Quote By A. W. Tozer

"I cannot give in to the devil's principal, deceitful tactic which makes so many Christians satisfied with an 'Easter celebration' instead of experiencing the power of Christ's resurrection.  It is the devil's business to keep  Christians mourning and weeping with pity beside the cross instead of demonstrating that Jesus Christ is risen indeed."

Tozer, A. W.  "Easter And Missions."  Mornings With Tozer.  Chicago, IL:  Wing Spread Publishers, 2008.  Entry for April 8.

Quote By S. D. Gordon

"Prayer wonderfully clears the vision; steadies the nerves; defines duty; stiffens the purpose; sweetens and strengthens the spirit.  The busier the day for Him, the more surely must the morning appointment be kept . . ."

Gordon, S. D.  Quiet Talks On Prayer.  Old Tappan, NJ:  Fleming H. Revell Co., n.d.  p. 214.

Quote by A. W. Tozer

"The one essential thing we need to remember is that the glory of God is our chief objective in life, not the winning of souls.  The winning of souls always comes second to the glory of God."

Tozer, A. W.  Voice Of A Prophet.  Ed. James L. Snyder. Minneapolis, MN:  Bethany House, 2014.  p. 187.

Quote By A. W. Tozer

"Humility always wins where force cannot win."

Tozer, A. W.  Voice of A Prophet.  Ed. James L. Snyder.  Minneapolis, MN:  Bethany House, 2014.  p. 62.

Quote By A. W. Tozer

"Every move of God in an individual heart 

begins with a deep sense of discontent."

Tozer, A. W.  Voice Of A Prophet.  Ed. James L. Snyder.  Minneapolis, MN:  Bethany House, 2014.  p. 46.

Only Two Explanations

Evans, Tony.  "America's Only Hope."  Herald Of His Coming.  Ed. Rich Carmicheal.  Vol. 75.  No. 11.  Seelyville, IN:  Gospel Revivals, Inc., Novbember, 2016.  p. 1.

Quote by A. W. Tozer

"I confess that it is hard for me to accept the fact that it is now very rare for anyone to come into the house of God, silently confessing: 'Dear Lord, I am ready and willing to hear what You will speak to me today.'"

Tozer, A. W.  "Christ Came To Save."  Mornings With Tozer.  Chicago, IL:  Wing Spread Publishers, 2008.  Entry for February 10.

Quote by A. W. Tozer

"God always used men of courage down through the years.  It requires a great deal of courage to stand for god in an hour like this -- to be a son of God among the sons of men'; to be a citizen of heaven among the citizens of the world; to be a good man in a bad world and have faith in a world of unbelief; to be good in a world that loves to be bad.  It takes courage, and God is waiting for us to rise up with something of the fearlessness of Elijah."

Tozer, A. W.  Voice Of A Prophet.  Ed. James L. Snyder.  Minneapolis, MN:  Bethany House, 2014.  pp. 101-102.

Quote by A. W. Tozer

     "The lordship of Jesus is not quite forgotten among Christians, but it has been relegated to our hymnbook, where all responsibility toward it may be comfortably discharged in a glow of pleasant religious emotion.
     The idea that the Man Christ Jesus has absolute and final authority over all its members in every detail of their lives is simply not accepted as true by the rank and file of evangelical Christians."

Tozer, A. W.  "We Get Around It."  Mornings With Tozer.  Chicago, IL:  Wing Spread Publishers, 2008.  Entry for January 27.1.

Quote by A. W. Tozer

"I am aware that that . . . there are qualities in the Divine Being that can only be known by the heart; never by the intellect!"

Tozer, A. W.  "United With Christ."  Mornings With Tozer.  Chicago, IL:  Wing Spread Publishers, 2000.  Entry for January 11.

Waiting for Something Extraordinary

"The truth is that we are waiting, all
of us, against insurmountable odds,
for something extraordinary to happen
to us." * (Khaled Hosseini)

When I read "something extraordinary", I can't help but think of the Rapture of the Church. What an event that will be!

I have some reservations about taking the quotation as a whole.

• The reality is that we are not all waiting for this event.  Some choose not to believe there is such a thing as the Rapture.  Some don't have to worry about the Rapture at all.  They need to get saved first!
• Since the Rapture is a supernatural event, we don't have to concern ourselves with the "insurmountable odds."  That's a category in which God specializes.

You choose what you want about the Rapture.  As for me, I'm "looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus" (Tit. 2:13, NASB).

