You can’t put in the ground swell of the organ from the Christiansted, St.Croix, Anglican Church behind the paratrooper’s voice: “Turned cop after Vietnam. I made thirty jumps.” Bells punish the dead street and pigeons lurch from the stone belfry, opening their chutes, circling until the rings of ringing stop. “Salud!” The paratrooper’s glass is [...]

When the world comes crashing in And chaos rules my mind, I turn my heart to you, Lord, And pure, sweet peace I find. You lift me out of trouble You comfort me in pain; You nourish, heal and cleanse me, Like cool, refreshing rain. In times of joy and bliss, When things are going [...]

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, [...]

Dear Lord, forgive our yielding to temptation; Forgive our pride, our love of worldly things. Have mercy on our love of sensual pleasure, Compassion on the sins that self love brings. It must be hard to understand us sometimes; So very different is your heart and mind. But wait, I just remembered that you do [...]

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 [...]

We need you, Lord. Like lost wanderers in a burning, empty desert thirst for cool, clean water, we long for you to quench us. In a world gone progressively mad, with chaos all around us, we seek refuge in the order and purpose of your law. With evil sneaking, leaking everywhere, spreading heavy darkness, creating [...]

Hear my prayer, O heavenly Father, Ere I lay me down to sleep; Bid Thy angels, pure and holy, Round my bed their vigil keep. My sins are heavy, but Thy mercy Far outweighs them, every one; Down before Thy cross I cast them, Trusting in Thy help alone. Keep me through this night of [...]

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap, His hair was like a light. (O weary, weary were the world, But here is all aright.) The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast His hair was like a star. (O stern and cunning are the kings, But here the true hearts are.) The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart, His [...]

The groves were God’s first temples. Ere man learned To hew the shaft, and lay the architrave, And spread the roof above them,—ere he framed The lofty vault, to gather and roll back The sound of anthems; in the darkling wood, Amidst the cool and silence, he knelt down, And offered to the Mightiest solemn [...]

Once more the storm is howling, and half hid Under this cradle-hood and coverlid My child sleeps on.There is no obstacle But Gregory’s wood and one bare hill Whereby the haystack- and roof-levelling wind. Bred on the Atlantic, can be stayed; And for an hour I have walked and prayed Because of the great gloom [...]