A Manger Was a Throne

’Tis He that Life and Spirit doth infuse:
Let ev’ry thing
The Praises sing
Of Christ the King of Jews;
Who makes things green, and with a Spring infuse
A Season which to see it doth not use:
Old Winter’s Frost and hoary hair,
With Garland’s crowned, Bays doth wear;
The nipping Frost of Wrath b’ing gon,
To Him the Manger made a Throne,
Du Praises let us sing,
Winter and Spring.

From On Christmas Day, by Thomas Traherne

Looks like a white Christmas around here, as we're coming out from one of the biggest snowstorms in a very long time. Spring seems so far off when you have a huge storm this early, but we can be assured it's coming. I happened upon this poem today and thought this particular stanza fitting. I love what it says about the the "Nipping Frost of Wrath" being gone and the call for both Winter and Spring to sing the praises of the Christ Child.

But the phrase I love the most is the one about the Manger being made a throne. Isn't that just a fantastic thought? Wow. Yes, that is pretty deep, but how true. You see, wherever the King of Kings rests Himself, it is indeed a throne.

From here at Scraps of Glory, may I wish whoever it is that comes by, a most blessed Christmas, bowing before His throne, even when a manger.

Love For Christ

Let John MacArthur speak to your heart today. (Don't forget to turn off the music on the sidebar.)

Death at Nain

And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. Luke 7:11-15

Our morning sermon yesterday was accompanied by tears being shed by the preacher and many of the hearers alike. You see, there were many words about dying and funerals. There were necessary words about sin, the cause of all the heartache. Pastor D. talked about the young man who died and about his mother. Much of the sermon tore at our hearts quite a bit. But like all good preaching, we were brought at last to Jesus, the One who conquered sin and death. As Pastor said, He is the central figure in the passage. He is the One who told the dead man to arise and the dead DID arise and was alive again. We were told once again, and may we never tire of hearing it, that this Jesus is the one and only deliverer from death and the grave.

And, we sang my favorite song that is so often sung at funerals in celebration of the homegoing of a believer: "The Sands of Time of Sinking." A blessed day indeed. My favorite stanza from that hymn:

O Christ, he is the fountain,
The deep sweet well of love!
The streams on earth I've tasted
More deep I'll drink above:
There to an ocean fullness
His mercy doth expand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land.

So, death at Nain ended with victory at Nain. I would like to remind you dear ones once again that this same Jesus is ready and willing to save YOU from the consequences of YOUR sin if you but come to Him. If you already know Him, don't you agree that we have a mighty and compassionate Savior?

A Good Word for Today's Happenings

¹Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

²He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

³How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.

⁴They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

⁵My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

⁶He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

⁷In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

⁸Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

⁹Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

¹⁰Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

¹¹God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.

¹²Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work. (Psalm 62, King James Version)

Refusing to Go In

And he was angry, and would not go in--Luke 15:28 [The elder brother from the Prodigal Son parable.]

. . .Now the labors of the day were over. "The plowman homewards wends his weary way." And he was hungry and he needed food. He was weary and he needed rest. He was soiled and stained with his day's work, and he wanted a change of raiment in the evening--and all that he needed in that evening hour was stored and treasured in his father's house. "And he was angry, and would not go in." He missed the very things that he was needing. All that would freshen him and make him strong again, he lost because he stayed outside the door. He was a soiled, weary, and hungry man, and everything was ready for the taking, yet no one forced him to the taking of it when he deliberately stood without. Is not that always the pity of it, when a man refuses the love of Jesus Christ? Is he not missing just what he most needs, and needs the more, the more has has been faithful? For all of us are soiled and we need cleansing; and all of us are weak and we need strength, and all of us are hungering and thirsting, and Christ alone can satisfy that hunger. My brother and sister, I want you to come in not to please me, but for your own sake first. I want you to come in, because just what you need now is waiting you in Christ. I want you to come in because that heart of yours is restless and unsatisfied and hungry; because when you were tempted last you fell, and you are missing the very thing you need.

