Blood Diamond

I watched "Blood Diamond" last night.
It is a true story about the work a journalist did in South Africa, that brought an end to the horrific warring, slavery and use of children for soldiers. It is like watching the "R" rated version of "Invisible Children". It is nearly as violent as real life; it is disturbing, it is heart wrenching, it is
inspiring.
Jennifer Connelly, 'be still my heart', plays the journalist, the person who "gives a ___" as she puts it in the film. Leonardo Di Caprio plays the diamond smuggler and DJimon Hounsou plays the victim fighting for his family. The acting is great. Leonardo is excellent, really they all are.
Once again the power and influence of the journalist's camera brings the images that personalize remote situations. Without it, one wonders if change would ever come.
The movie is intense, graphic and disturbing; it shows the horrors of real life, and like real life, will shock you. I think they did a great job resisting the temptation to bring in typical Hollyweird sexuality, it seems to be a serious effort to shed light on a story that needs to be told. Many humanitarian organizations endorsed the film. It's rated R for violence and language and I think it would be too disturbing for children under 18, even in today's culture.

"Live a life of love"

Art, I so love art. If it is something that my eye considers beautiful it immediately begins a thought process; what is the artist trying to convey, what are the feelings I’m experiencing? What story or person do I project into the picture?
God, through this life, has made me sensitive to those in distress or sorrow. So a theme that portrays sorrow immediately gains my full attention. If it is a Christian or religious theme, I again am drawn to it. If it is a sculpture of beauty or great detail it draws me even deeper.
This picture brings so many thoughts to mind. For me Christianity is most nobly illustrated when compassion and faith are portrayed. I ran across a scripture in Hebrews in the hall of faith, chapter11:35 it says “Through faith, women received back their dead, raised to life again”. God has graced all mankind with a fervent, devotion to those we love; whether family member, friend or at times stranger.
It has been demonstrated by the pure love of a mother, to heroes of faith and compassion throughout history.
I see in this woman tenderness, with her face intimately close to the sufferer; who could represent Florence Nightingale and the many wounded and dying soldiers that were graced by her caring cheek and soft assuring voice of love.
It could be the mother whose child is being nursed with love, faith, and hope of a resurrection to health, or a bidding farewell to a greater resurrection.
I see Mother Teresa, and her inspired love, ministering as though this were Christ in her arms.
Innocence, (holiness in its grandest form), compassion and acts of mercy make up the most important part of Christianity to me, let all the rest be forgotten, if this is lived, God will be glorified and ever sought after.
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love……
Ephesians 5:1

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine

After seeing a picture of Mother Teresa on Eric's blog I pulled out one of my books on her and began leafing through the pages, when I ran across this picture I had to share it. It epitomizes the gospel according to Mother Teresa. Small acts with great love and always show the joy of the Lord.
This is the kind of face that opens locked doors and breaks down strong barriers.
Does she not do your soul good like a medicine?

How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince's daughter! Song of Solomon 7:1

Would that my feet be as worn from kneeling in prayer and walking after souls as the Saint of Calcutta.

Fire in the blood

“If we would discover the essential characteristic of the young, let us remember that’s the youth (teen), is he who has suddenly come into possession of prodigious and unexpected energies. Not slowly do these powers develop within us; they come, rather, as Minerva is fabled to have sprung from the head of Jupiter, fully grown and fully equipped. They are forced upon us long before we have gained any adequate idea of that outer world to which they must be adjusted; and for the time being they seem to defy restraint. It would be strange indeed if this sudden development did not give rise to faults and follies, as well as to noble ambitions and generous enthusiasms.
It is in this way that we must explain the restlessness, impatience, and irritability, which form so common a characteristic of these young lives of ours.
We have more spring in the muscles and more fire in the blood than we know what to do with. From fifteen to twenty-one the powers expand with lightning rapidity.” Beaten Paths

I have always loved this piece, it is so observable, so common to all. I think when God designed us he gave us this power to use to establish our foundations for life. The amount of learning, and the amount of labor needed to educate and begin a career is so great that we need these, never again to be experienced, energies. The caution that necessarily goes with it is, if not used to advance and develop ourselves for the future, this energy will be spent, and if not for good, then for ill, and ill in magnum force.

Slobbering puppy-dogs

“There are as many kinds of voices as there are of men. There are voices that delight you with their rich cadences, and voices that distress you with their thin and reedy notes. There are voices that arouse, voices that give you the fidgets, and voices that put you to sleep. There are voices that salute the ears like the growl of a wild beast, and voices that seem to smite you in some sensitive part, provoking instant hostility. Speaking generally, the voice is a most valuable index to the character. Peevish individuals lapse into a habitual whine; nervous people speak with a succession of small electric discharges; while the boor grunts with the labor of expressing his thought. You recognize the clergyman the moment he begins to speak, for his voice carries with it a suggestion of congregations and solemn ceremonies; but if you hear prim and positive tones that lay down the law, as it were, there is a school-teacher. An honest man’s voice has a ring about it like that of pure metal, while the hypocrite’s tones are as smooth and slippery as the road to hell. You can tell by a man’s voice whether it is safe to fool with him or not; for there are some voices that come slobbering over you like a lot of puppy-dogs wagging their tails, and there are others whose every tone implies,
“Business – and don’t you forget it!” Beaten Paths

Now although this piece isn't precise science, it is interesting and how many people does it bring to mind? And, where do you fit in?

Francois de Salignac de la Mothe Fenelon

If you have never read Fenelon, you are missing great words of an honest friend. He was the Archbishop of Cambria, France, as well as a spiritual advisor of a number of earnest people seeking Fenelon's wise direction. Always encouraging them to press on towards the goal of Christian perfection. Truly a spiritual giant, his works should be read in a slow meditative manner. Many of his letters have been preserved and his candid, warm, advice is a must for Christians of our day. Here's a sample---

"It has been a long time since I've written to you, but let me assure you that I am just as attached to you through our Lord as I ever was. In fact, I am more attached now. And I want with all my heart for you to have that same peace and joy in your home which you enjoyed at the beginning. It should be remembered that even the best of people leave much to be desired, and we must not expect too much. We need to be very patient with the faults of others. The most perfect people in the world have many imperfections, and so do we. And sometimes it is quite difficult for us to tolerate each other. We are to "bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ", and I think this means, among other things, that we are to bear the burden of each others imperfections. Peaceful and harmonious relationships can be helped a great deal if people just learn to be quiet, to be prayerful, and to keep surrendered to the Lord."

It's a celebration

I'd like to introduce the proud arrival of my thirteenth grandchild Ginger! She made herself visible last Sunday at about 10:30 in the morning. She weighed in at a strapping 6lbs 4 ounces. My son Marc and his wife Angie are the proud parents of their third child. That makes two girls and one boy in their quiver.

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith, be men of courage, be strong.
Do everything in love."

Promises of faith a dream?

I read a sermon by John Baptist Massillon this morning. I have never read him and thought I’d see what he had to say about “The Small Number of the Saved”.
A verse that always sobers any Christian. The context is about hating the world, the flesh, and the devil. I think I will begin this passage with the end of it, where he poses a very sobering question that were we to carefully consider may make us blush, or worse. Here goes---

“And, should it happen, that you alone were left upon the earth, may we not say that the corrupt world would be revived in you; and that you would leave an exact model of it to your posterity? When I say you, I mean, and I address myself to almost all men.”

The way I reflected on it was to consider that the world had a clean slate, and the only corruption that would influence it would come from me. How Holy a place would it be?
I shudder to think.
On with the balance of the thought---

"We are told that we are to hate “the world, the flesh, and the devil.”
Now, what is this world which you ought to hate? I have only to answer that it it’s the one you love. You will never mistake it by this mark.
This world is a society of sinners, whose desires, fears hopes cares projects, joys, and chagrins, no longer turn but upon the successes or misfortunes of this life.
This world is an assemblage of people who look upon the earth as their country; the time to come as an exilement; the promises of faith as a dream; and death as the greatest of all misfortunes. This world is a temporal kingdom, where our Savior is unknown; where those acquainted with His name, glorify Him not as their Lord, hate His maxims, despise His followers, and neglect or insult Him in His sacraments and worship. In a word, to give a proper idea at once of this world, it is the vast multitude. Behold the world which you ought to shun, hate, and war against by your example.
Now, is this your situation in regard to the world? Are its pleasures a fatigue to you? Do it excesses afflict you? Do you regret the length of your pilgrimage here? Or on the contrary, are not its laws your laws; its maxims your maxims? What it condemns, do you not condemn? What it approves do you not approve?

And, should it happen, that you alone were left upon the earth, may we not say that the corrupt world would be revived in you; and that you would leave an exact model of it to your posterity? When I say you, I mean, and I address myself to almost all men.”

“Pass over the earth,” said Plutarch, “you may discover cities without walls, without literature, without monarchs, without palaces or wealth, where the theater and the school are not known; but no man ever saw a city without temples and gods, where prayers, oaths, and oracles, and sacrifices were not used for obtaining good or averting evil.”

