September 30, 2011 (to receive God's will)

to receive God's will

“You are never to complain of your birth,
your training, your employments, your hardships;
never to fancy that you could be something
if only you had a different lot
and sphere assigned you.
God understands His own plan,
and He knows what you want
a great deal better than you do.
The very things that you most deprecate,
as fatal limitations or obstructions,
are probably what you most want.
What you call hindrances, obstacles, discouragements,
are probably God's opportunities.
Bring down your soul, or rather,
bring it up to receive God's will and do His work,
in your lot, in your sphere,
under your cloud of obscurity,
against your temptations,
and then you shall find that your condition
is never opposed to your good,
but really consistent with it.”
- Horace Bushnell

“Some people would grumble
at the accommodations in Heaven
if they ever got there.”
- Author Unknown

September 29, 2011 (blowing in the wind)

Blowing in the Wind

“How many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind”
- music and lyrics by B. Dylan

“To cast God away
for the temporary trinkets of this life,
as if He were a secondhand piece of jewelry,
is deeply dishonoring to
the sovereign character of the Creator,
who Himself alone can satisfy
the deepest longings of our hearts (Psm. 16).
At the center of our sin
is our nonchalant neglect of God,
as if we were the creators
and rulers of our own lives,
doing with them as we please.”
- Scott Hafemann

September 28, 2011 (easily swayed)

easily swayed

“Our bodies are inclined to ease,
pleasure, gluttony, and sloth.
Unless we practice self-control,
our bodies will tend to
serve evil more than God.
We must carefully discipline ourselves
in how we “walk” in this world,
else we will conform more to its ways
rather than to the ways of Christ.”
- Donald Whitney

September 27, 2011 (Glorify Thy Name)

trinity of mushrooms

GLORIFY THY NAME

Father, we love You
We worship and adore You
Glorify Thy Name in all the earth


Chorus:
Glorify Thy Name
Glorify Thy Name
Glorify Thy Name in all the earth


Verse 2:
Jesus, we love You
We worship and adore You
Glorify Thy Name in all the earth


Verse 3:
Spirit, we love You
We worship and adore You
Glorify Thy Name in all the earth

Refrain

September 26, 2011 (grace of God)

grace of God

"We believe, that the work of
regeneration, conversion, sanctification and faith,
is not an act of man's free will and power,
but of the mighty, efficacious
and irresistable grace of God."
- Charles H. Spurgeon

September 25, 2011 (mortification of the flesh)

mortification of the flesh

Impure thoughts may grow like fungus within our heart
if we not take care to be the gardener of those plants
we allow to grow there.

“We must learn where our personal weaknesses lie.
Once they are identified,
we must be ruthless in dealing with them.
Earlier generations called this
the 'mortification of the flesh', that is,
pronouncing the death sentence upon sin
and putting that sentence into daily effect
by killing all that sets itself
against God’s purpose in our lives.”
- Alistair Begg

September 24, 2011 (what we see and how we feel)

what we see and how we feel

“...even though we stand side by side
in the same meadow, my eyes will never see
what is beheld by yours, my heart will never stir
to the emotions with which yours is touched.”
- George Gissing

“As we grow as unique persons,
we learn to respect the uniqueness of others.”
- Robert H. Schuller

September 23, 2011 (control of self)

control of self
photo by Lee Keefer

“I count him braver who overcomes his desires
than him who conquers his enemies;
for the hardest victory is over self.”
- Aristotle

“Discipline is the bridge
between goals and accomplishments.”
- Jim Rohn

September 22. 2011 (take time to rest)

take time to rest
photo by Ron Benner

“For a field to bear fruit, it must occasionally lie fallow.
And for you to be healthy, you must rest.
Slow down, and God will heal you.
He will bring rest to your mind, to your body,
and most of all to your soul.
He will lead you to green pastures.”
- Max Lucado

September 21, 2011 (trinity of falling water)

trinity of falling water
photo by Ron Benner

As some of you know,
I am drawn to images of three.
Here is one taken by a good friend.

