Reflection: A journey from the heart

By Carol Keefer

Reflection A Journey from the Heart consist of both poetry and devotionals that Carol Keefer have written over past several years. From different poems “Scratches of my Soul” Scratches that mark my life pieces of memories is a part of me; can I start to see the beauty of God’s love for me. “Forgiveness” is a place l

• Language: English
• Publisher: TOPLINK PUBLISHING, LLC
• Release date: Oct 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9781949804812

Carol Keefer

Carol Keefer is a dedicated wife and mother of two grown sons, as well as a grandmother to six grandchildren; three boys and girls. Her love for poetry started in her teenage years as way to express her emotions and feelings of loneliness, pain and fear. Even though those poems were lost, her love for the written word continue into her adulthood. Going from a frighten child to an adult still struggling with those deep fears; though now her faith in God has given her strength to express her fears and victories with others. With the hope of reaching out to those who are still fighting those same fear or loneliness along with struggles to encourage them through her words that they are never alone for God loves them with a deep love that lasts. Carol Keefer and her husband Don resided in Middletown Pennsylvania, along with their dog Fred and a cat Rickey. A part from her passion of writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends as well as making beaded jewelry. In addition both Carol and Don are active Church members of Swatara Church of God, located in Harrisburg, Pa. And it is through her passion of spending time in Gods' Word that inspires her poetry.

Book preview

Reflection

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A Journey from the Heart

Carol Ann Keefer

Copyright © 2018 by Carol Ann Keefer.

Back cover photos are provided by: Gregory Keefer Photography

Paperback: 978-1-949804-80-5

eBook: 978-1-949804-81-2

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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Contents

Scratches of my Soul

In the Desert

Crying out to God

Too Long Have I Wandered

A Tower

Brokenness

The Past

Broken Glass

Tearing Down

Rest in God

The Veil is lifted

Beauty and Whole

Broken Pieces

Peace Within

Waves of the Sea

Sweet Aroma

In the Garden

In the Midst of Darkness

In the Midst of Silence

A Blue Rose

A Word

Tough Times

My Soul thirst for You

God Hears

Through the Valley

Just Two Chairs

Who Will Fight

God’s Faithfulness

There is Peace

What Words Can I Say?

Do you have room for Me?

Today

Forgiveness

Open Windows

God’s Creation

Do You Love Me?

Distractions

Where Will You Take Me

Hearing God’s Voice

Will Anyone Listen

What Would You Do?

Two Words

People of the Streets

What Do You Bring to the Cross?

Saved by Grace

Stay true to the Path

Being Chosen

Come to Me, dear one

My Daughter and Son

Giving Praise

Take Heart My Child

Memory of Mom

She has gone Home

My Daughter

Praise and Worship

Come Eat and Drink

Word of God

Come and Join the Dance

Music in Your Heart

Love Abounds

More than one day

Home

Humility

A Simple Cloth

Here I Am

Who are you?

Follow Me

Whisper of God

Faith in God

Lost in God’s Arms

The Shepherd Speaks

Life

Faith

Peacemaker

Hope, Love and Faith

Hope

Christmas Spirit

The Spirit of Christmas

Christmas is Over

The Cost of following Jesus

At the Cross

Hope in Jesus

The Price was Paid

Goodbye dear Friend

A light in the Storm

Dedicated to my beloved husband Don,

and to our children and grandchildren

and finally to our Church family at Swatara Church of God

In loving memory of my mother

Mildred B. Landis who was full of laughter

and life of which she had influence me.

Scratches of my Soul

Scratches that mark my life of

past failures

that I would not depart from holding onto them

as if they were

precious treasures hidden deep

within my soul

refusing to see the beauty God created

in me

Scratches that mark my soul, hurts and guilt that I

will not let go

pretending to be someone that I am not, putting

on a false smile

never seeing the nail print hands of Jesus

reaching down to me

Scratches that mark my life of hidden wounds

wondering what if

people do not like me if they see in me

the failures and pain

I chose to bear

unable to see a friend praying for me

Scratches that mark my life pieces of memories

is a part of me

that I need to share for only by sharing the

pain within me

can I start to see the beauty of God’s love for me?

In the Desert

So long have I wandered

in the desert of yesterdays, clinging still to the

old self that I know so well.

Longing for the waters of refreshment

to quench this thirsty soul from the dryness of

my yesterdays.

Searching for a way out of the desert of

my old self to the green pastures of the

new self.

Seeking the face of Jesus and the peace that

only He can offer by His blood

that was poured out, covering my

weary soul.

Wandering still, stumbling over the rocks

of regret, not seeing

the path that He had created

for me.

As I wandered I saw a Light before my dim eyes

as out stretched nail print hands

reaching for me.

It was there I found peace and the old self was

peeled away as the new self began to grow

In the garden of love and mercy

for my wandering soul.

Crying out to God

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you: seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seek finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Luke 11: 9-10

Why is it so hard to ask God? Or to seek Him in our time of need? To knock expecting God to open His door to His heart?

As I was studying my Bible lesson this morning, I was reading the story of Ten Healed of Leprosy. As Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem, there were in the distance ten men who had leprosy crying out to Jesus to have pity on them; and when Jesus saw them, He told them to go show themselves to the Priest, and they obeyed Jesus without question. They went on their way, all but one Leper who came back as soon as he saw that he was healed and fell at the feet of Jesus, and he was a Samaritan. What would have happened if those men did not cry out to Jesus? If they felt that their problem of Leprosy was too big for Jesus to help them with? And what if they felt so unworthy of even asking Jesus for help? So why is it so hard for us to ask God for a miracle? Why can’t we cry out to God when life seems so hard that we don’t know which way to turn? God wants each one of us to cry out to Him daily; He loves us so much that when we feel that our problems are too little or too big for God to handle, we break His heart. I know that for me there are times when I know that I need to come before God and ask Him to help