Interesting Readings

5477 Horses’ Long Wait For Rider

The most remarkable horse in the world has been kept in readiness since 1072 for the expected resurrection of Sultan Muhammad Ibn Daud. The sultan ruled Iran as well as a large contiguous territory between the Tigris and the Oxus and his reign has been termed Iran’s Golden Age. He extended the frontiers of his country through conquest and expansion, accumulating great wealth in the process.

As soon as he died and was laid to rest, myth and legend seized upon his memory, embroidering it with prophecies derived from national yearnings. It was said that he would rise from his tomb, mount his horse and lead his subjects to new conquests and glory. So strong was this belief that in all the intervening centuries a thoroughbred charger—complete with saddle and groom—has been kept in readiness before his tomb in the Mosque of Kuchan, province of Khorasan, waiting for the day when the dead sultan will emerge from his tomb to resume the reins of both mount and government. It is one of the strangest manifestations of enduring faith and loyalty to be found in the modern world.

Tan, Paul Lee: Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers. Garland TX : Bible Communications, 1996, c1979

5456 Boy’s Unusual Return

Prince Edward Island, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, reported the strange news of Charles Coughlin’s homecoming. He was a native of the island who in eighteen ninety-five started traveling and a few years later wound up at Galveston, Texas. He died there and was buried.

On September eight, nineteen hundred and one, a terrific West Indian hurricane swept the Gulf of Mexico, and caused that historic calamity of the Southwest known as the Galveston flood. The wind blasted at a terrific velocity of a hundred and thirty-five miles an hour, and swept the raging waters over the city. The churning torrents washed out the cemetery where Charles Coughlin was buried. The water swept away the earth and the coffins, which floated out on the Gulf.

Thirty-four years later, in nineteen thirty-five, a floating coffin drifted ashore at Prince Edward Island. Upon examination, they found a plate with the name of Charles Coughlin, the same man who had left his Prince Edward Island home those long years ago. Wind and current had carried the coffin from the Gulf of Mexico off Galveston for thousands of miles—all the way around into the Atlantic and up the coast to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. An unusual way for a local boy to return home.

1028 Lost?

A little girl whose baby brother had just died asked her mother where baby had gone. “To be with Jesus,” replied the mother. A few days later, talking to a friend, the mother said, “I am so grieved to have lost my baby.” The little girl heard her, and, remembering what her mother had told her, looked up into her and asked, “Mother, is a thing lost when you know where it is?”

“No, of course not.” “Well, then, how can baby be lost when he has gone to be with Jesus?” Her mother never forgot this. It was the truth.

Between an airplane and every other form of locomotion and transportation there is one great contrast. The horse and wagon, the automobile, the bicycle, the locomotive, the speedboat, and the great battleship—all can come to a standstill without danger, and they can all reverse their engines, or their power, and go back.

But there is no reverse about the engine of an airplane. It cannot back up. It dare not stand still. If it loses its momentum and forward-drives, then it crashes. The only safety for the airplane is in its forward and upward motion. The only safe direction for the Christian to take is forward and upward. If he stops, or if he begins to slip and go backward, that moment he is in danger.

163 Man’s Best Friend

While practicing law, George G. Vest, a former U. S. Senator from Missouri, defended a farmer whose dog was involved in a minor damage suit. Here is part of his speech:

“The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. … When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

“If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies.

“And, when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in his embrace, and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will be found the noble dog, his head between his paws, his sad eyes alert and watchful, still faithful and true even in death.”

With this impassioned plea, Vest won a favorable verdict from the jury.

Submitted by Doug Greenway

Sunday Evening Service

November 23, 2008

Behold, harken, listen and see that I am about to do a new thing in the midst of you. I have brought you through a season of preparation and provision so that you would know that I AM is your sufficiency. I have kept you and protected you and nurtured you and pruned you for the season of fruitfulness and harvest. I have brought you through a year of wilderness and of change and of repositioning so that you would know of a surety in the ever-changing seasons of change I AM remains I AM; and never changing. My love ever-true and constant……My Word unfailing and reliable… My faithfulness unwavering and dependable. My judgments uncoruptable and altogether righteous.

