I am reading through the Bible again, currently in Deuteronomy. The Old Testament is not often people's favorite place to read. And yes, I admit, there are some hard passages to get through. But, every time I read the OT, I am reminded of many things, though one thing sticks out the most. God is so patient. Time and again, Israel, HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE, those that He loved, turned away, completely disobeyed, forgot the Lord, etc...God is just and has to punish wickedness, but He never forgot His people. He was patient and forgiving.
It is easy to say, "Oh those terrible Israelites! Why would they complain? God brought them out of slavery and delivered them! They respond with complaints about something so lame, like manna?!?!" or "Dumb Israelites, they knew God had saved them from harm in the past. God said not to fight, so why would they fear, or fight battles they were told to avoid?"
As thoughts like this enter my mind, I must remember:
God has delivered me from _____(many things!) .
He has provided richly.
Why would I complain against a holy God?
(That is exactly what we are doing when: God has provided pizza for supper and we get mad that Papa John's was out of pepperoni so we had to get bacon, OR we have plans that require sun and we get frustrated when it rains. What about when everyone you know is getting engaged or married, is that jealousy discontentment- which is distrust in God's plan? What about when I'm annoyed that the radio in the nice car that was given to me doesn't work, even though the heat/air, seat warmers, automatic everything else does? Some people are worried about winning wars, sometimes I worry about winning a little basketball game. We make plans, but do we rejoice at the opportunity to change them to serve someone who just needs to talk, or needs other help?)
Rather than complain against the Lord for a change of plans, become greedy when others get different blessings than us, getting upset when we don't get our way, we should be thankful to the Lord.
The Israelites sometimes acted like two-year-olds. So do we.
Remember the Lord. Remember God's faithfulness to provide all we need and more. Remember His patience. Imagine giving a Christmas gift to someone, and them saying "I would have liked this if it were bigger/a better brand/a different color." OR "Ya know, this isn't what I asked for, I'd prefer something else."
If that happened, we would feel hurt or angry with the ungrateful person. But, this is what we do to God--the greatest gift giver ever. He gives us life and salvation, and we complain against Him.
We deserve to be thrown out and forgotten, never to receive blessings from God.
But, God is patient.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
"Human beings have very little real power over their lives. Ninety-five percent of what sets the course of their lives is completely outside their control. This includes the century and place they are born in, who their parents and family are, their childhood environment, physical stature, genetically hardwired talents, and most of the circumstances that they find themselves in. In short, all we are and have is given to us by God. We are not infinite Creators, but finite, dependent creatures."
- Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods
, page 110
- Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods
, page 110
Friday, December 25, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sometimes when the phone rings, you just know something is wrong. It's either an odd time or someone you don't expect, etc...The other day I was sitting in class and my phone vibrated--I checked it as I was leaving--three missed calls and a voicemail. As I listened to the voicemail, I learned that my best friend, my horse, was sick and dying. Of course, I have other best friends, humans, but horse friends are special in different ways.
I made a beeline from my class to my car and straight to Nana Jarrard's house as fast as possible. I was scared. She had Wolfgang out, standing, but he looked sick. I took the lead rope, biting back tears. After a few minutes, he lie down. We tried to keep him up, tried to keep him from rolling. Why had the vet not arrived? Nana and I decided we thought he had colic. If that was the case, we could not let him roll. His stomach could twist into knots. We tried walking and jogging him to keep him up. He kept falling down. If he just stayed still, we let him lay there and rest. If he tried to roll, we did everything we could to get him up. Where was the vet? At this point, I'm panicking, trying not to let it show. FINALLY, the vet arrives (around 4PM). He listens, trying to hear gut sounds through the stethoscope. Nothing. Bad sign. It is getting harder and harder to keep Wolfgang up. We get him sedated and into the barn. An ultrasound shows that his spleen is enlarged- part of the intestines likely wrapped around it. Good sign. Relatively easy cure. We take him back outside, the vet begins putting a tube up his nose to his stomach, to pump mineral oil through. Most sedated horses would just stand there. Wolfgang was in so much pain he kept falling down and rolling.
All of this is taking place out in the grassy area in front of the barn. He falls down again, this time next to the vet's truck. He rolls under, gets stuck. We aren't strong enough to fight him to prevent this. Thankfully, Wolfgang doesn't panic or fight, just freezes helplessly under the truck. Blood makes everything seem worse. The vet is able to free his legs and pull him to where he can stand up, which he quickly does. We move to an area clear of everything. The vet begins again the fight to get the tube down. After a long battle, he begins pouring mineral oil down. Doesn't seem to help. We try to keep him up, running him. One of us leading, another chasing behind to keep him moving. We are all tired. Wolfgang, now on the ground just lie still. Constant pain killers and sedatives have him still, but they had not lasted long in previous hours.
An IV is put into his neck. He's dehydrated and needs fluids. The vet calls other doctors to get advice. Why can't we get the pain under control? What normally would help has no effect. Why has nothing worked? No one knows.
My strong, beautiful Arab friend is helplessly lying flat on the ground hooked to fluids. He lets out an occasional groan. I'm about to lose it. What can we do to make him better? The vet returns as he silently helps us get the horse up, to no avail. No one seems hopeful, but I just wait for the vet to speak.
"I don't know what else to say or do. All we can do is take him to UGA." (They have a great vet hospital.)
Here come the tears. UGA is not an option. There is only a 10% chance their surgery will be effective, there is no way I can afford the thousands of dollars it would cost to try. Decision time. Of course I will do anything I can to make him well. I think of all the great times I have had with this dear friend.
In middle school, he kept my busy and focused so I didn't have to even think about boys with all the other girls. In high school, he was a source of peace and quiet after a crazy school day, or a car wreck. We have experienced countless hours on trails, or galloping through a field. He has even played "tag" with me. He gives hugs and kisses. He listens to me, he's been there through the joys and tears of my life. I can't give up trying. I can't lose my dear friend.
We decide to sedate him through the night, and hope for the best.
My parents at Mary come at 6:45, just as the vet leaves to go get more sedatives/pain killers. We stand and cry and pray. After a little while, he rolls and pulls out the IV. Blood is pouring out. We don't know what to do, so we cut the stitches and take the needle out. More blood. Thankfully, he got still so we plugged his neck with pressure from fingers and gauze. Finally, he stood up and the blood stopped. When he stood, we started walking/jogging him again. We all took turns, me, my mom, dad, Nana, Caleb. After about 45 minutes, he still had not layed down. This restored some hope. The vet came back, and he lie down again. With a new IV, he seemed to feel better, and stayed standing for the next hour. Daddy and Nana cleaned out a stall for him to stay the night. We weren't sure whether to leave him in a paddock to graze, or if eating would hurt him. Conflicting advice from various people/vet left making a potential life or death decision really hard. We went with the stall, figuring we could move him during the night if necessary. 10 PM-still standing. Everyone went home, Nana and I went in the house to get cleaned up and rest a bit before the next shot at midnight. At 12, he was down again, not looking good at all. It was then that I prayed and asked God to either heal him or end the suffering quickly, either way I would trust and praise Him. At 4AM, I was scared to even look in the stall. Things seemed to be going downhill earlier. He was standing, and had gone to the bathroom for the first time! An amazing improvement. He was cheerful at 8AM, I walked him for an hour, then took him to the stall to rest. He layed down, but only to rest, no pain evident to me.
I went to eat breakfast, when I returned, he jumped up to greet me. I made a little mash, which he gobbled up. The first time really eating or drinking much. However, things got worse for the next hour and a half. We brought other horses into the barn. That got him standing and moving. By 12:30, he seemed totally well. We let him graze 15 minutes every hour. By mid-afternoon, he totally cleaned out his system and seemed completely well. And, he is still healthy and doing great! The next day he grazed out in the sunshine, trotting to the gate when I called for him, like nothing had ever happened!
Other than old age, colic is probably the leading cause of death in horses. None of us thought he would live through this severe case. I can't imagine not having him, or even owning a different horse. God was merciful and good to us. He showed His power and granted a gift no one expected! Praise him for being so kind!
