has promised for I know whom I have placed my trust and I know whom I have believed. The fire is never pleasant, nor the testing fun, but each time when it is over I am closer to Him. I do not have to understand the why of it, only be purified by the process. So I stretch my heart one more time and said, “ I can do all things through Him who strengthen me.”

Kathy Barnes
Copyright 5-23-09

Trials

Trials come in many forms. Some are simple: the flat tire, the promotion that went to someone less qualified, the temptation to goof off when no one is looking, or the annoying neighbor. Others are more challenging: the wayward child, the lost of a loved one, not knowing where we will sleep or what we will eat, the abusive relationship, and the doctor that said there is nothing else that he can do.
We all have them, some of us it seems more than our share. They make or break us for we will rise or fall to them. They are meant to show us our hearts and what we truly believe for our heart easily deceives us. They are meant to drive us back to God. If we do not learn the lessons, He is faithful to repeat them until we do. It is by this testing that we grow and are refined and purified into the image of Christ. While no one in their right mind welcomes life’s trials, we should not be surprised by them either for we have good company.
Christ faced many trials and showed us how we should come through. His first, would He give up his right to be worshiped as God and become a servant to man and His father? He chose to humble himself and leave heaven. Would he give up his right to be anywhere he wanted and do anything he wanted? He chose to become a helpless babe lying in a manager. Would he give up his right to all the power in the universe? He chose to become man with all his limitations.
Of all the children ever born He alone could have said I know more than you know to his mother and step father and been right. He chose to obey. He offered the sacrifice of a lamb at the temple. Could we have knowing that one day it would be our blood? Would we be willing to give up our right to holiness and take upon us sin and death? Would we be willing to cut off all communication with the Father we held most dear to our heart? He did. Would we be will to follow the Fathers plan, or would we have said there has to be another way and refused? Would we have said that it is just too much to ask and turn our back? He did not.
He did not have to go into the wilderness and fast for forty days. He chose to search for God. He could have cast Satan away with one word, but he chose to be an example to us and use God’s word. He could have accepted Satan’s offer to rule the world for it was His to rule. He chose to follow His Father plan and timing and not His own. Are we not lucky that He is not as selfish and impatient as we are? He had other minor trials. He was hungry when fig tree had no fruit. He was tired enough to sleep on a boat that was going under. One he loved denied him him three times. He saw his friends died and wept over them. Some of his family never accepted him. The leaders of the day and people of his hometown rejected and despised him when he was right. He chose to endure.
Then there were major trials in his life. So many times, I am grateful that the Lord does not show me what is ahead, but Jesus Christ could see Gethsemane and the road to Calvary. He chose to walk it to show his love for me, knowing that I would be the one to drive the nails in him. He chose to do His father will and make a way back home for me to be with God. The pain, the shame, the curse, and the sentence He willing took for me, when He had in His power to call ten thousand angles to take Him from it. I would not have had to think about it for I minute. I would not have laid down my life for me. He faced deaths trial and chose to descend into Hell and set it captives free. He chose a love so great the angles still sing about it and sinners such as I still bend their knee and hearts.
When the flames of the trials that I face are rising higher, and I am tempted to say too much, I cannot stand. I remember Him, and whatever I am facing seems small. I draw upon His strength and love for He is merciful and kind. I run to my rock, my fortress, my deliver, my stronghold for He is my protection and healer. I cling to His word and His promises for He is faithful and true. I believe that it will be all be worth it when I get to the other side.

Kathy Barnes
Copyright 6-13-09

Rise Again

Rise Again

My soul cries out to You. Oh, Lord
My mind is torn apart with worries and trouble.
The tears run freely day and night like a mighty river.
Fear and heartache have overtaken me and dragged me down to the pit.
Joy and Hope have abandoned my broken heart
Withering like a flower in the heat of day.
My body began to turn back to the dust from which it came
And I despaired from the thoughts of the trials of another day
The obstacles too many, and the pains too great to bear.
Satan said, “God has forgotten You. You are finished.”

Somewhere deep inside a small quite voice says. “I am here.”
“You are not alone and I still love you.”
“I have a plan, a hope and a future for you.”
“I will not give You more than you can take.”
“I know the path ahead of you and the way you should go.”
“Trust me to give you only what is best for you.”
“You can only see the present, but I see the future.”
“Remember Who I am.”

So I took my eyes off me and looked up.
He begged me to step out and walk on water.
He showed me the times he carried me along the seashore.
He reminded me of the times that we dance in the fires
And He parted the sea so we could walk on dry land.
He caused the sun to stand still so the battle went in our favor.
He descended down to the pit of Hell to free me from death hold
And lifted me back up to solid ground.

