Unseen Majesty

the guardian, originally uploaded by Lano Ling.

There is an unseen majesty
When believers gather
For our Lord promises
His presence in such times

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Lifted Up

Photo credit: pomodora

Lift His name high
In songs of praise

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Light Accents

Photo credit: Gotfish AKA...Marc

The setting sun:
A daily accent of light
On God's diverse creation.

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Vapor

Originally uploaded by Dakos..

Like an unseen vapor
The Spirit of God
Imbues the believer...
Guiding,
Directing,
Prompting,
Comforting,
and linking us
To the Divine.

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Complete Comprehension

One day we'll see Him. One day the questions will be answered. One day all doubts will be dispelled. One day His glory will be completely defined for us.



--Building 429 - Glory Defined

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Post-Christmas Promise

What better thought can we have for the day after Christmas than this: Our salvation is here. Enjoy.



--Lincoln Brewster - Salvation Is Here

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On Christmas Morn

Pre-Dawn Sky, originally uploaded by Pat's Pics36 - limited internet next few months.


I

Now the King Immortal

Comes to claim His own,—

Shepherds at their watch by night,

Hail the glory of the light—

They, and they alone.

II

Heralds from the heaven-land,

Tell His Advent clear;—

Where the sound of hurrying feet?

Where the crowds come forth to greet?

Where the loyal cheer?

III

Angels, on the night winds

Have their carols thrown,—

Theirs, the music rapturous, sweet,

Theirs, the songs the Monarch greet,

Theirs, and theirs, alone.

IV

Ah, the silent night hours,

Ah, the slumberers, prone,—

Mortals wake, arise, adore,

Angels, shepherds, honours pour,

They, and they, alone.

V

Jesu, King Immortal,

Mount thy rightful throne;

Loyal hearts their plaudits pour,

Heavenly choirs in songs adore,

They, not they alone.


--from Hymns from the Morningland by John Brownlie

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Sun Beam

Sun Beam, originally uploaded by Ian Lambert.



PASSIONTIDE

I

O Light, resplendent of the morn

On golden pinions upwards borne,

That usherest in the day;

We rise responsive to the call,

As night removes her dusky pall,

And speeds her flight away.

II

O Light, that, from the Father’s face,

Shone on our world with winning grace,

When darker night prevailed;

We rise to greet Thine Advent bright,

All hail! majestic in Thy might,

When darkness is assailed.

III

O let my soul Thy rising see;

From every cloud my vision free,

And on my pathway shine;

Then shall my course, in safety trod,

Lead ever nearer to my God,

The source of light divine.

IV

O Jesus, Morn of better day,

Thou Light of lights, Whose gladsome ray

Gives light, and life, and cheer;

Light to my soul, and life impart,

And fill with joy my inmost heart,

And scatter night and fear.


--from Hymns from the Morningland by John Brownlie

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Ah! Angels Hailed That Morning Bright

Photo credit: chrchr_75

I

He came because the Father willed,

And from the midst of heaven’s renown,

The promise to our world fulfilled,

And won a kingdom for His crown.

II

He came because He willed to bear

The burden that His love imposed;

And all our lot of sorrow share,

Until the day in darkness closed.

III

Ah! angels hailed that morning bright,

And in the heavens their carols sung;

But God Himself was hid in night,

When sin and death their arrows flung.

IV

But not to sink beneath their power,

The God-man girt Him for the fray;

And from the darkness of that hour,

There sprang the light of endless day.

V

And wounded souls the triumph knew;

Fresh courage to the faint was given;

And e’en the dead to life anew,

Rose in the glorious might of heaven.

VI

For sin was crushed, and death was slain;—

All hail, the great victorious Son,

Who mounts the throne of heaven again,

To rule the kingdom He has won.


--from Hymns from the Morningland by John Brownlie

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Nativity

Nativity, originally uploaded by Perfesser.


I

Hail to the King, Who comes in weakness now,

No wreath of gold encircleth His brow,

Lowly His state,—in lowly worship bow;

Hail to the King!

II

Born of His Maiden Mother, pure as snow,

Son of our God, begotten long ago,

Ere yet the stream of time began to flow;

Hail to the King!