I made a beeline from my class to my car and straight to Nana Jarrard's house as fast as possible. I was scared. She had Wolfgang out, standing, but he looked sick. I took the lead rope, biting back tears. After a few minutes, he lie down. We tried to keep him up, tried to keep him from rolling. Why had the vet not arrived? Nana and I decided we thought he had colic. If that was the case, we could not let him roll. His stomach could twist into knots. We tried walking and jogging him to keep him up. He kept falling down. If he just stayed still, we let him lay there and rest. If he tried to roll, we did everything we could to get him up. Where was the vet? At this point, I'm panicking, trying not to let it show. FINALLY, the vet arrives (around 4PM). He listens, trying to hear gut sounds through the stethoscope. Nothing. Bad sign. It is getting harder and harder to keep Wolfgang up. We get him sedated and into the barn. An ultrasound shows that his spleen is enlarged- part of the intestines likely wrapped around it. Good sign. Relatively easy cure. We take him back outside, the vet begins putting a tube up his nose to his stomach, to pump mineral oil through. Most sedated horses would just stand there. Wolfgang was in so much pain he kept falling down and rolling.
All of this is taking place out in the grassy area in front of the barn. He falls down again, this time next to the vet's truck. He rolls under, gets stuck. We aren't strong enough to fight him to prevent this. Thankfully, Wolfgang doesn't panic or fight, just freezes helplessly under the truck. Blood makes everything seem worse. The vet is able to free his legs and pull him to where he can stand up, which he quickly does. We move to an area clear of everything. The vet begins again the fight to get the tube down. After a long battle, he begins pouring mineral oil down. Doesn't seem to help. We try to keep him up, running him. One of us leading, another chasing behind to keep him moving. We are all tired. Wolfgang, now on the ground just lie still. Constant pain killers and sedatives have him still, but they had not lasted long in previous hours.
An IV is put into his neck. He's dehydrated and needs fluids. The vet calls other doctors to get advice. Why can't we get the pain under control? What normally would help has no effect. Why has nothing worked? No one knows.
My strong, beautiful Arab friend is helplessly lying flat on the ground hooked to fluids. He lets out an occasional groan. I'm about to lose it. What can we do to make him better? The vet returns as he silently helps us get the horse up, to no avail. No one seems hopeful, but I just wait for the vet to speak.
"I don't know what else to say or do. All we can do is take him to UGA." (They have a great vet hospital.)
Here come the tears. UGA is not an option. There is only a 10% chance their surgery will be effective, there is no way I can afford the thousands of dollars it would cost to try. Decision time. Of course I will do anything I can to make him well. I think of all the great times I have had with this dear friend.
In middle school, he kept my busy and focused so I didn't have to even think about boys with all the other girls. In high school, he was a source of peace and quiet after a crazy school day, or a car wreck. We have experienced countless hours on trails, or galloping through a field. He has even played "tag" with me. He gives hugs and kisses. He listens to me, he's been there through the joys and tears of my life. I can't give up trying. I can't lose my dear friend.
We decide to sedate him through the night, and hope for the best.
My parents at Mary come at 6:45, just as the vet leaves to go get more sedatives/pain killers. We stand and cry and pray. After a little while, he rolls and pulls out the IV. Blood is pouring out. We don't know what to do, so we cut the stitches and take the needle out. More blood. Thankfully, he got still so we plugged his neck with pressure from fingers and gauze. Finally, he stood up and the blood stopped. When he stood, we started walking/jogging him again. We all took turns, me, my mom, dad, Nana, Caleb. After about 45 minutes, he still had not layed down. This restored some hope. The vet came back, and he lie down again. With a new IV, he seemed to feel better, and stayed standing for the next hour. Daddy and Nana cleaned out a stall for him to stay the night. We weren't sure whether to leave him in a paddock to graze, or if eating would hurt him. Conflicting advice from various people/vet left making a potential life or death decision really hard. We went with the stall, figuring we could move him during the night if necessary. 10 PM-still standing. Everyone went home, Nana and I went in the house to get cleaned up and rest a bit before the next shot at midnight. At 12, he was down again, not looking good at all. It was then that I prayed and asked God to either heal him or end the suffering quickly, either way I would trust and praise Him. At 4AM, I was scared to even look in the stall. Things seemed to be going downhill earlier. He was standing, and had gone to the bathroom for the first time! An amazing improvement. He was cheerful at 8AM, I walked him for an hour, then took him to the stall to rest. He layed down, but only to rest, no pain evident to me.
I went to eat breakfast, when I returned, he jumped up to greet me. I made a little mash, which he gobbled up. The first time really eating or drinking much. However, things got worse for the next hour and a half. We brought other horses into the barn. That got him standing and moving. By 12:30, he seemed totally well. We let him graze 15 minutes every hour. By mid-afternoon, he totally cleaned out his system and seemed completely well. And, he is still healthy and doing great! The next day he grazed out in the sunshine, trotting to the gate when I called for him, like nothing had ever happened!
Other than old age, colic is probably the leading cause of death in horses. None of us thought he would live through this severe case. I can't imagine not having him, or even owning a different horse. God was merciful and good to us. He showed His power and granted a gift no one expected! Praise him for being so kind!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
"The quest for a contemplative life can actually be self-absorbed, focused on my quiet and me. If we love people and have the power to help, then we are going to be busy. Learning to pray doesn't offer us a less busy life; it offers us a less busy heart. In the midst of outer busyness we can develop an inner quiet. Because we are less hectic on the inside, we have a greater capacity to love...and thus to be busy, which in turn drives us even more into a life of prayer. By spending time with our Father in prayer, we integrate our lives with his, with what he is doing in us. Our lives become more coherent. They feel calmer, more ordered, even in the midst of confusion and pressure."
- Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life
- Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life
Friday, October 9, 2009
Education before Legislation
Compare these two sites. The facts are there. The truth is obvious.
abort73.com and planned parenthood.org
Compare these two sites. The facts are there. The truth is obvious.
abort73.com and planned parenthood.org
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Quotes for today
*Bird crashes into our window, 2 cats attack and chow down.
"I sure hope that bird was a Christian!" -Lydia
______________________________________
"Lydia, repeat after me 'I do solemnly swear to say this every day as long as the sun and moon shall endure." --Mary
"I do solemnly swear to say this every day as long as the sun and moon shall endure." -Lydia
"Um, Lydia, do you know how long the sun and moon will endure?" -Hannah
"AH! I do UNsolemnly swear not to do that!!!!!" -Lydia
_______________________________________
"Rachel, look at my handwriting today! Everyone said it was really good. And I think it is really good too! But, I don't want to be vain about my own writing!" --Lydia
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Josh Harris Sermons
Every day on the way to and from school, I try to listen to sermons. This week I have listened to three really good Josh Harris sermons. I thought I'd pass on the link so everyone else could listen, too!
Radical Selflessness
Courtship Shmourtship (part 1)
Courtship is a Community Project (part 2)
(Find lots of free, downloadable sermons from Josh Harris and the other pastors at Covenant Life Church at www.covlife.org)
Radical Selflessness
Courtship Shmourtship (part 1)
Courtship is a Community Project (part 2)
(Find lots of free, downloadable sermons from Josh Harris and the other pastors at Covenant Life Church at www.covlife.org)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Back to School
Here is a great article I found from the girltalk blog:
School days are upon us again.
There will be broken pencils and slow computers, late night study-sessions and pop-quizzes, classmate conflicts, “light bulb” moments, and more than a few tears.
And there will be lots and lots of reading.
But there’s something more certain than all the predictable aspects of the school year:
“Surely [not maybe] goodness and mercy shall follow me all [not some] of the days of my life” (Ps. 23:6, emphasis mine).
"With God these qualities are not merely solid and dependable” explains Derek Kidner, “but vigorous--for 'follow' does not mean here to bring up the rear but to pursue.If you are a Christian, goodness and mercy follow you “always” says Charles Spurgeon: “the black days as well as the bright days. Goodness supplies our needs, and mercy blots out our sins.”
Goodness is shadowing us, in the halls of school or the kitchen table at home, to provide all we need—strength, wisdom, perseverance and patience—to help us glorify God.
And Mercy’s right behind, to pick us up when we fall: bringing pardon for our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ.What a promise to take with us into the first day of school--and all the school days thereafter!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound!
Story of God's amazing grace at Camp Westminster:
Senior Session. Middle of the week. What does that mean? Exhaustion. Frustration. All the fun is catching up, at least to me. Tuesday night I'm super excited about going to bed, one more thing to do then I can rest my weary body. Bible study. We had just heard a really good sermon on sharing the Gospel with the world. During the middle of Bible study, one of the campers said, "Umm...I don't think I know exactly what the gospel is. Could some one explain it to me?"
