Monday, June 30, 2008

I hope George Carlin Changed His Mind....



My second article on entertainment current events in two days, that in itself shows the end is near. I really didn't know much about George Carlin so I sat down today and clicked on a couple of YouTube videos of him and his comedy routines. How sad! In the majority of them, he not only dismisses Christianity but even goes as far as to make fun of my Savior. I Pray that he changed his mind before he met his end because if not I'm sure he heard all those words that he had said and regretted their presence ever being upon his lips. I also Pray that anyone who followed him opens their eyes to see that God is real and that Jesus does exist! I Pray that they come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. My, my how we need to Pray for our nation and world.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness ..... Part 4 in a hymn study

"Great is Thy Faithfulness" is another of my favorites. It's writer is actually from Kentucky!


Great is Thy Faithfulness

Thomas Chisholm's Sacred and Heart-Lifting Hymn Remains a Favorite


Blue Danube, Tel <span class=

Profiles the popular sacred song "Great is Thy Faithfulness" and brief biography of text author Thomas Chisholm. Music is composed by William Runyan.

In praise of God, 'Great is Thy Faithfulness,' a hymn written by Thomas O. Chisholm (1866-1960), is a worship song that uplifts through trials and tough times. It was a result of a writer's daily experiences and realization of God's faithfulness.

The tune is composed by William M. Runyan (1870-1957), with scripture reference from the Bible's Lamentations 3:22-23 - "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail."

This sacred song has been an all-time favorite among Christians. Popular gospel singer and songwriter Beverley Shea says that it was first introduced to audiences in Great Britain by the Billy Graham Crusades in 1954.

Thomas Obadiah Chisholm was born in a log cabin on July 29, 1866, in Franklin, Simpson County, Kentucky. At age 16, Chisholm's career began in the same small country school house he had elementary training. He did not undergo high school or further training. At 21, he became the associate editor of his home town weekly newspaper, The Franklin Favorite.

Chisholm accepted Christ as personal Savior aged 27, during a revival meeting conducted in his hometown by Dr. H. C. Morrison. At Dr. Morrison's invitation Chisholm moved to Louisville to become office editor and business manager of Morrison's publication, the Pentecostal Herald. Later he was ordained a Methodist minister but had only a year of pastoral work due to failing health. After 1909 he became a life insurance agent in Winona Lake and later in Vineland, New Jersey.

In a heart-uplifting letter dated 1941, Thomas O. Chisholm wrote that although his income has not been enough due to his impaired health, he must record the unfailing faithfulness of God for the "wonderful displays of His providing care" and for which he is "filled with astonishing gratefulness."

In 1923 Thomas Chisholm sent several of his poems to the Rev. W. M. Runyan, a musician associated with the Moody Bible Institute and an editor with the Hope Publishing Company.

Thomas Chisholm wrote more than 1200 poems, many of these have become prominent hymn texts, but 'Great is thy Faithfulness' remains his most famous. Many of his poems have also appeared frequently in religious periodicals such as Sunday School Times, Moody Monthly, and Alliance Weekly.





Great is thy faithfulness


Great is thy faithfulness
Oh God my father
There is no shadow of turning with thee
Thou changest not
Thy compassions they fail not
As thou hast been
Thou forever will be

Summer and Winter
Springtime and harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join in all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness
Mercy and love

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me
(So Great)

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Your strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with ten thousand aside

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning
New mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me

Great is thy Faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning my morning new mercies I see
New mercies I see
All I have needed thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
(Lord unto...)

meeee mee ee
yeah oh oh oh
Great is Thy faithfulness
(You could've chosen anyone)
Lord to me Your faithfulness
(Oh,you blessed
Oh, you blessed me)
Great is Thy faithfulness
(You gave me everything oh yes you did
That I needed and more that I needed and more)

Repeat x1

(You've been better to me, than I've ever been,
Than I've ever been to myself,
So I'm sayin thank-you, thank-you thank-you)

Great is thy Faithfulness

(Lord I thank-you)


Source:
http://christianmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/great_is_thy_faithfulness

Sunday, June 29, 2008

How Sad These Times Are...


Ruslana Korshunova

I was checking some stuff out today on my Myway page and saw the news of a super model who jumped from her apartment and committed suicide. I thought to myself, how sad to have the whole world by the coat tails and yet be so void of real love, Jesus' love. The saddest part is that this is how our world is today. Everyone is looking for something to fill the void in their soul and they are finding that nothing can fill it. Jesus is the only one who can.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (King James Version)

5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.


