Pilgrim's Path Daily

CIRCUMCISION MINISTER CONFIRMS PROMISES!

2006-07-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

CIRCUMCISION MINISTER CONFIRMS PROMISES!

-OR- "Blood-Oath Servant" Performs And Administers Inheritance!

Gen 15:8,(13) "And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall . . ."

The Hebrew word for "know" (in both cases) is #3045 "yada", a prime root. Of all the conjugations of the verb "to know", #3045 is used no less than 804 times (by my count). The next most used word is only used about 50 times (by comparison)! The really interesting thing is that #3045 is also used for the word "surety" or, "of a surety"!

Peculiar? No, merely a "Hebraism", or "colloquialism" (a 'figure' of speech) which meant, "knowing, thou shalt know!". It's a little like Yahweh's Name repetition, "I Am, that I AM!". God often uses a double reference for an emphatic declarative to drive home the importance of certain statements. "I Am, that I AM!" is like saying "Is, IS !". Abram was asking God "HOW?"! God was responding, "By ME!" (how else?). ("Your knowledge will be of Me - and I KNOW BECAUSE I AM!"). God's Assurance of His Word is HIMSELF! He had just put Himself on the line as Personal Guarantor of Abram's fulfillment of their Blood Covenant. God 'backed' His Word (Vow) by putting His Own Life "up" as forfeit if His Promise was not Performed as Promised!

Abram was not allowed to participate in the "Performance-clause" of the Blood-Vow. God Walked that portion alone! The only part God allowed Abraham was a small contribution of his own flesh & blood (circumcision) as "token" of his "equal right" to benefit from the contract, if not required to actually die to secure it! While "equally" bound to the benefits, Abraham was to remain passive as to the conditions (terms) of the agreement! This might seem similar to a "silent-partner" agreement today, except God was to expect full participation in the fulfillment of all aspects of this pact by Abraham and his "seed" (those who believe God! ).

"Know of a Surety" means "Knowing, you will KNOW!". Now we switch scenes, to the New Testament! Ro 15:8 "Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:" Minister of the circumcision" means servant of the 'cut'! The One who Administers the 'cut' (Hebrew ="Briss"), or Covenant, is Jesus Christ! What Agreement? The Vow of "TRUTH"! WHY is Jesus the Administrator? Because He "CONFIRMS" the Promises! He IS the Promise COME TRUE! God said He would Be Assurety (PERSONALLY!) for the Blood-Vow of Truth (Reality) between Faith (Abraham) and Love (God)! He said He would put His Own Life on the line! He Did! We are to "walk" separated (rightly-divided, "Sanctified) unto the Lord! As Jesus said in Mat 10:34 "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." The Greek word is "makira" which is a small dagger or scalpel and could never have been construed to mean "sword" as translated here! (except as possibly symbolic of punishment). But this is the small instrument used in the Hebrew "Briss" (circumcision) ceremony.

When this statement of Christ's is viewed against Paul's clarification in Ro 15:8, "minister of the circumcision", we have a whole new possibility of meaning! Further, in a contextual study of New Testament use of this word "confirm(ed)" we find all these referred to as "confirmed": "the Word"-Mk 16:20, "souls"-Acts 14:22, "the Churches"-Acts 15:41, "the promises"-Ro15:8, "the testimony of Christ"-1 Cor 1:6, "you"-1 Cor 1:8, "your love"-2 Cor 2:8, "a man's covenant"-Gal 3:15,17 "the Gospel"-Phil 1:7, "Salvation"-He 2:3, "an oath"-He 6:16, "God's Council"-He 6:17. I think it's clear that "confirmation" means to "perform"; or, the outward ratification (manifestation) of an pre-determined intention! My daddy always told me, "YOU HEARD WHAT I SAID!!!"; and I ALWAYS knew what he meant, too! He meant, "DO AS I SAY!!! (obey!)"; or, "confirm" what you've heard!

I have a noted comment on Ro 15:8 at the bottom of my bible-page which reads, "Scripture is not properly discerned ("rightly divided") until it is confirmed by application (or "performed"). As all Scripture is SuperNatural, (Divine, God-Breathed), so is it's Performance!

God Guaranteed to Abraham & all his "seed" the SuperNatural (Perfect) Performance of His Will in man, as Vowed With and Purchased by His Own Blood!". This REALITY of the Promised Truth, Come-To-Life-In-Us, is the simple fount of Abundant Life of Faith as given us by our Heavenly Father! The fact of His Living Word "Willing and Doing" in me, and all the attendant "adventures" of His Life expressing Himself in me is what Christianity is all about!

Christ applies the "makira" (circumcision knife) to my life and "separates" me unto the Lord! He Administers the Blood Oath between my 'Father' Abraham and my Heavenly Father-God to me as full heir of their Agreement of Love-Faith. Christ is my Portion. He is both my "cut" (Promise), and my "cut" as in "my Portion"! He is HOW I know "of a surety"! And He is also all the Scriptures (Word) "rightly-divided" (Correctly discerned and apportioned) unto me! If I have any questions, I just ASK! Just like that! Just like He said!

Simple! So simple even children can do it! In fact, so simple only children do it best! The main thing is I'm not alone anymore! Never alone! I sometimes think man delights in thinking in terms of sin. While God sees the same thing as tragedy - loss! It is a fact that, while sin is very painful to our Father Who Loves us very much, Forgiving is not only easy for Him, but a Delight He surely anticipates with great Joy in His Heart! That Joyful, Gracious Forgiveness (as maybe best seen in the prodigal Son parable) - while it may be His great Pleasure ("Father, forgive them because of their ignorance!") - is our CONFIRMATION, AS PROMISED ! Do we have a "right" to it? You bet!

Every Blood-Bought-Believer OWNS this Precious Confirmation as surely as Jesus Christ owns his soul! That's precisely why Jesus Bled and Died on that cruel cross and then resurrected! God never says anything He does not expect to be executed, ratified, and performed! Obviously, God's Word is LAW! It would be foolish for me to talk with God and not expect every word He says to come true! God said He Loved me. I expect to know that ...."of a surety"! How? By His Faith!

LOVE (BOND) SLAVE FOR CHRIST

2006-07-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Bondslaves of Christ

There is a word the Bible uses to describe the true character of
one who serves God in the proper attitude of surrender. That
Greek words is "doulos."

Paul, a servant (doulos) of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,
separated unto the gospel of God, (Rom. 1:1)

The word translated "servant" in this verse is more properly
rendered "bondslave." This Greek word, "doulos," is the most
servile term in the New Testament. It speaks of one whose will is
swallowed up in the will of another. It is a slave who is bound to
his master unto death. He is one who has only the will of his
master in mind. A bondslave does not belong to himself. He has
no rights.

Paul, A Bondslave of Jesus Christ

"Doulos" is the term which Paul used to describe himself. So if
we take the word he used seriously, it means that Paul had no will
of his own. He served Christ unto death. In effect, Paul did not even
belong to himself. A "doulos" never belongs to himself. He
belongs only to his Master.
This was Paul, the great apostle. God used him to write fourteen
books of the New Testament. He had a revelation of Truth which
perhaps surpassed even some of the original apostles. He lived
for Christ, suffered for Christ, and died for Christ. Yet rather than
exalt himself, he referred to himself as a "bondslave of Christ."
This leaves us with a tremendous example of what it means to
be a bondslave of Christ. Presently, however, let us consider only
one aspect of what it means to be a bondslave: What it means with
regard to spiritual authority.

Authority to Edify

A "doulos" has NO authority. In fact, if there is one thing a
"doulos" does NOT have, it's any authority of his own. If you lined
all the social positions of that day, in rank of authority, the "doulos"
would be at the end of the line. In fact, we might say that the
"doulos" might not even be allowed to stand in the line in the first
place.
Now, this is especially interesting since Paul actually said he
HAD authority. Yep. Paul, the bondslave, claimed to have been
given authority from God. The question, therefore, is not WHETHER
Paul had authority. It is: WHAT authority did he have?
We begin to see the answer in three scriptures from II Corinthians:

For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which
the Lord has given us for EDIFICATION, and not for your
destruction. (II Cor. 10:8)

According to the power which the Lord has given me to
EDIFICATION, and not to destruction. (II Cor. 13:10)

Not that we have dominion over YOUR faith, but are helpers of
your joy, for by faith you stand. (II Cor. 1:24)

This is the authority Paul had: Authority to edify. But what is that?
What does it mean to edify?
"To edify" means to "build up." All God-given spiritual authority
will BUILD UP others in Jesus Christ. It will build up their faith in
Him. It will cause them to be "built out of" the "spiritual materials"
which are OF Christ: His faith, His character, and His vision.
But how does one do this? How does one actually edify others
in Jesus Christ?
Never by getting people's attention on the bondslave. You
edify others in Christ by getting them into business with Christ for
themselves. Then they will grow in Him.
The way in which a bondslave gets people into business with
Christ is by speaking the Truth in love. This always builds up. Truth
strengthens and stabilizes because it is eternal. It centers the
individual in Jesus Christ.
What is something else that "builds up faith?" Living the Truth.
Now, THAT really builds people in Christ. Why? Because it is
REAL. It is a witness unto Christ which people cannot escape.
Now it is here that we begin to touch on something quite deep.
The only way in which I can LIVE the Truth is if I give myself to
Christ. Right? Absolutely. I certainly can't live the Truth it if I refuse
to give myself to Him! But giving myself to Christ -- in the truest
sense of the word -- is what makes me a bondslave. So in effect,
a bondslave's authority to edify is a direct result of his relationship
with Christ. A bondslave has authority to edify BECAUSE he has
fully given himself to Jesus Christ.

