From God, for God and His People: "Peace in the Valley"
Lindsay Terry
For he is our peace . . .
One of the most prized possessions I have as a song historian is a cassette containing a recording of my interview with Thomas Andrew Dorsey, which he granted to me in 1977. In it he told me a great many things about himself and his music. Time and space will not allow me to tell his whole story, but I am passing on to you some of the highlights of his very active life as a musician, choir director, and songwriter.
Thomas Dorsey was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, a small town about forty miles from Atlanta. While still in his early teens, his attention was drawn to show business by the music of the black performers in Atlanta. He soon began playing piano in the jazz clubs, under the name of Georgia Tom. At age seventeen, he moved to Gary, Indiana, to pursue his music career. Two years later, he moved on to Chicago, where he enrolled in the Chicago College of Composition and Arranging and began playing with local jazz groups. He soon formed his own band, which became the backup group for Ma Rainey, a well-known blues singer.
In 1928, in partnership with slide guitarist Hudson “Tampa Red” Whitaker, he wrote and recorded a song that hit the top of the blues charts and sold more than seven million copies, according to one report. Dorsey is credited with writing more than 450 rhythm and blues and jazz songs, and with establishing the Dorsey House of Music in 1932, the first independent company to publish black gospel music.
Nevertheless, his life was proof that the world does not satisfy a Christian. After he suffered a nervous breakdown, it took two years for him to recuperate. During that time, the Lord was speaking to him. In 1930, he lost his wife and newborn son. He later said, “I was doing all right by myself, but the voice of God whispered, ‘You need to change a little.’” He eventually found that he could not be a part of the R&B and jazz world and do his work for the Lord properly.
He put together a choir at his church, Pilgrim Baptist Church, with Roberta Martin playing the piano. In 1933, he organized the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, along with Sallie Martin, his good friend Theodore Frye, and several others. During our interview in 1977, he told me that he was still actively leading one of the choirs at the church. He was seventy-eight years old at the time.
His songs have been recorded by such diverse artists as Mahalia Jackson, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. President Lyndon B. Johnson requested that “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” be sung at his funeral. It was also used at a rally led by Martin Luther King Jr. the night before his assassination.
In September 1981, Dorsey’s native state honored him with election to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In 1982, he was the first African-American elected to the Gospel Music Association’s Living Hall of Fame. In that same year, the Thomas A. Dorsey Archives were opened at Fisk University, where his collection joined those of W. C. Handy, George Gershwin, and the famed Jubilee Singers. In summing up his life as a Christian, Dorsey said that all of his work has been “from God, for God, and for His people.” In 1983, George T. Nierenberg produced a documentary of the history of gospel music, Say Amen, Somebody, in which Thomas Dorsey made a personal appearance. Dorsey was also elected to the Nashville Songwriters International Hall of Fame.
In 1937, he wrote a song for Mahalia Jackson, “Peace in the Valley,” which has become extremely popular. I will never forget hearing a young black man walking down a road on Andros Island, an out-of-the-way part of the Bahamas, singing “Peace in the Valley.” In the song, Dorsey speaks of being “tired and so weary,” a plight of many of God’s people who “must go along.” But there is coming a time when the “morning is bright and the Lamb is the Light.” In that time and place, the “night is as fair as the day” and there is no more sadness, sorrow, or trouble—only peace.
After the passing of Dorsey’s wife, Nettie, he later married again. I had the joy of speaking with Mrs. Kathryn Dorsey shortly before her husband’s death on January 23, 1993, in Chicago. Thomas Dorsey wrote nearly one thousand gospel songs in his lifetime.
Reflection
There is no word more precious than peace, nor a more joyous state of being for a Christian, than to know God’s peace. We long for it, and when it comes to us it is directly from our heavenly Father.
cbn
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
following the light
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” John 8:12-18
Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, the 7-day celebration described as the most festive season of the ancient Hebrew year. One of the festival's daily rites was the lighting of the lamps. Each evening, as the sun dropped over the hills and the shadows crept across the Holy City, four temple lamps were lit.
The torches represented the pillar of fire that God inhabited as he led his beleaguered people across the barren desert. But on the final night of the festival, the central lamp was not lit. It stood silent and dark—a reminder to the worshipers that Israel's ultimate redemption and salvation was not yet experienced. Darkness still had to be endured. They still looked for the Messiah, the true Light.
It was into this setting that Jesus stood and spoke the astounding words, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Placing myself at the festival . . . standing amid the crowd . . . hearing Jesus' words, my heart is warmed. Such grace. These are some of the best kind of “Jesus-moments.”
