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New heart
New life
Alive in Christ
Anointed to serve God
Changed from me
Serving in change
Trusting Christ
For life today
What I say
What I do
Completes the life
I live for you
Useful now
The Father calls
My hands are His
I give my all
Troubles come
Stretch my soul
Bond servant life
In Jesus Christ
Clay Corvin 5/2/08
THE BREAK
SPRING VACATION 2008
We needed this break from the day to day and it has been just that. I must say that we accomplished a lot of rest and relaxation this week and that was our goal. Tonight we are packing everything up to get an early start on our return to the ordinary tomorrow.
Last Saturday and Sunday were like dessert mostly because Monday wasn’t a work day. We broke out the books, went out to eat, grocery shopped for the week, and laid out a basic plan for the week-unstructured. A relaxed structure for me includes a stack of books, my computer, and staying up until early in the morning. It is amazing how quickly 3 a.m. comes. It comes very quick when the books are techno-thrillers or good mystery stories. I started three on Saturday and Carol focused on one at a time. She stayed up late with me one night, until 11pm and then back to her normal time for bed.
The weather was beyond expectations. Cool, windy, clear and superb. It wasn’t like I was out in it but the weather did create good emotions and provide pretty landscapes.
We explored our surrounding area several days, shopped, had some excellent meals and from this vantage point are ready to return to the real world encouraged and relaxed. We profited from this blessing of time and relaxation.
THE BREAK
Back breaking days with pressure and pain, reminded of our vulnerability
Some weeks happening in a day, this problem means its Monday
Time away arrives, the break, optimism and joy in equal parts
It happens and it is as good as imagined, better even
Minutes, hours and days that wouldn’t register on a time card, gratefully
I’m not even sure of all that I did, I just know it was enjoyable
The break is over, the memory is good, I actually like my work
Monday morning when I return, I will be fresh, ready, it will be a joy
Clay Corvin 4/25/08
CHANGING MY ATTITUDE
I was at the center
The universe revolved around me
Equipped and able
I live just for me
I wanted my way
I did my thing
I’m important
Can’t you see?
Jesus spoke
“Come to me”
I surrendered
Christ set me free
Free from frustration
Free from fear
Victory in service
Jesus uses me here
Giving and loving
People need Christ
Power in serving
Joy for free
The Gospel travels
By the lives of those
Committed to Jesus
Surrendered souls
Failure comes calling
Disaster strikes
Victory is given
From the hand of Christ
Clay Corvin 4/11/08
WHAT REALLY MATTERS (Phil 1:1-26)!
Jesus died for me
Setting me free
A claim that lays a claim on me
Some things really matter
The Lord is the focus of life
Jesus is the Lord of life
I am His committed servant
He said: “follow me”
People count with Jesus
People count with me
People are eternal
The Gospel is Good News for you and me
Love is meant to grow
Love is what I do
An action that demands my best
Christ is love and He knows best
Prayer is a part of growth
The Holy Spirit leads my way
Helping me to grow
Jesus is the way
His Word, my walk
Storing what He said to me
His Word changes what I see and think and feel
My goal is love that grows
A focused life controlled by Christ
Gives confidence for each day
Standing against the worlds way
Certainty in an uncertain world
Clay Corvin April 4, 2008
FULL OF FIGHT
Full of fight
For what is right
Ahead my dreams
And what I’ve said
Trained to do
Key of goals
Counting things
Leaves me cold
Grace arrived
Jesus saved me
He gave me a new heart
His way I’ll be
I work as hard
Always have
My goals are His
Victory Jesus gives
He calls me near
This is how
I’m to care
People count
Forget the talk
Bend the knee
Love is growing
Inside of me
Time with Christ
Fills my day
Walk with Jesus
Along life’s way
Uncertain times
A certain God
Guiding me
Christ set me free
Clay Corvin April 4, 2008
GATES OF ZION
(The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Ps 87:2)
Nehemiah’s gates were well laid on a foundation of rock
The Lord recalls His house
We go from private to public entering these gates
The Lord calls us to public worship in His house
Many ridicule the Church of Christ
Changing names to hide the place
Failing to see the simple truth
The Lord ordained His public rule
Private, private so many shout
I do just fine alone with God
Yes that is true, in Christ we do
The Lord ordained His public rule
The Gospel Church is the Father’s school
Jesus gave us HIS Church
The gates of hell will not prevail
The Lord ordained His public rule
Clay Corvin March 26, 2008
GETHSEMANE
Gethsemane was a wonderful place to stay
Olive trees for shelter
A quiet retreat from the chaotic city
They had eaten their evening meal together
The disciples didn’t know it was the “Last Supper”
Jesus led them to Gethsemane so he could pray
All of them slept
Long day, hot any number of excuses
Jesus prayed alone
Sweat drops of blood
A powerful prayer
Feeling my sin and yours
He knew what he faced
He dealt with our disgrace
Willingly he went to the cross
Clay Corvin March 25, 2008
KIDRON VALLEY (Jeremiah 31:40)
We walked across the Kidron Valley
By the tomb of Absalom
Up the other side towards the Temple Mount
It was very tiring and demanding
Judas kissed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
The soldiers took Jesus
Walking him across the Kidron Valley
To the house of Caiaphas
Weakened by aggressive prayer
Jesus was strong enough to walk across the valley
Up the Roman stepped way
Presenting himself at the house of Caiaphas
The Kidron was the city cemetery by the time of Josiah
It is important in some apocalyptic literature
It is a wide, dark place that even today is somewhat rugged
Behold days are coming when it will be Holy to the Lord
The impossible is easy for God
What we cannot do, what we cannot imagine
Is prophesied by the Servant of God
Jesus takes us from where we are and makes us Holy
Clay Corvin March 25, 2008
MOUNT OF OLIVES-HE WEPT
(Luke 19:41-42. As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.)
