"I hate, I reject your church gatherings, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. 

Take away from me the noise of your praise and music. 

But let JUSTICE roll down like waters.!" Amos 5:21,23,24

  

We cannot put God in a box; just like this tree; how it gets water, fertilizer and light defies nature! And yet, it grows. Just like this tree God will seek and save in the Catholic church, the Mormon church, the Jehovah witness church as well as Protestant churches, even the ones that seem lifeless. 

 

 

I remember hearing this story years ago. 

  They say that the Eskimos, in order to catch a wolf, take a knife and coat it in blood, let it dry and re-coat it, again and again, until there is a thick layer of frozen blood on the blade. Then they take it in the woods and bury the handle, with the blood soaked blade above the snow. The wolf is attracted by the scent of blood and begins to lick the blood from the blade; and as his frenzy increases, he licks so hard his tongue is cut and he begins to bleed: but not being able to recognize his blood from the blood on the blade, he ends up wounding and killing himself by his own blood-lust. 

The application to ourselves is easy. 

Context is everything when reading the Bible: read the words of Christ considering this homeless woman -- 

"Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes what is yours (like a gift of money or time) do not demand it back. (expect in return the goal you desired for it.) 

And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way. And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same thing. But love your enemies, and do good, expecting nothing in return; (your desired goal) and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. 

Be merciful as your Father is merciful. And do not judge and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. For by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you in return." Lk.6:30-

So each of us must examine our standard of measure......
 

 When I first read this I thought, God is good, when no one's there, he will bring a dog or animal to show unconditional love; and many testify that if it weren't for an animal they may have given up. 

But then I thought, what a tragedy that when someone really needs a hand, all they find is a paw! Oh soul of mine, Oh brothers and sisters, there is a world out there in great distress and suffering, may none of them ever need a hand and only find a paw. 

 

This passage really stood out to me today --

"Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1:78-79

I looked up the word "Darkness" and my Bible dictionary said, "Obscurity, including the idea of sinfulness and the consequent calamity", among other things. 

The impression I was left with is, that as Christians, upon whom God's tender mercy has shown upon, we are to seek those in obscurity suffering calamity as a consequences of their sin. 

When I was a young Christian, I spent most of my time wrangling with people that were not in these conditions, and, frankly, bore little fruit. Of course we should be prepared to share "in season and out of season" because we never know if they are in the season of "darkness, obscurity and calamity" which humbles the soul and opens the heart. 

 

  This photo really convicted me, here is a girl who has apparently taken her life, and her classmates are oblivious to the tragedy right in front of them. I couldn't help but think that tragedy is around every one of us; the suicide rate in teens is at an all time high, drug addiction is epidemic, nearly a third of our girls are sexually molested before age 18, violence is celebrated in all forms of media, God is mocked and the church in America is rapidly vacated by the young. Mercy, we all know the state of our country and our world, which is crying out for answers and direction. So may it never be that we,--me, act like these pictured. 

"The fields are ripe and ready for harvest, but the workers are few." 

 

   "My hearers, immortality is a glorious doctrine; but not given to us for speculation or amusement. Its happiness is to be realized only through our own struggles with ourselves, only through our own reaching forward to new virtue, and devotion. To be joined with Christ in Heaven, we must be joined with Him now in spirit, in the conquest of temptation, in charity and well-doing. Immortality should begin here. The seed is now to be sown which is to expand for ever."  

"Be not weary then in well-doing; for in due time we shall reap, if we faint not." 

  

  "The growth of our mind and spirit is inexhaustible; in every step of its progress we see a new impulse gained, and the pledge of nobler acquirements. We see within us that virtue by illustrious efforts replenishes instead of wasting its life; that the mind, by perseverance in well-doing, instead of sinking into a mechanical tameness, is able to conceive of higher duties, is armed for a nobler daring, and grows more efficient in charity. The mind, by going forward, does not reach insurmountable prison-walls, but learns more and more the boundlessness of its power, and of the range for which it was created."  William Ellery Channing. 

 

 "When I was in Rome, Onesiphorus eagerly searched for me, and found me." 2 tim. 1:17

Onesiphorus was a Christian brother that often refreshed and encouraged Paul in his many distresses. What stuck out to me was how Onesiphorus approached Paul's need: he "eagerly searched." 

