Wednesday, March 21, 2007

"Satan's speciality is psychological warfare. If he can turn us on God, others, or ourselves, we won't turn on him."

Friday, March 16, 2007

i am convinced that God does not play dice.

- albert einstein -

Saturday, March 10, 2007

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed,
saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from
me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."
-- Matthew 26:39 (ESV)

Every true prayer has its background and its foreground.
The foreground of prayer is the intense, immediate desire for
a certain blessing which seems to be absolutely necessary for
the soul to have; the background of prayer is the quiet,
earnest desire that the will of God, whatever it may be,
should be done. What a picture is the perfect prayer of Jesus
in Gethsemane! In front burns the strong desire to escape
death and to live; but behind there stands, calm and strong,
the craving of the whole life for the doing of the will of
God... Leave out the foreground, let there be no expression of
the will of him who prays, and there is left a pure submission
which is almost fatalism. Leave out the background, let there
be no acceptance of the will of God, and the prayer is only an
expression of self-will, a petulant claiming of the
uncorrected choice of him who prays. Only when the two are
there together, the special desire resting on the universal
submission, the universal submission opening into the special
desire, is the picture perfect and the prayer complete.
... Phillips Brooks (1835-1893)

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

God in His providence has not allowed the survival of
actual physical objects. But we have infinitely more than
this, for instead of dead relics, however "authentic" and well
preserved, we have a living life-line, stretching unbroken to
Christ Himself. We have all the comfort and security that
comes from historic tradition, but instead of being given the
sad nostalgia of looking at an object and saying, "Look, how
wonderful! This is what He touched then," we are given an
evergreen memorial [in communion] which says,

"This is what He
touches now."

J. B. Phillips (1906-1982), Appointment with God
[1956]

Monday, March 05, 2007

"the less routine, the more life." - amos bronson alcott

Monday, February 19, 2007

“There are no failures - just experiences and your reactions to them.”

tom krause

Sunday, February 18, 2007

the LORD'S love never ends;

His mercies never stop.

they are new every morning;

Lord, Your loyalty is great.

i say to myself, "the LORD is mine,

so i hope in Him."

the LORD is good to those who hope in Him,

to those who seek Him.

lamentations 3:22

Thursday, February 15, 2007

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for
good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk
in them.
-- Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Look heavenward, if you wish, but never to the horizon;
that way danger lies. Truth is not there, happiness is not
there, certainty is not there, but the falsehoods, the frauds,
the quackeries, the ignes fatui (false beacons) which have
deceived each generation all beckon from the horizon and lure
the men not content to look for the truth and happiness that
tumble out at their feet.
... William Osler (1849-1919), A Way of Life [1937]

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

"for Thou art my lamp, o Lord; and the Lord will lighten my darkness."

2 sam 22:29

Monday, February 12, 2007

"What Thou wilt, when Thou wilt, how Thou wilt." I had
rather speak these three sentences from my heart in my mother
tongue than be master of all the languages in Europe.

... John Newton (1725-1807)

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Three men were walking on a wall,

Feeling, Faith, and Fact.

When Feeling got an awful fall,

And Faith was taken back.

So close was Faith to Feeling,

He stumbled and fell too,

But Fact remained,

And pulled Faith back,

And Faith brought Feeling too.

~ unknown

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Christ became ever more and more painfully convinced that
men did not know God. They can't, He said, or they could not
live as they are doing. Some of them are so anxious and
worried, with all God's care and strength and love to lean
against! They cannot know of it, and be so fidgety and nervous
as they are. Some of them are afraid. Their consciences have
drawn so grim a picture of Him that fearfully they shrink out
of His presence, wish there were not God! Frightened of God,
with His free and full and eager forgiveness, with His
incredible generosity, with His compassionate heart that
nobody can sour into illwill, do what he may. And even the
best of them are not quite sure. Their faith at most is but a
timorous hope, and a trembling perhaps; no more. Often in the
Synagogue He had watched them sobbing out their penitential
psalms and begging God to turn from anger and be gracious
toward them... And it amazed Christ. Look at His sun, He
cries, how it streams down in all its midday fullness on the
most unworthy, and at the rain, how it falls healingly upon
the fields of the least grateful, and how He keeps thrusting
His benefits and blessings into the most soiled hands, loading
the most impossible people with His kindnesses. If only I
could make them see God as He really is: if only they could
realize that He is their Father, that what their own child is
to them, that, and far more, each of them is to Him.
... A. J. Gossip (1873-1954), The Galilean Accent [1926]

Saturday, February 03, 2007

YOU ARE GUIDING ME AS A HELMSMAN STEERS A SHIP,

BUT THE COURSE YOU STEER IS BEYOND MY UNDERSTANDING.