Yet, I see another theme in Jesus' words, one I had not as quickly gravitated toward. It is Jesus' unequivocal call for obedience. The words that warmly promised me that I will “not walk in darkness” are connected to the ones that state, “Whoever follows me.” The obedience required is the humble receiving of Jesus as the Messiah, the One who came from God to redeem humanity. To follow is to be a disciple—to be on the path of yielding one's heart and passion to the Redeemer. This is a life of obedience to him and freedom from darkness' misery.
I don't naturally want to yield. Yet there is one who is rightly named God, and obedience to him is the only right response. C. S. Lewis' belief rings true: “There is in existence a Being so intrinsically authoritative that obedience is the essential business of a human being.”
Will you follow him in obedience? —Winn Collier, South Carolina
seeking: Father, how have I seen obedience to you in a fresh way? How will I change my ways this day?
responding: Where is God asking me to follow? • Do I hesitate? Why? • How might my obedience to God be my “essential business”?
Father, I will follow you in obedience. Your great love has been revealed in the life and death of your Son, Jesus. May his name be praised!
following: The Light will lead your way.
our journey
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” John 8:12-18
Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, the 7-day celebration described as the most festive season of the ancient Hebrew year. One of the festival's daily rites was the lighting of the lamps. Each evening, as the sun dropped over the hills and the shadows crept across the Holy City, four temple lamps were lit.
The torches represented the pillar of fire that God inhabited as he led his beleaguered people across the barren desert. But on the final night of the festival, the central lamp was not lit. It stood silent and dark—a reminder to the worshipers that Israel's ultimate redemption and salvation was not yet experienced. Darkness still had to be endured. They still looked for the Messiah, the true Light.
It was into this setting that Jesus stood and spoke the astounding words, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Placing myself at the festival . . . standing amid the crowd . . . hearing Jesus' words, my heart is warmed. Such grace. These are some of the best kind of “Jesus-moments.”
Yet, I see another theme in Jesus' words, one I had not as quickly gravitated toward. It is Jesus' unequivocal call for obedience. The words that warmly promised me that I will “not walk in darkness” are connected to the ones that state, “Whoever follows me.” The obedience required is the humble receiving of Jesus as the Messiah, the One who came from God to redeem humanity. To follow is to be a disciple—to be on the path of yielding one's heart and passion to the Redeemer. This is a life of obedience to him and freedom from darkness' misery.
I don't naturally want to yield. Yet there is one who is rightly named God, and obedience to him is the only right response. C. S. Lewis' belief rings true: “There is in existence a Being so intrinsically authoritative that obedience is the essential business of a human being.”
Will you follow him in obedience? —Winn Collier, South Carolina
seeking: Father, how have I seen obedience to you in a fresh way? How will I change my ways this day?
responding: Where is God asking me to follow? • Do I hesitate? Why? • How might my obedience to God be my “essential business”?
Father, I will follow you in obedience. Your great love has been revealed in the life and death of your Son, Jesus. May his name be praised!
following: The Light will lead your way.
our journey
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
cleaning house
1 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household, . . . "Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me. . . .” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had. . . . 9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” . . . 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” Genesis 35:1-12
God sent Jacob and his family back to a spiritual marker where the patriarch had experienced a life-altering encounter through a dream (Genesis 28:10-22). God told Jacob to go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar. Jacob, moved by personal conviction, demanded preparation from his whole family: “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments” (35:2). In other words, he was saying, “We're going to Bethel all right, but we're not going like this. We're about to clean house.” He wanted a moral transformation to take place.
A volcano can suddenly erupt from within a seemingly rock-solid family—a mountain you thought couldn't be moved starts to shake. Eruptions can include the sudden exposure of an affair, a teen pregnancy, a DUI, or even finding out your child was caught cheating on a test.
This concept applies to the individual as well as to the family. All of us can be mountains that erupt. When eruptions come, we are wise to ask ourselves when the unnoticed tremors began. Like Jacob, we might start by looking for the cracks of compromise within the rock. As much as we're able, we need to insist on a thorough housecleaning and recommitment.
Our family actively prays together, views Jesus as the center of all things, and jealously guards what comes into our home . . . , but we haven't always been so deliberate. Every lasting fortification in the Moore extended family was prompted by a sudden eruption. Something unexpected happened that told us we needed to tighten up. Some of the occurrences may have seemed minor to someone else, but they were indications of trouble within our walls. Other occurrences were more serious. They all led to housecleaning and an urgent pursuit of purity. They also led to “Bethels” in our lives—where we encountered our God afresh.
