Head-dibs

Sorry, Yoda. I disagree--there must be "try" because sometimes a "do" may look like a "do not," and if one does not try then the "do" becomes a "didn't" and the opportunity is gone. When one stands at the brink of "do" and one "does not," then one has acted out of fear. He has not "tried," thus killing his chance along with that part of himself that should have known, could have known, victory. "Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." (Frank Herbert, Dune) Think of those who tried. They may have died because they tried. But they tried.  They did not fail.  They died "doing." Families are born because parents try.  L...

As shadows cast by cloud and sun Flit o’er the summer grass, So, in Thy sight, Almighty One, Earth’s generations pass. And as the years, an endless host, Come swiftly pressing on, The brightest names that earth can boast Just glisten and are gone. Yet doth the star of Bethlehem shed A luster pure and sweet; And still it leads, as once it led, To the Messiah’s feet. O Father, may that holy star Grow every year more bright, And send its glorious beams afar To fill the world with light.

“What is this confidence that you have?” These are the words of an invader. The Assyrian army has seized all the fortified cities of Judah and is now on the doorstep of Jerusalem. The Assyrian king sent three generals to speak with Hezekiah, not face to face, but to shout public humiliations over the wall. Listen to them strip every ounce of hope in the hearing of the people, “You say (but they are only empty words), ‘I have counsel and strength for the war.’ Now on whom do you rely, that you have rebelled against me? . . . Have I come up without the Lord’s approval against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’” (see 2 Kings 18-9-19:37) I am firmly convinced that when J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Battle of Helm’s Deep in “The Two Towers” he had the Assyrian invasion in mind. Peter Jackson did a fairly good job capturing the scene for us: Yes, I think that is fairly accurate (even of the Assyrians). Psalm 46 was composed during this...

All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair— The bees are stirring—birds are on the wing— And Winter, slumbering in the open air, Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring! And I, the while, the sole unbusy thing, Nor honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing. Yet well I ken the banks where amaranths blow, Have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow. Bloom, O ye amaranths! bloom for whom ye may, For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away! With lips unbrighten'd, wreathless brow, I stroll: And would you learn the spells that drowse my soul? Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve, And Hope without an object cannot live.

Ephesians is decorated with sparkling jewels of Christ. The first chapter alone mentions Christ directly or indirectly at least 18 times in the first 14 verses. Everything is summed in Christ and He is the object of our inheritance. My grandparents did not have much money, so they did what they could in preparing for birthdays and Christmas by visiting garage sales. I did not catch on to their pattern of shopping until I was much older, and felt rather embarrassed—yet each birthday and Christmas, they lavished gifts on us grandchildren. They did what they could within their means as an expression of love—and they prepared all year long for 15 minutes of childish delight. God’s loving gift of grace in Christ Jesus is not second-hand, and it includes a present as well as a future reality. “ In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will ” (Ephesians 1:11). He gave Himself as payment in ...

You were born a human being. That means you are not a chair, and you are certainly no chicken. You are not a chicken because you know how to argue, to stand up and fight; just to fight for what is right. You are too special to be a chair because you hear the voice of God. What does He sound like? You will know when He is suddenly silent. Beware the Lotus Eaters! Stay awake and know who the phonies are! Show some guts because there are too many possibilities, too many temptations and it is easy to go wrong. Satan tempts us in those places he knows we CAN do—we are never tempted to do the impossible. You are worth all the trouble to get goosed a little because you know that we would never do anything to hurt you, nor would we ask you to hurt yourself. There is a reason you are not a chair nor a chicken. That reason is because you were designed to do something in such a specific way that nobody living ever has been able to, can do or ever will do. You are able to bring glory to God ...