I felt my heart start to revive and my soul sing again.
I refused to remain in this valley and released my faith.
I said to the mountain move out of my way.
I am going to rise again for I know where my victory lies.
It can be found buried in the promises of God’s word.
It can be found in the strength and faithfulness of His heart.
I will cling to the rock of my salvation until I rise again.

Kathy Barnes
Copyright 11-10-09

Road to the Mountain Top

I have been in the valley so deep
That I thought it a bottomless basin
Whose grasp I could never escape.
I had been thrown in the blazing fire.
I feared it to be an inferno that would never end
And I was nearly consumed by it.
It flames seem to evaporate all joy
And consumed all hope of a future.
I have walked through the desert
Scorching hot, lost without direction
For what seemed like an eternity.
My path was hidden from me
And I did not understand why I could not find it
And why my cries for help fell on deaf ears
For I had forgotten to whom I belonged.
My enemies pushed me toward the pit
Demanding my destruction and death.
All my strength had left my body
And it no longer prevail against the attack.
My faith seemed to have fail me and retreated
On the mighty seas of doubts and fears.
I have said that no one remember me
That I was all alone and forsaken
Forgotten even by family and friends.
And I believe I was abandon by God himself.
I could find no comfort, no solace.
Love arms were a distant memory.
My heart was shattered into a million pieces
For it could not retain life’s sorrows.
Each piece was more damaged than next
Knowing only depression and misery.
I said it is no use and I longed to be dry bones
So that the pain and sorrow would know and end.


When I could bear, no more Jesus took me by His side
And said, Lend on me for I am strong and you are weak.
My child you are not alone and unloved
As you have imagined it, for I have never left you.
You have only taken you eyes of me
And tried to stand in your own power.
Trusting in your eyes and not my heart
You tired to chart your own path.
Walk beside me, not ahead where there is danger
Tomorrow holds enough troubles.
Nor walk behind where you can be lost in past failures.
I know the path that best for you. I see your future.
Stay close to me and I will protect you.
Delight in my glory and my being.
Be still. Sit here and rest in shadow of presences.
Its love will quench the fiery flames of life
And fill your soul with living water.
Restoring your soul, your spirit, and body
For I am your hope and future
And you have not begun to dream
Of all I have prepared for you.
You are my true love, my bride to be.
I have already released my blessings
And poured out my gifts on you.
All that is required is that you open
Up your hand and heart to receive them.
They have already been bought and paid in full.
Eat of my bread and see that it is sweet and good.
I will wipe away your tears of sorrow
For they are only for a season
So that you may know your heart and learn to trust mine.
I will place you on the mountaintops in blessed ecstasy.
I will give you hind’s feet so that you will leap with joy
And it will be seven times great than your pain.
One day we will be reunited dancing across the floor of heaven
To the songs and praise of angels forevermore.
But until then know that I am always in your heart
And you are always within mine
And it will be well with your soul.

Kathy Barnes
Copyright 10-3-09

Peace Be Still

Peace be still my trouble soul,
The great I AM is still alive and active,
So calm the waves of the storms and rest in ease
Despite the troubles and trials of the day.
Be strong my heart and take courage
Trusting only in Adonai’s goodness
For He will sustain you in the desert
And will cause the winter of difficulty
To melt into the hope of spring’s jubilee.
Wait for Yeshua to come near to you
As the ground waits for the first and second rains
To bring forth it fruit and bounty
In both your being and the works of your hands.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve you.
Do not give in to fear for He is with you.
Wait on Him and let His light shine forth.
He directs my path and my steps,
Leading me in the truth and teaching me
For He is the blessed God of my salvation
Who adopts me as His own child.
By faith I wait for your righteousness
To fall down on me and cleanse the spirit within me.
With your eye, you will guide me
To pasture filled with the green grass of rest
And I will wait there for Your guidance.
I hunger for your voice and I wait patiently for it.
I have no appetite for my ear’s to be tickled
But passionately covet the voice of my shepherd.
My soul languishes for Your word
To become alive in active in my heart.
For it, I will eagerly await from sunup to sundown.
I yearn for your spirit to set fire to my heart
Burning away sin’s hold, purifying it,
And filling it with Your love and compassion.
I am craving for You to touch my soul
And cause it to sing for joy and hope.
It is my desire to be immersed in Your presences.
Your glory, Your holiness, Your face I seek.
Wait my soul for His glory and blessing
To shine down on you and bring you life.
Body, you are weak, tired and worn down
But He is strong, powerful, and victorious.
Oh my troubled, fearful, worried soul wait on Him
For those that wait on the Lord
Will gain new strength
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
The will walk and not become weary.
Let me not grow impatient
And leave before He fills my soul
With all that, He has desired to give me.
Like Martha, I am always in a hurry
And have so many things to do
But I need to set at His feet
And open my ear and heart
To His pleasures and wishes.
I want everything done yesterday
Nevertheless I need to find time
To lay prostrate at the foot of the cross
And wait in its beautiful promises
Of love, forgiveness, mercy, and hope
Until my soul is renewed with life and joy.
Let me not lose heart at doing good
For in time I will reap the benefits.
Peace be still my trouble soul
Wait on the Lord God of Israel
For He is faithful and He will not fail you
And in His time He makes all things beautiful.

