It's Nothing But Love

Life was quite different if only but a year ago,

Stockings hung upon the mantle, Yule Log all aglow,

Tree festooned with lights and presents all around,

Carolers outside singing their voices to God resound.

Yes but just a year ago all seemed as it should,

Friends and family gathered round all seemed well and good,

The Christmas Spirit filled our hearts and filled the air,

Hope and Joy is all we felt without a single care.

Huddled close together my family did pray and wait,

Under the bridge in a snow covered makeshift crate,

A far cry from the luxury and opulence we once knew,

Far from the friends and family we once held true.

Upon a lonely corner I did stand, hand held out in need,

Just a dime or quarter to the bustling crowd I did plead,

If not for me... for my family will you share,

Please won’t you stop to offer just a simple prayer?

Walking “home” on that cold and dreary Christmas Eve,

My heart in anguish, and for my family I did grieve,

For I had nothing to give them no gifts did I bear,

Except a few pieces of candy and a half eaten pear.

As I arrived my hope was renewed and from me were lifted all of my fears

I fell to my knees, my heart filled with joy my eyes filled with tears,

For my dear family in my absence kept busy all that day,

To create for us the most spectacular Christmas display.

Dirty socks upon that makeshift crate were hung,

Upon a small bush strands of newsprint strung,

A simple cross with sticks the children made,

And for a manger a broken doll in a box was laid.

From within carried on voices oh so sweet Silent Night,

As candles provided them all a bit of warmth and light,

And there upon the cold dirt floor the Good Book lay,

Tattered pages opened to the story of that Holy day.

The day when God came down and in a lowly manger lay,

And among the poor and discarded chose to walk & pray,

Nowhere to lay His weary head in His short life

He came to save and upon Himself take all our strife.

A night filled with sadness turned to a day filled with cheer,

Though we had no possessions I felt much richer this year,

For the true meaning of Christmas was sent from above,

To put it quite simply....It’s nothing but Love.

Kyle Boud-Robertson

12/25/10

A Child Is Born

This night, in a dark alley, a child is born.

Could this be Him, the one about men of old have sworn?

Wrapped in newsprint, within a cardboard box He lies,

With no one to tend Him as all alone He cries.

The streets festooned with lights of red and green,

As holiday shoppers bustle by, the child unseen.

Angels gather round the babe their watch to keep,

As He slowly drifts into a wakeless sleep.

In a south side crack house, this night, a child is born.

Could this be He, the one about men of old have sworn?

Rolled in a rug, tucked gently beneath the pee stained bed,

On the floor His mother lets out a cry of fear and dread.

Faint hymns of distant carolers carry on the wind,

A Salvation Army bell rings just around the bend.

Unknown to all, the baby gasps for His last breath,

While a young mother contemplates her own death.

In a church this very night a special Mass is said;

To honor a child, which in a manger laid His head.

While in a dumpster yet another infant cries,

Bruised and broken yet another infant dies.

Each Child which in the lowliest circumstance is born,

Is He, the very one about which men of old have sworn.

For have you not heard what is done to the least of thee,

Is also none other than that which is done to He.

So as we remember the child in the manger so dear,

Let us not forget the young ones who cower in fear;

And as we celebrate the birth of God's only Son,

Let us make a vow to help all of the forgotten ones.

Written by: Kyle Boyd-Robertson 12/19/09

Dedicated to: Diana Joy Albertsen & her tireless efforts to help the "Forgotten Ones"

I'm Dreaming of a South Texas Christmas

Alone, in a small cabin far from home, I watched as the snow began to fall.  Being the first time I had actually seen snow, other than on television, I stared out the window and carefully studied each of the flakes as they slowly drifted downward, like little angels from the heavens, and gently found their new home on branches of fir trees and the ground below. It wasn’t long before that little flurry of “angels” sent out for reinforcements and they came with a vengeance, riding on the back of the north wind. Nothing was spared as they went about their apparent duty of transforming the landscape from a forest full of diverse colors and shapes to a single blanket of white.  Before nightfall the single blanket morphed into a three foot thick multi layered quilt concealing beneath all signs of summer and fall. 

