WHY

READ

THE

PURITANS ?

what do the Puritans have to offer us?

Dr. Don Kistler has done the church a huge favor by writing the booklet " Why Read the Puritans Today? A Soli Deo Gloria Publications, in which Don Kistler is fonder and president . Don has given us his ten reasons to spur us on to the reading of the Puritans. I encourage you, my readership, to read Don's booklet, if you have not done so as of yet. These great booklets are great to hand out to promote the proliferation of the reading of sound theological depthness that is exhibited in the Puritans. My love affair for the Puritans began back in 1997. In 1996 I had discovered the writings of a man that many have called " the Prince of Preachers" Charles Haddon Spurgeon. I found myself quickly entranced by his passion for Christ and His cross. I kept encountering quotes from the Puritans from Spurgeon's writings. So I set out to embark upon the writings of the Puritans, so as to find out, first hand, what had such a profound influence on Spurgeon. I found out indeed. It was love at first sight or should I say love at first read. My desire to read the Puritans seems to grow with every new book. Now I want to share my reasons with you, and to the Church, as to why read the Puritans? However I don't want to steal Dr. Don Kisler's reasons, but it would be very hard not to come away with some of the same reasons. These are my reasons, in my words primarily before I had read Dr. Don Kistlers booklet.

Why Read the Puritans?

1) Coram Deo- The Puritans had a way with exalting and esteeming the goodness, glory and grandeur of God. Getting us to move toward the throne room of God. And beholding His face. Upholding all of God's attributes, not just the singularity of God's love, but encompassing His manifold manifestations of His nature. Before the Puritans, John Calvin said, "Man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he he has first looked upon God's face, and then descends from contemplating Him to scrutinize himself." The Puritans knew their God well, thus they knew themselves well.

2) Christ-centric- The Puritans often plea with us to flee and fly to Christ. And Christ alone. The sufficiency of Christ, as mediator between God and man. The great physician of the soul. The excellencies of Christ were Cherished, loved, and herald among the Puritans.

3) The sufficiency of scripture- The Puritans knew their bibles. On average they would read 15 chapter per day. They had an assiduous appetite in the reading and studying of the Holy Scriptures. When guests were over to their houses, they read to each other from the bible or from other good books sometimes for hours.

4) Physicians - The Puritans were often called "The physicians of souls". They had a profound love for one another, and would analyze the poor soul in question, in light of the full council of God. And diagnosis the poor soul for the biblical remedy.

5) Sin mortifiers- The Puritans spoke much on the evils of sin. I call this talking down sin. That is they would show the awfulness, heinousness, and ugliness of the reality of sin. They had an ardent abhorrence for sin. This is where the Puritans were really strong. Where we have much to learn.

6) The Gospel - The Puritans were evangelists. Their evangelism was God-centered rather than man-centered. They made much, rightly so, of being made right with God. Unlike much of today's so called evangelism, that promises that your felt needs, can be meant, like any other relationship. The gospel was seen, as the full council of God. The evangelist task was to teach it. Not to deduce the gospel to mere four points, and make the gospel easy for consummation. But rather teach the great doctrines of sacred scripture. Predestination- Election - regeneration-Justification- propitation- reconciliation- sanctification- and glorification. They would not shun away from these biblical doctrines. Making your calling and election sure, was an integral part of their preaching.

7) Practical- The Puritans were a practical bunch, but not pragmatists . Most of the Puritans were Calvinists who believed in what they would call "experimental Calvinisim". They firmly believed that without holiness no one will see the Lord.

8) Worship- The Puritans believed that all of life is worship to the King of Kings. No part of life was not under Christ's Lordship. Worship was not compartmentalize nor was it considered to be only the time reserved for singing and music. The pulpit was highly esteemed. The preaching of the word was at the height of the whole Church service. The Lords day was viewed as a day of joyous celebration of the manifold grace found in Christ. The Lords day would not be a day to fast , but to feast on Christ's body both at the Lords table (communion) and with the body of Christ (the Church). Yet reverence for Christ, and the fear of God was exhibited, and was a prelude to Knowledge.