Kathy Barnes
Copyright 7-25-09

Joy Comes in the Morning

Joy comes fresh with each new morning.
All the earth seems to sing praise of a beautiful creation.
The rain of the long black night has stopped.
The ground is sweet with the smell of hope and promise
That comes after the long and wearisome drought.
The dawn rise to great the day with it radiant beams of light
Filling the sky like rockets announcing the gift of a new day.
The sun golden rays play a blissful game of hid and seek.
It speaks of joy and gladness that is to come.
Yesterdays worries and sorrows are gone, banished by the light.
The roses give off a wonderful exotic perfume
So that even the air is full of delight smells anticipation.
The bright yellow daffodils raise their head in elation.
Just as we lift our head toward heaven
And our hands in praise of the giver of life
The might oaks leaves rustle with new life
Bursting froth abundantly in all directions
And the promise of great and glorious things to come.
And the failures of the past slip quietly away.
Butterflies dance across the breeze in pure delight and pleasure.
The dreary and mournful song of the nightingale is gone
Replaced instead with the praises of the cheerful songbirds.
As they, chirp good day and sing, blessing fall on you.
Awake, sleepy head they cry, good things are ahead
Open up your eyes and see the bounty of the day.
Look forward and look up in faith and expectation
But never down or back in hopelessness and despair
For joy comes fresh with each new day and it is always enough.
It sings to our heart and makes us glad and thankful
No matter what the circumstances or trial that befalls us
Be still and listen to morning’s glorious song
For you will find God there and His peace.

Kathy Barnes
Copyright 5-16-09

Faith

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
Faith is opening oneself to the idea of someone or power bigger that ourselves.
Does it take more faith to believe in God, that there is no God, or that we are equal to God?
I look at the mountains, valleys, sky, stars, sea, plants and animals of every kind.
I know that it is no accident; there must be a God that created it all.
Can I make even one of these from nothing? No. Then I am not equal to God?
Faith is a conviction that whose things that God as said will be trustworthy and true.
He walked with man at the beginning and gave to him his word.
God told man that he would die if he disobeyed. We did and we have been dying ever since.
It pained God to watch but He keep his word and set in motion a way back.
Faith is saying with confident that He will bring about His will.
He gave His written law to Moses, to keep us safe. He spoke to the prophet to guide us.
Abraham received it and was blessed because of it and made a convent with God.
By it we grafted back into abundant life.
Faith is trusting His heart for good when we cannot yet see the plan.
By Faith we have the assurance of His wonderful love and salvation.
For it is by faith that we receive His son and are forgiven our sins.
It is by faith that we believe we will one day enter heaven.
It is standing with confident that what He said He will do despite the fact that we cannot see it yet.
We trust that the sun will come up another day and we believe that tomorrow will be better than yesterday by faith.
It is saying if I never see the answer still I will hold to the fast to the promise.
Faith is putting one foot in front of the other and heading out, without knowing the destination.
Trusting him to provide and meet our needs just as He does the flowers of the field.
Believing that he will feed us just as He does the birds of the air.
Faith is handing over the worry and trouble of the day and entering into His rest.
It requires that we let go of our false believe that we are in control and can make a difference.
It demands that we acknowledge that we are in God’s hands and not our own.
It asks that we demonstrate that what is in our hearts with actions.
That we step out on the water, that we walk into the lion den,
That we are thrown into the fire, that give up our last morsel of bread,
That we give up our fears, our failures, and our pride
Before we see the outcome, before we know the future.
It can move mountains or sink ships depending of it strength.
It does not come easy, but slowly grows with each test along the way.
In the right hands it can part the Red Sea, cause the sun to stand still,
Release the prisoners from the four corner of the world to come home,
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, bring victory, and defeat Death.
The weak in faith are tossed about like ships, taking on water until they cannot stay afloat,
Or a tree bending back and forth with the changing winds until its bough breaks.
Oh, heart of mine remember all He has done for you.
Plant your feet and hold your ground against the storm.
Do not listen to the lies of Satan, Do not entertain his thoughts
But trust only in God’s word. Speak only what He has said until the mountain moves.
Let the fire produce its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing.
Count it all joy for you will receive the crown of life and His blessing if you endure.
For faith without works is dead and I too want to be called a friend of God.