Behold and watch Me…. Harken, and work with Me….. I will do a new thing in you and I will do a new thing through you. Come with Me my Beloved it is time for us to run together! You have learned to walk with Me and that when you grow weary, I Am strength greater than your own. By walking together with Me, you know and now trust that I will indeed uphold you, strengthen you and sustain you. Come my beloved, the days are growing shorter… the harvest must be completed so that we can rejoice together. You have waited on the Lord and you will have your reward you will run and not be weary! When you walk, behold, you will not faint! You strength will be renewed for the work I have prepared for you in these days. You, whom I have chosen will mount up as with wings and run together with Me until we take flight!

Behold and see that I have set you in places of ministry…. some in places of great need…others in places of authority and influence. I have gifted you with hearts and minds and abilities necessary to fulfill your callings Your talents must not be buried or hidden. They are to be invested and multiplied. I will require an accounting. And I will surely bless those who have been faithful with even greater. But for whoever returns to Me only that which I left with him will be loss. Come, let us run together!

Increasingly, you will see that in the season of my judgments, the hearts of men will be hardened or softened. Those whose hearts grow tender will listen to you and respond through they rejected you before. Assure them of my mercies. Call them to repentance. Declare to them my forgiveness. Welcome them into My Kingdom. Receive them into My family. Serve them in my name. Teach them obedience discipline and holiness by your example. Feed them the milk of my Word and lay your hands upon them to receive power to minister with you.

Within my house, I have begun and will continue to separate the wheat from the chaff. I judge between the holy and the unholy. In days to come, I will cleanse and purify my house and drive out the money-changers. My house, my people, my church shall be a house of Prayer. They shall be a holy priesthood. They shall be set apart and sanctified for my glory.

Come, beloved. Let us run together!

Praise

Most of us are familiar with the idea of praise as worship. Some of us are comfortable with the concept of praise as a witness. But few of us have tapped the surprising power of praise as a weapon of warfare. In confrontation, our first impulse is to become defensive. But here is one way we can seize the offensive: Simply lift up and exalt the name of the Lord God.

Some have said that Satan has an allergic reaction whenever there is true worship. That’s an interesting way of visualizing it; perhaps when we break out in praise, the devil breaks out in hives. I don’t know whether he itches, sneezes, or coughs, but I do know he becomes very uncomfortable on those occasions when we take our eyes off ourselves and place them squarely and worshipfully on the Lord of grace. That’s when God’s mighty works finally come to pass. That’s when we take powerful weapons in hand, crying, “Onward, Christian soldiers!” and advancing on the enemy’s holdings. The forces of hell cannot prevail against the uplifted name of Christ.

Jeremiah, David: My Heart's Desire : Living Every Moment in the Wonder of Worship. Nashville : Integrity Publishers, 2002, S. 124

Jeremiah, David: My Heart's Desire : Living Every Moment in the Wonder of Worship. Nashville : Integrity Publishers, 2002, S. 123

Go here and listen to this Debbie Wadsworth sent it to me its great!

http://www.ksbj.org/eblogs/morningShow/?p=113

6679 Ten Commandments Of Human Relations:

1. Speak to people. There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting.

2. Smile at people. It takes 72 muscles to frown; 14 to smile.

3. Call people by name. The sweetest music is the sound of his own name.

4. Be friendly and helpful.

5. Be cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine pleasure.

6. Be genuinely interested in people. You can like everybody if you try.

7. Be generous with praise—cautious with criticism.

8. Be considerate of the feelings of others. It will be appreciated.

9. Be thoughtful of the opinions of others. There are three sides to a controversy—yours, the other fellow’s, and the right one.

10. Be alert to give service. What counts most in life is what we do for others.

3901 Man Only Wanted King’s Friendship

The story is told by the Persians of the great Shah Abbas, who reigned magnificently in Persia, but loved to mingle with the people in disguise. Once, dressed as a poor man, he descended the long flight of stairs, dark and damp, to the tiny cellar where the fireman, seated on ashes, was tending the furnace.