 It was the fourth Sunday of the Advent Season and I couldn’t help but think how pleased the folks at the little congregational church in the nearby village must be with themselves.  After all they had been praying for a White Christmas, as they did every year, starting even before the leaves of Fall had finished their spectacular display of grandeur. I however had my thoughts far from that winter wonderland. As others were preparing for winter festivities and playing in the new fallen snow, I settled into my rocking chair next to the warmth of a newly stoked fire, sipped on a cup of freshly brewed hot tea, not iced as I am accustomed to, and dreamt of Christmas back in South Texas.

From Galveston to Corpus and all down the coast,

Lights from the bows to the sterns on all of the boats;

On the beaches of Padre children lay down and fan

With their arms and their legs to create angels of sand.

 From Goliad to Cuero, Gonzales and Cruz Calle,

On down to the Valley of the great Rio Grande;

Old Courthouses were lit in little town squares, 

As the merchants were busy selling their wares.

In Shiner and Schroeder in Yoakum and Runge,

Way down in Harlingen, Laredo and Palm Valley;

Weihnachten and Navidad  are blended together,

Into one celebration the bigger the better.

O Tannenbaum, las Posadas, Cowboy Christmas,

Are all sung under one roof here in South Texas;

Where the cultures combine in a joyous delight,

To Celebrate together that most Holy of nights.

Written by: Kyle Boyd-Robertson

The Map

Sitting here today, just thinking back on the ups and downs of my journey thus far.  I have a picture stuck in my head of a huge map with pin points all along the path.  It's exciting to look back and see all the places I've been. It isn't until I look closely though that I realize the only places with pin points seem to be the places in my life I have no desire to return to and would give almost anything to forget.


Under each pin point is a small scrap of paper with a single word written on it. I start to read each  one...pride, lust, control, jealousy, bitterness, profanity, idleness...I can't go on...in my shame I fall to my knees and cry out to my Lord, "Why must you torment me like this, why have you chosen to pin point only the lowest points of my life?"  He just  smiles, puts His hand on my shoulder and says "Come...walk with Me." 


He leads me down a long and familiar road full of rolling hills. As we near the top of the first hill I look ahead and notice  standing there a single cross. He asks "Do you remember this place?"  I answer rather sheepishly "Yes, I think I do, only it appears much different than I recall." He smiles and leads me on. This scenario repeats itself on each subsequent hill until finally we reach a stopping point.  At this time once again He asks "Do you now recognize the places we have been?" Somewhat confused I reply " Yes, but I don't understand I always thought these were the lowest points of my life, why do they each now appear on a hilltop with a cross" The answer comes "My son, what you see as the low points in your life are what I see as the highest points, because it was in these times you called on my Son and received deliverance from the things of this world which had entrapped you. As for the crosses those were the pinpoints on the map which pierced through all of your wrongdoings and sins. When I look at the map I do not see the paper, only the pinpoint."

• But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. II Corinthians 12:9-10

Beautiful Brokenness

I sometimes consider myself a connoisseur of all things old and broken. I guess what I mean by that is I have always found beauty  in what most would consider unsightly,  flawed and beyond repair.

Some of my favorite photos I have taken are of abandoned barns and houses that have seen their better days.  I guess I'm attracted to them because I sense they have a story to tell. I look at the weathered boards, the vines gently creeping up the side and the sun shining it's rays through the cracks and missing slats and I see the story of a life well lived. She tells me a story of when she once housed a loving family or sheltered animals from a storm.  She stands as a reminder and testimony of a life of loving and giving, asking nothing in return.

 I think it's a lot like that with God and us. When we look at ones life through our eyes we see brokenness and flaws, but not God, no He sees A life with a story to tell. A life well lived for Him, a life that shines His glory through each and every crack. American artist Barbara Bloom once noted, "When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold because they believe that when something's suffered damage and has a history it becomes beautiful." And so it is with God, He picks up the pieces of our broken lives and gently puts them back together filling in each crack and damaged area with His glory and we  then radiate His beauty and stand as a constant reminder and testimony of a loving, faithful God.

Something beautiful, something good

All my confusion He understood

All I had to offer Him was brokeness and strife

But He made something beautiful of my life.