9) Family- The Puritans had a high view of the family. Children were seen as a blessing , and not a curse. The Puritans where match makers. They stressed that it not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). That Companionship was the top primary reason for the institution of marriage. Sex was not to be suppressed , but rather lavishly enjoyed, with in the bounds of holy matrimony. Sex was viewed as a sacred God given gift, first for the enjoyment between husband and wife, than for the progeny of the gospel by bearing children as a means to carry out the first command, to be fruitful and multiply, so to have dominion. The culture mandate was to be carried out through the proliferation of raising a godly family. The husband was seen as the pastor of his little flock. Prophet priest and king. Provider and protector. The wife as the helpmate to the man's joy. As a good wife, mother, and lover. And as the cultivator of the heart of the family.

10) StrongVocabulary- The Puritans had a way with words. In our day much of our literature seems so drab, dry, and deficient; of fostering ardent affections for anything. Let alone of the eternalties of what seems often to us as mundane, boring, and even useless. Their literature is able to arouse, and awaken us out of our lethargy. We Christian here in the West seem to be asleep in the light. My own prayer for myself has been "Lord save me from this cesspool of indifference". The Puritans were good at painting word pictures to heighten the will, so as to move it, to it's highest climax of emotions. They weren't only concern about information and facts but they wanted people to be moved and stirred in their emotions as to act differently. So long it was under the masters umbrella of truth.

Puritan Belief

Sorry, I do apologize, I said I would post ten reasons "why read the Puritans?". Due to unavoidable circumstances of life (work). I have not yet posted it as you see. I want it to be a good post, and not rushed. I want to be a man of my word. I planned to take a week of work off, and I found myself working today. I do planned to post it today Friday December 30 (Lord willing). Again sorry for any inconvenience. Mean while why not check out "Puritan Belief". You will not be disappointed.
In Christ Daniel

Puritan Belief: Fridays Top Posts

Fervent Desire

Augustus Toplady

Father, I want a thankful heart,

I want to taste how good Thou art.

To plunge me in Thy mercy's sea,

And comprehend Thy love to me-

The length, and depth, and breadth, and height

Of love divinely infinite.

Jesus, my great High Priest above.

My friend before the throne of love!

If now for me prevails Thy prayer,

If now I find Thee pleading there,

Hear, and my weak pertitions join,

Almighty Advocate, to Thine.

O sovereign Love, to Thee I cry,

Give me Thyself, or else I die;

Save me from death, from hell set free,

Death, hell, are but the want of Thee;

My life, my crown, my heaven Thou art!

Oh, may I find Thee in my heart!

Toplady, Augustus. The Worrks of Augustus Toplady,

London: J. Chidley, 1837,p. 914.

Can I Turn you on to the Puritans?

Can I encourage you to check out some Puritan literature? I don't know about you, but I cherish good poetry. Here in this book "Worthy is the Lamb" is some of the best, Christ centered, poetry. Tomorrow I will give you 10 reasons of my own , Why I think you should read the Puritans.

Books > Puritan and Reformed Writings > Works of Puritan and Reformed Authors > Worthy is the Lamb Author: Maureen BradleyEdited by: Don KistlerPublisher: Soli Deo Gloria You won't want to miss this inspiring collection of Puritan poetry! Like Valley of Vision, this volume will not only serve as a source of refreshment and encouragement for your spiritual life, it will help you help others when you can’t find the words

MERRY CHRISTMAS, ALL YE SAINTS!!!