III

Nowhere was found a shelter for His head,

Humble He lay, e’en where the oxen fed,

No couch nor crib, a manger was His bed;

Hail to the King!

IV

Herdsmen were there who heard the angels sing;

Wise men from far who myrrh and incense bring,

No other hand bestowed an offering;

Hail to the King!

V

Hail to the King! O Christ upon Thy throne,

Look on the souls which Thou didst make Thine own,

When by Thy Birth and Death Thou did’st atone;

Hail to the King!


--from Hymns from the Morningland by John Brownlie

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Advent

Small Crater Sunrise 2 - Negev - Israel, originally uploaded by Yayo_M (Avi Morag).


I

Hark! upon the morning breezes,

In the darkness, ere the waking,

Music sweet the senses pleases,

Soft upon the stillness breaking;—

“Glory, Glory!” this the singing,

Welcome to Immanuel bringing.

II

Shepherds at their watch beholding

Angels clad in glistening whiteness,

Heard the wondrous news unfolding

’Mid that dazzling scene of brightness;—

“Glory, Glory!” peace, and kindness,

Light is breaking on our blindness.

III

Glorious morn! The sun uprising,

Shone upon a world rejoicing;

God is with us, truth surprising;

List to song the message voicing,—

“Glory, Glory!” ages told it,

Heavenly voices now unfold it.

IV

God adored, our nature wearing!

Ah, such condescending meekness!

Stooping to a world despairing,

Full of pity for our weakness;—

“Glory, Glory!” praises swelling,

God hath made with man His dwelling.


--from Hymns From the Morningland by John Brownlie

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Immutable

Everything changes. We grow up, move on, graduate, find love, lose friends, encounter death, get sick, etc. Nothing and no one in our lives is immutable except for One. God and his love for us are unchanging, which is the message in this Sunday's video.



--Todd Agnew - Unchanging One

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A Simple Faith

This Saturday's video goes back several years, but its core message is still relevant today. We tend to make serving God far too complex than it needs to be. May we all take a lesson from the gentleman featured in this clip.



--Newsboys - Simple Man

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If My People...

Source: www.christianphotos.net

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Diverging Paths

Source: www.christianphotos.net

Smile!

Source: www.christianphotos.net

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Fortified

Source: www.christianphotos.net

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Fever Fact

Four days of fever so far, so I'm taking a break until I get better. See you soon, Lord willing.

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Channeled Blessings

Irrigation Sprinkler Wheel 1, originally uploaded by LongInt57.

Prayer and the promises are interdependent. The promise inspires and energizes prayer, but prayer locates the promise, and gives it realization and location. The promise is like the blessed rain falling in full showers, but prayer, like the pipes, which transmit, preserve and direct the rain, localizes and precipitates these promises, until they become local and personal, and bless, refresh and fertilize. Prayer takes hold of the promise and conducts it to its marvellous ends, removes the obstacles, and makes a highway for the promise to its glorious fulfillment.

--from The Possibilities of Prayer by E.M. Bounds

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God's Golden Promises

Golden fruit and leaves of lignum vitae (Guaiacum officinale), originally uploaded by Joel Abroad.

God's promises cover all things which pertain to life and godliness, which relate to body and soul, which have to do with time and eternity. These promises bless the present and stretch out in their benefactions to the illimitable and eternal future. Prayer holds these promises in keeping and in fruition. Promises are God's golden fruit to be plucked by the hand of prayer. Promises are God's incorruptible seed, to be sown and tilled by prayer.

--from The Possibilities of Prayer by E.M. Bounds

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As Unceasing As An Artesian Spring

Old Fountain, Artesian well just off the Boardman River, originally uploaded by Kim Cronin.

There ought to be no adjustment of life or spirit for closet hours. The closet spirit should sweetly rule and adjust all times and occasions. Our activities and work should be performed in the same spirit which makes our devotion and which makes our closet time sacred. "Without intermission, incessantly, assiduously," describes an opulence, and energy, and unabated and ceaseless strength and fullness of effort; like the full and exhaustless and spontaneous flow of an artesian stream. Touch the man of God who thus understands prayer, at any point, at any time, and a full current of prayer is seen flowing from him.