Exousia

The fact that "to edify" requires authority given of God is also
verified if we examine the Greek Paul uses in the above passages.
The Greek word translated "authority" in II Cor. 10:8 and II Cor. 13:10
is EXOUSIA. This word means "right." So when Paul talks about his
authority to edify, he is saying that he has the "right" or "license from
God" to edify.
That is not, however, all that Paul says in the verses. He not only
tells us what he has authority to do, but he tells us what he has NO
authority to do: Tear down the faith of others. This, Paul says, is
NOT a right given him of God.
Now it seems strange that Paul would tell us that he has no right
to tear down the faith of others. Why would he need to assure us of
that?
Paul is telling us something about leadership in the church which
has been distorted for two-thousand years. He is telling us that
even though he is an apostle, his rights are limited. Being a man of
God does NOT entitle him to submission without question from
those he teaches. No. It entitles him only to the right to tell people
the Truth about God. Outside of that, Paul has no rights. He has
no authority. And if he goes outside of that right, no one has to listen
to him.
So what Paul is doing in these two verses is saying, "I have the
right from God to edify you. I have the right to speak the Truth and therefore build up your faith in Christ. But the minute I stray
outside of that, and tear down your faith, I no longer have any
jurisdiction. In that case, don't listen to me."
Now notice: It is Paul's job to speak the Truth. But it is his
listener's job to take what he says before God. Only then can
those who hear Paul be edified. For taking what I hear before the
Lord, and allowing God to deal with me over it, is the real purpose
for edifying to begin with. Any bondslave of God who edifies
others in Christ will seek to get others into business with Christ for
themselves.
Now, some people in the Body of Christ today would reject this
as the Truth. But then we should ask, "Why would a leader
want people to submit to them if they were NOTspeaking the
Truth?" Paul certainly didn't want people submitting to him unless
what he spoke was the Truth. And he was an apostle.

Dominion Over Your Faith?

There is more. Not only did Paul talk about his "exousia" from
God in the two passages from II Corinthians, but he also said in
II Cor. 1:24 that he did not have "dominion over" the faith of the
Corinthians. What does that mean?
The word translated "dominion" means "to rule, to be lord of."
It is the Greek word KURIEUO, the root from which we get the word,
"Lord." It is used in the phrase "Jesus Christ is Lord." So here we
have Paul saying that he does not occupy the place of "lord" over
anyone's faith. He does not possess that "dominion." Or, to say
it another way, another person's faith is NOT his property.
This verse, II Cor. 1:24, is in the context of Paul explaining to the
Corinthians why he did not come to them to correct them for the
many sins and problems they had permitted in that church. He had
simply written them in his first letter about those things. Then he
says, "Not that WE have dominion over YOUR faith, but are helpers
of your joy, for by faith you stand. (II Cor. 1:24) In other words, Paul
wrote them the Truth, but not to control their personal faith. He wrote
them the Truth so that they, by personal choice, could see and
believe. He knew he could not force them to believe and obey!
Paul had authority to tell them the Truth. Indeed, he had a great
responsibility to do so. But he could not force them to obey. No.
That was THEIR responsibility. They were responsible for taking
what Paul wrote before the Lord with an open heart. THAT was not
Paul's dominion. No one can do that for another person.
This is verified in Romans. Pauls writes, "

Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that
condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that
doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for
whatsoever is not of faith is sin. (Rom. 14:22-23)

Note the key phrases, "Have you faith? Have it to thyself before
God.....for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Here we see that no
one can have dominion over the faith of another. Faith is a
PERSONAL responsibility. I can't believe for someone else. As
Paul says in II Cor. 1:24, "for by (your) faith YOU stand."
Now, this doesn't mean that people can be allowed to live in sin,
and there is nothing spiritual leadership can do about it. No. If I
personally choose to reject the Truth in a way that damages and
hurts others in the Body of Christ, then leadership does have the
right and responsibility to disfellowship me. Why? Because they
have authority to edify. And removing me will edify me -- even if I
don't like it. And it will edify others in the Body. Allowing me to
continue on in sin is destruction, not edification, and is the antithesis
of agape love.
A bondslave of Christ does not minister to others with his own
interests in mind. He has the interests of His Master in mind, unto
the good of those whom he edifies. This is a product of nothing short
of the bondslave's own surrender and a bondslave's own
personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Thanks to THE GOOD NEWS website for this fine article!

DAILY BIBLE PROMISE

2006-06-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

** God put His Cross where His Mouth Was - all along! ** Today's Bible Promise is ... "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." Isa 25:9

Daily Light on the Daily Path (by- Jonathan Bagster - ca. 1875)

2006-06-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

MORNING

When he shall appear, we shall be like
him; for we shall see him as he is.

A S many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.--Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.--Christ . . . shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.--As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

1 JOHN 3. 2. John 1. 12.--2 Pe. 1. 4.
Is. 64. 4. 1 Co. 13. 12.--Phi. 3. 20, 21.--
Ps. 17. 15.

EVENING

The man that is my fellow, saith the
LORD of hosts.

I N him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.--I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.--I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me.

Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh.--Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. . . . Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.

Let all the angels of God worship him.

KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

ZEC. 13. 7. Col. 2. 9.--Ps. 89. 19.--Is. 63. 3.
1 Ti. 3. 16.--Is. 9. 6. He. 1. 3, 8. He. 1. 6.
Re. 19. 16.

Thanks to the Restoration Movement for this wonderful online service!

GOD'S BIBLE NAMES - (365 Bible Names & Titles for God)

2006-06-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

GOD'S BIBLE NAMES 6/25

"A PROPHET MIGHTY IN DEED AND WORD"

Luke 24:19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:

Some hated Him. Some worshipped Him. Mighty in life, mighty in death and mighty in Resurrection! The rulers thought they had eliminated Him. Some seek to do so today. They crucify Him in fulfillment of Scripture, but He is Alive today! He lives in the hearts of millions who would be willing to be crucified for Him. He will live throughout the eternal ages and every Word He every uttered will be fulfilled to the Letter!

O, Thou mighty Prophet, help us to lay hold of the Word with intensified faith and hold fast until Thou shalt come. Amen.

DAILY THANKSGIVING

2006-06-25T15:58:00.001-07:00

Dt 10:21
"He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen."

IMAGINE THAT! - 90 seconds on NEW scientific discoveries

2006-06-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

"Extrasolar Camera" --
If you think digital cameras are cool, get ready for this! There's a camera that takes images of planets in other solar systems! CLICK HERE

for archive page, click here:

'MY LAST WORDS WERE ... '

2006-06-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

If God really cared for me, He would ........

Mt 12: 36, 37
"But I say unto you, That every idle (careless) word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

NATURE WATCH - 90 seconds on natural wonders

2006-06-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

Mountain Lion --
A cat confronted by another cat will often arch its back and hiss or growl. A fight may ensue. Bigger cats prefer to use a different strategy. CLICK HERE

For the archive page, -- CLICK HERE

FOTO TOTO?

2006-06-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

Let's get HIGH!!

Cheap thrills are grist for the entertainment mill of man's amusement attractions. We like to be titilated, donchaknow?! If it's scary, or hair-raising, or daring - we like it. It's fun.

But when fun or any other form of exhilaration becomes a form of escape-ism, we have a problem. There are chemical 'highs', too. And these pack a real wallop when it comes to running away from our 'reality' (circumstances).

Playing with fire usually ends in our getting burned. And that's just what happens when we prefer to ignore what is obvious, or evade the truth we are loath to accept. Denial is deception. And fear breeds best in dark places - especially those places of ignorance, in the mind. What we don't see CAN affect us - and often in irreversible ways. Once a soul is smitten by deceit (becomes a liar), that soul is tainted and crippled forever by it. This is not to say that God cannot Heal that soul - but there are some things even God Cannot (Will not) change!

A Repentant murderer has still committed murder, after all. And once we have committed suicide - that's it! O my! Dodging what we prefer to avoid is dangerous.

But there are ways in which we can "get high" (become exhilarated) in Christ. One way is to Share HIM with others. And THIS "high" is Healthy! We are Exhorted by the Apostle to be "Filled with The Spirit!". And there is great delight in the Joy of The Lord! But God would never have us dabble with deceit or pretend against Truth. He Calls us to Accountability - in Christ. Even so, there is that Joy of The Lord Which is our Strength. Thanks, Lord!

DAILY HYMN (LYRICS & MUSIC)

2006-06-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

Midi Hymn with Lyrics & Authors Bios, etc..... "VAIN ARE ALL TERRESTRIAL PLEASURES"

VAIN ARE ALL TERRESTRIAL PLEASURES

Vain are all terrestrial pleasures,
Mixed with dross the purest gold:
Seek we, then, for heavenly treasures,
Treasures never waxing old.
Let our best affections center
On the things around the throne:
There no thief can ever enter;
Moth and rust are there unknown.

Earthly joys no longer please us;
Here would we renounce them all;
Seek our only rest in Jesus,
Him our Lord and Master call.
Faith, our languid spirits cheering,
Points to brighter worlds above;
Bids us look for His appearing;
Bids us triumph in His love.

May our light be always burning,
And our loins be girded round,
Waiting for our Lord’s returning,
Longing for the welcome sound.
Thus the Christian life adorning,
Never need we be afraid,
Should He come at night or morning
Early dawn, or evening shade.

Thanks to the Cyber Hymnal for this wonderful online service!

PODCAST - DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

2006-06-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

Come dirty - Be Healed - Abide Clean!
(If we did not COME DIRTY to COME CLEAN,
we did not COME TO GOD at all!)

CHRISTIAN STUDY RESOURCES

2006-06-25T12:23:00.001-07:00

The Scriptures point to Me! (to Jesus)

(Octavius Winslow, "Morning Thoughts")

"But the Scriptures point to Me!" John 5:39

Search the Scriptures, my reader, with a
view of seeing and knowing more of your
Redeemer, compared with whom nothing
else is worth knowing or making known.

Love your Bible, because it testifies of Jesus;
because it unfolds a great Savior, an almighty
Redeemer; because it reveals the glory of a
sin pardoning God, in the person of Jesus Christ.