Consider the Lilies ... Part 3 in a hymn study

This song was sang at my best friend Danielle's funeral. Her middle name is Lilly and it was such a fitting song. So beautiful and so true, the lyrics are based on Luke 12:27 and Matthew 6:28.


Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (KJV)


Mathew 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:


Consider The Lilies


Consider the lilies, they don't toil nor spin
But there's not a king with more splendor than them
Consider the sparrows, they don't plant nor sow
But they're fed by the Master
Who watches them grow

We have a heavenly Father above
With eyes full of mercy
And a heart full of love
He really cares when your head is bowed low
Consider the lilies and then you will know

May I introduce you
To this Friend of mine
Who hangs out the stars
And tells the sun when to shine
And kisses the flowers
Each morning with dew
But He's not too busy to care about you!

We have a heavenly Father above
With eyes full of mercy
And a heart full of love
He really cares when your head is bowed low
Consider the lilies and then you will know


My Utmost For His Highest:

Living Simply— Yet Focused
Look at the birds of the air . . . . Consider the lilies of the field . . . —Matthew 6:26, 28

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin"— they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon— all of these simply are as well— yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God’s designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, "Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me." In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38 ). We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually— just as "the lilies of the field."

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and "the lilies of the field"— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.

Source: http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/05/18/devotion.aspx

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Amazing Grace .... Part 2 of a hymn study

This is the second installment of hymns and their stories. The story of "Amazing Grace."


Amazing Grace: The Story of John Newton

by Al Rogers

Music: Away Here in Texas
This article is reprinted from the July-August 1996 issue of Away Here in Texas.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound..." So begins one of the most beloved hymns of all times, a staple in the hymnals of many denominations, New Britain or "45 on the top" in Sacred Harp. The author of the words was John Newton, the self-proclaimed wretch who once was lost but then was found, saved by amazing grace.

Newton was born in London July 24, 1725, the son of a commander of a merchant ship which sailed the Mediterranean. When John was eleven, he went to sea with his father and made six voyages with him before the elder Newton retired. In 1744 John was impressed into service on a man-of-war, the H. M. S. Harwich. Finding conditions on board intolerable, he deserted but was soon recaptured and publicly flogged and demoted from midshipman to common seaman.

Finally at his own request he was exchanged into service on a slave ship, which took him to the coast of Sierra Leone. He then became the servant of a slave trader and was brutally abused. Early in 1748 he was rescued by a sea captain who had known John's father. John Newton ultimately became captain of his own ship, one which plied the slave trade.

Although he had had some early religious instruction from his mother, who had died when he was a child, he had long since given up any religious convictions. However, on a homeward voyage, while he was attempting to steer the ship through a violent storm, he experienced what he was to refer to later as his "great deliverance." He recorded in his journal that when all seemed lost and the ship would surely sink, he exclaimed, "Lord, have mercy upon us." Later in his cabin he reflected on what he had said and began to believe that God had addressed him through the storm and that grace had begun to work for him.

For the rest of his life he observed the anniversary of May 10, 1748 as the day of his conversion, a day of humiliation in which he subjected his will to a higher power. "Thro' many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; 'tis grace has bro't me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home." He continued in the slave trade for a time after his conversion; however, he saw to it that the slaves under his care were treated humanely.

In 1750 he married Mary Catlett, with whom he had been in love for many years. By 1755, after a serious illness, he had given up seafaring forever. During his days as a sailor he had begun to educate himself, teaching himself Latin, among other subjects. From 1755 to 1760 Newton was surveyor of tides at Liverpool, where he came to know George Whitefield, deacon in the Church of England, evangelistic preacher, and leader of the Calvinistic Methodist Church. Newton became Whitefield's enthusiastic disciple. During this period Newton also met and came to admire John Wesley, founder of Methodism. Newton's self-education continued, and he learned Greek and Hebrew.

He decided to become a minister and applied to the Archbishop of York for ordination. The Archbishop refused his request, but Newton persisted in his goal, and he was subsequently ordained by the Bishop of Lincoln and accepted the curacy of Olney, Buckinghamshire. Newton's church became so crowded during services that it had to be enlarged. He preached not only in Olney but in other parts of the country. In 1767 the poet William Cowper settled at Olney, and he and Newton became friends.

Cowper helped Newton with his religious services and on his tours to other places. They held not only a regular weekly church service but also began a series of weekly prayer meetings, for which their goal was to write a new hymn for each one. They collaborated on several editions of Olney Hymns, which achieved lasting popularity. The first edition, published in 1779, contained 68 pieces by Cowper and 280 by Newton.

