“You stiff-necked Christians! Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit?" Acts 7:51 abridged for the church.

"One of the most telling blows which the enemy ever struck at the life of the Church was to create in her a fear of the Holy Spirit.

No one who mingles with Christians in these times

will deny that such a fear exists.

Few there are who without restraint will open their whole heart to the blessed Comforter.

He has been and is so widely misunderstood that the very mention of His name in some circles is enough to frighten many people into resistance. The source of this unreasoning fear may easily by traced, but it would be fruitless labor to do it here. Sufficient to say that the fear is groundless.”-A. W. Tozer,

Martyn Lloyd-Jones said it this way:

“Got it all? Well, if you have ‘got it all’ I simply ask in the name of God, why are you as you are?

If you have got it all, why are you so unlike the New Testament Christians?

Got it all! Got it at your conversion! Well, where is it, I ask?”

If the teachings of Calvin, or of more recent teachers such as John MacArthur, John Piper, J. Vernon McGee, or other influential voices within Reformed theology, have caused you to “resist the Holy Spirit” for whatever reason, I urge you to reconsider.

We must be careful not to let our theological convictions become barriers to the very work of God we long to see accomplished in our lives.

We may disagree about the nature, purpose, or continuation of certain spiritual gifts, yet still remain humble and receptive to the Spirit's transforming presence.

Paul's exhortation remains worthy of our attention: “Quench not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

Whatever your theological convictions, do not let fear of excess, suspicion of others, or loyalty to a particular system of doctrine cause you to withdraw from the Spirit's sanctifying work.

Let your heart remain open to all that He desires to accomplish in you, always testing what you hear against Scripture and seeking to glorify Jesus Christ.

The question is not simply what we believe about the Holy Spirit, but whether we are willing to yield ourselves to His work within us.

The following satire would be humorous if it weren't so true. The masses of struggling  destructive lost and downcast are common on the streets of Portland Oregon . This quote describes so many I minister to in the jail and missions.  

"PACIFIC NORTHWEST APPARENTLY HOME TO NEW GENERATION: "GEN WHY"

Every little town in the Pacific Northwest apparently has at least one member of a previously unidentified generation known as "Gen Why."

She's 40, dresses like she's 21, parties like it's 2006, and has been "getting her shit together" since George W. Bush was president.

You know the one.

Leopard-print leggings tighter than a banjo string, a crop top fighting for its life, eyelashes like two dead tarantulas, and enough makeup to seal a double-wide. She applies it with a nine-inch paint roller from Bi-Mart and uses a putty knife for touch-ups.

Her eyebrows are drawn on so high they qualify as overhead utilities.

She's got five kids, four baby daddies, and a boyfriend-of-the-month club with more turnover than Dollar General. The current winner is 24, has "LOYALTY" tattooed on his neck, and hasn't worked since somebody stole his tools in 2019.

Naturally, she doesn't have a meth problem. She just smokes a little, sells enough to support the habit she doesn't have, and has been cleaning the same bathroom since the Fourth of July.

"I can quit whenever I want."

Nobody asked, Tiffany.

Despite being unemployed, she's busier than a one-armed roofer. Between Facebook fights, court dates, and driving her boyfriend to probation, she barely has time to post about fake friends, jealous bitches, and how blessed she is.

Her profile says "INDEPENDENT QUEEN - DON'T NEED NO MAN," although her mother pays the phone bill, her ex pays the electricity, and she's borrowing $40 from a guy she met behind Chevron.

Every Friday she's cutting toxic people out of her life. By Sunday, they're all back in her living room smoking cigarettes, fighting over a missing vape, and planning an eyelash business.

She's accepting deposits.

You can usually hear "Gen Why" coming three blocks away, blasting Eminem and screaming at somebody on speakerphone about loyalty.

At press time, she'd posted "NEW CHAPTER. NO MORE DRAMA."

Nine minutes later, police responded to a disturbance involving two ex-boyfriends, a missing catalytic converter, and somebody screaming, "YOU DON'T KNOW MY FUCKING STORY!"

Unfortunately, everybody in town does.

DISCLAIMER: Satire. Gen Why is fictional, but every small town has at least one. Some have enough to start a bowling league."  The Coostucky Chronicle

 Pearl of great price Mt. 13:45-46

Who Is the Merchant, and What Is the Pearl?

“There are scholars who disagree, I’ll share the interpretation I think is most applicable.

I believe the merchant represents the sincere seeker—the person who hungers and thirsts for truth, righteousness, and a deeper understanding of God.

The pearls represent the spiritual truths he discovers along the way, each contains elements of truth, while the “pearl of great price” represents Christ Himself, the incomparable worth of God's kingdom, which surpasses everything else he might possess.

I believe God has graced every culture and generation with individuals who possess uncommon spiritual insight, enabling them to perceive truths others may overlook.