Aim to unravel Jesus in the types, to grasp
Him amid the shadows, to trace Him through
the predictions of the prophet, the records of
the evangelist, and the letters of the apostles.

All speak of, and all lead to, Jesus!

Thanks to the GRACE GEMS WEBSITE for this wonderful, online service!

WORSHIP & DEVOTIONAL MUSIC

2006-06-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

'HYMNS ... - 'THE LAST MILE OF THE WAY' (2:58 minutes)

NOTE: Music files are kept on the server for 30 days, then deleted.

DAILY BIBLE PROVERB

2006-06-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

Pr 12:16
"The vexation of a fool is known at once,
but the prudent man ignores an insult."

PODCAST - DAILY AUDIO DEVOTIONALS

2006-06-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

ON 'OBEY! (God will Fight for you!)' - (9:17 minutes)
ON 'SORROW'' - (12:31 minutes)
ON ''MATURITY'' - (6:56 minutes)
ON 'AS A MAN THINKS (Pr 23:7)' - (13:12 minutes)
ON 'HEALING' - (13:26 minutes)
ON 'WITH-NESS' - (13:38 minutes)

For a complete listing (by topic) of ALL the Deeper-Life audio-devotionals available at Pilgrim's Path's Website (over 2000 audios) CLICK HERE

DAILY POEM

2006-06-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

"I must tell Jesus all of my trials; I cannot bear these burdens alone;
In my distress He kindly will help me; He ever loves and cares for His own.

I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! I cannot bear my burdens alone;
I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.

I must tell Jesus all of my troubles; He is a kind, compassionate friend;
If I but ask Him, He will deliver, Make of my troubles quickly an end.

Tempted and tried, I need a great Savior; One Who can help my burdens to bear;
I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus; He all my cares and sorrows will share.

O how the world to evil allures me! O how my heart is tempted to sin!
I must tell Jesus, and He will help me Over the world the victory to win."

-- Elisha Albright Hoffman, 1894

DAILY AUDIO PODCAST

2006-06-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

God Exalted Christ for Repentance

(Ac 5:31 "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour,
for TO GIVE REPENTANCE to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.)

DAILY PERSONAL PROVERB (--Dennis Rideout)

2006-06-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

God's Mysteries are man's Surprises!
('Eye hath not seen')

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY (An audio Podcast)

2006-06-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

HEADLINES:
On this date in:

1865 Stand Watie was the last Confederate general to surrender in the United States Civil War.

1868 Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the ''Type-Writer.''

1876 Colonel George Armstrong Custer was killed at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

1892 The Democratic convention in Chicago nominated former President Grover Cleveland on the first ballot.

1931 Aviators Wiley Post and Harold Gatty took off from New York on the first round-the-world flight in a single-engine plane.

1950 The Korean War, between North and South Korea, began.

1956 Gamal Abdel Nasser was elected president of Egypt.

1969 Warren E. Burger was sworn in as chief justice of the United States.

1972 President Richard Nixon and White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman discussed a plan to use the C.I.A. to obstruct the F.B.I.'s Watergate investigation.

1985 All 329 people aboard an Air-India Boeing 747 were killed when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland, apparently because of a bomb.

1991 Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence from Yugoslavia.

1992 John Gotti, convicted of racketeering charges, was sentenced in New York to life in prison.

1993 Lorena Bobbitt of Prince William County, Va., sexually mutilated her husband, John, after he allegedly raped her.

1995 Dr. Jonas Salk, the medical pioneer who developed the first vaccine against polio, died at age 80.

1996 The Khobar Towers bombing in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, left 19 U.S. servicemen dead.

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS TODAY:

66 Diana Trask Country singer
62 Rosetta Hightower R&B singer (The Orlons)
60 Ted Shackelford Actor
59 Bryan Brown Actor
50 Randy Jackson TV personality (''American Idol'')
49 Frances McDormand Actress (''Fargo'')
44 Paul La Greca Actor

THE HISTORY CHANNEL'S (comercial) VIDEO FOR THIS DATE

ART MEDIA WORTH MENTION (Selected Clips - Audio, Visual, Graphics)

2006-06-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

Today's 'Art Media SELECTION' is: Streetside entertaining SKELETON PUPPET DANCE. This VIDEO is hilarious. And the choreography of this charmer is second to none! For a very short video, this one is charming!

--- CHECK IT OUT! CLICK HERE:

Thanks to YOUTUBE.COM for this video clip.

Would you like to share your internet discoveries?
Simply post a COMMENT on this article.

NOTABLE QUOTES (Various Authors)

2006-06-25T11:53:00.001-07:00

"The church ceases to be a SPIRITUAL society
when it is on the look-out for it's own orginazation!"

--Oswald Chambers

MUSIC APPRECIATION FOR TODAY

2006-06-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

'USAF BAND, performs ... 'A MEDELY - THIS IS MY COUNTRY - GOD BLESS AMERICA - THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND - AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL' (3:01 minutes)

NOTE: Music files are kept on the server for 30 days, then deleted.

EARTHWATCH RADIO - A 2-minute audio podcast on earth-science world news

2006-06-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

Climbing Concern --
The melting of mountain glaciers is altering climbing routes up some of the world's biggest mountains. CLICK HERE

For the archive page, -- CLICK HERE

'NOW I LAY ME DOWN ... '

2006-06-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

'And if I should die before I wake .... '

Lord, please make it up to any soul I might have slighted, hurt or abused in any way today. And Forgive me for it.

DAILY BIBLE PROMISE

2006-06-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

** God put His Cross where His Mouth Was - all along! ** Today's Bible Promise is ... "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." Jn 4:14

'DAILY LIGHT ON THE DAILY PATH' (circa. 1875)

2006-06-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

MORNING

I will pray the Father, and he shall give
you another Comforter, even the
Spirit of truth.

It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.--Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.--The Spirit . . . helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.--Hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

JOHN 14. 16, 17. John 16. 7. Ro. 8. 16.--
Ro. 8. 15. Ro. 8. 26. Ro. 15. 13.--
Ro. 5. 5. 1 John 4. 13.

EVENING

Shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may
be well with thee?

There remaineth . . . a rest to the people of God.--My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.--There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.--They . . . rest from their labours.

The forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.--In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

RUTH 3. 1. He. 4. 9.--Is. 32. 18.--Job 3. 17.--
Re. 14. 13. He. 6. 20. Mat. 11. 28-30.-- Is. 30. 15. Ps. 23. 1, 2.

Thanks to the Restoration Movement for this wonderful online service!

GOD'S BIBLE NAMES - (365 Bible Names & Titles for God)

2006-06-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

GOD'S BIBLE NAMES 6/23

"A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN"

Luke 19:12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.

The setting of this picture is remarkable. Our Lord is standing with the Jews around Him, in the shadows of a palace built by a nobleman, Archelaus, who had gone to Rome and received the kingdom from Caesar. Our Lord is the Nobleman whose face was turned toward the land beyond the skies where He has gone and from whence He will one day return. "Occupy till I come" is His message. He has entrusted to us, as His servants, the most valuable treasure in Heaven, --- time, opportunity, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, a great world in which to transact the greatest of all business! Precious privileges are ours and a solemn accounting must be given.

Lord, give us keenness of vision to see, and wisdom to utilize our opportunities in the investment of our lives for Thee. Amen.

DAILY THANKSGIVING

2006-06-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

PATIENCE:
Lord, thank You for Patience. Oh, I know I don't have nearly enough of this Virtue - but You have Lent me Your's now and again, and it has helped me wait for Your appointed time.

You made it clear that this particular Virtue is Vital to Spiritual Inheritance (Lk 21:19) - so Lord, please keep me IN YOUR PATIENCE, as You have in Your Promises!

IMAGINE THAT! - 90 seconds on NEW scientific discoveries

2006-06-23T15:34:00.001-07:00

"Frozen Frogs" --
Did you feel frozen solid this past winter? Couldn't wait for your vacation to thaw out? Turns out you're not the only one! CLICK HERE

for archive page, click here:

'MY LAST WORDS WERE ... '

2006-06-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

This habit (addiction) of mine is so strong,
not even GOD could help me break it!

Mt 12: 36, 37
"But I say unto you, That every idle (careless) word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

NATURE WATCH - 90 seconds on natural wonders

2006-06-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hybrid Ducks --
Ducks don't discriminate. They don't limit their mates to one species. Duck partners may be different in shape, size, and color, creating a rainbow of hybrid offspring. CLICK HERE

For the archive page, -- CLICK HERE

FOTO TOTO?

2006-06-23T14:56:00.001-07:00

WAR!

Man loves war! What a statement! But I'm afraid it is true. We seek it. We buy and sell it. We import and export it. We justify it. We are addicted to war. All the classic symptoms are there. We must have war!

Man is born and bred to violence. We cut our teeth on chaos, and sup early on the teat of rebellion. Each 'self' has it's 'rights' - and is shamed for not 'standing up' for them. The exertion of an independent attitude is applauded as both virtue and character, in a capitalistic society. 'Every man for himself'; 'it's a dog-eat-dog world, after all!'; 'let the buyer beware!'; 'compete, or die!'; etc. We thrive on it!

Blood hates blood - and man loathes God. The War began not on earth - but in Heaven. It was Exported here by an Angel (prince of demons - Lucifer, by name), and sealed with an unHoly fornication. Thus 'JIHAD!' was born on Earth - even as it was in Heaven BEFORE! The shedding of blood began then - and has not let up since.

For a few, God's Own Blood has sufficed to Make Peace even where there IS NO PEACE - here on Earth. But even this is War - a Spiritual War between flesh & blood and The Spirit. The PRIZE of this Warfare Is PEACE. But man must Sue (God) for this Peace - and seek it with all his heart, soul and mind. He must pursue it as the "pearl of great price" that it is.