Immediately I did not feel tired at all, and started bouncing on my bed raising my hand saying "oh! I can!" After Bible study, all the girls were going to bed and Savanna and I went outside and sat on a rock. I explained the Gospel to her as simply as I could. Savanna is fourteen years old. Plenty old enough to understand and take responsibility for her sins. I could see the point her eyes lit up and she seemed to really understand what I was saying. She asked me to pray for her, and said she wanted to think about all of this. Then, she went to bed, simple as that. Wednesday comes. Worst day of the whole summer. I don't even know why it was so bad. Everything was just annoying and exhausting that day. Supper was two hours late, a little on the burnt side, and mostly gone by the time I got through the line. At supper, I learned I wasn't the only miserable one. Other counselors were having a super bad day too. Finally, we got to Vespers late, but the sermon was great that night. Really refreshing after a bad day. As soon as it ended, I was ready to go straight to bed. Didn't want to talk to anyone or do anything but sleep. When I got back to the cabin, I learned that Savanna realized that she needed to become a Christian. We, along with the two counselors in my cabin went out to the girls bonfire area. We talked for a while about what it meant to be a Christian and about her family life. That night, under the beautiful stars, she committed her life to Christ.
I tried so hard to get girls interested in the Gospel all the days leading up to that one. Nothing ever seemed to work. The one day (/week) I was tired of trying, frustrated, too tired to care was the day God chose to work. It doesn't matter how good we are at sharing the Gospel. It doesn't matter how much we feel like doing Kingdom work. God is sovereign over salvation and can use even the weakest vessels!
The next morning at staff Bible study, I heard an almost identical story from one of the counselors who I had been complaining with the day before! One of her campers came to Jesus the night before as well.
Here are some of the, extremely appropriate, verses we read in bible study that day:
Senior Session. Middle of the week. What does that mean? Exhaustion. Frustration. All the fun is catching up, at least to me. Tuesday night I'm super excited about going to bed, one more thing to do then I can rest my weary body. Bible study. We had just heard a really good sermon on sharing the Gospel with the world. During the middle of Bible study, one of the campers said, "Umm...I don't think I know exactly what the gospel is. Could some one explain it to me?"
Immediately I did not feel tired at all, and started bouncing on my bed raising my hand saying "oh! I can!" After Bible study, all the girls were going to bed and Savanna and I went outside and sat on a rock. I explained the Gospel to her as simply as I could. Savanna is fourteen years old. Plenty old enough to understand and take responsibility for her sins. I could see the point her eyes lit up and she seemed to really understand what I was saying. She asked me to pray for her, and said she wanted to think about all of this. Then, she went to bed, simple as that. Wednesday comes. Worst day of the whole summer. I don't even know why it was so bad. Everything was just annoying and exhausting that day. Supper was two hours late, a little on the burnt side, and mostly gone by the time I got through the line. At supper, I learned I wasn't the only miserable one. Other counselors were having a super bad day too. Finally, we got to Vespers late, but the sermon was great that night. Really refreshing after a bad day. As soon as it ended, I was ready to go straight to bed. Didn't want to talk to anyone or do anything but sleep. When I got back to the cabin, I learned that Savanna realized that she needed to become a Christian. We, along with the two counselors in my cabin went out to the girls bonfire area. We talked for a while about what it meant to be a Christian and about her family life. That night, under the beautiful stars, she committed her life to Christ.
I tried so hard to get girls interested in the Gospel all the days leading up to that one. Nothing ever seemed to work. The one day (/week) I was tired of trying, frustrated, too tired to care was the day God chose to work. It doesn't matter how good we are at sharing the Gospel. It doesn't matter how much we feel like doing Kingdom work. God is sovereign over salvation and can use even the weakest vessels!
The next morning at staff Bible study, I heard an almost identical story from one of the counselors who I had been complaining with the day before! One of her campers came to Jesus the night before as well.
Here are some of the, extremely appropriate, verses we read in bible study that day:
"Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled. My steps had nearly slipped. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing I desire on earth besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
(selections from Psalm 73)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
What GOD Did!
God showed His power in amazing ways--some that I can't even think of words to describe! Here are a FEW examples
God:
- convicted us (me, other staff) through the preaching and teaching of His word and many humbling experiences with campers
- showing us His beautiful creativity through amazing sunrises, sunsets, His creatures, etc...
- filling our hearts with peace through reminding us of His promises through Scripture, songs, a rainbow
- Giving us great joy as we sang great truths at the top of our lungs during Vespers
- Providentially blessing me through relationships with godly brothers and sisters who constantly encourage, build up, convict, and love me
- Provided strength and energy when the heat and exhaustion totally took over
- Carried us through physically and emotionally when we our bodies were done (daily occurance!)
- Rewarded our labors with the joy of hearing kids give testimony at Friday night bonfire as to what they had learned about God
- brought campers to Himself, opening their hearts and saving them (I'll share some specific stories later!)
- restored the health of an ill counselor (I'll share this story later, too!)
Name above all names,
You are Worthy of all praise,
and My heart will sing,
how great,
Is our God!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
What I Did
In the first half of summer, I had staff training week and three sessions of camp. At the end of the third session, we had a week off. At the end of that week, all of the staff went back to camp. I went to Honduras. My trip was from July 3-13. My dear friend, Kara, got married on July 11th; it was such a blessing to get to be in Honduras and apart of her beautiful wedding!
As soon as I got back from Honduras, I washed my clothes, then repacked and went to camp the next day. Even though I had a wonderful trip to Honduras, it was really hard to miss one and a half sessions of camp. Going back was great. I was rested and refreshed, and super excited to be back. The sad part was, there was only one and a half sessions of camp left! At the end of camp, we had a staff banquet and bonfire to reflect on the summer and say goodbye. A couple of days after that, Friends of Refugees came to do a camp and use our facilities. Some of the staff stayed for an extra week to help run some activities for them. I had to go home to coach basketball camp for three days, but I did go back for the final days. The day I went back to camp, the staff went out to play broom ball one night. I gracefully managed to get a concussion. That wasn’t much fun, but the worst part was having to sleep and rest while everyone else was out doing camp! I stayed a couple of days, then said my good-byes and came home. Back at home, I once again, unpacked, washed clothes, and then repacked. We left two days after I got home for family vacation in Florida.
Obviously, it was a very busy summer! I’m finally home, unpacked, and getting ready for school to start in a few days!
As soon as I got back from Honduras, I washed my clothes, then repacked and went to camp the next day. Even though I had a wonderful trip to Honduras, it was really hard to miss one and a half sessions of camp. Going back was great. I was rested and refreshed, and super excited to be back. The sad part was, there was only one and a half sessions of camp left! At the end of camp, we had a staff banquet and bonfire to reflect on the summer and say goodbye. A couple of days after that, Friends of Refugees came to do a camp and use our facilities. Some of the staff stayed for an extra week to help run some activities for them. I had to go home to coach basketball camp for three days, but I did go back for the final days. The day I went back to camp, the staff went out to play broom ball one night. I gracefully managed to get a concussion. That wasn’t much fun, but the worst part was having to sleep and rest while everyone else was out doing camp! I stayed a couple of days, then said my good-byes and came home. Back at home, I once again, unpacked, washed clothes, and then repacked. We left two days after I got home for family vacation in Florida.
Obviously, it was a very busy summer! I’m finally home, unpacked, and getting ready for school to start in a few days!
Where I've Been
Ok, so I obviously have not updated my blog much this summer. I’ll use this post to fill you in on what I’ve actually been doing, where I’ve been.
I spent the summer months (from the end of May to the end of July) working at Camp Westminster in Conyers, GA. Camp Westminster is a Christian summer camp for kids (ages 6 and up). The kids come and stay from a Sunday to Saturday, having lots of opportunities for outdoor activities such as horses, high ropes course, archery, swimming, paintball, etc... The main purpose of Camp Westminster is that “they might see Jesus.” The children participate in bible studies, attend daily Vespers services, and are constantly being pointed to Christ in His creation.
My official role at camp was “wrangler.” It was my job, along with four other wranglers, to daily care for the horses and teach the five activity sessions of horses (basically the kids come every day for an hour and we teach them how to ride). In the evenings and at night, I got to participate in the normal events of camp with my cabin. I personally think wranglers have the most fun at camp, but I’m sure others would argue with that! :-)
I spent the summer months (from the end of May to the end of July) working at Camp Westminster in Conyers, GA. Camp Westminster is a Christian summer camp for kids (ages 6 and up). The kids come and stay from a Sunday to Saturday, having lots of opportunities for outdoor activities such as horses, high ropes course, archery, swimming, paintball, etc... The main purpose of Camp Westminster is that “they might see Jesus.” The children participate in bible studies, attend daily Vespers services, and are constantly being pointed to Christ in His creation.