Among Newton's contributions which are still loved and sung today are "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds" and "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken," as well as "Amazing Grace." Composed probably between 1760 and 1770 in Olney, "Amazing Grace" was possibly one of the hymns written for a weekly service. Through the years other writers have composed additional verses to the hymn which came to be known as "Amazing Grace" (it was not thus entitled in Olney Hymns), and possibly verses from other Newton hymns have been added. However, these are the six stanzas that appeared, with minor spelling variations, in both the first edition in 1779 and the 1808 edition, the one nearest the date of Newton's death. It appeared under the heading Faith's Review and Expectation, along with a reference to First Chronicles, chapter 17, verses 16 and 17.

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ'd!

Thro' many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be forever mine.

The origin of the melody is unknown. Most hymnals attribute it to an early American folk melody. The Bill Moyers special on "Amazing Grace" speculated that it may have originated as the tune of a song the slaves sang.

Newton was not only a prolific hymn writer but also kept extensive journals and wrote many letters. Historians accredit his journals and letters for much of what is known today about the eighteenth century slave trade. In Cardiphonia, or the Utterance of the Heart, a series of devotional letters, he aligned himself with the Evangelical revival, reflecting the sentiments of his friend John Wesley and Methodism.

In 1780 Newton left Olney to become rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, St. Mary Woolchurch, in London. There he drew large congregations and influenced many, among them William Wilberforce, who would one day become a leader in the campaign for the abolition of slavery. Newton continued to preach until the last year of life, although he was blind by that time. He died in London December 21, 1807. Infidel and libertine turned minister in the Church of England, he was secure in his faith that amazing grace would lead him home.


Author's Note

I was able to consult the 1779 edition of Olney Hymns in the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center of the University of Texas at Austin. Printed in London by W. Oliver, it was in beautiful condition. The paper was almost as white and supple as it was when it came off the printing press. Those were the days before acid became a part of the papermaking process. Acidic paper, used in most books since sometime in the nineteenth century, has a relatively short life span, ultimately becoming brittle and crumbling. The 1779 Olney Hymns, on the other hand, will be in excellent condition for many future generations of Newton and Cowper scholars.

It was a thrill to handle the edition of Olney Hymns in which the hymn that came to be known as Amazing Grace was first published. But it was an even greater thrill when I opened the front cover and saw the inscription, "Rev. Wm. Smith, the gift of the author." The "Wm." is unclear, but "Rev." and "Smith" are very distinct. Of course, both Newton and Cowper contributed to Olney Hymns, but considering that Newton's contributions were far greater in number than Cowper's, it is likely that Newton himself was the author mentioned in the inscription.

I consulted other editions of Olney Hymns in microprint in the University General Libraries Microforms Unit. Mircoforms are very necessary adjuncts to scholarship, since no library can possibly have all the hundreds of thousands of rare and not so rare books available in microform, but those microprint editions of Olney Hymns were cold and sterile compared with the 1779 edition that I had held and that John Newton had held over two hundred years before me.


Source: http://www.texasfasola.org/biographies/johnnewton.html

Friday, June 27, 2008

Random Pictures From The Past Year


Tommy's fishing light
Mike fishing
one of our catfish
another
Mike taking the hook out of its mouth... pretty good pic for nite time
my father-in-law tommy
guist creek lake before nightfall hits
me before goin' swimming
my mother-in-law Judy on the way to Bass Pro in Indiana
my bestie fixin' her hair
me and my bestie Kim
me with long hair.... i look weird here
Billy chillaxin
Lea playing in the snow at Iroquois Park
Mike pushing Alec
me laying on a bed of nails .... Wonder Works
mine and Mike's face in one of those metal things
Mike as an astronaunt
me as an astronaunt
Mike the muscle man

me in the back seat riding a bike that flips over.....Wonder Works
us on tv as basketball players
Mike in a racecar
Probability

the ceiling at Wonder Works

Random Beach Pictures With A Couple From FeFe's Pool


Me, Lea, and Alec
again .... I look so bad!
me with the shadow of the camera
maybe I'll turn this one later
my feet and Lea
my feet and Alec
Mike and me... not too good of a pic
I think this is me?
me riding a wave
again...I was taking these myself with a water cam as the waves hit.... that's why I have the goofy face
Wave
my handsome hubby right before his hurt his ribs with a wave and the boogie board
me
Mike riding a wave
I think that's Seth's face
Seth and Billy
Billy underwater
me surfing on Billy's back... he's under there I promise... thanks Seth for taking this pic
me underwater
our bodies underwater

view of our hotel while laying on my back
Tina and Chuck
Mike and Seth playin ball
Mike and Billy.... these pics are read only on a disk from Wal-mart and I can't get them to turn!

the boys again gettin' ready to play ball