Thankfully, we don't have to wait for an internal eruption before doing some spiritual housecleaning and looking for cracks in our spiritual purity. Let's pursue spiritual health that doesn't require a crisis to increase our holiness. —Beth Moore bethmoore.org
seeking: Father, what have you just revealed to me about my own lack of purity before you? What have I seen in your holy face?
responding: Have I ever examined my household in an urgent pursuit of purity? • What were the tremors, or warning signs, of the last eruption in my life?
Father, please reveal the areas of my “house” that need cleaning. Let there be fresh recommitment in every room and closet. Show me any cracks forming in the mountain even now. May my spiritual purity be as important to me as it is to you. In Jesus' name, amen.
following: Spiritual housecleaning prevents internal eruptions.
our journey
1 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household, . . . "Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me. . . .” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had. . . . 9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” . . . 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” Genesis 35:1-12
God sent Jacob and his family back to a spiritual marker where the patriarch had experienced a life-altering encounter through a dream (Genesis 28:10-22). God told Jacob to go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar. Jacob, moved by personal conviction, demanded preparation from his whole family: “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments” (35:2). In other words, he was saying, “We're going to Bethel all right, but we're not going like this. We're about to clean house.” He wanted a moral transformation to take place.
A volcano can suddenly erupt from within a seemingly rock-solid family—a mountain you thought couldn't be moved starts to shake. Eruptions can include the sudden exposure of an affair, a teen pregnancy, a DUI, or even finding out your child was caught cheating on a test.
This concept applies to the individual as well as to the family. All of us can be mountains that erupt. When eruptions come, we are wise to ask ourselves when the unnoticed tremors began. Like Jacob, we might start by looking for the cracks of compromise within the rock. As much as we're able, we need to insist on a thorough housecleaning and recommitment.
Our family actively prays together, views Jesus as the center of all things, and jealously guards what comes into our home . . . , but we haven't always been so deliberate. Every lasting fortification in the Moore extended family was prompted by a sudden eruption. Something unexpected happened that told us we needed to tighten up. Some of the occurrences may have seemed minor to someone else, but they were indications of trouble within our walls. Other occurrences were more serious. They all led to housecleaning and an urgent pursuit of purity. They also led to “Bethels” in our lives—where we encountered our God afresh.
Thankfully, we don't have to wait for an internal eruption before doing some spiritual housecleaning and looking for cracks in our spiritual purity. Let's pursue spiritual health that doesn't require a crisis to increase our holiness. —Beth Moore bethmoore.org
seeking: Father, what have you just revealed to me about my own lack of purity before you? What have I seen in your holy face?
responding: Have I ever examined my household in an urgent pursuit of purity? • What were the tremors, or warning signs, of the last eruption in my life?
Father, please reveal the areas of my “house” that need cleaning. Let there be fresh recommitment in every room and closet. Show me any cracks forming in the mountain even now. May my spiritual purity be as important to me as it is to you. In Jesus' name, amen.
following: Spiritual housecleaning prevents internal eruptions.
our journey
Monday, January 23, 2006
god loves you
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. . . . 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:13-21
From my earliest years, I've sung, “Jesus loves me, this I know . . .” Even though I've had that knowledge for a long time, it was only a couple of years ago that I was stunned by its reality. I was taking some time away at our church's camp to rest and plan for the coming year. I spent hours looking out at what God himself had created—tall trees, a quiet lake, wildlife.
And then it happened. God met me there so personally, in such a powerful way, and immersed me in the fact that he loves me. Why does a grown man need to know that God loves him? That's just for kids, right? Wrong!
You probably know a lot of things about God's love. But surprisingly, many people don't truly comprehend God's amazing, overcoming, personal love for them. In fact, it's possible to know God for decades and still not realize the depth of his love for you. The Bible tells us that this discovery often takes some time: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us” (1 John 4:16).
Growing deep in our Christian life includes this process of coming to know and believe in God's love. Our maturity is also linked to our embracing the truth that God loves us—passionately, eternally, and individually.
Think about what God says in Isaiah 43:1-3, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
To come to know and believe that God loves you is like the first sight of a picturesque mountain peak by someone born blind; it's like the crescendo of a symphony to a person who had been deaf.
Open up your soul to the reality that God loves you! —James MacDonald walkintheword.com
seeking: Where has your Spirit just allowed my heart to soar? How am I experiencing your love this minute?
responding: Where am I in the process of discovering God's love for me? Is it head or heart knowledge? What doubts hinder me from embracing the love God has shown me?