The war of man on earth is NOT FOR PEACE - and this is why it is addiction. Those who make such war in this realm of evil do so for MORE WAR - not Peace. And so they speak of Peace, but they will not HAVE it - they cannot ENDURE nor ABIDE it, as it Was only Purchased by The Blood of God's Son, Jesus Christ. And this is utterly loathsome and repugnant to rebels of ALL kinds.

But it is the War with God that must be Settled Forever. Until a soul has MADE PEACE with God, as an OBEDIENT of CHRIST'S, that soul remains a house divided (at WAR inside). But making Peace with God is ALWAYS SURRENDER. So until we SUE GOD FOR PEACE (Surrender), we continue in bitter hatred and enmity against God - and in Hell on earth - at WAR!

DAILY HYMN (LYRICS & MUSIC)

2006-06-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

Midi Hymn with Lyrics & Authors Bios, etc..... "RISE, CROWNED WITH LIGHT"

RISE, CROWNED WITH LIGHT

Rise, crowned with light, imperial Salem, rise!
Exalt thy towering Head and lift thine eyes!
See Heav’n its sparkling portals wide display,
And break upon thee in a flood of day!

See a long race thy spacious courts adorn;
See future sons, and daughters yet unborn,
In crowding ranks on every side arise,
Demanding life, impatient for the skies.

See barbarous nations at Thy gates attend,
Walk in Thy light, and in Thy temple bend:
See Thy bright altars thronged with prostrate kings,
While every land its joyous tribute brings.

The seas shall waste, the skies in smoke decay,
Rocks fall to dust, and mountains melt away;
But fixed His Word, His saving power remains;
Thy realm shall last, Thy own Messiah reigns!

Thanks to the Cyber Hymnal for this wonderful online service!

PODCAST - DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

2006-06-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

Jesus Said Tares are Spiritually deaf! Jn 8:47

2006-06-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

'The Practice Of The Presence Of God'

- Conversations and Letters of Brother Lawrence -

an audio-booklet, narrated by Dennis Rideout

"I walk before God simply, in faith, with humility and with love; and I apply myself diligently to do nothing and think nothing which may displease Him." --Brother Lawrence

PART SIX (17 minutes)

Twelfth Letter: If we were well accustomed to the practice of the presence of God, bodily discomforts would be greatly alleviated. God often permits us to suffer a little to purify our soul and oblige us to stay close to Him.

Take courage. Offer Him your pains and pray to Him for strength to endure them. Above all, get in the habit of often thinking of God, and forget Him the least you can. Adore Him in your infirmities. Offer yourself to Him from time to time. In the height of your sufferings, humbly and affectionately beseech Him, as a child to his father, to make you conformable to His holy will. I shall endeavor to assist you with my poor prayers.

God has many ways of drawing us to Himself. He sometimes seems to hide Himself from us. But faith alone ought to be our support. Faith is the foundation of our confidence. We must put all our faith in God. He will not fail us in time of need. I do not know how God will dispose of me, but I am always happy. All the world suffers and I, who deserve the severest discipline, feel joys so continual and great that I can scarcely contain them. I would willingly ask God for a part of your sufferings.

I know my weakness is so great that, if He left me one moment to myself, I would be the most wretched man alive. Yet, I do not know how He could leave me alone because faith gives me as strong a conviction as reason. He never forsakes us until we have first forsaken Him. Let us fear to leave Him. Let us always be with Him. Let us live and die in His presence. Do pray for me, as I pray for you.

Thirteenth Letter: I am sorry to see you suffer so long. What gives me some ease and sweetens the feeling I have about your griefs, is that they are proof of God's love for you. See your pains in that view and you will bear them more easily. In your case, it is my opinion that, at this point, you should discontinue human remedies and resign yourself entirely to the providence of God. Perhaps He waits only for that resignation and perfect faith in Him to cure you. Since, in spite of all the care you have taken, treatment has proved unsuccessful and your malady still increases, wait no longer. Put yourself entirely in His hands and expect all from Him.

I told you in my last letter that He sometimes permits bodily discomforts to cure the distempers of the soul. Have courage. Make a virtue of necessity. Do not ask God for deliverance from your pain. Instead, out of love for Him, ask for the strength to resolutely bear all that He pleases, and as long as He pleases. Such prayers are hard at first, but they are very pleasing to God, and become sweet to those that love Him.

Love sweetens pain. When one loves God, one suffers for His sake with joy and courage. Do so, I beseech you. Comfort yourself with Him. He is the only physician for all our illnesses. He is the Father of the afflicted and always ready to help us. He loves us infinitely more than we can imagine. Love Him in return and seek no consolation elsewhere. I hope you will soon receive His comfort.

I will help you with my prayers, poor as they are, and shall always be yours in our Lord.

Fourteenth Letter: I give thanks to our Lord for having relieved you a little as you desired. I have often been near death and I was never so satisfied as then. At those times I did not pray for any relief, but I prayed for strength to suffer with courage, humility, and love. How sweet it is to suffer with God! However great your sufferings may be, receive them with love. It is paradise to suffer and be with Him. If, in this life, we might enjoy the peace of paradise, we must accustom ourselves to a familiar, humble, and affectionate conversation with God.

We must hinder our spirits' wandering from Him on all occasions. We must make our heart a spiritual temple so we can constantly adore Him. We must continually watch over ourselves so we do not do anything that may displease Him. When our minds and hearts are filled with God, suffering becomes full of unction and consolation.

I well know that to arrive at this state, the beginning is very difficult because we must act purely on faith. But, though it is difficult, we know also that we can do all things with the grace of God. He never refuses those who ask earnestly. Knock. Persevere in knocking. I answer for it, that, in His due time, He will open His grace to you. He will grant, all at once, what He has deferred during many years.

Pray to Him for me, as I pray to Him for you. I hope to see Him soon.

Fifteenth Letter: God knows best what we need. All that He does is for our good. If we knew how much He loves us, we would always be ready to receive both the bitter and the sweet from His Hand. It would make no difference. All that came from Him would be pleasing.

The worst afflictions only appear intolerable if we see them in the wrong light. When we see them as coming from the hand of God, and know that it is our loving Father who humbles and distresses us, our sufferings lose their bitterness and can even become a source of consolation.

Let all our efforts be to know God. The more one knows Him, the greater one desires to know Him. Knowledge is commonly the measure of love. The deeper and more extensive our knowledge, the greater is our love. If our love of God were great we would love Him equally in pain and pleasure.

We only deceive ourselves by seeking or loving God for any favors which He has or may grant us. Such favors, no matter how great, can never bring us as near to God as can one simple act of faith. Let us seek Him often by faith. He is within us. Seek Him not elsewhere.

Are we not rude and deserve blame if we leave Him alone to busy ourselves with trifles which do not please Him and perhaps even offend Him? These trifles may one day cost us dearly. Let us begin earnestly to be devoted to Him. Let us cast everything else out of our heart. He wants to possess the heart alone. Beg this favor of Him. If we do all we can, we will soon see that change wrought in us which we so greatly desire.

I cannot thank Him enough for the relief He has given you. I hope to see Him within a few days. Let us pray for one another.

Brother Lawrence died within days of this last letter.

WORSHIP & DEVOTIONAL MUSIC

2006-06-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

'GAITHER VOCAL BAND, sings ... - 'LAMB OF GOD' (3:55 minutes)

NOTE: Music files are kept on the server for 30 days, then deleted.

DAILY BIBLE PROVERB

2006-06-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

Pr 12:15
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes:
but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise."

PODCAST - DAILY AUDIO DEVOTIONALS

2006-06-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

ON 'TRUST (turning loose to God)' - (11:02 minutes)
ON 'OVERCOMING' - (9:33 minutes)
ON 'SUFFERING'' - (6:54 minutes)
ON ''ADOPTION'' - (4:32 minutes)
ON 'THE FLESH' - (8:16 minutes)
ON 'REAL-ATIONSHIP (discernment vs addiction)' - (9:16 minutes)
ON 'WITH-NESS' - (6:14 minutes)

For a complete listing (by topic) of ALL the Deeper-Life audio-devotionals available at Pilgrim's Path's Website (over 2000 audios) CLICK HERE

DAILY POEM

2006-06-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

"Jesus, my only Hope, Friend ever dear, Bend to my earnest prayer Thy gracious ear;
Come from Thy throne above, come and my dross remove, Fill me with perfect love, Savior, to Thee.

Jesus, my only Hope, grant me Thy grace, Teach me in joy and pain Thy hand to trace;
Keep Thou my heart in peace, bid ev?ry murmur cease, Come and my faith increase, Savior, in Thee.

Jesus, my only Hope, Jesus, my King, Help me with heart and voice Thy praise to sing;
Now let Thy beams divine bright o'er my pathway shine, Draw me, O Savior mine, closer to Thee.

Jesus, my only Hope, be Thou my Guest; Under Thy mighty wings, O let me rest,
Rest till the angel band home to the promised land Bears me at Thy command, Savior, to Thee."

--Fanny Crosby, 1886

DAILY AUDIO PODCAST

2006-06-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

Enduring by Seeing Him Who Is Invisible! (Heb 11:27)

DAILY PERSONAL PROVERB (--Dennis Rideout)

2006-06-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

Man 'Bonds' with God by 'Peekaboo, I SEE you!'
('Making the BIG-eyes!')

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY (An audio Podcast)

2006-06-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

HEADLINES:
On this date in:

1713 After Queen Anne's War, French residents of Acadia were given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia.

1868 Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the ''Type-Writer.''

1887 Banff National Park was created, becoming Canada's first national park.

1892 The Democratic convention in Chicago nominated former President Grover Cleveland on the first ballot.

1894 The International Olympic Committee was founded at the Sorbonne in Paris.

1931 Aviators Wiley Post and Harold Gatty took off from New York on the first round-the-world flight in a single-engine plane.

