I Never Cry Alone

By Melissa Wren

I never cry alone

for when You’re with me I am home.

You never cease to be

the fullness inside of me.

And when I’m standing still,

I’m in the center of Your will.

You take me by the hand

leading me through the sinking sand

Of time as it passes by

showing Your promises never lie.

Through disappointment and tears of pain

Your arms around me, Your strength I gain.

I never cry alone

with my sorrow You do moan.

And in the joy we do rejoice

The good or bad, I hear Your voice.

You say, “Sweet child, precious wife

I weep with you during your strife.

You never cry alone,

I’m here until I call you home.”

A poem: The Christ in You

By Melissa Wren

Honesty, devotion

an affection I never predicted

A friendship developed

from a heart that’s convicted

Your sweet nature observed

Your tenderness cherished

A love so preserved

from past relationships perished

You’re selfless and caring

with changes you’re sharing

Wiser than you know; a child of God

Miraculous to watch grow

Asking God for permission

to fulfill our desires

Humbled by the meaning of submission

as patience expires

Learning the blessings of perseverance

in this confused state

Waiting on God’s clearance

and the gifts that await

Seeing this unfold

without the force of self-will

Courageous and bold

asking God for resolve to stand still

The old you is gone

God is making you new

and I can’t help but falling

in love with the Christ inside of you.

A Poem: Away From The World

I've been honored to have the privilege of spending time with my good friend, Toni, the last two days. She's a good dose of dazzling delight, insightful inspiration, and finds joy and peace in all situations - good and bad.

It's been fun to sit out in the backyard and talk about writing and produce poetry together. She hosts the Open Mic poetry night on the Square in Granbury every third Saturday. Here poems have been featured twice in Granbury's Showcase Magazine. Here's one of her latest.

By Toni Gray

Away from the world

where no one can see

I sit privately

Peace within me

Imagining myself in New York City

in Barnes and Noble bookstore

with my name on the cover

Go beyond your highest limits

and dream big

someone told me one day

so I keep writing

not a dime to my name

happier than I’ve ever been

in my life

the pains can grow

or you can move beyond

one step closer

than you were before

No secrets

Just truth I must say

I wouldn’t even want to go shopping for pearls

I’d just sit in Central Park

and paint my nails red

gazing at the difference life has been for me

A trip worth making

Just pack your bags

You never know when the opportunity will arise

God’s just gotten started

The plans he has for me

The Texas heat takes a beaten

to anyone who lives

Kick your heels up anyway

The healing will begin

All I need is paper and pen

and my life feels complete

One more poem

Now I can breathe

The Matematician Slash Musician

By Melissa Wren

A mathematical equation
the gift of persuasion
all wrapped up in a miscalculation
from a lack of communication

The musical rhythm
of the leaves
as they cleave
to the hush of the winds
like our sins
disturbing our souls
in the throws
of yesterdays
until the haze
of the thunderstorm
clears and a new
solution is born,
a new path to sojourn

The mathematician slash musician
orchestrates the figures
of his illusion,
his very own foregone conclusion

A poem: Blind Faith

Blind Faith

By Melissa Wren

When life seems all but lost,

Did you take Your hand off of me?

When all that I know is not what it seems,

Is what’s left insanity?

What am I to do with the here and now?

How do I live the in-between?

I’ve learned so much,

Yet know nothing.

It’s torture, the unforeseen.

Yesterday a man told me

My best days were ahead of me.

But how can I know

of this veracity?

Because “faith is being sure

of what we hope for and

certain of what we do not see.”

Our Heritage and Inheritance

Mornings are my favorite time of the day. Not only is the air breathable and cool, but I get to sit outside and hear the birds, watch Emmaline (my 7 month-old Yorkshire Terrier) play, look up at the clouds, watch the gorgeous sun yawn and stretch its legs, and spend some quiet time with my gracious Heavenly Father.

I’m in a Bible study currently at StoneWater Church called, “The Inheritance” by Beth Moore. It’s fascinating that God has made us, who love and have a relationship with His Son, to be co-heirs with Christ and heirs of the most magnificent inheritance I could ever try to imagine.

But to go back and read where that inheritance began - in Genesis - proved eye-opening this morning. A few things stood out that I’d never thought about much before, and it left room for me to ponder. The first and most important being: Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, “Let US make man in OUR image, in our likeness…”

This shows us that Jesus and the Holy Spirit were with Him in the beginning. He doesn’t say, let ME make man in MY image. Pretty awesome!

The other verses that stood out to me were Genesis 1:4, “God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.” I wonder if it’s a reference to good and evil because He knew that even though He created man in His image, left up to man’s own devises and choices, man would be darkness in the world.