I don't understand your love for me, God, but I enter its depths. By faith, I receive your truth and allow you to move me from my intellectual understanding to a deep heart-knowledge that you love me with an everlasting love.
following: Jesus loves me—it's more than simple lyrics to a song.
our journey
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. . . . 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:13-21
From my earliest years, I've sung, “Jesus loves me, this I know . . .” Even though I've had that knowledge for a long time, it was only a couple of years ago that I was stunned by its reality. I was taking some time away at our church's camp to rest and plan for the coming year. I spent hours looking out at what God himself had created—tall trees, a quiet lake, wildlife.
And then it happened. God met me there so personally, in such a powerful way, and immersed me in the fact that he loves me. Why does a grown man need to know that God loves him? That's just for kids, right? Wrong!
You probably know a lot of things about God's love. But surprisingly, many people don't truly comprehend God's amazing, overcoming, personal love for them. In fact, it's possible to know God for decades and still not realize the depth of his love for you. The Bible tells us that this discovery often takes some time: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us” (1 John 4:16).
Growing deep in our Christian life includes this process of coming to know and believe in God's love. Our maturity is also linked to our embracing the truth that God loves us—passionately, eternally, and individually.
Think about what God says in Isaiah 43:1-3, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
To come to know and believe that God loves you is like the first sight of a picturesque mountain peak by someone born blind; it's like the crescendo of a symphony to a person who had been deaf.
Open up your soul to the reality that God loves you! —James MacDonald walkintheword.com
seeking: Where has your Spirit just allowed my heart to soar? How am I experiencing your love this minute?
responding: Where am I in the process of discovering God's love for me? Is it head or heart knowledge? What doubts hinder me from embracing the love God has shown me?
I don't understand your love for me, God, but I enter its depths. By faith, I receive your truth and allow you to move me from my intellectual understanding to a deep heart-knowledge that you love me with an everlasting love.
following: Jesus loves me—it's more than simple lyrics to a song.
our journey
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Battle Hymn of the Republic: The Story Behind the Song
Kenneth W. Osbeck
To have implicit trust in God's faithful care and protection is never easy in times of danger or strife. Yet even in the midst of the terrible Civil War between the Northern and Southern states, a remarkable woman named Julia Ward Howe proclaimed her confidence in God's triumphant power in this inspiring text.
Deeply anguished at the growing conflict between the two sections of the country, Mrs. Howe watched troops marching off to war singing "John Brown's Body," a song about a man who had been hanged in his efforts to free the slaves. Julia felt that the catchy camp meeting tune should have better words. In a desire to phrase her own feelings about the dreadful events of the time, she "scrawled the verses almost without looking at the paper." The national hymn first appeared in the Atlantic Monthly Magazine in 1862, as a battle song for the republic. Before long the entire nation became inspired by her text and united in singing the new words with the old tune.
Mrs. Howe's hymn has been acclaimed through the years as one of our finest patriotic songs. At one time it was sung as a solo at a large rally attended by President Abraham Lincoln. After the audience had responded with loud applause, the President, with tears in his eyes, cried out, "Sing it again!" It was sung again. And after more than a hundred years, Americans still join often in proclaiming, "Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on!"
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword
His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watchfires of a hundred circling camps;
they have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps
His day is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
O be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant my feet
Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
with a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
as He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
while God is marching on.
Chorus: Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
cbn
Kenneth W. Osbeck
To have implicit trust in God's faithful care and protection is never easy in times of danger or strife. Yet even in the midst of the terrible Civil War between the Northern and Southern states, a remarkable woman named Julia Ward Howe proclaimed her confidence in God's triumphant power in this inspiring text.
Deeply anguished at the growing conflict between the two sections of the country, Mrs. Howe watched troops marching off to war singing "John Brown's Body," a song about a man who had been hanged in his efforts to free the slaves. Julia felt that the catchy camp meeting tune should have better words. In a desire to phrase her own feelings about the dreadful events of the time, she "scrawled the verses almost without looking at the paper." The national hymn first appeared in the Atlantic Monthly Magazine in 1862, as a battle song for the republic. Before long the entire nation became inspired by her text and united in singing the new words with the old tune.
Mrs. Howe's hymn has been acclaimed through the years as one of our finest patriotic songs. At one time it was sung as a solo at a large rally attended by President Abraham Lincoln. After the audience had responded with loud applause, the President, with tears in his eyes, cried out, "Sing it again!" It was sung again. And after more than a hundred years, Americans still join often in proclaiming, "Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on!"
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword
His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watchfires of a hundred circling camps;
they have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps
His day is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
O be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant my feet
Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
with a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
as He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
while God is marching on.