“Many, who often hear the gospel of Christ,
are yet but little affected,
because they are void of the Spirit of Christ.
But whosoever would fully and feelingly
understand the words of Christ,
must endeavour to make all his life
like in its beauty unto His.
What will it avail thee
to dispute profoundly of the Trinity,
if thou be void of humility,
and art thereby displeasing to the Trinity?
If thou didst know the whole Bible by heart,
and the sayings of all the philosophers,
what would all that profit thee
without the love of God and without grace.”
- Thomas a Kempis

September 20, 2011 (living worthwhile)

living worthwhile
photo by Ron Benner

“I believe we would be happier
to have a personal revolution
in our individual lives
and go back to simpler living
and more direct thinking.
It is the simple things of life
that make living worthwhile,
the sweet fundamental things
such as love and duty,
work and rest,
and living close to nature.”
- Laura Ingalls Wilder

“I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.”
- Lao Tzu

September 19, 2011 (perfect before God)

perfect before God

“God does what we cannot do
so we can be what we dare not dream:
perfect before God.”
- Max Lucado

“Though our outer man is
[progressively] decaying and wasting away,
yet our inner self is being [progressively]
renewed day after day.”
- 2 Corinthians 4:16 AMP

September 18, 2011 (join your hands)

join your hands
photo by Lee Keefer

“We are not put on this earth
to see through one another,
but to see one another through.”
- Author Unknown

“A hundred times every day I remind myself
that my inner and outer life
depend on the labors of other men,
living and dead,
and that I must exert myself
in order to give in the same measure
as I have received and am still receiving.”
- Albert Einstein

“Now join your hands,
and with your hands your hearts.”
- William Shakespeare

September 17, 2011 (perfect imperfection)

perfect imperfection

“Christians are like the several flowers in a garden
that have each of them the dew of Heaven,
which, being shaken with the wind,
they let fall at each other's roots,
whereby they are jointly nourished,
and become nourishers of each other.”
- John Bunyan

September 16, 2011 (It is still your choice.)

It is still your choice.

“For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life.”
- John 3:16 NIV

If you are a Christian,
I am sure that you know this verse.
But do you know what come right after it?

“For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe
stands condemned already
because he has not believed
in the name of God’s one and only Son.
This is the verdict:
Light has come into the world,
but men loved darkness instead of light
because their deeds were evil.
Everyone who does evil hates the light,
and will not come into the light
for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
But whoever lives by the truth
comes into the light,
so that it may be seen plainly
that what he has done
has been done through God.”
- John 3:17-21 NIV

and verse 36...

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever rejects the Son will not see life,
for God’s wrath remains on him.”
- John 3:36 NIV

September 15, 2011 (don't wait...act now)

don't wait... act now

“I do not believe in a fate
that falls on men however they act;
but I do believe in a fate
that falls on them unless they act.”
- G. K. Chesterton

"Hell is truth seen too late."
- Author Unknown

September 14, 2011 (where is my masrter?)

Where is my master?

“May the effort 'to speak a word to him that is weary'
be attended with the Divine blessing;
and may many of God's tried and suffering ones
realize in their hours of weakness, pain, and distress
- the soothing, elevating, and strengthening power
which lies in Christ.”
- John MacDuff

September 13, 2011 (in all created things)

in all created things

“There is no peace more wonderful
than the peace we enjoy when faith
shows us God in all created things.”
- Jean-Pierre de Caussde

September 12, 2011 (lifeline)

lifeline
photo by Patrick Frey

“Set up road signs;
put up guideposts.
Take note of the highway,
the road that you take.”
- Jeremiah 31:21 NIV

“Repentance and faith
are not rites of initiation to Christianity.
Repentance and faith are the way to relate to God.
Repentance and faith are not acts
performed one time to become a Christian.
They are attitudes of heart toward myself and my sin.
Faith is not just the way to get saved,
it is the lifeline of Christian living.”
- Tedd Tripp

September 11, 2011 (not grieve forever)

not grieve forever

“Too many Christians feel that grief is wrong,
that we're supposed to rejoice
when a loved one goes to be with the Lord.
While we can rejoice in their homegoing,
we can also grieve our loss.”
- Bruce Barton

“We are told that it is perfectly legitimate
for believers to suffer grief.
Our Lord Himself was a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief.
Though grief may reach to the roots of our souls,
it must not result in bitterness.
Grief is a legitimate emotion,
at times even a virtue,
but there must be no place
in the soul for bitterness.”
- R.C. Sproul

“The first man sinned and grieved only for himself,
but the second Man knew no sin
yet grieved for us so that
we would not grieve forever.”
- Burk Parsons

September 10, 2011 (the harvest is near)

the harvest is near

“Be patient, then, brothers,
until the Lord’s coming.
See how the farmer waits for the land
to yield its valuable crop
and how patient he is
for the autumn and spring rains.
You too, be patient and stand firm,
because the Lord’s coming is near.”
- James 5:7,8 NIV

September 09, 2011 (during the storm)

during the storm

This clematis (the only one blooming)
was a welcome bit of brightness and beauty
during the deluge of this recent stormy weather.