1941 Lithuanian 1941 independence: Members of Lithuanian Activist Front declared independence from the Soviet Union.

1956 Gamal Abdel Nasser was elected president of Egypt.

1969 Warren E. Burger was sworn in as chief justice of the United States.

1972 President Richard Nixon and White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman discussed a plan to use the C.I.A. to obstruct the F.B.I.'s Watergate investigation.

1985 All 329 people aboard an Air-India Boeing Flight 182 were killed when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland, apparently because of a bomb.

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS TODAY:

66 Diana Trask Country singer
62 Rosetta Hightower R&B singer (The Orlons)
60 Ted Shackelford Actor
59 Bryan Brown Actor
50 Randy Jackson TV personality (''American Idol'')
49 Frances McDormand Actress (''Fargo'')
44 Paul La Greca Actor

THE HISTORY CHANNEL'S (comercial) VIDEO FOR THIS DATE

ART MEDIA WORTH MENTION (Selected Clips - Audio, Visual, Graphics)

2006-06-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

Today's 'Art Media SELECTION' is: Adorable & Engrossing ANIMATED DRUM RECITAL. Japanese, robotic cartoon characters perform a syncopated, rhythmic demonstration of what could be considered - the BEST of animated illustrations. See for yourself!

--- CHECK IT OUT! CLICK HERE:

Would you like to share your internet discoveries?
Simply post a COMMENT on this article.

NOTABLE QUOTES (Various Authors)

2006-06-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

"Perhaps when the Light of Heaven shows us clearly the pitfalls and dangers of the earthly road that led to the Heavenly City, our sweetest songs of gratitude will be not for the troubles we have conquered, but for those we have escaped!"

...Barr

MUSIC APPRECIATION FOR TODAY

2006-06-23T14:10:00.001-07:00

'ANTONIO VIVALDI'S ... 'CONCERTO FOR TREBLE RECORDER IN F MAJOR' (3:34 minutes)

NOTE: Music files are kept on the server for 30 days, then deleted.

EARTHWATCH RADIO - a 2-minute audio podcast on earth-science world news

2006-06-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

Giving Amphibians a Home --
Scientists resort to desperate measures in desperate times to save the world's amphibians. CLICK HERE

For the archive page, -- CLICK HERE

'NOW I LAY ME DOWN ... '

2006-06-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

'And if I should die before I wake .... '

Lord, give me Rest this night - and if that Rest is to be Forever, then help me welcome it as being WITH You!

DAILY BIBLE PROMISE

2006-06-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

** God put His Cross where His Mouth Was - all along! ** Today's Bible Promise is ... "(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.)" 2 Cor 6:2

'DAILY LIGHT ON THE DAILY PATH' (circa. 1875)

2006-06-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

MORNING

Take this child away, and nurse it for me,
and I will give thee thy wages.

Go ye . . . into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you.--Whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.--The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.--God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, . . . in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, . . . Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

EXOD. 2. 9. Mat. 20. 4.--Mar. 9. 41.--
Pr. 11. 25.--He. 6. 10. 1 Co. 3. 8.
Mat. 25. 37, 38, 40, 34.

EVENING

Thou compassest my path and my lying
down.

Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

The eyes of the LORD run to and fro, throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.--When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.--So he giveth his beloved sleep.

PSA. 139. 3. Ge. 28. 16, 17. 2 Ch. 16. 9.
Ps. 4. 8. Ps. 91. 9-11.--Pr. 3. 24.--
Ps. 127. 2.

Thanks to the Restoration Movement for this wonderful online service!

GOD'S BIBLE NAMES - (365 Bible Names & Titles for God)

2006-06-20T13:04:00.001-07:00

GOD'S BIBLE NAMES 6/20

"A CERTAIN SAMARITAN"

Luke 10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him],

The story of the Good Samaritan is familiar to all of us, but read it again. Here we take the liberty of viewing our Lord as "a certain Samaritan". Humanity was His neighbor. He loved all, Lived for all, labored for all and laid down His Life for all. Being what He Was and Is, He could be nothing less, and we look up to Him today and glory in the mightiness of His humanity and the magnificence of His heart. If we are indeed Spirit-Born, then there must be something of His Loving-kindness in us, and the world is waiting for our touch upon it. Will we take the Good Samaritan for our model today and pray,

"Lord Jesus, make us more like Thyself?" Amen.

DAILY THANKSGIVING

2006-06-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

Lev 19:24
"And in the fourth year all their fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD."

IMAGINE THAT! - 90 seconds on NEW scientific discoveries

2006-06-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

Tomato Bacterium --
Tomatoes aren't just for spaghetti sauce...now they're giving researchers clues on how to fight deadly bacterial diseases! CLICK HERE

for archive page, click here:

'MY LAST WORDS WERE ... '

2006-06-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

I'm no good - God could NEVER love me! :(

Mt 12: 36, 37
"But I say unto you, That every idle (careless) word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

NATURE WATCH - 90 seconds on natural wonders

2006-06-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

Comb-Overs --
Most birds have bald spots, but you don't see them. It's one of nature's most convincing comb-overs. CLICK HERE

For the archive page, -- CLICK HERE

FOTO TOTO?

2006-06-20T12:43:00.001-07:00

Solitude!

Nothing but sea breeze & misty air blowing by - the 'woosh' of that tiny lifeline which attaches you to those faraway folks in that speck of a boat beneath - as it slices through the dusky fog.

A feeling that being all alone is not so bad, after all. Up here, where perspective merges with endlessness. The ocean's expanse, the exhilaration only flying high affords - these grip you. And what a thrill! All, everything and every one 'other-than' is left behind. Abandoned for the moment.

God tells us to be STILL to KNOW Him. Such stillness of soul is not only rare, but quite fearful to most mortals. Far more fearful than the 'high-flight' captured above. But why?

To get alone with God is to FACE Him - in Truth and in Spirit. And we all instinctively Know that this means we must ACCOUNT to God. That is, we must become RECONCILED with Him. And God Is HOLY! That's enough to scare the HELL out of any mortal - for sure!

But KNOW-ing God Is LOVE-ing Him. And until we LOVE Him, we cannot TRUST Him. And there IS Salvation for us.

But if we will - when we DO - what a RUSH! WOAH! What an Adventure it is to Walk and Talk with The Living God-ALMIGHTY! Nothing on earth compares with it - even the thrill captured in the snapshot above!

BE STILL! GET QUIET! HUSH2HEAR! SELAH! When will we ever LEARN?!

DAILY HYMN (LYRICS & MUSIC)

2006-06-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

Midi Hymn with Lyrics & Authors Bios, etc..... "PEACE, PERFECT PEACE"

PEACE, PERFECT PEACE

Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?
The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.

Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed?
To do the will of Jesus, this is rest.

Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round?
On Jesus’ bosom naught but calm is found.

Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away?
In Jesus’ keeping we are safe, and they.

Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?
Jesus we know, and He is on the throne.

Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours?
Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers.

It is enough: earth’s struggles soon shall cease,
And Jesus call us to Heaven’s perfect peace.

Thanks to the Cyber Hymnal for this wonderful online service!

PODCAST - DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

2006-06-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

"A world of confusion results when trying to BELIEVE without OBEYING!" -AWTozer
(Trying to Believe without Obeying is confusion)

2006-06-20T12:33:00.001-07:00

'The Practice Of The Presence Of God'

- Conversations and Letters of Brother Lawrence -

an audio-booklet, narrated by Dennis Rideout

"I walk before God simply, in faith, with humility and with love; and I apply myself diligently to do nothing and think nothing which may displease Him." --Brother Lawrence

PART FIVW (15 minutes)

Letters

Seventh Letter: I pity you much. It will be a great relief if you can leave the care of your affairs to M_ and spend the remainder of your life only in worshipping God. He requires no great matters of us; a little remembrance of Him from time to time, a little adoration. Sometimes to pray for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, and sometimes to return Him thanks for the favors He has given you, and still gives you in the midst of your troubles. Console yourself with Him the oftenest you can. Lift up your heart to Him at your meals and when you are in company. The least little remembrance will always be pleasing to Him.

You need not cry very loud. He is nearer to us than we are aware. We do not always have to be in church to be with God. We may make an oratory of our heart so we can, from time to time, retire to converse with Him in meekness, humility, and love. Every one is capable of such familiar conversation with God; some more, some less. He knows what we can do.

Let us begin then. Perhaps He expects but one generous resolution on our part. Have courage. We have but little time to live. You are nearly sixty-four, and I am almost eighty. Let us live and die with God. Sufferings will be sweet and pleasant while we are with Him. Without Him, the greatest pleasures will be a cruel punishment to us. May He be praised by all.

Gradually become accustomed to worship Him in this way; to beg His grace, to offer Him your heart from time to time; in the midst of your business, even every moment if you can. Do not always scrupulously confine yourself to certain rules or particular forms of devotion. Instead, act in faith with love and humility.

You may assure M_ of my poor prayers, and that I am their servant, and yours particularly.

Eighth Letter: You tell me nothing new. You are not the only one who is troubled with wandering thoughts. Our mind is extremely roving. But the will is mistress of all our faculties. She must recall our stray thoughts and carry them to God as their final end.

If the mind is not sufficiently controlled and disciplined at our first engaging in devotion, it contracts certain bad habits of wandering and dissipation. These are difficult to overcome. The mind can draw us, even against our will, to worldly things. I believe one remedy for this is to humbly confess our faults and beg God's mercy and help.

I do not advise you to use many words and long discourses in prayer, because they are often the occasions of wandering. Hold yourself in prayer before God, like a dumb or paralytic beggar at a rich man's gate. Let it be your business to keep your mind in the presence of the Lord. If your mind sometimes wanders and withdraws itself from Him, do not become upset. Trouble and disquiet serve rather to distract the mind than to re-collect it. The will must bring it back in tranquillity. If you persevere in this manner, God will have pity on you.