A Teenagers Letter To God

Dear God,

  Lord, If you are really out there somewhere, won't you please listen to what I have to say?  I have searched everywhere and have tried talking to everyone I know, and even some I didn't know.  The replies I get always seem to be pretty much the same, "Not now, I'm to busy," "Ask your mother" or "Quiet, the t.v. is on."  I sometimes wonder if anybody has the answers...or maybe it's just nobody has time to slow down from their busy schedules to talk to an insignificant, "no good for anything kid" like me.

  I've gotten so many things bottled up inside of me throughout the years, and so many new discoveries I'm finding out about myself and the world around me, but nobody to share with, nobody to discuss what's right and wrong with.  I have nowhere else to go so I guess that makes you the lucky one.

  I feel so happy, sad, glad, mad, joyful and irritated all at the same time, it's really weird.  What should I do when I feel like laughing, crying, running, leaping and screaming all in the same instant?  This is all new to me, Lord.  Is this normal or am I going crazy?  Can't you Please help me find the answers to these and many more things which I have on my mind?

  I was reading one of my mother's books yesterday on how to improve your sex life in six easy bedtime lessons, until she caught me with it and told me that I shouldn't be reading things like that because it's only for "grown ups."  There's just so many things I don't understand.

  I'm Old enough to pay adult prices at the movie shows now, but to young to go to bars and dance halls...My parents say I'm old enough to know right from wrong, but they don't trust me when I go out with my friends.  It's getting to be that I can't keep track of what I'm old enough for and those things that I'm to young to be involved with.  There has got to be an answer, I don't know where, but I thought just maybe you could lead me to it.

  Lord, what am I here for...just to die?  My friend said that life is too short to waste it, so we need to get as much pleasure out of it now when we can because tomorrow might never come.  Is that true?  I can't understand why you would put me here just to watch me grow old and die...don't you care?  There has got to be a better way, won't you show me, Lord?

  I'm so tired of searching.  Alcohol, drugs and disco parties...none of these seem to fill that empty place inside me anymore.  I'm so all alone and nobody seems to care...Won't you come and be with me today, Lord.

  Oh Lord!  Thank You so much for coming into my life.  All those problems don't seem nearly as big as they were before, and even if they are I know I can handle them with you leading the way.  Thank You for just loving me for who I am and I pray that this great friendship we have never ends but goes on throughout eternity!

P.S.  I Love You,

        I Really Do!!!

  

You Need Never Walk Alone

   I  knew several weeks ago we were headed for a rough time, I just didn't understand the full scope of it at the time. Through it all,  I have been able to wake up every morning praising God with the affirmation "Greater is He that is in me, than he that is the world."  I've been to the valley, but I didn't walk alone and therefore can proclaim with the words of the apostle Paul, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed"

  I shudder to think what it would be like to walk this road alone.  I thank God that, just as he did many years ago with His original creation, He meets me every morning, in the cool breeze of His Spirit, with outstretched hand  and issues the same invitation, "Come...Walk With Me." He says to me, in the still of the morning "Come, share with me all  that you are and allow me to share all I AM with you."

  We need never walk alone in this life.  God longs to walk with us every step of the way, to share in intimate commune with us.  So, Just as He has done throughout the ages, He stands before us with outstretched arms pulling us ever closer with his mercy and grace.  His hand is open, waiting for us to reach out and grasp it and once we have it is His desire that we never let it go.

You'll Never Walk Alone

I said, ” The path is steep.”
He said, ” I’m at your side.”
I said, “But I am weak.”
He said, “For you I died.”

I said, “Dark valleys come.”
He said, “I’ll guide you through.”
I said, “But I’m not brave.”
He said, “I’ll walk with you.”

I said, “Be light to me,
And strength as I go on.”
He said, “I’m more. I’m love,
You’ll never walk alone.”

Author: Unknown

Under God's Wing

Under God's Wings

As I find my self reflecting on the past couple of weeks I stand in awe at the little things God puts in our path to remind us of His unfailing love.

It might not have been the worst thing I had ever gone through, but if it wasn't it was right there at the top of the list.  This time it was different though, this time, unlike in the past, I didn't hesitate to turn to God and seek his refuge. And as I rested there under His wing, nestled snug against His breast, the warmth of His love and protection overwhelmed me. That alone would have been enough but God wasn't through with me yet, no He still had one more precious gift to share with me. Knowing the coming weeks would be especially trying He would soon bless me with a beautiful sign of reassurance.