- AUGUSTINE

Saturday, January 20, 2007

But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not
he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord
commendeth.

2 Corinthians 10:17,18 (KJV)

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Silence promotes the presence of God, prevents many harsh
and proud words, and suppresses many dangers in the way of
ridiculing or harshly judging our neighbors...If you are
faithful in keeping silence when it is not necessary to speak,
God will preserve you from evil when it is right for you to
talk.

... Francois Fenelon (1651-1715)

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

We may not understand how the spirit works; but the effect
of the Spirit on the lives of men is there for all to see; and
the only unanswerable argument for Christianity is a Christian
life. No man can disregard a religion and a faith and a power
which is able to make bad men good.
... William Barclay (1907-1978)

Sunday, January 07, 2007

"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, desparingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing"

~Agatha Christie

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Nothing shall be lost that is done for God

or in obedience to Him.

John Owen (1616-1683)

Thursday, December 28, 2006

You will never find Jesus so precious as when the world is
one vast howling wilderness. Then he is like a rose blooming
in the midst of the desolation, a rock rising above the storm.
... Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813-1843)

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Once you make up your mind never to stand waiting and
hesitating when your conscience tells you what you ought to
do, you have the key to every blessing that a sinner
can reasonably hope for.
... John Keble (1792-1866)

Friday, December 15, 2006

If we are to accept the teaching of Jesus at all, then the
only test of the reality of a man's religion is his attitude
to his fellow men. The only possible proof that a man loves
God is the demonstrated fact that he loves his fellow men.
... William Barclay (1907-1978)

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

"He is Faithful that promised."

God's power will keep God's promises! promises for the soul, promises for the body, promises for others, promises for our work, promises for our business, promises for time and for eternity: these are all ours! it is not your weakness that can defeat God's promise, nor your strength that can fulfill the promise: He that spoke the Word will Himself make it good. it is neither your business nor mine to keep God's promises - that is His grace.

the signed check is given us. how foolish if we fear to present it! never yet has one single check been dishonored. "He is faithful that promised."

Monday, December 11, 2006

Poem for my husband..... by Carol Mader

while you work, you give us the most cherished of all treasures

TIME

time... for snuggling and cuddling

two morning-tousled lifeforms beneath magical tents of sheets. time to throw away the shopping plans because it's ugly outside and there's almways tomorrow.

now we have time... for glitter messes and chocolate batter kisses.

time to explore puddles, mountains of books, and the depths of our imagination.

your efforts allow me time... to shape and mold and rock and hold. THANK YOU.

thank you for adhering to unyielding, grinding schedules

so that we can dance to the flow of the music each day.

thank you, my husband, for fighting traffic, office politics, and the sterile business world

to give us... TIME, together.

your sphere of equations and meetings opens our world to a deeper understanding of one another.

thank you for staring into a computer screen every day so that i can gaze into our children's big, hungry eyes all day long.

thank you from all of us. we know how lucky we are.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

"first of all, my child, think magnificently of God. magnify His providence;adore His power, pray to Him frequently and incessantly. bear Him always in your mind. teach your thoughts to reverence Him in every place for there is no place where He is not. therefore, my child, fear and worship and love God; first and last, think magnificently of Him!" - Paternus

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

He is the Living God. He endures forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed. His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves. He performssigns and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions. Daniel 6: 26,27

Saturday, November 25, 2006

The love of God a perfect plan

is planning now for thee,

It holds "a future and a hope,"

which yet thou cannot see.

Though for a season, in the dark,

He asks thy perfect trust,

e'en that thou in surrender "lay

thy treasure in the dust".

Yet He is planning all the while,

unerringly He guides

the life of her, who holds His will

more dear than all besides.

trust were not trust if thou couldst see

the ending of the way,

nor couldst thou learn His songs by night,

were life one radiant day.

Amid the shadows here He works

the plan designed above,

"a future and a hope" for thee

in His exceeding love.