I came across this picture of a cemetery statue the other day and I just love it. I'm not sure if it is a male or a female, and even harder for me is to describe the look on the face. One moment I see the angel as a defender warding off workers of iniquity with a stare; then again, I see a look of disappointment in her eyes, not disgust but a careful watching, hoping the guarded one makes the right choice, like a mother watching over her child facing temptations. What ever the intention of the artist was, it displays power and confidence, no fear in those eyes.

Somehow I feel better knowing shes out there.

An embrace and kiss

A Russian princess of great beauty, in company with her father and a young French marquis, visited a celebrated Swiss doctor of the eighteenth century, Michael Scuppack, when the French marquis began to pass one of his jokes upon the long white beard of one of the doctor's neighbors who was present. He offered to bet twelve gold pieces that no lady present would dare to kiss the dirty old fellow. The Russian princess ordered her attendant to bring a plate, and she deposited twelve gold pieces and sent it to the French marquis, who was too polite to decline his bet. The fair Russian then approached the old peasant, saying, "Permit me, venerable father, to salute you after the manner of my country," and embracing him, gave him a kiss. She then presented him the gold, which was on the plate, saying, " Take this as a remembrance of me, and as a sign that the Russian girls think it their duty to honor old age."
Well Springs of Truth" 1883

Each time I read this story I get a lump in my throat. When someone with position acts with humility and respect it somehow moves me; and when the weak, poor or elderly are respected it it floods me with admiration.

With or Among

Says Charles Wagner:
“Each person’s base of operations is the field of his immediate duty. Neglect this and all that you undertake at a distance is compromised. First, then, be of your own country, your own city, your own home, and work shop, and church,--
Then if you can set out from this go beyond, this is the plain and natural order.”
To save humanity one must live with it and feel for it at first hand.

Never elated when one man’s oppressed;
Never dejected while another’s blessed.

That reminds me of another quote in the same book, “Inspired words for the inspired life”, which says, “It is not in trying to be good to people so much as being good with or among them that this world is to be saved.”

I think these thoughts embody much of what I think is missing in some Christian understanding of evangelism or ministry in general. I am convinced that if ministry is not intensely personal that it lacks a dimension of power that is crucial for the same results. Of course that power is love and when we are personally involved by being “with or among” our words are received with a far more open heart. I wonder if much is done among Christ’s kingdom at all without these ingredients. I know it is not “Way of the Master” thinking, but it is my thinking, and apparently others as well.

"It is better to be in the house of the mourning...."

I’m writing this a little late but the week has been a flurry and this is the first opportunity with some peace and quite I’ve had to put down the events and my thoughts.
Sue’s brother Jerry has been battling colon cancer for over a year and in this last year there have been hopeful times and set-backs. I’m not sure he was entirely candid with us about his condition as not to over worry us.
In the last few months he has become increasingly ill and as of Monday early morning he lost the battle. It was a difficult thing to watch, as this six foot four man of 250 pounds, shrunk down to a frail one hundred pounds, jaundice, weak and finally succumb. As difficult as this has been to watch for me, I’m sure his mother was affected the most and of course his daughter and two grandchildren, as well as his two sisters and brother, there is a bitter sweet aspect to it; I watched as old friends learned of his condition and they visited him, offered help and in many cases brought thoughtful things for his comfort. It was heartening and l couldn’t help wonder if the same would happen if I were in his position.
His mother, Lois, prayed, worried, talked to doctors, and continually looked for some option that would offer the least bit of hope. His daughter was at his beck and call offering support wherever needed. And all of his siblings rallied around him with such a display of love and affection, as well as care, that it made one proud to be a part of such a family. Of course I saw closely all that Sue did. I suppose if there is a silver lining in having a disease that doesn’t take you suddenly it is that if offers opportunity to demonstrate your love to the dying person. Sue spent the night with him nearly each night at the end and they probably bonded more in the last month of his life than at any other time. They talked, embraced, told each other of their love. Not just Sue, but other’s as well.
Jerry’s girlfriend Debbie has elevated herself in my eyes beyond description; she spent so much time at Jerry’s side not wanting him to be alone or have need of anything. The outpouring of love and support from all was humbling and so inspiring. This is the true meaning of love, of family. Now that he has passed, his mother Lois is the recipient of this outpouring of love, as friends, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren visit her every day and spend nights with her as well.
I want to share one incident that I think displays the thoughtfulness in the family.
As it happened, Carissa’s birthday fell on the day that Jerry died. We planned to have a traditional birthday party at Lois’s house, Carissa’s great grandmother, but frankly we had little enthusiasm and it was impossible to not talk about Jerry and get distracted from Carissa’s birthday party. As it turned out, Heather, a relative about 24 years old heard that there was a party that night and obviously she considered we would have difficulty with the party spirit, so she decided to come, which she has never done before, and she arrived with balloons in hand and a big shopping bag. She swept in and with zealous birthday accolades, sat Carissa down in a chair and began tying the balloons pronouncing this chair as the royal throne for Carissa; then she brought out a paper crown and crowned Carissa with it, then she pulled out a silly looking plastic fly swatter with a big flower on it and gave it to Carissa explaining this was her royal scepter and with it she could command her wishes. Then she pulled out a pair of royal slippers and promptly pulled off Carissa’s shoes and the transformation was complete. She continued that evening to use her love and energy to salvage what promised to be a gloomy party. At one point in the night as I sat by Carissa alone, I said that Heather is really a great gal; she replied, “Yes she is, and I want to be just like her.”
This is by no means the only example but one of many thoughtful acts of love and friendship that have flooded the week, cards, phone calls, flowers and visits all bearing support and love.

When someone dies it always brings us to a sober place and as I watched the loving acts by so many people, I pondered on the meaning of life and all the issues death brings up. Certainly one conclusion is true, Sages and philosophers through the ages all agree that a key ingredient in a successful life is measured by the love one receives in their life, in that Jerry was a very successful man.

I put some quotes together about giving that are not often taught, and for me, I agree with them.

Giving
He that is in debt is not excused from giving alms till his debts are paid, but only from giving away such amounts which should and would, pay his debts as they are due. We all have crumbs from our table, and the gleanings of the harvest, and the scatterings of the vintage, which in all estates are the portions of the poor, which being collected by the hand of God, and united wisely, may become considerable to the poor, and are the necessary duties of charity.

He that is going to pay a debt, and in the way meets an indigent person that needs all, may not give it to him unless he knows by other means to pay the debt.

Although the things of God are by a necessary zeal to be preferred before the things of the world, yet we must take heed that we do not reckon religion and orders of worshipping only to be ‘things of God’, and all other duties to be the ‘things of the world’; for it was a pharisaical device to cry ‘Corban’, and to refuse to relieve their aged parents: it is good to give to a church, but it is better to give to the poor; and though they must be both provided for, yet in cases of dispute mercy carries the cause against religion and the temple. And although Mary was commended for choosing the better part, yet Mary had done worse if she had been at the foot of her Master when she should have relieved a perishing brother.

The following is a story I posted long ago that illustrates his last point about Mary.

Very beautiful is the legend preserved by some old author, of the monk, to whom there appeared while at prayer in his cell, a glorious vision of his Savior. In silent and adoring rapture he gazed upon the glorious presence. While he gazed, the hour arrived at which it was his duty to feed the poor who came to the convent gate for their bread. The bell rang calling the monk to his humble duty. How he longed to stay! But lingering not to enjoy the vision, he went his way to the lowly work of dividing bread among the poor beggars at the gate. When he returned he found the blessed vision still waiting for him. As he looked again he heard these words; " Hadst thou stayed, I must have fled"!

I suspect any Christian would find this interesting, and the reason I believe it, is, when one incurs debt, he has given his Christian word to pay, if he gives to God before he pays his agreed debts, he is in essence asking his debtor to give to the charity without his consent, and defames the name of Christ by not being trust worthy. Needless to say, one should manage their debts and pay them off as soon as possible thereby freeing up disposable income.

I also agree with the statement that Mercy carries the cause against religion, which is to say, the needs of the poor are first priority, then the church. Not neglecting the church, but if there is only enough for one or the other, the poor are first. Then again, we need to get our financial house in order so neither will be neglected.

What is the Fear of God?

