AuntiE Loc: 45th Least Free State

Psalm 25

25:8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

25:10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

rumitoid

All my life, especially during my "wild decade," I was continually humbled by his persistent mercy. No matter how bad I got, God was ready with a helping hand. It seemed he ran to me everytime I fell. Like the father in the Prodigal Son. Miraculous stuff.
I was trudging along a sidewalk in a quiet neighborhood around six in the morning, heading to a 500 foot cliff about a block away to end my life. A man approached walking his dog. He smiled and touched his hat in greeting as we drew near. I ignored the gesture. As we came abreast, he gently grabbed my arm; to this day I do not know why I didn't shrug him off and keep going. My mind appeared totally made up and uncaring, but I stopped. "Are you okay?" he asked. I said, "What the h*** do you want?" He studied me a moment, then opened his jacket, took something from his shirt, and pinned it on my jacket. "God bless," he said, and continued walking, as I continued my march to the cliff.

I stood for a moment at the edge drinking in the spectacular view and wishing somehow it was enough to change my mind. It wasn't. My farewell look at the world I had betrayed with my craziness. "This is it," I said aloud and my right foot was over empty space when I remembered the encounter with the man walking his dog.

I brought my foot back and took the small medallion from my jacket: it was two human feet in gold. I instantly broke into tears. This little pin was the symbolic representation of "Footprints in the sand," a story that had held a lot of meaning to me earlier in life. I was knocked down, literally, and sat there wailing for quite a while. The next day I went to a meeting; that was 29 years ago and my whole attitude and life was changed from that day.

AuntiE Loc: 45th Least Free State

Although there are times you irritate the bedunky out of me, as I do you, your presence with us would be missed. We are better off from your encounter with the dog walking gentleman.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

How moving. I think that I saw this in a Hallmark movie about loosing everything and an "angle" taking interest. Apparently you have been far more blessed with the hands of God than anyone I have ever read about. Hold on, have to dry the tears from my eyes.

rumitoid

Hmmm.... ginnyt, er, um, be clear.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

I was just thinking, after reading so many of your posts about your life, your accomplishments, failures, and interventions that could only be from heaven; that you could write a book that no one could put down. They are such good story lines that could be turned into movies of inspiration. Remember the old tv show "Touched by an Angel" where God sees what is going to happen and sends a squad of angels to assist a human....very much like your event. Hallmark runs the show every once in a while and each time, I go through a box of tissues because the message that God loves us, cares for us, and will help us in our time of need makes me cry. Yes I get emotional watching movies, perhaps that is the reason that I rarely watch them. People that go through life in heightened emotional state of mind are really quite incapable of thinking logically.

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

After reading Rumi’s testimony I have to share how God touched our Sunday school class this morning.
This will be a little long so please be patient.
As some of you know I am a soldier in the Salvation Army, not an officer, just a soldier.
On Wednesday nights I teach adult Bible study. For what it is worth, I am a retired ordained Baptist minister. So I have been a student of the Bible for many years.
We are going through the book of Philippians I suppose you could say verse by verse.
For several weeks there has been one man who was getting huffy, red faced, etc. I knew that something was going to blow but I really didn’t know what was going on in his mind.
Well this past Wednesday night, I mentioned a statement that people use all the time about God that is not in the Bible. The statement was, “God helps those who help themselves.” I asked the class to give me the book, chapter, and verse where it was found in the Bible.
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back, he blew and said, “Well it may not be in the Bible, but it is a Biblical principle.” I hesitated and almost agreed, but It is not a Biblical principle. God tells us to call on Him in our time of need. When the Children of Israel were in the wilderness journey, God supplied their every need. So I disagreed with him.
He got up and walked out of the class. Of course this broke my heart, thinking that I had hurt one of my students, he left so I couldn’t stop him to try to reconcile.
All week I prayed asking God to show me what to do. In one way I knew I was right scripturally but in another way, I knew since I was the teacher, it was my responsibility to begin the process of making things right and to seek his forgiveness if I had hurt him.
Well, I typed out an email to send him, my wife advised me to wait until today, (Sunday) just to see what the Lord might do.
We had our Sunday school class; Our Pastor is the Sunday school teacher. When the class was closing down, the fella from the Bible study said he had something he had to share.
He apologized for his behavior, he asked for forgiveness from me and the Pastor who was in the Bible study class when this all went down.
As he was talking I went over and put my arm around him and asked him to forgive me.
The best thing was at altar call we both went and prayed together and made amends with each other and the Lord.
I just share this with you to give a word of testimony for the watch care of our Lord over his people. When things of this nature happen in our lives it just makes God not only bigger in our lives but more real. The devil tried to ruin a Bible study class, ruin a friendship, destroy the unity of the fellowship we had. But God went before us and saved the day. Praise His name.