These men and women may arise from any nation, tradition, or walk of life.

Their insight is not a trophy of human achievement,

but a gift of grace intended for the common good.

Perhaps these are among the pearls God places along humanity’s path—glimpses of divine truth intended to awaken our hunger for something greater than ourselves.

We should not assume that every pearl of wisdom contains the fullness of divine truth, Christ alone possesses all truth.

For the merchant in Jesus’ parable, the discovery of one pearl of extraordinary value changed everything. Having found it, he was willing to sell all he possessed to obtain it.

Not every messenger possesses equal understanding.

When we encounter truth, we should examine its worth, embrace what is good, and allow it to transform our hearts and lives.

For the true seeker, spiritual discovery is not merely an intellectual exercise;it calls for a response.

Like the merchant who gives everything to obtain the pearl of great price, we must be willing to surrender whatever stands in the way of God's kingdom.

The light God gives us is not a license to demonize or condemn those who see differently, rather, we should approach others with humility and discernment, recognizing that we, too, see and understand only in part, and remain dependent upon His grace.

And we have a responsibility to

love more deeply,

discern more wisely,

and serve more faithfully.

We can hold firmly to our convictions while remaining open to the possibility that God has allowed others, in different cultures and traditions, to perceive aspects of truth that we ourselves have overlooked.

If the light we have received is truly from God,

it should lead us toward the character of Christ,

who was full of grace and truth.

The more clearly we see His light,

the more faithfully we should reflect it to the world—

not as a weapon with which to wound others,

but as a light by which they, too, may find their way toward God.”

 

 "I have nothing to say to you, but what I have already said: simply obey the Holy Spirit, without listening to your own reason or fancy. 

No doubt you recognize you have a terrible bias to dissipation, the wasteful spending and squandering of resources, a lifestyle of unrestrained pleasure-seeking and a state of self-satisfaction and pride that is completely unjustified, unearned, and based on an illusion of achievement; you love to be praised, and you praise yourself; you find in your reason and natural courage, a strength which nourishes pride. 

Nothing but honest, quiet reflection can destroy this vain life, and moderate your insupportable lively, high-spirited, energetic, restlessness. 

“Let your thirst for understanding seek less, and let your heart give itself up more. Everything that seems to satisfy your intellect only puffs it up: you imagine you are nourishing your zeal, when in fact you are nourishing your pride. 

The point is not to know a great deal, but to know how to become more lowly, a child in the hands of God, of whom  I beg, not only to make you lowly, but to make you as nothing.” Fenelon.

When I worked on a Hotline, God opened up an online connection with a young woman some years back. 

Her life was a continual horror from 2 years old till I met her when she was 22. 

After we had been communicating for some time I asked her if I could have permission to share some of her story, 

She wanted me to. The communication was done by texting online. 

I decided to leave her testimony in her own writing, sadly, she had little education and it takes some work to understand her. 

I did add some punctuation. 

“Thank you so much for everything you have done. 

you can tell my store to other to help them it ok

 i am sure my store can help other or i hope so.

 

i am so thankful you was online that night and you have helped me so much you have no clue.

i hope you can help others just like me. 

everyday a new day. 

i will type my full story so you can share with other. 

my name lanna i am 22 my story begins i had a mom and a dad and 2 sister and a brother.

 

my parents split up when i was like 10 maybe younger i will never forget that night.

 

it was storming really bad my dad my uncle my brother and just one of my sister and our two friends and my cousin and my mom. we was all at the house watching beauty and the beast. 

my dad and cousin was in bedroom she was like 13. 

i was sitting in my mom lap and she ask me get up. 

i watched her get up go to bedroom and then she walked out she told us get dressed we leaving. 

we went to naborhouse. 

i was scared i had no iead what was going on. 

when i got there mom made me and my sister go to room. i looked out i seen my dad in hand cuff in back of police car. 

i was sad i was daddy liittle girl. 

i went with my mom and cousin to hospital. that when i found out my dad and cousin been having sex. 

we went to a safe house me mom and sister and brother. after 30 days we went to stay at my grandmother house where my step grand father stayed to.

i rember mom took my sister to dentist she left me and my brother i wanted to go outside and play he would not let me and he would drag me to bathroom and try lock me in there he hit me. 

when mom came home i told her and we moved out we got our own place.

 i was happy i made friends. 

mom had a boyfirend name ben i did not like him he made me stay outside i was not allowed to get nothing to drink my friend would give me something. 

so one day i walked to my mom work which was right up the street. i told mom what ben was doing and she kicked him out. 

so she met a guy named emad i loved him he was so nice funny smart he help mom me the hole family. 

