Question - "Why would a Christian writer of sermons have any ground for studying a pagan poet?"

Answer - "A sermon is a work which demands regularity of plan as well as a poem. It requires, too, something of the same unity, arrangement, divisions, and lucid order as a tragedy; something of the exordium, and the peroration, which belong to the composition of the orator. I do not mean that he is constantly to exhibit all this, but he should always understand it. 

A writer of verse, it is true, may please to a certain degree by the force of mere genius, and a writer of sermons will instruct by the mere power of his piety; but neither the one nor the other will ever write well, if they do not possess the principles of good writing, and form themselves on the models of good writers.

The Spirit of God can work, and often does work, by feeble instruments; and divine truth by its own omnipotent energy can effect its own purposes. But particular instances do not go to prove that the instrument ought not to be fitted, and polished, and sharpened for its allotted work. " 

 

 

This is a stinging rebuke by one of our early church fathers, and in my opinion the last line is the key --

"To profess to teach others what you yourselves are ignorant of, and publicly pretend to know what you do not know!"

If what we preach doesn't set our souls aflame, and the things we do are not what feeds our soul and devotion to Christ, we have little to say. No person has come to perfection, none are filled with all the graces, but we must preach from true experience.

 

Man Camp 22

 

Man Camp 2022, my experience. 

I joined about fifty men this year for a five-day camping trip. I had no clear understanding what would take place, but I knew there would be about every activity an outdoor loving person could want. Jet skis, motorcycles, quads, shooting firearms, archery, knife and axe throwing, badminton, corn holing, blacksmithing, horseshoes, hiking, fishing, lake and creek swimming, and hearty meals! What more could you want??

This was not exclusively a Christian camp-out; there were some non-believers, some seekers and some new Christians as well as strong Christian men.

I heard about how meaningful the evenings were when all the men would gather around a campfire. 

I expected there to be times with rich and meaningful Bible study, spirited singing and praise. This was where I was most surprised; there was none; no Bible study, no singing nor any praise. 

What I did see were men leaders whose hearts were filled with Word of God, His compassion and love for all, and whose words were Christ like, supportive, earnestly and brutally honest, reaching out to make sure every man felt loved, included and wanted.

I think it's safe to say all men do not share their deep feelings easily, quickly, or honestly; but Pastor Eric has worked with men for thirty years and his experience in reaching the hearts of others is nothing short of masterful. Eric, and the men he surrounds himself with, have varied appearances but the same heart, to see Christ reign within, and to restore what's been lost and strengthen what remains; and that active and earnest spirit soon created a sense of community and connection every person hungers for.

I've been a Christian for over fifty years and I've never seen a large group, many of which were strangers, transform into a true, living church where men opened their hearts, spilled out their deepest hurts and were willing to confess and share so vulnerably; and in such a short time. Tears flowed, prayers poured out, shoulders heaving in the embrace of men with one agenda, to lift a brother up! 

So my deepest thanks, and my sincerest appreciation to my son Pastor Eric, and the true men of God who worked together tirelessly to share the heart of Christ, the warmth of the Spirit and the love of God in ways that left every one of us changed.   

Of course one of the greatest joys was being with my family! 

 "The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him." Pr. 23:24

 

  "Some Christians believe that God does everything and they have absolutely no part of what God is doing here on earth. They say things like, "it's all God and none of me." That sounds good and spiritual except it isn't true. The Bible says God partners with us as fellow workers to expand His Kingdom influence here on earth. It's Christ in us that's the hope of glory, not Christ 'in spite of" us, or Christ "instead of" us. When we partner with God to build the house it won't be in vain. When we partner with God on the assignments He offers us, we will accomplish big things that will make people take notice. When those people recognize you, they recognize the Father because He created you in His image, and you are also His child in Christ. You are part of the body of Christ. When you are recognized, that is a recognition of Jesus Himself. The Holy Spirit resides in you. When you do anything He is right there with you the whole time. As believers, we don't have to worry about stealing glory from Jesus because Jesus already gave us His glory (John 17:22). You can't steal something that already belongs to you. Therefore be bold. Partner with God. Stay in close relationship with Him always. Accomplish big things. And know that it's OK when people recognize you for it." Chris Cree.

For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. — 1 Corinthians 3:9 (NKJV)

 Jesus said, "Preach the gospel"

But that is only one thing He said out of his many commands.