Chorus: Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
cbn
Monday, January 16, 2006
strong and courageous
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:6-9
During my wife Mary's difficult pregnancy, complicated by phlebitis, we had to fight off fear every day. Remarkably, she never had to spend a day in the hospital until she delivered Josh. There was no further clotting and there was no hemorrhaging. Everything went absolutely perfectly.
But we didn't know we would have such a wonderful outcome. I will never forget the night I woke up at 3 a.m. in an absolute cold sweat. I had dreamed that Mary had not survived the birth of our son. In my dream she started to hemorrhage right after delivering Josh, and the doctors were unable to stop it. She died and I was left with three kids under five. It was a horrible nightmare.
I was absolutely panicked by the fear of what might happen. The future looked dark and my human strength was sapped. I couldn't see the next step and neither could Mary. Quite frankly, neither could the doctors. They were the doing the best they could, but they had never been in this exact situation either. I must tell you that things appeared to be bleak. I was filled with fear. But God spoke to our hearts and carried us through that difficult time.
It reminds me of what God did for Joshua so many years ago. The young man had some big shoes to fill. Moses was gone, and now he was the appointed leader of God's people. The Jordan River had to be crossed and a land had to be taken. What did God do? He gave Joshua a promise and some words of comfort: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
God promised to be with Joshua as he faced an unknown future. He fulfilled that promise in amazing ways. And my wife and I experienced God's promised care of our family.
Be strong and courageous in him today! He will provide the way, but we must take courage in him and press on. —Steve Farrar stevefarrar.com
seeking: Father, how have you just encouraged me? What have you called me to do in a specific situation that requires courage that is found in you?
responding: When have I experienced great fear in life? How does knowing that God is with me help me with my fear? What does it take to be strong and courageous?
Father, I praise you for faithfully leading me. Help me to cling to your promises and not to give in to my fears. You are the source of my strength and my courage!
following: Courage is found in believing God's promises.
our journey
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:6-9
During my wife Mary's difficult pregnancy, complicated by phlebitis, we had to fight off fear every day. Remarkably, she never had to spend a day in the hospital until she delivered Josh. There was no further clotting and there was no hemorrhaging. Everything went absolutely perfectly.
But we didn't know we would have such a wonderful outcome. I will never forget the night I woke up at 3 a.m. in an absolute cold sweat. I had dreamed that Mary had not survived the birth of our son. In my dream she started to hemorrhage right after delivering Josh, and the doctors were unable to stop it. She died and I was left with three kids under five. It was a horrible nightmare.
I was absolutely panicked by the fear of what might happen. The future looked dark and my human strength was sapped. I couldn't see the next step and neither could Mary. Quite frankly, neither could the doctors. They were the doing the best they could, but they had never been in this exact situation either. I must tell you that things appeared to be bleak. I was filled with fear. But God spoke to our hearts and carried us through that difficult time.
It reminds me of what God did for Joshua so many years ago. The young man had some big shoes to fill. Moses was gone, and now he was the appointed leader of God's people. The Jordan River had to be crossed and a land had to be taken. What did God do? He gave Joshua a promise and some words of comfort: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
God promised to be with Joshua as he faced an unknown future. He fulfilled that promise in amazing ways. And my wife and I experienced God's promised care of our family.
Be strong and courageous in him today! He will provide the way, but we must take courage in him and press on. —Steve Farrar stevefarrar.com
seeking: Father, how have you just encouraged me? What have you called me to do in a specific situation that requires courage that is found in you?
responding: When have I experienced great fear in life? How does knowing that God is with me help me with my fear? What does it take to be strong and courageous?
Father, I praise you for faithfully leading me. Help me to cling to your promises and not to give in to my fears. You are the source of my strength and my courage!
following: Courage is found in believing God's promises.
our journey
Saturday, January 14, 2006
in time of need
12 The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:12-16
Margaret Laird and her husband had left the US and were serving a second missionary term in Africa. Another missionary who was pregnant visited them, and Margaret delivered her baby and took care of the mother and child for more than a year. Oatmeal water and prune juice were required to dilute goat's milk for the baby's bottle. So Margaret gave the mother her supply of oatmeal and prunes.
Later when Margaret's own baby boy was born and was also bottle-fed, she no longer had her supplies, and baby Clifford wasn't doing well on undiluted milk.
Now what? Margaret wasn't in the US where she could easily get more oatmeal and prunes for her baby. It was 1931 and she was in the middle of Africa.
At that time, the woman whom she had cared for stopped by. She was on her way to a town 75 miles away and offered to pick up supplies. Oatmeal and prunes were obviously high on Margaret's shopping list. The woman scoffed, “You knew you were going to have a baby. You should have ordered those things from America. You know good and well that I'll never find those things at Bambari.”