And then He designed the sun and moon, Earth, stars and other galaxies. Makes me wonder why He chose us for Earth out of all the other planets out there. (Personally, I’ve always loved Saturn, but who am I to question God?)

It’s also curious that God created the birds of the air and creatures of the sea and land before He created man. That tells me He loves animals very much. I don’t want to speculate too much, but I suppose He had to create things for man to rule over and not the other way around, even though plants and animals were created first. Everything that God created, He looked at, “and saw it was good” except for man. On the day when He made man, the Bible says, "He looked at all He had made, and it was very good."

But, man is of more value to God than anything else that He created because we alone, in all creation, are capable of a personal, loving relationship with God.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

The Heart of the Matter is Always The Heart

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143:10

Following is a culmination of prayers that I love, taken from “Quiet Moments with God,” by Lloyd John Ogilvie. I’ve read through this book for the last two years, and it’s changed the way I pray. It seems every day is exactly what I need to express. May your day be filled with the sunshine of God’s awesome smiles and love. I can’t wait to see what God has in store today!

Dear Lord,

Thank you for today and everything you have given me. Thank you for holding my hand through another day of sobriety. I need you every step of the way. Draw me near…I long to know you better and experience the miracles you have in store for me today.

You have promised, “As your days, so shall your strength be,” (Deuteronomy 33:25) I praise You that You know what is ahead of me today and will provide me with exactly what I need in each hour and in each circumstance. I relax in the knowledge that You neither will be surprised by what evolves, nor incapable of sustaining me in any eventualities.

What has happened to me is for what You want to do and say through me to those who feel misunderstood or misused. The only final cure for the frowning face of rejection is Your smiling face of love and acceptance.

Thank You that Your power is given in direct proportion to the pressures and perplexities I face. I am given great courage and confidence as I am reminded that You give more strength as my burdens increase, and You entrust me with more wisdom as my problems test my endurance. I am comforted to know that You’ll never leave nor forsake me. You love has no end, and Your patience has no breaking point.

Forgive me when I resist the greatness You desire for me and refuse Your guidance. I thank You for the times I did trust You and, as a result, received Your blessings of wisdom, strength, and determination. Give me a clear head and a trusting heart as I press onward on the path You have marked before me.

Thank you for showing me that the heart of the matter is always the heart. Press my heart next to the pulse-beat of Your heart so that Your love might overflow from me into the lives of others. Help me turn my cares over to you, surrender my self-will, and rest in the assurance that Your solutions are greater than my problems.

If My Mind is a Battlefield

By Melissa Wren

If my mind is a battlefield,

what other crops might it yield?

Bombs go off as I compromise

God’s light, what is right

to settle for Satan’s lies

If my mind is a battlefield,

constantly at war

How do I control

my lioness tongue

when I sense its roar?

If my mind is a battlefield,

my ears must be on alert

to Satan’s subtle suggestions

he waits patiently to assert

If my mind is a battlefield,

self-will must be killed

God’s belt of truth majestically designed

nothing like His full armor

to protect me from the

land mines I may find.

If my mind is a battlefield,

the journey never ends

until God calls me home

and judges my dividends

If my mind is a battlefield,

my plan of attack

starts with belief…

carefully aligned

with asking for His will

then taking His hand,

and following safely behind.

A poem: False Promises

By Melissa Wren

Why must I sit on shattered sands of restless seas?

Each grain of beach passes through my hands.

Why does the sunshine grace my fingertips,

like lips of love songs sung so sublime?

The whims of fantasies, false promises

Do as they please, stripping me of dignity.

Why do the sparrows sing as they do?

They see much more than I have a clue.

With each storm of change comes clouds of doubt

The pandemonium I can’t live without

False promises pan out the way they do

With God’s great mercies to see me through.

The Best is Yet to Come

The Best Is Yet To Come

By Melissa Wren

You’re all I need, Lord.

Without you,

I’m incomplete.

I’m waiting,

I’m ready,

to be swept off my feet.

Dazzle me to tears

Destroy all my fears

I want nothing more than

To fall in love with you

Court me

Support me

Like you already do

just make me aware

of things I’ve never seen before

The beauty and wonder that makes you You.

Blow my mind,

Fill my heart with your love,

A spirit so pure and true

Pump the blood you shed through my veins

Make me one with you.

Bring me the fragrance of your flowers                                                          

The gentle touch of your healing hands                                                                

the warmth of your holy embrace,                                                                         

leave the kiss of your breath upon my face                                                  

I hear you say, Be patient                                                                                                 

I know you’re tempted to run,                                              

but just wait,                                

The best is yet to come.