The king sat down beside him and began to talk. At mealtime the fireman produced some coarse, black bread and a jug of water and they ate and drank. The Shah went away, but returned again and again, for his heart was filled with sympathy for the lonely man. He gave his sweet counsel, and the poor man opened his whole heart and loved this friend, so kind, so wise, and yet poor like himself.

At last the emperor thought, “I will tell him who I am, and see what gift he will ask.” So he said, “You think me poor, but I am Shah Abbas your emperor.” He expected a petition for some great thing, but the man sat silent. Gazing, he said, “Haven’t you understood? I can make you rich and noble, can give you a city, can appoint you as a great ruler. Have you nothing to ask?”

The man replied gently, “Yes, my lord, I understood. But what is this you have done, to leave your palace and glory, to sit with me in this dark place, to partake of my coarse fare, to care whether my heart is glad or sorry? Even you can give nothing more precious. On others you may bestow rich presents but to me you have given yourself; it only remains to ask that you never withdraw this gift of your friendship.”

—A. Naismit

2736 My Christmas Wish

I’ve wished a very special wish

For you this Christmas-tide;

It reaches far beyond today,

’Tis high and deep, and wide.

I wish for you the angels’ song

That tells of hope and love;

I wish the radiance of the Star

To guide your thoughts above.

I wish for you the sturdy faith

That led the Wise Men three

Through cold of night, o’er desert drear,

The Holy Child to see.

I wish for you a humble heart,

With purpose strong and true—

The blessing of the Christ, our Lord—

This is my wish for you.

—Edward Bo

1777 Epigram On Forgiving

• The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.

• Speak well of your enemies; remember you made them.

• You may have noticed that every enemy you made has ten friends. And every friend you made has ten more friends!

• The greatest conqueror is he who overcomes the enemy without a blow.

—Chinese Proverb

• “A Christian is not perfect; he is FORGIVEN.”

—Car Bumper Sticker

See also: Love ; Kindness .

1674 Doing Something About It

Two strangers attended the same church for several Sundays. None spoke to them. One said, “I will give this church one more chance. If nobody speaks to me next Sunuay, I’ll never go there again.” The other said, “I don’t like this no-speaking in church. If no one speaks to me next Sunday, I’ll speak to someone.”

Next Sunday, the usher happened to seat both of these men, one in front of the other. As usual after service, no one greeted the other. The first man rose to stalk out forever. The second man turned, put out his hand and said, “Good morning, sir, I’m glad to see you. Fine sermon, isn’t it?”

Both were pleased at having made a friend, and continued to come.

677 Possible To Be Christian Without Church?

Question: Can I be a Christian without joining the church?

Answer: Yes, it is possible. It is something like being:

A student who will not go to school.

A soldier who will not join an army.

A citizen who does not pay taxes or vote.

A salesman with no customers.

An explorer with no base camp.

A seaman on a ship without a crew.

A businessman on a deserted island.

An author without readers.

A tuba player without an orchestra.

A parent without a family.

A football player without a team.

A politician who is a hermit.

A scientist who does not share his findings.

A bee without a hive.

—Wesleyan Christian Advocate

5. Reliable and Unreliable People (Proverbs 25:13–14)

¹³Like the coolness of snow at harvest time

is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him;

he refreshes the spirit of his masters.

¹⁴Like clouds and wind without rain

is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.

Type: Thematic, Parallel (25:13–14). 25:13–14 Both of these proverbs begin with some aspect of weather and its affects on an agrarian society; from that analogy they move on to the importance of personal reliability. Verse 13 does not mean that it snows at harvest time—that would be an unmitigated disaster. It refers to bringing down snow from the mountains during the heat of harvest and the refreshment that gives to workers. Verse 14 speaks of clouds that hold the promise of rain for parched crops but pass by without leaving a drop. The proverbs speak of the joy or bitter disappointment that comes from reliable or unreliable employees.

Garrett, Duane A.: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1993 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 14), S. 207

Proverbs 25:21-22

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;

if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

²²In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,

and the Lord will reward you.