--from The Possibilities of Prayer by E.M. Bounds

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Knocking On Heaven's Door

Knock and the Door Will Be Opened, originally uploaded by honey 77.

God can help us. God is a Father. We need God's good things to help us to "do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before God." We need Divine aid to act brotherly, wisely, and nobly, and to judge truly, and charitably. God's help to do all these things in God's way is secured by prayer. "Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

--from The Possibilities of Prayer by E.M. Bounds

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Everything

"Everything changed....., originally uploaded by mistybliss.

"Prayer should be the breath of our breathing, the thought of our thinking, the soul of our feeling, and the life of our living, the sound of our hearing, the growth of our growing." Prayer in its magnitude is length without end, width without bounds, height without top, and depth without bottom. Illimitable in its breadth, exhaustless in height, fathomless in depths and infinite in extension. -- HOMER W. HODGE

--from The Possibilities of Prayer by E.M. Bounds

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Seeking the Lost

Do you ever stop and ask yourself how many of the people you meet are saved? We encounter sometimes hundreds of individuals daily in school or at work, on the streets or in the stores. How many know Christ? And if we are true believers, what is stopping us from sharing the life-changing faith we know with them? Fear? Sure, none of us like to open ourselves up to potential rejection and ridicule, but is the chance that some lost soul will come to know Jesus through your efforts worth the risk?

Granted, not everyone is a Billy Graham, and no evangelism technique works in all cases. For example, stopping in the middle of a mall and shouting to everybody within earshot to get saved probably won't get you very far, but what about those one-on-one opportunities when you can begin building a friendship with someone new? Those connections can become redemptive relationships that can help one day open the door for you leading another person into a saving knowledge of Christ. And don't your friends deserve that chance?

How will the lost ever get found if we are too afraid to look for them?



--Britt Nicole - The Lost Get Found

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He's Always With Us

Ever and always, our Savior is with us. We know this. Yet, this promise an mean so much more to us when the hard times come.



--Building 429 - Always

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Loving Him Completely

Photo credit: hjukkhj

Lord, I would trust Thee completely; I would be altogether Thine; I would exalt Thee above all. I desire that I may feel no sense of possessing anything outside of Thee. I want constantly to be aware of Thy overshadowing Presence and to hear Thy speaking Voice. I long to live in restful sincerity of heart. I want to live so fully in the Spirit that all my thought may be as sweet incense ascending to Thee and every act of my life may be an act of worship. Therefore I pray in the words of Thy great servant of old, "I beseech Thee so for to cleanse the intent of mine heart with the unspeakable gift of Thy grace, that I may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee." And all this I confidently believe Thou wilt grant me through the merits of Jesus Christ Thy Son. Amen.

--from The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

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Sacramental Living

Photo credit: RobtheRunt

Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act. All he does is good and acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For such a man, living itself will be sacramental and the whole world a sanctuary. His entire life will be a priestly ministration. As he performs his never so simple task he will hear the voice of the seraphim saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory."

--from The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer

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Motive is Everything

Photo credit: Ryan_Brenizer

The "layman" need never think of his humbler task as being inferior to that of his minister. Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry. It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything.

--from The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

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Holy Acts

Photo credit: DiDis.zw

One act of a good man's life may differ widely from another in importance. Paul's sewing of tents was not equal to his writing of an Epistle to the Romans, but both were accepted of God and both were true acts of worship. Certainly it is more important to lead a soul to Christ than to plant a garden, but the planting of the garden can be as holy an act as the winning of a soul.

--from The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

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A Goat for Christmas

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Check out what this week's ministry video has to offer.



--Gospel for Asia

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Let It Rain

All of us are covered with the dirt and grime of this life: so many mistakes, so many times where we have failed Him, so many sinful thoughts and attitudes. All of us desperately need daily renewal, healing rain from the Father to wash us clean again.



--Michael W. Smith - Healing Rain

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Waiting for a Revelation

"Do I stay or do I go? What is my next move, Lord, because I desire to be in your complete and holy will." If these words are the echo of your spiritual heartbeat, then this Saturday's video will speak to your soul.



--Third Day - Revelation

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The Umbrella

Photo credit: Nasey

Storms will come,
Rains will fall,
It's easy to get trapped
In Life's deluge.

