The Tyler Garden

I wish new beginnings for all on this earth

Wherever they happen to be

And pray that the Lord will inspire them

To think of Eternity…

Not as a place with no ending of time

But a place of deepest reward

For following closely the footsteps of Christ

Who calls, but is often ignored.

Each day you can start to live from the heart

While changing mistakes of the past…

Not waiting for the New Year or a New Year grown old,

To reap the rewards that will last.

It wasn’t loud; a tiny cry,

But angels heard the sound.

They all began to sing for joy

And spread the news around.

Shepherds heard and left their flocks

To find the “Lamb of God.”

They hastened ‘cross the very ground,

One day, His feet would trod.

Wise men watching for His star

Were filled with glad delight.

At last, their “dream” was coming true

On this Holy Night.

Christ still comes to anyone

Who opens up his heart

And asks Him to come in and stay

And be a vital part

Of everything they say and do,

Today and evermore.

Each heart can be His manger bed.

Come, let us adore.

Over the river and through the woods
Or maybe we stay where we are!
To honor Thanksgiving, that wonderful day
We don’t need a sleigh or a car

We do need the people we love at the table,
The table reflecting God’s love
Laden with food that was cooked tenderly
None better in Heaven above

And we need to give thanks for all we possess
No heart should be empty of praise
To God the Giver of all that we have
And all of our Thanksgiving Days.

Photo by Kathy Tyler

When you wish upon a star
It really can’t compare
To asking our dear Lord above
To grant your heartfelt prayer.

Keweenaw Peninsula, MI / Photo by Christopher Jahnke

In the dark of the night

Or the light of the day,

Remember that God

Is not far away.

 As close as a heartbeat

A thought or a prayer,

Remember that God

Is everywhere.

 In time of temptation,

Don’t run and hide

Pray to the God who

Is there by your side.

He’ll help you do battle,

And win the fight for you

For He is beside you

Above you, before you.

Each day you can win,

And the victory is real

If you trust in your God

And take time to kneel.

Nevis, MN - Photo by Christopher Jahnke

When trouble brews like darkest clouds

Upon a summer day

Indicating rain to come

So in the house, you stay…

Precaution must be taken

Or spiritual despair

May overcome your very soul

Though God does deeply care!

We never can forget Christ’s pain

Upon his lonely cross…

If we can blend our pain with His

Then pain is not a loss.

See trouble as a reason

For us to kneel and pray,

See God between the raindrops…

A rainbow comes one day.

Photo from The Tyler Garden

All the books that tell about God

Help us be sure in our mind

That He is the One who made all from nothing

No other God can we find.

But knowledge can’t fill a lonely heart

We need the love of God’s Son.

To help us love back for the love that He gave

On a cross where He died for each one.

He knocks at the door of each one’s heart

And asks to enter within

All those who say, “yes,” can’t possible guess

What joy is about to begin!

How cruel the death that Jesus chose

To free us from our sin…

Who but He could bear the pain

And our salvation win?

A thief was hung on either side;

One could see that He

Should never have been put to die

Here on Calvary.

Who but Christ could think of us?

Seven times He spoke

He gave us Mary for our Mother,

Her heart said, “yes,” but broke.

No one else could die for us.

No one else could pay

The price so all of us could have

A Resurrection Day.

My father loved his garden well,

My mother loved it, too.

All the colors of loveliness

Were in the flowers he grew.

Mother would take my hand and we

Would view the flowery site.

Gladiolas, a stately flower,

Was father’s deepest delight.

As years went by he added others,

Roses, cosmos, too,

Morning Glories, hollyhocks,

Forget-Me-Nots of blue.

He graced the earth with untold beauty

It lingers in my mind;

In growing flowers of my own

It’s shades of him, I find.

Photo from The Tyler Garden

What lies ahead when a year begins?

Only the Lord can know.

Will it be filled with good deeds or sins?

Will it be a chance to grow?

The holy unknown is all in God’s hands

But each has a chance to decide

Whether we want to follow ourself

Or let the Lord be our Guide?

As the year unfolds, day after day,

It’s very easy to see

If we have chosen our God or self

The apple falls close to the tree.