Are You A Listener Or A Ringer?

Saw this on "Christians on Shotgun World" forum. Don't know its author, but I know that most of my brothers will think of my Dad & Mom and their missionary efforts in northeran Sask, Canada. Much of that effort was done on horseback. I like the thought that sometimes we "ring" and sometimes we need to "listen" for the ringing!

"Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if one stops the car, or is walking by, one will notice something quite amazing.

Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing.

Listening, one will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, one will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her bridle is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.

As one stands and watches these two friends, one sees how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is trusting that she will not lead him astray.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges.

He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by God and those whom he places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see God".

From John Wesley's Journal

"On Thursday, Patrick Ward, who was to die on that day, sent a request I would administer the sacrament to him. He was one-and-twenty of age, and had scarce ever had a serious thought, till he shot the man who went to take away his gun. From that instant he felt a turn within, and never swore an oath more. His whole behaviour in prison was serious and composed: He read, prayed, and wept much; especially after one of his fellow-prisoners had found peace with God.

His hope gradually increased till this day, and was much strengthened at the Lord's Supper; but still he complained, 'I am not afraid, but I am not desirous, to die. I do not find that warmth in my heart. I am not sure my sins are forgiven.' He went into the cart, about twelve, in calmness, but mixed with sadness.

But in a quarter of an hour, while he was wrestling with God in prayer (not seeming to know that any one was near him), 'The Holy Ghost,' said he, 'came upon me, and I knew that Christ was mine.' From that moment his whole deportment breathed a peace and joy beyond all utterance, till, after having spent about ten minutes in private prayer, he gave the sign".

Saw this today on an internet forum "Christians on Shotgunworld.com"

Christian Kindness

Heard this today on the radio program "The More Abundant Life", "People are respected and honored for their wisdom but LOVED for their KINDNESS".

This wonderful program is carried on the "Life Talk" radio network and features the wonderful preaching AND singing by "Wintley Phipps". You will be blessed by this man I'm sure, so check him out.

"Near to the Heart of God"

This hymn "Near to the Heart of God" was written by Cleland B. McAfee, Presbyterian preacher and choir director at Park College in MO., after two nieces died of diphtheria within 24 hours of each other:

There is a place of quiet rest,
A place where sin connot molest.

There is a place of comfort sweet,
A place where we our Savior meet.

There is a place of full release,
A place where all is joy and peace.

O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.

His Dying Words

In 1876, Philip Bliss and his wife were on the way to Chicago to sing at Moody Tabernacle on the last Sunday of the year. They were both killed in a train wreck on the way. Found in his trunk were the words to a new hymn he had written,

I will sing of my Redeemer;
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
From the curse to set me free.

Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer;
With His blood, He purchased me.
On the cross, he sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

BTW Bliss wrote many hymn lyrics and even some music, such as the music for "It is well with my Soul". Check his efforts on cyberhymnal.org and select people.

You only get two picks!

Heard this afternoon at a truck stop while waiting to have my motor home serviced. A trucker with a tight deadline was impatient and continue to ask how much longer would he have to wait for service. The owner finally silenced him with the following statement. "We offer three things, quality, price and speed, but you only get to pick two out of that list". That silenced the impatient customer.

I had to wait a bit, but when the bill came to just about one-half of what I thought it would be, I told the manager that I was very happy to wait and was glad to do that as I felt they provided good service at a more than fair price.

2 out of 3 ain't bad! In baseball that might get you into the "hall of fame".

"And Can It Be"

http://religiousaffections.org/content/view/465#comments/#comments/

Check out this web site. It's a thoughtful, yet scholarly analysis of what seems to be happening in the evangelical churches we attend, taking a wonderful rich hymn and changing it so much one would hardly recognize it. I don't want to "grieve the Holy Spirit" but I'm not convinced that this is what we should be singing or listening to in our worship. In the hospital where I work, we often listen to music in the operating room. Recently one of the employees remarked that she really liked the CCM Station that was on, saying "it's just like the rock station I listen to, you don't even know it's Christian Music".

After you listen to the CCM version of And Can It Be using the net link listed above, go to cyberhymnal.org and look at Wesley's words and listen to the traditional melody and see if that doesn't bless you.."Amazing Love, How Can It Be, That Thou My God, Should Die For Me".

BTW my favorite rendition of the hymn is a 50's Male Quartet "The Melody Four".

"Generosity is a Principle, not an Amount"

Sign see this afternoon on Wenatchee Ave, In Wenatchee, WA.

"Jesus Shall Reign"

Another great hymn by Issac Watts and one of my all-time favorites by Watts along with "When I Survey The Wonderous Cross". In addition to his many hymns, Watts was also the author of a multi-volume study on prayer. The "Cyber Hymnal" lists about fifteen verses to this majestic hymn and this one is powerful-
"With power He vindicates the just,
And treads th’oppressor in the dust:
His worship and His fear shall last
Till hours, and years, and time be past".

G. J. Stevenson’s Notes on the Meth­od­ist Hymn Book re­lates:
"Perhaps one of the most in­ter­est­ing oc­ca­sions on which this hymn was used was that on which King George, the sa­ble, of the South Sea Is­lands, but of bless­ed mem­o­ry, gave a new con­sti­tu­tion to his peo­ple, ex­chang­ing a hea­then for a Christ­ian form of gov­ern­ment. Un­der the spread­ing branch­es of the ban­yan trees sat some thou­sand na­tives from Ton­ga, Fi­ji, and Sa­moa, on Whit­sun­day, 1862, as­sem­bled for Di­vine wor­ship. Fore­most amongst them all sat King George him­self. Around him were seat­ed old chiefs and war­ri­ors who had shared with him the dan­gers and for­tunes of ma­ny a battle—men whose eyes were dim, and whose pow­er­ful frames were bowed down with the weight of years. But old and young alike re­joiced to­ge­ther in the joys of that day, their fac­es most of them ra­di­ant with Christ­ian joy, love, and hope. It would be im­poss­i­ble to de­scribe the deep feel­ing man­i­fest­ed when the sol­emn serv­ice be­gan, by the en­tire au­di­ence sing­ing Dr. Watts’ hymn…Who so much as they could real­ize the full mean­ing of the po­et’s words? For they had been res­cued from the dark­ness of hea­then­ism and can­ni­bal­ism and they were that day met for the first time un­der a Christ­ian con­sti­tu­tion, un­der a Christian king, and with Christ Him­self reign­ing in the hearts of most of those pre­sent. That was in­deed Christ’s king­dom set up in the earth".