His strongest warnings and divine threatening’s centered on loving our neighbor. Mercy! Matt. 25:31-46  rings out above almost all.

Thankfully we know exactly how Jesus acted, almost every page of the gospels illustrates it in warm, compassionate actions displaying the love of God to sinner and saint.

No doubt the evangelical church emphasizes the Great Commission over all else, but any successful evangelical mission organization, now, or in the past, will explain how the hunger of body must be met before the hunger of the spirit can be reached.

Mark 12:29-31 is where Jesus summarizes the entire Bible, in crystal clear language, and boils it down to two commands, we can't improve on that, and His entire life demonstrated it in vivid detail.

We see in Isaiah 58:6-12 the Lord declares in clear and concise words what His will is for us, and in addition, it is interwoven with His promised blessings if we will simply obey.

 I think many in the church today think they can bring the world to Christ by simply sharing God's word, and that it can be done without personal involvement. But the entire force of Jesus's words and actions were personal, individual, where over and over He commands us to care of the poor and marginalized.

In Luke 14:12-24 he gives this illustration --

"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

We can see in that one passage how personal and individual Christ's exhortations are. I have to ask myself, do I know any poor, crippled, lame and blind?

Our love must exceed the love the Pharisees showed, but that has a cost associated with it, and many of us act like some who work for pro-life causes, they want to declare the value of life, but fail to advocate for the child once born. It requires little to say we are pro-life, but it requires much to care for the baby once born. Do you see the parallel there?

The church of Christ is not just a humanitarian aid society, but hospitals, orphanages, asylums and schools and colleges were created by Christians for the betterment of all. 

If we err, let us err on the side of compassion; our chastisement on judgment day will be little.

Lastly I'll say that it is important to know what the "Gospel" is, when we say we are to preach it. In my opinion influenced by many, the Gospel is the entire teaching of Christ and the Apostles. For example, if you preach a sermon on holiness, you are preaching the gospel and the same goes for all the teachings of Christ and His apostles.

This is my conclusion after fifty plus years as a Christian and watching the church from 1969 where the Lord poured out His Spirit on America, until today. Today's church, in many ways, has lost its savor I'm sad to say.

Fathers

 

 

  The way this meme struck me was - here you have two young women, apparently friends, both doing their best to follow their faith. The girl on the left reads the Bible and the girl on the right reads the Quran, and both are told that those of another faith are going to hell. 

 What a pity.......

My interpretation of the Bible is more generous. 

 God isn’t just the God of

Steeples
Prayer meetings
Well-paying jobs
Mission trips
Intact families
Worship songs
Sunday school

All those visible spaces.

The ones we show to the world.
The ones that look like we have our act together.
The ones where we will be praised.

He’s bigger than that. Much much bigger.

His heart is bigger.
His presence is bigger.
His well-worn, tenderness is bigger.

BECAUSE

He’s also and especially the God of

Oncology visits
Broken hearts
Empty checking accounts
Funeral parlors
Rehab rooms
Sleepless and fitful nights
Bathroom floors
Messy selves and messy lives

The places where it’s just us and Him.

The ones only He can really see.
Hear.
Understand.
Guide.
Comfort.
Heal.

The places of

Loss
Despair
Loneliness
Doubt
Fear

That are also the places of

Growth
Hope
Belonging
Grace
Peace

The places that nothing and no one else can touch.

Except for this big big, “very present help in time of trouble,” tender-hearted God.

Those are the most sacred places of all.

And some of the most beautiful. 

Esther Joy Goetz

 

Jesus said, "I am the Truth." 

In a world like ours today, we can be baffled, confused and mislead; truth is no easier to find today than when Pontius Pilot asked Jesus, "What is truth?" 

But as Christians we have a sure foundation in Christ, He was clear in His words and actions, and He told the religious leaders of His day when asked what is most important - 

‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

This is the foundation of all Biblical truth, without this all else is but a husk, hollow and without substance. 

Some go so far as to say, that how we treat our neighbor is the entire substance of loving God. But I will simply say, we cannot claim to have truth without both of these commands, there is no other commandment greater than these.   

 

   

  It was said of Bishop Fenelon - "Few men have influenced more powerfully the person with whom they have come in contact than Bishop Fenelon. The secret of his sway over hearts was his uniform courtesy, a politeness springing from a profound love for his fellow-beings, of whatever rank or class. Lord Peterborough, the distinguished English general, said of him, that he was "A delicious man," that "he had to run away from him to prevent his making him a Christian."