My official role at camp was “wrangler.” It was my job, along with four other wranglers, to daily care for the horses and teach the five activity sessions of horses (basically the kids come every day for an hour and we teach them how to ride). In the evenings and at night, I got to participate in the normal events of camp with my cabin. I personally think wranglers have the most fun at camp, but I’m sure others would argue with that! :-)
Earlier in this year, I began praying about options for my summer. I was looking into working at a Children's Home, or something of that nature. In April, one of my friends contacted me telling me about Camp Westminster. He had worked there last year, and knew that they were desperately in need of a wrangler for the summer. Within a few days I had an interview and within a couple of weeks, I was pulling into camp, ready to start! I was expecting it to be a good summer, but I never could have imagined all that life at camp meant...
Friday, August 14, 2009
I'm back!
Well, I have reached the end (sadly!) of a very busy and super exciting summer. I am currently unpacking (without plans to repack immediately!) and settling back in to life at home. I cannot wait to tell everyone all that God has done and all of the fun that I have had this summer. But, that will have to wait until I put all my clothes away, clean my dusty room, and prepare for the fall semester.
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him." Psalm 28:7
Monday, June 15, 2009
"A missionary is someone who never gets use to the sound of pagan footsteps on their way to a Christless eternity."
I found definition in a book I'm reading (The Missionary Call by David Sills). My prayer is that I will never grow apathetic or deaf to the beat of their footsteps. May the sad steps of unbelievers drive us to share the great love of Christ!
I found definition in a book I'm reading (The Missionary Call by David Sills). My prayer is that I will never grow apathetic or deaf to the beat of their footsteps. May the sad steps of unbelievers drive us to share the great love of Christ!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Obedience
"I may no longer depend on pleasant impulses to bring me before the Lord. I must rather respond to principles I know to be right, whether I feel them to be enjoyable or not." (Jim Elliot)
Sunday, May 17, 2009
How great it is to have a stead-fast, unchanging God!
"The fellowship of God is delightful beyond all telling. He communes with His redeemed ones in an easy, uninhibited fellowship that is restful and healing to the soul. He is not sensitive nor selfish nor temperamental. What He is today we shall find Him tomorrow and the next day and the next year. He is not hard to please, though He may be hard to satisfy. He expects of us only what He has Himself first supplied." -A.W. Tozer
"The fellowship of God is delightful beyond all telling. He communes with His redeemed ones in an easy, uninhibited fellowship that is restful and healing to the soul. He is not sensitive nor selfish nor temperamental. What He is today we shall find Him tomorrow and the next day and the next year. He is not hard to please, though He may be hard to satisfy. He expects of us only what He has Himself first supplied." -A.W. Tozer
Saturday, May 16, 2009
"In the midst of change and transformation, we realize that the older we get the more we need somebody bigger than we are to restore what we have lost. In Prince Caspian C.S. Lewis gives us a magnificent illustration of this. Lucy has just come face to face with Aslan:
"Welcome, Child," he said.
"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?"
"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."
(Recapture the Wonder, by Ravi Zacharias)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Wonder of Life
Often times we want to know exactly what will happen in the future--we feel the need to know exactly what will happen in our lives. This worry and fret over the future shows lack of trust in God. He knows the plans He has for us, plans to prosper and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future. (from the book of Jeremiah) If we really trusted God and completely surrendered everything to Him, would we worry so much about the future?
If we really knew the future, would we be satisified? Knowing what will come could produce fear if we knew the problems and suffering we will face, and it would take away the wonder and joy of life. There would no longer be a wonder and mystery to life.
Christopher Morley wrote a little poem that helps illustrate this point, more eloquently than I could do myself!
The Author of our lives keeps things hidden from us. He knows it all--we get the joy of living with the wonder of a child! We know there are good things to come, and can live with excited hope that God will bring them in ways for our good and His glory (if we truly know Him!).
**The book, "Recapture the Wonder" by Ravi Zacharias got me thinking on this...Good read. :)
If we really knew the future, would we be satisified? Knowing what will come could produce fear if we knew the problems and suffering we will face, and it would take away the wonder and joy of life. There would no longer be a wonder and mystery to life.
Christopher Morley wrote a little poem that helps illustrate this point, more eloquently than I could do myself!
I went to the theatre
With the author of a successful play.
He insisted on explaining everything.
Told me what to watch,
The details of direction,
The errors of the property man,
The foibles of the star.
He anticipated all my surprises
And ruined the evening.
Never again!--And mark you,
The greatest Author of all
Made no such mistake!
The Author of our lives keeps things hidden from us. He knows it all--we get the joy of living with the wonder of a child! We know there are good things to come, and can live with excited hope that God will bring them in ways for our good and His glory (if we truly know Him!).
**The book, "Recapture the Wonder" by Ravi Zacharias got me thinking on this...Good read. :)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Outrageous Mercy!
This is a great section of a book I'm reading by William Farley, "Outrageous Mercy: Rediscovering the radical nature of the cross." Be blessed! _________________________________________________
"God’s love is more than a feeling. It is a decision to live for the happiness of another. Some define it as a decision for another’s happiness even at your expense. “Agape love is not primarily an emotion,” writes Paul Billheimer, “but aggressive, benevolent, sacrificial, outgoing goodwill. It is the soul of ethics.” This is how God loves us. He longs for our happiness with all the intensity of divine jealousy and all the power of omnipotence, even while, in our unredeemed state, we are “by nature objects of wrath” (Eph 2:3).
....In summary, the cross displays the glory and wonder of God’s love only to the degree that we see our unworthiness of that love and our inability to give him anything. With all this in mind, J.I Packer wrote:
"God’s love is more than a feeling. It is a decision to live for the happiness of another. Some define it as a decision for another’s happiness even at your expense. “Agape love is not primarily an emotion,” writes Paul Billheimer, “but aggressive, benevolent, sacrificial, outgoing goodwill. It is the soul of ethics.” This is how God loves us. He longs for our happiness with all the intensity of divine jealousy and all the power of omnipotence, even while, in our unredeemed state, we are “by nature objects of wrath” (Eph 2:3).
....In summary, the cross displays the glory and wonder of God’s love only to the degree that we see our unworthiness of that love and our inability to give him anything. With all this in mind, J.I Packer wrote:
“It is staggering that God should love sinners; yet it is true. God loves creatures who have become unlovely and (one would have thought) unlovable. There was nothing whatever in the objects of his love to call it forth; nothing in us could attract or prompt it. Love among persons is awakened by something in the beloved, but the love of God is free, spontaneous, unevoked, uncaused. God loves people because he has chosen to love them—as Charles Wesley put it, “he hath loved us, he hath loved us, because he would love” (an echo of Deut. 7:7-8)—and no reason for his love can be given except his own sovereign good pleasure.”"
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Valley of Vision--The Throne
O God of My Delight,
Thy throne of grace is the pleasure ground of my soul. Here I obtain mercy in time of need, here see the smile of thy reconciled face, here joy pleads the name of Jesus, here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit, anoint the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation,gather manna from thy Word, am strengthened for each conflict, nerved for the upward race, empowered to conquer every foe;Help me to come to Christ as the fountain head of descending blessings, as a wide open flood-gate of mercy. I marvel at my insensate folly, that with such enriching favours within my reach I am slow to extend the hand to take them.Have mercy upon my deadness for thy Name’s sake.
Quicken me, stir me, fill me with holy zeal. Strengthen me that I may cling to thee and not let thee go. May thy Spirit within me draw all blessings from thy hand. When I advance not, I backslide.Let me walk humbly because of good omitted and evil done. Impress on my mind the shortness of time, the work to be engaged in, the account to be rendered, the nearness of eternity, the fearful sin of despising thy Spirit.
May I never forget that thy eye always sees, thy ear always hears,thy recording hand always writes.
May I never give thee rest until Christ is the pulse of my heart; the spokesman of my lips, the lamp of my feet.
Thy throne of grace is the pleasure ground of my soul. Here I obtain mercy in time of need, here see the smile of thy reconciled face, here joy pleads the name of Jesus, here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit, anoint the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation,gather manna from thy Word, am strengthened for each conflict, nerved for the upward race, empowered to conquer every foe;Help me to come to Christ as the fountain head of descending blessings, as a wide open flood-gate of mercy. I marvel at my insensate folly, that with such enriching favours within my reach I am slow to extend the hand to take them.Have mercy upon my deadness for thy Name’s sake.
