Words of Life from Poets of Old

The best poets and preachers are able to distill their thoughts and feelings into words which have impact within and beyond their own generations. Indeed some of them had to persevere through intense personal struggle, even severe depression, which only served to sharpen their skill in sharing their insights with others. Jesus said, of the sign of His Coming and the end of the age, that many would betray one another and hate one another, many prophets would arise and mislead many and that, because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. We wonder at our own willfully disobedient societies yet one hundred and seventy years ago Horatius Bonar wrote these lines: The serpent’ s brood increase, The powers of hell grow bold, The conflict thickens, faith is low, And love is waxing cold.   The following year he penned these more famous lines: I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest; Lay down, thou weary one, lay down, thy head upon My breast.” I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad; I found in Him a resting-place, and He has made me glad. I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give The living water; thirsty one, Stoop down and drink and live.” I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream. My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him. I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s Light. Look unto Me; thy morn shall rise and all thy day be bright.” I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my Star, my Sun; And in that Light of Life I’ll walk till traveling days are done. - c1846 Charles Spurgeon wrote, for the Lord's Supper, this hymn: Amidst us our Belovèd stands, And bids us view His piercèd hands; Points to the wounded feet and side, Blest emblems of the Crucified. ...... Thou glorious Bridegroom of our hearts, Thy present smile a heav’n imparts! Oh lift the veil, if veil there be, Let every saint Thy beauties see! - c1860 Two hymns from John Newton, seafarer and slave-trader turned pastor:   How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds In a believer’s ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, And drives away his fear. It makes the wounded spirit whole, And calms the troubled breast; ’Tis manna to the hungry soul, And to the weary, rest. Dear Name, the Rock on which I build, My Shield and Hiding Place, My never failing treasury, filled With boundless stores of grace! By Thee my prayers acceptance gain, Although with sin defiled; Satan accuses me in vain, And I am owned a child. Jesus! my Shepherd, Husband, Friend, O Prophet, Priest and King, My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, Accept the praise I bring. Weak is the effort of my heart, And cold my warmest thought; But when I see Thee as Thou art, I’ll praise Thee as I ought. Till then I would Thy love proclaim With every fleeting breath, And may the music of Thy Name Refresh my soul in death! c1779   Dear Shepherd of Thy people, hear; Thy presence now display; As Thou hast given a place for prayer, So give us hearts to pray. ...... May we in faith receive Thy Word, In faith present our prayers; And, in the presence of our Lord, Unbosom all our cares. - c1779 John Piper describes the pastoral relationship between Newton and William Cowper, the poet, in this link - http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/insanity-and-spiritual-songs-in-the-soul-of-a-saint   O for a closer walk with God, A calm and heavenly frame, A light to shine upon the road That leads me to the Lamb!   Where is the blessedness I knew, When first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul refreshing view Of Jesus and His Word? ...... The dearest idol I have known, Whate’er that idol be Help me to tear it from Thy throne, And worship only Thee.   So shall my walk be close with God, Calm and serene my frame; So purer light shall mark the road That leads me to the Lamb. - William Cowper c1772 These words sum up our continued spiritual struggle to achieve a balance between our words and actions which is both mentally healthy and spiritually sound.   Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways; reclothe us in our rightful mind, in purer lives thy service find, in deeper reverence, praise. In simple trust like theirs who heard beside the Syrian sea the gracious calling of the Lord, let us, like them, without a word rise up and follow thee. ...... Breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness and thy balm; let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire, O still, small voice of calm! - John G. Whittier c1872     A great song of inspiration and encouragement originally written for the sick and lonely: At the name of Jesus ev'ry knee shall bow, ev'ry tongue confess him King of glory now. 'Tis the Father's pleasure we should call him Lord, who from the beginning was the mighty Word. At his voice creation sprang at once to sight, all the angel faces, all the hosts of light, thrones and dominations, stars upon their way, all the heav'nly orders in their great array. Humbled for a season to receive a name from the lips of sinners unto whom he came, faithfully he bore it spotless to the last, brought it back victorious, when from death he passed. In your hearts enthrone him; there let him subdue all that is not holy, all that is not true; crown him as your Captain in temptation's hour: let his will enfold you in its light and pow'r. Brothers, this Lord Jesus shall return again, with his Father's glory, with his angel train; for all wreaths of empire meet upon his brow, and our hearts confess him King of glory now.  - Caroline M Noel - 1870