“He [Jesus] offers peace from God (Romans 1:7)
to all who are the recipients of His grace.
He makes peace with God (Romans 5:1)
for those who surrender to Him in faith.
And He brings the peace of God (Philippians 4:7)
to those who walk with Him.”
- John MacArthur

“Jesus is no security against life's storms,
but He is perfect security in them.”
- Author Unknown

September 08, 2011 (God-focused stillness)

God-focused stillness
photo by Patrick Frey

“Without exception, the men and women
I have known who make the most rapid,
consistent, and evident growth in Christlikeness
have been those who develop a daily time
of being alone with God.
This time of outward silence
is the time of daily Bible intake and prayer.
In this solitude is the occasion for private worship.”
- Donald Whitney

“The worship of God does not always
require words, sounds, or actions.
Sometimes worship consists of
a God-focused stillness and hush.”
- Donald Whitney

September 07, 2011 (forbidding wildnerness)

forbidding wilderness
photo by Patrick Frey

“There is only one basis
for really enjoying life,
and that is, to walk in the way
in which God leads you.
Then you are prepared to find delight
in all sorts of wayward incidents...
When a man is drifting through life,
seeking nothing outside of self-gratification,
the world must become increasingly
a barren and forbidding wilderness.
But it is wonderful how many delights
fall to the lot of him who is led by God.
For such a one the clasp of a friend's hand,
a cool drink in the heat of noon,
a merry salutation from a passing traveler,
a glimpse of beauty by the road,
a quiet resting place at night,
are all full of unspeakable pleasure.”
- Leaves of Gold

September 06, 2011 (no swimming)

no swimming
(courtesy of Irene)

“The tests of life are to make, not break us.
Trouble may demolish a man's business
but build up his character.
The blow at the outward man
may be the greatest blessing to the inner man.
If God, then, puts or permits
anything hard in our lives,
be sure that the real peril, the real trouble,
is that we shall lose if we flinch or rebel.”
- Maltbie Davenport Babcock

September 05, 2011 (with ever-increasing glory)

with ever-increasing glory
photo by Patrick Frey

“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord,
the veil is taken away.
Now the Lord is the Spirit,
and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom.
And we, who with unveiled faces
all reflect the Lord’s glory,
are being transformed into his likeness
with ever-increasing glory,
which comes from the Lord,
who is the Spirit.”
- 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NIV

September 04, 2011 (innocent love)

innocent love

“When we see the face of God
we shall know that we have always known it.
He has been a party to, has made,
sustained and moved moment by moment within,
all our earthly experiences of innocent love.”
- C. S. Lewis

September 03, 2011 (to see God)

To see God

“Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart.”
- Psalm 24:3,4 NIV

“Are you among these 'pure in heart,'
who are to 'see God'?
Remember the Bible's solemn warning,
'Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.'
Remember its solemn admonition,
'And every man who has this hope fixed on Him,
purifies himself even as He is pure.'
To 'see God!'
Oh, what preparation is needed
for so magnificent a contemplation!
Infinite unworthiness and nothingness,
to stand in the presence of
Infinite Majesty, Purity, and Glory!”
- John MacDuff

“And this is the testimony:
God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son.
He who has the Son has life;
he who does not have the Son of God
does not have life.
I write these things to you who believe
in the name of the Son of God
so that you may know
that you have eternal life.”
- 1 John 5:11-13 NIV

September 02, 2011 (without a doubt)

without a doubt
photo by Patrick Frey

“I don’t so much pray
that my death will be without pain,
but that it will be without doubt.”
- John Piper

September 01, 2011 (My Father's World)

My Father's world
photo by Patrick Frey

“This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong
Seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.”
- Maltbie D. Babcock