Type: Thematic (25:21–22). 25:21–22 These proverbs state the paradoxical truth that one can get back at one’s enemy with kindness. Feeding an enemy will “heap burning coals on his head” in the sense that he or she will be humiliated at having to take bread from a hated rival. The metaphor of burning coals implies intense pain; the proverb does not foresee the possibility of reconciliation with one’s foe, however true and noble that may be.¹³ Still, the implication that one should refrain from extracting vengeance is obvious. Paul quoted this proverb in his discussion of “love” in Rom 12:9–21. It must also be noted that Jesus’ instruction on the love of enemies (Matt 5:43–47) be read in light of this proverb and that the love of enemy is originally an Old Testament idea that was both enacted and commanded by Jesus.

¹³Contrary to F. Delitzsch, The Proverbs of Solomon (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1884), 2:168.

Garrett, Duane A.: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1993 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 14), S. 208

“Forgive Us Our Debts”

There is an unusual epitaph on a large headstone in a cemetery outside of New York City. The name of the person in the grave is not on the headstone. There is no mention of when the person was born or when he died. Nor does it indicate anything about the person’s being a beloved mother, father, husband, wife, brother, sister, son, or daughter. Just one word stretches across the headstone: Forgiven. Clearly the most significant fact of this individual’s life was the peace he or she knew as a result of God’s forgiveness.

Henry Ward Beecher, a popular nineteenth-century American preacher, said,

Let me saw off a branch from one of the trees that is now budding in my garden, and all summer long there will be an ugly scar where the gash has been made; but by next autumn it will be perfectly covered over by the growing; and by the following autumn it will be hidden out of sight; and in four or five years there will be but a slight scar to show where it has been; and in ten or twenty years you would never suspect that there had been an amputation. Trees know how to overgrow their injuries, and hide them: and love does not wait so long as trees do (Cited in Encyclopedia of 2585 Illustrations [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d.], 260).

The Apostle Peter said that love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), and one of the most important ways it does that is by forgiveness.

The most essential, blessed, and yet most costly thing God ever did was to provide man the forgiveness of sin. It is most essential because it keeps us from hell and gives us joy in this life. It is most blessed because it introduces us into an eternal fellowship with God. And it is most costly because the Son of God gave up His life so that we might live.

John R.W. Stott, in his book Confess Your Sins, quotes the head of a large British mental home: “I could dismiss half my patients tomorrow if they could be assured of forgiveness” ([Waco, Texas: Word, 1974], 73). Deliverance from guilt by real forgiveness is man’s deepest spiritual need. Apart from it, he can’t enter into a relationship with God that produces peace and hope. He is holy and His “eyes are too pure to approve evil, and [He] canst not look on wickedness with favor” (Hab. 1:13). “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,” says Isaiah (6:3). Holy God cannot possibly entertain a relationship with unholy men unless there is forgiveness of sin.

That’s why our Lord makes it the next topic in His pattern for prayer: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matt. 6:12). Verses 14–15 serve as a footnote: “For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”

MacArthur, John: Alone With God. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1995

Standard Equipment On Pony Express

The pony express was a thrilling part of early American history. It ran from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, Califor nia—a distance of 1,900 miles. The trip was made in ten days. Forty men, each riding 50 miles a day, dashed along the trail on 500 of the best horses the West could provide.

To conserve weight, clothing was very light, saddles were extremely small and thin, and no weapons were carried. The horses themselves wore small shoes or none at all. The mail pouches were flat and very conservative in size. Letters had to be written on thin paper, and postage was $5.00 an ounce (a tremendous sum those days).

Yet, each rider carried a full-sized Bible! It was presented to him when he joined the pony express, and he took it with him despite all the scrupulous weight precautions.

—Our Daily Bread

Oil From Moses’ Crib

The fact that the Standard Oil Company discovered oil and is operating wells in Egypt is generally known but the reason for its going to that ancient land to look for oil is probably not so well known.

