miscellany

Busy day?

jca — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:14:12 +0000

When you are oppressed with the weight of any duty or service in your calling, improve your trust in God’s power. Perhaps you find the duty of your calling too heavy for your weak shoulders: lay the heaviest end of your burden in God’s shoulder. When at any time you are sick of your work and ready with Jonah to run from it, encourage yourself with that which God said to Gideon; ‘Go in this your might’, has not God called you? … Such a bountiful heart your God has, that while you are asking for a little peace and joy, He bids you to open your mouth wide and He will fill it. Set your needs all before the Almighty. God has strength enough to give.

William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armor

As quoted in Voices from the Past, Puritan Devotional Readings, edited by Richard Rushing

Does this include NFL referees?

jca — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 03:53:17 +0000

“… never think you behave yourselves as becomes Christians, except when you sincerely, sensibly, and fervently love all men, of whatever party or opinion, and whether friendly or unkind, just or injurious, to you or your friends, or to the cause and kingdom of Christ.”

Jonathan Edwards

The Joys of a Parent

jca — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 04:44:46 +0000

Today my son was married. Again. What a story of love, forgiveness, grace and mercy. A family was made whole again because of the faithfulness of God, whose mercies are new every day! Husband, wife and daughter are now a family again for the first time in about 10 years.

There are a lot of songs mulling in my head, but these two seem to be at the top right now.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!

The Doxology, by Thomas Ken

And this is a bit more recent, by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who bore my pain;
Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace
And gave me life again;
Who crushed my curse of sinfulness
And clothed me in His light
And wrote His law of righteousness
With pow’r upon my heart.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who walks beside;
Who floods my weaknesses with strength
And causes fears to fly;
Whose ev’ry promise is enough
For ev’ry step I take,
Sustaining me with arms of love
And crowning me with grace.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To him who reigns above,
Whose wisdom is my perfect peace,
Whose ev’ry thought is love.
For ev’ry day I have on earth
Is given by the King;
So I will give my life, my all,
To love and follow him.

“My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness”
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2003 Thankyou Music

Joy!

jca — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 05:06:43 +0000

I am substituting for Pastor Currie in his Sunday School class this morning, teaching in Philippians 1. Philippians is a great book full of joy and rejoicing, with some form of that word used roughly 12 times (I’m not too good at counting – may be more, may be fewer). Paul prays with joy, he rejoices with the Philippians, he rejoices in suffering, he rejoices in the gospel, he rejoices in everything, always! “Rejoice in the Lord always – again, I say REJOICE!”

The Valley of Vision has a prayer on “Joy”, and it goes like this:

O Christ,

All Thy ways of mercy tend to and end in my delight.
Thou didst weep, sorrow, suffer that I might rejoice.
For my joy Thou has sent the Comforter, multiplied Thy promises, shown me my future happiness, given me a living fountain.
Thou art preparing joy for me and me for joy;
I pray for joy, wait for joy, long for joy; give me more than I can hold, desire or think of.
Measure out to me my times and degrees of joy, at my work, business, duties.
If I week at night, give me joy in the morning.
Let me rest in the thought of Thy love, pardon for sin, my title to heaven, my future unspotted state.
I am an unworthy recipient of Thy grace.
I often disesteem Thy blood and slight Thy love, but can in repentance draw water from the wells of Thy joyous forgiveness.
Let my heart leap towards the eternal sabbath, where the work of redemption, sanctification, preservation, glorification is finished and perfected for ever, where Thou wilt rejoice over me with joy.
There is no joy like the joy of heaven, for in that state are no sad divisions, unchristian quarrels, contentions, evil designs, weariness, hunger, cold, sadness, sin, suffering, persecutions, toils of duty.
O healthful place where none are sick!
O happy land where all are kings!
O holy assembly where all are priests!
How free a state where none are servants except to Thee!
Bring me speedily to the land of joy!

from The Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.
The Banner of Truth Trust, © 1975

New Christmas Music from Sojourn

jca — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 22:31:51 +0000

Sojourn Music, a ministry of Sojourn Church, just released a new Christmas CD, “A Child Is Born”, with many reworked carols and a couple of new songs (at least to me).

Sojourn Music has done a number of CDs, but my favorites are the two based on the works of Isaac Watts, the 18th century hymnwriter.

Buy a Grand Piano

jca — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:23:04 +0000

A very good friend is quite proud of his granddaughter, and submitted this article to the local weekly paper, The Straitsland Resorter. The article was in Thursday’s paper.

Matt is the pastor of a small church in Mississippi (not Missouri), www.CalvaryBaptistBSL.org. If you would like to donate to the grand piano fund, you can send a check to the church here:

Calvary Independent Baptist Church

2241 Longfellow Road

Bay St. Louis, MS 39520

If you would like a copy of Hannah’s DVD and don’t live in or near Indian River, let me know. I’ll see what I can do for you or you can reach out to Wayne on facebook.

If you want a copy of the article, or the Straitsland Resorter, you can buy one locally or subscribe online at www.resorter.com.

now and not yet

jca — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 01:12:24 +0000

I love the Psalms. You may not have picked up on that yet from reading this blog, but it’s true. I’m not sure why, other than the fact that the psalmist expresses so many of the thoughts I have, but so much more eloquently than I can.

They are meant to be sung, and there are many versions out there. Here’s another album, just released this month. It’s a nice, simple album, with a single voice and guitar, pleasant to listen to and easy to focus on the text.

Listen, and feel free to buy directly from the artist.

A Common Refrain

jca — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 11:34:20 +0000

This phrase is repeated many times throughout the Psalms (and elsewhere in the Bible). It bears repeating.

Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!

Psalm 117

Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me

jca — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 02:40:52 +0000

I’m singing the offertory Sunday, doing one of my favorite songs, but with a new melody. I wrote about it earlier, in this blog post, but the text bears repeating here. The lyrical melody line is nothing like what you’ve sung in the past or heard on “Little House On the Prairie” and breathes new life into this text written by Augustus Toplady in 1763. That means it was already over 100 years old when sung on the American frontier!

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save from wrath and make me pure.

All the labors of my hands
could not fill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress,
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
To Thy fountain, Lord I fly,
Wash me Savior, or I die!

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgement throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

What a prayer the last lines of this hymn should be for each of us: “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee!”

What a place to hide!

jca — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 12:29:25 +0000

O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly;
So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine, would I be;
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.

Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,”
I’m hiding in Thee.

In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour,
In times when temptation casts o’er me its power;
In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.

Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,”
I’m hiding in Thee.

How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my refuge and breathed out my woe;
How often, when trials like sea billows roll,
Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul.

Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,”
I’m hiding in Thee.

Hiding In Thee. Text by William O. Cushing