Quicken me, stir me, fill me with holy zeal. Strengthen me that I may cling to thee and not let thee go. May thy Spirit within me draw all blessings from thy hand. When I advance not, I backslide.Let me walk humbly because of good omitted and evil done. Impress on my mind the shortness of time, the work to be engaged in, the account to be rendered, the nearness of eternity, the fearful sin of despising thy Spirit.
May I never forget that thy eye always sees, thy ear always hears,thy recording hand always writes.
May I never give thee rest until Christ is the pulse of my heart; the spokesman of my lips, the lamp of my feet.
Valley of Vision--Morning Dedication Prayer
Almighty God, as I cross the threshold of this day I commit myself, soul, body, affairs, friends, to Thy care. Watch over, keep, guide, direct, sanctify, bless me. Incline my heart to thy ways. Mould me wholly into the image of Jesus, as a potter forms clay. May my lips be a well-tuned harp to sound Thy praise. Let those around see me living by Thy Spirit, trampling the world underfoot, unconformed to lying vanities, transformed by a renewed mind, clad in the entire armour of God, shining as a never-dimmed light, showing holiness in all my doings. Let no evil this day soil my thoughts, words, hands. May I travel miry paths with a life pure from spot or stain. In needful transactions let my affection be in heaven, and my love soar upwards in flames of fire, my gaze fixed on unseen things, my eyes open to the emptiness, fragility, mockery of earth and its vanities. May I view all things in the mirror of eternity, waiting for the coming of my Lord, listening for the last trumpet call, hastening unto the new heaven and earth. Order this day all my communications according to Thy wisdom, and to the gain of mutual good. Forbid that I should not be profited or made profitable. May I speak each word as if my last word, and walk each step as my final one. If my life should end today, let this be my best day.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Great is HIS Faithfulness!
On Sunday, my dad preached on the section in Mark that talks about Peter denying Christ. I was reminded how easy it is to try and rely on our on strength, or get "puffed up" with pride. Either thing will cause us to fall into deeper sin (in Peter's case, publicly denying Christ). Today, I finished reading through 2 Peter. The verses in chapter three were just so comforting. It's so sweet to hear of how loving our Lord is toward us. They even mean more, coming from Peter, who knew first hand the compassion of Christ.
"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.....Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation.....You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."
-2 Peter 3:9,14-15,17-18
-2 Peter 3:9,14-15,17-18
Saturday, March 14, 2009
35 Reasons Not to Sin (by Jim Elliff)
1. Because a little sin leads to more sin.
2. Because my sin invites the discipline of God.
3. Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted.
4. Because my sin never pleases but always grieves God who loves me.
5. Because my sin places a greater burden on my spiritual leaders.
6. Because in time my sin always brings heaviness to my heart.
7. Because I am doing what I do not have to do.
8.Because my sin always makes me less than what I could be.
9.Because others, including my family, suffer consequences due to my sin.
10. Because my sin saddens the godly.
11. Because my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice.
12. Because sin deceives me into believing I have gained when in reality I have lost.
13. Because sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership.
14. Because the supposed benefits of my sin will never outweigh the consequences of disobedience.
15. Because repenting of my sin is such a painful process, yet I must repent.
16. Because sin is a very brief pleasure for an eternal loss.
17. Because my sin may influence others to sin.
18. Because my sin may keep others from knowing Christ.
19. Because sin makes light of the cross, upon which Christ died for the very purpose of taking away my sin.
20. Because it is impossible to sin and follow the Spirit at the same time.
21. Because God chooses not to respect the prayers of those who cherish their sin.
22. Because sin steals my reputation and robs me of my testimony.
23. Because others once more earnest than I have been destroyed by just such sins.
24. Because the inhabitants of heaven and hell would all testify to the foolishness of this sin.
25. Because sin and guilt may harm both mind and body.
26. Because sins mixed with service make the things of God tasteless.
27. Because suffering for sin has no joy or reward, though suffering for righteousness has both.
28. Because my sin is adultery with the world.
29. Because, though forgiven, I will review this very sin at the Judgment Seat where loss and gain of eternal rewards are applied.
30. Because I can never really know ahead of time just how severe the discipline for my sin might be.
31. Because my sin may be an indication of a lost condition.
32. Because to sin is not to love Christ.
33. Because my unwillingness to reject this sin now grants it an authority over me greater than I wish to believe.
34. Because sin glorifies God only in His judgment of it and His turning of it to good use, never because it is worth anything on it's own.
35. Because I promised God he would be Lord of my life.
Relinquish Your Rights - Reject the Sin - Renew the Mind - Rely on God
Copyright © 1992 Jim Elliff
Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.
201 Main, Parkville, MO 64152 USA
Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in exact form including copyright
Other uses require written permission. Write for additional materials.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
"Strive to see God in all things without exception and acquiesce in His will with absolute submission. Do everything for God, uniting yourself to Him by a mere upward glance or by the overflowing of your heart towards Him. Never be in a hurry. Do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. Commend all to God."
"Commend all to God, and then be still and be at rest in His bosom. Whatever happens, abide steadfast in the determination to cling simply to God, trusting to His eternal love for you.And if you find that you have wandered forth from this shelter, recall your heart quietly and simply. Maintain a holy simplicity of mind and do not smother yourself with a host of cares, wishes or longings under any pretext."
Francis de Sales
"Commend all to God, and then be still and be at rest in His bosom. Whatever happens, abide steadfast in the determination to cling simply to God, trusting to His eternal love for you.And if you find that you have wandered forth from this shelter, recall your heart quietly and simply. Maintain a holy simplicity of mind and do not smother yourself with a host of cares, wishes or longings under any pretext."
Francis de Sales
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day!
"For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth." -Isaiah 54:5
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Lord's Day help
The book I was reading this morning by Jeremiah Burroughs is very helpful (and convicting!) on preparing for worship:
"Christians, I beseech you to account highly your time of worship. You have been so long at prayer, yes, but how much of it has been lost because you have not prepared beforehand for it? Perhaps you kneeled upon you knees, but you were a long time before you could get your hearts warm at your work. Why, you should have been warm before you came!
It is so, oftentimes, with many men when they meet together and there is no preparation for their business. They come together and are a long time before they can buckle to the business for which they came because there was no preparation. But if preparation is made, then every man knows beforehand what his work is. They can fall to it, and then dispatch as much in one hour as others do in two or three....
...There must be preparation because our hearts are naturally and exceedingly unprepared for every good work. We are all naturally reprobate to every good work. The duties of God's worship are high and spiritual and holy things, but by nature our hearts grovel in the dirt, and we are carnal, sensual, drossy, dead, slight, sottish, and vain, altogether unfit to come into the presence of God. Oh, that we were apprehensive and sensible of the unfitness of our hearts to come into God's presence! Perhaps because you do not know God, you can rush into His presence without any more ado; but if you knew yourself and God, you could not but see yourself altogether unfit for His presence, so as to wonder that the Lord should not spurn you out of His presence every time you come unto Him. There needs to be, then, preparation because we are so unfit to come into His presence."
WOW! I wish I could think and write like that all the time!
"Christians, I beseech you to account highly your time of worship. You have been so long at prayer, yes, but how much of it has been lost because you have not prepared beforehand for it? Perhaps you kneeled upon you knees, but you were a long time before you could get your hearts warm at your work. Why, you should have been warm before you came!
It is so, oftentimes, with many men when they meet together and there is no preparation for their business. They come together and are a long time before they can buckle to the business for which they came because there was no preparation. But if preparation is made, then every man knows beforehand what his work is. They can fall to it, and then dispatch as much in one hour as others do in two or three....
...There must be preparation because our hearts are naturally and exceedingly unprepared for every good work. We are all naturally reprobate to every good work. The duties of God's worship are high and spiritual and holy things, but by nature our hearts grovel in the dirt, and we are carnal, sensual, drossy, dead, slight, sottish, and vain, altogether unfit to come into the presence of God. Oh, that we were apprehensive and sensible of the unfitness of our hearts to come into God's presence! Perhaps because you do not know God, you can rush into His presence without any more ado; but if you knew yourself and God, you could not but see yourself altogether unfit for His presence, so as to wonder that the Lord should not spurn you out of His presence every time you come unto Him. There needs to be, then, preparation because we are so unfit to come into His presence."
WOW! I wish I could think and write like that all the time!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Prayer for the New President: by Al Mohler
Our Father, Lord of all creation, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: We pray today with a sense of special urgency and responsibility. We come before you to pray for our new President, Barack Obama, and for all those in this new administration who now assume roles of such high responsibility.