It is asserted that one of the directors of the company happened to read the second chapter of Exodus. The third verse caught his attention. It states that the ark of bulrushes which the mother of Moses made for her child was “daubed with slime and with pitch.”

This gentleman reasoned that where there was pitch, there must be oil, and if there was oil in Moses’ time it is probably still there. So the company sent out Charles Whitshott, its geologist and oil expert, to make investigations, with the result that oil was discovered.

—Chicago Daily News

Don’t Leave Home Without It

How many of you have your cell phones with you right now? How many of you have your cell phone here, but you left it in the car? How many of you intentionally left your cell phone at home? How many of you, “if you left your cell phone at home and you lived near by” would turn around after getting to your destination and go home and get your cell phone? How many of you feel sort of naked without your cell phone hanging on your side, in your case or in your purse? Do you see the point? We must have our cell phones with us. If we leave it at home, we will drive miles to retrieve it “just in case” someone calls us. What would our lives be like if we felt the same way about Jesus? Remember what Jesus said in St. John 15:5? In the last part of the verse He said “for apart from Me you can do nothing.” If we fully understood (as we do with the cell phones) that without Jesus we can do nothing, I think we’d begin to make a difference in our lives and in this world. Many of us can not operate if we forget our cell phones. Heaven forbid if we are on a trip and forget to bring our charger and the battery runs down. We wake up in the morning rushing and we leave our homes in a hurry, forgetting to take Jesus with us. Would we turn around and go home to get Him? Do we ever feel naked when we do not have Jesus with us? When we leave our homes we think about the cell phone, whether or not we have it or checking it for messages if we have it with us. However, we sometimes do not even think about Jesus. Some of us can go days without thinking about Jesus, but we keep that phone close by “just in case.” We need Jesus with us much more than the cell phone.

A story about giving

A young boy came to church one cold winter day to get out of the blowing snow. He had been trying to sell newspapers but not a single customer had passed by because of the weather. He slipped into the back of the church, just hoping to get warm and catch up on his sleep.

Though the Sunday crowd was slim, the boy really paid attention to the sermon and was greatly moved by it. When the pastor was done, he called for the offering. The ushers went from row to row, and when the offering plate came to the boy, he stared at it for a while...he had no money and did not know what to do.

He then did something very strange and very beautiful. He stood up and stepped right into the offering plate. By then, all the people had turned around and were staring at the boy. When he looked up, he had big tears running down his face as he said, "Pastor, I don’t have any money because I haven’t sold any newspapers today. But, if Jesus gave His life for me, then I will gladly give my life to Him.”

1. What is the major theme of the Book of Proverbs?

One word answers the question: wisdom. In Proverbs, the words wise and wisdom are used at least 125 times, because the aim of the book is to help us acquire and apply God’s wisdom to the decisions and activities of daily life.

The Book of Proverbs belongs to what scholars call the “wisdom literature” of the Old Testament, which also includes Job and Ecclesiastes.1 The writers of these books wrestled with some of the most difficult questions of life as they sought to understand life’s problems from God’s point of view. After all, just because you’re a believer and you walk by faith, it doesn’t mean you put your mind on the shelf and stop thinking. The Lord expects us to apply ourselves intellectually and do some serious thinking as we study His Word. We should love the Lord with our minds as well as with our hearts and souls (Matt. 22:37).

Wisdom was an important commodity in the ancient Near East; every ruler had his council of “wise men” whom he consulted when making important decisions. Joseph was considered a wise man in Egypt and Daniel and his friends were honored for their wisdom while serving in Babylon. God wants His children today to “walk circumspectly [carefully], not as fools but as wise” (Eph. 5:15, edW¸). Understanding the Book of Proverbs can help us do that. It isn’t enough simply to be educated and have knowledge, as important as education is. We also need wisdom, which is the ability to use knowledge. Wise men and women have the competence to grasp the meaning of a situation and understand what to do and how to do it in the right way at the right time.