~ George Morrison, Meditations on the Gospels

I Am My Neighbor's Bible

Another poem that was included in a birthday card from my mom contains sweetly worded truths that are always worth remembering. I think all too often we get hung up on what's important to ourselves personally, while failing to consider our effect on the world around us.

I am my neighbor's Bible

He reads me when we meet;

Today he reads me in my home--

Tomorrow on the street.

He may be relative or friend

Or slight acquaintance be;

He may not even know my name,

Yet he is reading me.

And pray, who is this neighbor

Who reads me day by day,

To learn if I am living right

And walking as I pray?

Oh, he is with me always

To criticize or blame;

So worldly-wise in his own eyes,

And "sinner" is his name.

Dear Christian friends and brothers,

If we could only know

How faithfully the world records

Just what we say and do,

Oh, we would write our record plain

And come in time to see

Our worldly neighbor won to Christ

While reading you and me.

~ Anon

What a message Mom has left for me even though there are times it gets forgotten. I ask the Lord to embed these words in my heart.

No Man . . .

"No man ever said, at the end of his days, 'I have read my Bible too much, I have thought of God too much, I have prayed too much, I have been too careful with my soul.'" ~ J.C. Ryle

Paper Momentos - Poems from Mom

I've been cleaning out drawers and closets this week and included in all that is a container and box holding greeting cards, notes, letters, and misc. wedding invitations and programs. I've been going through these items, trying to decide what to throw out as the pile has been growing over the years. Needless to say, I've been having trouble allowing myself to trash any of the precious memories contained in these various stationery items. How can I discard that heartfelt note of thanks written to me by my dear friend? Or the words of comfort written by another while my mom was here in our home during her dying weeks? Can I let the garbage man shred up any of the funny little notes or pictures my children wrote or drew when wee ones? I just can't. I'm afraid someone else will have to do it.

And then there are the greeting cards. Since I've been married, I have every card given to me by my husband and children. No way are they being trashed. It was when I started looking through the birthday cards my mom gave me over the years that I gave up on my initial project. Instead, I transferred everything into plastic ziploc bags for safekeeping. They may be just pieces of paper in plastic bags, but to me they are worth more than gold. There is no amount of money that anyone could give me that would surpass their value. They'll be worth very little to anyone else in the world, but to me they are priceless. So they stay for as long as I stay.

I found an extra blessing while going through my mom's cards. I forgot that in her later years she began taping poems to my birthday cards, poems which she had carefully cut out with pinking shears from some unknown source. I didn't appreciate those poems then nearly as much as now. Partly because she's gone, of course, but also because I appreciate poetry more as I grow older. So bear with me as I share with you a few of these poems from my mom in this and a few of the following posts coming up.

Some of the cards have the year recorded, but this one didn't. The card was a beautiful shade of pale blue/green and was entitled "A Daughter's Loving Ways," containing a lovely poem of its own, but these were the words lovingly taped to the left inside:

I can no longer grasp your tiny hand and lead you across a street,
Nor tuck you in at night against the chill,
Nor kiss your precious flawless baby face,
But, I can pray.

I can no longer take you to the House of God,
Nor read to you from His precious Holy Word,
Nor tell you what is right, and what is wrong,
But, I can pray.

For you are grown and from my constant care are gone,
To choose YOUR way and live YOUR life,
And be what you WILL in YOUR own way,
But, I STILL pray.

~ Mabel B. Rambo


And she did.

There is a Fountain

Please turn off the music on the sidebar if you'd like to listen to this. A lovely rendition of one of our dearest hymns. I hope you have lost all of your guilty stains through the blood of the Lord Jesus. Listen and be blessed:



In that day there will be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. Zechariah 13:1

Dear Soul, Be Still

Be still! Just now be still!
Something thy soul hath never heard,
Something unknown to any song of bird,
Something unknown to any wind, or wave, or star,
A message from the Fatherland afar,
That with sweet joy the homesick soul shall thrill,
Cometh to thee if thou canst but be still.

