Speak Softly

         Speak Softly

Speak softly—let your words be few,
Let kindness shape each thing you do.
No need for noise, no boastful show,
True strength is calm, it doesn’t crow.

Carry a stick, not raised in pride,
But held with truth at mercy’s side.
Not meant for wrath or quick display,
But firm when darkness blocks the way.

A quiet voice, a steady hand,
A heart that trusts God’s greater plan.
For power ruled by humble grace
Will stand when storms erase the loudest face.

So walk in peace, yet do not yield
The ground where truth must be revealed.
Speak softly still—be strong, be wise—
For heaven backs the meek who rise.

Proverbs 15:1 (KJV)
A soft answer turneth away wrath:
but grievous words stir up anger.

“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far”
1901
Theodore Roosevelt,

Roosevelt believed that quiet confidence + credible strength was more effective than loud threats or empty talk.

For God’s Honor and Glory

MarkWaldrop

The Gift of the Pen



The Gift of the Pen

If I stood at a podium,
I’d stutter and sputter to no end,
Words would trip and tumble—
So He gave me the gift of the pen.

When my voice fails to carry
What my soul longs to say,
Ink becomes my witness,
And the page clears the way.

Through quiet lines and patience,
Truth flows steady then—
God speaks loud through silence
When He gives a soul the pen. ✍️📜

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

For God’s Honor and Glory

MarkWaldrop


God Uses the Simple

God Uses The Simple

A theological giant I am not,
No lofty towers of wisdom I’ve got.
I stumble through verses, plain and small,
Yet still I answer when I hear Him call.

For God uses the simple, the quiet, the few,
To confound the wise who think they always knew.
Not by clever words or a polished display,
But hearts that are yielded and choose Him each day.

The proud may debate, the learned may boast,
But grace finds a home in the humble the most.
So here I stand, just clay in His hand—
Strong not in knowledge, but where faith will stand.

1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

For God’s Honor and Glory

MarkWaldrop

One Step at a Time

   One Step at a Time

As colder winds begin to bite the air,
And winter hints at snow ahead somewhere,
The monks press on with quiet, steady grace,
Each mindful footstep marking time and place.

Through North Carolina roads they slowly tread,
With Virginia’s hills still rising up ahead.
Their message stays the same, both clear and strong:
Peace isn’t found where comfort proves lifelong.

This walk was never meant to feel so light,
It was forged to shine within the bite of night.
Not driven by convenience, ease, or gain,
But purpose deep enough to weather pain.

They teach us peace is practiced, not postponed,
Not waiting till the path is smooth or known.
It lives in choosing calm when trials appear,
In steady love that overcomes the fear.

Along the road, their presence softly calls,
Inviting hearts beyond imagined walls.
To live with compassion, unity, and care,
And carry peace wherever feet may dare.

With focused minds and hearts both firm and kind,
They walk for all of us who watch behind—
A living prayer in motion, strong and true,
That peace begins with me… with them… with you.

Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)
“You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.”

For God’s Honor and Glory

MarkWaldrop

Knowing Loving Walking

 Knowing Loving Walking

Many know about God — the stories, the name,
They study His wonders, His power, His fame.
They speak of His mercy, His justice, His might,
Yet keep Him at distance, just out of their sight.

To know God is deeper than facts we recite,
It’s hearing His whisper in stillness and night.
It’s trusting His heart when the pathway is dim,
And resting your questions completely in Him.

But friendship with God — oh, that’s love fully grown,
It’s walking together, not walking alone.
It’s sharing your burdens, your joys, and your scars,
And loving Him freely, not counting the cost or the stars.

To love God is choosing His will over pride,
Letting Him lead you, whatever betide.
Not knowing His name, nor just feeling His hand,
But holding His heart — and there you will stand.

John 15:15 (KJV)
“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

For God’s Honor and Glory

MarkWaldrop

Whispers From God

    Whispers From God

What words from God have you sensed in your spirit,
Not shouted aloud, yet too strong to ignore?
They come not in thunder, nor written in merit,
But whispered in peace at the heart’s humble door.

“Be still,” He says softly, when worries grow loud,
“Remember who holds you when strength feels so thin.”
Not fear, not confusion, not shame is allowed—
My child, you are known, and I’m working within.

“I see you,” He speaks, when the path feels unclear,
“I’m near in the waiting, I’m near in the fight.”
His words bring a calm that dissolves every fear,
A lamp for the steps taken faith over sight.

So listen, not hurried, not proving your worth,
For God often speaks where the noise finally ends.
His words are not earned by the wisdom of earth—
They’re given in love, as a Father to friends.

“And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”
1 Kings 19:12 (KJV)

For God’s Honor and Glory

MarkWaldrop

Martin Luther King

   Martin Luther King

We pause today to hear his dream,
A call for justice, strong and clean.
That love outshines the darkest night,
And truth still bends the arc to right.

With courage voiced in peaceful ways,
He lit the path for brighter days.
So let our words and actions say:
We live his dream—now and always.

Amos 5:24 (KJV)

“But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.”

MarkWaldrop

Pressing On

     
Pressing On

It’s not how big or how great you appear,
Not the brilliance you hold or the trophies you bear.
It’s not measured by talent, by strength, or by speed,
Nor by all the fine things others think that you need.

It’s doing your best with what’s placed in your hand,
Standing faithful and firm where you currently stand.
Pressing on with endurance when the way isn’t clear,
Refusing to quit though the goal feels not near.

For deep satisfaction is born from within,
When you trust God’s purpose and let patience begin.
Hold fast, don’t give up—stay steady, stay true,
What matters most is the faith lived through you.

Colossians 3:23 (KJV)
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

For God’s Honor and Glory

MarkWaldrop

https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=Bob%20Wiland%201986%20New%20York%20Marathon%20who%20finished%20last&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:01844a99,vid:csBt2_L5yTc,st:0

The Older Years

     The Older Years

As we grow old, the outside ages,
Lines are written like well-read pages.
Hair turns silver, steps slow down,
Time leaves footprints all around.

Yet deep within, where truth appears,
The spirit walks untouched by years.
It learns, it loves, it gently grows,
In ways the mirror never shows.

The body bends to time’s decree,
But the soul still tastes eternity.
For flesh may fade and days may flee,
The spirit lives—forever free.

2 Corinthians 4:16 (KJV)
“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

For God’s Honor And Glory

MarkWaldrop

Jesus Take Control

   Jesus Take Control

Change your want to doer, Lord,
For words are easy, deeds ignored.
We say, “I want,” yet stay the same,
Good thoughts remain a distant flame.

But when we yield our lives to Christ,
Our will aligns, our hearts suffice.
He reshapes desire, molds the soul,
A want-to-doer made whole.

What once we feared or pushed aside,
Becomes our joy with Him our guide.
New passions rise, old chains grow weak,
We do the good we used to seek.

From darkest nights and sorrowed days,
He turns our hearts toward lighted ways.
Where sadness dwelt, true joy takes part—
Such is the work of Jesus’ heart.

Philippians 2:13 (KJV)

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

For God’s Honor and Glory

MarkWaldrop

Penned for Bruce Braun