Love amidst the perils - reposted

LOVE! Why? It’s God’s command, here and now.
Who, Me? Yes, You!

Take some down time; Look around.
Multi channels visit the globe; noises blare!
Feel the sombre stare of screaming pages plucked from the web.
Burning sun and shooting stars yell and cry and warn...
of bitter justice soon scrawled on walls and doorways!

At the guarded gate to paradise,
mythic states jeer in defence of forged creeds.
Defiant shadows of our past echo their prideful conflict,
forcing children of men into nightmares.

Green peasant's lands suffer affliction,
as silvered rivers, damned for electric amenities,
flow wth pesticides, fungicides, wasted antibiotics;
Vigor is sterilized while rotten wealth is made.

A strange preacher leads his flock awry,
and authorities bring the fire and brimstone!

Is Love on holiday?
Kids bully and are bullied to take up arms
and little towns cry for lost minds.

Convicted killers are shuttered in dusky dungeons,
doomed, like parched trees,
dying to be posters for deception and vengeance.

Terrible gauntlets fly;
A mighty fortress is cracked open
and the deathday dawns upon a city of liberty;

Cries of faith punch at apathy as sacrifices begin again.
Silent lamp posts hang down,
marking lonely days and nights.

The whole planet shudders,
leaving cities and nations swamped as by its tears.
Crystal cups of sorrow haunt the yearly festivals.

LOVE! Why? … It’s essential, required, demanded!

Seek the Face of THE HOLY ONE,
the Healer of all wounds.

LOVE! and march forward into eternity!

(revised January 2012)

Continue...Convey...Conflict...Convoy

The Christian Church is sometimes described as a ship carrying its passengers across dangerous waters to a distant port. One of the perils we face as believers arises when conflict develops between our fellow sojourners. Differences of opinion are normal, however we sometimes can allow our disagreements to fester and distract us from our common destination.

In the Bible we find recorded many different ways to deal with Life's stresses and trials. Abraham reasoned with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He sought to use arguments and logic to convince the Most High God! Pilate and Herod were both appeasers, solving dilemmas at any cost for the sake of keeping the peace. Jonah was the typical evader. He ran from his assignment at Ninevah, fearing the conflict that he would encounter there. King Saul was an aggressor. He shifted blame to David and verbally attacked and actively sought to get rid of him by threat of death. David prayed and showed dependence upon God in his struggle with Saul. Whenever he did this he was on the right track, yet he often fell short of the Lord's standard.

Jesus shows a better way. He always went beyond the human concern to the root cause of the difficulty and dealt with those who opposed Him with divine compassion and courage. He commands us to do the same, to pray about our disputes, to give attention to His advice, His Word, and to be obedient in loving the person despite the problem. After all, the Scripture does not say, 'Love your neighbour, if', but rather, 'Love God and love your neighbour'. No conditions! We are called to obey even when in serious disagreement. Love works through our petty squabbles and goes far beyond them to touch the wounded hearts of our adversaries. When we learn to live and work together our ship will reach port with fewer delays and dangers. Are we really prepared to love the other?

Jesus loves us! He establishes peace in the natural and man-made storms which beset us. All we need to do is invite His divine assistance.
The storms are raging. He is mighty to save. Alleluia!

The Scientific Art of Complaining

An Argument for Joy

There's a widely observed need to restore the role of argument to its proper place in our lives. When we disagree with one another, there are usually only a few ways to proceed.

