Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary had a little Lamb,
His fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
The Lamb was sure to go.

He followed her to school each day,
When it wasn't against the rules.
He made the the children laugh and play
To have the Lamb at school

Then the rules changed one day,
Against the law it became.
To bring the Lamb of God to school
Or even speak His name.

Every day got worse and worse,
And days turned into years.
Instead of hearing children laugh and play,
You heard them crying tears.

What must we do to stop the crime,
That's in our schools today?
Let the Lamb come back to school
And teach our kids to pray.

Forgiveness

A letter written to a man on death row by the Father of the man whom the man on death row had killed:

You are probably surprised that I, of all people, am writing a letter to you, but I ask you to read it in its entirety and consider its request seriously. As the Father of the man whom you took part in murdering, I have something very important to say to you.

I forgive you. With all my heart, I forgive you. I realize it may be hard for you to believe, but I really do. At your trial, when you confessed to your part in the events that cost my Son his life and asked for my forgiveness, I immediately granted you that forgiving love from my heart. I can only hope you believe me and will accept my forgiveness.

But this is not all I have to say to you. I want to make you an offer -- I want you to become my adopted child. You see, my Son who died was my only child, and I now want to share my life with you and leave my riches to you. This may not make sense to you or anyone else, but I believe you are worth the offer. I have arranged matters so that if you will receive my offer of forgiveness, not only will you be pardoned for your crime, but you also will be set free from your imprisonment, and your sentence of death will be dismissed. At that point, you will become my adopted child and heir to all my riches.

I realize this is a risky offer for me to make to you -- you might be tempted to reject my offer completely -- but I make it to you without reservation.

Also, I realize it may seem foolish to make such an offer to one who cost my Son his life, but I now have a great love and an unchangeable forgiveness in my heart for you.

Finally, you may be concerned that once you accept my offer you may do something to cause you to be denied your rights as an heir to my wealth. Nothing could be further from the truth. If I can forgive you for your part in my Son's death, I can forgive you for anything. I know you never will be perfect, but you do not have to be perfect to receive my offer. Besides, I believe that once you have accepted my offer and begin to experience the riches that will come to you from me, that your primary (though not always) response will be gratitude and loyalty.

Some would call me foolish for my offer to you, but I wish for you to call me your Father.

Sincerely,
The Father of Jesus

Friendship Prayer

I got down on my knees today,
And said a prayer for you,
For you are always in my heart,
And I often think of you,

I asked the Lord to send his angels,
To protect my dearest friend,
I prayed that all the joy and happiness,
You have will never end,

I asked the Lord to comfort you,
When you are feeling blue,
And when you have a tear,
He'll wipe away that too,

I asked the Lord to bless our friendship,
So our ways will never part,
For true friends always stick together,
For we're in each others hearts.

By Melinda Tanner

I’m Trying, But…

I’m trying, but…
what I want to do,
I don’t do enough of,
and what I don’t want to do,
I do too much of.
I know the rules for a Christian life,
according to the Bible,
and I’m trying; I really am, but…
heaven and eternity seem so far away,
and the rampantly materialistic world
presses in so close
from every direction, every side,
that I get distracted.
Focus, focus, focus!
I need to focus, laser-like
on a simple, God-centered life.
Do I really need
to make that frivolous purchase,
instead of giving the money
to someone who needs it
so much more than I do?
Can I watch that TV show,
read that book, listen to that song
that contains (and promotes!)
even a little bit
of what the Bible forbids,
without being corrupted?
Do I do enough
to love and help and encourage others?
Pride always hovers,
eagerly waiting
to subdue and conquer humility,
so I think too much of myself.
I know the rules;
the Bible makes everything clear.
Forgive me, Lord;
I’m trying, but…

Romans 7:15
Matthew 6:19
Matthew 22:39
Philippians 4:8


By Joanna Fuchs

Help Me Forgive

When rage and fury overwhelm my heart,
It’s time to look to God’s own Holy Word.
I search the Bible for His good advice;
My will to His commands must be deferred.


In Romans God reveals His love for me;
In all things God works only for my good;
He gives me blessings I can’t understand;
I’d be peaceful if I’d do the things I should.


Jesus forgave so much; why then can’t I?
I want to mold my life after His own.
I pray, I try, but my sinful nature wins;
Lord, help me, I can’t do this thing alone.


In Colossians, I read about the peace of Christ;
Oh, how I long to feel it in my heart.
All I have to do is to forgive,
But Lord, it seems I don’t know where to start.


I need to walk a mile in the other’s shoes;
They’re doing what they think they have to do.
I know some problems are blessings in disguise,
But Lord, sometimes I feel so doggone blue.


Ephesians says "forgive as the Lord forgave you;
Get rid of anger and every form of malice."
I’d love to just let go and release it all,
But upon my heart is a wound that’s become a callus.


I’ll keep praying, trying, Lord, no matter what;
I’m determined to let go and relinquish blame;
Some day, I’ll say, and be truly sincere:
"I forgive it all in Jesus’ precious name."


(Romans 8:28, Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:31)


By Joanna Fuchs

To Do List From God

I ran my life in search of worldly things;
My time and will were firmly in control.
I thought I had no need for what God brings;
I gave no heed to murmurs from my soul.


“You’re planning, doing all the time,” it said,
“But something else is missing deep inside.
Your mind is whirling, but your heart is dead,
So turn to God and let go of your pride.”


I did, and God said, “Here’s My plan for you:
Give your life to Me, and just let go.
Have faith and pray, and read the Bible through,
And you’ll have blessings more than you can know.”


So simple, yet it brings me perfect peace,
Living life for God the way I should.
Direction, purpose, fullness and release—
Life with God is very, very good.


By Joanna Fuchs

Folsom Prison Trip

acdamey class pics 2009