Jesus wept over the city
As He looked from the mount
So many times He had walked here
This time was near the end
This is a sobering picture
It should cause us to pause
His weeping preceded His sacrifice
For us this is good advice
Be careful how you judge
Be careful how you scold
Jesus knew about us
And died for us all
The next person you dislike
Think it all the way through
Get before the Father
Jesus died for you
Treat people with kindness
They are of great worth to God
Walk their road in their sandals
Christ walked to the cross for you
Clay Corvin March 25, 2008
BREAD
Bread is the staff of life
Found in every civilization
One of the oldest prepared foods
Needed for sustenance of life
Bread is good for us
I love bread
Especially when it is fresh from the oven
Burning your fingers as you eat
Early in the morning
Very near the Cardo
One of my favorite bakeries
Sells fresh bread
We get it right out of the oven
Stack it in a bag
Walk the streets of Jerusalem
Eating fresh bread
Don’t ignore this
It is a great treat
You will never forget about
Walking the streets of Jerusalem eating fresh bread
Clay Corvin March 25, 2008
BETHLEHEM
O little town of Bethlehem
Jesus born in you
Proclaimed by ancient servants
God’s Word is heard in you
This little town
No fame was found
Except the Savior
Came quietly at His birth in you
David’s place
Shepherd’s place
Holy place
People flock to see
This place where the Word
Came to man from above
He was here and gone
Now He is alive and lives in you
The shadows come early to Bethlehem
No wealth or worldly seat
Still we go to see the place
Where God came to you and me
Clay Corvin March 25, 2008
ROSE OF SHARON
(”I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” Solomon 2:1)
A Shulamite woman is like a rose
Look at the flowers that blanket Sharon
A beautiful rose, perfect in every way
A picture for us to imagine
Jesus isn’t like a rose
Jesus is the rose
He is perfect in everyway
He gives us himself and not an image
Riding on the bus
Through this broad, sweet plain
Think of how Christ touched your heart
His saving work setting you free
Perfect in every way
Taking our imperfection away
The Rose of Sharon lives in us
Life in Christ is the key
Clay Corvin March 24, 2008
CAESAREA BY THE SEA
Roman, Byzantine, Crusader
Choose your age of study
Caesarea was important to each
Today it is ruins and sand
Don’t be fooled by its look
Once it stood graceful and rich and cruel
The wealth of the world flowed through here
Making this country work
Herod, what a despot
Built and built and built
Safer to be a pig in his household than a child or a wife
Named his new port city after Caesar, seeking to curry favor
Paul came here under guard
Accused and abused Paul claimed Caesar’s review
The Holy Spirit sometimes leads us through tough times
The end result was Paul’s great ministry in Rome
Caesarea we are here to look at you
Remembering those persecuted by Rome
Claiming the power of Jesus as Christians have through the ages
Life is in God’s hands and we have seen His work right here
Clay Corvin March 24, 2008
MUHRAQA
What do you see from Carmel’s heights?
Pharaoh’s conquering army?
Assyrians marching to Jerusalem?
Babylon taking Israel to captivity?
