tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13898092271186863692024-02-21T08:45:31.931-08:00Reflections on EternityReflections on an eternal God, an eternal Book, and an eternal perspective.Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.comBlogger141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-41565920079568602492024-01-17T21:48:00.000-08:002024-01-17T21:48:37.178-08:00"On the Late Massacre in Piedmont" by John Milton<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">It is <b>1555. </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">The place: <b>Piedmont</b>, in the <b>Italian Alps</b>. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">This year, the <b>Waldenses</b> will suffer greatly due to <b>Gastaldo’s Order</b>, which demands that they move from their homes in three days’ time and resettle in another area. The order further maintains that the Vadois must sell their property to Roman Catholics within twenty days. Failure to do so may result in death. In his <i><b>History of the Waldenses</b></i>, J. A. Wylie writes:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">“Anything more inhuman and barbarous under the circumstances than this edict it would not be easy to imagine. It was the <b>depth of winter,</b> and an Alpine winter has terrors unknown to the winters of even more northern regions. How ever could a population like that on which the decree fell, including young children and old men, the sick and bed-ridden, the blind and the lame, undertake a journey across swollen rivers, through valleys buried in snow, and over mountains covered with ice? They must inevitably perish, and the edict that cast them out was but another form of condemning them to die of cold and hunger.”<sup><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="applewebdata://881AD274-845C-48AC-A40B-FBF39D38AA40#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title="">[1]</a></span></sup></sup></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: center;"><sup><sup><br /></sup></sup></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><sup></sup></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3vAeEw_QZRM1VUWCv2T1oCwAu5RiagbywcZxiLnCyYJx0OFfSffbOyMCiruDCD_XPdEjQWfvpgQeb_nOC6kEVaruurWsEe2IKBs7TZsE8NQRocMHL9qof9CufuiXKFUmP5sa5iltMuTf-TFY6YSpvSJ_do29hCbHbELhg7iKXEUXhnjXNSdBF4f_xM0/s1026/Screenshot%202024-01-17%20at%205.51.24%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1026" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3vAeEw_QZRM1VUWCv2T1oCwAu5RiagbywcZxiLnCyYJx0OFfSffbOyMCiruDCD_XPdEjQWfvpgQeb_nOC6kEVaruurWsEe2IKBs7TZsE8NQRocMHL9qof9CufuiXKFUmP5sa5iltMuTf-TFY6YSpvSJ_do29hCbHbELhg7iKXEUXhnjXNSdBF4f_xM0/w400-h264/Screenshot%202024-01-17%20at%205.51.24%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wylie continues, explaining their plight:</span></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left;">“True, an alternative was offered them; they might go to mass. Did they avail themselves of it? [<b>Pastor Leger</b>, who had] a congregation of well-nigh 2,000 persons, [stated that] not a man of them all accepted the alternative.”</span><a href="applewebdata://881AD274-845C-48AC-A40B-FBF39D38AA40#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="text-align: left;" title=""><sup><sup><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></sup></sup></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">The Waldenses removed themselves and sent representatives to the <b>Court of Turin</b> to entreat the <b>House of Savoy</b> to uphold treaties to which they had pledged their word. While these Waldensian representatives were there, on April 17th, 1655, Wylie, relates, the <b>Marquis de Pianeza</b> “departed secretly at midnight from Turin, and appeared before the Valleys at the head of an army of 15,000 men. Waldensian deputies were by appointment knocking at the door of the marquis in Turin, while he himself was on the road to La Torre.”<o:p></o:p><a href="applewebdata://881AD274-845C-48AC-A40B-FBF39D38AA40#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><sup><sup><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></sup></sup></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">And yet, the Waldenses overcame the armed opposition! They knew well the mountains upon which the fighting occurred. But then, on April 21, a sly maneuver tricked the Vadois. The Marquis de Pianeza <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">“announced, by sound of trumpet at the various Vaudois entrenchments, his willingness to receive their deputies and treat for <b>peace</b>. Delegates set out for his camp, and on their arrival at headquarters were received with the utmost urbanity, and sumptuously entertained. Pianeza expressed the utmost regret for the excesses his soldiers had committed, and which had been done, he said, contrary to orders. He protested that he had come into their valleys only to track a few fugitives who had disobeyed Gastaldo's order, that the higher communes had nothing to fear, and that if they would admit a single regiment each for a few days, in token of their loyalty, all would be amicably ended.”<a href="applewebdata://881AD274-845C-48AC-A40B-FBF39D38AA40#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><sup><sup><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">[4]</span></sup></sup></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Could Pianeza be trusted? Pastor Leger warned against believing Pianaza, but believing Pianeza’s words, the Vaudois </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">“received under their roof the murderers of themselves and their families. The first two days, the 22nd and 23rd of April, were passed in comparative peace, the soldiers eating at the same table, sleeping under the same roof, and conversing freely with their destined victims. This interval was needed to allow every preparation to be made for what was to follow. The <b>enemy now occupied the towns, the villages, the cottages, and the roads throughout the valleys</b>. They hung upon the heights. . . The Vaudois were enclosed as in a net — shut in as in a prison. At last the blow fell with the sudden crash of the thunderbolt.”<a href="applewebdata://881AD274-845C-48AC-A40B-FBF39D38AA40#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><sup><sup><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">[5]</span></sup></sup></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfe4bqV_YhCkuXumNN6UzjIUC4PIiotbUajjDO-btkPpFVf3U8cBgVoZ9ggbSgjIixzWP9wCKj5lCwJ4FhBhpU3h1dARanJaY_X_nrX87wStZGby97QzdRpoEHArifogdPgI_NSqw8mGjLk7bE3AocUFvuK_G-wBkOZpPh9VKjVH6OXUQD8VPi_XBIYU/s932/Screenshot%202024-01-17%20at%205.50.52%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="932" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfe4bqV_YhCkuXumNN6UzjIUC4PIiotbUajjDO-btkPpFVf3U8cBgVoZ9ggbSgjIixzWP9wCKj5lCwJ4FhBhpU3h1dARanJaY_X_nrX87wStZGby97QzdRpoEHArifogdPgI_NSqw8mGjLk7bE3AocUFvuK_G-wBkOZpPh9VKjVH6OXUQD8VPi_XBIYU/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-17%20at%205.50.52%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Pastor Leger received multiple eyewitness accounts of the torture endured by these Waldenses: beheadings, burnings, flayings, and dozens of atrocities were committed against these dear brethren.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">When word of these heinous acts reached England, <b>Oliver Cromwell </b>sent money to help the poor Waldensian brethren who mourned the death of their loved ones. The East Shilton Baptist Church (and presumably other Baptist congregations) likewise sent monetary assistance to the ailing brethren.</p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John Milton</b><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">, who served as</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span><b>Secretary for Foreign Tongues to the Council of State</b><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">under Cromwell, was a <b>friend to Baptists</b>. He believed his political writings could help others understand the issues of the day. True to form, Milton wrote a sonnet on behalf of the atrocities committed that fateful day.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">In “<b>On the Late Massacre in Piedmont,</b>" Milton cries to God to see the plight of these dear Vaudois. In an agonizing tone, he pleads . . .