We know that you and you alone are sovereign; that you rule over all, and that you alone are able to keep and defend us. We know that our times are in your hands, and that "the king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord" [Proverbs 21:1]. Our confidence is in you and in you alone. We come before you as a people who acknowledge our constant need for your provision, wisdom, and protection.
Father, we pray today for Barack Obama as he takes office as President of the United States. We pray that you will show the glory of your name in our times and in these days, confounding the wisdom of the wise, thwarting the plans of the arrogant, and vindicating those who do justice and practice righteousness.
Father, we pray with thanksgiving for the gift of government and the grace of civic order. Thank you for giving us rulers and for knowing our need for laws and ordered life together. Thank you for this nation and the blessings we know as its citizens. Thank you for freedoms unprecedented in human history. We understand that these freedoms come with unprecedented opportunities.
Lord, we pray with thanksgiving for the joy and celebration reflected on millions of faces who never expected to look to the President of the United States and see a person who looks like themselves. Father, thank you for preserving this nation to the moment when an African-American citizen will take the oath of office and become our President. Thank you for the hope this has given to so many, the pride emerging in hearts that had known no such hope, and the pride that comes to a people who have experienced such pain at the hands of fellow citizens, simply because of the color of their skin. Father, we rejoice in every elderly face that reflects such long-sought satisfaction and in every young face that expresses such unrestrained joy. May this become an open door for a vision of race and human dignity that reflects your glory in our differences, and not our corruption of your gift.
Father, protect this president, we pray. We pray that you will surround this president and his family, along with all our leaders, with your protection and sustenance. May he be protected from evil acts and evil intentions, and may his family be protected from all evil and harm.
We pray that the Obama family will be drawn together as they move into the White House, and that they will know great joy in their family life. We are thankful for the example Barack and Michelle Obama have set as parents. Father, protect those precious girls in every way -- including the protection of their hearts as they see their father often criticized and as he is away from them on business of state. May their years in the White House bring them all even closer together.
Father, we pray for the safety and security of this nation, even as our new president settles into his role as Commander in Chief. We know that you and you alone can be our defense. We do not place our trust in horses or chariots, and we pray that you will give this president wisdom as he fulfills this vital responsibility.
Father, grant him wisdom in every dimension of his vast responsibility. Grant him wisdom to deal with a global financial crisis and with the swirling complex of vexing problems and challenges at home and abroad. May he inspire this nation to a higher vision for our common life together, to a higher standard of justice, righteousness, unity, and the tasks of citizenship.
Father, we pray that you will change this president's heart and mind on issues of urgent concern. We are so thankful for his gifts and talents, for his intellect and power of influence. Father, bend his heart to see the dignity and sanctity of every single human life, from the moment of conception until natural death. Father, lead him to see abortion, not as a matter of misconstrued rights, but as a murderous violation of the right to life. May he come to see every aborted life as a violation of human dignity and every abortion as an abhorrent blight upon this nation's moral witness. May he pledge himself to protect every human life at every stage of development. He has declared himself as an energetic defender of abortion rights, and we fear that his election will lead directly to the deaths of countless unborn human beings. Protect us from this unspeakable evil, we pray. Most urgently, we pray that you will bring the reign of abortion to an end, even as you are the defender of the defenseless.
Father, may this new president see that human dignity is undermined when human embryos are destroyed in the name of medical progress, and may he see marriage as an institution that is vital to the very survival of civilization. May he protect all that is right and good. Father, change his heart where it must be changed, and give him resolve where his heart is right before you.
Father, when we face hard days ahead -- when we find ourselves required by conscience to oppose this president within the bounds of our roles as citizens -- may we be granted your guidance to do so with a proper spirit, with a proper demeanor, and with persuasive arguments. May we learn anew how to confront without demonizing, and to oppose without abandoning hope.
Father, we are aware that our future is in your hands, and we are fully aware that you and you alone will judge the nations. Much responsibility is now invested in President Barack Obama, and much will be required. May we, as Christian citizens, also fulfill what you would require of us. Even as we pray for you to protect this president and change his heart, we also pray that your church will be protected and that you will conform our hearts to your perfect will.
Father, we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, the ever-reigning once and future King, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He and he alone can save, and his kingdom is forever. Above all, may your great name be praised. Amen.
_________________________
Christians are, first of all, citizens of a heavenly kingdom. The followers of Christ know no allegiance of ultimate rank to any government or earthly authority. Yet, the Bible clearly teaches that God has given us the gifts of law, government, and ruling authorities for our good. We are instructed to pray for "rulers and all who have authority" and to be faithful in praying "so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God" [1 Timothy 2:2].
As Barack Obama prepares to take the oath of office and become the 44th President of the United States, Christians should be thinking about how to pray for the new President. I offer this prayer as a place to start, as we observe the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States together.
We know that you and you alone are sovereign; that you rule over all, and that you alone are able to keep and defend us. We know that our times are in your hands, and that "the king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord" [Proverbs 21:1]. Our confidence is in you and in you alone. We come before you as a people who acknowledge our constant need for your provision, wisdom, and protection.
Father, we pray today for Barack Obama as he takes office as President of the United States. We pray that you will show the glory of your name in our times and in these days, confounding the wisdom of the wise, thwarting the plans of the arrogant, and vindicating those who do justice and practice righteousness.
Father, we pray with thanksgiving for the gift of government and the grace of civic order. Thank you for giving us rulers and for knowing our need for laws and ordered life together. Thank you for this nation and the blessings we know as its citizens. Thank you for freedoms unprecedented in human history. We understand that these freedoms come with unprecedented opportunities.
Lord, we pray with thanksgiving for the joy and celebration reflected on millions of faces who never expected to look to the President of the United States and see a person who looks like themselves. Father, thank you for preserving this nation to the moment when an African-American citizen will take the oath of office and become our President. Thank you for the hope this has given to so many, the pride emerging in hearts that had known no such hope, and the pride that comes to a people who have experienced such pain at the hands of fellow citizens, simply because of the color of their skin. Father, we rejoice in every elderly face that reflects such long-sought satisfaction and in every young face that expresses such unrestrained joy. May this become an open door for a vision of race and human dignity that reflects your glory in our differences, and not our corruption of your gift.
Father, protect this president, we pray. We pray that you will surround this president and his family, along with all our leaders, with your protection and sustenance. May he be protected from evil acts and evil intentions, and may his family be protected from all evil and harm.
We pray that the Obama family will be drawn together as they move into the White House, and that they will know great joy in their family life. We are thankful for the example Barack and Michelle Obama have set as parents. Father, protect those precious girls in every way -- including the protection of their hearts as they see their father often criticized and as he is away from them on business of state. May their years in the White House bring them all even closer together.
Father, we pray for the safety and security of this nation, even as our new president settles into his role as Commander in Chief. We know that you and you alone can be our defense. We do not place our trust in horses or chariots, and we pray that you will give this president wisdom as he fulfills this vital responsibility.
Father, grant him wisdom in every dimension of his vast responsibility. Grant him wisdom to deal with a global financial crisis and with the swirling complex of vexing problems and challenges at home and abroad. May he inspire this nation to a higher vision for our common life together, to a higher standard of justice, righteousness, unity, and the tasks of citizenship.
Father, we pray that you will change this president's heart and mind on issues of urgent concern. We are so thankful for his gifts and talents, for his intellect and power of influence. Father, bend his heart to see the dignity and sanctity of every single human life, from the moment of conception until natural death. Father, lead him to see abortion, not as a matter of misconstrued rights, but as a murderous violation of the right to life. May he come to see every aborted life as a violation of human dignity and every abortion as an abhorrent blight upon this nation's moral witness. May he pledge himself to protect every human life at every stage of development. He has declared himself as an energetic defender of abortion rights, and we fear that his election will lead directly to the deaths of countless unborn human beings. Protect us from this unspeakable evil, we pray. Most urgently, we pray that you will bring the reign of abortion to an end, even as you are the defender of the defenseless.
Father, may this new president see that human dignity is undermined when human embryos are destroyed in the name of medical progress, and may he see marriage as an institution that is vital to the very survival of civilization. May he protect all that is right and good. Father, change his heart where it must be changed, and give him resolve where his heart is right before you.
Father, when we face hard days ahead -- when we find ourselves required by conscience to oppose this president within the bounds of our roles as citizens -- may we be granted your guidance to do so with a proper spirit, with a proper demeanor, and with persuasive arguments. May we learn anew how to confront without demonizing, and to oppose without abandoning hope.