* www.Twitter.com/BruceVH.  November 28, 2013.  10:15 P.M.

There It Was Again

About a week ago, I had a "Cross" encounter in Benezette, PA.  You can view the post here.  Tuesday was my day off, so I went for a drive to photograph the foliage.  The Cross -- there it was again!

Route 553, Carroltown, PA  10/22/13

There is no escaping the cross.

"He was desirous to hear him groaning, and see him bleeding, that we might not groan under his frowns, and bleed under his wrath; he spared not him, that he might spare us; refused not to strike him, that he might be well pleased with us; drenched his sword in the blood of his Son, that it might not for ever be wet with ours, but that his goodness might for ever triumph in our salvation; he was willing to have his Son made man, and die, rather than man should perish, who had delighted to ruin himself..." (Stephen Charnock)

Is It 1972 or 2013? Yes.

If you were to read the quote below and didn't notice the publishing date, you would think the author was commenting on 2013. 

"It is lamentable to observe the mad whirl of living which has ensnared many of our people. Life, too, seems so artificial. American life is also oversexed. Stimuli galore about us and too little of restful, healthful recreation."

Guldseth, G. J. God Is For the Emotionally Ill. Watchung, NJ: Charisma Books, 1972. p. 21.

God Cannot and Will Not Lose!

"But God is never at a loss. The land may be overrun with sin; the lamps of witness may seem all extinguished; the whole force of the popular current may run counter to His truth; and the plot may threaten to be within a hair's breadth of entire success; but, all the time, He will be preparing a weak man in some obscure highland village; and in the moment of greatest need will send him forth, as His all-sufficient answer to the worst plottings of His foes."
          --The Biblical Illustrator (1 Kin. ch. 17)

Quote on Morality

"We want character but without unyielding conviction; we want strong morality, but without the emotional burden of guilt or shame; we want virtue but without particular moral justifications that invariably offend; we want good without having to name evil; we want decency without the moral authority to insist upon it; we want moral community without any limitations to personal freedom. In short, we want what we cannot have on the terms that we want it."

               -- James Davison Hunter, sociologist at the University of Virginia

Mohler, Albert. The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership That Matters. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House, 2012. p. 78.

Quote on Credit

"Gold is the currency of kings.  Silver is the currency of

 merchants.  Credit is the currency of slaves.  Credit is not 

money." 

 http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article39037.html (Accessed 2-22-13)

Quotation on Discipleship

While information is the accumulation of data on a certain topic, knowledge is the ability to use that information correctly. While information requires only the storage capacity, knowledge requires the ability to analyze, critique, catalogue, and then to adopt a particular position.

 A disciple of Jesus is not just a person who has accumulated lots of information. A disciple not only knows the facts about Jesus but is also able to internalize that information in his thinking, behavior and values. To be a disciple of Jesus means to think, live, and act like Jesus on a daily basis. -- Mario Vega

You can read the entire post here.  

Quote on Evangelism

“The fact is, brethren, we must have conversion work here. We cannot go on as some churches do without converts. We cannot, we will not, we must not, we dare not. Souls must be converted here, and if there be not many born to Christ, may the Lord grant to me that I may sleep in the tomb and be heard no more. Better indeed for us to die than to live, if souls be not saved.” -- Charles Spurgeon

Gospel Ignorance

One of the greatest crimes committed by this present Christian generation is its neglect of the gospel, and it is from this neglect that all our other maladies spring forth. The lost world is not so much gospel hardened as it is gospel ignorant because many of those who proclaim the gospel are also ignorant of its most basic truths. The essential themes that make up the very core of the gospel—the justice of God, the radical depravity of man, the blood atonement, the nature of true conversion, and the biblical basis of assurance—are absent from too many pulpits. Churches reduce the gospel message to a few creedal statements, teach that conversion is a mere human decision, and pronounce assurance of salvation over anyone who prays the sinner’s prayer. -- Paul Washer  The Gospel's Power and Message

Caring Is Not Enough

"Significance is achieved by caring and doing.  Caring without doing is the mark of frightened, tentative, whiners. That's right; small people complain. But big people don't whine. They swing the hammer, bang the problem, sing a song and alter the world.  In other words, shut up and do something."

Williams, Roy H.  "The Monday Morning Memo."  November 12, 2012.

This fits with The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lu. 10:30-37).  The last five words -- "shut up and do something" -- could make a good title.  You have to know your audience.  You would definitely have their attention, though.