But when all seems lost
As flood waters rise,
Remember to look up
To find His rainbow.

Because no matter
How wet the weather
Our loving Father
Is our umbrella.

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Kingdom Building

Photo credit: Yin.Shen

We go through life
Building our kingdoms,
Creating our castles,
Guarding our stuff.

Yet in the final days
Only one Kingdom matters
And will stand forever:
The one built on Christ.

Tell me,

Are we helping build
His spiritual Kingdom
One soul at a time
Or still working on ours?

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Outwardly Mobile

Photo credit: rossanacarparelli

So many lives,
So many souls,
Young and old,
Needing Christ.

Are we...

Praying upwards,
Reaching outward,
Speaking boldly,
Loving unconditionally,
Trying desperately,
To see them come
To Him?

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Lonely Souls

Photo credit: harunoyono

In the silence
Of others' indifference
Loneliness squeezes
Our souls.

Yet,
As believers,
We are never truly alone
Are we?

May you feel His love
Ever and always,
And pray faithfully
For the lonely ones
Who don't.

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Basement Buzz

Christian ministries come in great variety...and volume levels. This Monday's focus is on a work that targets the MTV generation, utilizing drama, music, and the latest technology to share the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.



--The Basement

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Committed

We live in a time when commitment can seem old-fashioned. Yet how refreshing it is to hear of marriages that have weathered life's storms and survived social pressures by people refusing to back down from their promise on the altar to both God and each other. This Sunday's video celebrates the kind of love that endures.



--Needtobreathe - Washed By The Water

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For the Next Few Days...

Due to a family health emergency, there will be no updates to Soul Strokes for the next few days. Please take advantage of the many posts from the past that you might have missed. Blessings.

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Expect the Unexpected

Photo credit: _delmiomeglio_

Learn to expect
Unexpected blessings
To come shining down.

Our sovereign Lord
Takes great pleasure
In surprising us with grace.

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Like the Baobab

Photo credit: 'sebastien.mamy'

Like the baobab
Which bears fruit
In dry, dusty lands,
We too can bear fruit
When we are planted
In adverse climes
If we learn to submit
To the Master Gardener.

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Born Wondering

Photo credit: ishkamina

We are born as wonderers,
Explorers of mysteries,
Seekers of truth.

May we daily find
God's truth, His ways,
And embrace the secrets
Of His matchless love for us.

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Something for Everyone

For this Monday's ministry video I've decided to give you a glimpse of a mission I am intimately familiar with. My family and I have been with WorldVenture for almost twenty years, living and serving with them in four countries on three continents during these past two decades. Here is a taste of some of the opportunities available with our organization.



--WorldVenture

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Ever Faithful

Life is filled with uncertainties. People let us down, situations spin out of control, and the personal tragedies of living in a fallen world can sometimes crush us. There is only one sure thing we can all count on: our God's love. As we turn to Him we can be assured, even when all hope seems lost, that He will fail us not.



--1000 Generations - Fail Us Not

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Love From Above

God's greatest gift to the world is Christ, but the motivation for that blessing is what today's video celebrates: the unmatchable, unquenchable love that can be funneled through us from Heaven to those around us.



--Group 1 Crew - Love Is A Beautiful Thing

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Moving Up in the World

Photo credit: LeenerBeener91

One thing is certain: the call of Christ is always a promotion. Were Christ to call a king from his throne to preach the gospel to some tribe of aborigines, that king would be elevated above anything he had known before. Any movement toward Christ is ascent, and any direction away from Him is down.

Yet though we recognize the honor bestowed upon us, there is no place for pride, for the follower of Christ must shoulder his cross and a cross is an object of shame and a symbol of rejection.

Before God and the angels it is a great honor to follow Christ, but before men it is not so. The Christ the world pretends now to honor was once rejected and crucified by that same world. The great saint is honored only after he is dead. Rarely is he known as a saint while he lives. The plaudits of the world come too late, when he can no longer hear them; and perhaps it is better that way. Not many are selfless enough to endure honor without injury to their souls.