we moved in a house he help us get but he never stayed with us so mom meet a guy named Chris which come find out he was a sex offender and she new he was ok  

my sister, she was like 17 and was dating a guy who was like 20 something,

 he was cool i like him a lot she would give me adult chatline number for me call keep me busy so she could do whatever why mom was at work. 

mom got mad her and told her she could not see him and so mom and her got in a fight and she called the law they took mom and her boyfriend to jail

 he went cause he was a sex offender he was around me and SAM. so we were not aloud to see him. 

i was in foster care at 12 and the first home i went to i did not feel right i hated cause of my foster dad nobody would listen to me 

i try everything to get moved out i showed out at school. 

i got in trouble at home

it was Christmas time and my foster sister had a band program me my brother and the other little girl was left alone with him and when i went to ask for food he told me no not until i did something with him and he touched me,

i told mom what he did to me and she called my case worker me and my little brother we moved back with mom. 

everything was so good. i was like 12 getting ready turn 13. 

i was talking to other men and sneak out house to have sex 

my mom was never around she was away at work. 

i was talking to this man who name mike 

he was 55 

she new about him she never said, no lanna you cant do that, so when we got kicked out he help us we were together everyday all day he was my boyfrend we slept in same bed 

i told mom i might been pragent she never said anything. so when people got to see us they reported use they pic of and i told them she new about us 

she denied it they took me and my brother away.

  

went to foster care where i stayed until i turned 18 

 i would run away and be with pimp and i got beat and raped by a pimp who would not let me sleep 

i had walk day and night in summer time until i called cops they took him away.  

i was dating a guy who was super nice everyone in company liked him. one day i ran away went back to street where i was pulled at gun point and stuff. i ened up getting mairryed i had devroce him

i was wrong i started having dreams and stuff getting real depressed not haven a mom to talk to or friends. 

i as think about sudice. long time i remaber i saw this viedo on facebook i saved a long time ago i rember i saved 

i wen to it, that were i stared talking to a really nice guy name Fred he preyed for me he found a church for me to go to all he new was  the state i was in, and found a church right up street from me 

how he new where to look idk. 

a couple day later me and my mom stared talking, 

we have not talked since i was like 17 i haven seen her and we talk everyday now i been happy 

everyday a sturgle for me.

We continued to chat and she made progress in faith and in life. At some point we lost touch……

My sons and I were discussing the care Jesus had about the scraps left over after He fed the multitude. My middle son brought it up saying - 

 “It always strikes me as odd that gathering the leftovers after feeding the multitudes is mentioned so prominently. It's like Jesus doesn't want it to be mis-handled.

I said – “Picking up the leftovers always reminds me of the Gentile woman that sought healing for her daughter, and she was more than happy to have crumbs that fell under the table. 

There are times I feel like it's all I have to offer, crumbs. 

I get in situations that are way over my head, and yet, 

Amazingly, I see a crumb nourish some poor trembling soul. 

It happened last night at the jail, when a girl of 25, 

with problems that completely overwhelm her, 

so much so she has NEVER shared anything about her past, 

it is just too painful.

 But last night, she lingered and was the last to leave the meeting, 

she stopped to chat with me for a minute. 

She knows I care about her; I have lavished the affection of Christ on her whenever I have the opportunity. 

And last night, for the first time, she shared some of her struggles and bits of her past. 

It may not seem like much, but to me it was like seeing Lazarus coming out of the tomb, still bound hand and foot with death robes, but he was upright!

This photo isn't her, but it looks a lot like her.

Little Heart and Big Water Bottles

A brief encounter at the Crisis Shelter

“I saw her with a water bottle that was half her size, 

she could barely hold it and take swigs, 

as it jostled in her little hands. 

Its size seemed intentional, like someone prepared for a long and thirsty journey.

We caught each other’s eyes.

Her mother was standing with another child in her arms, surrounded by a gaggle of other siblings. 

They were weaving in and around her as they all stood waiting for the evening details at the Crisis Shelter to fall into place.

There was a look in the mother’s face that I’ve seen many times, an overwhelmed, but determined stability, 

as she tries to hold life all together. 

The world is careening out of any sort of calm and safe orbit 

and they are being thrown into unfamiliar places and faces. 

It’s a managed terror, 

a courageous caution, 

mixed with fragile determination. 

A strong and fierce countenance, 

with slightly trembling lips.

I approach the mama Deer and her little Fawns gently, purposefully with distracting playfulness with the little water girl. 

Jokes and light banter to break the tension and the awkward energy in the moment.

I have learned the easiest way to gently approach a nervous and protective heart of a mother is kindness to her kids. 

Engaging her children is a gift of distraction from all the unknown, it’s a relief to the anxiety of first entries and skittish hearts and minds.

The little girl asks me if I can “Touch the roof.”

I do so.

She says “Do it again.”

I do so.

“How old are you?” she asks.

I tell her.

“What is your name?”