Paul chose the word eager, which means, "wanting to do something very much; marked by enthusiastic interest." I asked myself, am I EAGERLY SEARCHING for others I'm enthusiastically trying to bless?  

 

   I don't know who it was, but I remember the feelings of encouragement he gave me, when an older Christian man encouraged me to read about faith and the works of wisdom. I'm so happy I took his advice because now I have a fifty year old collection of classic Christian works of faith and inspiration, and frankly, in all of my den, I like looking at the beauty of old books more than anything else. 

 

 Thomas Sowell observes that every new generation is an "invasion of civilization by little barbarians, who must be civilized before it's too late." 

What do you see here?

Opportunity!

If I were let loose in this crowd for a week, what could I accomplish? How many could I touch? How many could I leave a lasting impression on? Am I equipped if I had the opportunity?

These are deeply important questions we must ask ourselves, don't you think? What would be the very first thing you would do?

 

  Hannah, in her emotional affliction, went to the temple to pour out her heart to the Lord; in her distress she wept bitterly and prayed to herself quietly, only her lips moving. Eli, the mature Priest, Judge and leader of God's people, noticed her and saw her lips moving but heard not her voice and thought she was a drunk, and rebuked her. 

Will I see some poor, homeless person and make Eli's mistake? 

"Truly I say to you, unless you are turned and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 18:3

This is one example of Christ's meaning; children have to be taught to hate.

  

"The name passive virtues has been given to humility, patience and resignation; and I fear that the phrase has led some to regard these noble qualities as allied to inaction, as lacking energy and determination. Now the truth is that the mind never puts forth greater power over itself than when, in great trials, it yields up calmly its desires, affections and interests to God. There are seasons when to be still demands immeasurably higher strength than to act. Composure is often the highest result of power. Think you it demands no power to calm the stormy elements of passion, to moderate the vehemence of desire, to throw off the load of dejection to suppress every repining thought, when the dearest hopes are withered, and to turn the wounded spirit from dangerous reveries and wasting grief to the quiet discharge of ordinary duties? Is there no power put forth when a man, stripped of his property, of the fruits of a life's labor, quells discontent and gloomy forebodings, and serenely and patiently returns to the tasks which Providence assigns? I doubt not that the all-seeing eye of God sometimes discerns the sublimest human energy under a form and countenance which by their composure and tranquility indicate to the human spectator only passive virtues."   William Ellery Channing. 

When we're young and seeking a spouse we have our eyes filled with moonshine and stardust; but marriage, like all of life, is uncertain, and when we pledge our lives to someone we may be called to love more deeply than we ever imagined. It's not all about sex and romance, laughter and thrills. Many a person on this web-site can attest to it.

I'm really enjoying the thoughts of William Ellery Channing, so I thought I'd share a piece from his chapter on Self-control. He explains how we differ from animals regarding appetites and how excess can damage us. 

 

 

  In my fifty plus years as a Christian, I've seen many distractions hinder the true work of Christ. I was saved a year before the book, The Late Great Planet Earth came out, and many flooded the seminars, conventions and sat under teachers and pastors as the End Times Theology dominated much of the church's time, money and resources. Then there was the divide between charismatics and non charismatics; and for years some claimed tongues are the sign of the Holy Spirit while others strenuously opposed. The arguing went on; one side decrying the "social gospel" and the other side fiercely promoting old ways and systematic theology. The 80's brought the church front and center in the political arena with the "Silent Majority" spreading the new gospel. The Calvinist and the Armenian continue their divisions, and today we are examining the sheep to see if there fur reveals any "liberal/progressive" wolves hair! 

All the while poor Lazarus sits at our gate, lost, destitute, addicted, wounds gaping while he hungers for just a few crumbs from our table. 

So brethren, "choose your battles wisely because if you fight them all you'll be too tired to win the really important ones." 

FRUIT

This is a famous painting of "FRUIT, MUCH FRUIT."

As we grow in Christ and follow in His footsteps; we too will become like Jesus as He is depicted here ministering in love to the elderly, the sick, the fatherless little girl, the struggling single mother, the widow and abandoned little boy, the man seeking answers for his soul, and the crowds of lost, destitute and forgotten.

