Sweet Savior, I give to Thee my heart.

Make it as Thine own,

That it may love those in the world,

And those, having past from its bounds,

Not ready to see the Father’s glory.

With my every breath,

I wait on Thee,

Pleading the perfection of my cherished loves.

Pray, lift the veils persisting to obscure Thy Beauty.

Let me be a living prayer,

A votive candle,

Burning on the altar of Thy Cross,

Whose smoke rises as incense

With Thy Resurrection from the dead.

I am a captive to Thy call upon my heart.

I draw each breath,

For those You give me in this life,

By blood, as friend, foe, neighbor, passing stranger,

And those, still alien, to Thy love,

All, whom the Father desires

For life in You and in Thy glory.

By Joann Nelander

You stretch before me
A wondrous expanse.
Where are Your limits, O Lord?
Where the measure
That contains Your domain?

The ethereal sky,
Hugging the mountains,
Kissing earth,
And spilling love across its plains,
Proclaims a God of beauty.

Hidden, yet revealed,
In the minuscule and mighty,
You peer from clouds
That radiate streams of Your glory.

You walk the waters,
Stride across mountains,
Blow like desert sands,
Seamlessly knitting terrain,
Texture, color, and contour
In organic harmony,
To announce Your Presence.

A world of darkness
Awakens each morning,
From its chrysalis,
As hope and promise courts
The sons and daughters of Man.

Quarried, cut and polished,
A darkened crystal,
Receives Your Light.
The soul of Man,
Focuses Your splendor,
And by grace,
You shine out in creation’s purpose.

Your Just Sun of Justice, O Father,
Crosses the great divide.
To shine on a “no one”,
And “no people”,
To stretch before men and angels,
His crucified embrace,

His Love,
The Cross and Crucifixion,
The measure of Your Mercy.

Joann Nelander

Thank you Amala Ekpunobi, Dave Rubin and Larry Elder