Ancient civilizations all came by here
Everyone knew this place
Elijah came so all would know
His wonderful Lord reigned
The march up Carmel was arduous
Folks walked a few abreast
Elijah was confident
The fire destroyed Baal
I’ve always wanted to do something big for God
Fire from heaven would be fine
In the privacy of my prayer closet
The Lord reminds me of His cross I can bear
Wanting to do the things we can
Always seem so mundane
Today reclaim the cross and its bane
This is what Christ calls us to do
Clay Corvin March 24, 2008
MEGIDDO
Fifty-five hundred years ago, when urbanization began
Megiddo dominated the countryside, its history begun
Occupied through the ages, everyone stopped to fight
Including the British General Allenby
A powerful Canaanite city, defeated by Thutmose III
Later Joshua fought Megiddo
Defeating the pagan king
Adding it to his list of cities taken by Israel
All through the ages
Megiddo was a wealthy place
Seized the imagination of the Biblical writer
By the hand of God declared to be an end time place
It doesn’t look too formidable
Everything appears peaceful and calm
That’s the way of evil, lulling us to distraction
But the Lord knows where the stand will be
Quiet times are for us to refocus our hearts and minds
Giving the Lord time to root out our evil ways
Letting the Holy Spirit identify and reveal
What we should confess and change
Be quick to kneel-Slow to judge
You can’t see the activity of evil swirling everywhere
But you can spend time with Jesus
Christ is our strength and joy and in Him we are wise
Clay Corvin March 24, 2008
CITIES OF REFUGE
(as you travel through the Golan you will be near one of the cities of refuge-Golan-the six cities are listed at Joshua 20:7-8)
The Lord calls us to peace and gave a place for refuge
Kadesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan
Everyone was near a city of refuge
We partner with God for peace
The gates were open for the wrongly accused
Provisions for their stay were always stocked
Peace was important to God
This refuge was available for all who lived in the land
Jesus is our refuge, He is God’s everything
In Him we have God’s peace and provision
His gift to us is His right standing with God
Jesus makes us free and brings us into God’s kingdom
Clay Corvin March 23, 2008
CAESAREA PHILIPPI (Mt 16:13-20)
Baal and Panias both ruled here
People through the ages
Stood at the gates of hell
Worshipping man made gods
Cool and inviting in the summertime
Jesus brought the disciples all the way here
Who am I Jesus asked?
Peter replied you are the Christ!
We declare Christ by the way we live
Either Jesus is in charge or we are
We cannot worship the world
When we are sold out to Christ
When you stand at the gates of hell
Ask yourself “who do you love”
Be about the master’s business
Let Jesus have control of you
Clay Corvin March 23, 2008
DAN THE PLAN
“they called the name of the city Dan after the name of Dan their father (Judges 18:29)
DAN THE PLAN
Ancient Laish, captured by Dan
The northernmost boundary of the Promised Land
Dan dishonored God by their graven image
This city started out bad and got worse
People get the best from the Lord
Then ruin it by their selfishness and greed
Instead of serving they think they can manage
The Lord isn’t an errand boy for you and me
One day all of this fell apart
Evil was destroyed
Notice that Dan is a nature preserve today
The people that lived here disappeared 2,800 years ago
We can’t fool the Lord
He is interested in our obedience not our control
He calls us to be servants not masters
In Christ we have life
Clay Corvin March 23, 2008
HEAD OF THE KINGDOMS
Pharaoh had an ally in Hazor
Joshua called it the head of the kingdoms they fought
He put it to the sword and burned it to the ground
Today the site we see is 200 acres
The largest of the ancient cities in Canaan
Sitting astride the Via Maris
Hazor was powerful for 2,000 years
Doing as it pleased
An important city at its peak had 40,000 inhabitants
The people were rich and thought it would last
After Joshua came and conquered
The people never changed-Money was their game
God determines our days-people and cities and states
It is important for us to lay up treasures in heaven
Walking with Jesus day by day
Clay Corvin March 23, 2008
ON THE SHORE
The Galilee captures my imagination as I sit on the shore
Quietly contemplating Bible verses
All of those events happened here
This small arena of God’s activity among mankind
The sweep of Genesis touches upon the Galilee
Jesus lived the majority of His ministry around these shores
The Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Bethsaida, so many more
I’ve seen them all and walked along the shore
How can the Lord use this in my life?
Change comes to mind first-I must change
I can begin to let Christ work out of me
Making a difference in the person you see
As I sit on the shore I recognize the opportunity
The Lord values who I am and what He has called me to do
I will recognize that too
Lord I will be me and let You express your power in me
Clay Corvin March 22, 2008