“Optimism” and “pessimism” are terms that have found their way into nearly daily usage and are often defined in terms of water in the glass--is the glass half-full or half-empty? The answer actually depends on whether the glass is being filled, or emptied; otherwise, it is simply half a glass of water. Voltaire (born François-Marie Arouet, 1694 - 1778) has been called “The Father of the Enlightenment,“ which is a period we describe as the rise of humanism. His philosophy, along with other writers, is still considered to be influential causes of both the French and American revolutions. As a theologian, Voltaire was primarily deistic, but his leanings were more pagan. His most well-known contribution is a a critique and analysis of the times, in the short witty book, “Candide” (1759), which incidentally, could very well be the source of “optimism“ and “pessimism.” The influence and reactions to John Bunyan (“Pilgrim‘s Progress,” 1678 ), Jonathan Swift (“Gulliver’s Travels,” 1726), with ...

The post-apocalyptic work “ The Road ” compelled me to search out more from the talented author Cormac McCarthy. Having been assaulted by “No Country For Old Men,” I held that very little could be more brutal. “Besides,” I wondered, “what would a Western story be like, written by an contemporary author?” So I read, “Blood Meridian: Or The Evening Redness In The West.” This is not your father's Louis L'Amour or your grandfather's Zane Grey. McCarthy unapologetically uses Spanish like Tolstoy uses French in early editions of "War and Peace." It's like watching the last 15 minutes of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" over and over again, and expecting that something different will happen with each ending. Only it's much, much worse. If “The Road” was a post-apocolyptic event (and there he never describes how the destruction came), then “Blood Meridian” is the event. Blood Meridian is historical fiction, very (very) loosely based on the bloody activit...

Last May I made the comment that a good writer shows the reader what to see in narrative, he does not merely tell . Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road,” accomplishes this effortlessly, making the reader shiver in the cold, squint in the dark, feel the hunger and experience the smell. Why discuss the book, and not the movie? There are elements of McCarthy’s writing that are non-translatable to any screen. His distinct, uncluttered writing style that carried him through the years is perfected in this novel. Forceful use of sentence fragments and a plethora of conjunctions drives the action (demonstrating a heavy dependence on the style of William Faulker). A rich vocabulary of carefully chosen words are treasures in the desolate landscape he presents in this work. He gives us in form what the plot of the book demands--barrenness. “The Road” is brutal: entire days pass in a paragraph, immense passages of time that characterize the journey are felt in literal space on the page. The writer make...

This helps me better understand what is meant by, "the whole earth is full of His Glory " (Isaiah 6:3) and the rainbow imagery of Revelation ( 4:3 ; 10:1 ) (scroll down for photo gallery). "The nearer I approach the end of my pilgrimage, the clearer is the evidence of the divine origin of the Bible. The grandeur and sublimity of God's remedy for fallen man are more appreciated and the future is illuminated with hope and glory." (Samuel Morse, 1791 - 1872, inventor) Recommended Reading (click on image):

After a long run of battle through the night, a trembling voice was heard to say, "Things look pretty dark, don't they?" Came the reply, "But the king says there's hope, sir! 'Tis always morning somewhere in the world." ************ " Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God . " (Psalm 43:5)

Some thoughts from my friend, Dr. John Williamson at the First Baptist Church of Ridgeway, SC : "Last Tuesday, our nation inaugurated a new president amid shouts of 'hope' and 'change.' I don't mean to sound cynical, but didn't we hear this before about two years ago, and two years before that, etc. Any candidate wins an election by promising hope and change. No one has ever run on a platform of: 'Let's keep everything just like it is.' For the Christian, our hope for change is not found in any human political leader as well intended as he or she may be. Our hope is in the Returning Lord, ' Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence ' (I Peter 3:15). I'm also very glad that our God never changes. ' I the LORD do not change ' (Malachi 3:6). Whatever He was; He still is! Whatever He said, ...