Do you live here?

Her list of questions is Homeric:

I am being analyzed by a little heart and mind, sized up, examined and lightly touched from a distance. 

I’m reminded of the Deer that I live among, curious, but so quick to leap away in the blink of an eye at the slightest twitch of danger.

I want to stay; she wants me to stay…

but the night has structure and steps and our meeting ends, 

but her face lingers in my mind and heart as I pray her name.

“Lord, bless this young girl and her siblings with peace tonight, a safe and warm bed, full tummies, fresh and clean clothes. 

Uphold them through all the loving and helpful people present to serve them. 

Hold Mom’s heart in your hands,

allow her to rest from all that hunts and haunts her. 

Meet them in the grace and goodness of all the care and counsel that is available under the roof of the UGM Shelter for Women and Children.” In Jesus name, amen.”

Pastor Eric

 ""If when reading my Bible, I find that the Epistles are gaining a commanding influence upon my mind, I must at once set out to explore the prophets.

If I find some special phase of truth powerfully attracting me, I must not shun it, but neither must I neglect the other aspects of truth.

“The Lord has yet more truth to break from out His Word!” said John Robinson; and I must earnestly seek to find it.

Now, Mr. Goodman is a splendid fellow;

but he fell in love with one lonely little truth,

and now he never thinks, reads, or preaches of any other.

It would be his salvation, and the salvation of his people,

if he would venture forth to climb the peaks that hold no attraction for him.

He would discover, when at last he stood upon their sunlit summits,

that they too are part of God’s great and glorious world."

This is such a practical and important truth, especially for new Christians or for those who have heard little beyond what their pastor or denomination teaches.

 Why have children? 

There are certainly many reasons, but I think most of us remember the pure joy and thrill of what these little ones brought  to our lives. 

Here are the best descriptions I've read so far -- 

"It is interesting to observe how the Creator, having first subjected the child to parental and family influences, 

has even then provided for its growing freedom by inspiring it with –

overflowing animation, 

inexpressible joy, 

impatience of limits, 

thirst for novelty, 

delight in adventure, 

and ardent imagination. 

Jeremy Tayor said it this way – 

"No man can tell but he that loves his children, 

how many delicious accents make a man's heart dance in the pretty conversations of those dear pledges; 

their childishness, 

their stammering’s, 

their little angers, 

their innocence, 

their imperfections, 

their necessities, 

are so many little emanations of joy and comfort to him that delights in their persons and society.” 

“We take shelter in children to escape oblivion. 

We ask the child to drag around the unwieldy weight of magic. 

To clap wildly. 

To believe in what we believe in no longer. 

We ask the child to keep the awe we forgot how to hold. 

The fairy isn’t the fairy. It’s the child who is the fairy. 

It’s the child who is enchanted!”

If one could bottle and sell these feelings, he would be the richest man alive! 

 "No human being exists whose character can be presented as a perfect model.

No process is so destructive as one that would force all people into the same mold.

Every human being is meant to have a character of his or her own,

to be what no other person is,

and to do what no other person can do.

Our common nature is meant to unfold in limitless diversity.

It is rich enough for infinite expressions.

It is meant to take on countless forms of beauty and greatness.

Every human being has an inner work to carry out,

duties to perform in the world,

and influences to exert that are uniquely his or hers,

and which no conscience but their own can reveal.

Let no one, then, surrender his or her conscience to others,

but act with the freedom, strength, and dignity of one whose highest law, written within by the hand of God, is obeyed in faith." William Ellery Channing. 

 "Perhaps this is one of the greatest hidden sacrifices -

Love continually interrupts us.

Nearly every meaningful relationship requires a continual dying to self.

Most of these sacrifices are small enough that they scarcely feel heroic,

yet they are often the very things through which Christ is formed in us.

As one writer observed, the great test of Christian love is not whether we would die for our brethren,

but whether we can patiently live with them.

The person who

talks too long,

arrives late,

asks for help at an inconvenient moment,

or sees things differently from us becomes an opportunity to practice the kind of love that "does not seek its own."

These little sacrifices are the hidden currency of every

healthy church,

family,

and friendship.

They are often unnoticed by men, but never by God.

"Through love serve one another" (Galatians 5:13).

The service is usually found in the small things."

"Don't mistake feeling emotional about a story for genuinely caring for people. 

True compassion is measured by what we do for ordinary people who suffer in real life."

Or even more simply:

"It's easy to feel sorry for fictional characters. The real test of compassion is whether we care for ordinary people whose suffering isn't dramatic or beautiful."

That final sentence is really the heart of the passage. He's warning that our imagination can give us the feeling of being compassionate, while real charity requires us to notice and help those whose misery is plain, unattractive, and close at hand.

*Trigger Warning *

Help for healing from child abuse, 

sexual assault, and other traumatic circumstances. 