We all have something about which to complain. Many of our concerns are legitimate. Why then do so many of our struggles remain unresolved?

We're all keen to debate issues of politics, sports, religion, the economy, pollution, and the quality of our food and drink. We're tempted to entertain gossip about our leaders. We cling to our opinions and we’ve even been known to fight for our 'rights'.

When we look at our leaders, do we see humble practitioners of spiritual authority?
Do we ignore problems when they appear small or trivial?
What happens when we meet stubborn ignorance or refusal?
Do we simmer internally?
Do we consider our leaders slaves to institutional mediocrity?
Do we blow off steam by speaking to others instead of the offender.
Do we actually talk to people who have power and authority to resolve our presenting problems?
Do those of us who believe in God pray, faithfully, for divine assistance?

The alternate approaches, of verbal, physical and legal attack are counter-productive. The only valid Spiritual defence is prayer-supported love-in-action.
Pray.
Try reason.
Pray.
Ask whether others share your concern.
Pray.
Try reason again.
Pray.
Wait patiently.
Pray.
Try again.
Pray.
And Love anyway even when it's tough.

Your joy depends absolutely upon your obedience to Jesus!

A Knight's Crossing

Click on the above title for a great article in fond remembrance of Capt. Albert Knight, an evangelist in the Church of God, recently gone home to meet His Maker and Lord.

Personal Politics

I'm reflecting on today's sermon and thinking about the personal and political implications of my faith.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus says, 'Come to Me, ALL who are weary and burdened, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am gentle and humble, and you'll find refreshment for your soul'

How do we receive this gift that he offers?
Amid war and rumors of war, illness, financial crisis, persecution, discrimination and death, amid the perils of normality, where and how does one find true peace?

The preacher, a man from Bangladesh, talked about the Way.
There was a lot more, but this was the essence of his message, a loud echo of the words of Jesus:
Love by Example by Prayer and by Witnessing

Are you tired, in despair, hurt or angry? Love anyway. Set the example anyway. Pray anyway. Witness anyway. Whatever the cost may be, Jesus will make it worth your while.

My Story: God is the Healer

Lord have mercy on us!
Help us to wake to the Power of Prayer

Memories from childhood can have a life-long impact. When I was born, my parents were living in Loughborough, a small city in the English Midlands. The cold winters meant being given hot water bottles by our feet just to get to sleep. Back then most people didn’t have central heating. Our toes would be chilled to the point of pain in the mornings. My Dad used to get up and fetch the coal from the cellar to start the fire in the dining room. Many mornings he had to take a blowtorch to the outside loo to melt the layer of ice that had formed in the bowl. My mother told me the stories of Jesus. Even then, I heard the call to seek Him. I had a brother and sister, but I was the oldest, the one to set the example. There were toys and jigsaw puzzles to play with. We had radio, but no TV, not even a fridge. I was allowed to play records on an old manually cranked phonograph. We would walk to visit my Nana who lived near a large park which had a marvelous 47- bell- carillon which could be heard from quite a distance.



We visited my great grandparents almost every Sunday for afternoon tea. I used to play with a wooden alphabet set. Each block had an animal picture to go with its letter, A for antelope, and so on. I distinctly recall the moment I realized that letters could be put together to made words. Amazing! Before I started school I was reading simple nursery rhymes. Every November 5th, the skies were bright with fireworks shot into the air in many backyards to remember the infamous plot to blow up the House of Lords in London back in 1605. In early 1961, I remember being in a dimly lit church where I sensed the presence of 'God'. Jus over two years later, one morning my parents told us about the news over the radio that President Kennedy had been shot.

