Quotes of the month
The past doesn’t need you anymore. Your future does.
Jacob Salem
We must remember that the shortest distance between our problems and their solutions is the distance between our knees and the floor.
Charles Stanley
God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.
Max Lucado
You are the only Bible some unbelievers will ever read.
John MacArthur
Reflections
There was a time when our country pulled together as one to support our military as it fought an evil that was spreading across Europe. Regrettably, as we look at world events today, especially the war Israel is engulfed in as I write, Americans yet again may be called upon to support our military as it fights an evil that has spread from the Middle East to around the world, and this prayer from nearly 80 years ago, may very well become relevant once more.
Prayer on D-Day, June 6, 1944
My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.
And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer.
Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest – until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war. For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. And for us at home – fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas – whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them – help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice. Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. Give us strength, too – strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces. And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be. And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons, Faith in each other, Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment, let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose. With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace, a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
O, My Soul
by Frank Paul
So much concern we carry in our minds on a daily basis about a dozen different things, which in the end, does not really matter much. So little concern we have about our souls, which in the end, will live on for eternity; somewhere.
Charles Spurgeon said it best in 1874. “Great numbers of persons have no concern about eternal things. They care more about their cats and dogs than about their souls.”
The soul does exist; it has existed since the beginning of time. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7.
Our soul is as real as heaven and hell, and that chair you’re sitting in right now. It deserves our utmost attention, but too often it’s an afterthought; brought up in discussion when a person is on their death bed. This should not be the case. Our bodies reach an expiration date, but our souls will live on. Where do we want our souls to live on? The obvious answer is heaven, as opposed to hell; so why not prepare in advance for our soul’s destination.
Jesus addresses this directly in Matthew 16:26. “What good will it be for man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
And again in the Book of the Great Logos, “Jesus answered His apostles and said, we are to purify our souls from all earthly stains.”
Peter weighs in on the topic as well in 1 Peter 2:11, “The Christian life is a fight against the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul.”
Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:44 says, “There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”
Emmett Fox pointedly says, “The soul’s integrity is the one and only thing that matters.”
And one more by Charles Spurgeon, “Consider how precious the soul must be, when both God and Satan are after it.”
So yes, my friends, we must take care now to ensure our soul’s destiny; but how?
By keeping the soul as pure as possible. Think about what you’re doing; will this be good input for my soul? Think about what you’re watching, listening to, reading, talking about; will this be good input for my soul? The soul is such a precious gift from God we need to care for every little thing we expose it to. We want to grow and nurture our soul so that it can loose the chains that bind it and vibrate at a rapid frequency to shine brightly; brightly enough so that Jesus sees it in heaven and wants it to return to Him when our physical shell ceases to exist.
Active, conscious thought that yes, we have this living entity inside of us; and yes, we only want the best for it; that is a start. Once we begin to consider how every action and/or non reaction will feed into our souls, we will be more careful in our daily interactions with the world around us. We cannot expect anything to grow if we do not water it and expose it to light; the same goes for our souls.
All the king’s riches and all the king’s men, couldn’t put humpty dumpty back together again. Once you fall off that wall and die, the body is done, period. Today let us begin to care for the living entity inside of us that will live on; somewhere.
Tidbits
Silvanus was a contemporary of Paul. In the Nag Hammadi Scriptures there is a whole section on The Teachings of Silvanus, well worth the read. Here are just a couple of his thoughts: The mind is the guide and reason is the teacher; put on the holy teaching like a robe; throw out the animal nature that is within you; the Divine teacher is with you at all times as a helper; conquer sin through reasoning, where Christ is, sin is idle.
Pentateuch is the Greek word for Torah
Sapiential – relating to wisdom
Exegesis – explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of Scriptures
For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord, so turn, and live – Ezekiel 18:32
The Gospel of Mary circulated widely during the first centuries of Christianity.
NEWS NOTES
Went to see the replica of the Ark in Kentucky last weekend. Totally cool. The enormity of it was mind boggling. Easy trip, straight down 71 South, just over the Ohio border into Kentucky. I would suggest going mid week as opposed to a weekend. Extremely informative and children friendly.
Still looking for an affordable place to train this Winter. We can still train in my back yard if it’s 50-ish or so, but lower than that, it might become too uncomfortable. I’ll keep you posted.
A Prayer
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who hast given us in Thy Son Jesus Christ a fountain of life, which, springing up within us, can make all things new, we thank Thee for the deeper meaning which He gives to life, for the quickened sense of duty, the faith under sorrow, the immortal hopes, which we owe to Him. And we pray that His divine instructions may be so received by us with grateful hearts, that no resistance of ours may hinder His freely working within us a miracle as when He changed the water into wine. In the powers of His Spirit, may our griefs be transformed into consolations, our infirmities into strength to do well, our sins into repentance, our fainting and halting spirits into a heavenly mind; and, finally, the doubts, the discouragements, the trials, of this earthy life, into the full assurance and unclouded bliss of an eternal life with Thee, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Henry W. Foote
“God doesn’t require us to succeed, He only requires that you try.”
Mother Teresa
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