One way to re-collect the mind easily in the time of prayer, and preserve it more in tranquillity, is not to let it wander too far at other times. Keep your mind strictly in the presence of God. Then being accustomed to think of Him often, you will find it easy to keep your mind calm in the time of prayer, or at least to recall it from its wanderings. I have told you already of the advantages we may draw from this practice of the presence of God. Let us set about it seriously and pray for one another.

Ninth Letter: The enclosed is an answer to that which I received from M_. Please deliver it to her. She is full of good will but she would go faster than grace! One does not become holy all at once. I recommend her to your guidance. We ought to help one another by our advice, and yet more by our good example. Please let me hear of her from time to time and whether she is very fervent and obedient.

Let us often consider that our only business in this life is to please God, that perhaps all besides is but folly and vanity. You and I have lived over forty years in the monastic life. Have we used those years in loving and serving God, who by His mercy has called us to this state and for that very end? I am sometimes filled with shame and confusion when I reflect, on the one hand, on the great favors God has done and continues to do for me; and, on the other, on the ill use I have made of them and my small advancement in the way of perfection.

Since, by His mercy, He gives us yet a little time, let us begin in earnest. Let us repair the lost time. Let us return with full assurance to that Father of mercies, who is always ready to receive us affectionately. Let us generously renounce, for the love of Him, all that is not Himself. He deserves infinitely more. Let us think of Him perpetually. Let us put all our trust in Him.

I have no doubt that we shall soon receive an abundance of His grace, with which we can do all things, and, without which we can do nothing but sin. We cannot escape the dangers which abound in life without the actual and continual help of God. Let us pray to Him for it constantly.

How can we pray to Him without being with Him? How can we be with Him but in thinking of Him often? And how can we often think of Him, but by a holy habit which we should form of it? You will tell me that I always say the same thing. It is true, for this is the best and easiest method I know. I use no other. I advise all the world to do it.

We must know before we can love. In order to know God, we must often think of Him. And when we come to love Him, we shall then also think of Him often, for our heart will be with our treasure.

Tenth Letter: I have had a good deal of difficulty bringing myself to write to M_. I do it now purely because you desire me to do so. Please address it and send it to him. It is pleasing to see all the faith you have in God. May He increase it in you more and more. We cannot have too much trust in so good and faithful a Friend who will never fail us in this world nor in the next.

If M_ takes advantage of the loss he has had and puts all his confidence in God, He will soon give him another friend more powerful and more inclined to serve him. He disposes of hearts as He pleases. Perhaps M_ was too attached to him he has lost. We ought to love our friends, but without encroaching upon the love of God, which must always be first.

Please keep my recommendation in mind that you think of God often; by day, by night, in your business, and even in your diversions. He is always near you and with you. Leave Him not alone. You would think it rude to leave a friend alone who came to visit you. Why, then, must God be neglected? Do not forget Him but think of Him often. Adore Him continually. Live and die with Him. This is the glorious work of a Christian; in a word, this is our profession. If we do not know it, we must learn it.

I will endeavor to help you with my prayers, and am yours in our Lord.

Eleventh Letter: I do not pray that you may be delivered from your pains; but I pray earnestly that God gives you strength and patience to bear them as long as He pleases. Comfort yourself with Him who holds you fastened to the cross. He will loose you when He thinks fit. Happy are those who suffer with Him. Accustom yourself to suffer in that manner, and seek from Him the strength to endure as much, and as long, as He judges necessary for you.

Worldly people do not comprehend these truths. It is not surprising though, since they suffer like what they are and not like Christians. They see sickness as a pain against nature and not as a favor from God. Seeing it only in that light, they find nothing in it but grief and distress. But those who consider sickness as coming from the hand of God, out of His mercy, and as the means He uses for their salvation, commonly find sweetness and consolation in it.

I pray that you see that God is often nearer to us and present within us in sickness than in health. Do not rely completely on another physician because God reserves your cure to Himself. Put all your trust in God. You will soon find the effects in your recovery, which we often delay by putting greater faith in medicine than in God. Whatever remedies you use, they will succeed only so far as He permits. When pains come from God, only He can ultimately cure them. He often sends sickness to the body to cure diseases of the soul. Comfort yourself with the Sovereign Physician of both soul and body.

I expect you will say that I am very much at ease, and that I eat and drink at the table of the Lord. You have reason. But think how painful it would be to the greatest criminal in the world to eat at the king's table and be served by him, yet have no assurance of pardon. I believe he would feel an anxiety that nothing could calm except his trust in the goodness of his sovereign. So I assure you, that whatever pleasures I taste at the table of my King, my sins, ever present before my eyes, as well as the uncertainty of my pardon, torment me. Though I accept that torment as something pleasing to God.

Be satisfied with the condition in which God places you. However happy you may think me, I envy you. Pain and suffering would be a paradise to me if I could suffer with my God. The greatest pleasures would be hell if I relished them without Him. My only consolation would be to suffer something for His sake.

I must, in a little time, go to God. What comforts me in this life is that I now see Him by faith. I see Him in such a manner that I sometimes say, I believe no more, but I see. I feel what faith teaches us, and, in that assurance and that practice of faith, I live and die with Him.

Stay with God always. He is the only support and comfort for your affliction. I shall beseech Him to be with you. I present my service.

WORSHIP & DEVOTIONAL MUSIC

2006-06-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

'VOCAL MAJORITY (ACAPELLA), sings ... - 'SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER' (4:36 minutes)

NOTE: Music files are kept on the server for 30 days, then deleted.

DAILY BIBLE PROVERB

2006-06-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

Pr 12:14
"From the fruit of his words a man is satisfied with good,
and the work of a man's hand comes back to him."

PODCAST - DAILY AUDIO DEVOTIONALS

2006-06-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

ON 'DISCERNMENT' - (5:22 minutes)
ON 'DILIGENCE' - (4:28 minutes)
ON 'INTERCESSION'' - (3:47 minutes)
ON ''ABIDE'' - (5:13 minutes)
ON 'KING-DOM-INION' - (2:45 minutes)
ON 'SUBMISSION' - (5:05 minutes)
ON 'SELF-LESSNESS' - (4:45 minutes)

For a complete listing (by topic) of ALL the Deeper-Life audio-devotionals available at Pilgrim's Path's Website (over 2000 audios) CLICK HERE

DAILY POEM

2006-06-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

"Have you come to the 'Red Sea' place in your life, where, in spite of all you can do,
there is no way out, there is no way back, there is no other way but through?
Then wait on the Lord with a trust serene till the night of your fear is gone;
He will send the wind, He will heap the floods, when He says to your soul, "Go on!"

"And His hand will lead you through -- clear through -- ere the watery walls roll down,
no foe can reach you, no wave can touch, no mightiest sea can drown;
The tossing billows may rear their crests, their foam at your feet may break,
but over their bed you shall walk dry shod in the path that your Lord will make!"

"In the morning watch, 'neath the lifted cloud, you shall see but the Lord alone,
when He leads you on from the place of the sea to a land that you have not known;
And your fears shall pass as your foes have passed, you shall be no more afraid;
You shall sing His praise in a better place, a place that His hand has made!"

-- Annie Johnson Flint

DAILY AUDIO PODCAST

2006-06-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

Worship that does not Change things (especially US) is in VAIN!

DAILY PERSONAL PROVERB (--Dennis Rideout)

2006-06-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

Don't want LOSS in your life? Don't make God JEALOUS!

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY (An audio Podcast)

2006-06-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

HEADLINES:
On this date in:

451 The Battle of Chalons against Attila the Hun is the last major battle of the Roman Empire.

1756 A garrison of the British army in India was imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta.

1789 577 deputies of the French National Assembly took the Tennis Court Oath, starting the French Revolution.

1791 King Louis XVI of France attempted to flee the country in the so-called Flight to Varennes, but was caught.

1837 Queen Victoria ascended the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV.

1863 West Virginia became the 35th state.

1893 A jury in New Bedford, Mass., found Lizzie Borden innocent of the ax murders of her father and stepmother.

1943 Race-related rioting erupted in Detroit; federal troops were sent in two days later to quell the violence that left more than 30 people dead.

1947 Benjamin ''Bugsy'' Siegel was shot dead in Beverly Hills, Calif., at the order of mob associates angered over the soaring costs of his pet project, the Flamingo resort in Las Vegas.

1948 The TV variety series ''Toast of the Town'' hosted by Ed Sullivan debuted on CBS.

1963 The United States and Soviet Union signed an agreement to set up a hot line communication link between the two superpowers.

1975 The movie ''Jaws,'' directed by Steven Spielberg, was released.

1979 ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart was shot to death in Managua, Nicaragua, by a member of President Anastasio Somoza's national guard.

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS TODAY:

75 Olympia Dukakis Actress
75 James Tolkan Actor
73 Danny Aiello Actor
66 John Mahoney Actor (''Frasier'')
65 Stephen Frears Movie director
64 Brian Wilson Singer-songwriter (The Beach Boys)
61 John McCook Actor (''The Bold and the Beautiful'')
61 Anne Murray Singer
60 Bob Vila TV host (''This Old House'')
39 Nicole Kidman Actress

THE HISTORY CHANNEL'S (comercial) VIDEO FOR THIS DATE

ART MEDIA WORTH MENTION (Selected Clips - Audio, Visual, Graphics)

2006-06-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

Today's 'Art Media SELECTION' is: Don't try this at home! In this VIDEO, an 'Urban Ninja' tries every which way to break his neck - in some of the fanciest acrobatic moves you've ever seen. Not recommended for impressionable teenagers ... (WHEW!)

--- CHECK IT OUT! CLICK HERE:

Thanks to YOUTUBE.COM for this video clip.

Would you like to share your internet discoveries?
Simply post a COMMENT on this article.

NOTABLE QUOTES (Various Authors)

2006-06-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

"Many do not recognize the fact as they ought, that Satan has got men fast asleep in sin and that it is his great device to keep them so.