"Be still! Just now be still!
There comes a presence very mild and sweet;
White are the sandals of His noiseless feet.
It is the Comforter whom Jesus sent
To teach thee what the words He uttered meant.
The willing, waiting spirit, He doth fill.
If thou would'st hear His message,
Dear soul, be still!

--Unknown

One Cow

On a very cold, snowy Sunday in February, only the pastor and one farmer arrived at the village church. The pastor said, 'Well, I guess we won't have a service today.' The farmer replied: 'Pastor, even if only one cow shows up at feeding time, I feed it.'

I found the above short story on a site of amusing Christian stories. Once, not too long ago, I thought I had only one of my Sunday school students show up. I was thinking about what to do--perhaps send him to another class or what? The "problem" was solved when two more students arrived that day. But after reading the above, it really touched me that even if I have just the one on any given Lord's Day, I should do all the Lord allows to give to that one young soul all God has for him or her at that particular time. What a lesson for not only pastors, but Sunday school teachers as well.

My Life

My life shall touch a dozen lives

before this day is done,

Leave countless marks for good or ill

ere sets the evening sun,

This is the wish I always wish,

the prayer I always pray;

Lord, may my life help other lives

it touches by the way.

~Anon

Beauty Care for the Tongue

Someone was talking about this book on another blog and I ordered it several months ago, but just started reading it this week. I really am enjoying it. Very nicely written, easy to follow, with quite a bit of sensible advice. It's also very biblical, with many Scriptures sprinkled throughout. And let me say, there is probably a piece of counsel in this book for each of us. For me, Beauty Hint 2, " A Beautiful Tongue is a Silent Tongue," is a particularly needful one. Here's a little nugget from that chapter to give you an example:

"Often when we converse with another person, we don't really listen to what that person is saying. In fact, while the other person is speaking, we are thinking about what we are going to say in return. If both individuals are going through the same little ritual, we have the ludicrous situation of two people talking to themselves together! There is a sobering proverb: 'Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.' (Prov. 18:2 NLT)"

Is that ever true of you? I hate to admit, but there are times when it is of me. By the way, this book is one in a series of others on beauty care for different parts of the body, such as the hands. Order this one and see what you think. I probably will be getting a few more after this one.

Happy Mother's Day

If you've arrived here at this page during the week of May 10th, 2009, this wish is for you. If you are a mother, cherish the children and grandchildren that God has given you. If you have a mother, honor and cherish her today. If like me, your mother has gone on before you, I pray your memories will be sweet today.

If Mother's Day is difficult for you for any reason, embrace the Lord Jesus. May He fill whatever void you may have.

Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: But God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. Psalm 73:25-26

For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 2 Corinthians 4:11

Lately I've been reading quite a bit about the lives of saints who suffered for their faith. Some of these sufferings were severe. Currently, I'm three quarters of the way through a book about the life of a brother in China. It's unbelievable the extent of the persecution that this man went through. And today during devotions, I read one of the short daily bio sketches in this book, The One Year Christian History. The glimpse I read today was about a believer in Bulgaria, another one who was tortured for his faith. I encourage you to get this book and read about the many lives, some by their shed blood, who are testimonies of the gospel worldwide. I promise you that you won't be sorry.

Of course, reading about people like Charles Spurgeon and Billy Graham are great encouragements, but I also think its important to reflect on the lives and trials of many who are little known to us. For they certainly are not little known to the God for whom they gave their lives, some literally. Needless to say, they will and should spur us on. Many of us who have it easy don't want things to get too difficult for us. Please don't let living the Christian life cause us too much discomfort or get in the way of us having and doing the things we want. I have a great remedy which I hope will help all of us: Ponder the stripes and chains of those who've gone before. This book will help you to do that.

Following After Abraham

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed" (Heb. 11:8).

If we were to follow in the steps of Abraham, we would follow the Lord's leading even when we don't know the where. This can be especially challenging during the dark times. These thoughts from today's Streams in the Desert should be a reminder that He'll take our hand when the need is greatest:

The day had gone; alone and weak
I groped my way within a bleak
And sunless land.
The path that led into the light
I could not find! In that dark
night God took my hand.