 

 

The single most important decision you will ever make will be in dating and choosing a spouse. No where will you meet more wolves (or leopards) in sheep's clothing than when dating.

 

 

 

 

   I posted this on social media because I frequently hear people lament that God doesn't answer their prayers. I believe we all experience hardships in life, and some, without question, are so hard to bear; but each hardship will sensitize our hearts to the needs of others, and our own sorrows help us sympathize with others. Many that have lost their homes because of Covid will, no doubt, never see homeless people the same. God will use our challenges and will not allow any grief to be wasted.  

  What I like about art is it evokes so many emotions; we each react to a picture so differently. When I saw this woman sitting in a completely bare room, with nothing but her body to focus on, I felt like it was a statement boldly saying, "I have value and I'm loved." Certainly she is unashamed even though she is far over weight, but holding her hands over her heart represented to me the feelings of love she has for others, and that she receives from others, outward appearances have no bearing on that. 

 

Wisdom for young men and women

"You will bring with you from your books and solitary reveries a wrong measure of men and things, unless you correct it by careful experience and mixed observation. 

You will raise your standard of character as much too high at first, and from disappointed expectation, it will sink too low afterwards. But you had, after all, better wait and see what things are than try to anticipate the results. You know more of a road by having travelled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world. 

You will find the business of life conducted on a much more varied and individual scale than you would expect. People will be concerned about a thousand things that you have no idea of, and will be utterly indifferent to what you feel the greatest interest in. You will find good and evil, folly and discretion, more mingled, and the shades of character running more into each other than they do in the ethical charts. No one is equally wise or guarded at all points, and it is seldom that any one is quite a fool. 

  Do not be surprised when you go out into the world to find men talk exceedingly well on different subjects who do not derive their information immediately from books. Common sense is not a monopoly, and experience and observation are sources of information open to the common man of the world as well as to the educated student. If you may know more of the outline and principles, he knows more of the details and practice of life. A man may give a singular account of the method of drying teas in China without being a profound chemist. It is the vice of scholars to suppose that there is no knowledge in the world but that of books. If you want to avoid it I urge you and thereby save yourself the pain and mortification that must ensue from finding out your mistake continually."   William Hazlitt.

   "The Queen of Sheba came to King Solomon and spoke with him about all that was in her heart." 1Kings 10:2

If we are truly "walking in the spirit", we too will have others coming to open their hearts to us. We are told to "Examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith", this is a good measuring stick. 

 

   "I have so much silence to say." 

I saw this on a web-site that had many dark posts and it was obvious they suffered a great deal of trauma; and when we have, it's so hard to trust anyone; so this quote of hers is so haunting. May all Christians seek to learn from the mind of Christ, how to unlock the hearts of the hurting. "The fields are ripe and ready to harvest..."

 

A Christian minister should beware of offering interpretations of Scripture which are repugnant to any clear discoveries of reason or dictates of conscience. This admonition is founded upon the very obvious principle, that a revelation of God must be adapted to the rational and moral nature which He has conferred on man; that God can never contradict in His Word what he has Himself written on the human heart, or teaches in His works and providence.

  All those interpretations of the Gospel which strike the mind at once as inconsistent with a righteous government of the universe, which require of man what is disproportioned to his nature, or which shock any clear conviction which our experience has furnished, cannot be viewed with too jealous an eye by him who, revering Christianity, desires to secure to it an intelligent belief.

  I answer too, that all sects of Christians agree, and are forced to agree, in frequently forsaking the literal sense on account of its incongruity with acknowledged truth. 

There is, in fact, no book in the world which requires us more frequently to restrain unlimited expressions, to qualify the letter by the spirit, and to seek the meaning in the state and customs of the writer and of his age, than the New Testament. No book is written in a more popular, figurative, and animated style -- the very style which requires the most constant exercise of judgment in the reader. 