The lyrics to ( Joy To The World) this well known loved Christmas carol believe it or not, is really not about the birth and incarnation of Christ Jesus, rather it is about His second coming. There is no better time, than during this season of remembrance of our Savior, Lord and King's first coming, that we ought to be reminded of His soon second coming; the consummation of all things. O happy happy day. Christ Jesus will return not as a lowly humble servant , but rather as a fierce grand glorious triumphal King, to rule and reign in all His fullness. We can fully trust that He is coming to take us (the elect) to be with Him forever. Because He has come the first time, thus keeping His precious,prophetic, promises. Are you ready? Do you long for His appearing? ..."Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him." 1 John 2:28-29

"And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure." 1 John 3:3




The scripture-based words are by Isaac Watts. The music was adapted and arranged by Lowell Mason from an older melody which was then believed to have originated from Handel; not least because the theme of the refrain (And heaven and nature sing...) appears in the orchestra opening and accompaniment of the recitative Comfort Ye from Handel's Messiah, and the first four notes match the beginning of the choruses Lift up your heads and Glory to God from the same oratorio. However, Handel did not compose the entire tune.]

JOY TO THE WORLD
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

YOU KNOW JACK!!!

You thought you knew Jack?

Better known as C.S. Lewis. Clive Staples Lewis was born in 1898 in Belfast, Ireland. At an early age of 3 or 4 he changed his name to Jack. Do we blame him. Interesting facts of Jack, includes that he liked to spend time with friends at the Eagle and Child pub, drinking pints, and smoking pipes.

He was an avid reader. Lewis distrusted the latest trends and in all

aspects of culture: People become enamored with what's hip and plunge " into it because it seems successful. " You may call Lewis" old school." Lewis lived a very modest life; he was a very generous man, giving away two-thirds of his income to Church and other charities. Jack did not travel much nor cared too. Jack never learned to drive a car. Jack loved the sea, but disliked swimming. He wasn't one for small talk, so he avoided social functions and he said " I have a distaste for all that is public." He hated radio and television though later his voice would be heard on the radio. In World war 1 he suffered a wound to his wrist which later would cause pain while writing the 37 books he would produce. Jack memorized books including Greek and Latin books and would recite them from memory. If he like a book he wanted to own it so he could read it again and again. He enjoyed reading so much that he would read and walk at the same time, even when getting ready and walking out the door. Truly a man after my own heart.

Jack of many trades

Many different genres of literature Jack wrote; from theology (Mere Christianity)( God In The Dock). My first apologetic books I read. Poetry (Dymer), allegorical novel (The pilgrim's Regress) this would not be politically correct today, it talks about dark skin girls, which represent lust. Philosophy ( The Abolition of Man), children "suposal" fairy tale ( The Chronicles of Narnia), space travel fiction (The ransom Trilogy) interesting in light of the fact that he had a distaste to travel. Myth (Till WE Have Faces), analogue (Letters to Malcolm), literary criticism ( Discared Image) and autobiography ( Surprised by Joy).

Surprise!!! Joy

Yes indeed he surprised many including himself in when in 1957 he started to fall in love with Joy his wife, that's right, he first entered into a civil marriage with Joy. In 1956 Joy's visa renewal was refused by the British authorities, unless she would marry an Englishmen she was to return to the United States. Later in 1956 they would a have legal ceremony. She was 37 years of age and he was 55 years of age when they tied the knott. Only four years into their relationship she would die of cancer. Joy's death nearly destroyed Jack. In response to his pain he wrote the book "A Grief Observed". A book that many have found helpful in the loss of a loved one.

What does Jack know?

Though Jack has contributed much to Christian subculture and has influenced Christians to engage in the arena of apologetics, he did not subscribe to penal substitution, and biblical inerrancy. He believed in baptismal regeneration and purgatory. Even with this marred deficient theology he has impacted much of Christendom, including myself. He paved the way for a passion for apologetics and to worship God in the duty of delight, with the whole mind and intellect. He helped fuel a passion for reading. In "God In The Dock" chapter 4, titled "On the Reading of Old Book" we read "I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old." That is good sound advice. I might add Puritan literature at that.

alledged allegory

Perhaps the single most common question about The Chronicles of Narnia asks whether Lewis wrote the series as an allegory. After all, even if your biblical knowledge is limited to a few Sunday school classes in third grade, you probably notice that Aslan has many similarities to Jesus Christ. If Lewis added that symbolism on purpose, does that mean that everything in Narnia represents something in the Bible? C.S. Lewis makes clear that he didn't write the Narnian Chronicles as a biblical allegory. But you may be asking: How can this be true given the obvious symbolism used throughout the series? In order to understand Lewis's side of the story, you need to understand the difference between allegory and something he called supposal.

