Dwight Lyman Moody

             ...The country boy from Northfield decided that he no longer wanted to make something of himself merely for himself, because he turned his energy, his lack of education, his strange gift of persuading people, and his business skill over to God.  The miracle had been done when the ex-shoe salesman and free-lance religious worker took to heart the words; The world has yet to see what God can do with one man wholly committed to Him. ~~ D. L. Moody (1837-1899)

Where will I be?

Keep in mind July 26^th – that is a Monday.

Gandhi

             Only the strong forgive.  What is true of individuals is true of nations.  One cannot forgive too much.  The weak can never forgive.  Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. ~~ Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)

Ordinary fools

             Wouldn’t we go to church that believers in ordinary fools and ragamuffins and whose gospel is actually good news? ~~ Shane Claiborne

Committed quality

             In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide.  Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate – look to his character.  The scriptures teach that rulers should be men who rule in the fear of God, able men, men of truth, hating covetousness.  It is to the neglect of this rule that we must ascribe the multiplied frauds, braches of trust, and embezzlements of public property which tarnish the character of our country and disgrace government.  When a citizen gives his note to a man of known immorality, he abuses his civic responsibility; he sacrifices not only his interest, but that of his neighbor; he betrays the interest of his country. ~~ Noah Webster, 1823

I know. I know.

            In the musical Fiddler On the Roof, Tevye, the tradition-minded father of a Jewish family, knows that being a “chosen people” has its downside.  In his well-known prayer about the burden of being Jewish, he lamented, “I know.  I know. We are Your chosen people.  But once in a while, can’t You choose someone else?”

Dear teacher

             Experience is a dear teacher, but fools will learn at no other. ~~ Benjamin Franklin

Living the Lord's Prayer

             The way we tinker with our temptations and tweak our reasons for acting on them are indications that we actually enjoy dancing the tango with the Devil. ~~ Albert Haase, Living the Lord's Prayer

Keep in mind July 26^th – that is a Monday.

Emerging Church

Chris Armstrong summarizes a recent talk from Anthony Bradley on the Emerging Church:

If Emergent Church is “done” . . . in the circles I’m in, the critics are still criticizing the Emergent, but it’s also that the ideas of the movement are all over the place. Anthony: it’s the ripples now. The initial splash is done. Same with postmodernism, social gospel, etc. We’re definitely dealing with the ripples. But this is not the Next Big Thing for seminaries to deal with. Doesn’t mean that the residuals are not still affecting people. There are some new issues now we need to wrestle with.

Martin Luther King

             In his last speech before his assassination in Memphis Martin Luther King inspired his followers.  “I have been to the mountain top… I’ve looked over and seen the Promised Land.  I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promise Land.  So I am happy tonight … I’m not fearing man.  ‘Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.’”

Minors

             Majoring in minors is almost always the road to destruction.

A sinner saved by blood

             My spirit saw its chains broken to pieces, I felt that I was an emancipated soul, an heir of heaven, a forgiven one, accepted in Jesus Christ, plucked out of the miry clay and out of the horrible pit, with my feet set upon a rock and my goings established . . . . ~~ Charles H. Spurgeon

Benefit of Grace

Benefit of Grace

            In the last few months, I have taken the time to reading Christian Blogs.  Most of them are excellent, well done.  In fact, they are great.  However, very few deal with Grace and the benefit of Grace.  What happen to Grace?

            Many years ago M. A. Daoud wrote, “There are no conditions that men must meet in order to get the benefit of Grace.”  I keep this thought tucked away in my heart.

My Bible

             My Bible tells me how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go. ~~ J. R. Cohn

Buddhist

             Buddhism is only an idea in the mind; there is no truth in it. ~~ Esther Baker, I once was a Buddhist Nun 

What did Jesus teach?

             The disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray and He did.  Jesus never taught them how to preach.  This comes from the deep love of Jesus working within, coming through with compassion for the wondering and hurting. ~~ Nathan Burke

Neutral

             Toward Him (God) it is impossible to be neutral.  His acquaintances are divided pretty neatly into two classes; those who love Him with all admiration, and those who hate Him with perfect hatred. ~~ A. W. Tozer

How do you view the World?