Here are the best resources I've found for survivors of complex trauma. 

Diane Langberg. She's a licensed Christian Psychologist that has worked with victims of PTSD and Complex Trauma from child abuse for over forty years, she knows her stuff. 

She has many videos on You Tube but I'll list the two I think are best to start with. 

"Complex Trauma: Understanding and Treatment - Diane Langberg"

and the second is under 

"The Spiritual Impact of Sexual Abuse and Other Trauma - Diane Langberg"

Then the book "Mending the Soul" by Steven Tracy is the best I know of. 

Judith Herman's book, "Trauma and Recovery " is the one of the most respected in the field.

Also for recovery from substance abuse the 

"Genesis Process, for change groups Book 1 and 2 individual workbook" 

These books are used in recovery programs all over the world. They can be purchased online used inexpensively. 

I'd start with Diane Langberg, She is a well-known and well-loved Christian counselor and speaker who trains other counselors and has a heart for Christ like few you'll ever meet. 

I recommend you follow Ann Stewart Porter, a Christian all of her sixty some years, and she has gone through more than any person I know, 

her second child was born without sight, hearing or ability to talk, was medically fragile and was in the infant stage her entire 25 years of life cared for and loved by Ann and her husband Dan. 

She's also a Christian counselor, missionary, has 4 published books and posts daily online. I consider her a mentor. 

I'll add Kelsey Decker, she was groomed and held in cults, forced into prostitution until she was about forty; she's a firebrand for Christ now, words fail to exaggerate! 

She has a FaceBook site and YouTube site, videos and books.

SAVED BY GRACE - FOR WHAT??

I can't imagine how dwarfed my Christian walk would be if I weren't influenced by the great Christian divines that understood the ministry of Christ so clearly.

Does the following message ring out clearly in your church?

"The third Person of the Holy Trinity is known to us by the name and dignity of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.

God Himself glories in this name:

He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

Therefore, to serve in the work of comforting others is to become like God and to imitate the charity and compassion of heaven.

God has fitted us for this work.

We need comfort ourselves, and through our own experience we can understand the needs of our brothers and sisters.

God has also given us the gift of speech.

Therefore, after using our tongues to praise Him,

there is perhaps no greater purpose for which He made them

than to bring comfort to a weary soul.

And what greater privilege can there be than to bring joy and gladness to someone who, with weary and sorrowful eyes, looks toward heaven and all around him but cannot find enough rest even to close his eyes?

What greater privilege than for your tongue to speak with heavenly words, causing that weary soul to listen for the possibility of light and relief?

And when that person begins to realize that comfort and joy still exist in this world

and that there is a place for them in the order of things,

he may begin to break out of the prison of his sorrow.

At first, it may be through sighs and tears;

but little by little, his sorrow may melt into tears of relief, refreshment,

and renewed hope.

This is glory for your voice,

and an employment worthy of the brightest Angel.

God is pleased with no music from this earth as much as with

the thanksgiving song

of relieved widows,

supported orphans,

and people who are rejoicing, comforted, and grateful."

Jeremy Taylor - 1600s.

“The blessing of the one who was about to perish came upon me, And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy." 

Job 29:13

Ann Stewart Porter, a friend of mine I met online, and someone I truly consider one of my valued mentors, was sharing the following on her site, –

“I decided this year to write out the Bible in leather journals. I’m in The Letters now.

It’s amazing the different perspectives it gives, things you see you didn’t when just read. Highly recommend!”

One of the sisters, as amazed as I was, commented,

“Wow! What a labor of love!”

Ann responded –

“It’s really been a good thing to do.

I try to change up the way I do my quiet time to keep our relationship exciting and growing for me.

One year I might read the Bible backwards.

One year, start NT then OT. I have read it 6 times in one year.

I have studied and not completed it in a year.

I might study characters or a certain theology I want to particularly learn well.

I might start with the Prophets hardest to read first.

This year and probably next I may be writing it out. Course I’m also leaving time to study certain things that stand out to me.

Although it’s more than I counted on! But I love it!”

We all need mentors in our lives, at nearly 80

I have many. 

 

"Some of us come into the world with no other interest in the affairs of the world than that we made our parents a little glad, and very sorrowful.

Some come into the world and live a few years like a bubble, empty and gay, shining like a dove’s neck or the image of a rainbow—without substance, its colors are imaginary;

and so he dances out the gaiety of his youth, all the while in a storm,

enduring only because he is not knocked on the head

or crushed beneath the pressure of a load of indigested meat." Jeremy Taylor. 

Meaning -

Some lives seem to pass in a whirl of brief pleasure and outward brightness, bringing some joy, but mostly sorrow to those who love them,

while beneath the laughter they struggle through storms they scarcely understand—

surviving more by chance than wisdom.