The Scriptures are not a frigid digest of Christianity, as if this religion were a mere code of civil laws. They give us the Gospel warm from the hearts of its preachers. The language is not that of logicians, not the language of retired and inanimate speculation, but of affection, of zeal, of men who burned to convey deep and vivid impressions of truth. In understanding such writers, moral feeling is often a better guide than a servile adherence to the literal and most obvious meaning of every word and phrase. It may be said of the New as well as the Old Testament, that sometimes the letter killeth whilst the spirit gives life. 

Almost any system may be built on the New Testament by a commentator who, forgetting the general scope of Christianity and the lessons of nature and experience, shall impose on every passage the literal signification which is first offed to the mind. The Christian minister should avail himself, in his exposition of the Divine word, of the aids of learning and criticism, and also of he aids of reasons and conscience. Those interpretations of difficult passages which approve themselves to his clear and established conceptions of rectitude, and to his devout and benevolent affections, he should regard with a favorable eye; whilst those of an opposite character should be regarded with mistrust."  

 Why do we preach Christ and to what end?

We preach Christ, says Paul, "warning ever man, and teaching every man, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." 

We should preach that we may make men perfect Christians; perfect, not according to the standard of the world but according to the law of Christ; perfect in heart and in life, in solitude and in society, in the great and in the common concerns of life. Here is the purpose of Christian preaching. 

 It demands that our piety be fervent, our benevolence unbounded, and our thirst for righteousness strong and insatiable. The Gospel enjoins inflexible integrity, fearless sincerity, fortitude which despises pain and tramples pleasure under foot in the pursuit of duty, and an independence of spirit which no scorn can deter and no example seduce from asserting truth and adhering to the cause which conscience approves. With this spirit of martyrs, the Gospel calls us to unite the mildest and meekest virtues; a sympathy which melts over other's woes; a disinterestedness which finds pleasure in toils and labors for other's good; a humility which loves to bless unseen, and forgets itself in the performance of the noblest deeds; a love which counts no service hard, and a penitence which esteems no judgment severe; a gratitude which offers praise even in adversity; a holy trust unbroken by protracted suffering, and a hope triumphant over death. In one word, it enjoins that loving and confiding in Jesus Christ, we make His spotless character, His heavenly life, the model of our own. Such is the greatness of character which the Gospel demands, and such is the end to which our preaching should ever be directed."  W.E.Channing. 

 

"There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Four which I do not understand"              

And one of them is - "The way of a man with a maid." 

This reminded me to always stir and rekindle our love, and to rejoice in the wife of our youth and be exhilarated always with her love. 

Pr. 30:18-19, Pr. 5:19  

  

 This is such an insightful quote; learning to listen to what a person does NOT say is so important. Whether it's your spouse, child, family, friend or stranger. It's a key component in consoling the downcast and also evaluating a sermon or teaching. I, for one, when listening to a preacher, listen to hear if he mentions the poor, the downcast and all who have fallen between the cracks; if Jesus found it necessary to stress the importance of the poor and hurting by word and deed, then I find it a necessary that who I choose to sit under recognizes it as well. 

Of course topics on all subjects need to be taught, but even a closing prayer will show a lot. 

 Oh dear soul, I see in God's spotless and beloved Son, to whom His power was peculiarly delegated, and in whom He peculiarly dwelt, giving singular attention to the most fallen and despised men, casting away all outward pomp that He might mingle familiarly with the poor and neglected; when  I see him sitting at the table with the publican and sinner, inviting them to approach Him as a friend, allowing the women whose touch was deemed pollution to bedew his feet with tears; and when  I hear Him in the midst of such a concourse saying, "I have come to seek and to save that which was lost," I have an understanding and conviction of the lenience, the gentleness, kindness and graciousness, of that God whose representative and chosen minister Jesus was, such as not abstract teaching could have given me. 

So take heart isolated one, you've got a friend in Jesus!

Taken from W.E. Channing.   

"but maybe the bible………… is about suffering

maybe it’s the dozens of psalms about weeping and fear of losing God. maybe it’s Jesus being resurrected with scars on his hands and feet, proof of His terrible death. maybe it’s Elijah in the desert, praying to die. maybe it’s Jeremiah, an outcast prophet who cursed the day he was born. maybe its Job, who lost his entire life in one night. maybe it’s the woman who clutched Jesus’ robe, begging for a cure for her chronic illness. maybe it’s Jesus in Gethsemane, praying for God to take this cup from Him.

maybe the purpose of God’s love is not to immediately save us from all our problems. that would be too easy. maybe God just wants to walk through with us, watch us become stronger through our trials, watch us become examples for other people struggling in this broken world."