“Fear is the duty we owe to God, as being the God of power and justice, the great Judge of heaven and earth, the avenger of the cause of widows, the patron of the poor, and the advocate of the oppressed, a mighty God and terrible; and so essential an enemy to sin, that He spared not His own Son, but gave Him over to death, and to become a sacrifice, when He took upon Him our nature, and became a person obliged for our guilt. Fear is the great bridle of intemperance, the modesty of the spirit, and the restraint of gaieties and dissolutions; it is the girdle to the soul, and the handmaid to repentance; the arrest of sin, and the cure or antidote to the spirit of reprobation; it preserves our apprehensions of the divine majesty, and hinders our single actions from combining to sinful habits; it is the mother of consideration, and the nurse of sober counsels; and it puts the soul to fermentation and activity, making it to pass from trembling to caution, from caution to carefulness, from carefulness to watchfulness, from thence to prudence; and by the gates and progresses of repentance it leads the soul on to love, and to felicity, and to joys in God, that shall never cease again……”

I don’t much like the word fear, and I hope as not to live in fear, fear of God’s punishment or wrath, but there isn’t much in the above quote that I don’t find applied to my life. Certainly I fear consequences of wrong choices, and I fear losing the joy of the Spirit. I fear that my acts of sin may combine and become habits of destructive behavior. I fear loss; loss of God’s protection, loss of joy, loss of bonds with those I love, loss of intimacy with my spouse, loss of closeness with my children, and loss of security by foolish choices. So, when I think about it, I have lots of fears. Hopefully these fears are “bridles of intemperance”, and “antidotes” against self-destructive choices. Still, all that said, I feel compelled to clarify the word fear; I fear snakes, but it doesn't keep me from a walk in the woods; I fear a car wreck, but drive; I fear falling, so, I just walk a safe distance from the edge. I suppose those fears are similar in degree and emotion as the moral fears.

Thoughts from Psalm 145 and 146

The Lord upholds all who fall, and lifts up all who are bowed down. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

As I read that I thought about a show I watched last night on the poor in America. In particular one little boy about four, homeless, reared by his mother without his father and in my opinion about as hopeless a condition as can be.

When he entered kindergarten he was shown pictures of breakfast, lunch and dinner foods.
He was asked what time of day they were eaten. He never experienced three meals a day and was at a loss as to what he was being asked.
But this little man captured my heart because in the midst of all he lacked, he found things to put a smile on his face and a laugh in his play. I watched as God upheld this boy, how he built him in such a way that this child could find happiness in poverty. His little heart could see good, in so little.
He was shown a room that he and his siblings and mother could stay in; with a bare light bulb, and just the scrub necessities, and he was thrilled, he was so thankful for his new shelter, it was home, nothing more than a large pantry to me, but a paradise to him.
His little bowed down heart was lifted, his simple desires were satisfied.

The Lord is loving toward all he has made, he has planted in the soul of every child the ability to find contentment, sense fulfilled desire, hope when bowed down, and it was a beautiful thing to watch as his little heart swelled with pride mastering a stick drawing or singing a verse.
What a protection God has designed into the hearts of His creatures. It would be unbearable to watch were it not for this indefatigablele spirit.

I watched captivated each time the camera would move in close to capture a spreading smile as his round eyes lit up the room.
I reflected -
The Lord gives sight to the blind. Sight to him, to experience joy in sorrow; and sight in me, to awaken to his need.

As I watched his simple little life and the joys and pleasures he took from the simplest things I began to see how marvelously God weaves compassion into the hearts of men. This too, is God's way of upholding the oppressed. We all care about hurting strangers, unknown to us but deep within us a kinship and we find ourselves moved to action. Surely this is part of what the Bible means when it says; "The Lord watches over the alien."
Lord help me be a greater part of your loving.

We also served divers lusts.

As an introduction to the post underneath this one, I thought I would post this scripture, which is such a practical admonition on how to approach reaching the world for Christ ---

" Be gentle, showing all meekness unto all men: for we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But, after that, the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared; not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying; and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, in order that they who have believed in God, may be careful to maintain good works, these things are good and profitable to men."

Supporting every probable scheme

I think ‘being all things to all people’ has as much to do with cultures as individuals. In a third word culture it may be that words are more valued than in the American culture, where in many ways, Christian words are ridiculed. Where we have ‘Saturday Night Live’, and a host of other magazines, shows and movies, making a mockery of Christianity. In addition we have TBN and other Christian television stations that include some programs that do not portray the meek and humble spirit of Christ, and some of which have had scandals attached to them. In our culture, my belief is we need a different approach to win the lost and exalt the name of Christ.
In America we have such an abundance of Christian conversation, that I think the hearers have gone numb. It seems obvious to me that there is a low-grade hostility towards Christianity. I, for one, do not think this is a rejection of God or of spiritual things, but rather a repulsion to hypocrisies, true or perceived, and a rejection of some attempts to win the world with an ‘in your face’ attitude,
‘Way of the Master” radio program comes to mind.
Among other things, we submit to those we admire and respect. Of all the attributes of the comprehensible form of God, Jesus Christ, we see
A man we admire and respect like none other, before or since.

Doctrine is food for a hungry soul; we create appetite with deeds of love, mercy, and kindness.

It has been said so much better by John Brown, born in 1780 who taught thousands of students through his classes and C.H. Spurgeon admired him highly and said he ‘set the standard’ in his works.

“Few things are more fitted to soften prejudices against, and produce a disposition fairly and favorably to consider the claims of, Christianity, than Christian individuals and societies, cheerfully, and liberally, and laboriously supporting every probable scheme that is brought forward for lessening the mass of human suffering, in the form of poverty and disease, and for increasing the sum of human health and enjoyment. These are subjects in which men of the world can take an interest, and of which they can form a just judgment. Of the excellence of peculiar doctrines of Christianity, of the internal holiness which the faith of those doctrines is intended to produce, and actually does produce, they can form no just estimate, and they speak evil of things which they know not.
But to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to console the distressed, to provide means of recovery for the bodily or mentally diseased, appear to them “ things good and profitable unto men;” and when they perceive Christians discovering a readiness to make sacrifices, to expend time, and property, and labor, to gain such objects, in a degree far superior to that of men not possessed of Christian principles, the natural effect is, to lead them to inquire into the cause of the difference; and finding what a Christian should never be backwards to avow, that it is the result of their peculiar views and feelings as Christians, their prejudices are softened, and they are furnished with a motive to examine into what these principles are, and are placed in more favorable circumstances for entering on such an examination, and conducting it to a desirable issue.
This consideration, of itself, ought to be felt by every Christian as a powerful motive to comply with the injunction in the text, “Be pitiful.”

Add your thoughts

I was reading Philippians 2:1 and thought I would share some of the applications that came to mind in hope that you might add to the list as I will share this at the Nursing Home, and of course hoping it will be a blessing to whoever reads it.

Encouragement -- From the first until this very moment, God encourages us to do, to think, to become, our very best. Taking the yoke with Jesus Christ begins our journey to become the kind of person we can admire. Christ encourages us in every deed of life to find the sweetest nectar. Be it in the market place, among our friends, or in the most intimate of relationships, our marriage, or in the mentoring, training and loving of our children, or be it a stranger we happen upon; we are encouraged to make and take from it the warmest of affection, the deepest of bonds, the greatest of opportunity.
If we start or if we stop, God encourages us to go on. If we win or fail, He encourages us to see the best. If we are educated or ignorant, He encourages us to grow. If we fear or if we hope, He encourages. If we have the health of a ten year old or the frailty of a centenarian, he encourages us on.
At every point, around every corner, through each change, known or not, He is the great encourager.

Comfort from His love – In the brightest day or the darkest night; in the strength of obedience, or in the midst of our sin, in the fellowship of the multitudes, or alone at the midnight hour; in the joy of childbirth or the sorrow of death; in the blessing of new found friends or in the bidding of fond farewells, when all seems bright or at life’s bleakest hour, God sends His comfort through a sympathetic friend, a caring parent, a golden sunrise or the mouth of a babe, a word from a stranger, or the warm apprehension of His presence, He comforts us.

Fellowship of His Spirit – Whether a faint call from the distances or like a sudden rushing flood sweeping us away into divine ecstasies, eyes wringing wet, heart sobs with joy. In the coloring of the day or a hope in the night, in the midst of the Tabernacle or the corner or our closet, in a small still voice or a thunderous clarion call, we are never left without the fellowship of His Spirit.

Tenderness and compassion – In our great struggle in living we continually meet with His great tenderness and compassion. He knows we are but dust and has compassion when all have left us. In return, He leaves traces of His tenderness to abide with us and as our stony heart is broken, our fallow ground is tilled we find in ourselves this growing compassion for His business of loving mankind.
Whether it is our darling child or an unknown stranger in a land far away.
A person lovely, or one in the most distressing way, be it friend or foe, we find birthed in us a growing compassion for the world.

Tide of influence

It seemed to be a matter of no importance that a woman, whose name has been forgotten, dropped a tract in the way of a very bad man by the name of Richard Baxter. He picked up the tract and read it, and it was the means of his salvation. In after days, that man wrote a book called "The Call to the Unconverted," that was the means of bringing a multitude to God, among others, Philip Doddridge. Philip Doddridge wrote a book called "The Rise and Progress of Religion," which has brought thousands and tens of thousands into the kingdom of God, among others, the great Wilberforce. Wilberforce wrote a book called, "A practical View of Christianity," which was the means of bringing a great multitude to Christ, among others, Legh Richmond. Legh Richmond wrote a tract called " The Dairyman's Daughter," which has been the means of salvation of unconverted multitudes. And that tide of influence started from the fact that one Christian woman dropped a Christian tract in the way of Richard Baxter --and on and on forever! T. DeWitt Talmage

Who can tell what the little deeds we do may bring?

