The Influence Of Faithful Parents

They have lived it in the home life,
They have followed God's true way,
They have kept a humble spirit,
As they've walked from day to day.

Their small home was consecrated,
They both guarded all within;
Nothing entered to defile it,
God's approval thus to win.

God opened up that little home,
For the gathering of His people.
Not like a worldly church at all.
With stained glass or a steeple.

Just a simple little meeting,
Where the love of God was shared,
By a humble little gathering,
In a home God has prepared.

They upheld the life of Jesus,
Every deed and thought and Word
And it brought into their home life,
All the blessings of the Lord.

God's own servants often come there,
And they spoke of things above,
As the peace of God was ruling,
Filling both their hearts with love.

Both heads bowed at every meal,
Thanks was given from the heart,
For provisions from the Master,
That gave strength to do their part.

Little hearts were learning quickly,
All that comes from God's own hand,
Seeing two lives gladly yielded...
Pilgrims in a stranger's land.

Knowing that their lives were temporal,
Knowing brief life's longest span;
Seeking for a better country,
They had learned of God's great plan.

Faithful in the place of prayer,
Kneeling often by their bed.
Two heads bowed before the Lord;
(Little lives were being led).

Little ears were also listening,
Eyes were watching all they'd do,
Little hearts were being softened,
By the faithfulness of two.

Little wills were being broken,
They were taught how to obey,
By those two lives that were dying,
To themselves along the way.

Oh the privilege in knowing,
Such a godly home as this;
The blessings of that influence,
That so many children miss.

May God bless and keep the parents,
In whose lives God's plan was shown,
And by this into those young hearts,
The seed of Truth was sown.

Now these lives have yielded also,
Have a heritage to gain;
From the influence of two people,
Worshipping in Jesus name.

Author Unknown

The Old Wooden Log

Once a true story was told to us
Of a wooden log that lay in the dust -
All weather-beaten, and ugly and scarred
Pounded and pitted and even charred.
It lay in front of a blacksmith shop
Many passed by it, but none did stop -
For all they could see was the outer crust
Of an old wooden log that lay in the dust.
How long it had lain there, now no one could say
But all had agreed it was just in the way.
Now one day a carpenter chanced to pass by
He gave it a keen professional eye -
“Say Mr. Blacksmith, could I take this log?”
“Take it and welcome, be glad when it's gone....”
So off went the rescuer, all burdened down
With a dusty old log that had lain on the ground -
All pitted and scarred, and soiled at the start
Yet the carpenter smiled as he tested the heart.
His saw with its edge as sharp as could be
Found that his log was mahogany -
Oh, he was so proud of his prize from the dust
He made six lovely chairs and showed them to us.
Chairs that would fit into any fine home,
Give rest to the weary, a treasure to own.
Now didn't our Father find us much the same?
All battered and burdened and scarred from the flame?
Of this worlds disillusions, and lost in pain
Just a dusty old body that needed the sword.
To cut away all that had darkened our lives
To shape and to carve out a form from the strife -
Just to show others what God's love can do
When nobody cares, not even you......
When death looked far better than life ever could
God took us and carved us, our mahogany wood -
That His power and discernment as others passed by
Would show His kind mercy, and heavenly eye.
How can we thank Thee, dear Father up there?
Words fail us to give Thee true worship in prayer -
Forgive when we falter and long for release
For we love Thee forever and just long to please.

-unknown