To the ancient Jew, wisdom was much more than simply good advice or successful planning. I like Dr. Roy Zuck’s definition: “Wisdom means being skillful and successful in one’s relationships and responsibilities . . . observing and following the Creator’s principles of order in the moral universe.” 2 In that definition you find most of the important elements of biblical wisdom, the kind of wisdom we can learn from the Book of Proverbs.

Biblical wisdom begins with a right relationship with the Lord. The wise person believes that there is a God, that He is the Creator and Ruler of all things, and that He has put within His creation a divine order that, if obeyed, leads ultimately to success. Wise people also assert that there is a moral law operating in this world, a principle of divine justice which makes sure that eventually the wicked are judged and the righteous are rewarded. Biblical wisdom has little if any relationship to a person’s IQ or education, because it is a matter of moral and spiritual understanding. It has to do with character and values; it means looking at the world through the grid of God’s truth.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for “wise” (hakam) is used to describe people skillful in working with their hands, such as the artisans who helped build the tabernacle (Ex. 28:3; 35:30–36:2) and Solomon’s temple (1 Chron. 22:15). Wisdom isn’t something theoretical, it’s something very practical that affects every area of life. It gives order and purpose to life; it gives discernment in making decisions; and it provides a sense of fulfillment in life to the glory of God.

Wisdom keeps us in harmony with the principles and purposes that the Lord has built into His world so that as we obey God, everything works for us and not against us. This doesn’t mean we don’t experience trials and difficulties, because trials and difficulties are a normal part of life. But it means we have the ability to deal with these adversities successfully so that we grow spiritually and the Lord is glorified.

People with wisdom have the skill to face life honestly and courageously, and to manage it successfully so that God’s purposes are fulfilled in their lives. That’s why I’ve called this book Be Skillful, because we’re seeking to learn from Proverbs the divine principles that can make us skillful, not in making a living, but in making a life. The pages of history are filled with the names of brilliant and gifted people who were smart enough to become rich and famous but not wise enough to make a successful and satisfying life. Before his death, one of the world’s richest men said that he would have given all his wealth to make one of his six marriages succeed. It’s one thing to make a living, but quite something else to make a life.

1 1. There are also “wisdom psalms”: 1, 19, 32, 34, 37, 49, 73, 78, 112, 119, 127-128, 133.

2 2. Roy Zuck, Biblical Theology of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody, 1991), 232.

Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Skillful. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1995 (An Old Testament Study), S. Pr 1:8

Growing Up to Childlikeness

If we want to worship in spirit and in truth, we need to rediscover the capacity to wonder that God placed within each of us. It has been distorted by sin, so that our perceptions have been twisted. The precise opposite of wonder is cynicism, and I doubt there has ever been a time more characterized by cynicism than this one. If we’re not careful, we’ll all fall into that trap. After all, cynicism is in the cultural air we breathe every day. Unless you live on a desert island, you spend more time being exposed to cynical attitudes than you do eating or exercising. Think of our television shows. Consider the movies our young people attend and the music that pulses through their earphones.

After September 11, 2001, there was much media discussion of “the death of irony,” but in fact little has changed. There is a culture of sarcasm that has for decades filtered down from our media and many of our leaders to infect all of us. I’ve often said that I don’t see how a committed follower of Christ can maintain a sarcastic approach to humor, but we have so few other models before us. After a while, we no longer marvel at Oz, the Great and Powerful—we’re straining our necks to find the little shrunken man behind the curtain. We’re certain there must always be one, for all seems to be sham and subterfuge. While the preacher is telling us about God, we’re wondering how much they pay him to preach the sermon. Cynicism is a deadly infection that eats away our childlike ability to be surprised and delighted. It corrodes our channels of worship, and that disease is a terminal one.