</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">“Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughter'd saints, whose bones<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Lie scatter'd on the Alpine mountains cold,<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Who were thy sheep and in their ancient fold<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Slain by the bloody Piemontese that roll'd<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">The vales redoubl'd to the hills, and they</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">To Heaven. Their martyred blood and ashes sow</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">O'er all th' Italian fields where still doth sway</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">The triple tyrant; that from these may grow</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">A hundredfold, who having learnt thy way</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; text-align: left;">Early may fly the Babylonian woe."</span></span></span><a href="applewebdata://6E45BFAE-70AE-4FD1-9E14-F16E86084962#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="font-size: 12pt;" title="">[6]</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Powerfully, Milton took up his pen to portray what persecutions God's people had endured. His sonnet lives on as a testament to thousands who lost their lives in this act of cruel religious intolerance. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">May those of us who enjoy religious freedom today thank God for this tremendous privilege! Many throughout history never tasted such liberty. May we savor it well!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0UBXdyps3bY6fig2EmCY2KMFfWuj5McpqOENKo3ZV-nHILVsgCFvgWKaWd0I7JE_Pn73jEJK2aWUmZ8SsF53PaEbsXY9L5DYB34btMyH-GuGYCul54PcQiTg-qT25fq4IDbc0wLzfWX1K-mSx1QNnhE3RNwtFixXsxs6Q07OJbacKm51eMqEFUNtAag/s1052/Screenshot%202024-01-17%20at%205.48.18%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="1052" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0UBXdyps3bY6fig2EmCY2KMFfWuj5McpqOENKo3ZV-nHILVsgCFvgWKaWd0I7JE_Pn73jEJK2aWUmZ8SsF53PaEbsXY9L5DYB34btMyH-GuGYCul54PcQiTg-qT25fq4IDbc0wLzfWX1K-mSx1QNnhE3RNwtFixXsxs6Q07OJbacKm51eMqEFUNtAag/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-17%20at%205.48.18%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br clear="all" /></span><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div id="ftn1"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><a href="applewebdata://881AD274-845C-48AC-A40B-FBF39D38AA40#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><sup><sup>[1]</sup></sup></a> J. A. Wylie, <i>History of the Waldenses</i> (Roger Williams Heritage Archives, 1860), 135.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><a href="applewebdata://881AD274-845C-48AC-A40B-FBF39D38AA40#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><sup><sup>[2]</sup></sup></a> Ibid., 138.</span></p></div><div id="ftn2"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><a href="applewebdata://881AD274-845C-48AC-A40B-FBF39D38AA40#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><sup><sup>[3]</sup></sup></a> Ibid, 139.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><sup><sup><a href="applewebdata://881AD274-845C-48AC-A40B-FBF39D38AA40#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title="">[</a>4]</sup></sup> Ibid., 140-141.</span></p></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">[5]. </span></span>Ibid., 141-142. </span></div><div><span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><sup><sup><a href="applewebdata://881AD274-845C-48AC-A40B-FBF39D38AA40#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title="">[</a>6]</sup></sup> John Milton, “Sonnet 18: Avenge, O Lord, Thy Slaughtered Saints.” (Poetry Foundation), https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44747/sonnet-18-avenge-o-lord-thy-slaughterd-saints-whose-bones</span></span><div id="ftn1"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p></div></div>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-65995516657996120592024-01-05T08:08:00.000-08:002024-01-05T08:08:42.644-08:00A Fruitful Harvest <p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPQS9EZz9D0NRP_dxp4YujWSxyJX7vT1SmzuqHaXc85P-EWo8r6rUYbsbn3085pf1ZBqS-Q0mqHKJV3R9r_Q1hTsPfgg6fBE1SjnQ52off5A-v16HZHTKCtRCOX1imfvtn1MGRHIuOnj8TZTHB1sd-w_1QFsH7gFC7WgKHUWPNYcWeO-0omvh3H4Ou6k/s1060/Screenshot%202024-01-05%20at%208.02.20%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1060" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPQS9EZz9D0NRP_dxp4YujWSxyJX7vT1SmzuqHaXc85P-EWo8r6rUYbsbn3085pf1ZBqS-Q0mqHKJV3R9r_Q1hTsPfgg6fBE1SjnQ52off5A-v16HZHTKCtRCOX1imfvtn1MGRHIuOnj8TZTHB1sd-w_1QFsH7gFC7WgKHUWPNYcWeO-0omvh3H4Ou6k/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-05%20at%208.02.20%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As fruit trees in an orchard that gives much fruit indeed</div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Are singles in Christ’s service, whose lives from sin are freed.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">The Savior’s careful pruning of hurtful habits’ harms<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Makes better yet His orchard and fills it with His charm.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Bright-hued and ornamented, their loveliness extends<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">For miles round the countryside, to which a crop they send.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Christ’s beauty rests upon them; they’re showered oe’r with grace<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">And all who gaze upon them see reflected there Christ’s face.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">While verdant valleys glisten with Christ the Savior’s care<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">And lovely fountains sparkle within the open air,<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Yet in the orchard’s fruit trees, is contained the hidden seed<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">That will, in some years blossom and bring much fruit indeed!<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnL6aIAATfrwv190tQk5auBBJIj8s91w_S6RQqHOzAF-xyYtfR_kt3_lp9rMk7X2pfRxv6yQeT-XjInlUTEAgqHpXSQCNsJU8scTmhIztUe0FpKchBm-snUlh5javv0FYkArBmcWngXl1Q8x-Hz0hsVKFcGqyc7UVoIUe_rYHi6dd9NicyMe3zdjwrvA/s606/Screenshot%202024-01-05%20at%208.03.31%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="426" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnL6aIAATfrwv190tQk5auBBJIj8s91w_S6RQqHOzAF-xyYtfR_kt3_lp9rMk7X2pfRxv6yQeT-XjInlUTEAgqHpXSQCNsJU8scTmhIztUe0FpKchBm-snUlh5javv0FYkArBmcWngXl1Q8x-Hz0hsVKFcGqyc7UVoIUe_rYHi6dd9NicyMe3zdjwrvA/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-05%20at%208.03.31%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For hours on the hillside they’re able now to spend,</div><o:p></o:p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Soaking in the sunshine and bringing fruit to men.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">They’re tended by the Master’s care; His Son works good through them,<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">And every harvest they can bring fresh fruit anew again.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Look upward, then, ye fruit trees in the orchard of the Lord<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Each year, such great abundance, your harvest doth afford!<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Your time spend soaking in God’s Son and giving then to men<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">The fruit produced in you by Him, Whose goodness to you sends.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Take heart; consider future years and generations more<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">That you shall meet in Heaven, on eternity’s fair shore,<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Blessed then you’ll be exceedingly by Christ the Husbandman<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Whose strength He gave that you might bring such lovely fruit to Him.</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: right;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YJFvi4N6RhFBbsGKvyKsqS0NlYvrFaGMDH9yq4iJ7xQ0gsDdFFjjy5ZH3_dcxhZOvorHuf5iEiVFe-uXC1kRjEZSe3irvW2_FwzOZFZMakcF8iTZrC2XBqHm8f9A8zT4ysZp6bD6Ptw9OcSJFykcC9bl_ghOR0153SIf9Ew2QyMmpwffrUUIgiWg7G8/s1210/Screenshot%202024-01-05%20at%208.00.34%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1210" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YJFvi4N6RhFBbsGKvyKsqS0NlYvrFaGMDH9yq4iJ7xQ0gsDdFFjjy5ZH3_dcxhZOvorHuf5iEiVFe-uXC1kRjEZSe3irvW2_FwzOZFZMakcF8iTZrC2XBqHm8f9A8zT4ysZp6bD6Ptw9OcSJFykcC9bl_ghOR0153SIf9Ew2QyMmpwffrUUIgiWg7G8/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-05%20at%208.00.34%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: right;">--HAR</span></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: right;"> </span></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-78378345813522789472023-12-14T06:39:00.000-08:002023-12-14T06:39:00.130-08:00To Cebu<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLq5SIyr4azwruqieAw2xuIOvgoZBAwtRaGdiEFn0YrEyqzmn7MYZOwKTGaTm2ysrvJIp-6qPxpNcRAI4xlaFc5Cpf8Dtr0Yo6JS2mrGNU6ojWObHy1HxCv1KCenn8xsjtmv30BZfdPs_jSLARhG35YlxPM7U0uDZqPP4nNUJuSIDK2QMbr440CrGFrqI/s900/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20at%2011.48.33%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="900" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLq5SIyr4azwruqieAw2xuIOvgoZBAwtRaGdiEFn0YrEyqzmn7MYZOwKTGaTm2ysrvJIp-6qPxpNcRAI4xlaFc5Cpf8Dtr0Yo6JS2mrGNU6ojWObHy1HxCv1KCenn8xsjtmv30BZfdPs_jSLARhG35YlxPM7U0uDZqPP4nNUJuSIDK2QMbr440CrGFrqI/w400-h305/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20at%2011.48.33%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">A network of green veins</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">On a giant, verdant heart.