I read that this morning, what ever one believes, surely this plays a part.

I was shocked, confused, bewildered

As I entered Heaven’s door,

Not by the beauty of it all,

Nor the lights of its decor.

But it was all the folks in Heaven

Who made me sputter and gasp--

The thieves, the liars, the sinners,

The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade

Who swiped my lunch money! Twice.

Next to him was my old neighbor

Who never said anything nice.

Jerry, who I always thought

Was rotting away in hell,

Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,

Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, ‘What’s the deal?

I would love to hear Your take.

How’d all these sinners got up here?

God must’ve made a mistake!

‘And why’s everyone so quiet,

So somber? — Please give me a clue.’

Hush, child,’ He said, ‘It’s because

They’re all in shock.

No one thought they’d be seeing you.’

Author unknown

 

  Let me propose to you one great but simple question -

What is it that is to be loved in Christ? Why are we to hold him dear? I answer, there is but one ground for virtuous affection in the entire universe, but one object worthy of cherished and enduring love, whether in heaven or on earth, and that is Moral Goodness. 

I make no exceptions. My principle applies to all beings, to the Creator as well as to His creatures. The claim of God to the love of his rational offspring rests on the rectitude and benevolence of His will. It is the moral beauty and grandeur of His character to which alone we are bound to pay homage. The only power which can and ought to be loved is a beneficent and righteous power. The creation is glorious, and binds us to supreme and everlasting love to God, only because it sprung from and shows forth this "energy of goodness"; nor has any being a claim on love any further than this same energy dwells in him and is manifested in him. I know of no exception to this principle. 

I can conceive of no being who can have any claim to affection but what rests on his character, meaning by this the spirit and principles which constitute his mind, and from which he acts; nor do I know but one character which entitles a being to our hearts, and it is that which the Scriptures express by the word Righteousness; which in man is often called Virtue -- in God, Holiness; which consists essentially in supreme reverence for and adoption of what is right; and of which benevolence, or universal charity, is the brightest manifestation." William Ellery Channing.

A way to read the Bible

 "After praying for spiritual light, read a small portion of the passage of Scripture you have opened to. Be careful as you read. Take in fully, gently and carefully what you are reading. Taste it and digest it as you read. 

In the past it may have been your habit to move very quickly from one verse of Scripture to another until you had read the whole passage. Perhaps you were seeking to find the main point of the passage. But try not reading quickly, read very slowly not moving from one passage to another, not until you have sensed the very heart of what you have read. 

You may then want to take that portion of Scripture that has touched you, and turn it into prayer. 

 After you have sensed something of the passage and after you know that the essence of that portion has been extracted and all the deeper sense of it is gone, then, very slowly, gently, and in a calm manner begin to read the next portion of the passage. You will be surprised to find that when your time with the Lord has ended, you will have read very little, probably no more than a half a page."                         Madame Guyon, Experiencing the depths of Jesus Christ.

  This young woman, homeless, destitute and traumatized, sits on the streets of Portland unable to help herself, and ignored by all but the predators. She was molested by her father from age four to fifteen, and her older brother began molesting her from age eleven to fifteen; her mother did nothing. She ran away at age 16 and has been on the streets since then, where she was brutally beaten and has been raped twice. She now sits disassociated from from reality, a poor, hopeless orphan. 

Oh God! Send us a man like Job!

 

Why Job you may ask? 

"Because he delivered the poor who cried for help, and the orphan who had no helper. The blessing of the one ready to commit suicide came on him. He was a father to the needy, and he investigated the case of people like her. And he BROKE the jaws of wicked and snatched the prey from his teeth! Snatching them, as it were, out of the FIRE."

Job 29:12-17, Jude 23

This young woman was photographed by Cedric Hayes on the streets of Portland, and the story of her past is not specific to her, but represents the story I've heard countless times by the homeless, the drug addicted and destitute.