"A future" - abiding fruit,

with loving kindness crowned;

"A hope" - which shall thine own transcend,

as Heaven the earth around.

Though veiled as yet, one day thine eyes

shall see His plan unfold,

and clouds that darkened once the path

shall shine with Heaven's gold.

Enriched to all eternity

the steadfast soul shall stand,

that, "unoffended," trusted Him

who all life's pathway planned.

I have a heritage of bliss,

which yet I may not see;

the Hand that bled to make it mine,

is keeping it for me.

- Freda Hanbury Allen

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

watch, o lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight,

and give your angels and saints charge over those who sleep.

tend your sick ones, o lord christ.

rest your weary ones.

bless your dying ones.

soothe your suffering ones.

pity your afflicted ones.

shield your joyous ones.

and all for your love's sake.

- st. francis

Thursday, November 16, 2006

from psalm 121

The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are His.

He changes times and seasons;
He sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.

He reveals deep and hidden things;
He knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with Him.

For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him?
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

Thursday, November 02, 2006

i just read a really great quote. "God is never lost among our mysteries." love that. it was in today's entry from my favorite devotional book Springs In The Valley.

here's an excerpt:

ps 77:19 "Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters." God's path is in the sea... just where you would not expect it to be! so when He leads us out by unexpected ways, off the strong solid land, out upon the changing sea, THEN we may expect to see HIS WAYS. we are with One Who finds a path already tracked out, for it makes us perfectly independent of circumstances. there is an infinite variety in the paths God makes, and He can make them anywhere! He sees the road, the end from the beginning. mystery and uncertainty are only to prepare us for deeper discipline. had we no stormy sea we should remain weaklings to the end of our days. God takes us out into the deeps; but He knows the track... He knows the haven... and we shall arrive.

Monday, October 16, 2006

O God, grant that today
I may not disappoint any friend;
I may not grieve any loved one;
I may not fail anyone to whom I have a duty;
I may not shame myself.
Grant that today
I may do my work with honesty and fidelity;
I may take my pleasure in happiness and purity.
Grant that today
I may lead no one astray;
I may not make goodness and faith harder for anyone.
Help me today
to be a help and example to all;
to bring strength and encouragement wherever I am:
Through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

... William Barclay (1907-1978)

Saturday, October 14, 2006

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he
might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your
faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen
your brothers."

-- Luke 22:31-32 (ESV)

_______________________________________________________________

Steadfastness in believing doth not exclude all
temptations from without. When we say a tree is firmly rooted,
we do not say the wind never blows upon it.

... John Owen (1616-1683)

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow;

the same everlasting Father Who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day.

either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.

be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations, and say continually:

"the Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart has trusted in Him and i am helped.

He is not only with me but in me and i in Him."

st. francis de sales

Friday, September 29, 2006

"and so we know the love that God has for us... and we trust that love."

1 john 4:16

Monday, September 25, 2006

God never sleeps. He doesn't even blink.

Friday, September 22, 2006

God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He
has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.
... St. Augustine (354-430)

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

bottom line: God despises sin.

Is it unfair to suggest that, in some of us at least,
Christianity hasn't fully worked so far simply because, at
the pinch, at the decisive moment, we don't want it to work or
ourselves to be lifted up above the failings and disloyalties
we find so alluring,

but rather to be enabled to continue them
without the ugly consequences of so doing, to have the
inexorable laws of life bent aside in our favor, so that we
can squeeze through and escape, without reaping what we have
sown;

because, as we misunderstand it, the whole point of the
good news our Lord brings is the gladsome announcement
that God is happily much more morally indifferent than our
consciences had thought, and is not going to make a fuss about
our sins and such-like trivial peccadilloes, but will surely
let us off-because, in fact, we have not grasped that the core
and essence of the Gospel... is its tremendous and glorious
revelation of how deadly is God's hatred of sin,

so that He
cannot stand having it in the same universe as Himself, and
will go any length, and will pay any price, and will make any
sacrifice, to master and abolish it, is set upon so doing in
our hearts, thank God, as elsewhere.