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Chocolate pathways encircle<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">The patchwork below.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Cebu approaches.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Gentle clouds shimmer beneath</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">As undulating rills,</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Rippling mountains,</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">Punctuated now by clouds,</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Roll beneath the airplane.</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">A town emerges,</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Hugging the shoreline.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Humanity sprawls<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">At the island’s edge.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLBzUWbtPn3HwDaRsKVZwhpq67-KPp3PfPg5ziLHbhrP1iKfbKklETV_IZUIEPSoNzWVo4oxWRMsNLPMtI_Dv5bTlaWEF61Ufy60YoTn3DBwqvm7aOx7jvUN5oCRr6PMGqQR6EwsyaT8lAfcbHLWi3xHQ3X78asbT756cT3NCGkHbrorsVzA0spRnMA0/s4608/8.21.19%20Philippines%20Trip%20view%20of%20beach%20from%20island%20hut.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLBzUWbtPn3HwDaRsKVZwhpq67-KPp3PfPg5ziLHbhrP1iKfbKklETV_IZUIEPSoNzWVo4oxWRMsNLPMtI_Dv5bTlaWEF61Ufy60YoTn3DBwqvm7aOx7jvUN5oCRr6PMGqQR6EwsyaT8lAfcbHLWi3xHQ3X78asbT756cT3NCGkHbrorsVzA0spRnMA0/w400-h300/8.21.19%20Philippines%20Trip%20view%20of%20beach%20from%20island%20hut.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><o:p><div style="text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;">The Pacific,</span></div></o:p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Calm once more,<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Floats beneath,<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Rippling,<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Reflecting the azure sky.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Wings down, the metal bird<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Prepares to land,<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">To rest once more<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">On Cebu.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>*written on a flight to Cebu Island in the Philippines when Thomas and I visited there in 2019. </i></p><p></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-18822807248182303522023-11-27T11:26:00.000-08:002023-11-27T11:26:38.101-08:00Eternal Treasures<p> </p><h3 style="break-after: avoid; font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiCtsf4GJUOdmtM6qPBjFAU7q-ePc1G0y_6_zsdEzj2o-b73j_Jhr5VLHIO2MMO07gDvN_rfgo9uqEXDim7gyS8L4CnXFKY7w547kSjcXDpSpb4PSwyQXzZqdemqm1wn0BcVpRG45x2zdf0XYd5kpTL-_3tzc8eClfI84WzJSpPL3F2lapCY6krNJ3yc/s946/Screenshot%202023-11-27%20at%2011.16.08%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="946" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiCtsf4GJUOdmtM6qPBjFAU7q-ePc1G0y_6_zsdEzj2o-b73j_Jhr5VLHIO2MMO07gDvN_rfgo9uqEXDim7gyS8L4CnXFKY7w547kSjcXDpSpb4PSwyQXzZqdemqm1wn0BcVpRG45x2zdf0XYd5kpTL-_3tzc8eClfI84WzJSpPL3F2lapCY6krNJ3yc/s320/Screenshot%202023-11-27%20at%2011.16.08%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="break-after: avoid; font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">‘Be anxious for nothing,”<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">God says unto thee;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">“Consider the lilies </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Blooming bounteously;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Look close at the flowers<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Of richest design;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Shall He not clothe you then?<br />Oh, why do you pine?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p><h3 style="break-after: avoid; font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">“Take no thought to worry,”<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">See birds in the sky;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">The robin’s no farmer;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Sparrows own no scythe,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">But God watches oe’r them,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">And feedeth them, too.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Shall He not provide, then,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">For children like you?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGFXfAjwcYMgwfoqD8v9uvTVGgjo5JMB_og7bQMbpyeZZDv9NDl43HckXJC9PgKD8Z3KGEIx6IGHomETw__06If5_NC42GoTVz8SI1ebpwcKw7ulM0jGkTRxf_0d473CwyCqE6_juay-owzlvWWl_sYBT6kcPnHSf-AkwteL74JTNip8vhVRjRoLI6rc/s1044/Screenshot%202023-11-27%20at%2011.17.26%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1044" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGFXfAjwcYMgwfoqD8v9uvTVGgjo5JMB_og7bQMbpyeZZDv9NDl43HckXJC9PgKD8Z3KGEIx6IGHomETw__06If5_NC42GoTVz8SI1ebpwcKw7ulM0jGkTRxf_0d473CwyCqE6_juay-owzlvWWl_sYBT6kcPnHSf-AkwteL74JTNip8vhVRjRoLI6rc/s320/Screenshot%202023-11-27%20at%2011.17.26%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Oh, seek things eternal: </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">The Kingdom of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Store treasures forever<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">In Heaven above.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Obey God, and serve Him<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">With all of your heart;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">His grace to you surely<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Then He shall impart.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">These glorious riches<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Are pearls of great price,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">And crowns to give Jesus<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">In His Paradise;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Rubies of His Wisdom<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Bequeathed from His Word<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Bring praise from our Savior,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Tempus Sans ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">The crucified Lord.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"> --HAR</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QCoHm4efcas07us3JMP1SHvbdsgtrCtC7BgsO014uA-9s91qYZff40FgAFdg8Y_Y8FYSOziNx34oOIqKEULl5zAaqGAftn01L8M3y4HNZl9zkXDX6NbdrXBfnSvWvvKdgbK6sJdgQHunr4KSO8Uh1XHVrY8_JUsO42iZs0KGnnaBbWC71hlSwgVbdPE/s880/Screenshot%202023-11-27%20at%2011.18.43%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="880" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QCoHm4efcas07us3JMP1SHvbdsgtrCtC7BgsO014uA-9s91qYZff40FgAFdg8Y_Y8FYSOziNx34oOIqKEULl5zAaqGAftn01L8M3y4HNZl9zkXDX6NbdrXBfnSvWvvKdgbK6sJdgQHunr4KSO8Uh1XHVrY8_JUsO42iZs0KGnnaBbWC71hlSwgVbdPE/s320/Screenshot%202023-11-27%20at%2011.18.43%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><br /></span><p></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-51214011555935245342023-10-26T08:41:00.001-07:002023-10-26T08:41:00.134-07:00When God Says No<p><i>Often along the road of life, we see our own ideals exchanged for something better. From our frail human vantage point, the path ahead doesn't look perfect. Instead, it seems a bit narrow. Or rough. Or challenging. And yet, we rest assured that this way is good and right, based on God's own Word: "As for God, HIS way IS perfect" (Psalm 18:30a).