Father, we are aware that our future is in your hands, and we are fully aware that you and you alone will judge the nations. Much responsibility is now invested in President Barack Obama, and much will be required. May we, as Christian citizens, also fulfill what you would require of us. Even as we pray for you to protect this president and change his heart, we also pray that your church will be protected and that you will conform our hearts to your perfect will.
Father, we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, the ever-reigning once and future King, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He and he alone can save, and his kingdom is forever. Above all, may your great name be praised. Amen.
_________________________
Christians are, first of all, citizens of a heavenly kingdom. The followers of Christ know no allegiance of ultimate rank to any government or earthly authority. Yet, the Bible clearly teaches that God has given us the gifts of law, government, and ruling authorities for our good. We are instructed to pray for "rulers and all who have authority" and to be faithful in praying "so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God" [1 Timothy 2:2].
As Barack Obama prepares to take the oath of office and become the 44th President of the United States, Christians should be thinking about how to pray for the new President. I offer this prayer as a place to start, as we observe the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States together.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Evangelism
"Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus." Elton Trueblood
"I care not where I go, or how I live, or what I endure so that I may save souls. When I sleep I dream of them; when I awake they are first in my thoughts…no amount of scholastic attainment, of able and profound exposition of brilliant and stirring eloquence can atone for the absence of a deep impassioned sympathetic love for human souls." David Brainerd
"We shall have all eternity in which to celebrate our victories, but we have only one swift hour before the sunset in which to win them." Robert Moffatt
"You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work. And go not only to those that need you, but to those that need you most…It is not your business to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that society; but to save as many souls as you can; to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance.” John Wesley
“Perhaps if there were more of that intense distress for souls that leads to tears, we should more frequently see the results we desire. Sometimes it may be that while we are complaining of the hardness of the hearts of those we are seeking to benefit, the hardness of our own hearts and our feeble apprehension of the solemn reality of eternal things may be the true cause of our want of success.” Hudson Taylor
"Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon Earth." John Wesley
"If sinners be dammed, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one GO there UNWARNED and UNPRAYED for." Charles Spurgeon
"I'd rather have people hate me with the knowledge that I tried to save them."Keith Green
"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." C. T. Studd
"No sort of defense is needed for preaching outdoors, but it would take a very strong argument to prove that a man who has never preached beyond the walls of his meetinghouse has done his duty. A defense is required for services within buildings rather than for worship outside of them.” William Booth
“It is no marvel that the devil does not love field preaching! Neither do I; I love a commodious room, a soft cushion, a handsome pulpit. But where is my zeal if I do not trample all these underfoot in order to save one more soul?” John Wesley
“Preach abroad….It is the cooping yourselves up in rooms that has dampened the work of God, which never was and never will be carried out to any purpose without going into the highways and hedges and compelling men and women to come in.” Jonathan Edwards
“I believe I never was more acceptable to my Master than when I was standing to teach those hearers in the open fields…I now preach to ten times more people than I would if I had been confined to the churches.” George Whitfield
“I am well assured that I did far more good to my Lincolnshire parishioners by preaching three days on my father’s tomb than I did by preaching three years in his pulpit.” John Wesley
"Lord, make me a crisis man. Let me not be a mile-post on a single road, but make me a fork that men must turn one way or another in facing Christ in me." Jim Elliot
"Those were great days, and great victories were won. We always managed a riot or a revival. Sometimes a riot and no revival, but never a revival without a riot." William Nicholson
"Could a mariner sit idle if he heard the drowning cry?Could a doctor sit in comfort and just let his patients die?Could a fireman sit idle, let men burn and give no hand?Can you sit at ease in Zion with the world around you DAMNED?" Leonard Ravenhill
"While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight-I'll fight to the very end!" William Booth
"Make it an object of constant study, and of daily reflection and prayer, to learn how to deal with sinners so as to promote their conversion." Charles G. Finney
"Isn't it staggering when you think that one sermon on the day of Pentecost produced 3000 people? And we had some cities yesterday where 3000 sermons were preached and nobody was saved. And it doesn't even faze us." Leonard Ravenhill
"Can we go too fast in saving souls? If anyone still wants a reply, let him ask the lost souls in Hell." William Booth
“If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified.” Leonard Ravenhill
"Let the victors when they come, When the forts of folly fall, Find thy body near the wall." Alfred Buxton
"Let us not glide through this world and then slip quietly into heaven, without having blown the trumpet loud and long for our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us see to it that the devil will hold a thanksgiving service in hell, when he gets the news of our departure from the field of battle." C. T. Studd
"The attitude of the average Christian today is relax and be raptured. But He is coming... and when God gets angry you’ve no idea what it is. Like a thousand volcanoes exploding. He has appointed a day in which He is going to judge the world and the poor blind world doesn’t know much about it and the poor blind church doesn’t think much about it now." Leonard Ravenhill
"A preacher who preaches the truth uncompromisingly will be asked "does your preaching always have to be so pointy? Does it always have to be so sharp?" And of coarse the answer is no. He can blunt his message if he'd like and become just as dull as the average preacher." Jesse Morrell
"It is not our business to make the message acceptable, but to make it available. We are not to see that they like it, but that they get it." Dr. Vance Havner
"We are not called to proclaim philosophy and metaphysics, but the simple gospel. Man's fall, his need of a new birth, forgiveness through atonement, and salvation as the result of faith, these are our battle-ax and weapons of war." C. H. SPURGEON
"All roads lead to the judgment seat of Christ." Keith Green
"The man whose little sermon is "repent" sets himself against his age, and will for the time being be battered mercilessly by the age whose moral tone he challenges. There is but one end for such a man - "off with his head!" You had better not try to preach repentance until you have pledged your head to heaven." Joseph Parker
"How shall I feel at the judgement, if multitudes of missed opportunities pass before me in full review, and all my excuses prove to be disguises of my cowardice and pride." Dr. W. E. Sangster
” Whenever, in any century, whether in a single heart or in a company of believers, there has been a fresh effusion of the Spirit, there has followed inevitably a fresh endeavor in the work of evangelizing the world.” A. J. Gordon
The invasion of the Church by the world is a menace to the extension of Christ's Kingdom. In all ages conformity to the world by Christians has resulted in lack of spiritual life and a consequent lack of spiritual vision and enterprise. A secularized or self-centered Church can never evangelize the world.” John R. Mott
“Oh, to realize that souls, precious, never dying souls, are perishing all around us, going out into the blackness of darkness and despair, eternally lost, and yet to feel no anguish, shed no tears, know no travail! How little we know of the compassion of Jesus!" Oswald J. Smith
"Brethren, do something; do something, do something! While societies and unions make constitutions, let us win souls. I pray you, be men of action all of you. Get to work and quit yourselves like men. Old Suvarov's idea of war is mine: `Forward and strike! No theory! Attack! Form a column! Charge bayonets! Plunge into the center of the enemy! Our one aim is to win souls; and this we are not to talk about, but do in the power of God!'" Charles Spurgeon
"God save us from living in comfort while sinners are sinking into hell!" Charles Spurgeon
"Oh my friends, we are loaded with countless church activities, while the real work of the church, that of evangelizing and winning the lost is almost entirely neglected." Oswald J. Smith
"Perhaps if there were more of that intense distress for souls that leads to tears, we should more frequently see the results we desire. Sometimes it may be that while we are complaining of the hardness of the hearts of those we are seeking to benefit, the hardness of our own hearts and our feeble apprehension of the solemn reality of eternal things may be the true cause of our want of success." Hudson Taylor
"Oh sirs, deal with sin as sin, and speak of heaven and hell as they are, and not as if you were in jest." John Flavel
"I would think it a greater happiness to gain one soul to Christ than mountains of silver and gold to myself." Matthew Henry
"How can I help weeping when you will not weep for yourselves, though your immortal souls are on the verge of destruction!" George Whitfield
"Evermore the Law must prepare the way for the gospel. To overlook this in instructing souls is almost certain to result in false hope, the introduction of a false standard of Christian experience, and to fill the Church with false converts... Time will make this plain." Charles Finney
“A foolish physician he is, and a most unfaithful friend, that will let a sick man die for fear of troubling him; and cruel wretches are we to our friends, that will rather suffer them to go quietly to hell, then we will anger them, or hazard our reputation with them.” Richard Baxter