When I was seven and a half, my parents decided to bring us to Canada. In grade five, in Quebec, I memorized the 23rd Psalm for a poetry recital. When I stood up to speak, my teacher told me, ‘Sit down! That’s not poetry, that’s Scripture!’ In grade six, I got hold of a Gideons Centennial Edition of the New Testament. The book of Revelation and the Gospels caught my attention. I also read the Hardy Boys, Jules Verne, Von Daniken, Velikovsky, science, modern sci-fi, historical romance, … One day while recovering from chicken pox I was given a book all about ghosts, mind reading, astral travel and other strange ideas. One night I experienced a very real personal attack. I felt physically grabbed by someone or something not of this world.

Throughout high school I was very shy and always managed to avoid speaking in class. At university, I took honours Physics and Engineering. Friends kept giving me copies of the Bible, some containing strange books with titles like Bel and the Dragon, and the Wisdom of Sirach. I was challenged to seriously consider the story and claims of Jesus, and began to attend Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, where, for the first time, I clearly heard the message of the cross: the good news that Jesus had died for me. I discovered that I needed to make a personal response to his sacrifice. I helped to distribute copies of the New Testament in the Student Union building.

In the middle of my senior year, just after Christmas, I experienced a turmoil that required hospitalization. I asked God in prayer to reveal Himself to me if he really was there. Shortly afterward, I experienced His loving presence in a powerful way. I was pretty excited, 'high on Jesus', and began talking to my friends at length, in the middle of the night! I asked my landlady if I could examine an old ceremonial sword, which hung in her living room. I took it up to my room and, later that night, baptized it in the bathtub. For me this was a powerful symbol of spiritual warfare. Fortunately a friend came by. If he hadn’t been there, I might have done something even sillier.

(Edmund Yu was a troubled medical student who, a few years ago, was killed by police on a TTC bus in Toronto, and all because they thought the little hammer he was carrying might have been a gun!)

My friends contacted the local Anglican priest and my mother and brother, who together got me to see a local doctor, someone I already knew and trusted. He prescribed tranquilizers. But I was so hyper I was admitted to the local hospital for eight days. My Christian friends were all praying for me privately and in their churches. After spending two months at home with my family, I marked in my New Testament, March 9, 1978, as the date I chose to receive the Lord Jesus as my personal Savior. Three days later I was admitted to the Nova Scotia Psychiatric Hospital, where I languished for two months, pacing the hallways with increasing frustration. The rest of that year was a write-off. I had neither motivation nor energy to do anything. I struggled just to get up each morning.

The following year I took two summer courses in Religious Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island. In October I heard Billy Graham preach on the story of the Good Samaritan at the Halifax Metro Centre and I went forward as a public act of faith. I began to work with handicapped adults and later that year began shift work as a residential counselor caring for these folk. I also held a second job, 35 miles away, as a research assistant in St. F. X. University’s Spectroscopy lab.

In December, I received my Bachelor’s degree in Science, the two courses in the Christian faith having fulfilled my course requirements. During the next few years I spent five more months in hospital. I was often hyper, going from singing God’s praise in the halls to making an unruly nuisance of myself. One day I was placed, almost naked, in a locked ‘quiet room’. I felt like a caged lion. Someone had etched onto the wooden door the words, ‘Hello world!’ It seemed everyone was going crazy!

The enemy seeks to cloud our minds and steal our peace. I could have ended up another suicide statistic! When Jesus says, ‘Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I’ll restore you,’ He really means it! He’s ready to give His peace if we really want it and faithfully seek after Him.
I spent a year and a half living in a depressingly decrepit Rehab Centre where I learned to operate an offset printing press. My healing has come slowly and is entirely due to the love of our Lord Jesus, my wife and the rest of my family, my doctors, as well as the support and prayers of many Christian friends, known and unknown. I’ve known the torment of dreams that turn to nightmares that gradually turn to waking reality. There’s an ecstasy in believing that Christ will surely come today and severe depression in enduring another day without seeing his face.

In the worst circumstance, there’s really no need to remain isolated and depressed. An Anglican minister and his wife helped me, through the ministry of the Order of St. Luke, to experience a measure of healing.