</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH10zEGpItyksUlaFgJpfYE8s2aQegCzLznPFJDNWUtp4ojYmJFJ65wvEjbOHBgIiwsE3NaIi6zvkI-dGOZovCBo5dMSWUdRnJPZRDfiATVne4diiC0WIaFwdxA1iHgQk_JZj4y03nEZm9mVGRiYBsu5VSvHKDk7_-VzFj6O2uEcbluJL4A_DPcZQrdjg/s1044/Screenshot%202023-10-24%20at%208.47.46%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="1044" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH10zEGpItyksUlaFgJpfYE8s2aQegCzLznPFJDNWUtp4ojYmJFJ65wvEjbOHBgIiwsE3NaIi6zvkI-dGOZovCBo5dMSWUdRnJPZRDfiATVne4diiC0WIaFwdxA1iHgQk_JZj4y03nEZm9mVGRiYBsu5VSvHKDk7_-VzFj6O2uEcbluJL4A_DPcZQrdjg/w400-h268/Screenshot%202023-10-24%20at%208.47.46%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">When God says, "No," I cannot doubt,</p><p style="text-align: center;">Though I don't understand.</p><p style="text-align: center;">His ways, I know, are not my own;</p><p style="text-align: center;">Nor is His plan my plan.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">His thoughts are higher than the sky;</p><p style="text-align: center;">His love is boundless as the sea.</p><p style="text-align: center;">His goodness is forever more;</p><p style="text-align: center;">I'll trust Him, then, implicitly.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtGf4RGgpeEZu7za4ak9mTUmvJ0_AmXVb3SiJBZUSCcxqS8rXWefC23XQWUE6TT_8soUvzdRPxIhcwzIux1EFXnAnTk9wbNEbLVuibRn_qw1f1tpiEdjU_serIiWkHsG-04o6fEUaimLdA7Con3UtLJoBNNpdL4eGqGj8zUde3g3E0WcckjC8v-lz-Kw/s844/Screenshot%202023-10-24%20at%208.47.26%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="844" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtGf4RGgpeEZu7za4ak9mTUmvJ0_AmXVb3SiJBZUSCcxqS8rXWefC23XQWUE6TT_8soUvzdRPxIhcwzIux1EFXnAnTk9wbNEbLVuibRn_qw1f1tpiEdjU_serIiWkHsG-04o6fEUaimLdA7Con3UtLJoBNNpdL4eGqGj8zUde3g3E0WcckjC8v-lz-Kw/w400-h328/Screenshot%202023-10-24%20at%208.47.26%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-38361456428724393742023-10-19T10:25:00.003-07:002023-10-20T06:59:00.255-07:00Graven on His Palms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQPROudbmUsxCaMD4WPyErZ81GuItz0OvRitET2UX4i-lkwFzbq6n1UbvnQYWJKkvMPPXAMbLdjtxSPmOXUpfL20tZBTDzZjROnXgB62xD_LG3-e9qb2llU_Ee-VdsBsJoN99DFIMOmfx9NaRvuOSRcFJMkOd8_Yxk1Dl9oxCkyqMpmyQq4n_poyc6dA/s1042/Screenshot%202023-10-18%20at%201.24.57%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="1042" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQPROudbmUsxCaMD4WPyErZ81GuItz0OvRitET2UX4i-lkwFzbq6n1UbvnQYWJKkvMPPXAMbLdjtxSPmOXUpfL20tZBTDzZjROnXgB62xD_LG3-e9qb2llU_Ee-VdsBsJoN99DFIMOmfx9NaRvuOSRcFJMkOd8_Yxk1Dl9oxCkyqMpmyQq4n_poyc6dA/s320/Screenshot%202023-10-18%20at%201.24.57%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Graven on the palms </span></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Of His Almighty hands<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">I am e'er remembered; </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Forsaken not I stand.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Hast my God forgotten? </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Doth He hide his face?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">No, I live before Him; </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">He showers me with grace.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">‘Tis He, my Love, protects me, </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Encompassing with care,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Eternal purposes ordained </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Before a world was there.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">And on those wounded hands, </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Through those nail-ravaged palms<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">He sees me through His precious blood </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">And cheers me all day long.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">And now I stand before Him, </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Redeemed and full of grace<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">Cast down but not forsaken, </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">I cherish this, His place.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">And though the world forget me, </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">My God looks from above;<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">For He has graven me upon </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 14pt;">His nail-scarred hands in love!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: 14pt;"> --HAR</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqkrCNzyeOstBIcgMKMkiaXofGLGIvkjyS-jmanooinvsmb-YnTO0230V5ZoHMtPcrsD9X0Scgk30RcPMQhkG7f_TWIJ8wwJXxDwPlbuc5JAanXPIHRLG9TfQWORSFYCl3e6aYc1H33czVFGtVPa9O-aCVl28stLl4qVxo4JiET6Yi3mtDXRTc7bQ10E/s1236/Screenshot%202023-10-18%20at%201.17.58%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1236" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqkrCNzyeOstBIcgMKMkiaXofGLGIvkjyS-jmanooinvsmb-YnTO0230V5ZoHMtPcrsD9X0Scgk30RcPMQhkG7f_TWIJ8wwJXxDwPlbuc5JAanXPIHRLG9TfQWORSFYCl3e6aYc1H33czVFGtVPa9O-aCVl28stLl4qVxo4JiET6Yi3mtDXRTc7bQ10E/w400-h230/Screenshot%202023-10-18%20at%201.17.58%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-37391135464386628212023-10-12T08:32:00.007-07:002023-10-12T08:32:00.137-07:00As an Handbreadth<p style="text-align: center;"><i>Reflections on Psalm 39:5, 7, and 12</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Birthdays come once a year. This poem encourages me to consider age from God's perspective.</i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGpgOtCYTvbCqQxXCh_JmtTjHmdiwt-K-b1LCMF7jnW0UvXYbyCiZZ0rhODGWYzNt7vfT8Ur7DjV5tWRmFv1_gmeHk7vOim_g80hi_YvuPn6dPVQRQ3BzjgfMTqYhpP_gyxFPqudzxvtSbFP6Sa2eGzdQx1KVgweI6sFZ-6WojcR_fF0jlAb5Pdb6G2U/s536/Screenshot%202023-10-10%20at%201.17.37%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="536" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGpgOtCYTvbCqQxXCh_JmtTjHmdiwt-K-b1LCMF7jnW0UvXYbyCiZZ0rhODGWYzNt7vfT8Ur7DjV5tWRmFv1_gmeHk7vOim_g80hi_YvuPn6dPVQRQ3BzjgfMTqYhpP_gyxFPqudzxvtSbFP6Sa2eGzdQx1KVgweI6sFZ-6WojcR_fF0jlAb5Pdb6G2U/s320/Screenshot%202023-10-10%20at%201.17.37%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><o:p> </o:p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">As an handbreadth are my days,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Like to nothing is my age.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Empty, futile, vain are we;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Thou art all eternity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Now, Oh Lord, what wait I for?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Thou, God, givest o’er and o’er.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">All my hope rests full in Thee,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Thou Who loves unendingly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Hear my prayer, my God, my King:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">All my heart to Thee I bring;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Like the saints who’ve gone before,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I shall trust Thee evermore.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: medium;"> --HAR</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; text-align: left;">“Behold, Thou has made my days as an handbreadth, and mine age is as nothing before Thee:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; text-align: left;">verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; text-align: left;">Selah.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; text-align: left;">And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; text-align: left;">Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.”—Psalm 39:5, 7, and 12.</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SFA-pV5xGy2SQaLFe2SiXfUUm8K3A_CgaaEx795XT-iIec7USkbVgTV4FdNiRpgprz0UaIgiAvUfkMhD61Xgs446dhp7ZuuLKm5YPIaePWnfoseewJUNua8Qs4RkC83OFsHm8vyQN8Wnjl5FkKkZeUGzI90osyUCWw86CT9R7dM2GRgaoGJNia3TZuU/s712/Screenshot%202023-10-10%20at%201.17.27%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="712" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SFA-pV5xGy2SQaLFe2SiXfUUm8K3A_CgaaEx795XT-iIec7USkbVgTV4FdNiRpgprz0UaIgiAvUfkMhD61Xgs446dhp7ZuuLKm5YPIaePWnfoseewJUNua8Qs4RkC83OFsHm8vyQN8Wnjl5FkKkZeUGzI90osyUCWw86CT9R7dM2GRgaoGJNia3TZuU/s320/Screenshot%202023-10-10%20at%201.17.27%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-57659138919182020262023-10-05T10:37:00.039-07:002023-10-05T10:37:00.146-07:00On Poetry, An Introduction<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bJ7TFtARAp9zhv-AC3SSJAvpCwY6GZVN_Zp9460OurYkeVOQAVOWJ12qxUFQ-tWH0bqrNzJWm8FL9IQi4Owqzv4V9Qxmb5yQZqmcOeZI6P1EyF975x25Dm-0YGKiaegMK3jwFGs9aBd9-VNfb39pzy38UGduKKpi8LGjn5EOnjQ6kpLYDKLhEAD-IfA/s1042/Screenshot%202023-10-02%20at%2010.06.53%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="1042" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bJ7TFtARAp9zhv-AC3SSJAvpCwY6GZVN_Zp9460OurYkeVOQAVOWJ12qxUFQ-tWH0bqrNzJWm8FL9IQi4Owqzv4V9Qxmb5yQZqmcOeZI6P1EyF975x25Dm-0YGKiaegMK3jwFGs9aBd9-VNfb39pzy38UGduKKpi8LGjn5EOnjQ6kpLYDKLhEAD-IfA/s320/Screenshot%202023-10-02%20at%2010.06.53%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Defining Poetry. </b>Is poetry rhyming words arranged in a pattern? Young children often think so. If one word rhymes with the next, a child can construct a poem easily. Does poetry consist of emotions on paper? Free verse poets hold that no rhyme is necessary to portray one's deepest affections. Is poetry more a science than an art? William Wordsworth seemed to enjoy writing in sonnet form, since it forced him to develop his imagination within a particular pattern.