Blood Bubbles

The following quote is by T. DeWitt Talmage, one of my favorite authors because he uses such riveting illustrations. The context of the quote is about the sophisticated persons that feel they are too educated for faith in God, and how they laugh at the thought of a devil.

Satan has a fastidious appetite, and the vulgar souls he throws into a trough to fatten his swine; but he says: “Bring to my golden plate all the fine natures, bring to my golden plate all the clear intellects, bring them to me; my knife will cut down through the lusciousness; fill my chalice with the richest blood; pour it in until it comes three fourths full; pour it until it comes to the rim of the chalice; pour it until the blood bubbles over the rim. There, that will do now. Oh, this infernal banquet of great souls! Aha! Aha! Let the common demons have the vulgar souls, but give to me, who am the king of all diabolism, the jolliest, the gladdest, and the grandest of all this immortal sacrifice. Aha!”

Please forgive me, but I love a word picture with a kick.

Sorrow Begets Compassion

Misfortune and trials are great educators. A young Doctor comes into a sick-room where there is a dying child. Perhaps he is very rough in his prescription, and very rough in his manner, and rough in the feeling of the pulse, and rough in his answer to the mother’s anxious question; but years roll on, there has been one dead in his own house; and now he comes into the sick-room, and with tearful eye he looks at the dying child, and he says, “Oh, how this reminds me of my Charlie!” Trouble, the great educator. Sorrow—I see its touch in the grandest painting; I hear its tremor in the sweetest song; I feel its power in the mightiest argument. T.DeWitt Talmage

Skilful engine of torture

I’m reading a book called “The Most Famous Man in America” the biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegate. Henry grew up in a very strict and severe home, and as I read about it I find myself wanting to run to his rescue.
Let me quote a pharagraph or two.

“Adding to the physical hardships of life in the Beecher household was the heavy weight of orthodox religion. Every day began and ended with family prayers, Bible reading, and hymn singing. Every child past seven attended a heavy schedule of prayer meetings, lectures, and religious sevices in the drafty meeting house, as well as regular religious instruction at school. Undue frivolity was discouraged, so they did not celebrate Christmas or birthdays. Dancing, theater, and all but the most high-toned ficton were forbidden. Sundays were spent in quiet contemeplation---
a special torment for fidgety children.
But this sour picture tells only half the story. Although the Beechers were plain and pious, they were not stuffy or stodgy. They brimmed with high spirits, quick enthusiasm, and an almost eccentric disregard for social conventions. “There is” as Lyman’s youngest daughter noted, “ the strangest and most interesting combination in our family of fun and seriousness.”
Lyman, the father, was truly a rare father. Impulsive and emotional, he was blessed with a “passionate love of children,” as Catharine, the oldest put it, treating his children with “all the tenderness of a mother and the untiring activity and devotedness of a nurse, father and friend. He loved to romp with the kids, and had a knack for making hard work fun--- telling stories as they peeled apples on autumn evenings, making a game out of stacking firewood, and leading them on expeditions into the woods to pick berries or collect nuts or catch fish.”

When I read that I thought that his good nature and love towards the kids would surely balance out the severity of doctrine. But it did not. To a child, they all suffered feeling unworthy and never knowing if God really loved them or if they would be damned.

“The burden of original sin was compounded by the capriciousness of salvation. In the Calvinist universe of the day, salvation was considered a supernatural act, a testament to God’s sovereignty and mercy, not merely a reward for good behavior.
So how would a person know if he or she had been saved? Of course no one could be certain of their fate until they caught sight of the pealy gates, but revivalists like Lyman Beecher believed that the saving grace of God would descend like a lightning bolt, in a moment of intense visceral revelation. If you did not experience the anguish and the crisis, if God did not choose to make you one of his special “elect” then it didn’t matter how good or faithful you had been, chances were you were going to hell. A famous jingle neatly captured the paradox:

You can and you can’t
You shall and you shan’t;
You will and you won’t
You’re damned if you do,
And damned if you don’t.

“Thus was this system calculated, like a skilful engine of torture,” Harriet, one of the daughters, concluded, “to produce all the mental anguish of the most perfect sense of helplessness with the most torturing sense of responsibility.”

When I read the last lines about the skilful engine of torture producing helplessness and responisbility, my heart just bled for those in a belief system like that.
The circumstances of my salvation; where I was in the world and God came into it through secular music and drew me out by opening the word to me, has always caused me to see Christ as my rescuer, and I have had a sense of security all my Christian life. In Hannah Hurnard’s book Hinds’ Feet On High Places, there is a familiar passage that describes my concept of God, I’ll begin the quote where Much-Afraid has been decieved by Pride who has her in his grip saying –

“Come back, Much-afraid,” Pride urged vehemently. “Give it up before it is too late. In your heart of hearts you know that what I am saying is true and that you will be put to shame before everybody. Give it up while there is still time. Is a merely fictitious promise of living on the High Places worth the cost you are asked to pay for it? What is it that you seek there in that mythological Kingdom above?
Entirely against her will, and simply because he seemed to have her at his mercy, Much-Afraid let the words be dragged out of her. “I am seeking the Kingdom of Love,” she said faintly.
“I thought as much,” sneered Pride. “Seeking your heart’s desire, eh? And now, Much-Afraid, have a little pride, ask yourself honestly, are you not so ugly and deformed that nobody even in the Valley really loves you? That is the brutal truth.
Then how much less will you be welcomed in the Kingdom of Love, where they say nothing but unblemished beauty and perfection is admitted? Can you really expect to find what you are seeking; no, I tell you again that you feel this yourself and you know it. Then be honest at least and give it up. Turn back with me before it is too late.
Poor Much-Afraid! The urge to turn back seemed almost irresistible, but at that moment when she stood held in the clutch of Pride, feeling as though every word he spoke was the hideous truth, she had an inner vision of the face of the Shepherd. She remembered the look with which he had promised her, “ I pledge myself to bring you there, and that you shall not be put to shame.” Then it was as though she heard him again, repeating softly, as though looking at some radiant vision in the distance:

Behold, thou art fair, my love; thou hast dove’s eyes.
Thou art all fair, my love, there is no spot in thee.

Before Pride could realize what was happening, Much-Afraid uttered a desperate cry for help and was calling up the mountain.

“Come to me, Shepherd! Come quickly! Make no tarrying, O my Lord.”

There was a sound of loose rattling stones and of a prodigous leap, and the next moment the Shepherd was on the path beside them, his face terrible to look at, his Shepherd’s staff raised high above his head.
Only one blow fell, and then Pride dropped the hand he had been grasping so tightly and made off down the path and round the corner, slipping and stumbling on the stones as he went, and was out of sight in a moment.

So, in Much-afraids temptation she was confronted with the same issue as the Beecher’s --
“Are you not so ugly and deformed that nobody even in the Valley really loves you?”
Of course the answer is yes, but in the Shepherd’s eyes we are “altogether fair and there is no spot in thee.”

The Disappointed anointed

I am somewhat reluctant to post the following poem; It is an old poem and many have read it before, at least in part. I believe it contains a lot of truth, and I think anyone that has experienced thirty or forty years of life can attest to the truths. But I also believe His yoke is easy and His burden is light. So finding the balance between, what seem to be, contradicting truths made me think for a while.
I’ll summarize it by saying that the poem spans years, and when you lay out all the Lord brings us to in one poem, it seems overwhelming. And it would be, if we had to deal with it all at one time; but we don’t.
He meets out test and challenge as we can handle it and as we need it, always to the end of being more Christ like.
Much of the difficulty we face is our own stubbornness, and our unwillingness to submit to God’s ways. But I think there is another piece and that is the tenderizing of our hearts. Without experiencing losses in our life we seem to lack an important sensitivity to the needs of others. The following crudely illustrates the point--

“It would seem that, as some flowers need to be crushed before they will give forth all their perfumes, and as the goldfinch is said to sing the most sweetly
when a hot needle is thrust into its eye, so pain and anguish are the conditions of some men’s success, without which it is impossible to evoke the most brilliant displays of their genius.
It was a shrewd remark, therefore, which a great musician once made concerning a promising but passionless cantatrice: “She sings well, but she lacks something, and in that something, everything. If I were single, I would court her; I would marry her; I would maltreat her; I would break her heart; and in six months she would be the greatest singer in Europe.”

I don’t like the concept but there is no denying in my own life, the difficulties and losses have created an attractive scar.

The poem is long, but so is the process.

When Nature Wants a Man

When Nature wants to drill a man
And thrill a man,
When Nature wants to mould a man
To play the noblest part;
When she yearns with all her heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall praise –
Watch her method, watch her ways!
How she ruthlessly perfects
Whom she royally elects;
How she hammers him and hurts him
And with mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay which only Nature
Understands –
While his tortured heart is crying and he lifts
Beseeching hands! –
How she bends, but never breaks,
When his good she undertakes…..
How she uses who she chooses
And with every purpose fuses him,
By every art induces him
To try his splendor out –
Nature knows what she’s about.