An allegory is a literary device in which an author uses the form of a person, place, or animal to represent an abstract idea. For example, an eagle can represent the abstract concept of "freedom," a witch can represent "evil," or a photo of yours truly can express "amazing, profound wisdom." Some of the more popular literature in history is allegorical. In Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, for example, Dante represents humanity as he journeys through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. In John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, concepts like hope and mercy become real-life characters in his saga of a man (named Christian) searching for salvation. So too, Lewis's first book written after his Christian conversion was The Pilgrim's Regress, a Bunyan-like allegory that describes his road to the Christian faith. In The Allegory of Love, Lewis writes that when you use allegory, "you can start with [facts] . . . And can then invent . . . Visible things to express them." He adds, "What is good or happy has always been high like the heavens and bright like the sun. Evil and misery were deep and dark from the first." A slightly broader definition of allegory applies when an author represents real people or places in a fictional context. George Orwell's Animal Farm is a well-known example of this allegorical type. As a way of addressing the issues surrounding the Russian Revolution, Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and other real historical figures are represented as pigs on a farm.The Chronicles of Narnia is not in this genre. Lewis did not write the series as an allegory using his fantasy setting to represent abstract concepts or real people. In terms of literary style, the series bears no parallels to allegorical works like The Divine Comedy, Animal Farm, or even Lewis's own The Pilgrim's Regress.In fact, Lewis explicitly warns readers against trying to make a one-for-one match between Narnia and the real world. In a May 1954 letter to a fifth grade class in Maryland, he writes, "You are mistaken when you think everything in the books 'represents' something in this world. Things do that in The Pilgrim's Progress but I'm not writing in that way."

Supposedly, this is a supposal
Although Lewis makes it clear that The Chronicles of Narnia isn't an allegory, he doesn't deny that some symbolism was written into the series. But, to understand his approach, you need to recognize that Lewis differentiates allegory from something he calls supposal. In a December 1959 letter to a young girl named Sophia Storr, he explains the difference: I don't say. 'Let us represent Christ as Aslan.' I say, 'Supposing there was a world like Narnia, and supposing, like ours, it needed redemption, let us imagine what sort of Incarnation and Passion and Resurrection Christ would have there.' Allegory and supposal aren't identical devices, according to Lewis, because they deal with what's real and what's unreal quite differently. In an allegory, the ideas, concepts, and even people being expressed are true, but the characters are make-believe. They always behave in a way reflective of the underlying concepts they're representing. A supposal is much different; the fictional character becomes "real" within the imaginary world, taking on a life of its own and adapting to the make-believe world as necessary. If, for example, you accept the supposal of Aslan as true, then Lewis says, "He would really have been a physical object in that world as He was in Palestine, and His death on the Stone Table would have been a physical event no less than his death on Calvary." Aslan isn't an allegory of Jesus Christ. Instead, he's a supposal. Lewis emphasizes this point in a December 1958 letter to a lady named Mrs. Hook: [Aslan] is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question 'What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?' This is not allegory at all. Much of The Chronicles of Narnia is built on the concept of supposal. For example: Suppose Christ came into the world of Narnia as Aslan. What would he be like? Suppose Aslan created Narnia out of nothing and centuries later brought it to a conclusion. How would these stories play out? Suppose evil were introduced into Narnia. What would that be like? Suppose a person or talking animal could freely choose to obey or disobey Aslan. What would life in Narnia be like? By using supposal, Lewis doesn't feel compelled to have a direct 1 to-1 correlation between the experiences of Aslan and the real life of Jesus Christ. In his letter to Sophia Storr, Lewis talks of this freedom: "When I started The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I don't think I foresaw what Aslan was going to do and suffer. I think He just insisted on behaving in His own way." Using supposal as the vehicle for getting him there, Lewis views The Chronicles of Narnia as myth. He explains that an allegory is a story with a single meaning, but a myth is a story that can have many meanings for different readers in different generations. According to Lewis, an author puts into an allegory "only what he already knows," but in a myth, he puts "what he does not yet know and could not come by in any other way."