He led me that I might not stray,
And brought me by a new, safe way
I had not known.
By waters still, through pastures green
I followed Him--the path was clean
Of briar and stone.

The heavy darkness lost its strength,
My waiting eyes beheld at length
The streaking dawn.
On, safely on, through sunrise glow
I walked, my hand in His, and lo,
The night had gone.
--Annie Porter Johnson

In the Garden

Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden. and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand. John 19:41-42.

I hadn't thought much about the fact that there was a garden there, until this morning's devotions. I was reading in Meditations on the Gospels by George H. Morrison [which book I highly recommend] and he wrote absolutely wonderful thoughts about it. It made me decide to mention this garden on each of my blogs. Then a commenter on Nanna's Reflections made me think of this:

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

Refrain

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

~C. Austin Miles

Just think. In the place where He was crucified there was a garden. Think about that, friends. His sepulchre was in a garden. So when He rose from the dead, He was in a garden. For me, that's a beautiful thought.

Praying these thoughts will make your holiday just a bit more precious.

The Fool

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. . .Psalm 14:1a


"'There is no God,' the fool in secret said:
There is no God that rules or earth or sky.'
Tear off the band that binds the wretch's head,
That God may burst upon his faithless eye!
Is there no God?—The stars in myriads spread,
If he look up, the blasphemy deny;
While his own features, in the mirror read,
Reflect the image of Divinity.
Is there no God?—The streams that silver flows,
The air he breathes, the ground he treads, the trees,
The flowers, the grass, the sands, each wind that blows,
All speak of God; throughout, one voice agrees,
And, eloquent, his dread existence shows:
Blind to thyself, ah, see him, fool, in these!"

Giovanni Cotta.

The Way of Sorrows

"And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. And they compel one Simon of Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. And they bring him unto the place of Golgatha, which is, being interpreted, The place of the skull." Mark 15:20-22.

Sunday our sermon was entitled "The Via Dolorosa," as we finish up an extended series from the book of Mark. In these recent weeks, we've been looking closely at the passion of our Lord, timing it all to finish up on Easter Sunday with the resurrection account from Mark's gospel. Pastor R. said the meaning of this Latin phrase is "the way of sorrows," as we reflected on that mile long journey our Lord took from the governor's palace to the place of crucifixion. He needed help carrying his cross burden; Luke's gospel tells us of women weeping by the way; Luke also tells of two criminals who went on the same journey to be put to death along with Him.

It was a sad and painful journey. But at the end was triumph. This rendition of the song seems triumphant to me. Maybe rightfully so.

(Remember to turn off the sidebar music!)

On Time

I don't know what to say, but something has happened to time. It has accelerated. It's eating up the hours, days, weeks, months, and years at a much more rapid pace. Is it just me or are you noticing it too? Have you noticed that something that you thought happened just a week ago was actually a month before? How about when you think something happened last year and it was really two, maybe even three years back? Well, I looked and saw how long it's been since I made the last post here and was flabbergasted. And just when I wanted to try to make more posts, more little brief stops. Oh well, such it is when time flies. John Milton had it right, though:


Fly envious Time, till thou run out thy race,
Call on the lazy leaden-stepping hours,
Whose speed is but the heavy Plummet's pace;
And glut thyself with what thy womb devours,
Which is no more than what is false and vain,
And merely mortal dross;
So little is our loss,
So little is thy gain.
For when as each thing bad thou hast entomb'd,
Then long Eternity shall greet our bliss
With an individual kiss;
And Joy shall overtake us as a flood,
When everything that is sincerely good
And perfectly divine,
With Truth, and Peace, and Love, shall ever shine
About the supreme Throne
Of him, t'whose happy-making sight alone,
When once our heav'nly-guided soul shall climb,
Then all this Earthy grossness quit,
Attir'd with Stars, we shall for ever sit,
Triumphing over Death, and Chance, and thee
O Time.