             The Faith and Family Values staff of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention writes;

An individual’s perspective, i.e., worldview, determines their response to moral and ethical issues.  Our goal should be the embrace and internalization of a perspective that looks to God’s “Word alone as its measure.  A biblical perspective is not happenstance; Christ-followers must be intentional in looking to Scripture for wisdom on cultural and social matters.  Only a biblical worldview brings clarity in a confused world.  We are to view the world through the lens God reveals in His Word.

            It has been said that “to live is to face ethical challenges.”  We can ignore those challenges and take the path of least resistance, the path that secular society has cleared for us.  Or we can confront the challenges head-on.  We can recognize them for what they are – obstacles to contended with God’s truth and in His strength.

            We shouldn’t expect those who don’t know God to really care what His perspective is on any of these issues.  Yet those of us who know God and follow Christ recognize that God cares how we conduct our lives, including our basis for ethical decision-making.

            Perhaps the most important question is not “How do I view the world?” but “How does God regard my interaction with the world?”

            It is not our perspective that is paramount, but His.

             

Vactican City

The Rev. Charles Scicluna, a Maltese priest who is a top official at the Vatican’s morality office, led a special “make amends” prayer service in St Peter’s Basilica.  The service grew out of a desire by some seminarians and other pontifical university students in Rome for a day of prayers for the victims of clergy abuse and for the healing of the church’s wounds from the scandal over its concealment of abuse.

            Participants at the ceremony asked for prayers “for the victims of abused perpetrated by men and women of the Church, so that they can heal their wounds and experience true peace, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.  Prayers were also offered for clerics and other religious who committed abuses “so that, in the light of day, they can honestly face up to the consequences of their guilt and embrace the needs of justice.”

Him alone

            So lift up your heart to God with a gentle stirring of love.  Focus on him alone. ~~ The Cloud of Unknowing (14^th Century)

Creativity

            Scott Adams tells us, “Creativity is allowing oneself to make mistakes.  Art is knowing which ones to keep.”  But I tell you Jesus the Christ tells us we all are keepers and are created to preach and teach and demonstrate His love.

Yet God desires ministry from us

            What does it means to minister to God?  Simply put, it means to cultivate intimacy with Him, to set aside devoted time for Him, to focus on Him and reflect on His beauty.  To minister to the Lord is to worship Him. ~~ Steve Fry, Rekindled Flame

Thank You

Thank You, God for perfect health.

I am whole, free, and well.

Trust the words of God

            “...The Devil tempts not unbelievers and sinners, whom he already has in his possession; but he tempts and disquiets the faithful and devout in various ways.

            God deceives not; he is deceived who trust too much to himself.  God walks with the simple (Ps. 19:7; 119:130; Matt. 11:25), reveals Himself to the humble, gives understanding to the little ones, opens the sense to pure minds, and hides grace from the curious and proud.  Human reason is feeble and may be deceived, but true faith cannot be deceived.” ~~ Thomas A’ Kempis, German monk

            

Laws of Love

            God rules for living show us the way to happiness; loving Him and loving our neighbor.  All God’s commands are either an appeal to love or a warning against actions contrary to love, such as murder, theft, adultery, and slander.  They are intended to keep us from sinning against love. ~~ Basilea Schlink (1904-2001), Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary

Deceived

            Many are deceived in the end, who at first seemed to be led by the Holy Spirit. ~~ Thomas A’ Kempis, fourteenth century German monk

A valued friend

            A friend is the first person who comes in when your detractors have gone out.

Maturity

            This is maturity: to be able to stick with a task until it is finished; to do one’s duty without being supervised; to be able to manage some else’s money when no one is watching; and to be able to bear an injustice without wanting to get revenge.

Stable

            If life were stable, I'd never need God's help. Since it's not, I reach out for Him regularly. I am thankful for the unknowns and that I don't have control, because it makes me run to God. ~ Francis Chan from 'Crazy Love'

Heart-to-Heart

Blog;

"Heart Talk per Leo"

www.HeartTalkperLeo.com

Crystal ball

            The Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi pointed out, “The term ‘prophetic’ doesn’t mean an announcement of concrete facts that one sees in a crystal ball but rather knowing how to read history and events in the light of faith.”

Death

            Death and aging are traveling companions as I make the journey to my Father’s house. ~~ Leon C. Lenschow (my twin brother)