If it is dangerous to keep company with people of bad character or bad principles, it is much more so to keep company with bad books.

-Harvey Newcomb

I suppose I should have known better
Hoping that gift which was lost would return
Now my hopes are torn asunder
Another lesson both lived and learned

It has been claimed, and now I must agree
One knows not the gift he has ’til it’s gone
And now, do trust me, for I see
While in this circumstance alone

In my human frailty, finiteness, and sin
I failed to act with wisdom and grace
Instead of clarity, confusion set in
And I turned away my face

Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to love at all, they say
But this pain looms icy, like frost on the heart
These memories, they will not fade!

This gift was like no other I’ve known
Unique in most every sense
I found myself most undeserving
And, yet, I erected a fence

This division was most absurd
As if I had lost my sanity
To neglect this gift so precious and sweet
Was the utmost height of vanity!

I abused an unmerited favor
And now I must pay the price
For this foolishness I am humbled
And have no comfort but Christ

Thus, I do cling to God’s Promise
Though in angst I regret my ways
Of neglecting this gift, so very dear
Hence, driving it away

But the Lord, in His kindness and mercy,
Will use even my sin and my faults
And take my most foolish of actions
And use them to purge the dross

Though now I weep in anguish, Lord
I nonetheless trust only in Thee
For Thou alone can make the crooked straight
And cause the blind to see

I thank Thee, O Lord, for Thy mercies
Which are renewed despite my sin
And I thank Thee for Thy comfort
That will allow me joy again

The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

O Gracious and Holy Lord, Thou art the Creator of all things and in Thee do all things consist. Thy holiness has set Thee apart and Thou alone art worthy to be worshipped and adored. Blessed be Thy Name, O King, for with Thy right arm Thou dost reign supreme. As the sovereign and transcendent God, Thou knowest all things. Thou dost know the failures of Thy servant - my wretched heart’s wanderings, my straying mind’s departures from all that is holy. Though Thou dost know these things already, I do readily confess and repent thereof these slights against Thy holy law and plead that Thou, my longsuffering God, would forgive Thy broken servant. The guilt of my sin does haunt and plague me so, but not nearly enough! May Thy Holy Spirit visit with me with a constant sense of my sin — not that I should be brought to despair, but so that my great need for Thy sanctification would linger ever before me. For it is Thy kindness which leads me to repentance and repent I do — begging Thy mercies which are new every morning. I pray thus according to Thy promise to save Thy servant to the uttermost. To Thee alone I singularly and wholeheartedly give my utmost devotion. Forgive Thy servant then, Lord, and make me more like Thy Son — for it is in His Name and by His merit I lay these requests before Thee. May it be so, Lord. Amen.

What a joyous evening! It wasn’t too hot outside, so I ventured to the front porch to have a bowl of fine tobacco blend in my pipe this evening. It was truly enjoyable, and as I was about 20 minutes into my smoke, the Lord sent rain. What a perfect mixture! Pipe aromatics, fresh rain, cool air…ahhh.

Lately, I’ve been enjoying, along with my pipe tobacco, some Cojimar Cognac Sugar Tip stogies. I’m not real big on cigars, but of the several I’ve tried I’ve enjoyed the Khalua from Drew Estates and the Cojimar Cognac Sugar Tips…the latter being my most preferred of the two.

I’m thankful to the Almighty for His blessings in the small things such as fresh rains, cool breezes, and tobacco. Blessed be His Name!

On a separate note:

I would most assuredly appreciate each and any of your prayers. I’m not like my daddy is. I wear out quicker. I’m not physically tired, but I am mentally drained and unmotivated, insofar as my “secular” studies go. I should be able to graduate this semester, so long as I pass all my classes. Grades really aren’t an issue, but timing and motivation are issues.

Please pray that I would be motivated to put forward my best work to the glory of His Name. I just don’t “feel” it right now. All I can think is, “One more semester.” I have exerted very little effort, and I ought to be ashamed of my self. I have 12 hrs, and three of my four classes is requiring a substantial amount of reading and writing. I would like to keep my GPA at its 3.5 level, so as to uphold the reputation of a serious Christian student who practices what he professes.

Thanks in advance, Friends.