THE OPEN ROAD

FURTURE CONCERNS

12/4/2021

   FURTURE CONCERNS

   "We should all be concerned," wrote Charles Kettering,
   "about the future because we will have to spend the rest
   of our lives there."

Perhaps the reason most of us may wind
                                        up being ill equipped to live in the future is
                                        that we spend too much time squandering
                                        the present and fretting about the past.

                                        Can we not see that our present thoughts
                                        quite often determine our future actions.
                                        And, we cannot escape our future any more
                                        than we can ignore the present or deny the past.

                                        We would speak well of the past, for it is by
                                        remembering the past that we become educated.
                                        We would applaud the present moment, for only
                                        in the present moment does any action take place.
                                        We would extol the virtues of the future, for the
                                        future permits us to dream, to envision, to hope
                                        and to plan.
                                        Without the future, there could be no past and
                                        our present would be shallow indeed.

  (First published on December 29, 2012)

PSALM 100:1-5

12/3/2021

   PSALM 100:1-5

Make a joyful noise
unto the Lord
all ye lands
Serve the Lord with gladness
Come before his presence
with singing

Know ye
that the Lord
he is God

It is he
that hath made us
and not we ourselves

We
are his people
and the sheep
of his pasture

Enter into his gates
with thanksgiving
and
into his courts
with praise

Be thankful
unto him
and bless his name

For the Lord is good
His mercy is everlasting
And his truth endureth
to all generations

(First published on November 26, 2014)

THE MASTER CRAFTSMAN

12/3/2021

THE MASTER CRAFTSMAN

Near the close of summer, we are did a bit
of remodeling in our home, patching ceilings
filling cracks, and painting walls,
of remodeling in our home, patching ceilings
filling cracks, and painting walls,

At first, it seemed as though we would never
finish. And yet, as each day progressed, we
could see further progress, and this gave us
hope that we might eventually finish our tasks,
which after a few weeks we actually did.

That's the way it is in our personal lives. At
some point in our lives we realize that we
need a refurbishing.

Damage to our soul, due to lack of concern
  and care, had taken its toll through the years,
   and the task of renovating called for the skills
of the Master Craftsman. We needed to have
Him restore our soul. It was obvious that we
badly needed Him to be our interior decorator.

We were greatly in need of repairs. Because of
the material he has had to work with, progress
has been slower than we would have desired.

We often become impatient with Him. We
We so often have wanted immediate results. We
have wanted the job done yesterday.
But, we are learning to be still and trust and
have faith in Him.

  we are confident that the results shall one
day be grand. They always are when the builder's
tools are wielded by the hand of the Master
Craftsman.

(First published on November 15, 2012,
with revisions mad on December 3, 2021)

WHAT COUNTS THE MOST 697

12/3/2021

WHAT COUNTS THE MOST 697

Great thoughts
True friends
Honest toil
Prayer time
Words sublime
Quiet Places
Clean Hands
Pure hearts
Humble souls
Unbroken promises
Old truths
New beginnings
Immortal intimations
That which counts the most
has eternal consequences

(First published on November 18, 1979,
with revisions given on December 3, 2021)

COME,YE THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME

11/28/2021

Come, ye thankful people, come, (Written in 1844
Raise the song of harvest home! by Henry Alford)
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin;
God, our Maker, doth provide
For our wants to be supplied
Come to God's own temple, come;
Raise the song of harvest home!

We ourselves are God's own field,
Fruit unto his praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown
Unto joy or sorrow grown;
First the blade and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear;
Grant, O harvest Lord, that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come,
And shall take the harvest home;
From His field shall in that day
All offences purge away,
Giving angels charge at last
In the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store
In the garner evermore.

Then, thou Church triumphant come,
Raise the song of harvest home!
All be safely gathered in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified,
In God's garner to abide;
Come, ten thousand angels, come,
Raise the glorious harvest home!

THANKSGIVING (1976)

11/27/2021

THANKSGIVING (1976)

Dear Heavenly Father,
once again we gather with family
and friends to honor thee and give
thee thanks...

For this past year in which...

Many hearts have been healed
Many minds have been refreshed
Many souls have been uplifted
Many lives have been changed

For the coming year in which...

New friends shall be acquired
New covenants shall be honored
New powers shall be released
New faith shall be desired

For this present moment in which...

We may glorify thy holy name
We may gather loved ones home
We may kneel and pray and love
We may live and breathe for thee

In the name of the lamb of life,
even Jesus Christ. Amen.
(First published on November 21, 2013)

HISTORICAL NOVELS

11/27/2021

HISTORICAL NOVELS

"What I like in a good author," wrote
Logan Smith, "is not what he says...but
what he whispers."

Each of us daily writes his own historical
novel. We fill our pages with...

Bravado and anxiety
Faith and fear
Hope and doubt
Sins and blessings
Successes and failures

We write not on flimsy parchment that
crumbles quickly to dust and blows
away with the wind. Oh, no, our
lives and actions are indelibly
inscribed on the sinews of our souls.

In chapters yet to come, may we whisper...

About great ideas and ideals
About the beauty of nature
About concern and compassion
About good times and traditions

May we be wary of what we write.
May our chapters steadily improve and
give joy and blessings to those around
us, and silent satisfaction at the end.

(First published on November 21, 2012)

TOP DRAWER

11/12/2021

     TOP DRAWER

Recently, Billy (age 8) brought home
a school newspaper article about "Snappy
Socks." It appears that someone has
invented socks that snap together so they
won't get lost in the washing machine or
dryer.

In our present time of perilous tumbles,
unexpected turns and spins that often
leave us high and dry, it is no wonder we
often feel mismatched with life and those
around us.

The adversary just seems to take delight in
socking it to us and turning our lives inside
out. He would have us believe that no one
gives a darn about us.

But, this just isn't sew. There is someone
who really cares a great deal about us.
He wants us to pair up with him and and
cling to him that we might always be found
in the top drawer.

(This article was written in 1977, a long
time ago, so far away)

   (First published on November 20, 2014)

COUNTING PUMPKINS

11/12/2021

   COUNTING PUMPKINS

  Back in October, with frost and a smidgen
of snow on the ground, as we put the lawn
mower away in our shed, we realized that
fall and winter were now well on the way.

And one night as we laid in our bed trying
to go to sleep and keep warm at the same
time, we tried going to sleep by counting...
pumpkins. Wow, talk about orange.
Too much orange, not enough sleep.
So, as we laid there, these thoughts came
to mind...

God will help me
because he can
The more we learn about
purity, the wider and deeper
it becomes
Let us stay awake in Christ,
and go to sleep in Him as well

    (First published on November 16, 2013)

PSALM 40:1,2,3,16

11/12/2021

   PSALM 40:1,2,3,16

I waited patiently for the Lord
and he inclined his ear
unto me and heard
my cry

He brought me up also
out of an horrible pit
out of the miry clay
and set my feet
upon a rock
and established my goings

And he
put a new song
in my mouth
and even praise
unto our God
Many shall see it and fear
and shall trust
in the Lord

Blessed
is the man
that maketh the Lord
his trust
and respecteth not the proud
and such as turn aside
to lies

Let all those that seek thee
rejoice and be glad
in thee
Let such as love
thy salvation
say continually
The Lord be magnified

(First published on November 20, 2014)