Demons are real. Mental illness is real. Connections between these two concepts are difficult to establish. Surely we can admit that most mental illness probably has little or no demonic component. 

Can we not also admit that some conditions cannot be explained unless we accept the existence of ungodly, wicked spiritual forces? Joy Vassal’s book, Demons are Real, gives vivid testimony of the negative spiritual impact of belief in voodoo and wizardry. Ron Armstrong, who was an Anglican missionary to parts of Latin America, talked about the power of prayer to bring healing to communities bewitched by so-called medicine men and witches. Many people have become followers of Jesus after finding that prayer in His name was the only effective way to receive help for their various afflictions. The occult practices of witch doctors usually only succeeded in temporary alleviation followed by worse problems later. Jesus gives freedom from entrapment to the lies that these people offer.

Too often in so-called advanced societies we believe a different lie, that formally trained medical practitioners, with their drugs and surgeries, can heal our diseases and we are released from the need to pray. Reliance on God becomes an option and only for those who already believe in Him. For me that early memory of hearing about Jesus was critical. Just as we were told as children to look for police if we were threatened or lost, so we must look to Our Lord, through the church, His people, for help with spiritual struggles.

O that our churches would respond to all illnesses with both prayer and medicine, referring both parishioners and enquirers to other qualified professionals if church members are not yet properly trained and qualified. Doctors and ministers must learn how to work together. This is a life and death issue. God is able. O that men and women and children would come to know and praise the Lord for His wondrous doings. Amen!

Rooted in Love

Holding fast despite the torrent

Let us echo Paul's prayer 'that out of his glorious riches, Christ Jesus would strengthen us with power through His Spirit in our inner being, so that He would dwell in our hearts through faith, and that,
being rooted and established in love,
we may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this LOVE that surpasses knowledge...'

Paul also says that God has chosen to be holy the people he loves, and we must clothe ourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

We're to make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends us. Remember, the Lord has forgiven us, so we must forgive others.
Above all, we must clothe ourselves with love,
which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill our lives as we teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives.

Let us sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
Let us be, as much as possible, ambassadors for the Lord Jesus.

And midst the storms of life, whatever happens to the visible church, whatever storms assail us, as long as we cling to Him, we shall have abundant life.
Glory to God!

A Peaceful Warning: Amidst the Perils, Love!

LOVE! WHY? It’s God’s command, here and now,
besides who will if you won't?
Take some down time; Look around.

Multi channels visit the globe; NOISES BLARE!
Feel the sombre stare of SCREAMING PAGES pulled up through the web.
Burning sun and shooting stars yell and cry and warn...
Of bitter justice soon scrawled on walls and doorways!

At the guarded gate to paradise,
Mythic states jeer in defence of forged creeds.
Shadows of our past echo in prideful conflict
FORCING the children of men into a nightmare.

Green peasant's lands suffer afflicton,
as silvered rivers, damned for electric amenities,
flow wth pesticides, fungicides, wasted antibiotics.
Vigor is sterilized and rotten wealth is made.

A strange preacher leads his flock awry,
and authorities bring the fire and brimstone!
Is Love on holiday?

Kids bully and are bullied to take up arms
and little towns cry for lost minds.
Convicted killers are shut in dusk and doom,
like parched trees,
dying to be posters for deception and vengeance.

Terrible gauntlets fly;
A mighty fortress is cracked open
and the deathday dawns upon a city of liberty;
Cries of faith punch at apathy and sacrifices begin again.

Silent lamp posts hang down,
marking lonely days and nights.
Even the whole planet shudders,
leaving cities and nations swamped as by its tears.
Crystal cups of sorrow haunt the yearly festivals.

LOVE! Why? … It’s essential, required, demanded!
Seek the Face of THE HOLY ONE,
The healer of all wounds.
LOVE! AND MARCH FORTH TO ETERNITY!