In those early Galilean days Christ's followers heard His call, forsook the old life, attached themselves to Him, began to obey His teachings and joined themselves to His band of disciples. This total commitment was their confirmation of faith. Nothing less would do.

And it is not different today. He calls us to leave the old life and to begin the new. There must never be any vacuum, never any place of neutrality where the world cannot identify us. Peter warming himself at the world's fire and trying to seem unconcerned is an example of the kind of halfway discipleship too many are satisfied with. The martyr leaping up in the arena, demanding to be thrown to the lions along with his suffering brethren, is an example of the only kind of dedication that God approves.

--from Man - The Dwelling Place of God by A. W. Tozer

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Called Out of the Crowd

Photo credit: Donncha@InPhotos.org

Jesus Christ is a Man come to save men. In Him the divine nature is married to our human nature, and wherever human nature exists there is the raw material out of which He makes followers and saints. Our Lord recognizes no classes, high or low, rich or poor, old or young, man or woman: all are human and all are alike to Him. His invitation is to all mankind.

In New Testament times persons from many and varied social levels heard His call and responded: Peter the fisherman; Levi the publican; Luke the physician; Paul the scholar; Mary the demon possessed; Lydia the businesswoman; Paulus the statesman. A few great and many common persons came. They all came and our Lord received them all in the same way and on the same terms.

From any and every profession or occupation men and women may come if they will. The simple rule is that if the occupation is good, continue in it if you so desire; if it is bad, abandon it at once and seek another. If the call includes detachment from all common pursuits to give full time to the work of the gospel, then no profession or occupation, no matter how good or how noble, must keep us from obeying the call.

--from Man - The Dwelling Place of God by A. W. Tozer

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The Wrong Approach

Evangelical Christians commonly offer Christ to mankind as a nostrum to cure their ills, a way out of their troubles, a quick and easy means to the achievement of personal ends. They use the right words, but their emphasis is awry. The message is so presented as to leave the hearer with the impression that he is being asked to give up much to gain more. And that is not good, however well intentioned it may be.

What we do is precisely what a good salesman does when he presents the excellence of his product as compared with that of his closest competitor. The customer chooses the better of the two, as who would not? But the weakness of the whole salesmanship technique is apparent: the idea of selfish gain is present in the whole transaction.

--from Man - The Dwelling Place of God - A. W. Tozer

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Honor in Humility

Photo credit: abennett23

To be called to follow Christ is a high honor; higher indeed than any honor men can bestow upon each other.

Were all the nations of the earth to unite in one great federation and call a man to head that federation, that man would be honored above any other man that ever lived. Yet the humblest man who heeds the call to follow Christ has an honor far above such a man; for the nations of the earth can bestow only such honor as they possess, while the honor of Christ is supreme over all. God has given Him a name that is above every name.

--from Man - The Dwelling Place of God by A. W. Tozer

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God's Athletes

Many ministries focus on reaching those that are somehow removed from the general populace either by position in society or by nationality. These works such as those among the homeless, people caught in the web of addiction, individuals from a culture foreign to ours, etc. are crucial in the quest to expand the Kingdom. Equally vital, however, are missions to the segment of the population that we may personally belong to, some of whom may be our own family members. One such ministry that focuses closer to home is the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Curious how effective such a work among student athletes can be? Watch this video of how one group of girls was eternally impacted for Christ.



--Fellowship of Christian Athletes (www.FCA.org)

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First Light

Are you sitting down as you read this? You might want to stand up, crank the volume, and get ready to praise. Today's video is a powerful rendition of a classic song that is almost guaranteed to bring a lump to your throat.



--Travis Cottrell - In The First Light

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Waiting on Him

This Saturday's music video is fun, upbeat, and, most importantly, packed with a great message that we all need to hear. Enjoy.



--Coffey - Wait on the Lord

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Curious

Photo credit: krystian.sikora

We are born curious...
God has the answers.

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Sky Gallery

Photo credit: madcrow

The sky is a gallery
Offering daily viewings
Of the unrivaled talent
Of the Master Artist.

How blind the man
Who chooses to believe
That all of this beauty
Came about by chance.

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A Time To Frolic

Photo credit: tinysparrow.

Do you ever feel
So completely in love
With the Lord your God
That you want to run,
laugh, turn cartwheels,
And abandon yourself to joy?