So you think you know Jack?

studs

December 19, 2005
Daniel Mann, left, and Dave Mazzella are partners in Pane-Less Window Washing.
They emphasize professionalism
Owners: Daniel Mann and Dave Mazzella
Phone: 773-2290 and 1-888-873-2290
Employees: Two employees

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one in a weekly series of profiles on locally owned and operated businesses in Southern Oregon.
What do you do and how long have you been doing it?
We do both commercial and residential window cleaning, big and small, from Ashland to Grants Pass in the Rogue Valley and as far south as Bakersfield, Calif. We do a lot of hospitals and have been doing it for the past five years.
How long have you lived in the Rogue Valley?
Daniel: moved here with my parents in 1978 from Orange County, Calif., and Dave moved here a few years later.
What inspired you to go into this line of work?
Daniel: It was something I knew how to do and was experienced at. It pays well. It was a great opportunity to make good money and do a professional job of doing it.
What decision or action would you change if you could do it again?
I probably would have spent less on advertising. I probably would’ve got a vehicle with a logo on it right away. You build a clientele by word of mouth and just going to accounts and making bids.
What’s the toughest business decision you’ve made?
Whether or not to work for a subcontractor part of the time. That involves going down to the Bay Area, doing hotels and high-rise buildings, up to 36 stories. Most of them are 15 stories and below. Subcontracting involves doing the job and then getting paid by the account holder.
Who are your competitors?
There are more and more every day. Southern Oregon Window Cleaning and Crystal Clear — probably the biggest one, because other people subcontract for them.
How do you define success for your business?
Our goal is primarily to establish a good name for ourselves through our professional work. Most other window cleaners I’ve seen don’t have nice uniforms and don’t necessarily look professional. We aim to please and have no complaints.
All of our work is guaranteed. You don’t like our work, you don’t pay, and so far, we’ve had no complaints.
What are your goals?
To be a household name. When you think of toothpaste you think of Crest and when you think of tires, you usually think of Firestone. So when you think of clean windows, that you would think of Pane-Less. It would be nice to have more employees. I can foresee in the future, especially during certain seasons that we would need help.
What training or education did you need?
Window cleaning techniques to help speed up and save time. Being able to fix previous scratches as well. There are products such as soaps, squeegees and scratch-removal products. Then you have to learn how to use the device that buffs scratches out and chemicals that remove water spots.
What’s your advice for budding entrepreneurs?
Work hard and create a good name for yourself. Have a good reputation.


This appeared today in our local paper the Medford "Mail Tribune" under Business.
Are not these the most handsome and debonair fellows you have yet seen? Sorry one is taken and has a family of three adorning children.

God in not safe

" Who is Aslan?" asked Susan.

"Aslan?" said Mr. Beaver, " Why don't you know , He's the king..."

"Is -is he a man?" asked Lucy.

"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion-the Lion, the great Lion."

"Ooh!" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel

rather nervous about meeting a lion."

""That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs.Beaver, " if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're neither

braver than most or else just silly."

"Then He isn't safe? " said Lucy.

" Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. " Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you?

Who said anything about safe? ' Course he isn't safe. But he's good.

He's the King, I tell you."

later toward the end of the movie Lucy says... He (Aslan) is not tamable, but he is good.