~ John Milton - 1633

Vanity Fair

Now these Pilgrims, as I said, must needs go through this fair. Well, so they did; but behold, even as they entered into the fair, all the people in the fair were moved, and the town itself as it were in a hubbub about them; and that for several reasons; for--

First, The pilgrims were clothed with such kind of raiment as was diverse from the raiment of any that traded in that fair. The people therefore of the fair made a great gazing upon them: Some said they were fools, some they were bedlams, and some they are outlandish men.

Secondly, And as they wondered at their apparel so they did likewise at their speech, for few could understand what they said; they naturally spoke the language of Canaan, but they that kept the fair were the men of this world; so that, from one end of the fair to the other, they seemed barbarians each to the other.

Thirdly, but that which did not a little amuse the merchandisers, was, that these pilgrims set very light by all their wares, they cared not so much as to look upon them; and if they called upon them to buy, they would put their fingers in their ears and cry, 'Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity,' and look upwards, signifying that their trade and traffic was in heaven.

From The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan

So Christian and his companion Faithful had to pass through this town where a fair was set up by Beelzebub, Apollyon and Legion. Need I elaborate? Certainly Bunyan wants to emphasize the world we have to travel through as pilgrims on our journey to the heavenly city. We HAVE to go through this world, which is heavily under the influence and power of Satan. There is no getting around it. But for true Christians, he fully captures it doesn't he? What was it about these pilgrims that upset the people in the town so much? About their clothing? About their speech? And notice the attitude which the pilgrims had towards the "wares" that were being sold at this fair.

Is all this true of you and me as we travel through Vanity Fair? Remember, if it is, the world is not going to love us. One point in particular: Please dear Lord, help me to speak the "language of Canaan."

Effectual Atonement

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Romans 5:6-11

Atonement: 1. reconciliation; becoming friends again with someone who had been an enemy; 2. being forgiven for our sins through a sacrifice acceptable to God. This was done through the shedding of blood--in the OT, animals were sacrificed, and in the NT, Jesus was the complete and final sacrifice to take away the sins of mankind.

Basic Bible Dictionary, the Standard Publishing Company, 1983.

Yesterday, I took the day off from teaching Sunday School (thank the Lord for my sub Sara), and was treated to a video presentation in the adult class on the doctrines of grace. The speaker was great, and while the primary focus was on the various doctrines distinctive to Baptists in particular and evangelicals in general, the doctrine of "effectual atonement" caught my thoughts and heart the most. Too much to write down here, but let me sum it all up by asking if you have any idea of the scope of the benefits which are ours by virtue of the atonement which we have received through the work of Christ Jesus. This atonement may be limited to only its beneficiaries, but unlimited in its blessings to these beneficiaries. Sound like double talk? Well it's not!

O Sacred Head

The following hymn contains some closing words from our sermon today on the agonizing of our Savior in Gethsemane. He told His Father "Not what I will, but what thou wilt." So, it was the Father's will that the cup of wrath would not be removed. So He bore it:


O sacred Head, now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down;
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory,
What bliss till now was thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call thee mine.

What thou, my Lord, hast suffered
Was all for sinners' gain:
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Saviour!
'Tis I deserve thy place;
Look on me with thy favor,
Vouchsafe to me thy grace.

What language shall I borrow
To thank thee, dearest Friend,
For this thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me thine for ever;
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love to thee.

I blindly ask for what I crave,

With haughty heart and will so stout;

He oft denies me what I seek,

But gives me grace to do without.

~ Anon.

Though the Most Terrible Occurs . . .