*</span><div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Length & Style of Poetry. </b>Sometimes, themes in poetry emerge in a shimmer. They dazzle, whereas prose might elongate those same notions. Poetry might tend to be short, but not all poems fit that <span face="-webkit-standard, serif">description</span>. Milton's <i>Paradise Lost </i>contains over 10,000 lines. Other epic poems rival that length. Students often learn that poetry is written in lines, whereas prose is not. That difference may be the easiest way to contrast prose and poetry. But prose can contain poetic elements. Who hasn't been riveted by a prose author's account, one that flowed from his pen almost as if in a series of brush strokes from a painter? One could argue that many literary elements--similes, metaphors, alliteration, etc., which frequently live in poetry--are themselves imaginative poetic devices wherever they are found, whether in prose or poems.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1sPcwmMo1-r901EMv2D16pxipw83YiZVyJRY_JBtR7a19duc-vputdZOiWuVk2pW8CIWvaOU1JS0KbSRc4EaMbF-ZNXLzj7foOuIPBGNaqZcIwpS3Vowz2LRfqF-j8xDOKJE1Cq7cXEMrE_mfkBPGYG5IVv5V0QJhkMYXo30P0v3H9L2qqAs0what34/s674/Screenshot%202023-10-02%20at%2010.08.09%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="486" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1sPcwmMo1-r901EMv2D16pxipw83YiZVyJRY_JBtR7a19duc-vputdZOiWuVk2pW8CIWvaOU1JS0KbSRc4EaMbF-ZNXLzj7foOuIPBGNaqZcIwpS3Vowz2LRfqF-j8xDOKJE1Cq7cXEMrE_mfkBPGYG5IVv5V0QJhkMYXo30P0v3H9L2qqAs0what34/s320/Screenshot%202023-10-02%20at%2010.08.09%20AM.png" width="231" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b>A Few Motivations for Writing Poetry. </b>In his <i>Defense of Poesy,</i> Sir Philip Sidney wrote that poetry served to "teach and delight." <i>Poesy</i>, as defined by Sydney in this 16th century work, was not merely poetry but any imaginative work, including works of fiction. I am not specifically defining poetry as Sidney does. Yet, I agree: whatever the Christian studies ought to teach. Further, it should foster virtue. (See Philippians 4:8.) Delightful learning is also preferred. In the words of Proverbs 16:21b, "The sweetness of the lips increaseth learning." Edifying believers and glorifying God are likewise salient motivations for the believing writer of poetry.</span><div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Subjects of my Poetry. </b>I don't claim to be an amazing poet. But I have found that poems sometimes glide from my pen (or under my fingers on a keyboard). As I view these poems on my computer, I note they were often generated after reading a memorable text of Scripture or hearing a particularly powerful sermon. Sometimes they resulted from observing a beautiful scene. Frequently they are encapsulated nuggets of truths I gleaned from considering some point made real to me.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdYJoCgjB8L3XOsWqXdbNHahRX_hNlRVMzJPGJNvFy_3qNGxQPZbIV9XPduxjGNTQUeD38BO7WTbqVNhVv7CB0weUomCA4aA5RZ3ESbCnewPyxA6MW0TuaRQJPrHY0h7hNd5TEbBsDInroMqLfS5yeuqN3Kssh5UY-I2rn-1gdRmTP9tgzQkXshHE37M/s606/Screenshot%202023-10-02%20at%2010.09.04%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="442" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdYJoCgjB8L3XOsWqXdbNHahRX_hNlRVMzJPGJNvFy_3qNGxQPZbIV9XPduxjGNTQUeD38BO7WTbqVNhVv7CB0weUomCA4aA5RZ3ESbCnewPyxA6MW0TuaRQJPrHY0h7hNd5TEbBsDInroMqLfS5yeuqN3Kssh5UY-I2rn-1gdRmTP9tgzQkXshHE37M/s320/Screenshot%202023-10-02%20at%2010.09.04%20AM.png" width="233" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Benjamin Keach (1640-1704)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Benjamin Keach: A Baptist poet of the Past. </b>Benjamin Keach authored multiple volumes from the 1660s to about 1700. His poetry is alive with biblical allusion. A contemporary of Bunyan, Keach wrote poetic dialogues for several of his allegories. Book-length poems, such as <i>The Glorious Lover</i><u>,</u> came from his pen. Keach's own book publisher imagined these literary tomes would last until the end of time, but many today have never heard of Keach or his works. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Because one of Keach's primary motives was to edify believers, he penned not only allegory and a massive work on Biblical tropes, but also a significant number of hymns. For many of these hymns, one particular attribute or metaphor depicting God is in focus. Keach's own fascination with Biblical metaphors led him frequently to develop these in his poetic depictions of the Psalms or other Scripture passages. I personally find the poetry contained in hymns such as these to be poignant portrayals that help bring truth to mind in a way that is both memorable and imaginative. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>This Series.</b> In this series on poetry, I will share some of the poems I have written. I also plan to post poetry from believing authors of the past--individuals whose names have become more familiar to me as I have been working to research and produce unit studies on Baptist authors of literature.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhuWAfFANMXIVVy4n8Q58C1TX5aUt-sAaZ0V-7OvbNAudzYZGoUOEMMixUGR1ow5aOH49I3iwMYWqgnv0dMTjScOzQEvIqMddEyMQQbXZ_1R4VW9vyYy0B7HcINF4vmF6ZU369rOiXVAmEuBf62PFaT06yWWieFJcbEgmH01kiszFaA8RujnBCUUsIic/s672/Screenshot%202023-10-02%20at%2010.13.09%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="672" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhuWAfFANMXIVVy4n8Q58C1TX5aUt-sAaZ0V-7OvbNAudzYZGoUOEMMixUGR1ow5aOH49I3iwMYWqgnv0dMTjScOzQEvIqMddEyMQQbXZ_1R4VW9vyYy0B7HcINF4vmF6ZU369rOiXVAmEuBf62PFaT06yWWieFJcbEgmH01kiszFaA8RujnBCUUsIic/s320/Screenshot%202023-10-02%20at%2010.13.09%20AM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">* Ironically, Wordsworth contended against critics of the sonnet form with his own sonnet about the sonnet's acclaim:</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Scorn not the Sonnet</span></b></p><div class="c-feature-hd" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-style: inherit; text-indent: -1em;">Scorn not the Sonnet; Critic, you have frowned, </span></div><div class="c-feature-bd" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="o-poem isActive" data-view="PoemView" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mindless of its just honours; with this key <br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Shakespeare unlocked his heart; the melody <br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Of this small lute gave ease to Petrarch's wound; <br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A thousand times this pipe did Tasso sound; <br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">With it Camöens soothed an exile's grief; <br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Sonnet glittered a gay myrtle leaf <br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Amid the cypress with which Dante crowned <br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">His visionary brow: a glow-worm lamp, <br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It cheered mild Spenser, called from Faery-land <br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">To struggle through dark ways; and, when a damp <br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fell round the path of Milton, in his hand <br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Thing became a trumpet; whence he blew <br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Soul-animating strains—alas, too few! </span></div></div></div></div></div>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-8909717551719009822023-05-28T06:07:00.004-07:002023-05-28T06:07:34.864-07:00 Your Trial Versus Your God<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9f6UiqeLP9joPp9ajSH4AC-WEEjqHgF0z9Me2LiMRbd6Cj_5yTDhzg0oqZ6p-B2FYEnUsn-eFay29feDSoFpEh4ivG_KnAkhIeq-zQvAsr51giq8jsat4S4A88fk9zJJ87Z3SNe56l4X5rGY_ju-AhHmniVtv7BMDeifD1odgIrK_MI2tqMduqxs/s986/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-28%20at%205.18.12%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="986" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9f6UiqeLP9joPp9ajSH4AC-WEEjqHgF0z9Me2LiMRbd6Cj_5yTDhzg0oqZ6p-B2FYEnUsn-eFay29feDSoFpEh4ivG_KnAkhIeq-zQvAsr51giq8jsat4S4A88fk9zJJ87Z3SNe56l4X5rGY_ju-AhHmniVtv7BMDeifD1odgIrK_MI2tqMduqxs/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-28%20at%205.18.12%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />The opponent faced what looked like nothing in the ring. Raising my powerful binoculars, I studied the mat carefully. No, there were indeed two opponents there. A strong boxer faced a tiny ant. Could this be a joke? A man fighting a microscopic insect?