Now, I had watched the movie with a group of friends Saturday night. I thought it was a pretty good movie. I don't go to movies much . Usually when I do I have to think back 'ok what movie did I watch last?' It takes a couple minutes to think what it was. I have gotten into some discussion on my friend ( Julianne's) blog www.sempersolideogloria.blogspot.com It appears that C.S. Lewis (Jack) did not intend "The Chronicles of Narnia" to be taken as an allegory, however I do like the line, "He is not tamable, but he is good. or how it's put the other way, He is not safe, but he is good. I do think it is a good description of Jesus Himself. A few years back I read a book called "God is not safe" good book. It should remind us that God is sovereign. And as My header declares from a verse that God does as He pleases. We toy not with God. God is a consuming fire. God is not at are beck and call. He answers to no one, but to Himself within the triune Godhead. If God were only sovereign and not good, there would be no point in worshiping Him. We could not trust Him, and we would be consumed in His fierce anger. O but He is good and He lavishes His goodness upon us . Knowing that He is both sovereign and good is comfort to our souls. Knowing he has both the power and the will to work all things for our good.

Time is of the Essence

Time is of the Essence

"Time is of the essence" This a phrase I often said and repeated in my growing up years. I don't know where I had pick it up, but it sound deep and profound to me as a child, so I took hold of it, and used it myself. Whenever something seemed important and time was a factor to the equation, to get the task done: I would quote those words "time is of the essence".

Remember as a child how slow time went. I could not wait to be out of school, and I mean out of school for good. I hung out with my momma a lot as a younger child and being the baby of the family, I was with my mom much of the time. My mom seem to always be killing time. 'What are we doing' I would ask as we would drive around the same block 3 times to wait and pick up my older brother from school; my mom would reply, 'we are killing time'. Great now I was an accomplice to the murder of time, with my own mother.

I don't know about you, but these days I don't have 'time to kill'. I wish I could have both the time that my momma and I killed, and the time it took to kill time. Oh, how I miss that time. It was the best of times. But all I have now is the time at hand. I have repented of killing time. I no longer take the time of killing time. I have found out, it is after all, just a big waste of time.

Time is like a dollar, you can spend it however you wish, but once you spend it, it is gone.
So really 'time is of the essence' We are here today and gone tomorrow. 'For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.'-James 4: 14b


Me and the Ladies

Not long ago, I went to the Golden Arches (McDonald's) for lunch. I took a book in with me.(I take a book with me where-ever I go) I was going to eat and read a little: when I notice a white haired lady approaching my way, I gave her a courtesy smile and she gave me one in return. She too had a book in hand. She evidently saw my open book and ask me 'what are you reading?' I told her, than asked 'what are you reading?' then this frail lady told me the name of the book; she was about to read. I invited this elderly lady to sit down with me. She accepted and from then on, she proceeded to share her life story with me. I listened intently and I enjoyed hearing her explain to me how the providential hand of God wrote her life story. Would you believe it, I was there for three hours conversing with this lady, and yet it seemed like three minutes. Shortly, after that encounter I found myself counseling a 65 year old lady (for 2 hours) who had recently lost her husband. I was able to direct her to good resources for the grieving.

I got checked into a Mental Ward

A few weeks ago I was checked into a mental ward. That's right! I am an owner and operator of a window cleaning business. I travel from where I live here in southern Oregon to clean windows in the Bay area . I work in a lot of hospitals. I had to check in at the desk of the mental ward before entering to clean their windows. As far as the rest of the hospital I had to knock on the door of each patient room upon entering, most are not cognizant: others think I am their nurse wanting to hand me their bedpans. Without tripping over tubes and wires I make my way over to the window to clean it. I like to joke around with the patient, so I ask 'how do you like your stay here at the Hilton . And I like to tell them now that their window is clean their rent will double. Most however are not cognitive of what's going on, they are on the verge of passing out of this life into the next. Many I know are bound for Hell. Few are homeward bound to Heaven. Seeing this really gets me to thinking about time and my relationship to it. How life is so fragile, and Oh so short. Many of these people die alone with the glowing idol (TV) before their eyes. I DON'T WANT TO DIE LIKE THIS. Not that it's all up to me how I will die. However, First I want make my life count. Please no TV, no Oprah or any other foolish empty worldliness. Read me from the Bible, sing me a godly edifying song. And I don't want to die alone. If I had it my way, I would like to die like Stonewall Jackson with my wife (Future) leaning over me as I comfort and encourage her to continue to fight the good fight. And all my children present and grandchildren, to pray a blessing upon their heads.