When Nature wants to take a man
And shake a man
And wake a man;
When Nature wants to make a man
To do the Futures will;
When she tries with all her skill
And she yearns with all her soul
To create him large and whole….
With what cunning she prepares him!
How she goads and never spares him,
How she whets him and she frets him
And in poverty begets him….
How she often disappoints
Whom she sacredly anoints.
With what wisdom she will hide him,
Never minding what betide him,
Though his genius sob with slighting and his
Pride may not forget!
Bids him struggle harder yet.
Makes him lonely
So that only
God’s high messages shall reach him
So that she may surely teach him
What the Hierarchy planned.
Though he may not understand
Gives him passions to command –
How remorselessly she spurs him,
With terrific ardor stirs him
When she poignantly prefers him!

When Nature wants to name a man
And fame a man
And tame a man;
When Nature wants to shame a man
To do his heavenly best…
When she tries the highest test
That her reckoning may bring –
When she wants a god or king! --
How she reigns him and restrains him
So his body scarce contains him
While she fires him
And inspires him!
Keeps him yearning, ever burning for a
Tantalizing goal ---
Lures and lacerates his soul
Sets a challenge for his spirit,
Draws it higher when he’s near it –
Makes a jungle, that he clear it;
Makes a desert, that he fear it
And subdue it if he can –
So doth Nature make a man,
Then, to test his spirit’s wrath
Hurls a mountain in his path –
Puts a bitter choice before him
And relentless stands o’er him.
“Climb, or perish!” so she says…..
watch her purpose, watch her ways!

Nature’s plan is wondrous kind
Could we understand her mind…
Fools are they who call her blind.
When his feet are torn and bleeding
Yet his spirit mounts unheeding,
All his higher powers speeding
Blazing newer paths and fine;
When the force that is divine
Leaps to challenge every failure and his ardor
Still is sweet
And love and hope are burning in the presence
Of defeat ……
Lo, the crisis! Lo, the shout
That must call the leader out.
When the people need salvation
Doth he come to lead the nation ….
Then doth Nature show her plan
When the world has found ---- a man!
Angela Morgan.

Lorraine

Lorraine fell today;
She turned to grasp her walker,
lost her balance
And Lorraine fell today.

Lorraine is known to few;
Another resident in a nursing home,
White haired, simple dress,
She shuffles down to hear us sing,
To hear us speak of Jesus.

When we leave, with an earnest gaze
And a warm hand she says--,
“I’m sure glad you came,
It means so much to us.”
Those simple words
Reach deep within me.
I believe she means it.
And Lorraine fell today.

They called the nurse,
A woman in her late sixties,
She knelt beside Lorraine
And first, eased her embarrassment.
So gentle, so sincere;
Her warmth immediately took me,
The ease in which she comforted Lorraine.
As Lorraine was comforted she began a
protocol of systematic questions.
Not as a nurse, but rather as a close friend.
Affection and admiration rose in me
As I watched nursing at its finest.

I know what a fall can mean;
the loss of mobility.
I was overcome by sadness at the thought.
I want her to remain strong.

But Lorraine fell today.

Good Movies

It has been said, sometimes the greatest discoveries are those lost from the past; so I am going to suggest two movies from the past that are must sees. First, for the whole family is Fiddler on the Roof. This classic from thirty years ago, tells the story of a jewish family and their struggles from oppression as well as the timeless struggles with family. The version with Isaac Stern as the soloist is the original and the one to rent.

The Second film I recommend as a teaching tool against drug use. The version of Jeckel and Hyde starring Spencer Tracy. If you have children ages 11 up, this film, although not a film about drug use, the parallel is so obvious that with a brief introduction by you to your child, they will see the parallel easily. In addition, Ingrid Bergman plays a woman caught in an oppressive relationship that she should end, but as so many women that become victims do, she allows it to go on, to her harm. You have to trust me on this, it is an invaluable tool covering two difficult issues to impress your children with and this makes it so easy.

Bastards blessed

The following is a bit difficult to follow, and the antiquated language unusual, but the message is well worth the struggle.

But should not a godly, gracious man be fully grieved and humbled for his sin?
Grieved, humbled for his sin? Yes, surely. Though the Lord, through the overruling hand of His Grace, works never so much good out of my sin unto me, yet I am to be humbled for it, and the rather to be humbled for it, because He works good out of it.
I have read of the mother of those three learned men, Peter Lombard, Francis Gratian, and Peter Comestor, the three great pillars of the Roman Church (for Lombard wrote the “Sentences”, and Gratian the “Popish Decretals,” and Comestor the “Historia Scholastica”), that when she lay on her death-bed, the priest came unto her, and called upon her for repentance for her whoredoms, for these three, Lombard, Gratian and Comestor, were her bastards, as the popish writers themselves confess in their writings. He told her that she must be greatly afflicted, grieved and humbled for her uncleanness, or else she could not be saved. “Why,” said she, “I confess, indeed, that whoredome and uncleanness is a great sin, but considering what a great deal of good has come to the church of God by my sin, that three such great lights have been brought forth into the world by my sin, I cannot, I will not repent.” And thus it is with many poor ignorant souls. When they see how the Lord by His over ruling hand works good unto them out of their sin, as some outward blessings and mercies, they do not repent of their sin, but rather justify themselves in their sins.
But now take a godly man, a gracious soul; the more he sees the Lord working good out of his sin, the more he is humbled for it; and upon that very ground, because God works good of it, therefore he is humbled the more.”
William Bridge – A Lifting Up For The Downcast.

Having gone through a divorce and having seen the sorrow and difficulties it caused my sons, this piece is so relevant to me. As I witness there successful lives, as I see God working good out of it, it is a humbling thing, and heightens my devotion to a God of second chances.

Pigeon-livered?

The following page is from a book "Getting on in the World" 1872, by William Mathews, LL. D.
The advice to young men it contains was common in America up through the fifties. Sadly it has become lost in present day. It may seem somewhat harsh to the modern day young person, with all of our luxuries, but a strong dose of its influence will no doubt be of great advantage.
There are many books written in the nineteenth, and early twentieth century that encourage a young person to do their best with example after example of those with less, that have made themselves useful to God, society, and family.

"It is the misfortune of many young persons today that they begin life with too many advantages. Every possible want of their many-sided natures is supplied before it is consciously felt. Books, teachers, mental and religious training, lectures, amusements, clothes, and food, all of the best quality and without stint in quantity, -- in short, the pick of the world’s good things, and helps of every kind, --- are lavished upon them, till satiety results, and all ambition is extinguished. What motive has a young man, for whom life is thus “thrice winnowed,” to exert himself? Having supped full of life’s sweets, he finds them palling on his taste; having done nothing to earn its good things, he cannot appreciate their value. “like a hot house plant, grown weak and spindling through too much shelter and watching, he needs nothing so much as to be set in the open air of the world, and to grow strong, with the struggling for existence.”

Mere hardship, of course, will not make a man strong, but it is an all important aid in the development of greatness. Want, confinement, opposition, roughness alternating with smoothness, difficulty with ease, storm with sunshine, sorrow with joy, -- these constitute the discipline of life, the education which makes a man of a being, who would otherwise be little better than an animal.
It has been justly said that in deprivation alone there is untold might. Imprison a gill of water ( two ounces ) in a solid rock, and deprive it of heat, and it will burst its flinty bonds as did Samson the cords of the Philistines. Apply a match to a pound of powder in the open air, and it explodes with a harmless flash; but confine it in a rifle-barrel, and tease it with the smallest spark, and it carries doom to a distant life.
Great men can no more be made without trials, than bricks can be made without fire.

In past ages men believed in the existence of ghosts, -- a belief which has disappeared before the light of intelligence; but the truth is, they really exist, only in a different form from that with which the popular imagination has invested them. A ghost is popularly supposed to be a soul without a body, fond of darkness and graveyards, and wearing a thin white drapery, which you can see, but not touch. The strongest man might strike through it without hitting or hurting it.
A character in one of Dicken’s novels knew a ghost “because he could see straight through the body to the buttons on the back of the coat.” But the real ghost is the man who has no pluck;
no perseverance, firmness, or energy; no backbone of determination; in short, the pigeon-livered thing, for it is not worthy to be called a man, that has a body without a soul.

After all, there is but one true way in which to meet the troubles and trials of life, and that is, to encounter them unflinchingly. It is doubtless very pleasant to sit in some loophole of retreat, and now and then, oyster-like, cautiously open one’s bivalves, and thank God he is not buffeting the billows like his fellows. Those who risk nothing, of course, can lose nothing; sowing no hopes, they cannot suffer from the blight of disappointment. But let him who is enlisted for the war expect to meet the foe. Either accept the advice of the tawny Philip to his hesitating warrior, -- “Go away with the children and the squaws,” – or be prepared not only for the contest, but for its consequences.

Fortunately, adversity is like the panther, look it boldly in the face, and it turns cowering away from you. It is like life’s troubles as with the risks of the battle-field, there is always less of aggregate danger to the party that stands firm than to that which gives way, the cowards being always cut down ingloriously in the fight.