He does not care what we do if he can do that. We may sing songs about the sweet by and by, preach sermons and say prayers until doomsday, and he will never concern himself about us, if we don't wake anybody up.

But if we awake the sleeping sinner he will gnash on us with his teeth. This is our work - to wake people up."

--Catherine Booth, Evangelist

MUSIC APPRECIATION FOR TODAY

2006-06-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

'BARBARA NISSMAN, performs ... 'PROKOFIEV'S PIANO SONATA No 1 - OPUS No 1 - ALLEGRO' (6:52 minutes)

NOTE: Music files are kept on the server for 30 days, then deleted.

EARTHWATCH RADIO - a 2-minute audio podcast on earth-science world news

2006-06-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Trading Secrets --
Archaeologists are in deep water looking for secrets from our past. CLICK HERE

For the archive page, -- CLICK HERE

'NOW I LAY ME DOWN ... '

2006-06-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

'And if I should die before I wake .... '

Lord, I thank You for keeping my mind's eye fixed on You.
It has helped me 'practice Your Presence', as Brother Lawrence says.

DAILY BIBLE PROMISE

2006-06-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

** God put His Cross where His Mouth Was - all along! ** Today's Bible Promise is ... "For as the heaven is high above the earth, [so] great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth [his] children, [so] the LORD pitieth them that fear him." Ps 103:11-13

'DAILY LIGHT ON THE DAILY PATH' (circa. 1875)

2006-06-19T17:09:00.000-07:00

MORNING

Holiness, without which no man shall see
the Lord.

Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.--There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth.--There is no spot in thee.

Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.--As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.--Put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and . . . put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.--He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

HEB. 12. 14. John 3. 3.--Re. 21. 27.--
Ca. 4. 7. Le. 19. 2.--1 Pe. 1. 14-17.
Ep. 4. 22-24. Ep. 1. 4.

EVENING

Gold tried in the fire.

There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.--Now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.--In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

REV. 3. 18. Mar. 10. 29, 30. 1 Pe. 4. 12.--
1 Pe. 1. 6, 7. 1 Pe. 5. 10.--John 16. 33.

Thanks to the Restoration Movement for this wonderful online service!

GOD'S BIBLE NAMES - (365 Bible Names & Titles for God)

2006-06-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

GOD'S BIBLE NAMES 6/19

"THE CHRIST OF GOD"

Luke 9:20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

Jesus was alone in prayer and asked His disciples the question, "Whom say the people that I Am?" ...and after they had given their answers, He asked the question in our Text. The disciples were compelled to recognize His Heavenly Gifts, His Greatness, His Power and His Gracious Spirit, but it was hard for them to think of Him as One Who must suffer persecution and death at the hands of the Jews. But He knew all that was before Him and walked steadily on towards the cruel cross upon which He must die. Today the professing church is inclined to reject the theme of His Atoning Blood, but those of us to whom He is "The Christ of God" adore Him more and more as the depths of His sacrifice and sufferings are revealed.

Lord, may we hold Thee in our hearts today as "The Christ of God". Amen.

DAILY THANKSGIVING

2006-06-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

SUNNY DAYS:

Lord, the weather has changed - and now the sun shines brightly most days. I so appreciate this delightful weather.

Thank You for them!

IMAGINE THAT! - 90 seconds on NEW scientific discoveries

2006-06-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

Aquatic Food Change --
Some lake fish enjoy a beautiful breezy day as much as we do... for all the food that blows or falls right into their...uh...laps! CLICK HERE

for archive page, click here:

'MY LAST WORDS WERE ... '

2006-06-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

I will NEVER grow up! Not even GOD can make that happen!

Mt 12: 36, 37
"But I say unto you, That every idle (careless) word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

NATURE WATCH - 90 seconds on natural wonders

2006-06-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

Hummingbird Home --
The typical bird nest is a cluster of twigs as big as a saucer. The hummingbird's nest is the size of about half a walnut shell. Contemplate this miniature masterpiece! CLICK HERE

For the archive page, -- CLICK HERE

FOTO TOTO?

2006-06-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

PROVISION!

There's lossa, LOSSA wassa there - behind that dam! Stored up - waiting to burst forth. A pent-up tsunami and a quiet resource of massive power! Note the power towers marching across the desert towards Las Vegas & L.A.?

This dam manages the scrappy Colorado river - you know - the one that dug out that 'Grand Canyon'!? But in taming it's torrents and tantrums, it regulates the water resources for much of the south west - all of southern California, for starters!

God has massive Provisions too. It is shameful how we speak of His grace in such common terms. As if Grace were less than the power of this 'Hoover dam'. But see - Grace is only AVAILABLE to Faith. And Faith is far rarer than we think. Jesus was impressed with Faith - whenever He encountered it - and SAID so! But very few souls ever truly TAKE Jesus Christ AT HIS WORD! If they did, they would be as astonished as those who have.

God Provides - ALL! Everything that is, has been Provided by God. But folks still prefer the Provision to the Provider - and He does not LIKE that. And I don't blame Him. God Is Father. And Father Loves LOTS. And He HAS lots of Love to Give - but few takers.

Let's try to get SERIOUS about God - just for Himself. Let's try to make time for Him - make ROOM for Him in our busy, puny lives. Let's try to REMEMBER God on HIS Father's Day! TODAY!

DAILY HYMN (LYRICS & MUSIC)

2006-06-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

Midi Hymn with Lyrics & Authors Bios, etc..... "O CHRIST, OUR GOD"

O CHRIST, OUR GOD

O Christ, our God, Who with Thine own hast been,
Our spirits cleave to Thee, the Friend unseen.

Vouchsafe that all who on Thy bounty feed
May heed Thy love, and prize Thy gifts indeed.

Make every heart that is Thy dwelling place
A watered garden filled with fruits of grace.

Each holy purpose help us to fulfill;
Increase our faith to feed upon Thee still.

Illuminate our minds, that we may see
In all around us holy signs of Thee.

And may such witness in our lives appear,
That all may know Thou hast been with us here.

O grant us peace, that by Thy peace possessed,
Thy life within us we may manifest.

So shall we pass our days in holy fear,
In joyful consciousness that Thou art near.

So shalt Thou be for ever, loving Lord,
Our Shield and our exceeding great Reward.

Thanks to the Cyber Hymnal for this wonderful online service!

PODCAST - DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

2006-06-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

The Spiritual linkage between God's Holiness and our Godly FEAR!

2006-06-19T16:27:00.001-07:00

'The Practice Of The Presence Of God'

- Conversations and Letters of Brother Lawrence -

an audio-booklet, narrated by Dennis Rideout

"I walk before God simply, in faith, with humility and with love; and I apply myself diligently to do nothing and think nothing which may displease Him." --Brother Lawrence

PART FOUR (12 minutes)

Letters

Fourth Letter: I am taking this opportunity to tell you about the sentiments of one of our society concerning the admirable effects and continual assistance he receives from the presence of God. May we both profit by them.

For the past forty years his continual care has been to be always with God; and to do nothing, say nothing, and think nothing which may displease Him. He does this without any view or motive except pure love of Him and because God deserves infinitely more.

He is now so accustomed to that divine presence that he receives from God continual comfort and peace. For about thirty years his soul has been filled with joy and delight so continual, and sometimes so great, that he is forced to find ways to hide their appearing outwardly to others who may not understand.

If sometimes he becomes a little distracted from the divine presence, God gently recalls Himself by a stirring in his soul. This often happens when he is most engaged in his outward chores and tasks. He answers with exact fidelity to these inward drawings, either by an elevation of his heart to God, or by a meek and fond regard for Him, or by such words as love forms on these occasions. For instance, he may say, "My God, here I am all devoted to You," or "Lord, make me according to Your heart."

It seems to him (in fact, he feels it) that this God of love, satisfied with such few words, reposes again and rests in the depth and center of his soul. The experience of these things gives him such certainty that God is always in the innermost part of his soul that he is beyond doubting it under any circumstances.

Judge by this what content and satisfaction he enjoys. While he continually finds within himself so great a treasure, he no longer has any need to search for it. He no longer has any anxiety about finding it, because he now has his treasure open before him and may take what he pleases of it.

He often points out our blindness and exclaims that those who content themselves with so little are to be pitied. God, says he, has infinite treasure to bestow, and we take so little through routine devotion, which lasts but a moment. Blind as we are, we hinder God, and stop the current of His grace. But when He finds a soul penetrated with a lively faith, He pours into it His grace and favors plentifully. There they flow like a torrent, which, after being forcibly stopped against its ordinary course, when it has found a passage, spreads itself with impetuosity and abundance.

Yet we often stop this torrent by the little value we set upon it. Let us stop it no more. Let us enter into ourselves and break down the bank which hinders it. Let us make way for grace. Let us redeem the lost time, for perhaps we have but little left. Death follows us close; so let us be well prepared. We die but once and a mistake there is irretrievable.

I say again, let us enter into ourselves. The time presses. There is no room for delay. Our souls are at stake. It seems to me that you are prepared and have taken good measures so you will not be taken by surprise. I commend you for it. It is the one thing necessary. We must always work at it, because not to persevere in the spiritual life is to go back. But those who have the gale of the Holy Spirit go forward even in sleep. If the vessel of our soul is still tossed with winds and storms, let us awake the Lord who reposes within. He will quickly calm the sea.

I have taken the liberty to impart to you these good sentiments that you may compare them with your own. May they serve to re-kindle them, if at any time they may be even a little cooled. Let us recall our first favors and remember our early joys and comforts. And, let us benefit from the example and sentiments of this brother who is little known by the world, but known and extremely caressed by God.

I will pray for you. Please pray also for me, as I am yours in our Lord.