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

Stand Up for Jesus
March 30
Dudley Tyng served as his father’s assistant at Philadelphia’s Church of the Epiphany and was elected its pastor when his father retired in 1854. He was only 29 when he succeeded his father at the large Episcopal church, and at first it seemed a great fit. But the honeymoon ended when Dudley began vigorously preaching against s***ery. Loud complaints rose from the more conservative members, resulting in Dudley’s resignation in 1856.
He and his followers organized the Church of the Covenant elsewhere in the city, and his reputation grew. He began noontime Bible studies at the YMCA, and his ministry reached far beyond his own church walls. Dudley had a burden for leading husbands and fathers to Christ, and he helped organize a great rally to reach them. On Tuesday, March 30, 1858, 5,000 men gathered. Dudley looked over the sea of faces and declared, “I would rather this right arm were amputated at the trunk than that I should come short of my duty to you in delivering God’s message.” Over 1,000 men were converted that day.
Two weeks later Dudley was visiting in the countryside, watching a corn-thrasher in the barn. His hand moved too close to the machine and his sleeve was snared. His arm was ripped from its socket, the main artery severed. Four days later his right arm was amputated close to the shoulder. When it appeared he was dying, Dudley told his aged father: “Stand up for Jesus, father, and tell my brethren of the ministry to stand up for Jesus.”
Rev. George Duffield of Philadelphia’s Temple Presbyterian Church was deeply stirred by Dudley’s funeral, and the following Sunday he preached from Ephesians 6 about standing firm for Christ. He read a poem he had written, inspired by Dudley’s words: Stand up, stand up for Jesus, / Ye soldiers of the cross; / Lift high His royal banner, / It must not suffer loss.
The editor of a hymnal heard the poem, found appropriate music, and published it. Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus soon became one of America’s favorite hymns, extending Dudley’s dying words to millions.
Put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over, you will still be standing firm. Ephesians 6.13

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

The Passover Festival Nears
Today’s Prayer
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy;
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy;
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy;
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. — Augustine

Today’s Scripture Reading: John 6:4-15
The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Today’s Quote
A healthy Christian is one of the liveliest creatures on earth. When he is at work you may hear him sing. He cannot help it; do not blame him for a little noise. Let him sing, and laugh till he cries. Sometimes he cannot help it; he will burst if his soul may not have vent. When he begins to talk about his Lord his eyes flash fire. Some people hint that he is out of his mind; but those who know best assure us that he was never before so sane as now. Of course, the world thinks religion is such poor stuff that nobody could grow excited about it. To my mind, cold religion is the nastiest dish ever brought to table. True godliness is served up hot. Newness of life means a soul aglow with love to God, and therefore earnest, zealous, happy. Let the believing man have space for his larger life, swing for his grander joy. Nay, do not gag him; let him sing his new song. If any man out of heaven has a right to be happy, it is the man who lives in newness of life. Come, beloved, I want you to go home to-day with the resolve that the newness of life shall be more apparent in your walk. Do not live the old life over again. Why should you? What good would come of it? — Charles Spurgeon, "Christ's Resurrection and Our Newness of Life"

Something to Think About
Are you overjoyed by Christ's gift of salvation? In the Spurgeon quote above, what sort of joy is he describing? Does it mean we should feel happy all the time? How is it different from everyday happiness?

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

Blessed is he that watcheth.”
— Revelation 16:15

“We die daily,” said the apostle. This was the life of the early Christians; they went everywhere with their lives in their hands. We are not in this day called to pass through the same fearful persecutions: if we were, the Lord would give us grace to bear the test; but the tests of Christian life, at the present moment, though outwardly not so terrible, are yet more likely to overcome us than even those of the fiery age. We have to bear the sneer of the world—that is little; its blandishments, its soft words, its oily speeches, its fawning, its hypocrisy, are far worse. Our danger is lest we grow rich and become proud, lest we give ourselves up to the fashions of this present evil world, and lose our faith. Or if wealth be not the trial, worldly care is quite as mischievous. If we cannot be torn in pieces by the roaring lion, if we may be hugged to death by the bear, the devil little cares which it is, so long as he destroys our love to Christ, and our confidence in him. I fear me that the Christian church is far more likely to lose her integrity in these soft and silken days than in those rougher times. We must be awake now, for we traverse the enchanted ground, and are most likely to fall asleep to our own undoing, unless our faith in Jesus be a reality, and our love to Jesus a vehement flame. Many in these days of easy profession are likely to prove tares, and not wheat; hypocrites with fair masks on their faces, but not the true-born children of the living God. Christian, do not think that these are times in which you can dispense with watchfulness or with holy ardour; you need these things more than ever, and may God the eternal Spirit display his omnipotence in you, that you may be able to say, in all these softer things, as well as in the rougher, “We are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”


Spurgeon, Charles H.: Morning and Evening : Daily Readings. Complete and unabridged; New modern edition. Peabody, MA : Hendrickson Publishers, 2006, S. April 26 PM