Blog Archives

THE NEW TESTAMENT

3/31/2016

      THE NEW TESTAMENT

We have read many books in our lifetime,
and a few we have read more than once.

But there is one that, year after year,
that continues to beckon us back to its pages.
      It is...The New Testament.

This anthology of writers does for us what
no other collection of writings can do...

It can melt our hearts
It can change our direction
It can invigorate our mind
It can refresh our soul

The New Testament...We firmly believe that
if a person were to read it completely through,
even only once, his life would be changed.

If you would grow spiritually, and grow
greatly, we would encourage you to read The New
Testament completely through...this year.

   The New Testament can revolutionize your life.

PSALM 101:2,3,5,7

3/31/2016

PSALM 101:2,3,5,7

The Lord shall
send the rod
of thy strength
out of Zion
Rule thou
in the midst
of thine enemies

The people shall be willing
in the day of thy power
in the beauties of holiness
from the womb of the morning
Thou hast the dew of thy youth

The Lord at thy right hand
shall strike through kings
in the day of his wrath

He shall drink of the brook in the way
therefore shall he lift up the head

FRIENDS GONE BY

3/31/2016

FRIENDS GONE BY

   (This article should have been written
back in January, but we kept putting
   it off, again and again, until now.)

We find it rather interesting that most
   of us believe we shall live in this mortal
realm forever. And so we are stunned
when friends we have known for 10, 20
years suddenly are no longer members
   of our earthly fellowship.

During the last six months of 2016, we
   bid farewell to five of our friends that
   we saw regularly on a weekly basis.
Three of these came every Sunday
   to the church we attended. And so,
   for us, the last six months of 2016
   placed us within a definite season
   of mourning.

St. Paul has written, O death where
   is thy sting," (1 Corinthians 15:55),
inferring, of course, to the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, and to the comfort
   this knowledge gives to those who
   mourn.

But, for us, we have felt the sting of
of death for those we have gotten to
     know and treasure. And it has
   been painful.

With the advent of a new year, we
   do what is required. We move ahead,
   but with a slightly slower step and
   and a deeper appreciation for the
   life we live.

Still...
The empty chairs
   The familiar voices
The friendly smiles
   The warm greetings

   O Lord, where are they now?
   When shall we meet them again?
   We live for that day when we may
     see them again.

   (Written March 11, 2016)

   (On March 23,2016, our thirteen
   year-old great-nephew, Emery
Robinson passed away of a
     sudden unexpected illness.)

And still, our lives go on,
   for a little while.

UNDER SNOW

3/31/2016

   UNDER SNOW

   Spring has sprung
   The grass has risen
   You cam't see it though
   It's under snow
   Ho,Ho,Ho
   Tennis anyone?
   Love you so!
   20-40 times more
Than you love me
   You make my heart
Skip a beat
And set my spirit
   Free

   (Written on March 28, 2016,
the eighth day of spring)

SPRING IS COMING (1977)

3/31/2016

SPRING IS COMING (1977)

Has the winter been a hard one for you?
It has been for us. But with every passing
week now, we see signs that spring is coming.

Yes, Winter hates to give up and let go.
It's almost as though with every last gasp of cold
breath she breathes, Winter seeks to hold on to
her frozen ground and bare trees,

If you are struggling with the cross-eyed winds
of Winter, take heart...

Spring is coming. The Lord is going to break
up our fallow ground. He's going to rid our land
   of weeds.

   The Lord is going to prosper our land and our
lives.

You can get through this harsh Winter. Again,
take heart... Spring is coming.

   (This article was probably published in during
the winter of 1977, but, obviously was a little
   late publishing this year, 2016.)

CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY

3/24/2016

CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY
   by Charles Wesley

  Christ the Lord is rise'n today,Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
   Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heav'ns, and earth reply, Alleluia!

       Love's redeeming work is done Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the vict'ry won, Alleluia!
Jesus' agony is o'er, Alleluia!
Darkness veils the earth no more, Alleluia

      Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
   Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
   Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

   (Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788)

EASTER (1979)

3/24/2016

    EASTER (1979)

We see Christ in the Garden
Sweating large drops of blood
As he takes our nature upon himself
And covers our sins like a flood

We see Christ scourged and beaten
Standing with open wounds upon his back
As Pilate, while finding no fault in him
Yields easily to the maddening crowd's attack

   We see Christ outside the city wall
   Wearing a thorn-platted crown
   Withstanding the jeers of all mankind
   Beneath that heavy cross weighing him down

We see Christ hanging upon the cross
   Forgiving and loving, even then
   Commending his spirit to his father
God's sinless sacrifice for sin

   We see Christ taken down
   And laid in a borrowed tomb
   Like unto the beginning
   There wasn't any room

We see Christ now risen
The chains of death now broken
And witness an angel speaking
   The most joyous words ever spoken

   He is not here for he has risen
And so we have the ultimate grace
   Look inside that empty tomb
   He is no longer captive of that place

THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL

3/24/2016

THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL

"The Christian ideal, " wrote Harold Begbie,
"has not been tired and found wanting; it has
been found difficult and left untried."

In every generation, there are those who
would scoff at Christianity and label it passe'.

But, there are many, life ourselves, who
have tried Christianity, and though indeed
difficult, have found it... satisfying.

Christianity really needs no apologetics,
no philosopher's eloquent argumentation or lawyer's
sure defense.

For, you see, Christianity was defended
perfectly nearly to thousand years ago through
the life and teachings of one man...Jesus
Christ, the son of the living God.

PSALM 100:1,2,3,4,5

3/17/2016

   PSALM 100:1,2,3,4,5

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 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

THE LAMB OF MARCH

3/17/2016

THE LAMB OF MARCH

In our youth, around home, we often heard
a common expression at this time of year
concerning the month of March.

This was the adage... "In like a lion, out like
a lamb."

Spiritually speaking, we believe this maxim is
quite apropos this March since Easter falls on the
last Sunday of the month.*

The Bible tells us that satan came into the world
"like a roaring lion," seeking to devour everyone
and everything in his path.

But, those same scriptures tell us that God sent
His son, Jesus into the world to be led to the
slaughter like a sacrificial lamb, for the redemption of
mankind.

The satanic lion brings death. But the Lamb of God
brings life... eternal.

Thank God...for the Lamb of March.
The Lamb of God.

   (*This article was originally written in 1978,
   when Easter also fell on the fourth Sunday
in March.)