Fix My Mind

Fix my mind on Thee, O Lord;
Fix my thoughts upon Thy Word.

   Father all glorious, Father all true,
   Father, Thou bring me life anew.

Fix my mind on Thee, O Lord;
Fix my thoughts upon Thy Word.

   Jesus Christ, Thou art grace and light.
   Jesus Christ, lead me through the night.

Fix my mind on Thee, O Lord;
Fix my thoughts upon Thy Word.

   Holy Spirit, en-kindle my spirit.
   Holy Spirit, convict me today.

Fix my mind on Thee, O Lord;
Fix my thoughts upon Thy Word.

   Help me to glory in my weakness;
   Help me to carry my cross today.

I will fix my mind on Thee, O Lord;
I will fix my thoughts upon Thy Word.

by Julie Dunlap   7-6-2012

I wrote this prayer/song as I was dealing with accepting my weaknesses, and recalling the Apostle Paul's words that if he were to boast, he would rather boast in his weaknesses.  It is when we are weak, then we are strong because only when we acknowledge our weakness will we rely on Christ to be our strength.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors,
God made their tiny wings.

The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset, and the morning
That brightens up the sky.

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
God made them ev'ry one.

God gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

by Cecil F. Alexander  1818-1895

My two youngest children and I were invited to go to the St. Louis zoo with a friend, and she taught us this song before we went with her to the zoo.  Our friend has two grand pianos, and she taught me this song so I was able to play along with her on the banjo.  Our tour of the St. Louis zoo was very memorable, the highlight being two elephants swimming and playing in the water.  These two elephants  kept dunking each other like little children at play.  The variety of  colors were spectacular, from bright pink flamingos to the crested cranes from East Africa, the striped zebras and okapis to the golden lion.  It was very fitting to sing this song before going to see so many of God's creatures and remember whose hand wrought such creativity.

Little Boy

Little boy, do you know?
Jesus loves you.
I love you too.
Your life is blessed with God's love,
Blessed with my love.
Know our love is true, for you.

Little girl, do you know?
Jesus loves you.
I love you too.
Your life is blessed with God's love,
Blessed with my love.
Know our love is true, for you.

Love springs from the Lord above;
Love springs from His throne.
He's gentle;
Yes, He's patient.
Yes, He's faithful and He's true.

Little boy, little girl,
I love you.

By Julie Dunlap    June 6, 2012

One morning I was singing this song for our son, Jonathan.  Children are my delight.  God has blessed us with many children throughout this journey of life.  Children bring with them enthusiasm and trust.  They are gifts from our loving Father in heaven.

Joy Surging

Holding Your hand I walk the Way,
You understand all I would say;
Holding Your hand I need not pray.
Lord, I belong here at Your side,
Singing Your song, swinging Your stride,
Joy surging with the strength of a tide.
Beside us each tree shines against the blue,
No need to see some distant view.
The future must be here, now, with You.

This poem was written by a wife of a missionary in China who suffered much.  I read it recently in a book by  E. Stanley Jones. He writes that joy is a mark of maturity in a Christian.  Joy is not dependent upon circumstances, rather upon our peace of heart and mind in Christ Jesus, our Lord.  He writes, " When you sing His song and swing His stride, then automatically joy surges with the strength of a tide." (Christian Maturity,   E. Stanley Jones, 1957)  This is a worthy goal, and by God's grace He will wrought in us enduring joy.

You are King

Lord, I come to You.  Lord I come to You.
Lord, I come to You
Today, this day.
I acknowledge You, Jesus;
I acknowledge You as King over all the earth.

Lord, I praise Your name.  Lord, I praise Your name.
Lord, I praise Your name
Today, this day.
Holy is Your name, Jesus;
Holy is Your name - You're King over all the earth.

Lord, My soul gives thanks. Lord, My soul gives thanks.
Lord, My soul gives thanks
Today, this day.
Your love saves me today, Jesus;
Your loves saves me today - You're King over all the earth.

Lord, I worship You.  Lord, I worship You.
Lord, I worship You
Today, this day.
You are lifted up, Jesus;
You are lifted up - You're King over all the earth.

Lord, I honor You.  Lord, I honor You.
Lord, I honor You
Today, this day.
I will follow You, Jesus;
I will follow You - You're King over all the earth.

by Julie Dunlap   5-23-2012

I came up with another simple tune as I played around on the banjo, then put these words of praise to the King of Kings.  This has become my prayer as I am faced with my utter dependency on my Creator.

Snow in the Basement

I found below a layer of snow;
It is icy cold down there.
Where's our warm winter clothes?
Let's take our shovels down the stairs.

Grab a coat and come to see -
Eighteen snowy inches cloak the floor.
It's summer so how can this be,
That our basement wintered heretofore.

Will you help me dig about?
Come, let's shovel side by side.
This frozenness I must move out
Lest ice expand and winter doth preside.

Each of us has snow within -
A frozen factor we must root-out.
Dance and sing and laugh and love
While we shovel our basements out.

By Julie Dunlap   May 17, 2012

This poem seems like a Dr. Seuss children's poem, and the thought originated from a vivid dream I had right before I awoke one morning.  I jotted down the thought right away lest I forget the idea.  Putting the idea down poetically was challenging in order to incorporate rhythm and rhyme.  I had to get out a rhyming dictionary, a thesaurus, and a college dictionary, and then my helpful editor (my husband) gave me needed critique so I had to reword much of what I had written. It took three days to get from the rough idea to the poem.  It will take longer to get the snow out of the basement, but as we place our trust in God's abiding love, we can have fun as we shovel out the snow.

Not My Will

Not my will but Thine, O Lord,
Not my will but Thine, O Lord,
Not my will but Thine, O Lord,
I choose You.

Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer,
My strong Tower;
You're my Refuge I will cling to.
I choose you.

by Julie Dunlap  May 5, 2012