Margaret was so upset by the insensitivity of this woman that she couldn't speak. She had returned from America prepared, but had given all the oatmeal and prunes to this woman's baby! Devastated, Margaret began to pour out her heart to the Lord: “Lord, you know all about it. I know you're able to provide for my children—even in the heart of Africa.”
She was still on her knees when her husband called her from another room. He introduced her to two men from a Portuguese mining camp from far to the north. One of them said, “Mrs. Laird, we get all of our provisions from Belgium, and every month they send us tins of oatmeal, dried prunes, and cocoa that none of us ever use. Would you accept them for your children?”
God had provided for Margaret before she had made her request. As we cry out to him, we “receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). —Steve Farrar stevefarrar.com
seeking: Father, how have your mercy and grace encouraged me this day? What praise for your provision will I give to you?
responding: What is my normal response to need? What does God promise if I cry out to him about my need? How has he provided for me in the past?
Father, you know my needs even before I state them. But I bring them to you as you have told me to do. Thank you for your faithful provision. Your loving care is evident in my life.
following: Go to God with all your needs.
our journey
12 The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:12-16
Margaret Laird and her husband had left the US and were serving a second missionary term in Africa. Another missionary who was pregnant visited them, and Margaret delivered her baby and took care of the mother and child for more than a year. Oatmeal water and prune juice were required to dilute goat's milk for the baby's bottle. So Margaret gave the mother her supply of oatmeal and prunes.
Later when Margaret's own baby boy was born and was also bottle-fed, she no longer had her supplies, and baby Clifford wasn't doing well on undiluted milk.
Now what? Margaret wasn't in the US where she could easily get more oatmeal and prunes for her baby. It was 1931 and she was in the middle of Africa.
At that time, the woman whom she had cared for stopped by. She was on her way to a town 75 miles away and offered to pick up supplies. Oatmeal and prunes were obviously high on Margaret's shopping list. The woman scoffed, “You knew you were going to have a baby. You should have ordered those things from America. You know good and well that I'll never find those things at Bambari.”
Margaret was so upset by the insensitivity of this woman that she couldn't speak. She had returned from America prepared, but had given all the oatmeal and prunes to this woman's baby! Devastated, Margaret began to pour out her heart to the Lord: “Lord, you know all about it. I know you're able to provide for my children—even in the heart of Africa.”
She was still on her knees when her husband called her from another room. He introduced her to two men from a Portuguese mining camp from far to the north. One of them said, “Mrs. Laird, we get all of our provisions from Belgium, and every month they send us tins of oatmeal, dried prunes, and cocoa that none of us ever use. Would you accept them for your children?”
God had provided for Margaret before she had made her request. As we cry out to him, we “receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). —Steve Farrar stevefarrar.com
seeking: Father, how have your mercy and grace encouraged me this day? What praise for your provision will I give to you?
responding: What is my normal response to need? What does God promise if I cry out to him about my need? How has he provided for me in the past?
Father, you know my needs even before I state them. But I bring them to you as you have told me to do. Thank you for your faithful provision. Your loving care is evident in my life.
following: Go to God with all your needs.
our journey
Friday, January 13, 2006
Crime and Forgiveness
John Fischer
Jim Van Tassel died last week. He was 96. This is sad news to a number of people who are or have been in jail in Orange County, California. Jim has been a chaplain there for thirty years. A former prisoner told me, “He showed me the compassion of Christ for the first time in my life… He never was particularly interested in hearing about my crime or how it happened; he just wanted me to know I could be forgiven and have a whole new life -- both of which seemed impossible at that time.”
I think we all could benefit from Mr. Van Tassel's perspective. We often are more interested in the crime than the forgiveness. Gossip grows from this. Gossip is all about the crime and an opportunity to tell it to lots of people. Gossip is sometimes even disguised as a prayer request, as in: “Would you please pray for so and so, he really needs it. Why just yesterday I heard…” You can see where this is going.
Or how about the testimony that focuses more attention on the crime than the forgiveness? Some people have made a decent living off their testimony and the opportunities they have to tell it. I can remember being somewhat embarrassed by my testimony because it wasn’t a juicy enough story. Of course I since have realized my crime was just as heinous as the worst criminal's, it was just in the form of private sins I didn't want anyone knowing about. This is another danger in focusing on the crime; it encourages all kinds of unwanted comparisons. Not to mention those who feel their sins are so bad they are beyond forgiveness.
When the real point to emphasize is that we have all have been forgiven. We are equally guilty and our stories are all remarkable.