"There is in most of us a fiber of self-will,

of hardness,

of stubbornness which we cannot break,

but which God may be trusted to break for us,

if we desire it to be broken.

If the light is clouded, and the joy is blotted out, and the energy burns low,

it is not a sign that we have failed,

but that the mind of God is bent still more urgently upon us.

What we may pray for and desire is courage,

to live eagerly in joy

and not less eagerly in sorrow;

to be self-controlled in happiness

and courageous in trouble." John Ruskin.

 

“The electric fire of correspondent feelings,”

I read this quote, and it really struck me. It describes that powerful dynamic that happens, on rare occasions, when connecting with others—when the Holy Spirit seems to spark something within us that makes us realize, this is a holy moment!

Here’s a breakdown of the quote:

“Electric fire” — a vivid metaphor for something intense, exciting, and almost physically felt, like an electrical spark or a flame.

“Correspondent” — means matching, answering, or responding to one another.

“Feelings” — emotions such as love, sympathy, affection, admiration, or compassion.

I can’t recall this ever happening to me apart from deeply spiritual moments—especially when praying with others, whether in a group or with a single person. One thing I know: it is never forgotten. It is intensely spiritual.

I wonder if this is similar to, or perhaps even the same kind of experience, felt by the believers in the “Upper Room”—when they were together, united in prayer, and suddenly experienced the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit? 

 

Philander is a male name derived from Greek roots meaning roughly “one who loves people.”

In the passage however, Philander is a person’s name, not a description. 

The poet is praising a man named Philander for his:

• noble character 

• natural virtue 

• compassion toward others 

• strictness toward himself 

• emotional sensitivity 

• deep capacity for both joy and sorrow

“Let this be Philander’s praise:

he had a well-tuned mind,

lofty in character and pure in soul,

preserving the brightness of his natural goodness.

His virtue did not come from cold rules or duty,

but burned with a genuine and vigorous passion.

His feelings were pure and his judgment strong;

his head might sometimes be mistaken,

but his heart was never wrong.

He was gentle toward others but strict with himself,

kind because he felt deeply, not because he was afraid.

Tender yet firm, wise without pretense,

with the sweetest manners and the gentlest heart.

If such a beautiful character had a weakness,

it was that he felt too deeply.

His emotions were easily stirred,

his thoughts too profound for complete peace.

His griefs were as deep as his joys,

too refined for shallow or selfish hearts to understand.

Yet even his sorrows were pure—

born from the same sacred spring as his virtue.” 

Anna Laetitia Barbauld. 

"Although Christians usually address their supplications to the Father, in the name of the Son, and by the assistance of the Holy Ghost, 

yet divine worship may be performed to any of the adorable Three immediately. 

And it must ever be remembered, that when any one of the persons of the Godhead is immediately addressed, the other two are included. 

These divine persons are only one object of worship, because they are only one Being—one God."

— Robert Shaw, The Reformed Faith, Of Religious Worship

What say ye? 

 

  The female population at the jail was light last night, and only two women came to the Bible study. As often happens, in a short time they had become very close friends. Neither had ever read the Bible in her entire life! 

I’ll never know who witnessed, prayed, wept, and shared with them before that night, but I was the beneficiary of their work last night.

Both women were in their fifties. One, let’s call her Mary; the other, let’s call her Carol. Carol was truly a rough cut, and the hardships of life showed from head to toe. She had recently lost her partner in a motorcycle accident, and she was devastated. She shared some of her story: the devastation alcohol had brought into her life, divorce, the loss of her home, the loss of her children, and now the loss of the man she loved. She was at the end of herself, and she thought she might find some refuge in this Jesus she had heard about.

Mary kept her story to herself, but she wanted to explore a new way of living, and so she came to the meeting.

We read and talked through each verse in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 2. When we came to verse 4—“The message I preached and how I preached it was not an attempt to sway you with persuasive arguments but to prove to you the almighty power of God’s Holy Spirit”—I lingered over the verse and shared some of my testimony about how the Holy Spirit fell upon me the night of my conversion.

After I finished sharing, Mary looked at me and quietly said,

“That’s happening to me now.”

She spoke so softly, so timidly, that I almost continued on at first. But then I realized that God was enveloping her in that very moment. So I explained the importance of what was happening and gave her a Bible. I dog-eared the beginning of the Red Letters in Matthew and helped her understand what was happening within her and how God’s Word illuminates the way as we grow in Him.

Neither Mary nor Carol had any permanent plans for their release, so I gave each of them a pamphlet about the women’s shelter provided free through Union Gospel Mission. They were completely unaware that such benevolent resources were available and were deeply thankful.

We prayed, wept, and said our heartfelt goodbyes.

