Jesus hates sin,

                and loves the sinner!

Dare we be Christ-like?

                – - – on BOTH points?

                – eab, 11/18/09

O, What a privilege to walk with the Savior,

Daily to follow His love and His will,

Knowing, whene’er trials do beset me,

Gold must be purified – He loves me still.     

                – eab, 11/72

Watchman, tell us of the night,
What its signs of promise are.
Traveler, o’er yon mountain’s height,
See that glory beaming star.
Watchman, does its beauteous ray
Aught of joy or hope foretell?
Traveler, yes—it brings the day,
Promised day of Israel.

Watchman, tell us of the night;
Higher yet that star ascends.
Traveler, blessedness and light,
Peace and truth its course portends.
Watchman, will its beams alone
Gild the spot that gave them birth?
Traveler, ages are its own;
See, it bursts o’er all the earth.

Watchman, tell us of the night,
For the morning seems to dawn.
Traveler, darkness takes its flight,
Doubt and terror are withdrawn.
Watchman, let thy wanderings cease;
Hie thee to thy quiet home.
Traveler, lo! the Prince of Peace,
Lo! the Son of God is come!

John Bowring [Sir] died this date, 11/23/1872, at Devon, England.  His trade/ manufacture was in woolen goods.  It was so extensive that it increased his natural abilities in languages.  One report has him flu­ent in over twenty (20) lan­guages and speaking eighty (80) more.  Another report would place his speaking skills as high as a hundred (100) languages with a limited knowledge of up to two hundred (200).  In either case he had a phenomenal God–given strength and seems could carry on business in following named tongues: Boheman, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish. 

He served twice in Parliament, held several high government positions to foreign countries including being the governor of Hong Kong, and was knight by Queen Victoria.  In addition to all the worldly fame he had a deep interest in God as the above hymn shows and as his additional twenty (20) some others show.  His more famous one is “In the Cross of Christ I Glory” – see 10/17/2009 of this blog.

“Growing up”

                is opposite

“giving up.”

– eab, 11/12/09

If you are used to saying,

“The Good Lord willing,

And the creek don’t rise.”

Watch the storm clouds

In yonder skies.

            – eab, 3/2/09

Union Institute on this date, 11/21/1852 was chartered as a Christian training school by Methodist Church in Randolph County, North Carolina.   The school was renamed Trinity College in 1859.  It was not doubt a good move to drop “union” in light of the pending strife closely related to that word.  It was a wonderful move to honor the wonderful Trinity with this new name.  In 1892 the college campus was moved to Durham, North Carolina.  

But listen to this.  A tobacco magnate named James B. Duke decided to give Trinity College a gift in 1924.  It was a huge gift, reported to be a $40 million endowment.  For money (it seems – God knows the hearts of the men) the great name Trinity was dropped.  Want to know what took its place?  Try Duke.  Oh, the power of money – even on a Christian college.  Trinity College became Duke University.

Info Source - William D Blake. Almanac of the Christian Church. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.  

If you are running TO God –

                you are running FROM the devil.

If you are running FROM God –

                you are running TO  ___ ____!

- eab, 11/18/09      

It takes a lot of pluck,

To seriously try your “luck”

Positioning a hard puck, [1]

Without getting dumb struck.

- You’ll do all that for a buck? 

                – eab, 11/2005

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition, all I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition! God and Heaven are still mine own.

Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like them, untrue.
And while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me, show Thy face and all is bright.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn and pain!
In Thy service, pain is pleasure; with Thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called Thee, “Abba, Father”; I have set my heart on Thee:
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, all must work for good to me.

Man may trouble and distress me, ’twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me; heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me while Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me, were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Take, my soul, thy full salvation; rise o’er sin, and fear, and care;
Joy to find in every station something still to do or bear:
Think what Spirit dwells within thee; what a Father’s smile is thine;
What a Savior died to win thee, child of heaven, shouldst thou repine?

Haste then on from grace to glory, armed by faith, and winged by prayer,
Heaven’s eternal day’s before thee, God’s own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission, swift shall pass thy pilgrim days;
Hope soon change to glad fruition, faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

Henry Francis Lyte was buried this date, 11/20/1847, Nice, France.  Though orphaned he was able to attended Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, specializing in English poetry.  Lyte married Anne Maxwell, 1818, at Bath, daughter of William Maxwell a minister of Monaghan. (Their very happy marriage produced at least one child, a daughter.)  From Trinity College he received his MA in 1820.

Lyte did not have a strong body and in later years suffered from asthma and consumption. His last pastorate (twenty-three years) was a poor parish, pastoring the fishermen and families in Lower Brixham, England.  (It was here he penned “Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken.”  Near the end of life (his health in worse condition) Lyte preached his last sermon and also wrote “Abide with Me, Fast Falls the Eventide.”

It was for his health sake that he had started to Italy but expired making it no farther than France. Lyte was born 6/1/1793, at Ed­nam, Scot­land.

Judge Not – has often been taken as

Judging harshly, being too hard.

It CAN be judging too softly.

Saying compromise “is OK”

Is also being a Judge! 

- eab, 11/10/09