... A. J. Gossip (1873-1954)

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

“Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian.” --Dennis Wholey

Thursday, August 24, 2006

How readily we assume that the Church is the only channel
of divine action among men! Common sense tells us this
assumption is wrong--and nothing in the Bible supports such a
conclusion. Believing that God is the Lord of history, we
believe that God is at work now in the development of industry
and commerce throughout the world, in the experiments and
researches of the scientists, in the deliberations of the
United Nations, and in the course of events in Berlin and
Havana, in Moscow and Beijing, and Detroit. One might say,
then that He seems to be doing some very strange and
contradictory things! But, though we cannot claim to know
God's purpose in all this, we do believe that God acts in all
these circumstances. The revolutionary changes of our time are
not all a mistake: they are not taking place without God.

... Arthur Lichtenberger, The Day is at Hand [1964]

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

All things are God's already; we can give Him no right, by
consecrating any, that He had not before, only we set it apart
to His service-just as a gardener brings his master a basket
of apricots, and presents them; his lord thanks him, and
perhaps gives him something for his pains, and yet the
apricots were as much his lord's before as now.
... John Selden (1584-1654)

Sunday, August 06, 2006

To excuse what can really produce good excuses is not
Christian charity; it is only fairness. To be a Christian
means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the
inexcusable in you. This is hard. It is perhaps not so hard to
forgive a single injury. But to forgive the incessant
provocations of daily life--to keep on forgiving the bossy
mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the
selfish daughter, the deceitful son--how can we do it? Only, I
think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words
when we say in our prayers each night, "Forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." We
are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse it means
to refuse God's mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of
exceptions and God means what He says.

... C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), "On Forgiveness," in The
Weight of Glory [1949]

Thursday, August 03, 2006

If our common life is not a

common course of humility,

self-denial, renunciation of the world,

poverty of spirit,

and heavenly affection,

we do not live the lives of Christians.

... William Law (1686-1761), A Serious Call to a Devout
and Holy Life [1728]

Saturday, July 22, 2006

if we ever get

to the point

where our goal is to have people say,

"what a wonderful person,"

we're missing the mark.

instead,

our goal

is to have people say,

"what a wonderful God this person serves."

our task

is to have people say,

"tell me about your God,"

and to point people

to Him.

-max lucado

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

it may be on a kitchen floor,

or in a bosy shopping store,

or teaching, nursing, day by day,

'til limb and brain almost give way;

yet if, just there, by Jesus thou art found,

the place thou standest on is Holy Ground.

- m. colley

Monday, July 17, 2006

Receive every day as a resurrection from death, as a new
enjoyment of life; meet every rising sun with such sentiments
of God's goodness, as if you had seen it, and all things,
new-created upon your account: and under the sense of so great
a blessing, let your joyful heart praise and magnify so good
and glorious a Creator.
... William Law (1686-1761), A Serious Call to a Devout
and Holy Life [1728]

Thursday, July 13, 2006

"The Lord's love never ends; His mercies never stop. They are new every morning;

Lord, Your loyalty is great.

I say to myself 'The Lord is mine, so I hope in Him.'

The Lord is good to those who hope in Him, to those who seek Him." Lam 3:22-25

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Job 23:14 He performeth the thing that is appointed for me.

There's a throne above the world.

There's a Man on the throne.

He has a plan for things down here during this time of turmoil and strife.

His Spirit is down here to get that plan done.

He needs each one of us.

He puts His hand on each Christian life and says, "Separate yourself from all else for the bit I need you to do."

His hand is on you.

Are you doing it?

Anything else classes as failure.

The Bent Knee Time, by S.D.Gordon

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother's womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.

Ecclesiastes 11:5

Friday, June 23, 2006

The soul which gives itself wholly and without reserve to God is filled with His own Peace;

and inasmuch as we are prone
to grow like that to which we are closely united,

the closer we draw to our God,

so much the stronger and more steadfast
and more tranquil shall we become.

... Jean N. Grou (1731-1803), The Hidden Life of the Soul

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Christianity is not a voice in the wilderness,

but a life in the world.

It is not an idea in the air,

but feet on the ground going God's way.

It is not an exotic to be kept under glass,

but a hardy plant to bear twelve months of fruits in all kinds of weather.

Fidelity to duty is its root and branch.

Nothing we can say to the Lord,

no calling Him by great or dear names,

can take the place of the plain doing of His will.

We may cry out about the beauty of eating bread with Him in
His kingdom,

but it is wasted breath and a rootless hope
unless we plow and plant in His kingdom here and now.

To remember Him at His table and to forget Him at ours,

is to have invested in bad securities.