 

 

 "Luther confessed he was often tempted to ask for signs, apparitions, and revelations from heaven to confirm him in his way, yet he tells us how strongly he did withstand them, "I have faith" he said, "I have agreed with the Lord my God, that he would never send me dreams, visions, angels, for I am well contented with this gift, that I have the holy Scripture, which does abundantly teach and supply all necessary for this life, and the life to come." Thomas Brooks. 

 

  "A man may lack the feeling of his faith, and cry and call again and again for it, and feel nothing all the while, and yet nevertheless have true and sound faith; for the feeling of and mourning for the lack of faith, and the earnest and constant desire of it, is an infallible sign of faith. 

  A spark of fire is only little, yet it is fire as well as the whole element of fire; and a drop of water is but little, yet it is water as well as the whole ocean. If there is only one grape on a vine, it shows that it is a vine, and that the vine is not dead; so put the case that there is only but the appearance of a little grace in a Christian, perhaps the Spirit of God appears but in one grace in him at that time, yet that one grace shows that we are vines, and not thistles, thorns or base plants, and it shows that there is life in the root." 

Thomas Brooks.

 

Four kinds of Christians

It's so important to remember there are four kinds of Christians; there are "babes," "children," "young men," and "old men." 

Remember, as there is a 'strong faith' there is also a 'weak faith'. ---- 

Matt. 15:28 "Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith!"

 Matt. 8:26 "But Jesus said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” 

So when we explain the evidences of faith in a true Christian we must always remember there are evidences that are proper to a strong faith, but also there are evidences that are proper to a weak faith.

   Now a "babe" will not find within the same evidences of grace that are found in more mature Christians, and if you expect from them the same grace "you will certainly grieve and sadden those precious lambs of Christ that He would not have grieved and saddened.

Now if someone cannot find the evidences of a strong faith within, he must not conclude that he has no faith, for he may have in him the evidences of a weak faith even though he has not the evidences of a strong faith in him. 

In Christ's school, in His house, His church, there are several sorts and ranks of Christians, there are babes, children, young men, and old men; and accordingly ministers in their preaching and sharing should sort their evidences so that babes and children may not be found bleeding, grieving and weeping, where they should be found joying and rejoicing." Thomas Brooks. 

 

C.S. Lewis made this comment --    

“Finally, though I have had to speak at some length about sex, I want to make it as clear as I possibly can that the center of Christian morality is not here.

If anyone thinks that Christians regard unchastity as the supreme vice, he is quite wrong.

The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins.

All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing and spoiling sport, and back-biting, the pleasures of power, of hatred.

For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute.”

C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity (Book 3, Part 5)

 "Have you grown weary of looking for any signs of promise in this dull mass of fellow-men and withdrawn yourself into some luxury of self-culture, feeling as if what you had and were was too good to be wasted upon such creatures as these sick and poor and ignorant?

You must be rescued from this proud conceit, not simply by counting yourself lower, but by valuing more highly the spiritual natures of these fellow-men.

You must value them as Christ valued them, who gave his life for them, before you can be as humble in their presence as He was; and that can come only by making yourself their servant.

Only he who puts on the garment of humility finds how worthily it clothes his life. Only he who dedicates himself to the spiritual service of his brethren, simply because his Master tells him that they are worth it, comes to know how rich those natures of his brethren are, how richly they are worth the total giving of himself to them. Phillips Brooks.

 I watched a video of six women who I think are called, "Furries"? They dress in capes and have faces painted like animals with ears on their heads. It is some cultic group that made a video. Harmless for the most part, misguided, yes, certainly. Pagan to the core.

What disturbed me was not them parading their cultic like actions, but rather the responses from the Christians, the same people who are charged to win the lost by the love of Christ. 

Paganism during the times of Christ was truly disturbing, wickedly evil and dangerous, but no match for the message of Christ! Sadly, many have lost the vision as demonstrated by these comments --- 

They all need meds and padded cells and a nice straight jacket. 

What a bunch of freaks, what the f---- is that?

WTF???

They want us to take these forest dykes seriously? Extreme mental illness is all I see. 

Am I the only one who thinks that video is the result of a bunch of pretentious morons with no talent nor self awareness larping as "artists"? 