It’s not a new problem, of course. Jesus faced the cynics at every turn. Not only were the Pharisees incapable of partaking in the marvelous experience of His miracles and teaching, but even His own disciples constantly fell short of the grand concept. So many of His parables invited the hearers to wonder at the greatness of the kingdom of God, but nearly everyone missed the point. Finally, since they couldn’t see the big picture, He gave them the small one. He held up a little child. The disciples were taken aback; they felt children weren’t worthy of the rabbi’s time, and they usually pushed them aside:

But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

—Luke 18:16–17

The primary theme there, of course, is humility. (Matthew 18 tells us that the disciples were arguing—again—about who would be the greatest in Jesus’ kingdom.) But humility and wonder go hand in hand. Our faith needs to be childlike, not childish. We need to rediscover the awe of God. Much contemporary Christianity, we find, treats God in very casual terms as the ultimate Best Friend—which, of course, He is. But if we’re not careful, we cut Him down to our size. Then our God is too small.

We don’t need a convenient, compact god. We need the One who causes us to fall upon our knees, who leaves us speechless, who makes our eyes shine with His fire and causes us to depart as changed persons. And we need that God every moment of every day.

Recovering the Wonder

Jeremiah, David: My Heart's Desire : Living Every Moment in the Wonder of Worship. Nashville : Integrity Publishers, 2002, S. 16

- The following is so touching and inspiring.

Father John Powell, professor at Loyola University in Chicago, writes
about a student in his Theology of Faith class named Tommy;

Some twelve years ago, I stood watching my university students file
into the classroom for our first session in the Theology of Faith.

That was the day I first saw Tommy. My eyes and my mind both blinked.
He was combing his long flaxen hair, which hung six inches below his
shoulders.

It was the first time I had ever seen a boy with hair that long. I
guess it was just coming into fashion then. I know in my mind that it
isn't what's on your head but what's in it that counts; but on that
day I was unprepared and my emotions flipped. I immediately filed
Tommy under "S" for strange...very strange.

Tommy turned out to be the "atheist in residence" in my Theology of
Faith course. He constantly ob jected to, smirked at, or whined about
the possibility of an unconditionally loving Father/God. We lived with
each other in relative peace for one semester, although I admit he was
for me at times a serious pain in the back pew.

When he came up at the end of the course to turn in his final exam, he
asked in a cynical tone, "Do you think I'll ever find God?"

I decided instantly on a little shock therapy. "No!" I said very emphatically.

"Why not," he responded, "I thought that was the product you were pushing."

I let him get five steps from the classroom door and then called out,
"Tommy! I don't think you'll ever find Him, but I am absolutely
certain that He will find you!" He shrugged a little and left my class
and my life.

I felt slightly disappointed at the thought that he had missed my
clever line -- He will find you! At least I thought it was clever.
Later I heard that Tommy had graduated, and I was duly grateful.

Then a sad report came. I heard that Tommy had terminal cancer. Before
I could search him out, he came to see me. When he walked into my
office, his body was very badly wasted and the long hair had all
fallen out as a result of chemotherapy. But his eyes were bright and
his voice was firm, for the first time, I believe. "Tommy, I've
thought about you so often; I hear you are sick," I blurted out.

"Oh, yes, very sick. I have cancer in both lungs. It's a matter of weeks."

"Can you talk about it, Tom?" I asked.

"Sure, what would you like to know?" he replied.

"What's it like to be only twenty-four and dying?"

"Well, it could be worse."

"Like what?"

"Well, like being fifty and having no values or ideals, like being
fifty and thinking that booze, seducing women, and making money are
the real biggies in life."

I began to look through my mental file cabinet under "S" where I had
filed Tommy as strange. (It seems as though everybody I try to reject
by classification, God sends back into my life to educate me.)

"But what I really came to see you about," Tom said, "is something you
said to me on the last day of class." (He remembered!) He continued,
"I asked you if you thought I would ever find God and you said, 'No!'
which surprised me. Then you said, 'But He will find you.' I thought
about that a lot, even though my search for God was hardly intense at
that time.

(My clever line. He thought about that a lot!)

"But when the doctors removed a lump from my groin and told me that it
was malignant, that's when I got serious about locating God. And when
the malignancy spread into my vital organs, I really began banging
bloody fists against the bronze doors of heaven. But God did not come
out. In fact, nothing happened. Did you ever try anything for a long
time with great effort and with no success? You get psychologically
glutted, fe d up with trying. And then you quit "Well, one day I woke
up, and instead of throwing a few more futile appeals over that high
brick wall to a God who may be or may not be there, I just quit.