Even as I write this, I catch myself realizing I could justify mentioning the crime of the woman who told me about Jim Van Tassel. It would make an impact. It was enough to get her nine years. But, you know, it doesn't matter. What matters is that she is forgiven, and she has a new life in Christ. That's how we want to think of her anyway.
And that's the case for everyone who has life in Christ. The forgiveness and the new life are the big issues. It's not about who we were or what we did; it's about who we are now and what we are doing as a result.
Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; the new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:17
PDL
John Fischer
Jim Van Tassel died last week. He was 96. This is sad news to a number of people who are or have been in jail in Orange County, California. Jim has been a chaplain there for thirty years. A former prisoner told me, “He showed me the compassion of Christ for the first time in my life… He never was particularly interested in hearing about my crime or how it happened; he just wanted me to know I could be forgiven and have a whole new life -- both of which seemed impossible at that time.”
I think we all could benefit from Mr. Van Tassel's perspective. We often are more interested in the crime than the forgiveness. Gossip grows from this. Gossip is all about the crime and an opportunity to tell it to lots of people. Gossip is sometimes even disguised as a prayer request, as in: “Would you please pray for so and so, he really needs it. Why just yesterday I heard…” You can see where this is going.
Or how about the testimony that focuses more attention on the crime than the forgiveness? Some people have made a decent living off their testimony and the opportunities they have to tell it. I can remember being somewhat embarrassed by my testimony because it wasn’t a juicy enough story. Of course I since have realized my crime was just as heinous as the worst criminal's, it was just in the form of private sins I didn't want anyone knowing about. This is another danger in focusing on the crime; it encourages all kinds of unwanted comparisons. Not to mention those who feel their sins are so bad they are beyond forgiveness.
When the real point to emphasize is that we have all have been forgiven. We are equally guilty and our stories are all remarkable.
Even as I write this, I catch myself realizing I could justify mentioning the crime of the woman who told me about Jim Van Tassel. It would make an impact. It was enough to get her nine years. But, you know, it doesn't matter. What matters is that she is forgiven, and she has a new life in Christ. That's how we want to think of her anyway.
And that's the case for everyone who has life in Christ. The forgiveness and the new life are the big issues. It's not about who we were or what we did; it's about who we are now and what we are doing as a result.
Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; the new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:17
PDL
Monday, January 09, 2006
because i belong to god
14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Have you ever drawn a line around your life and said, “I will go no further. I belong to God and I'm going to live God's way”?
That's what it means to be holy. Second Corinthians 6:16-17 describes holiness as being “separate.” The apostle Paul wrote, “We are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them,' says the Lord.”
"Go out . . . and be separate.” The word means “to mark off a boundary.” Separation is holiness in action. “I won't go there; I don't look at that. Because I belong to God, I won't tolerate that in my life. I've made my choice and by God's grace I'm not going back.”
Living a holy life begins by building convictions and living within the lines you've drawn around them. If you haven't established your own boundaries based on God's Word, you're going to struggle for sure. You might do okay for a season, but if you don't heed God's call to act differently, you'll eventually waffle right back into that old pattern of failure.
Some might say, “Well, I just let my conscience be my guide.” But your conscience can only sound the alarm about a conviction that you've established. Unless you're regularly in God's Word, forming convictions and drawing boundaries about what you believe to be right and wrong, your conscience can't speak. It's only useful as a reminder system for what you've already ascertained based on God's Word.
Are you ready to gain victory in a particular area of persistent sin? Listen to God's tender call to come out: “Be done with that. It doesn't belong in the life of my child."
And hear God's command: “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). There's joy and blessing and life to the fullest when you respond to God's holy call on your life. —James MacDonald walkintheword.com
seeking: Father, what has your holiness just revealed in my heart and mind? How have I seen you in a new and glorious light?
responding: What lines have I drawn around my life? What is off limits? What won't I tolerate in my speech, vision, and habits from this day forward?
God, you have revealed yourself in your Word as a holy and righteous God. Forgive me for my glib rationalizations and indifference to the holy call that you have placed on my life. Give me a fresh, vital view of your exalted holy nature. In Jesus' name, amen.
following: Make the choice to live God's holy way.
our journey
14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Have you ever drawn a line around your life and said, “I will go no further. I belong to God and I'm going to live God's way”?
That's what it means to be holy. Second Corinthians 6:16-17 describes holiness as being “separate.” The apostle Paul wrote, “We are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them,' says the Lord.”
"Go out . . . and be separate.” The word means “to mark off a boundary.” Separation is holiness in action. “I won't go there; I don't look at that. Because I belong to God, I won't tolerate that in my life. I've made my choice and by God's grace I'm not going back.”