KATHY BARNES
Copyright 4-24-09

Black and White

I miss the days of black and white
When right was right and wrong was wrong.
Today feels full of shades of gray, but sin is still sin.
The puritans were too strict and legalist but
Now the pendulum has swung the other way
Anything goes, nothing is wrong if it feels good.
No one seem to know just what they stand for,
So we stand for nothing and let life move by.
Can anyone recollect when Rhett Butler’s curse
Shocked the world and made headlines?
Now our children don’t even know why it is wrong.
The air is filled with every kind of vile filth.
Does anyone beside me remember when
Lucy and Desi sleeping in two beds was shocking?
Now we let the most explicit sexual shows into our homes.
Does anyone recall when cheating was taboo
And frown on, not one of the most popular blogs.
Society would not condone blatant or secret affairs
And if found out it was ground for being impeached.
Just when did it become sociable acceptable?
Do you remember Jim and Margaret Anderson?
The husband and wife loved each other and the kids.
The husband worked hard to make a living and raise his kids.
The wife kept things running smoothly and took care of problems.
The kids often got in trouble but respected their parents
And in the end learned to be a better person.
Today our wife are desperate, and our fathers missing.
Consider what happen at Laura little house on the prairie?
They went to church and school in the same building.
They were poor but offer helping hands to others.
They did not ignore the blind and orphans?
Do you remember when the good guy wore white hats?
Matt Dillion and the Lone Ranger were heroes
And not the gangsters that brag
About shooting cops and degrading women.
When you watched Perry Mason or Dragnet’s Joe Friday,
You knew without a doubt that crime did not pay.
Murders, drug dealers, and crooks ended up in jail.
Not writing books on if I had killer her, this is how I did it.
I think we have lost something when we no long see
Thieves, murders, and child abusers hung on a noose
But instead pay big bucks to pay homage to their dead bodies.
Reminisce with me to time when the most violent thing on TV
Was Tom and Jerry and the Roadrunner.
Today blood and gore fill the screens.
Video games give point for stealing cars,
Running over pedestrians and killing cops.
Does anyone recall when Presley hips and songs
Were banded as to radical and racy?
What would Ed Sullivan think of Madonna?
We may laugh at Mash’s Hot Lips and Hawkeye
But never the men that fought for freedom
These brave men were honored and respected.
Do not forget the ballgames where we all stood
For the Star Spangled Banner and it was a privilege to sing.
Bear in mind that it was no laughing matter
When Rowan and Martin joked that they were more popular than God.
The public outcry almost took them down.
Today too many kids have never set foot in a church.
Many of those that have done so, are left there as if it were a babysitter.
Can you imagine what Uncle Joe would have said if
One of the girls of Petticoat Junction wanted an abortion?
Today we sit silent as unborn lives are taken
Declaring it to be a women right to choose.
The child did not ask to be brought into this world
Should they not be allowed to live long enough to ask to be take out?
What happen to their rights to live?
I guess it does count if you can’t vote or pay a lobbist.
At what point did your right to do what you want
Eliminate my right to do what I want? Somewhere I missed it.
Just because it feel good does not make it right.
Just because we can’t see the harm does not mean there is none.
My excused do not stop it from being sin.
And sin always has a price that must be paid.
I am not promoting that we judge others, just ourselves.
We acknowledge the truth before we can change.
I have no more right to choose what is right than you.
That is proper authority for the God that created us.
Maybe some of us need to turn off the electronics
And open up His instruction guide, the Bible.
Maybe some of us need to open our ears
And listen to the preachers and shepherds of His law.
Maybe some of us need to be still
And get to know His heart and love.
All need to ask for His forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

Kathy Barnes
Copyright 7-8-09

An Angry God

My heart was black and evil, filled with every sick and vile thing.
In its core was rebellion against it maker.
The clay pot said unto its creator that He was imperfect and defected
That it knew best its purpose and function.
It refused to hear wisdom leaning instead to its own understanding.
It plugged it ear so it could not hear the gentle voice of correction.
It declined to see the truth and called God a liar
And the blind declared I cannot see. God is not there.
Desires and feeling were paramount over obedience.
Trusting in false idols the sinful heart lifted it hand
And an angry voice against the Almighty.

