“My friends, the world we live in, the time and town we live in, are full of unhealthiness. There are exaggerations, affectations, complications, thin frenzies, theatrical excitement, fashions of passions, fitful stars of morbid fascinating brilliance, till our souls grow sick and tired of it all. Where is the escape from it? 
Only in what St. Paul calls, “The simplicity which is in Christ.” Go up into the mountain of His love and service, and you shall leave all these mists and fogs below.” 
Phillips Brooks

 
"Then the Spirit took me up... and the Lord said to me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with you." Ezek. 3:12.22

   "You whose work is pre-eminently on the plain, get a preliminary glimpse of God! Come up and see the sunrise before you go down into the toils of the wilderness! You who labor among the sick, come first to the top of the hill! You who labor among the poor, come first to the the of the hill! - take a deep draught of hope before you traverse the dens and alleys! You who labor among the lapsed, come first to the top of the hill! - get a sight of human possibilities before you tread the path of tears! For it is not despair that emboldens you or nerves you, you workers in waste and wilderness. They among whom you sojourn may be sunk in depravity, dead in trespasses and sin; yet it is not despair that nerves you. Paul says we are saved by hope; yes, and we save others by hope. You that toil in the penitentiaries, what is it you see? Is it the depraved soul walking amid the tombs? No, it is the soul set free -- the soul as God painted it. Never lose sight of the Christ when you stand in Bethlehem's manger! For it is Christ that makes the manger bearable. Hope, and you will help; be bright, and you will bear; enjoy the vision of triumph, and you will endure the vale of tears. They who have mounted up as eagles in the morning, shall in the afternoon walk and not faint." George Matheson. 

  At seventy two, and after walking with the Lord for fifty years: I've learned there is always a way. Often it is not the way we would've chosen or discovered without God's help, but He always makes a way. 

  "Lord, there are many whom you can send to the gentiles - the impoverished of the earth; but send me!
There are myriads of celestial spirits who wait to do your bidding; but send me! I am slower in hand and feebler in heart than they, yet send me!
Send me because I am slower in hand and feebler in heart! It is not your holy angels that need to be trained in the joys of paradise; it is I. 
Shall I receive no message in the language of heaven- the language of sympathy! Shall all your messages of mercy be carried by Gabriel and Michael, and none by me! If by every couch of pain I beheld your ministering angel, I would never learn the science of sympathy." George Matheson. 

   "We often ask the question, why does God permit the continuance of so much sin in the world? The district church visitor, going through her rounds amid scenes of moral misery, the philanthropist threading his way through paths of deep pollution, the home missionary coming into contact with forms of life that would make the angels weep- - all put the question to their heart, Why does not God interfere? And to each there ought to be one answer: He does interfere, He is at this moment interfering; He is interfering through you.

This is exactly what Paul says: "God has given unto us the ministry of reconciliation." The Lord has asked us to take up His burden -- the burden of human sin. He has asked us to interfere for Him, to act for Him, to strive for Him, to love for Him.

It is not for His sake that God makes you His fellow-laborer; it is for your own. He has put the reins of the moral world into your hands - not because the steeds are unmanageable, but because you need training as a charioteer. When you go forth to dispense your charities among the destitute, never forget that you are yourself the largest beneficiary. " George Matheson.

"Blessed are the peacemakers." 

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 "In Genesis we read that during creation, Darkness gave way to light, that is the order of God's universe. It is not light giving way to darkness. What is your perspective about life, do you see this world God's way or are you the type of religious person that sees light giving way to darkness.  It matters! If you see only darkness, and light giving way to darkness, it will affect all your perspectives, your relationships you positivity, emotional life and thinking.  

It matters because when you view life as darkness giving way to light you see what's best, and good and true: the beauty, the best,  and what's working. It will filter down to your kids, your marriage and all of life." Pastor Eric.  

"The church has lost it's savor."

 "The church as lost it's savor."

  There are currently 60 Christian denominations with about 45,000 churches in the U.S.
The Dept. of Human Services, HUD, estimates there are 40,056 veterans homeless at any given night. 
If each church supported one Veteran: and I mean supporting them completely until they were either able to support themselves or be in a permanent, safe, respectable residence where they were known to all the members and treated as we would have ourselves treated, it would be a step towards restoring Christ's glory in the world. 

If the church then went on to find the most desperately oppressed in our society and, one by one, did the same, we would find favor with God. 

Does your church even consider this? If not, why not?

  When I saw this photo it just moved me so. Here this poor little angelic child sits in the dirt in the midst of her poverty. But by the merciful hand of God she is unaware of much of it. She has found some little discarded thing to entertain herself with and the mercy of God has graced children with the ability to find contentment, even in grinding poverty. I see her mother has lovingly woven her hair, though she hasn't enough to dress her well. 

  To those who know little about the causes of addiction this startling statement may make no sense. But to those who know about it they get this tragic statement. After working with people struggling with addiction for eleven years now and countless interviews I learned that childhood trauma is the link that 99% of addicts share. Addiction is a symptom of complex trauma, and it is a tragedy. 

Christ's call

The call of Christ - Jesus asks, "Will you come with me to the place where the thorns are thickest, to the land where the roses are most rare? Will you follow me down the deep shadows of Gethsemane, up the steep heights of Calvary? Will you go with me where the hungry cry for bread, where the sick implore for health, where the weary weep for rest? Will you accompany me where pain dwells, where danger lurks, where death lies? Will you walk with me through the lanes and alleys where the poor meet and struggle and die? Will you live with me where the world passes by in scorn, where even disciples have often forsaken me and fled? Then is your love complete, my triumph perfected." George Matheson.

My Christian influence for years, was not the above description; it was to study my Bible, worship and praise and keep myself from being stained by the world. Not different from the Pharisaical way of living, good, but one thing I lacked: working, caring and loving the poor. At best but half of Christ's good news.