There is no substitute for plain,

every-day

goodness.

... Maltbie D. Babcock (1858-1901)

Thursday, June 08, 2006

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and
more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may
approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for
the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that
comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
-- Philippians 1:9-11 (ESV)

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

"The sacrifice that honors Me

is a thankful heart."

Psalm 50:23

Sunday, May 21, 2006

But how shall we rest in God?

By giving ourselves wholly
to Him.

If you give yourself by halves,

you cannot find full
rest-

there will ever be a lurking disquiet in that half which
is withheld...

... Jean N. Grou (1731-1803)

Monday, May 15, 2006

It may be possible for each of us to think too much of his
own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him
to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor.
The load, or weight, or burden, of my neighbor's glory should
be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility
can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is
a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and
goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting
person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw
it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship--or else a
horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only
in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping
each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the
light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe
and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct
all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves,
all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people.

... C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), "The Weight of Glory" [1949]

Saturday, May 13, 2006

God thunders wondrously with His voice;
He does great things that we cannot Comprehend. Job 37:5

A comprehended god is no god.
... St. John Chrysostom (345-407)

Sunday, April 30, 2006

I compare the troubles which we have to undergo in the course of the year to a great bundle of fagots, far too large for us to lift.

But God does not require us to

carry the whole at once.

He mercifully unties the bundle, and gives us first
one stick, which we are to carry today,

and then another,

which we are to carry tomorrow, and so on.

This we might easily manage,

if we would only take the burden

appointed for each day;

but we choose to increase our troubles by carrying
yesterday's stick over again today,

and adding tomorrow's
burden to the load,

before we are required to bear it.

... John Newton (1725-1807)

note: according to the dictionary, the definition of "fagot" is

"A bundle of twigs, sticks, or branches bound together."

Friday, April 28, 2006

phil 4: 4-5

always be full of joy in the Lord. i say it again--rejoice!

let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.

remember, the Lord is coming soon.

Friday, April 21, 2006

O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire Thee with our
whole heart; that, so desiring, we may seek, and seeking find
Thee; and so finding Thee may love Thee; and loving Thee, may
hate those sins from which Thou hast redeemed us.
... St. Anselm (1033-1109)

Monday, April 17, 2006

"Character is the ability to carry out a worthy decision after the emotion
of making that decision has passed."
- Hyrum W. Smith

Saturday, April 15, 2006

All night had shouts of men and cry
Of woeful women filled His way;
Until that noon of sombre sky
On Friday, clamor and display
Smote Him; no solitude had He.
No silence, since Gethsemane.

Public was death; but power, but might,
But life again, but victory,
Were hushed within the dead of night,
The shuttered dark, the secrecy.
And all alone, alone, alone
He rose again behind the stone.

... Alice Meynell (1847-1922)

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

my i can't

is pathetic

compared to

His i will.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

When an occasion of practicing some virtue offered, he
addressed himself to God, saying, "Lord, I cannot do this
unless Thou enablest me;" and... then he received strength
more than sufficient. When he had failed in his duty, he
simply confessed his fault, saying to God, "I shall never do
otherwise if Thou leavest me to myself; it is Thou who must
hinder my falling, and mend what is amiss." After this, he
gave himself no further uneasiness about it.
... Joseph de Beaufort (17th century), The Character of
Brother Lawrence

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

In my intellect, I may divide faith and works, just as
in the candle I know there is both light and heat;

yet put out the candle,

and both are gone.

... John Selden (1584-1654)

Monday, April 03, 2006

Most of the reasons that drive us to pray

for strength and forgiveness

could never have driven Him;

and yet He needed prayer.
... G. H. Knight (1835-1917), In the Secret of His Presence [1934]

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Doing the same things

the same ways

always brings

the same results.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Heb 10: 35-36

So don't throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It's still a sure thing! But you need to stick it out, staying with God's plan so you'll be there for the promised completion.

(The Message)

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

The Will of God

The will of God will never take you,
Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the arms of God cannot support you,
Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,
Where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you,
Where the hands of God cannot mold you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.

(author unknown)

Friday, March 17, 2006

"We have no cause to be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ;
but the Gospel of Christ may justly be ashamed of us."
... John Tillotson (1630-1694)

Thursday, March 16, 2006

John 14:1

"JESUS SAID: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God... Trust also in Me."