No doubt it is easier to moralize on ‘the uses of adversity’ than to bear it.
We are aware that it is hard to begin life without a dollar, hard to be poor, and harder to seem poor in the eyes of others. No young man, especially no young man in our cities, likes to make his entrance in life with his boots patched; to wear an out of date hat, and clean gloves smelling of cheap oil and economy; nor to carry a cotton umbrella; nor to ask a girl to marry him and live in the sky-parlor of a cheap boarding-house. We all like to drive along smoothly, to have a fine turnout, to have the hinges of life oiled, the backs padded, and the seats cushioned. But such is not the road to success in any profession or calling; and if you are poor, and feel that you cannot climb the steeps of life unassisted, -- that you must be carried in a vehicle, instead of trudging on foot along the dusty highway, -- then confess your weakness and seek your Hercules in the first heiress who is as lacking in judgment as you in nerve and resolution. Mary for money if you can and be a stall-fed ox for the remainder of your days. But do not, while thus ‘boosted’ into life, boast of your success. Do not, while rising in the world like a balloon, by pressure from without instead of within, fancy you have any claim to triumph. The world will tip its hat to you, and give you plenty of ceremonious respect; but its real regard, its loftiest esteem, it will reserve for the moral hero who has the nerve to throw his hat into the ring, and fight out the battle of life in a manly and creditable way".

If that doesn't inspire you, you must hate John Wayne.

Letter from Matt

I received this email from Matt's wife Thanita today and she said it was for all so I decided to post it.

"Dear Thanita, I hope all is well. I pray for you and Nic and Nisha often. How is everything?
Two days ago we met 350 IDPs, it was upsetting, but they were strong despite the circumstances. It's hard to imagine being forced to leave everything you know and still smile and laugh. I was able to film a lot and interview some too. I will do my best to tell their story. I also have a deep sense that God has this trip planned.
I love you all."

When I read this brief email, the simplicity of it made me well up inside with pride. That may sound odd but in some of Christianity there are high and lofty buzz words, in some circles there is a hyper-spiritual language that at times seems boastful to me. It may be my lack of spirituality or some other deficiency, but somehow when I read this email, and I know how genuine his feelings are, and the priorities of his life are laid out; love for his wife and family, a God given desire to help the Burmese and a deep sense of God's presence and destiny.
And as he walks these hundred miles through the mountains, with at times eminent danger,
his feet do the talking.
Forgive me while I gush with pride, but this is how I interpret Christianity.

Giddy and Random?

I’ve been reading a little in the “Reformed Doctrine of Predestination”.
When ever my life seems farther out of control than normal, and I need to come back to the reality that God is in control and I need to believe it and trust it; I go to the Puritans and reformers for reminders. I would be quick to defend the belief that God is in control of everything, but when I read a quote like the following, it makes me realize how small I truly think God is.

“Although the price of the sparrow is small, and its flight seems giddy and at random, yet it does not fall to the ground, nor alight anywhere without your Father. His all wise providence hath before appointed what bough it shall perch upon; what grains it shall pick up; where it shall lodge and where it shall build; on what it shall live and where it shall fall to die.”

Could that be true? I know my family, home, daily food, and my death are all in His hands, but will he feed the birds this morning? Is He so big he can take note of all His creation? My lodging yes, but the black-capped chickadee that year round entertains me with his fluttering, hunting, pecking, does he share with me God’s protection? To the grains he eats? I’m not certain but it makes me well up to think so, I want to believe it........... I do believe it.

“Every raindrop and every snowflake which falls from the cloud, every insect which moves, every plant which grows, every grain of dust which floats in the air has had certain definite causes and will have certain definite effects. Each is a link in the chain of events and many of the great events of history have turned on these apparently insignificant things.”

Is my God that big? Oh yes He is, I see in his word how He uses all of His creation to turn the tide of this globe, I know enough of history to remember how he used a spider and his web to protect, the plant to teach, the clouds for signs and on it goes. What a mighty God we serve!

Beauty Thought

"It is perfectly possible for a girl with the homeliest face, with the ugliest expression, if she has an honest heart, to make herself beautiful to everyone who knows her by the perpetual habit of holding in her mind the beauty thought; not the thought of mere superficial beauty, but that of heart beauty, soul beauty. The basis of all real beauty is a kindly, helpful heart, and a desire to scatter sunshine and good cheer everywhere, and this, shining through the face, makes it beautiful". O.S.Marden

I suspect when you read this you are picturing a person like he describes. Someone the world may not consider handsome, but not long after meeting them they begin to transform, a strange but certain change takes place, somehow they become beautiful. I have met many in the nursing homes where superficial beauty has long been lost, but the richness of their character, the scattering of joy, revives the beauty years thought to steal.
I encouraged my granddaughters, as they both began a new school this year, to look people in the eye and smile a big Mother Teresa smile, begin conversations with strangers and learn to listen and you will not lack for friends. They heeded my advice and both have gained many new friends.
I like that.

Thoughts Radiate as Influence

“Gaze thou in the face of thy brother, in those eyes where plays the lambent fire of kindness, or in those where rages the lurid conflagration of anger; feel how thy own so quiet soul is straightway involuntarily kindled with the like, and ye blaze and reverberate on each other, till it is all one limitless, confluent flame (of embracing love, or of deadly, grasping hate); and then say what miraculous virtue goes out of man into man.”

What an interesting thought, how we influence each other for good or ill with nothing more than a look. What power we have over others, what weakness we have by others. Power without a word. We influence an entire household with a look.
“Potent with influence, our looks fly from us with every instant, working for weal or for woe.” Say’s Orison Marden.

Email from Matt's wife

Dear all,
Matt called me tonight. He is with the team leader and his team. And they just started their mission. Matt asked me to tell you guys to pray for him. The situation is very bad there. They are in the middle of a very very dangerous place. He really needs our prayers, that's what he said. I, now, translate the FBR report from English toThai. So, I have to read every report. The situation is worst than ever. I sometimes ask myself why did I even let my husband go there. Please pray for his safety, and for me that I will put all my worries in to the hand of the Lord.
Love,Thanita

The lovely Toy....

I spent the weekend at the coast which always brings with it the pursuit of rare Christian books.
WaLa! A couple of good finds; one is Orison Swett Marden's book "Every Man A King", seven bucks, eat your heart out Eric, and another titled "Getting On in The World" author William Mathews, LL.D. This is a book not unlike 'Pushing To The Front' by Marden, but a somewhat easier to read book, less fragmented. Anyway, in it there is a quote I want to share. The subject of anticipation being greater than possesion, is a topic that has always intrigued me and I fall prey to on a regular basis. I'll include the lead up, as well as the quote.....

"Again, it must be confessed that success does not always yield the happiness expected; that the prizes of life, like the apples of Sodom, often turn to ashes in the grasp. Of every object of human pursuit, however dazzling in the distance, it may be said as the poet has said of woman, --

"The lovely toy, so fiercly sought,
Hath lost its charm by being caught."

If one would love life

"In computing the duration of a human life in the actual sense of life, if we wish to obtain the result in minutes and seconds, we must strike out from the calculations all those minutes and seconds in which he does not live in the proper sense of the word. This would include all periods of unconsciousness, of intoxitcation, and of mental alienations, -- in short, all moments which, when past, leave in our nature no rational record of their passage." Charles E. Sargent, M.A.

When I read the above quote it made me think about the scripture in 1 Peter 3:10, "if we would love life and see good days", then surely we must consider how much of our life is worth the living.
Like the quote suggests, if we consider the time spent in worry, resentment, anger, discouragement, all mental alienations, or mental derangements, from friends, family, co-workers or whoever; we must consider that time spent, is life not worth the living. That term mental alienations stuck out the most to me, and truly life in that state is lost time. So much of our time can be lost if we do not follow the Path.
As a Christian, our lives are in God's hands, every man our brother, every task a purpose, every trial a lesson, so that we can glorify God and enjoy Him forever, as the catechism states.

I just got this picture back and it is a rare time that nearly all my grandchildren are together.
Last Christmas I had eleven of my grandchildren here for this photo op.
From bottom left to right is Lily, Destiny, Raleigh, Dre'Sean, Jordan, Nic.
I'm holding Nisha, to my immediate left is Austin then Micah, and above Left to right is Carissa and Christian.
My most prized possesions, this bulging quiver of budding leaders and world changers.

Secrets

Secrets.
I was asked what I thought the secrets of God are; so I put down things I have learned and have been taught about the secrets of God.

Secrets of wisdom for living, they cry out in the streets and even the ungodly will gain them if attentive to life. The plain, pure, word of God.

Secrets of Christ Jesus, secrets of His assurance, his direction, His purposes for our life.
Not found on the surface, but rather to be sought after, mined as it were. Found in hidden places of devotion not in banter or chatter and rarely through the prophetic words of another.

Secrets of ministry; The revealing of another’s need -- when in ministry and the secrets of a person’s heart is unknown, or if a need is unidentified, God will identify these secrets; Secrets that allow us to know what to do or what will reach them, and finding the words or the actions that were unprepared, but somehow, in a moment of intimate soul connection, one finds a clarity or a spontaneous word or action that is divinely given for the moment. A spiritual gift for the moment. Certainly, the sweetest of all the secrets.