"Reckon then that to acquire soul-winning power, you will have to go through mental torment and soul distress. You must go into the fire if you are going to pull others out of it, and you will have to dive into the floods if you are going to draw others out of the water. You cannot work a fire escape without feeling the scorch of the conflagration, nor man a lifeboat without being covered with the waves." Charles Spurgeon
"It is of no use for any of you to try to be soul-winners if you are not bearing fruit in your own lives. How can you serve the Lord with your lips if you do not serve Him with your lives.? How can you preach His gospel with your tongues, when with hands, feet, and heart you are preaching the devil’s gospel, and setting up an antichrist by your practical unholiness?" Charles Spurgeon
"I care not where I go, or how I live, or what I endure so that I may save souls. When I sleep I dream of them; when I awake they are first in my thoughts…no amount of scholastic attainment, of able and profound exposition of brilliant and stirring eloquence can atone for the absence of a deep impassioned sympathetic love for human souls." David Brainerd
"We shall have all eternity in which to celebrate our victories, but we have only one swift hour before the sunset in which to win them." Robert Moffatt
"You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work. And go not only to those that need you, but to those that need you most…It is not your business to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that society; but to save as many souls as you can; to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance.” John Wesley
“Perhaps if there were more of that intense distress for souls that leads to tears, we should more frequently see the results we desire. Sometimes it may be that while we are complaining of the hardness of the hearts of those we are seeking to benefit, the hardness of our own hearts and our feeble apprehension of the solemn reality of eternal things may be the true cause of our want of success.” Hudson Taylor
"Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon Earth." John Wesley
"If sinners be dammed, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one GO there UNWARNED and UNPRAYED for." Charles Spurgeon
"I'd rather have people hate me with the knowledge that I tried to save them."Keith Green
"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." C. T. Studd
"No sort of defense is needed for preaching outdoors, but it would take a very strong argument to prove that a man who has never preached beyond the walls of his meetinghouse has done his duty. A defense is required for services within buildings rather than for worship outside of them.” William Booth
“It is no marvel that the devil does not love field preaching! Neither do I; I love a commodious room, a soft cushion, a handsome pulpit. But where is my zeal if I do not trample all these underfoot in order to save one more soul?” John Wesley
“Preach abroad….It is the cooping yourselves up in rooms that has dampened the work of God, which never was and never will be carried out to any purpose without going into the highways and hedges and compelling men and women to come in.” Jonathan Edwards
“I believe I never was more acceptable to my Master than when I was standing to teach those hearers in the open fields…I now preach to ten times more people than I would if I had been confined to the churches.” George Whitfield
“I am well assured that I did far more good to my Lincolnshire parishioners by preaching three days on my father’s tomb than I did by preaching three years in his pulpit.” John Wesley
"Lord, make me a crisis man. Let me not be a mile-post on a single road, but make me a fork that men must turn one way or another in facing Christ in me." Jim Elliot
"Those were great days, and great victories were won. We always managed a riot or a revival. Sometimes a riot and no revival, but never a revival without a riot." William Nicholson
"Could a mariner sit idle if he heard the drowning cry?Could a doctor sit in comfort and just let his patients die?Could a fireman sit idle, let men burn and give no hand?Can you sit at ease in Zion with the world around you DAMNED?" Leonard Ravenhill
"While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight-I'll fight to the very end!" William Booth
"Make it an object of constant study, and of daily reflection and prayer, to learn how to deal with sinners so as to promote their conversion." Charles G. Finney
"Isn't it staggering when you think that one sermon on the day of Pentecost produced 3000 people? And we had some cities yesterday where 3000 sermons were preached and nobody was saved. And it doesn't even faze us." Leonard Ravenhill
"Can we go too fast in saving souls? If anyone still wants a reply, let him ask the lost souls in Hell." William Booth
“If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified.” Leonard Ravenhill
"Let the victors when they come, When the forts of folly fall, Find thy body near the wall." Alfred Buxton
"Let us not glide through this world and then slip quietly into heaven, without having blown the trumpet loud and long for our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us see to it that the devil will hold a thanksgiving service in hell, when he gets the news of our departure from the field of battle." C. T. Studd
"The attitude of the average Christian today is relax and be raptured. But He is coming... and when God gets angry you’ve no idea what it is. Like a thousand volcanoes exploding. He has appointed a day in which He is going to judge the world and the poor blind world doesn’t know much about it and the poor blind church doesn’t think much about it now." Leonard Ravenhill
"A preacher who preaches the truth uncompromisingly will be asked "does your preaching always have to be so pointy? Does it always have to be so sharp?" And of coarse the answer is no. He can blunt his message if he'd like and become just as dull as the average preacher." Jesse Morrell
"It is not our business to make the message acceptable, but to make it available. We are not to see that they like it, but that they get it." Dr. Vance Havner
"We are not called to proclaim philosophy and metaphysics, but the simple gospel. Man's fall, his need of a new birth, forgiveness through atonement, and salvation as the result of faith, these are our battle-ax and weapons of war." C. H. SPURGEON
"All roads lead to the judgment seat of Christ." Keith Green
"The man whose little sermon is "repent" sets himself against his age, and will for the time being be battered mercilessly by the age whose moral tone he challenges. There is but one end for such a man - "off with his head!" You had better not try to preach repentance until you have pledged your head to heaven." Joseph Parker
"How shall I feel at the judgement, if multitudes of missed opportunities pass before me in full review, and all my excuses prove to be disguises of my cowardice and pride." Dr. W. E. Sangster
” Whenever, in any century, whether in a single heart or in a company of believers, there has been a fresh effusion of the Spirit, there has followed inevitably a fresh endeavor in the work of evangelizing the world.” A. J. Gordon
The invasion of the Church by the world is a menace to the extension of Christ's Kingdom. In all ages conformity to the world by Christians has resulted in lack of spiritual life and a consequent lack of spiritual vision and enterprise. A secularized or self-centered Church can never evangelize the world.” John R. Mott
“Oh, to realize that souls, precious, never dying souls, are perishing all around us, going out into the blackness of darkness and despair, eternally lost, and yet to feel no anguish, shed no tears, know no travail! How little we know of the compassion of Jesus!" Oswald J. Smith
"Brethren, do something; do something, do something! While societies and unions make constitutions, let us win souls. I pray you, be men of action all of you. Get to work and quit yourselves like men. Old Suvarov's idea of war is mine: `Forward and strike! No theory! Attack! Form a column! Charge bayonets! Plunge into the center of the enemy! Our one aim is to win souls; and this we are not to talk about, but do in the power of God!'" Charles Spurgeon
"God save us from living in comfort while sinners are sinking into hell!" Charles Spurgeon
"Oh my friends, we are loaded with countless church activities, while the real work of the church, that of evangelizing and winning the lost is almost entirely neglected." Oswald J. Smith
"Perhaps if there were more of that intense distress for souls that leads to tears, we should more frequently see the results we desire. Sometimes it may be that while we are complaining of the hardness of the hearts of those we are seeking to benefit, the hardness of our own hearts and our feeble apprehension of the solemn reality of eternal things may be the true cause of our want of success." Hudson Taylor
"Oh sirs, deal with sin as sin, and speak of heaven and hell as they are, and not as if you were in jest." John Flavel
"I would think it a greater happiness to gain one soul to Christ than mountains of silver and gold to myself." Matthew Henry
"How can I help weeping when you will not weep for yourselves, though your immortal souls are on the verge of destruction!" George Whitfield
"Evermore the Law must prepare the way for the gospel. To overlook this in instructing souls is almost certain to result in false hope, the introduction of a false standard of Christian experience, and to fill the Church with false converts... Time will make this plain." Charles Finney
“A foolish physician he is, and a most unfaithful friend, that will let a sick man die for fear of troubling him; and cruel wretches are we to our friends, that will rather suffer them to go quietly to hell, then we will anger them, or hazard our reputation with them.” Richard Baxter
"Reckon then that to acquire soul-winning power, you will have to go through mental torment and soul distress. You must go into the fire if you are going to pull others out of it, and you will have to dive into the floods if you are going to draw others out of the water. You cannot work a fire escape without feeling the scorch of the conflagration, nor man a lifeboat without being covered with the waves." Charles Spurgeon
"It is of no use for any of you to try to be soul-winners if you are not bearing fruit in your own lives. How can you serve the Lord with your lips if you do not serve Him with your lives.? How can you preach His gospel with your tongues, when with hands, feet, and heart you are preaching the devil’s gospel, and setting up an antichrist by your practical unholiness?" Charles Spurgeon
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