"Lord, I would ask for a holy year; Spent in Thy perfect will; Help me to walk in Thy very steps-- Help me to please Thee still. Lord, I would ask for a year of faith; Give me Thy faith divine. Taking my full inheritance, Making Thy fullness mine. Lord, I would ask for a year of love; Oh, let me love Thee best! Give me the love that faileth not Under the hardest test. Lord, I would ask for a busy year, Filled up with service true; Doing with all Thy Spirit's might All that I find to do. Lord, I would ask for a year of prayer-- Teach me to walk with Thee; Breathe in my heart They Spirit's breath; Pray Thou Thy prayer in me. Lord, I would ask for a year of joy, Thy peace, Thy joy divine, Springing undimmed through all the days, Whether of shade of shine. Lord, I would ask for a year of hope, Looking to Thee to come, And hastening on that year of years, That brings us Christ and Home."

" but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence ." (1 Peter 3:15) "The answer is probably that we look as if we hope in the same things they do. Our lives don't look like they are on the Calvary road, stripped down for sacrificial love, serving others with the sweet assurance that we don't ned to be rewarded in this life. Our reward is great in heaven (Matthew 5:12)! 'You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just' (Luke 14:14). If we believed this more deeply, others might see the worth of God and find in Him their gladness." John Piper, " Don't Waste Your Life ."

“Christ will do.” This is my peace. “Christ will do,” Makes vain toils cease. “Christ will do;” Is covering fleece. “Christ will do.” Is His increase. “Christ will do,” His blood for me. “Christ will do” My cleansing be. “Christ will do,” And all will see How “Christ will do” To set men free. Say, “Christ will do,” Till all have heard. For “Christ will do,” Is life’s watchword. When “Christ will do,” Dead hearts are stirred, That “Christ will do,” Is grace conferred. “Christ will do,” Thus ends the war. “Christ will do.” He is the door. “Christ will do.” Makes praises soar. “Christ will do.” There is no more. (copyright James K. Wilson, Jr. April 23, 2008.)

Coming April 22, 2008 "Am I enough, Lord? Can I trust you, Lord? Can I be free from the past? Can I trust? Do I trust? Am I enough? AM I WORTHY? In Freedom from Myself: One Woman’s Diary of Gods Unceasing Love , author Fay Barlow shares her deepest hurts in the process of discovering the truth about her worth in Christ. Full of raw emotions and issues that most women are afraid to admit that they feel, Freedom from Myself reveals healing through biblical counsel and scripture in an entertaining but brutally honest manner. Laugh a little, cry a little, and heal a little as you delve into the heart and mind of one woman on a quest for meaning." Publisher: Tate Publishing & Enterprises ISBN: 9781604624731 Buy this book at: Amazon Barnes and Noble Books-a-million Buy.com

"If we look carefully within ourselves, we shall find that there are certain limits beyond which we refuse to go in offering ourselves to God. We hover around these reservations, making believe not to see them, for fear of self reproach. The more we shrink from giving up any such reserved point, the more certain it is that it needs to be given up. If we were not fast bound by it, we should not make so many efforts to persuade ourselves that we are free. ” Henry Drummond (1851-1897), author of “ The Greatest Thing In The World .”

On a recent shopping trip, as I was leaving the register area, the cashier said, "Have a blessed day!" I took it as one of those secret sayings just among us Christians. Whether or not that was her intention, I don't know, but the incident got me thinking about how we greet people and what do we say when they leave our presence. Consider the 20th Psalm where David writes a number of blessings that he give to other people. " May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble !" (20:1) (Help that is perfectly timed) " May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high !" (20:2) (Help that is perfectly secure) " May He grant you your heart's desire and fulfill your counsel !" (20:4) (Help that is complete) " May the LORD fulfill all your petitions " (20:5) (Help that is comprehensive) " May the King answer us in the day we call " (20:9) (Help that is prompt) (From my friend, Dr. John Williamson, at First Baptist Church ...

He rose! And with him hope arose, and life and light. Men said, "Not Christ but Death died yesternight." And joy and truth and all things virtuous Rose when He rose. --Anonymous