What the heck did I just watch?

This needs a warning label for high stupidity content.

Starting to understand the whole annoying witches angle. 

WTF, ho wait, Who Cares, dead soon, all of them, moving on to the stolen election ??? 

 

Not to be cynical, but I feel the same way about most Christian music, and sadly, preaching. 

 

 Wrath vs Love

Sadly today, more than ever, there is a divide in the church; on one side you have those who want to hear more of the wrath of God. 

On the other side you have those who want to hear more of the love of God. 

For the new Christian it can be a confusing division when strong sentiments are voiced on both sides. What are they to do? What should they believe? 

As for me, I look through all scriptures through the lens of Mark 12:29-31, 

"Jesus said, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second like it is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

There is no other commandment greater than these."  

  To clarify how this is to be walked out I've listed some New Testament scriptures. If you obey these you will not err by much. 

   

 

  "Imagine if you will, that you should see a man that had a large pond of water, yet lived in continual thirst, not allowing himself to drink half a glass for fear of lessing his pond. 

If you should see him always thirsty, yet always carrying a bucket of water in his hand, watching early and late to catch the drops of rain, gaping after every cloud, and running greedily into every mire and mud in hopes of water, and always studying how to make every ditch empty itself into his pond. 

If you should see him grow old and grey in these obnoxious labors, and at the end of his life he ends his anxiety ridden, thirsty life by falling into his own pond; would you not say that such a one was not only the author of all his own disquiets, but was foolish enough to be reckoned amongst idiots and madmen? 

But yet, foolish and absurd as this character is, it does not represent half the follies and absurd disquiets of the greedy, covetous man." William Law.

 Rev. Dr. Tuckerman

"His success in winning the lost lie in his perpetual recognition of the spiritual, immortal nature of the poor, and it gave to all his intercourse a character of tenderness and respect. He spoke plainly, boldly, but still as to the children of the same infinite Father. 

He trusted in man's moral nature, however bruised and crushed; he was sure that no heart could resist him, if he could but convince it of his sincere brotherly concern. 

One rule he observed, he always spoke encouragingly. He felt that the weight under which the poor man’s spirit was already sinking needed no addition from the harshness of his spiritual guide. 

He went forth in the power of brotherly love, and found it a divine armor.

 He proved how much can be accomplished by a generous, affectionate mode of speech and action among those classes of society which it has been thought can only be reached by menace, sternness, and terror. 

Dr. Tuckerman and his successors in their labors with seamen, have taught us that men, in the most unpromising conditions, are to be treated as men; that under coarse jackets, and even rags, may be found tender and noble hearts; and that the heart, even when hardened, still responds to the voice of a true friend and brother. His words were steeped in his heart before they found their way to his lips. And flowing warm and fresh from this fountain, they were drunk in as living waters by the thirsty souls of the poor. 

A great secret of Dr. Tuckerman's success lay in his strong interest in individuals. It was not in his nature to act on masses by general methods; he threw his soul into individual cases. Every sufferer whom he visited seemed to awaken in him a special affection and concern. I remember well the language which he once used in regard to a man who had gone far astray. He said to me with deep emotion: “I want that man's soul; I must save him."

 He made the worst feel that they had a friend, and by his personal interest linked them anew with their race. 

  Let me add another explication of his success. He sought for something to love in all. 

He seized on anything good which might remain in the fallen spirit; on any domestic affection, any generous feeling, which might have escaped the wreck of the character. If he could but touch one chord of love, one tender recollection of home, one feeling of shame or sorrow for the past, not mater how faintly, he rejoiced and took courage, like the good physician who, in watching the drowned, detects a flutter of the pulse, or the feeblest sign of life. His hope in such cases tended to fulfill itself. His tones awakened a like hope in the fallen. "He did not break the bruised reed, or quench the smoldering wick." William Ellery Channing.  

 

The Search for Father: 

How Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, search for his father is a picture of one of the most formational aspects of a man's life. 

In ancient times a man's name was connected to the man who fathered him: Achilles, son of Peleus; Agamemnon, son of Atreus; Hector, son of Priam, Odysseus, son of Laertes; Telemachus, son of Odysseus.

In the Home:

But today it is not so, father and son have often been severed from one another by work, divorce, neglect or abuse. It seems the very social structures of our culture are working to separate men from their sons and one another. Many men have grown up without fathers and disconnected by distance or distraction from their grandfathers, uncles and cousins.