 

"When the lower orders mix with the higher, 

it is to maintain themselves and earn money; 

and if they are honest, they will do their work faithfully: 

but it is amongst their equals that they seek for affection, applause, and admiration; and there they meet with it. 

It matters very little in what rank a man is, provided he is esteemed and reckoned a man of consequence there. 

The feelings of vanity are exactly the same 

in a countess' daughter dancing at court, 

and a milk-woman figuring at a country dance."  Anna Laetitia Barbauld. 

 Following Christ gives us the freedom to “mix” with all the orders of life.

Rich or poor, famous or obscure; high and lifted up or lowly and downcast; learned or unlearned, powerful or powerless, honored or despised, celebrated or forgotten, prosperous or struggling.

We may sit at the table of the wealthy and walk beside the poor; speak with the learned and listen to the simple; stand among the honored and stoop beside the broken.

For Christ teaches us to look beyond rank, reputation, wealth, and station—and to see, beneath it all, a soul made in the image of God.

That being said, I feel more comfortable whirling with the milk-woman.

Becoming

One of the quiet burdens I often see in young people, especially those between eighteen and twenty-eight, is the feeling that they must already be.

There is an urgency to arrive.

An anxious insistence that they must already know who they are, what they believe, where they are going, and what they will become.

But perhaps one of the great mercies of God is that He does not ask us to arrive before our time.

When we are children, we understand that we are growing. We are learning, changing, stumbling, and discovering. 

No one expects a child to possess the wisdom of age. Yet somewhere between adolescence and adulthood, many begin to believe they should already be finished.

So we defend ourselves fiercely. We cling to our opinions. We mistake our present selves for our permanent selves.

And then, by the grace of God, life teaches us otherwise.

A year passes. We learn something. We suffer something. We love someone. We fail. We repent. We see more clearly.

And we change.

What once seemed certain may no longer seem so. What we once valued may lose its shine. What we once dismissed may become precious. This is not always inconsistency. Sometimes it is growth.

I have seen many young people discouraged—even plunged into despair—because of who they are at the moment. They look at someone farther down the road and compare their unfinished life with another person's maturity.

They see virtues they do not yet possess. Wisdom they have not yet gained. Accomplishments they have not yet achieved.

And they forget:

They are still becoming.

They have mistaken the workshop for the finished house.

But God is not finished with them.

The early years of adulthood are often the years when we begin to discover what we consider noble, beautiful, valuable, and true. We begin to recognize the kind of person we hope to become.

And then comes the long and holy work.

We gather some things.

We shed others.

We learn to embrace what is good and release what is destructive. We repent of some things. We outgrow others. We carry a few scars into wisdom.

Little by little, year by year, the soul is shaped.

And if we walk humbly with God, even our failures need not be wasted.

Perhaps that is the wonder of becoming: God does not merely command us to grow; He walks with us while we grow.

He is patient with the unfinished.

He is not startled by our weakness.

He does not confuse our present condition with our final destination.

The Scriptures tell us that we are being changed from glory to glory. The work is not finished in a day, or a year, or even a lifetime. We are pilgrims, travelers, works still beneath the Master's hand.

The process of becoming lasts as long as we live.

The tragedy is not that we have not yet arrived.

The tragedy is only when we cease to seek what is good, cease to rise after falling, and cease to follow the light we have been given.

So be patient with yourself.

You are not merely what you are today.

You are also, by the grace of God, what you are becoming.

Carl Sandburg expressed something of this beautifully:

“I love you for what you are, but I love you yet more for what you are going to be. I love you not so much for your realities as for your ideals. I pray for your desires that they may be great, rather than for your satisfactions, which may be so hazardously little.

Not always shall you be what you are now. You are going forward toward something great. I am on the way with you and therefore I love you.”

May we have the grace to be patient with the unfinished work in ourselves and in one another.

For we are still becoming.

And God is still at work.

The Voice That Calls Us Away

"The goddess Venus loved Adonis, a mortal.

Beautiful Venus loved the beautiful Adonis.

She often pleaded with him:

“O Adonis! Be content to be crowned with flowers beside the fresh fountains,

to feed upon honey and nectar,

and to be lulled to sleep by the warbling of birds.

Do not expose your life by hunting the tawny lion, the tusky boar, or any savage beast.

Take care of that life which is so dear to Venus!”

We all have a voice calling us away from our duty—tempting us to exchange sacrifice for comfort,

danger for ease,

and holy vision for earthly pleasure.

There will always be a voice saying,

Stay here. Be comfortable. Protect yourself.

Do not venture into the places where the battle is fierce.

But in a world where savage beasts roam every city and lane, where souls are wounded and wandering,

will I not answer Christ’s call to kingdom work?

Venus called Adonis away from the beasts because she loved his life.

Christ calls us toward the beasts because He loves the souls who are in their path.

The question is not whether there is danger.

The question is whose voice we will obey.