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Psalm 46:2

. . . The two phrases set forth the most terrible commotions within the range of imagination, and include the overthrow of dynasties, the destruction of nations, the ruin of families, the persecutions of the church, the reign of heresy, and whatever else may at any time try the faith of believers. Let the worst come to the worst, the child of God should never give way to mistrust; since God remaineth faithful there can be no danger to his cause or people. When the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the heavens and the earth shall pass away in the last general conflagration, we shall serenely behold "the wreck of the matter, and the crash of worlds," for even then our refuge shall preserve us from all evil, our strength shall prepare us for all good.~ Charles Spurgeon

As we look around us and see with open eyes, it's pretty apparent that some of the situations Mr. Spurgeon outlined are upon us already. It's important to remember that our "refuge and strength" is still there, isn't it?

Sunday Snippet - Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble? Psalm 46:1

Familiar words? I'm sure they are! What Christian doesn't know the first verse of this wonderful, wonderful psalm in the Word of God? What child of God has not been inspired, and most of all, comforted by not just this verse, but the whole eleven verses of one of the most beloved portions of our beloved Bible.

This, my dear friends, was our sermon today. It was delivered by a visiting young man who comes to preach periodically and we've seldom been disappointed when he does. This time I was particularly thankful for the ministry of the Word, because I needed it so much. You see, there is nothing that motivates me more in my Christian walk than to hear a message that brings me to God. And that's what happened today. I like it that our brother "took us into the mindset of the psalmist," that is, he brought us to the place that we could have a sense of what was happening in and to Jerusalem at the time the words were written. The horror of that time came alive for me--the brutal Assyrians, the great and vicious Sennacherib knocking at the door, ready to come in and destroy them. And yet, "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved." Wow. The context is trouble and the question posed to us was "What is it that unsettles you today?"

Whatever is unsettling you, whatever trouble you may be having, this blessed psalm is for you. Read it today and meditate on it. Let these words echo in your heart and mind:

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10.

He Has Purposed

For some reason, I've been drawn to the book of Isaiah in recent days, to remind myself of the sovereignty of God in all things. Can I share this passage with you, a favorite of mine for many years? Just posting it as a reminder, folks. And a comfort.

The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? Isaiah 14:24-27

Priorities

Jesus loves me, this I know,

For the Bible tells me so;

Little ones to him belong,

They are weak but he is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

~ Anna B. Warner

Miss Warner is another of my "inspirations" in life. For those of you who know me well, this should not be surprising. Why? Because so many of the people, past and present, who fall into that category are people who loved children and and placed a high regard on teaching them spiritual truths. If you'd like to be blessed, read about the lives of Anna and her sister Susan. You will be struck by the riches of lives such as theirs.

Stories abound about this hymn. You'd be surprised at the number of adults for whom it remained a favorite, such as Francis Schaeffer. The most enthusiastic singing comes at our church's nursing home ministry when this song is sung. As Mr. Schaeffer has said, while people need intellectual answers to their questions, they also need a direct message to their heart. "Jesus Loves Me" does that. It speaks directly to the hearts of young people, but also to all of us of all ages.

I firmly believe, as did the Warner sisters no doubt, that what we learn as children is best learned. While salvation is from God, and cannot be passed on by us, the truths that lead to a person's conversion can be firmly implanted in childhood and who knows when and how God will use them. That's why writing for children is still a priority for me. It's a priority, yes, but I've been neglecting it. This is not a resolution or anything like that, but my blogging and Facebook have got to take more of a back seat in coming days. Writing for precious young souls is burning at my heart again. There are several projects which got started and then, you know how it goes, things got off track.

I still want to visit friends and all that, but I am really going to try to limit my writing here to quotes, verses, poetry, notes about sermons, and things of that sort, which was my original intent. Unless some original thoughts do inspire the old brain and I can do it quickly!

Just thought I'd let you know what's going on. I'll be over to see you when I can!

New Year Wishes

I asked the New Year for some motto sweet,
Some rule of life by which to guide my feet.
I asked and paused; it answered soft and low,
"God's will to know."
`Unknown

I wish this for you and me, dear friends. I appreciate each and every one who stops by to visit. Your comments and encouragements have meant more than you can know. Blessings for the year 2009 and beyond. Signing off with words from one of my favorite hymns for the new year:

O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend:
I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side,
Nor Wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my guide.

~ John E. Bode