Secrets of worship and intimacy with God. Mined in the prayer closet or occasionally by a whelming flood of special mercy or grace.
I suppose my favorite teaching on this comes from Jeremy Taylor, a 17th century Anglican Priest with such insight. Here is a piece he does on spiritual growth and the mystical experience we have with God. This is not an easy read, so get out the dictionary, you’ll need it for the full blessing, and not even Paul could read it once and understand it.

The first beginnings in religion are employed in the mastering of their first appetites, casting out devils, exterminating all evil customs, lessening the tendency of habits, and contradict the orders of persistent corrupt desires; and this, which divines call the purgative or purging way, is wholly spent in actions of repentance, mortification, and self-denial…..

After our first step is taken, and the conviction part of repentance is resolved on, and begun, and we have had good degrees of progress, we then enter into the illuminative way of religion…. If a pious soul passes to affections that are of a lofty sentiment, and intimate and more directly related to God, without the help of others, without the use of written prayers or guides and develops a spiritual love, it is well; only remember that the love that God requires of us, is an operative, material, and communicative love, “If you love me keep My commandments”; so that still a good life is the effect of the deepest and most sublime meditation…..

Beyond what I have described, there is a degree of meditation so exalted, that it changes the very name, and is called contemplation; and it is in the unitive way of religion, that is, it consists in unions and adherences to God; it is a prayer of quietness and silence, and an extraordinary meditation, prayers without distraction, a vision and intuition of divine excellencies, an immediate entry into an orb of light, and a blending of all our faculties into sweetness, affections, and a staring upon the divine beauty; and is carried on to ecstasies, raptures, no sense of time, inspirations, being drawn away from the temporal, and apprehending a blissful state……

But this is not a thing to be discoursed of, but felt; and although in other sciences the terms must first be known, and then the rules and conclusions of science applied; here it is otherwise; for first, the whole of this must be experienced, before we can so much as know what it is; and the end must be acquired first, the conclusion before the premises.
They that testify of these heights call them the secrets of the kingdom; but they are such which no man can describe; such which God hath not revealed in the publication of the gospel; such for the acquiring of which there are no means prescribed.


Unknown Secrets
And then lastly, and the inexhaustable part of “The Secrets”, are all the ones I do not know, the vast riches of God that I have no understanding about whatsoever.

This is a style of Art that I particularly like.

If you enjoy this art go to the net and type in "Art Renewal" and the link is to the largest art site on the net. My favorite artist is William Bouguereau. There are about 200 of his paintings on this site, along with about 1500 other artists.

Betrothed to God

The following piece from A Lifting Up For The Downcast, is so typical of the Puritan theology. If you have not read the Puritan divines, this piece will give you a clear example of their teachings. It typifies the encouraging, inspiring, line of thought that permeates their writings. I will abridge it at the end because of the language difficulties.

“ Every godly, gracious man, is in covenant with God by Jesus Christ; and that covenant is a covenant of grace, which is the great charter, the “magna-Charta” of all his spiritual privileges and immunities (freedom from natural or usual liability). Now in this great charter, the Lord proclaims this, that sincerity shall go for perfection; that a little done for God, in the time of temptation, shall be counted much. In this great charter, the Lord proclaims unto all His people, that He rather regards the bent (inclinations ) of the heart than the enlargement of the heart: that He rather regards the will to do, than the doing.
In this great charter, the covenant of free grace, the Lord proclaims unto all His people, that if they fail in prayer and other duties (for I speak not of prayer only ),
He will not cast them off, but He will rather be moved to pity them; for the covenant that the Lord makes with His people is as the covenant that a man makes with his wife; “I will betroth thee unto me for ever” says the Lord, Hosea 2:19. Now a man will not put away his wife for every failing, neither will the Lord put away his people nor cast them off, because He is betrothed to them though they do fail in duties. Again, in this great charter and covenant of grace, the Lord proclaims unto all His children, that what they lack in performance, he will make up in indulgence. He proclaims this unto them, that He will require no more than He gives; He will give what he requires, and He will accept what He gives. Now, therefore, am I in that covenant of grace? And are there many failings in my duties? Yet if this be true, that the Lord is more moved by my failings to pity me than to cast me off, then I have no reason to be discouraged. And thus it is with every child of God. He is in this covenant of grace, and so the privileges and immunities of all this great charter belong unto him.”

It is remarkable, that in this covenant of Grace,” that sincerity shall go for perfection”. This is a reoccurring theme through all the Puritan writings.
” that a little done for God, in the time of temptation, shall be counted much”.
He regards the inclinations of the heart and is not worried about the hearts size or ability.
Of course the security of the believer is throughout their writings, comments like
“He will not cast us off but rather is moved to pity. We are betrothed to Him and God hates divorce. What we lack in performance, he will make up in indulgence. When is the last time you heard that from a pulpit? Or, what He requires he will give.

Bathing the Soul

The following are the musings of Henry Ward Beecher as he walks through his large Estate. He day dreams as he walks through the orchards, along the meadows and by the lakeside. He considers what improvements he may make and just drinks up the beauty while dreaming the day away. Then he questions himself as to whether this is of value or not.

“But of what use is all this fanciful using of the head?
Is it a mere waste of precious time?
But, if it gives great delight, if it keeps the soul awake, sweet thoughts alive and sordid thoughts dead, if it brings one a little out of conceit with hard economies, and penurious reality, and stingy self-conceit; if it be like a bath to the soul, in which it washes away the grime of human contacts, and the sweat and dust of life among selfish, sordid men; if it makes the thoughts more supple to climb along the ways where the spiritual fruits do grow; and especially, if it introduces the soul to a fuller conviction of the Great Unseen, and teaches it to esteem the visible as less real than things which no eye can see, or hands handle, it will have answered a purpose which is in vain sought after among stupid conventionalities.
At any rate, such a discourse of the thoughts with things that are beautiful, and such an opening of the soul to things which are sweet-breathed, will make one joyful at the time and tranquil thereafter. And if one fully believes that the earth is the Lord’s, and that God yet walks among leaves, and trees, in the cool of the day, he will not easily be persuaded to cast away the belief that all these vagaries and wild communings are but those of a child in his father’s house, and that the secret springs of joy which they open are touched of God!”

There is so much I like in this piece, I like the line "a bath to the sould that washes away the grime of human contacts , and the sweat and dust of life among selfish and sordid men."
I also like "an opening of the soul to things which are sweet-breathed"
Aw! nature.......

Inestimable Gift

Join in with me while Henry Ward Beecher reminices about boyhood adventures --

“On the blessed day above mentioned, a bare-footed boy might have been seen on a June afternoon, with his alder-pole on his shoulder, tripping through the meadow where dandelions and wild geraniums were in bloom, and steering for the old sawmill. As soon as the meadow was crossed, the fence scaled and a descent begun, all familiar objects were gone, and the overpowering consciousness of being alone set one’s imagination into a dance of fear.
Could we find our way back?
What if a big bull should come out of those bushes?
What if a great big man should come along and carry us off?
To a six-year old boy these were very serious matters, and nothing could have so well tested the eagerness or our purpose as perseverance under these soul-bewildering suggestions; for realities in after-life are seldom so impressive as imaginations in early life. A child’s fears are cruel. They are to him the signs of absolute realities, and he is quite unable to reason on them and is helpless to repel or to endure them. The fears of our childhood constitute a chapter in mental philosophy.
But, no sooner did we see the sparkle of the water than our souls grew calm again and happy.”

When I first read this I got caught up in the scene described and it took me back to when I was a boy living in a rural agricultural area. I spent many a day hiking off to where the lands were uncharted. Many a time to a place I had been once, or someone had told me about, and the way was uncertain. I experienced the fear he describes about being lost or the worry a big dog might be stumbled on to or a big man that could carry us off.
But as I re-read this story I was taken by a different aspect of it; The line,
“for realities in after-life are seldom so impressive as imaginations in early life. A child’s fears are cruel.”
A sadness came over me as the truth of that statement sunk in. I began to think of a child with these “impressive imaginations in early life” that is caught in the break-up of a family by divorce, and how big the fears are in a young child. How a “child’s fears are cruel.” Without hope, overwhelming and reaching deep within to a place where there just is no understanding. I thought of my sons and the desperation they must have felt when their mother and I divorced. I then thought of all the children that face truly fearful circumstances and I felt that fearful imagination.
To those who have held their marriages together in this ‘throw away’ culture, my hats off to you. I doubt you realize the inestimable gift you have given your children.

