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Friday, November 19, 2010

Kenya.bush.birds.reserveflat-1
(birds on a bush, Kenya) 

 

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on

earth derives its name,

 that He would grant you, according to the

riches of His glory, to

be strengthened with power through

His Spirit in the inner man,

 so that Christ may dwell in your

hearts through faith; and that you,

being rooted and grounded in love,

may be able to comprehend with all the saints

what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

and to know the love of Christ

which surpasses knowledge,

that you may be filled up to all

the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:14-19

 

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Well with my soul...

Monday, November 15, 2010

Mallards 

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
Horatio G. Spafford


This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled,

'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words,
"When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of 
Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.

Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because
of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close 
friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only 
son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio 
had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was 
wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.

Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four 
daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was 
traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in 
late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French 
steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development 
forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned. 
He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford 
returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: 
"Saved alone."

On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 
12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters 
Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being 
torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a 
plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had 
been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her, 
"You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful 
and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved 
wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's 
voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and
I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio 
then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite 
woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still 
maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers 
was.

It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those 
experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.

No matter what circumstances overtake us may we be able to say with Horatio Spafford...

 

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Love is

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Kileyfrankiesnow
(my granddaughter and her very good friend Frankie)

 

Love is kind and patient

never jealous, boastful,

proud, or rude.

Love isn't selfish

or quick tempered.

It doesn't keep a record

of wrongs that others do.

Love rejoices in the truth,

but not evil.

Love is always supportive,

loyal, hopeful,

and trusting.

Love never fails!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Posted at 01:00 AM | | Comments (2)

Solitude

Friday, November 05, 2010

Bikepumpkin

"There are times when solitude is

better than society, and silence is wiser than speech.

We should be better Christians if we were more alone,

waiting upon God, and gathering

through meditation on His Word

spiritual strength for labour in his service.

We ought to muse upon the things of God,

because we thus get the real nutriment out of them. . . .

Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons,

make but slow advances in the divine life?

Because they neglect their closets,

and do not thoughtfully meditate on God's Word.

They love the wheat, but they do not grind it;

they would have the corn,

but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it;

the fruit hangs upon the tree,

but they will not pluck it;

the water flows at their feet,

but they will not stoop to drink it.

From such folly deliver us, O Lord. . . ." 
Charles Spurgeon

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Bread from heaven

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Raindropleaf

"Then the Lord said to Moses "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. Exodus 16:4

the instruction was to gather just what

they needed for that day....

no coveting for more or hoarding...

just trusting God for tomorrow.....

sounds like a simple request...

but it wasn't for those Israelites....

come to think of it, I'm sure I would have been one of the first to whine,

"Can't we have more variety, Lord?"

Today, I shall purpose in my heart to be

overly thankful for my daily portion. 

Posted at 01:00 AM | | Comments (2)