In Education:

The age old concept of a teacher instructing students face to face has been reshaped in such a way to further isolate people from one another with distance/online education and ‘independent’ study. 

In Work:

The idea of apprenticeships has been diminished with the push of technology and entrepreneurial pursuits. 

In Friendship:

Men searching for Mentors often come up short these days. Content learning has displaced character formation and the idea that a man would have a relationship with another man to grow into maturity is becoming a rare experience anymore. Google is the new Gandalf. 

In Sexuailty: 

Men no longer need to commit to a woman in marriage to experience aspects of the delights of the sexual life. Even the sex act has been reshaped by the porn and hook-up culture, men can independently indulge without having to be placed into a real relationship with a woman.

In Spirituality:

Our churches have followed the patterns of this world and now provide platforms of media consumption that replace a pulpit or a pastoral relationship. Men can "go to church" and never enter a circle of meaningful relationships that facilitate the difficult work of transformation.

All of these issues have a profound influence on the soul of a man and shape his relationships with others." Eric Blauer.

 "Encourage the exhausted and slack of hands, and strengthen the feeble. 

Say to those with anxious heart, "Take courage, fear not. 

Behold your God will come with vengeance, the recompense of God will come, but He will save you." Is. 35:3-4

We must broaden our understanding of evangelism: we evangelize when we help the weak in faith stand; when we restore the struggling Christian and encourage the doubting brethren. 

 

Mamma's,

“Don’t feel sorry for or fear for your kids because the world they are going to grow up in is not what it used to be.

God created them and called them for the exact moment in time that they’re in. Their life wasn’t a coincidence or an accident. 

Raise them up to know the power they walk in as children of God. 

Train them up in the authority of His Word. 

Teach them to walk in faith knowing that God is in control. 

Empower them to know they can change the world. 

Don’t teach them to be fearful and disheartened by the state of the world but hopeful that they can do something about it. 

Every person in all of history has been placed in the time that they were in because of God’s sovereign plan. 

He knew Daniel could handle the lions den. 

He knew David could handle Goliath. 

He knew Esther could handle Haman. 

He knew Peter could handle persecution. 

He knows that your child can handle whatever challenge they face in their life. He created them specifically for it! 

Don’t be scared for your children, but be honored that God chose YOU to parent the generation that is facing the biggest challenges of our lifetime. 

Rise up to the challenge. 

Raise Daniels, Davids, Esthers and Peters! 

God isn’t scratching His head wondering what He’s going to do with this mess of a world. 

He has an army He’s raising up to drive back the darkness and make Him known all over the earth. 

Don’t let your fear steal the greatness God placed in them. I know it’s hard to imagine them as anything besides our sweet little babies, and we just want to protect them from anything that could ever be hard on them, but they were born for such a time as this.”

 -Alex Cravens Michel Maza

 

 

 

 "8-year-old Różyczka Goździewska, the youngest nurse in the Warsaw Uprising in WW2. She helped as an assistant in the field hospital by bringing water to the injured, chasing away flies and serving as a source of happiness."

When the gates swing open wide to let Rozyczka enter into her eternal home, can't you hear the voices of all in heaven sing out "Bless this saint, she chased away flies!!!! She gave a cup of cold water! and she served the living Christ as a source of happiness for wounded and lonely soldiers. Oh what a day of rejoicing that will be!!!!!!

 

  Evangelism is a noble and heroic work! To seek the lost, last and the least; to be busy looking for pale and jaundiced hearts beaten down by abuse or sin, to delve into the deeps of the heart and point the anguished towards Christ, this is a work above all others! 

I read this poem that illustrates gospel work so well.

   

Who are they that - 

"Pluck bright glory from the pale-faced moon,

Or dive into the bottom of the deep,

Where fathom-line could never touch the ground,

and drag up drowned honor by the locks!" 

William Mathews, LL.D.

 

"Oh how God loves to reveal Himself to those who long to know Him. I don't care where you are or whom you're with, you may be in a cult or in the midst of great errors, but if you have a heart that longs to know God He will pierce the darkness and disclose Himself. 

Ever seeking, ever loving, always calling. 

It reminds me of a quote by John Wesley, "I want to know one thing -- the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God Himself has condescended to teach the way, for this very end He came from heaven. He has written it down in a book. O give me that book!!!!! At any price, give me the book of God!'