</span><p></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">No, I never attended a boxing match. And I certainly never heard of one between a man and an insect--at least not in real life. But the image provides a glimpse of the vastness of our God to the size of our trial-- which seems, to our human eyes, to be so very immense and difficult.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">In reality, that trial is nothing in comparison to the Almighty God. Oh, to you that trial is unsurmountable. As tall as Everest. As harsh as the </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">winds of Antarctica.</span></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzzPcQHdwb9VI5a30HniUH3_zD_TQWWc7SUJEASeadu3QNN4ar5pZgmK5ol8FI0w1l7FNS-uORIv5Gohr_CwwJW-ZhA6gMLXeXUtgNm5YvVHIKBtxSZ0gAohKWe48EPw4x3-bT-2y_aZ-6YXBhBT88Nl5dJ_JibTHB0JGsXoGvBQhkZ91iNpoDg9T/s884/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-28%20at%205.12.38%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="884" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzzPcQHdwb9VI5a30HniUH3_zD_TQWWc7SUJEASeadu3QNN4ar5pZgmK5ol8FI0w1l7FNS-uORIv5Gohr_CwwJW-ZhA6gMLXeXUtgNm5YvVHIKBtxSZ0gAohKWe48EPw4x3-bT-2y_aZ-6YXBhBT88Nl5dJ_JibTHB0JGsXoGvBQhkZ91iNpoDg9T/w400-h305/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-28%20at%205.12.38%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But to God—it’s no match at all! God is so much bigger than the trial you’re enduring. He’s vastly more powerful than the most hurtful words men can sling your direction. He’s far superior to the situation out of which you must daily look for the way of escape.</span></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He, by the way, is your Escape. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Your Refuge. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Your ever-present Help in times of trouble.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He’s your High Tower, the One to Whom you can run when rejection is hurled your direction in a cascade of hurling darts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When the news comes in and it’s cancer. Or infertility. Or some other word that sounds like a death knell to your ears. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When rejection shakes your world. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Or the devastation of a broken relationship haunts your past.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When you’re misread, misjudged, mistreated—He’s the place You can go for solace. Comfort. And complete deliverance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This trial is no match for God.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dHntRQXw9n69T-SHjrMfwTle-loVexEiMrWBCY2zKY5R-uK-gbWOV0F1fZyZtMi52OFHyqcuGqAgbl6eHEBhUYnRUqsv-NTGVboxlthdAvuP7MbeCzCb44WPHdaoSAD1i8SwhhUQp7xYIlfptAgdTKkb1KNAdjrnFz2ETqGCcSTPdn5HFf-tSczf/s792/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-28%20at%205.47.06%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dHntRQXw9n69T-SHjrMfwTle-loVexEiMrWBCY2zKY5R-uK-gbWOV0F1fZyZtMi52OFHyqcuGqAgbl6eHEBhUYnRUqsv-NTGVboxlthdAvuP7MbeCzCb44WPHdaoSAD1i8SwhhUQp7xYIlfptAgdTKkb1KNAdjrnFz2ETqGCcSTPdn5HFf-tSczf/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-28%20at%205.47.06%20AM.png" width="303" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">The storms of spiritual warfare may rage against you. Your bark may toss and turn on the sea of</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">a sorrow, but God is still God. </span><u style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Your</u><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> God.</span></div><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He is your Deliverer!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wait on Him. Only that waiting—the Isaiah 40:31 kind—will renew your strength. Spend time running to Him as your Refuge. And then run some more. Breathe prayer as you walk from place to place, as you transition from thing to thing throughout your day. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Live in Him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">That trial—it’s a season of life through which you must pass. Why? Because Acts 14:22 tells us that, as believers, it’s part of our destiny: “We <b>must </b><u>through much tribulation</u> enter into the kingdom of God.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The hardest peaks to climb for me have been those of conflict in the spiritual realm, where we “wrestle not against flesh and blood but against . . . spiritual wickedness in high places.”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The enemy wants you </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Confused. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jostled. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Disabled in the fight. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Vulnerable to his attack.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He’s studied you—maybe for decades. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">But he’s no match for your God. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Remember that. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So keep on running to the Source, the Fount of all goodness, love, joy, and peace. Hiding out in God can shift your perspective during this, your toughest trial. Your hardest hour. Your most terrifying tribulation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And never stop seeking God, waiting upon Him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Because, viewed through the eyes of faith, this trial is no match for your omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient—yes, omniscient God. He knows what you are dealing with. He gets you. And He truly understands.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">My friend, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14).</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR7ojfcHu1k77bYdIObeN2juMqD2Ype5YODRbvAHSuNF-OAMKRuEe8ehCmt32LRfumnnAdnQA4bwPUD0i-spcCFURFAz9H4xbKtB9nXoYPCS3BB-UqGleWFj472GBxMWgQH8WlVWBRzqn8Cn4GRHfA2cjwHhKgzEqtADVioViR-VECmGkma252i-3/s692/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-28%20at%205.21.33%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR7ojfcHu1k77bYdIObeN2juMqD2Ype5YODRbvAHSuNF-OAMKRuEe8ehCmt32LRfumnnAdnQA4bwPUD0i-spcCFURFAz9H4xbKtB9nXoYPCS3BB-UqGleWFj472GBxMWgQH8WlVWBRzqn8Cn4GRHfA2cjwHhKgzEqtADVioViR-VECmGkma252i-3/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-28%20at%205.21.33%20AM.png" width="316" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If the enemy of souls has attacked you through the harshness of another, trust God and forgive your offender by extending forgiveness to him daily in your heart. “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee” (Proverbs 20:22).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you have been entrusted with a trial of physical pain or debilitating sickness, believe in the Providence of your God, the Wise Architect of the building of your life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If the dreams you cherished lie shattered at your feet, believe that God’s plan is better. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Because, even if you can’t see the way through the blurred vision of your tears, somehow it is. Romans 8:28 is still true. You can trust the unfailing word of your forever God!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Because that trial—it’s no match for God! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQ1TnyNvpBnzt5SdDw8Py16lLah471sL2ZUPDCKiKmi3_IvRmj6DPQFccU7QiFPFIbfsqMHGtqd0OlIFrnzYkG659_Oil9R5kLSmq0xAfpDd49sLwTOjsqhtv0R8iKw4TzrzuNhapsHZGo6ikJjqtct-4PXlLc13qgSViL--PQjxbz2hkTr5DRyOf/s846/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-28%20at%205.58.23%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="846" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQ1TnyNvpBnzt5SdDw8Py16lLah471sL2ZUPDCKiKmi3_IvRmj6DPQFccU7QiFPFIbfsqMHGtqd0OlIFrnzYkG659_Oil9R5kLSmq0xAfpDd49sLwTOjsqhtv0R8iKw4TzrzuNhapsHZGo6ikJjqtct-4PXlLc13qgSViL--PQjxbz2hkTr5DRyOf/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-28%20at%205.58.23%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For more on trusting God in your trials, Check out my<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyuihcQpaWk&list=PLo8hPX0f2leakZ1Sm-vWlW4OtfHXAIXQD" target="_blank"> Tethered to Truth Podcast series</a> on Psalm 77!</span></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-12826793400124394752023-04-29T11:21:00.000-07:002023-04-29T11:21:58.735-07:00Lives Cut Short: Considerations from the Jewish Museum (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Near the end of our stay in the Netherlands, Thomas and I visit the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam. Artifacts here noiselessly cry out, silently shouting a story.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Jewish people have lived in Amsterdam for centuries. In the Middle Ages, they fled here to escape the Spanish Inquisition, establishing a significant Portuguese and Spanish community, reflected in two synagogues erected in the Jewish quarter. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNgJ79n5DJxS-CgA3ehmvxso0O5XGHlxNtPF_QNdWs2GuKRPy2ZG-XyAQsotmGy_HVCymyOf5FWPPKgqu1Co1BjXO9xQnn78X6rMoR0FWcQ_Bvo84duSMyK2KovKlangGVg6zjmYmfaHC-Wxiijr8NbPMSSjsGXWBBGn8yKfekXMKr0QVXyKRPyiR/s1412/2%20synagogues%20better.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="1412" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNgJ79n5DJxS-CgA3ehmvxso0O5XGHlxNtPF_QNdWs2GuKRPy2ZG-XyAQsotmGy_HVCymyOf5FWPPKgqu1Co1BjXO9xQnn78X6rMoR0FWcQ_Bvo84duSMyK2KovKlangGVg6zjmYmfaHC-Wxiijr8NbPMSSjsGXWBBGn8yKfekXMKr0QVXyKRPyiR/w400-h234/2%20synagogues%20better.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Painting of the two synagogues in the Jewish quarter</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Later, the Ashkenazi Jews from Northern Europe trickled in, finding relative freedom in the city. Although they were barred from joining certain guilds, they still found other lines of work open to them. By the nineteenth century, Jewish women were even holding literary forums in their homes. By then, many viewed the Jews as equals to their Dutch counterparts.</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0y-xtyoeVeYU2uuBPkqqtYxZdMIKkDRKCHxHBlrWx6aqHVctkQopNQbgv2pp2nvKDRxN6SfMxBprTbEt13UP5bobow2k1pPKzC42GfYvPUzgac0tQKkIIBAAmztO1mJr0mbYaECI8dka0mAjwpl6b8bXD7zzJKaYsQFTimu2bRbEqIXoxeaMiB41Y/s1322/jewish%20family%20to%20syn%20better.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1322" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0y-xtyoeVeYU2uuBPkqqtYxZdMIKkDRKCHxHBlrWx6aqHVctkQopNQbgv2pp2nvKDRxN6SfMxBprTbEt13UP5bobow2k1pPKzC42GfYvPUzgac0tQKkIIBAAmztO1mJr0mbYaECI8dka0mAjwpl6b8bXD7zzJKaYsQFTimu2bRbEqIXoxeaMiB41Y/w400-h355/jewish%20family%20to%20syn%20better.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;">Painting, a Jewish family walks to synagogue worship</i></td></tr></tbody></table></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then Hitler arrived, attacking neutral Holland, hoping this European sister would join Germany’s evil plot.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Many exhibits throughout the museum consider this devastating time.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">While there, I took time to c how, in the few short years of Nazi occupation, the dreams of thousands evaporated. Plans dissolved. Ideals shattered.</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">One exhibit portrayed archives of family movies, filmed by individuals who treasured visual images.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">One Jewish woman gathered her photograph albums in biscuit tins and hid them beneath the dirt in her garden, where they lay while she died in Auschwitz. After the war, her brother dug them up, finding her hidden treasure.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I spent several moments watching scenes from the life of this family—as real today as the day on which they were recorded.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The films, though silent, tell multiple stories:</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">One documents a newborn’s first days of life. The crying child, nestled in her mother’s arms, is cherished by visiting family members. The older sister, a toddler, joyfully embraces her younger sibling for the first time. A nurse, white pinafore starched and tidy, arranges the bassinet close to the mother’s bedside. The mother, nuzzling the infant close, speaks lovingly to her newborn.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">From preserved film reels, these moments live on. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Another exhibit shares other stories, retold on screens, placed at intervals throughout the room. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">One nook tells of Jews hiding in safety. Children, tucked away in a farm home, must share a bed with a heavy old couple whom they’ve never met before. Because the children are Jewish. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Another display showcases objects, which disclose the story of some fragment of Jewish life, before, during, or after the war. A pink dress with the star of David still stitched onto it hangs in a glass display. Its twelve-year-old owner Betty lost her life in a concentration camp in 1943. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A sign, “<i>Jooden Forboden</i>” stares out at me behind display glass. Shopping hours restrict the Jewish star wearers to completing their routine at a set time each day. How many eyes read this warning and were forced to leave an area, disappointed, hurt, wondering why so many forces moved against them . . . because they were Jewish? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">And then, one day, their notice came, summoning them to a work camp, phrased in the language of a seemingly optimistic letter or masked in the verbiage of assisting the fatherland. They chose their items, one by one. This comb. That nail file. Those scissors. But the toiletries proved unnecessary. Pointless. Because the lives of their owners were about to be cut short in the worst possible way. The smart work dress would be replaced by the shapeless, sagging cloth of prison garb—if the woman was not exterminated when she arrived. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUiuijbWb14kJrek5luXUEfPKw88BQox_-3xDerulSIJNikOIVgvps78m4g-vPs3HFahhcaSRkhj8FhliKwjHXz2hZzPKCdbQUOksWwo1QArHuLrQy5hqQmYxwodeik3rD8HF0D2Anr3swcAiW-GZbRZRfMtNR2QkKp2-7aa1JfPh7aDxBgqUG_dE/s952/winter%20of%20hunger%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="952" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUiuijbWb14kJrek5luXUEfPKw88BQox_-3xDerulSIJNikOIVgvps78m4g-vPs3HFahhcaSRkhj8FhliKwjHXz2hZzPKCdbQUOksWwo1QArHuLrQy5hqQmYxwodeik3rD8HF0D2Anr3swcAiW-GZbRZRfMtNR2QkKp2-7aa1JfPh7aDxBgqUG_dE/w400-h323/winter%20of%20hunger%202.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Photograph, Winter of Hunger</span></i></i></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A walk through Amsterdam’s Jewish Museum reminds: This side of eternity, much suffering exists. The kind of unspeakable atrocities of concentration camps and needless genocide victims testifies to the ever-present evil of the human heart. Vanished victims witness to the extent of evil capable against one’s fellow humans.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I walk downstairs. My mind is telling me I need a coffee break. As I sip my cappuccino, a tear trickles from my eye. Then another. Before I know it, I’m dabbing at my eyes frequently, dampening the napkin I thought would make an excellent memento. Another tear falls as I consider the memories of these departed. Lives cut short, their discarded articles narrating multiple interrupted stories.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Boast not thyself of tomorrow,” Proverbs 27:1 warns, “for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Life is uncertain. Death is not. While we deeply desire genocide never to occur again, the evil heart of humankind tells another story. China’s Ugyers. North Korea’s dwarfs. Innocent victims of mass shootings or militant Islam’s terrorist attacks. Such atrocities remind us: all is not well in our twenty-first century world. Add to that the snuffed-out lives of millions of innocent unborn children, and we recount yet another way in which the depraved human heart displays its evil.