Living a holy life begins by building convictions and living within the lines you've drawn around them. If you haven't established your own boundaries based on God's Word, you're going to struggle for sure. You might do okay for a season, but if you don't heed God's call to act differently, you'll eventually waffle right back into that old pattern of failure.
Some might say, “Well, I just let my conscience be my guide.” But your conscience can only sound the alarm about a conviction that you've established. Unless you're regularly in God's Word, forming convictions and drawing boundaries about what you believe to be right and wrong, your conscience can't speak. It's only useful as a reminder system for what you've already ascertained based on God's Word.
Are you ready to gain victory in a particular area of persistent sin? Listen to God's tender call to come out: “Be done with that. It doesn't belong in the life of my child."
And hear God's command: “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). There's joy and blessing and life to the fullest when you respond to God's holy call on your life. —James MacDonald walkintheword.com
seeking: Father, what has your holiness just revealed in my heart and mind? How have I seen you in a new and glorious light?
responding: What lines have I drawn around my life? What is off limits? What won't I tolerate in my speech, vision, and habits from this day forward?
God, you have revealed yourself in your Word as a holy and righteous God. Forgive me for my glib rationalizations and indifference to the holy call that you have placed on my life. Give me a fresh, vital view of your exalted holy nature. In Jesus' name, amen.
following: Make the choice to live God's holy way.
our journey
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Moving Forward
Cathy Irvin
Once again some people will begin the countdown, 10, 9, 8... until they reach number 1 when the beautiful sparkling ball drops in Times Square and they all can say Happy New Year. Some will wonder where the time went. Others will sleep away the old year and wake up to a new one like they always do. Many will be in Church praying for God to bless them, their family, friends, and even their enemies.
However one chooses to celebrate the New Year, we should pray daily for God to bless what we do in it and forget "the list" -- you know, those resolutions that we have all made in some point and time. Haven’t we failed to get them all done, forgotten them or perhaps even misplaced them? Yes, we often just dismiss them anyway entirely.
It is true that man has a plan, but God orders our steps. I did away with my list long ago, except that I try to work on the Scripture verse that says, 'I must decrease so that He will increase in my life' (John 3:30).
We can only reflect on some things we feel were done right to bless others and there we can find satisfaction in knowing that the Lord is pleased. There are many personal goals that all of us did not fulfill, so it is best to thank God for the positives and not dwell on the negative. We must understand that the Bible tells us to press on towards the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. We are in a race and we can’t go back and retrieve any time lost from the previous year.
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14 King James Version)
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. (1 Corinthians 9:24 King James Version)
We are constantly to be moving forward, growing and doing all we can to get the message of God’s love to others. We must make sure that we are living a life that reflects Christ’s nature to attract others to Him.
So there is no list of do’s and don’ts for me. Plain and simply put, I want to live my life one day at a time, asking the Lord what He requires. I will take each day and say, 'Lord, what is on your agenda for me today?' If I can find out His plans on a daily basis then I won’t be disappointed at the end of the year.
cbn
Cathy Irvin
Once again some people will begin the countdown, 10, 9, 8... until they reach number 1 when the beautiful sparkling ball drops in Times Square and they all can say Happy New Year. Some will wonder where the time went. Others will sleep away the old year and wake up to a new one like they always do. Many will be in Church praying for God to bless them, their family, friends, and even their enemies.
However one chooses to celebrate the New Year, we should pray daily for God to bless what we do in it and forget "the list" -- you know, those resolutions that we have all made in some point and time. Haven’t we failed to get them all done, forgotten them or perhaps even misplaced them? Yes, we often just dismiss them anyway entirely.
It is true that man has a plan, but God orders our steps. I did away with my list long ago, except that I try to work on the Scripture verse that says, 'I must decrease so that He will increase in my life' (John 3:30).
We can only reflect on some things we feel were done right to bless others and there we can find satisfaction in knowing that the Lord is pleased. There are many personal goals that all of us did not fulfill, so it is best to thank God for the positives and not dwell on the negative. We must understand that the Bible tells us to press on towards the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. We are in a race and we can’t go back and retrieve any time lost from the previous year.
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14 King James Version)
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. (1 Corinthians 9:24 King James Version)
We are constantly to be moving forward, growing and doing all we can to get the message of God’s love to others. We must make sure that we are living a life that reflects Christ’s nature to attract others to Him.
So there is no list of do’s and don’ts for me. Plain and simply put, I want to live my life one day at a time, asking the Lord what He requires. I will take each day and say, 'Lord, what is on your agenda for me today?' If I can find out His plans on a daily basis then I won’t be disappointed at the end of the year.
cbn