Inestimable gift

Lets pick up here as Henry Ward Beecher describes a beautiful spring day as he reminisces
as a child of six --

On the blessed day above mentioned, a bare-footed boy might have been seen on a June afternoon, with his alder-pole on his shoulder, tripping through the meadow where dandelions and wild geraniums were in bloom, and steering for the old sawmill. As soon as the meadow was crossed, the fence scaled and a descent begun, all familiar objects were gone, and the overpowering consciousness of being alone set one imagination into a dance of fear.
Could we find our way back?
What if a big bull should come out of those bushes?
What if a great big man should come along and carry us off?
To a six-year old boy these were very serious matters, and nothing could have so well tested the eagerness or our purpose as perseverance under these soul-bewildering suggestions; for realities in after-life are seldom so impressive as imaginations in early life. A childs fears are cruel. They are to him the signs of absolute realities, and he is quite unable to reason on them and is helpless to repel or to endure them. The fears of our childhood constitute a chapter in mental philosophy.
But, no sooner did we see the sparkle of the water than our souls grew calm again and happy.

When I first read this I got caught up in the scene described and it took me back to when I was a boy living in a rural agricultural area. I spent many a day hiking off to where the lands were uncharted. Many a time to a place I had been once, or someone had told me about, and the way was uncertain. I experienced the fear he describes about being lost or the worry a big dog might be stumbled on to or a big man that could carry us off.
But as I re-read this story I was taken by a different aspect of it; The line,
"for realities in after-life are seldom so impressive as imaginations in early life. A childs fears are cruel.
A sadness came over me as the truth of that statement sunk in. I began to think of a child with these impressive imaginations in early life that is caught in the break-up of a family by divorce, and how big the fears are in a young child. How a childs fears are cruel. Without hope, overwhelming and reaching deep within to a place where there just is no understanding.
I thought of my sons and the desperation they must have felt when their mother and I divorced. I then thought of all the children that face truly fearful circumstances and I felt that fearful imagination.
To those who have held their marriages together in this throw away culture, my hats off to you. I doubt you realize the inestimable gift you have given your children.

Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls;
Who steals my purse, steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name,
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed. Shakespeare.

What is your duty?

"What is your duty?" asks Goethe. "The carrying out of the affairs of the day that lies before you." But this is too narrow a view of duty. "What again," he asks, "is the best government?
That which teaches us to govern ourselves." Plutarch said to the Emperor Trajan, "Let your government commence in your own breast, and lay the foundation of it in the command of your own passions."

Need a lift?

The following posts are from the book "A Lifting Up For The Downcast" by William Bridge.
I have picked out a few paragraphs to give the flavor of the author. William Bridge preached these sermons in 1648, it deals with believers suffering from spiritual depression, and Bridge manifests great inshight into the causes of saints discouragement. He is a true physiscian of the soul. Written in the kings English, if you're not used to it, is somewhat more difficult to follow, but worth it.

“Sin gains not, but is a loser by every fall of the godly. And if you look into the Scripture, you will observe that when the people of God fall, usually they fail in that grace wherein they most excel. Wherein they did most excel, therein they did most miscarry. Abraham did most excel in faith, and therein he did most miscarry. Moses did most excel in meekness, and therein he did most miscarry; we read of no other sin concerning Moses but his anger. Job did most excel in patience, and therein did he most miscarry. Peter did most excel in zeal and resolution for Christ – “Though all the world forsake thee, yet will not I” – and therein he did most miscarry, denying Christ at the voice of a damsel. I say, you will observe this, that the saints fell and failed in that grace wherein they did most excel; and they did most excel wherein they did most miscarry.
What is the reason of this, but because the Lord, by the overruling hand of His grace, did make their very miscarriages, inlets and occasions to their further grace and holiness. God has a great revenue from the very infirmities of His people. He never permits any of His people to fall into any sin, but He hath a design by that fall to break the back of that sin they do fall into. Now, then, have the saints and people of God any reason to be discouraged in this respect?”

Great sins

“But again you say, suppose that a man’s sins be exceeding great, gross, and heinous; for I do confess that possibly a godly man may sin some sin against his light, and against his conscience sometimes; but as for me, my sin is exceeding great, gross and heinous, and have I not just cause and reason now to be discouraged?

No, not yet, for though your sin be great, is not God’s mercy great, exceeding great? Is not the satisfaction made by Christ great? Are the merits of Christ’s blood small? Is not God, the great God of heaven and earth, able to do great things? You grant that God is almighty in providing for you, and is He not almighty also in pardoning? Will you rob God of His almightiness in pardoning?
You say your sin is great, but is it infinite? Is not God alone infinite? Is your sin as big as God, as big as Christ? Is Jesus Christ only a Mediator for small sins?
Now look what David says in Psalm 25:11, “For thy names sake, O Lord, Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.” If David use this reason, then may you also; and if this be a reason why God should pardon sin, because it is great, then this cannot be a reason, a just reason, why you should be discouraged.”

Declining affections toward God

“Now you may say you have declined, and have much revolted, and so have continued even many years, consider whether you may be not mistaken. Every abatement in affection is not a declining in grace. Possibly we may not grieve for sin afterward so much as at our first conversion, yet we may hate it more. At first you may pray more against it, yet afterward watch more against it. We never see the face of sin so ugly, as in the glass of God’s free love, and do you not see the free love of God more? Possibly your affections might have been higher at the first, but is not conviction more clear and full? As affections dry up, so we grow more settled in our judgment; and if your judgment be more settled, you have not declined, though your affections be somewhat abated.”

Foul sin

“But you say, suppose that a man has sinned foully, greatly, and he cannot repent or be humbled enough: for that is my case. I have sinned, I have sinned greatly, and now after all, my heart is hard, and I cannot be humbled enough, oh, I cannot repent enough: have I not just cause and reason for discouragement now, yea to be quite discouraged?

No, not yet, for what if the Lord will have your humiliation from you by degrees? Should you be greatly humbled for the present, it may be it would be with you as it has been with others, you would never think of your sins afterward. But may be the Lord will have this work of humiliation to stay long upon your soul, and He will not give it you all at once. Some there are, that when they come into a house, they pay down a great sum of money and pay little rent, others pay a little sum of money and a great rent. So it is with souls that come to Christ: some at the first experience a great humiliation, and they have little of it afterward; some have less at first, and have more afterwards by continuance in it. And what if the Lord will now lead your soul in this latter way? This latter way may be the better way if the Lord think fit.”

"We often judge of a thing according as we have it at heart; for we easily lose true judgment through private affection.
If God were always the one aim of our desire, we should not so easily be disturbed at resistance to our opinions.
But there is often something lying hid within, or occurring from without, which draws us also along with it.
Many secretly seek themselves in what they do, and know it not.
They seem also to continue in good peace; when aught is done according to their will and judgment; but if it be done otherwise than they wish, they are soon moved and become sad."
Thomas A Kempis.

I like this quote, and the way I take it is, that our way of thinking, "have it at heart", and our emotional reaction to things, "private affection", are the things lying hidden within and are the filter we interpret circumstances with and then allow to draw us along into narrow or self centered thinking.

Hold to the hollow

I was re-reading Thomas A Kempis this morning and it was coming alive for me.
One sentence that struck me was---

"No man is led willingly further than he himself sees."

I think that is so true whether for the Christian or the unbeliever. We love to be taught truths, doctrines, that we have some concept of already, even if ever so vague; but when we are presented with an idea that is outside of our experience or sight, we often dig our heels in and cling to the familiar, even if it is a hollow concept.

Small miseries, like small debts, hit us in so many places, and meet us at so many turns and corners, that what they lack in weight, they make up in number, and render it less hazardous to stand in the fire of one cannon ball, than a volley composed of such a shower of bullets – Colton.

If all the misfortunes of mankind were cast into a public stock, in order to be equally distributed among the whole species, those who now think themselves the most unhappy would prefer the share they are already possessed of before that which would fall to them by such a division. – Socrates.

These kind of thoughts are of great comfort to me when I'm whining about some trifle that has me up nights or biting my nails.

None has more frequent conversations with disagreeable self than the man of pleasure; his enthusiasms are but few and transient; his appetites, like angry creditors, are continually making fruitless demands for what he is unable to pay; And the greater his former pleasures, the more strong his regret, the more impatient his expectations. A life of pleasure is, therefore, the most unpleasing life. –Goldsmith

Worldly riches are like nuts; many clothes are torn in getting them, many a tooth broke in cracking them, but never a belly filled with eating them. – Venning

The misanthrope

The misanthrope is a man who avoids society, only to free himself from the trouble of being useful to it; who considers his neighbors only on the side of their defects, not knowing the art of combining their virtues with their vices, and of rendering the imperfections of other people tolerable by reflecting on his own.
He is more employed in finding out and punishing the guilty, than in devising means to reform them; and because he thinks his talents are not sufficiently valued and employed by his fellow citizens, or rather because they know his foibles and do not choose to be subject to his caprices, he talks of quitting cities, towns, and societies, and living in dens or deserts. – Saurin.

The part of this quote that struck me is "not knowing the art of combining their virtues with their vices". We are long on this with those we love, often overlooking vices entirely, but to the casual acquaintancee, we are often too short. Giving them up with the appearance of one or two vices.

He that has no resources of mind, is more to be pitied than he who is in want of necessaries for the body; to be obliged to beg our daily happiness from others, bespeaks a more lamentable poverty than that of him, who begs his daily bread.
Colton.

Now think about that.....