Why hold it in?
Find a field and frolic!

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No-Brainer

Photo credit: shawnmanji13


We laugh at warnings
That seem to be no-brainers,
Yet how many times
Do we ignore the no-brainer
Warnings on sin in the Bible
And do what we want anyway?

Pretty dumb, huh?

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Reachable

If God called you to move from your comfortable home, leave your career, family, and friends behind, and move to some remote area and live for the majority of your life among people who may seem to be only a few steps away from the stone age, could you do it? Today's ministry video presents the challenges and hard-won successes of living and working among people the world sees as unreachable for Christ.



--New Tribes Mission among the tribal peoples of Venezuela

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Is Life Passing Us By?

We should live every moment for Christ, anticipating anew what opportunities await for us to live for Him at the dawn of each day. We know this...but do we really practice it? May the words of this song be true for all of us.



--Rachel Scott - Life Won't Pass Me By

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Seeing Christ

What do we really see when we pass a homeless person, a beggar, a prostitute? What do we really feel when we hear of the widows and orphans of war or of those dying of AIDS in far-away lands? Do we ever see Christ in those faces? Do we ever truly understand Jesus' words in Matthew 25:40?



--Rachel Scott - The Least of These

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The Child He Loves

Photo credit: Jesus Belzunce


Within us all
Beneath the blemishes
Under the scars
And wrinkles
And bruises
Lives the child
That Jesus loves
And always has loved...

Warts and all

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Opinions

Photo credit: Sandralette...


The Enemy of our souls
Calls us useless, out-of-place,
In a world he wishes to conform
Into his dark image.

The Lover of our souls
Calls us useful, salt and light,
Bringing His colors to a world
Grey and cold and dying.

Which of these two opinions
Do our actions and attitudes
Show we agree with?

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The Audit

Photo credit: Jean-Luc Weber


We have been called
To welcome the stranger,
To care for the orphaned,
To feed the hungry,
To look after the sick,
To provide for the widowed,
To give drink to the thirsty,
To bring hope to the hopeless,
And much, much more.

If Christ was to audit our efforts,
And ask today for a progress report
On how we show His love to others,
How do you think we would do?

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The Rejected One

Photo credit: sintasol


Remember...

The world may reject us
It also rejected Him

Yet He never rejects us
When we come

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Operation Christmas Child

With today's post we begin a new feature: Ministry Monday. Every Monday I will try to offer up a video or blurb about one of the many ministries out there that you may wish to be involved with on some level whether through prayer, finances, or personal service. For our inaugural post check out this video featuring Franklin Graham presenting Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritans Purse.

www.samaritanspurse.org/occ

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Saving Strength

Despite the scrapes we manage to get ourselves into, no matter the unforeseen problems that arise in our fallen world, regardless of the ways we have failed to live up to our high calling in Him, God is always reaching out to us in order to lift us out of the mire and restore us to full fellowship with Him. He truly is mighty to save.



--Michael W. Smith - Mighty To Save

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Consuming Passion

Is our God merely a Sunday attraction, a once-a-weekend fix to get us feeling self-righteous throughout the week? I pray not. No, our God should be much more than that to us. Being his children and walking in His ways should be our passions. Like in the words of this song, we should want such a closeness with him that we are able to plead with our whole hearts to have him "consume us" from the inside out.



--Hillsong United - From the Inside Out

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Questions and Response

Photo credit: worshiphim24_7

"We live unto the Lord."
Romans 14:8

If God had willed it, each of us might have entered heaven at the moment of conversion. It was not absolutely necessary for our preparation for immortality that we should tarry here. It is possible for a man to be taken to heaven, and to be found meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light, though he has but just believed in Jesus.

It is true that our sanctification is a long and continued process, and we shall not be perfected till we lay aside our bodies and enter within the veil; but nevertheless, had the Lord so willed it, he might have changed us from imperfection to perfection, and have taken us to heaven at once.

Why then are we here? Would God keep his children out of paradise a single moment longer than was necessary? Why is the army of the living God still on the battle-field when one charge might give them the victory? Why are his children still wandering hither and thither through a maze, when a solitary word from his lips would bring them into the center of their hopes in heaven?