Time to Live

Over three years ago I had to watch my father die. As I stood by his side, I took his hand, and he looked up at me as a stranger. He had alzheimer's . He was 81 years old. And his body was all shutting down. He had been healthy all his life. I will talk about him later as I will write a blog giving him a tribute. But for now I just want to say that death has always been around me, especially growing up with older parents. But I have been moved in heart from seeing so many in our Hospitals dying alone; hopelessly. I want to live my life loud. I want to make an impact in our wicked generation. I want to make my life count. 'For to me, to live is Christ...Philippians 1:21a. I understand the rest of the verse to die is gain. Sure heaven, loved ones that have gone before us, no pain, no suffering, no sin, and coarse being with Jesus. But what does 'to live is Christ' mean? That I think I have meditated on more than any other verse in the entire Bible. Jesus Christ is the reason for being.'Time is of the essence' I will use the rest of my time to learn of Christ and what it means to live is Christ.

How Do They Do All That?

I enjoy reading a good biography. The first one that I had read was on the life of 'John Wesley'. How could he accomplish so much? He wrote over 500 books, between him and his brother 'Charles' they wrote over 6000 hymns. And the list goes on, how could he do so much? I recently took home a booklet from Church 'Priorities mastering time management' by James C. Petty. I thought I needed to get more prioritize so I could have more hours of the day. Well, I was 20 hours over per month and I still don't know where to cut back. I want to practice 1 hour a day at least on the guitar, I am learning the Djembe( African drum). I have to read, study the bible, pray, cook, and work. I have a 3 year paid membership at 24 Hour Fitness that I have not used in months. I joined toastmaster (a public speaking club) I am taking classes on the internet. I want to memorize books of the Bible verse by verse (I am going to start with Galatians since that is perhaps my favorite book) Then there are things I wish I could do like learn Greek, Hebrew, take singing lessons (If you heard me you'd know why) Dance lessons, many kinds of dance ( If you'd seen me you would know why). I'd like to sky dive (it might take some time to get the nerve to do it) Write a good reform book ( endorsed by J.I. Packer of course ) and catch up on reading. ( that's more unlikely than all the desire put together) get married and make 12 babies ( this sometimes seems the most unlikely) Well the list can go on and on, but time does not. For 'Time is of the essence'.

redeeming the time, because the days are evil. -Ephesians 5:16

Hymns

“A good hymn book is a wonderful companion to the Bible.” - Francis Schaeffer

God Moves in a Mysterious Way
God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm.Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill He treasures up His bright designs And works His sovereign will.Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head.Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower.Blind unbelief is sure to err And scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will

make it plain.

-William Cowper (1731-1800)

I cherish this line…"Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.”When providence seems to give me a cross I look for the smiling face of God’s grace to work for my good. Nothing can be against me when God works all things for my good even the frowning providence.

I have been working on my top ten list. Below is the list of my top ten favorite Hymns. This was very difficult to limit only to ten. My favorites have changed through out the years. These are not in any particular order.

#1) Rock of Ages

-Augustus Toplady

#2) A Mighty Fortress is Our God

-Martin Luther

(1529)

#3) Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

-Robert Robinson

(1758)

#4) Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

-Walter Chalmers Smith

(1867)

#5) God Moves in a Mysterious Way

-William Cowper

(1774)

#6) God, Be Merciful to Me

-From The Psalter, from Psalm 51:1-15

(1912)

#7) (And Can it be?) that I Should Gain

-Charles Wesley

(1707-1788)

#8) O Worship the King

–Sir Robert Grant

(1833)

#9) Fairest Lord Jesus

-Munster Gesangbuch

(1677)

#10) When I survey the Wonderous Cross

-Isaac Watts
(1707)

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