When sin had run it ugly course an angry God responded from heaven.
God’s voice thundered across the heavens like a roaring river
A harsh ear piercing vociferous sound that was deafening
The sky parted and His hands threw down lighten bolts and hail.
To wake me from my slumber and stupor.
Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?
Can you save yourself by your own hand?

You call me Lord and Master, King forever more
Then You make yourself to be equal with me.
You rail at me because you are not me and cannot do what I can.
I am a jealous God, and you can serve no one but me.
You chase after other gods and complain that I do not bless thee.
You are an arrogant, ungrateful, prideful, deceitful, disrespectful child.
You call me a liar and impotent when I have not changed.
I do not sleep or slumber. I have not lost my might.
What I have done at the past I can still do today.
I can still control the world and all within it with a simple word.


You do not even know who I am.
I am the Great I am. Not I was or Who will be.
You cannot find me in the past failures or past hurts. I am not there.
You trade today joy for tomorrow worries and sorrows.
Then you are depressed because I am not there either.

Where is your faith and trust? Do you not know my heart by now?
Can you not remember all that I have done for you?
I am not as Earthly fathers that have fail you and left you alone.
I have come in search of you to bring you life abundantly.
I am with you whatever trials that come and carry you through.
I have not left you to bear the burden alone.
You were never meant to bear it with your own strength.
Are you holy like me or are your desires selfish and prideful?

God’s voice came from heaven as fierily storm.
Knocking me unto the ground by it might.
Fear, awe, dread and apprehension filled my every fiber
For I could not stand before His holiness.
The light that radiated from his face blinded me and pierced my heart.
In the twinkling of an eye, I saw my hearts true form
The corrupted black and dying thing is was.
I tried to run away and hide, but could not escape.
For I could see His disdain and contempt of my sin.
I desired to clean myself up, but I could not.
I cried woe is me, woe is me for I am impure.
His repulsion from sin so great, my Father could not look at me.

He demand of me answers to His questions.
How do you breathe life into clay?
Where was I when I was formed in my mother womb?
How many are the number of my days here on Earth?
How many hairs are found upon my head?
How many steps will I take in my lifetime?
How many drops of water are in the sea?
How many stars are there in the heaven?
What was the name of the first man that discovered the wheel?
What are the names of all my great- great-grandchildren?
I buried my face into the ground for I had nothing to say.

He told me to speak and make an angel and order it around
To cause the mountain to come up by my desire.
With my words to declare the laws of nature
And show me the book in which my law it is written.
To lift my hand and stop the sun from shining.
To blow my breath across the land and form winds.
He told me to stop the hands of time.
He demanded the keys to Hell and Death.
I trembled before His presence knowing my powerless condition.

With scorn He demands to know what is wisdom made of.
And command I list it contents one by one if I can.
He requires to know, who should be born a king
And who should be born of humble estate and why.
Which people should rule over whom and for how long?
If the rabbit always lives, how is the fox fed?
Just how many tears should his children cry before He answered?
When one cries to live and their enemy their death who does he hear?
Just how big a mess would the world be in if all prayers
Were answered Yes!
Why should my sin be forgiven, but not my neighbors?
I have no answer for I do not know
And I coward beneath His questions.

Last He command that I explain my right to judge.
Have I from the beginning of time never told a lie?
Have I never hurt another to get my own way?
Have I always honored my parents, spouse, and brothers?
Have I never broken any rule or law no matter how small?
Have I never lost my temper without cause?
Have I never jump to a conclusion that was wrong?
Have I never fail to see the results of my actions?
I die inside for I know the answer to these questions.
How do I claim the blood of one that I have denied?

The voice of God comes seeking you with a thunderous boom
You now remember just who and what you are
And just who and what God is.
There is no joy to stand before Him.
There is no excuse that can wash away the shame.
There is no way to turn back the hand of time.
And without a doubt you know that you deserve death,
The terror, horror, and torture of Hell for all eternity.

He speaks one last time and you can yet choose to turn around.
If you repeat and ask forgiveness, I will still show you my love.
My son took your sin, your shame, your death to the cross.
By his name, his blood I will wash away your sin.
I will give you a new heart and robes of righteousness.

You fall on your face and ask not for you life
But that your name not be taken from the book of life.
What you have done and what it cost fracture your heart
Melting away impurities that have polluted it.
Grieve fills your soul, and guilt weights heavily
So you beg once more for forgiveness.
The Father puts His arms around you and holds you tight.
It is over. I remember it no more.
But you hope that you will never forget it lessons
Or have to repeat its process for you know why you love Him
Because He first loved you and still does.

Kathy Barnes
Copyright 5-11-09