Fifth Letter: Today I received two books and a letter from Sister M_, who is preparing to make her profession. She desires the prayers of your holy society, and yours in particular. I think she greatly values your support. Please do not disappoint her. Pray to God that she may take her vows in view of His love alone, with a firm resolution to be wholly devoted to Him. I will send you one of those books about the presence of God; a subject which, in my opinion, contains the whole spiritual life. It seems to me that whoever duly practices it will soon become devout.

I know that for the right practice of it, the heart must be empty of all other things because God will possess the heart alone. As He cannot possess it alone without emptying it of all besides, so, neither can He act there and do in it what He pleases, unless it be left vacant to Him.

There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God. Only those can comprehend it who practice and experience it. Yet I do not advise you to do it from that motive. It is not pleasure which we ought to seek in this exercise. Let us do it from a principle of love, and because it is God's will for us.

Were I a preacher, I would, above all other things, preach the practice of the presence of God. Were I a director, I would advise all the world to do it, so necessary do I think it, and so easy too. Ah! knew we but the want we have of the grace and assistance of God, we would never lose sight of Him, no, not for a moment.

Believe me. Immediately make a holy and firm resolution never more to forget Him. Resolve to spend the rest of your days in His sacred presence, deprived of all consolations for the love of Him if He thinks fit. Set heartily about this work, and if you do it sincerely, be assured that you will soon find the effects of it.

I will assist you with my prayers, poor as they are. I recommend myself earnestly to you and those of your holy society.

Sixth Letter: I have received from M_ the things which you gave her for me. I wonder that you have not given me your thoughts on the little book I sent to you. Set heartily about the practice of it in your old age. It is better late than never.

I cannot imagine how religious persons can live satisfied without the practice of the presence of God. For my part I keep myself retired with Him in the depth and center of my soul as much as I can. While I am with Him I fear nothing; but the least turning from Him is insupportable. This practice does not tire the body. It is, however, proper to deprive it sometimes, nay often, of many little pleasures which are innocent and lawful. God will not permit a soul that desires to be devoted entirely to Him to take pleasures other than with Him. That is more than reasonable.

I do not say we must put any violent constraint upon ourselves. No, we must serve God in a holy freedom. We must work faithfully without trouble or disquiet, recalling our mind to God mildly and with tranquillity as often as we find it wandering from Him. It is, however, necessary to put our whole trust in God. We must lay aside all other cares and even some forms of devotion, though very good in themselves, yet such as one often engages in routinely. Those devotions are only means to attain to the end.

Once we have established a habit of the practice of the presence of God, we are then with Him who is our end. We have no need to return to the means. We may simply continue with Him in our commerce of love, persevering in His holy presence with an act of praise, of adoration, or of desire; or with an act of resignation, or thanksgiving, and in all the ways our spirit can invent.

Be not discouraged by the repugnance which you may find in it from nature. You must sacrifice yourself. At first, one often thinks it a waste of time. But you must go on and resolve to persevere in it until death, notwithstanding all the difficulties that may occur.

I recommend myself to the prayers of your holy society, and yours in particular. I am yours in our Lord.

WORSHIP & DEVOTIONAL MUSIC

2006-06-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

'SEAFORD COLLEGE CHAPEL CHOIR, sings ... - 'A CHORAL SELECTION' (2:55 minutes)

NOTE: Music files are kept on the server for 30 days, then deleted.

DAILY BIBLE PROVERB

2006-06-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

Pr 12:13
"An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
but the righteous escapes from trouble."

PODCAST - DAILY AUDIO DEVOTIONALS

2006-06-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

ON 'FEED MY SHEEP' - (7:40 minutes)
ON 'THE REAL 'GREAT COMMISSION'' - (9:45 minutes)
ON ''FATHER'S DAY'' - (7:28 minutes)
ON 'MYSTERY! (Godly Fear)' - (12:52 minutes)
ON 'SALVATION' - (4:57 minutes)
ON 'MEEKNESS' - (9:14 minutes)

For a complete listing (by topic) of ALL the Deeper-Life audio-devotionals available at Pilgrim's Path's Website (over 2000 audios) CLICK HERE

DAILY POEM

2006-06-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

"When the frosts are in the valley, and the mountaintops are grey;
And the choicest buds are blighted, and the blossoms die away;
A loving Father whispers, 'This cometh from My hand;'
Blessed are ye if ye trust - where ye cannot understand!

"If, after years of toiling, your health should fly away;
And leave your hands all empty, and your locks are turning grey;
Remember then your Father owns all the sea and land;
Blessed are ye if ye trust - where ye cannot understand!"

-- Anonomous

DAILY AUDIO PODCAST

2006-06-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

The Disease of SELF

DAILY PERSONAL PROVERB (--Dennis Rideout)

2006-06-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

Self-worship PROVES flesh-ownership!
(some 'possession'!)

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY (An audio Podcast)

2006-06-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

HEADLINES:
On this date in:

1586 English colonists sailed from Roanoke Island, N.C., after failing to establish England's first permanent settlement in America.

1846 The first baseball game (using modern rules) was played in Hoboken, New Jersey.

1862 Slavery was outlawed in U.S. territories.

1867 Maximilian I of the Second Mexican Empire was executed by firing squad in Querétaro.

1903 Baseball hall-of-famer Lou Gehrig was born in New York City.

1910 Father's Day was celebrated for the first time, in Spokane, Wash.

1917 During World War I, King George V ordered the British royal family to dispense with German titles and surnames. The family took the name Windsor.

1934 The Federal Communications Commission was created.

1953 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, N.Y. They had been convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union.

1961 The Supreme Court struck down a provision in Maryland's constitution requiring state officeholders to profess a belief in God.

1961 Kuwait declared independence from the United Kingdom.

1978 Garfield made his debut in a comic strip.

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS TODAY:

70 Gena Rowlands actress
58 Phylicia Rashad Actress (''The Cosby Show'')
52 Kathleen Turner Actress
50 Doug Stone Country singer
44 Paula Abdul Singer-TV personality (''American Idol'')

THE HISTORY CHANNEL'S (comercial) VIDEO FOR THIS DATE

ART MEDIA WORTH MENTION (Selected Clips - Audio, Visual, Graphics)

2006-06-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

Today's 'Art Media SELECTION' is: SILLY! FUN! ZANEY ANIMATION - you'll love it. If humor can be graphic, this is it. Imagine all the code that was required to make this little ditty?!

--- CHECK IT OUT! CLICK HERE:

Would you like to share your internet discoveries?
Simply post a COMMENT on this article.

NOTABLE QUOTES (Various Authors)

2006-06-19T15:33:00.001-07:00

"Few sights are more depressing than a confessed Christian defending his supposed "rights", and bitterly resisting any effort to "violate" them.

Such a "Christian" has never accepted the 'Way-Of-The-Cross'."

--A.W.Tozer

MUSIC APPRECIATION FOR TODAY

2006-06-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

'THE KING'S SINGERS, perform ... 'DOWLAND (MADRIGAL)' (2:26 minutes)

NOTE: Music files are kept on the server for 30 days, then deleted.

EARTHWATCH RADIO - a 2-minute audio podcast on earth-science world news

2006-06-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Fanning the Feathers --
Every year millions of birds die in collisions with human-made obstructions. The growth of wind energy might increase their risks. CLICK HERE

For the archive page, -- CLICK HERE

'NOW I LAY ME DOWN ... '

2006-06-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

'And if I should die before I wake .... '

Lord, I thank You for Your Holiness - the OBJECT of my Godly FEAR!
You have Promised to Make me Holy - like You.

I do not pretend to understand this, but I thank You, Lord.

DAILY BIBLE PROMISE

2006-06-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

** God put His Cross where His Mouth Was - all along! ** Today's Bible Promise is ... "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." Php 4:9

'DAILY LIGHT ON THE DAILY PATH' (circa. 1875)

2006-06-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

MORNING

The secret things belong unto the LORD
our God: but those things which
are revealed belong unto us.

Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.

The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him: and he will shew them his covenant.--There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets.--Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him?

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.--If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth.

DEUT. 29. 29. Ps. 131. 1, 2. Ps. 25. 14.--
Da. 2. 28.--Job 26. 14. John 15. 15.--
John 14. 15-17.

EVENING

The Spirit . . . maketh intercession for the
saints according to the will of God.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.--Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.

This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.--This is the will of God, even your sanctification.

God hath . . . called us . . . unto holiness: . . . who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit.

ROM. 8. 27. John 16. 23, 24.--Ep. 6. 18.
1 John 5. 14, 15.--1 Th. 4. 3. 1 Th. 4. 7, 8.
1 Th. 5. 16-19.

Thanks to the Restoration Movement for this wonderful online service!

GOD'S BIBLE NAMES - (365 Bible Names & Titles for God)

2006-06-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

GOD'S BIBLE NAMES 6/15

"THE CHILD JESUS"

Luke 2:43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not [of it].

Here we have our first view of Jesus as a young lad, interested in the business of His Heavenly Father. Hear Him when Joseph and Mary seek Him: "Knew ye not that I must be about My Father's business?" The strangeness of the story of His life is a constant surprise. God manifest in the flesh --- a Child --- with Words of Wisdom falling from His lips --- a message for us all, "Occupy (do business) till I come!" Every disciple is a business man or woman, and our business is the most important in all the world. Let us take as a motto for our daily life the Words of the Child Jesus, "I must be about my Father's business!"

Lord, help us to be busy about Thy business this day. Amen.

DAILY THANKSGIVING

2006-06-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

Gen 29:35

"And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD:
therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing."

IMAGINE THAT! - 90 seconds on NEW scientific discoveries

2006-06-15T15:16:00.001-07:00

Hydrothermal Vents #1 --
An underwater lost city on the floor of the Atlantic sounds like something from a movie... but researchers recently found one! CLICK HERE

for archive page, click here:

'MY LAST WORDS WERE ... '

2006-06-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Well, all I can say is that I am very glad I am NOT like them - over there!

Mt 12: 36, 37
"But I say unto you, That every idle (careless) word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."