The Holiness of God

By faith and obedience, by continued meditation on the Holiness of God, by loving righteousness and hating iniquity, by a growing acquaintance with the Spirit of holiness, we can acclimate ourselves to the fellowship of the saints on earth and prepare ourselves for the eternal companionship of God and the saints above.
A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

Suffering

Suffering is the confirmation that you have been chosen for special leadership with Christ in His Kingdom. This special call is to announce to the captives, you can be free, bring sight to the blind and set the shattered free. Oh! And, most of all we are to be faithful, while we declare His Kingdom.
“This teaching is true;
If we died with him, we will also live with him.
If we accept suffering, we will also rule with Him.
If we refuse to accept him, he will refuse to accept us.
If we are not faithful, he will still be faithful,
because he cannot be false to himself” (2 Timothy 2: 11-13, NCV).
“This is a sure thing;
If we die with him, we’ll live with him;
If we stick it out with him, we’ll rule with him;
If we turn our backs on him, He’ll turn his back on us;
If we give up on him, he does not give up—
for there’s no way he can be false to himself” (2 Timothy 2:11-13, Message).
Also, please consider reading Romans 5:3; 1 Peter 4:13; and Matthew 5:10-12.

Fire!

If you don’t stoke the fire, it will slowly go out. When you pull back and play it safe your faith will wean life will be mundane.

He Never Met a Stranger

Last Tuesday we took our son to the airport to begin his “Wild at Heart” adventure to Northern Ireland. We stopped at a Back Yard Burgers Restaurant for lunch. I was able to park right up to the door so my wife Betty didn’t have to walk very far. As we ordered, Betty a large chili hot dog, fries, a soda, I a double burger, fries, and a soda we were met by an elderly gentleman who greeted us as if we were long lost friends. He asked us where we had been for he had not seen us in a long time. We never mentioned to Johnny that this was our first time. He acted as a host and server all into one ball of energy. He told us to sit down and he would bring our food to our table. As I filled our soda cups with ice, he shared with us that he only works four hours a week because he is eighty-three. Johnny was the same with all the customers. He loved people he just oozed with compassion. A number of times he came over to the table to pat Betty on the shoulder (blessing her). As we left, he made sure we had refills and whispered to us, “God bless you.”

Queen facing "Cash Crisis"

I went to www.leeleeandtheo.com and read some disturbing news. Queen Elizabeth needs a raise.
Rebecca English wrote in The Courier Mail, “The queen plans to ask the UK Government for more money to run her household after being hit by rising costs.” In addition, the Queen has taken a hit with the British stock market diving.
She has not had a pay hike for 20 years and is struggling to make ends meet. She makes $17.5 million a year. Let us not snicker about the Queen when it is rumored that some CEO’s in the USA are receiving over that amount of money as “golden parachutes” in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac financial fiasco.

Tell that to someone who is living on the streets.

The Face

“In the face of the oppressed, I recognize my own face, and in the hands of the oppressor, I recognize my own hands. Their flesh is my flesh, their blood is my blood, their pain is my pain, their smile is my smile.”
Henri Nouwen, pastor for the L’Arche Community of Daybreak

Anger

An old monk once said, “I have a greater desire to be righteous and spiritual than I am to be angry. Anger is a monster of such awful mien, that to be hated needs but to be seen, but seen to oft, familiar with face. We first endure, then pity, and then embrace.”

Changing Times

I bought a “Pages of Time; Nostalgia News Report” for the year of 1937 (the year I was born) at Cracker Barrel Store #462 Sturbridge, Massachusetts on Sunday, August 12, 2001. This restaurant is located on route US 20 General Grant highway which connects Chicago to Boston. My Daddy drove his truck (dry iced freight) from Burlington, Illinois north on Plank Road about seven miles to St. Peter Lutheran Church, turn right onto route US 20 and followed it east all the way to Boston. Betty and I traveled US 20 in the area of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts to the Christmas Tree Shop; “Don’t you just love a bargain”. Isn’t it interesting that this is the same route that my Daddy traveled about 80 years ago? Some things don’t change but on the other hand, many things are in a constant change. As I grow older, changes are harder to make.

It is

“It is impossible for one to live without tears who considers things exactly as they are.” Gregory of Nyssa, De Beatitudine

The Gospel

“The gospel, one with cosmic implication that embraces the whole of creation; proclaiming that kind of gospel has always been the Orthodox way. Though Orthodoxy has a grand vision principle, it often doesn’t make a lot of difference in practice. I believe our theological compass is pointed in the right direction, but when it comes to following through on our not-so-small gospel, we are no better than anyone else.”
Saint Maximus the Confessor, 7th century

Well-known

A well-known preacher in New York writes, “I ask you, please, hear my heart as I say this: The time is not far away before we all will be deeply affected by the economic flood coming to the whole world. Great trials are ahead for all of us who deeply love the Lord.
Here is what I am led to do by the Holy Spirit. I ask it of my family, all of whom work with the church body. I urge you to pray to see if the Lord is leading you to do the same:
1. No more buying of luxuries. Cut all spending except absolute necessities.
2. Sell every unneeded item. Turn it to cash and give it to ministries to the poor and needy.
3. Downsize as much as possible. Be willing to let it all come to this: ‘Having food and raiment [covering], let us be therewith content’ (1 Timothy 6:8).
4. Build up you faith by reminding the Lord daily of his promises:
· ‘The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever’ (Psalm 29:10).
· In thee O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness’ (Psalm 31:1).”

Face the Son

From a dear friend, Julie of UK.
I want you to hear her heart:
"If you put your face towards the sun or son, the shadows go behind you..............perhaps this is a good reminder for all that are stressed with worry over the financial crisis. Our Lord will provide and help us. He would never want to hurt us anyway, so pray this financial crisis (which is the devils work) out of existence. Man can do so much, but God can do everything and its time that we and the world remembered that."