The answer is--they are here that they may "live unto the Lord," and may bring others to know his love. We remain on earth as sowers to scatter good seed; as plowmen to break up the fallow ground; as heralds publishing salvation. We are here as the "salt of the earth," to be a blessing to the world. We are here to glorify Christ in our daily life. We are here as workers for him, and as "workers together with him."

Let us see that our life answers its end. Let us live earnest, useful, holy lives, to "the praise of the glory of his grace." Meanwhile we long to be with him, and daily sing--

"My heart is with him on his throne,
And ill can brook delay;
Each moment listening for the voice,
Rise up, and come away.'"

--from Morning and Evening by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

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Big, Bad World

Photo credit: Tjflex2


Hideaway

Sometimes I just want to hide away,
Escape the dangers of the everyday,
Avoid life's stresses that come my way...

Sometimes.

Sometimes I wish I could disappear,
Post a big sign that says "Out of here,"
Live somewhere without worry or fear...

Sometimes.

But You have called me to live in light,
Swim in the rapids, fight the good fight,
Live and walk worthily in your sight.

But sometimes,

It's just...
So...
Hard.

HELP!

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Eye-Opener

Photo credit: jeffreyhollis


The Visual Feast

Rich russet and gold,
Bright scarlet and green,
Changes we behold
Or those yet unseen,

The Great God of love
Chooses to bestow
These gifts from above
For all men below.

Yet are we grateful
For the joys we view
Or blindly prideful
And think them our due?

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Conference Call

I'm off to a missions conference at a retreat center in upstate New York, so there will be no posts until I get back. Please take time, though, to browse through the older posts until I return. I'll probably be able to post again on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

Blessings,

John

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The Mediator

Photo credit: "†OnlyByGrace&qu ot;

The Mediator

by Hans Sachs


O Christ, true Son of God most high,

Thy name we praise for ever;

Whoe'er to Thee for help doth cry

Shall find Thee fail him never;

'Tis Thou wilt plead,

Thou intercede

With God, for us who need Thy prayers so sore:

Thy bitter strife

Hath wrought us life,

And Thine be thanks and praise for evermore!


To Thee the Father giveth now

All power in earth and heaven;

Sin, Satan, Death to Thee must bow,

All fetters Thou hast riven,

Bade fear to cease,

And made our peace,

That now to God we dare our hearts outpour:

Thy bitter strife

Hath wrought us life,

And Thine be thanks and praise for evermore!


Fulness of grace is in Thy Word;

The Life, the Truth, the Way

To life eternal art Thou, Lord;

To Thee alone we pray,

Who didst appear

A servant here

To bear the sin that crushed the world before:

Thy bitter strife

Hath wrought us life,

And Thine be thanks and praise for evermore!


--from Christian Singers of Germany
by Catherine Winkworth

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No More Despair

Photo credit: Dainis Matisons

No More Despair

by Heinrich Frauenlob

Now will I nevermore despair of heaven,

Since it is Thine, my Father, who hast given

Thy glorious kingdom to the poor indeed.

Yea, mighty God, since Father is Thy name,

Christ for my brother I may dare to claim,

And He for all my sins will help me plead.

A brother's truth to us He swore

When on Himself He took humanity,

For us alone that form He wore,

For us alone hung high upon the Tree.

Look in what cruel sorrows there He pined!

Dear Lord, I bid thee call those woes to mind,

And, brother-like, entreat Thy Father, who is mine,

To give me, too, my lot in that blest heritage of Thine.


--from Christian Singers of Germany
by Catherine Winkworth

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Bonds of Compassion

Photo credit: roy_mac_an_iarla

Alas for my sorrow!

My heart is in pain;

Where is hope for the morrow

To whom now complain?

O God, take compassion

On me lying low,

And comfort, O comfort me,

Through Thine own woe.


Keenly regretful,

I call to my mind

How we are forgetful,

How He is so kind!

Who gladly, yet painfully,

Yielded His breath,

Only to ransom us

Ever from death.


Where shall I find Him,

Him dearest to me,

Who let His foes bind Him

That we might be free?


--from Christian Singers of Germany
by Catherine Winkworth

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