For there is a love that says, “Protect your life.”

And there is a greater love that says,

“Lay down your life.” Anna Laetitia Barbauld. 

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

— Matthew 16:24

“My letters of ordination are my zeal, my charity, 

and if I were more learned, I would add my knowledge, 

but alas! we all know very little; 

to man every error is pardonable but lack of humility.”

I've known a lot of "Street Preachers," have you known any? 

The ones I've known came in all types. 

I knew one called Preacher Ray, a white guy that used to preach downtown Portland in the 70's and he was the first street preacher I ever met that truly had the anointing with power that was unmistakeable! 

Such boldness, such clarity of mind, absolutely unashamed of the gospel of Christ. 

He would arrest the attention with his bold call to the crowd, 

and in minutes there would be a crowd around him; listening, heckling, shouting amens, but never ignored. 

I used to tag along with another street preacher years later and he too, had that holy boldness and arresting spirit. 

I remember a Pastor, Duane Driver, he too would share Christ anywhere! 

In his tiny little church that ministered to the transient people of Portland, 

or in a bar where he would take his guitar, and his talent, and sing about Jesus, 

or giving puppet shows to children in the park.

When he was behind the pulpit his preaching blistered the paint right off the walls! Pierced the heart as though you were sitting at the feet of Jesus!

These, and many others, truly had the gift of preaching, 

not some smooth, talent that intrigued and impressed, 

no outward show or manipulation of the emotions, 

no carefully crafted performance, 

but raw, real, authentic power 

that resonated in your heart, 

humbled your spirit, 

and made you hunger for more of God, 

whether you had great faith, or no faith at all.

They preached with a fire that can't be manufactured or taught in seminaries or classrooms. 

I rarely see or hear anything that comes near what 50 years ago was pretty common. 

Sermons with passion, proportionate to the times, Spirit led words that bore fruit, power that led to revivals. 

A message of Christ's love that would shake the leaves off the trees! 

"We live in the age of forgetting.

The world has been mapped,

measured,

monetized.

Desire is tagged and tracked.

Every ache is answered

with an advert.

We no longer seek—we scroll.

We no longer ache—we click.

We no longer rise at midnight

to search the city for the One—

we settle

for mirrors and phantoms.

Even love

has lost its scent.

No longer spiced with mystery,

or slow as song,

but made instant,

hollow,

and safe.

But the dragon still whispers

from within the pixel and the algorithm.

He sings songs of disembodiment.

He names our ache “weakness”

and sells it back as illusion.

He tells us to grasp,

to gorge,

to objectify.

He disenchants.

He digitizes.

He devours.

And so the chaos deepens.

Bodies become currency.

Desire becomes commerce.

Love becomes contract." 

- Rev’d Jon Swales See less

 

Jesus said - "Learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart."

"The lowliness of Christ may be clearly seen in yet another point of view.

He is not only willing to receive the poor, and to receive the ignorant, but he is also ever ready to receive men, despite the vileness of their characters.

Some ministers can stoop, and freely too, to both poor and ignorant;

but they cannot stoop to the wicked.

I think we have all felt a difficulty here.

“However poor a man may be, or however little he knows,” you say, “I don’t mind talking with him, and trying to do him good;

but I cannot talk with a man who is a rogue or a vagabond, or with a woman who has lost her character.”

I know you cannot; there are a great many things Christ did which we cannot do.

We, who are the servants of Christ, have attempted to draw a line where duty has its bound.

We are above our work.

We are so fastidious, that we cannot go after the chief of sinners, and the vilest of the vile.

Not so, Christ. “He receives sinners and eats with them.”

He, in the days of his flesh, became familiar with the outcasts.

He sought them out that he might save them;

He entered their homes;

He found his way into the slums, He was willing to lodge where they lodged, eat at their table, and associate with their class to find them out.

His mission was to seek as well as to save.

Oh, see him stand, with arms wide open!

Will that thief, who is justly executed for his crimes, be recognized by him? Yes, he will.

There, with his arms outstretched, he hangs; the thief flies as it were to his bosom, and Jesus gives him a most blessed embrace -

“To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.”

Christ has received the thief with open heart and open arms too.

And there is Mary. Do you see her? She is washing the feet of Jesus.

Why, she is a bad character, one of the worst women in the town.

“Thy sins, which are many, are all forgiven,” saith He,

and she goes her way in peace.

There are many people you and I might not think worth noticing that Christ will take to heaven at last;

for he is “lowly in heart.”

He takes the base, the vilest, the scum, the offscouring, the filth, the garbage of the world, and out of such stuff and matter as that, he builds up a holy temple, and gathers to himself trophies for his honour and praise."

Excerpts from Charles H. Spurgeon's sermon - "The Meek and Lowly One." - Matt. 11 : 28-30