I decided that I didn't really care about God, about an after life, or
anything like that. I decided to spend what time I had left doing
something more profitable. I thought about you and your class and I
remembered something else you had said: 'The essential sadness is to
go through life without loving. But it would be almost equally sad to
go through life and leave this world without ever telling those you
loved that you had loved them.'"

"So, I began with the hardest one, my Dad.
He was reading the newspaper when I approached him. "Dad."

"Yes, what?" he asked without lowering the newspaper.

"Dad, I would like to talk with you."

"Well, talk."

"I mean .. It's really important."

The newspaper came down three slow inche s. "What is it?"

"Dad, I love you, I just wanted you to know that." Tom smiled at me
and said it with obvious satisfaction, as though he felt a warm and
secret joy flowing inside of him. "The newspaper fluttered to the
floor. Then my father did two things I could never remember him ever
doing before. He cried and he hugged me. We talked all night, even
though he had to go to work the next morning. It felt so good to be
close to my father, to see his tears, to feel his hug, to hear him say
that he loved me."

"It was easier with my mother and little brother. They cried with me,
too, and we hugged each other, and started saying real nice things to
each other. We shared the things we had been keeping secret for so
many years.

"I was only sorry about one thing --- that I had waited so long. Here
I was, just beginning to open up to all the people I had actually been
close to.

"Then, one day I turned around and God was there. He didn't come to me
when I pleaded with Him. I guess I was like an animal trainer holding
out a hoop, 'C'mon, jump through. C'mon, I'll give you three days,
three weeks.'"

"Apparently God does things in His own way and at His own hour. But
the important thing is that He was there. He found me!

You were right. He found me even after I stopped looking for Him"

"Tommy," I practically gasped, "I think you are saying something very
important and much more universal than you realize.

To me, at least, you are saying that the surest way to find God is not
to make Him a private possession, a problem solver, or an instant
consolation in time of need, but rather by opening to love. You know,
the Apostle John said that. He said: 'God is love, and anyone who
lives in love is living with God and God is living in him.'

Tom, could I ask you a favor? You know, when I had you in class you
were a real pain. But (laughingly) you can ma ke it all up to me now.
Would you come into my present Theology of Faith course and tell them
what you have just told me? If I told them the same thing it wouldn't
be half as effective as if you were to tell it"

"Oooh... I was ready for you, but I don't know if I'm ready for your class."

"Tom, think about it. If and when you are ready, give me a call."

In a few days Tom called, said he was ready for the class, that he
wanted to do that for God and for me. So we scheduled a date.

However, he never made it. He had another appointment, far more
important than the one with me and my class. Of course, his life was
not really ended by his death, only changed. He made the great step
from faith into vision.

He found a life far more beautiful than the eye of man has ever seen
or the ear of man has ever heard or the mind of man has ever imagined.

Before he died, we talked one last time.

"I'm not going to make it to your class," he said.

"I know, Tom."

"Will you tell them for me? Will you ... tell the whole world for me?"

I will, Tom. I'll tell them. I'll do my best."

So, to a ll of you who have been kind enough to read this simple story
about God's love, thank you for listening. And to you, Tommy,
somewhere in the sunlit, verdant hills of heaven --- I told them,
Tommy, as best I could.

If this story means anything to you, please pass it on to a friend or two.

It is a true story and is not enhanced for publicity purposes. With
thanks, Rev. John Powell, Professor, Loyola University, Chicago.

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind.

She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for
her.

She told her boyfriend, "If I could only see the world, I will marry
you."

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came
off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her,'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?'

The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of
his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of
looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her
saying:
'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, before they were yours, they were
mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.
Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always
by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift

Today before you say an unkind word -
Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who
has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's
crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life -
Think of someone who went too early to the grave.

Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires
children but they're barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep -
Think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks
the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the
unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another -
Remember that THREE are pointing back at you and not one of us is
without sin and we all answer to one MAKER.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your
face and thank GOD you're alive and still around.