A poem: Promises

Promises - By: Melissa Wren

Never alone am I

So great You are

Your love, unfailing

Not always giving me what I desire,

Only what I need most, your fire

Holding me close in Your

Promises…promises

My mind a battlefield

Exploding with the enemy’s lies

Carefully disguised

The truth waiting to be found

In the Bible, my solid ground

Obedience doesn’t equal

Instant deliverance

From the consequences

of the life I left behind

but blessings await

that You long for me to find.

When the aching in my body returns,

When the pain makes me weep because it burns

Your tears I feel

impressed upon my face

Cry with me is what you do

How you love me, unfailing and true.

Never alone am I

So great You are

Your love, unfailing

Come good times and heartbreaks

You understand my mistakes

Holding me close in Your

Promises…promises

A poem: Freedom in Christ

Freedom in Christ

By Melissa Wren

I’m going to live like I’ve always dreamed

I’m going to love the things I’ve never seen

I’m going to live like I’ve been redeemed

Each day’s a new start

It’s the beginning

Finding joy in simple things

Time to enjoy what today might bring

This is my joy ride

Freedom in Christ

I gladly suffer with Him

For what He sacrificed

Victory over strongholds

Will be mine if I stand firm

In God’s mighty truths

His Word affirms

Peace deep within

Being bold in Him

Is not a sin

I’m going to live like I’ve always dreamed

I’m going to love the things I’ve never seen

I’m going to live like I’ve been redeemed

This is my journey

Freedom in Christ

I rejoice in suffering

His self-less sacrifice

A poem: How I Need You

How I Need You

By Melissa Wren

Oh how I need You,

Desperately I cling

to the cross of deliverance

You promise to bring

I surrender my will

Wave the white flag

Wait to hear your voice

Struggle to be still

Oh how I need You

The breath of your grace

Remove all my pride

That causes disgrace

I give up this fight

within myself to

wrestle a dead woman

to the floor

Losing sight of

Your love, Your forever more

Oh how I need You

Your hand that holds me firm

Oh how I need You

For the lessons I’ve yet to learn

Make me a vessel

Fill me to the brim

With your love, compassion

So I feel Christ within

Oh how I need You

to make it through today

I give myself over

to your presence.

Please don’t go away.

For in your presence

I find that You’ll

never let me stray.

A poem: Love Letter from God

Love Letter from God

By Melissa Wren

You were made for more    

Open your eyes to what I have in store

Don’t miss the blessings behind each closed door

For what you’ve asked for

you’ve already received.

What you’re struggling with

you’ve already been relieved.

You would have claimed victory over it

If you’d only just believed.

There’s no need for sorrow or pain

I gave my Son for your own gain.

Life up your head, in Him remain.

With me you have nothing to lose

unless you turn away, my way refuse.

To accept you’re calling is the Good News.

Why must you keep searching

for another direction

when I sent you a helper

after the resurrection?

I created you for much more

than the self-imprisonment where you dwell.

You live inside your own man-made hell,

despite the freedom you have

to release you from your jail.

Doubt and unbelief got you here,

but you own the power

to make it all disappear.

Ask me for help, trust my plan,

stay close, draw me near…

For what you’ve asked for

you’ve already received.

What you’re struggling with

you’ve already been relieved.

You would have claimed victory over it

if you’d only just believed!

A Friend for all Eternity

I haven’t written in quite a while

words seemed to have escaped me

in the midst of my trials

someday inspiration will return

just like Christ I have learned.

This is a poem dedicated to my “E-Dad”

Thank you for everything you’ve shared!

Your poetry gives me hope I’ll write again.

A Friend for all Eternity

A weary traveler

On this road,

I take for granted

My heavy load

When struggles seem to strangle me,

when the pain wakes me so early

The light from Christ

Sometimes I fail to see

And how He’s come to rescue me

My dear friend lives with ALS

In Canada he does rest,

His burden though much more than mine

Comfort in his friendship I do find.

He’s shared Christ’s love

Through his emails

I call him my E-Dad

His strength prevails

He reminds me of my earthly dad

What similarities they do have

Though four years ago God took him home

In heaven now he does roam

How I wish to have strength,

The resolve they both have had

But when I get discouraged

I take refuge in being encouraged

In Christ alone comes our salvation

He’s my friend, my husband, my counselor, my guide

His arms are an open invitation

Into them I run and hide

So does my friend with ALS

So did my dad

Before he came to pass

Their example I do cherish

For I know we all will perish

But hope lies in the after life

Where there will be no agony or strife

So suffering now means little

Compared to what is in store

In heaven his legs and body will fail no more

And when I meet my E-Dad some day,

We’ll rejoice, live fully, jump and play

Though the distance is far right now

And I’ll never meet him before he dies

His words reach across the country somehow

His faith in Christ shines through his eyes.

“Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you

My flesh and my heart may fail

but God is the strength of my heart

And my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25-26