Friday, March 03, 2006

"i am not nervous,

or fearful,

or tense,

or anything that i can put my finger on.

this is the way with the UNREAL:

the only words we have at our disposal

to describe it,

are rooted in reality...

and they

just

will

not

do."

Thursday, February 23, 2006

For the power Thou hast given me to lay hold of things
unseen:
For the strong sense I have that this is not my home:
For my restless heart which nothing finite can satisfy:
I give Thee thanks, O God.
For the invasion of my soul by Thy Holy Spirit:
For all human love and goodness that speak to me of Thee:
For the fullness of Thy glory outpoured in Jesus Christ:
I give Thee thanks, O God.
... John Baillie (1886-1960)

Friday, February 17, 2006

"God's DELAYS are not God's DENIALS..."

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

1 Chronicles 28:9-10 (New International Version)

"And you, my son ... acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you... Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to _____________. Be strong and do the work."

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD,

and spread it before the LORD. Is 37:14

Does it not often happen that you are in great difficulty how to act in some particular case? Your course is not plain; your way is not open; each side seems equally balanced, and you cannot tell which to choose. Your wishes, perhaps, point one way; your fears, another. You are afraid lest you should decide wrongly; lest you should take what, in the end, may prove hurtful to you.

It is very trying to be brought into this painful conflict. And it adds to our distress if we are forced to go forward at once, and take one course or the other. Shall I tell you how you may be sure to find unspeakable relief?

Go and lay your matter before the Lord, as Hezekiah did with the king of Assyria's letter. Do not, however, deceive yourself, as many do, and seek counsel of God, having determined to act according to your own will, and not according to His. But, simply and honestly, ask that He would guide you. Commit your case to your Father in heaven; surrender yourself as a little child to be led as He pleases. This is the way to be guided aright, and to realize the blessing of having a heavenly Counselor. - A. Oxenden

"Confide all your works to the Lord, and He will arrange for all your plans."

Prov 16:3 Fenton's Translation.

Surrendered -- led alone by Thee,

and wait Thy guidance still.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

For since the world began,
no ear has heard, and no eye has seen
a God like you, who works for those
who wait for him! -Isaiah 64:4

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Jesus said the is a thief who comes "to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). And every time God does something good in your life, the is there with some cheap shot he wants to use to rob you of the joy of what God has done. Don't fall for it. It's like you've just won the Super Bowl, you're walking off the field, and your defeated opponent says, "I'll make you pay for this." And he gives you a y nose. Yeah, he hurt you a little, but he can't change the outcome. You still won, and nothing he can do can change the victory. So when the joy-robber comes in after the victory and tries to get you all focused on yourself, you tell him, "I know who this is, and I am not falling for it! We won, and you can't change it!"

Thursday, January 19, 2006

as for me, i trust in you. ps 55:23

Sunday, January 15, 2006

From the January 15 entry in Streams In The Valley:

"And He said unto me, 'It is done.'" Rev 21:6

Faith must be a clear-cut taking hold of God; a grasping Him with fingers of iron, with an uncompromising commitment of all to God. In learning to float you must utterly abandon yourself to the water; you must believe that the water is able to hold you up. So you must take this step of commitment, and then look up to God with confidence and say, "It is done." Our part is to commit; God's part is to work. The very moment that we commit, that very moment He undertakes. We must believe that He has undertaken what we have committed. Faith must re-echo God's promise and dare to say, "It is done."

Believe that it is settled, because God says so!

Friday, January 06, 2006

"Lay down your burden. I will carry you. I will carry you, My child. Lay down your burden. I will carry you. 'Cause I can walk on water, calm a restless sea. I've done a thousand things you've never done. I'm weary watching while you struggle on your own. Call My name, I'll come. Lay down Your burden, I will carry you. I will carry you, My child. Lay down your burden. I will carry you. I give vision to the blind. I can raise the . I've seen the darker side of hell and I've returned. I see those sleepless nights and count every tear you cry. Some lessons hurt to learn. Lay down your burden. I will carry you, My child.... My child."

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

jonah 2:7 "When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the LORD."

Monday, December 05, 2005

No heart can conceive that treasury of mercies which lies
in this one privilege, in having liberty and ability to
approach unto God at all times, according to His mind and
will.
... John Owen (1616-1683)