Tired and weary from the week before I made my way down the walk on Sunday evening.  Before entering the church I was visiting I glanced up and there, under the cross, was God's gift to me.  She sat stoic and calm without even a flinch as I approached her.  Hidden beneath her wings, barely visible, were her precious babies snug and secure from the outside world.  Tears welled up from within as I pondered the awesome love and protection afforded me by God if I would just rest under His wing.  He hadn't called me to fix the world or to change that which I was incapable of changing. Neither had He called me to live in fear and anguish, He just called me to rest in the shadow of His wing and know that it was there and only there I would find His peace which passes all understanding.

• Psalm 36:7 "How priceless is you unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings."
• Psalm 61:4-5 "I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge under your wings."
• Psalm 63:7-8 "Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."
• Psalm 91 4-6 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his fatefulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day; or for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday."
• Psalm 61:1-4 "Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You. When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me. A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever. I will trust in the shelter of your wings."
• Matthew 23:37-38 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate."

In God's Time

 

Walking down the beach one lonely man,

Behind him one set of footprints in the cold, course sand.
His shoulders drooped and in his saddened eyes is shown,
A story of a life lived all alone.

On his knees with tear stained cheeks,
This man to God begins to speak:
A few words of thanks, then a simple prayer,
With another to be made a pair.

As time went by this man did seek,
And many hours on that beach did weep.
For behind him in the sand still shown,
One set of footprints there all alone.

Again to God on bended knee,
The man poured out his humble plea:
With divine intervention from above,
Provide another to share his love.

Years slipped away, know answer seemed to come,
Yet he knew, God's time was not his own.
And though he now was nearing eighty-eight,
In perfect time he was sent his perfect mate.

Now down the beach they walked hand in hand,
Behind them two pair of footprints in the softened sand.
Their wrinkled eyes did meet, and in that stare,
All the beauty of God's creation shared.

Kyle Boyd-Robetson

No Regrets

assssssssssjjjjjjjjj

Vidivodo.com : schindlers list ending  Etiket: schindler list

Oskar Schindler: I could have got more out. I could have got more. I don’t know. If I’d just...I could have got more.

Itzhak Stern: Oskar, there are eleven hundred people who are alive because of you. Look at them.

Oskar Schindler: If I’d made more money...I threw away so much money. You have no idea. If I’d just...

Itzhak Stern: There will be generations because of what you did.

Oskar Schindler: I didn’t do enough!

Itzhak Stern: You did so much.

(Schindler looks at his car)

Oskar Schindler: This car. Goeth would have bought this car. Why did I keep the car? Ten people right there. Ten people. Ten more people.

(removing Nazi pin from lapel)

Oskar Schindler: This pin. Two people. This is gold. Two more people. He would have given me two for it, at least one. One more person. A person, Stern. For this.

(sobbing)

Oskar Schindler: I could have gotten one more person... and I didn’t! And I... I didn’t!

This ending dialogue in Steven Spielberg's movie "Schindler's List" touches my soul on so many levels and always draws me into a deep introspection. I am left completely awed by the transformation Oskar Schindler experienced in his life so much so that he put himself in great danger and risked not only his wealth but also his life to save others. Yet here at the end of the movie we see Oskar in great anguish as he realizes how much more he could have done. His words, "I could have got more...Why did I keep the car? Ten people right there...This pin. Two more people...I could have got one more person and I didn't!", play over and over in my mind. My thoughts turn to the lost and persecuted in my world today and I find myself asking "Am I doing enough?...Am I doing all I can?"  I relate to Oskar when He says "I threw way so much money. You have no idea." It embarrasses me to think of all the money I've wasted on frivolous things when there are people in our world starving and going without the bare essentials of life.  I look at all the wealth and things I have accumulated, (when compared to the rest of the world), and find myself asking, "Is this something I really need?....How many people could be saved If I went without this?"  When the movie of my life is played I prefer the ending dialogue to be "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you into the joy of your Lord.", rather than being full of regrets of what I should have or could have done.