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Who? It was said of him,"He was all soul, and you can't photograph the soul nor describe it as you know it to exist." Missionary, scholar, mystic, saint. Quite a resume. So what advice does he give us at the turning of a new year?
Recent Entries
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Self-sufficient humanism. Paul saw it coming – “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
Imago Dei
September 12, 2012
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Why Can't I Pray?
August 18, 2012
The bible gives us several reasons, but according to Jeremy Taylor, a deceitful heart is at the root of prayerlessness.
It's Not Rocket Science
July 23, 2012
To keep in step with the Spirit should be our daily quest. And if we are successful at that, all of life falls into place.
Theological Steak
April 10, 2012
These words by P. T. Forsythe on the magnificence of Christ's work are to theology what Ruth's Chris is to a good steak.
Describing the Indescribable
February 11, 2012
What we have in Christ will take all eternity to describe. But for one segment of one sermon, a great preacher made a mighty attempt.
Making Sense Of It All
January 30, 2012
Where are things headed? Is there rhyme and reason to the endless cycle of summer, fall, winter and spring? Is there a plan in place, or is randomness the explanation?
Saintly Resolutions: GEORGE BOWEN
January 1, 2009
On January 2, 1869, George Bowen wrote:
"Instead of asking, What shall this coming year bring to me? let us individually ask, What shall I bring to it? Instead of asking, What changes are likely to take place in the world? let a man enquire, What changes may reasonably be looked for in me? What changes for the better can i accomplish, in myself and around me?"
"God has brought you to the threshold of a new year. It is a terra incognita to you. But He that has brought you here, knows what is beyond; and the best thing for you to do is to look up to Him, as the child that cannot see afar off looks up to its father's face."
"It is He that has brought you here; He has an object in it. He made the world and He made you; the world is His and you are His; you have no right to be or to do in this world of His, anything but what pleases Him."
"You have certain powers. How are you to use them? It is for Him to say. Have you instructions? Is His word with you? is it in your heart? Does it rule you? Surely it is in studying His instructions that we shall get the best insight into the future...."
"If we have the word of God in our hands and in our hearts, then we have an important sense the making of this coming year in our hands."
"As the stream that descends from some mountain in a broad, parched, barren plain, fertilizes it and makes it a region of verdure, a place for cattle to browse and for birds to sing, so they who have the word of life in their hearts, vanquishing the evil of their nature and energizing them for the work which Christ has assigned them, are empowered to chante the aspect of society, and make the moral wilderness blossom as the rose."
What was the bottom line for Bowen in facing a new year? Simply, pick up your Bible, reading it regulary, letting it inform and guide your year, allowing the Spirit of God to show you His path. May that same Spirit enable you to enjoy God's word this year, while further transforming you into His image.
"Instead of asking, What shall this coming year bring to me? let us individually ask, What shall I bring to it? Instead of asking, What changes are likely to take place in the world? let a man enquire, What changes may reasonably be looked for in me? What changes for the better can i accomplish, in myself and around me?"
"God has brought you to the threshold of a new year. It is a terra incognita to you. But He that has brought you here, knows what is beyond; and the best thing for you to do is to look up to Him, as the child that cannot see afar off looks up to its father's face."
"It is He that has brought you here; He has an object in it. He made the world and He made you; the world is His and you are His; you have no right to be or to do in this world of His, anything but what pleases Him."
"You have certain powers. How are you to use them? It is for Him to say. Have you instructions? Is His word with you? is it in your heart? Does it rule you? Surely it is in studying His instructions that we shall get the best insight into the future...."
"If we have the word of God in our hands and in our hearts, then we have an important sense the making of this coming year in our hands."
"As the stream that descends from some mountain in a broad, parched, barren plain, fertilizes it and makes it a region of verdure, a place for cattle to browse and for birds to sing, so they who have the word of life in their hearts, vanquishing the evil of their nature and energizing them for the work which Christ has assigned them, are empowered to chante the aspect of society, and make the moral wilderness blossom as the rose."
What was the bottom line for Bowen in facing a new year? Simply, pick up your Bible, reading it regulary, letting it inform and guide your year, allowing the Spirit of God to show you His path. May that same Spirit enable you to enjoy God's word this year, while further transforming you into His image.