Read the Bible, it's good for the soul.

Overcoming depression

 Overcoming depression requires a multifaceted approach.                  The following post comes from the National Suicide Prevention Line; and it contains such good advice. Of course this is a secular piece that contains no references to religion or the power of it; but this is simple and practical helps for our well being.

DEPRESSION TIPS:

Shower. Not a bath, a shower. Use water as hot or cold as you like. You don’t even need to wash. Just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. Sit on the floor if you gotta.

Moisturize everything. Use whatever lotion you like.

Put on clean, comfortable clothes.

Drink cold water. Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost.

Clean something. Doesn’t have to be anything big. Organize one drawer of a desk. Wash five dirty dishes. Do a load of laundry. Scrub the bathroom sink.

Blast music. Listen to something upbeat and dancy and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. Sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.

Make food. Don’t just grab a granola bar to munch. Take the time and make food. Even if it’s ramen. Add something special to it, like a soft boiled egg or some veggies. Prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something.

Make something. Write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. Even if you don’t think you’re good at it. Create.

Go outside. Take a walk. Sit in the grass. Look at the clouds. Smell flowers. Put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin.

Call someone. Call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. Talk to a stranger on the street. Have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. If you can’t bring yourself to call, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. Even if you don’t say much, listen to them. It helps.  

 May seem small or silly to some, but this list keeps people alive. 

* At your absolute best you won’t be good enough for the wrong people. But at your worst, you’ll still be worth it to the right ones. Remember that. Keep holding on. 

* In case nobody has told you today I Love you and you are worth your weight and then some in gold, so be kind to yourself and most of all keep pushing on!!!!

***People don’t fake depression.. they fake being ok.

Find something to be grateful for!

US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish. 

800-273-8255

 Overcoming sin by Grace. 

The Kingdom of God, and the holiness and virtue of it, is not gained by our power, resolve or persistence. "For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." 

The message of victory and purity isn't a message of self-control, programs, accountability partners or practical attempts, as good as they may be. Paul declared, "my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,  so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God." 

Our faith begins, grows and overcomes "not by might nor by power but by My Spirit,' says the Lord. 

When we come to Christ we are 'born again' by the Spirit, and we are to continue to walk in that Spirit to achieve the holiness, peace, power and the joy Christ promises.

 So don't come by the Spirit and expect to overcome by your determination; "Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?""We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God."  

1 Cor. 4:20, 1 Cor. 2:4-5, Zech. 4:6, Gal. 3:3, 1 Cor. 1:23-24

When I first started in Children's ministries I wrote this poem.

Feed my Lambs

When I watch children at play

inspired by their innocence

drawn by their laughter

giggles and fun,

I understand a little better

the purity of, and the entrance to

The Kingdom.

Oh to help in some way!

To guard the heart

to guide the path

and spare the sorrow

that comes when we leave His way.

To add one stepping stone,

To lay one line, one precept or principle

that broadens the entrance

for one child.

Let me taste the freshness of childhood,

Let me share the freely given love,

Let me take the infectious joy,

But most of all, let me give -

The bread of life

and help feed His little lambs.

 "There is something in our human nature which engages us to take part in every accident to which man is subject, from what cause soever it may have happened; but in such calamities as a man has fallen into through mere misfortune, to be charged upon on no fault or indiscretion of himself, there is something then so truly interesting -- that at the first sight we generally make them our own, not altogether from a reflection that they might have been, or may be so, but oftener from a certain generosity and readiness of nature which disposes us for compassion, abstracted from all considerations of self; so that without any observable act of the will, we suffer with the unfortunate, and feel a weight upon our spirits, we know not why, on seeing the most common instances of their distress. 

 Now where the spectacle is uncommonly tragic and complicated with many circumstances of misery, the mind is then taken captive at once, and, were it inclined to it, has not power to make resistance, but surrenders itself to all the tender emotions of pity and deep concern. 

So that when one considers this friendly part of our nature, without looking farther, one would think it impossible for man to look upon misery without finding himself in some measure attached to the interest of him who suffers it -- I say, one would think it impossible -- but there are some tempers - how shall I describe them? formed either of such impenetrable matter, or wrought up by habitual selfishness to such an utter insensibility of what becomes of the fortunes of their fellow creatures, as if they were not partakers of the same nature, or had no lot or connection with the species." Sterne.