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The future is unknown. Evil abounds. Any moment, life on earth may be extinguished. The artifacts in this museum speak forth many lessons. Let us not fail to heed this one: we, the living, must prepare for the inevitable reality of death. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Until Christ returns and establishes His kingdom, peace on earth will not exist. Mass killings and genocides will likely remain an indisputable part of this planet’s reality. But our time to prepare for eternity is today. Let us make certain of our everlasting condition and live, considering that final day when we breathe our last. For all we know, it may be today. </span></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-71795875151447960032023-03-16T23:04:00.002-07:002023-03-16T23:12:00.245-07:00Travel Reflections: A Look at the World*<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">*</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">Reflections after Visiting the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (June 2022)</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Vincent Van Gogh goes down in art history as a man who viewed things differently, imagining color where no hue was. As he studied painting, Van Gogh increasingly created art pieces vibrantly displaying emotion.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Writers such as William Wordsworth and Walt Whitman found inspiration in the common man. Similarly, Van Gogh became enamored of peasants. His early works show Van Gogh to be more realistic, fascinated by everyday people and events. In his <i>Potato Eaters</i>, work-worn hands reach for home-baked bread. Earth-stained faces, having toiled in soil, brighten at mealtime. This painting took years of master planning to complete. To properly view these features, one must stand before the painting, allowing his eyes to adjust to its low light before perceiving the details Van Gogh hid.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJfHzV7EN5jrmCzqMa3xTajEDE1kpefz3sEEKE_yPYk7YUp-hglVHA2mUnrGJ5jzhuu0AObx4_fBNWVTrMu7wepPz2IVJ7r8L9lISMglDfm7Eaf0NQT32JFpRZKymTXQppaegbTJeWWk2IS4fNUepXR_Nv-RPxFRyo3Ido-NTqpb5dlXNpbEl98nT/s602/potato%20eaters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="602" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJfHzV7EN5jrmCzqMa3xTajEDE1kpefz3sEEKE_yPYk7YUp-hglVHA2mUnrGJ5jzhuu0AObx4_fBNWVTrMu7wepPz2IVJ7r8L9lISMglDfm7Eaf0NQT32JFpRZKymTXQppaegbTJeWWk2IS4fNUepXR_Nv-RPxFRyo3Ido-NTqpb5dlXNpbEl98nT/w400-h281/potato%20eaters.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Potato Eaters</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Later Van Gogh works reflect lighter colors and illustrate his fascination with other genres and places. Following a stint in Paris, Van Gogh became enamored of Japanese art. This style makes its way into some of his later works. In the <i>Almond Blossom</i>, he depicts blue stripes on the lowest branches so that viewers’ eyes might travel upward, into the budding blossom, set in front a canvas of turquoise.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14vskbV4BgxIXwaq1v5-CLWjSAFLi_y_ZyZXZq51QfNa4emPpQKSQ62xUn34KO9KPgfOTFIpJytAB4J5cN4ZWFKEXOcqoemH2kZX3k8_RkTfzxURwBAHXUlwco5TDU8Z_GG0XE4GcszjYmuI7aCAJ3TiqmrAJBmyzcpZkGMz0lVdmv5-v27o2tvd2/s602/The%20Almond%20Blossom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="602" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14vskbV4BgxIXwaq1v5-CLWjSAFLi_y_ZyZXZq51QfNa4emPpQKSQ62xUn34KO9KPgfOTFIpJytAB4J5cN4ZWFKEXOcqoemH2kZX3k8_RkTfzxURwBAHXUlwco5TDU8Z_GG0XE4GcszjYmuI7aCAJ3TiqmrAJBmyzcpZkGMz0lVdmv5-v27o2tvd2/w400-h315/The%20Almond%20Blossom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The Almond Blossom</span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">He displayed color-driven creativity, particularly in his art pieces based on black and white prints by an artist named Millet. Observing Millet’s works, Van Gogh repainted them, adding color where none was—in his words, “like a musician interpreting a composer’s work.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Van Gogh sought to portray the inner truth of his subjects, looking beyond the readily observable to worlds of truth hidden under the surface of mankind or the world.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1XYwttFEniUiwz1pGHDfYQ3xYs20i6ch9lhuOhk3vkGnpu7qohKDaerGAQncUIyYUooyM67IiQiWUQ7j_63vyPKEenZrmL-zre8tU0ggZo4wTpDSYTPeLYjga0SJqXIvxyCZ96FwZGO7YvyBcEqrcWG3DmVX1hQp32oCQuxZtPDhn5WNRBzfMfVn/s570/In%20the%20Cafe.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="434" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1XYwttFEniUiwz1pGHDfYQ3xYs20i6ch9lhuOhk3vkGnpu7qohKDaerGAQncUIyYUooyM67IiQiWUQ7j_63vyPKEenZrmL-zre8tU0ggZo4wTpDSYTPeLYjga0SJqXIvxyCZ96FwZGO7YvyBcEqrcWG3DmVX1hQp32oCQuxZtPDhn5WNRBzfMfVn/w291-h381/In%20the%20Cafe.jpg" title="In the Café: Agostina Sagatori in Le Tambourin" width="291" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">In the Café: Agostina Sagatori in <br />Le Tambourin<br /><br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>To him, the inner man; the moment’s emotion; the soul behind the face—these he deemed more significant than actual realism. Resultantly, his colors portray feeling, making tangible the emotional aura of a subject more than that individual’s actual appearance.</div><div><o:p></o:p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">In his painting <i>In the Café: Agostina Sagatori in Le Tambourin </i>(pictured left), he uses yellow on stationary chairs to make viewers’ eyes move around the painting. The orange tambourine tabletop and Agostina’s fine red hat strikingly contrast to the muted tones of the rest of the painting.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In one dominantly azure sea scape (pictured below), he chose to imprint his name in scarlet, providing a complete contrast to the rest of the piece.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWRJxluoGakCtKFTYoX_9pTR0KCDYZVAZL6LYeJiFjoNp4-4IKuTYTBFHyZWi5PqtsQ72Y8UXWrZG7zhIUEQ81S2NiTW0K1iNf0PTqcOxT4a_9lgUytLhv6hYtbdLyZGrJXVXRV6_xcW8g16n3H07E7TjGnhqls8oQOzGYEBBgmhjLadfB3r893TM/s524/Sea%20Scape.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="524" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWRJxluoGakCtKFTYoX_9pTR0KCDYZVAZL6LYeJiFjoNp4-4IKuTYTBFHyZWi5PqtsQ72Y8UXWrZG7zhIUEQ81S2NiTW0K1iNf0PTqcOxT4a_9lgUytLhv6hYtbdLyZGrJXVXRV6_xcW8g16n3H07E7TjGnhqls8oQOzGYEBBgmhjLadfB3r893TM/w400-h229/Sea%20Scape.jpg" title="Sea Scape near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div><i>Sea Scape near Les Saintes-<br /></i><i>Maries-de-la-Mer</i></div><p class="MsoCaption" style="color: #44546a; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;">Van Gogh observed from life when he painted. And yet, what he depicted seems much different from real life portrayals, such as he sought to paint in earlier works. As he grew and developed as a painter, Van Gogh chose to paint how he perceived things, instead of reflecting them exactly as they were.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Van Gogh's perspective offers insight for the born-again believer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p> <br /></o:p><i>An eye for the eternal. <span> </span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><i>Affections on things above.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Heavenly citizenship. </i><br /><o:p> </o:p><br />These phrases describe the kinds of ideals that are to shape the Christian’s faith-filled vision.<br /><o:p> </o:p><br />In a practical sense, how do believers daily develop this eternal perspective? How do we choose to view the world so that our perception is marked by the forever? How do we place our gaze beyond what we view each day to things that are everlasting, framing our perspective on eternity and the eternal souls of humankind?</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span><span><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;">One way to acquire such a perspective is from Scriptural meditation: The psalmist wrote, “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130). Letting God’s Word shape our thoughts and ideals serves as a crucial means in helping us develop an eternal vantage point, from which all of life is colored to reflect the light of God’s truth.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p> <br /></o:p>Too often, we can wrongly perceive life’s daily circumstances, unless we choose to hold the candle of truth to acquire the right perspective—the eternal one—upon our daily existence. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>While we may never experience the kind of visual vantage point Van Gogh did, we can, more importantly, allow God’s Word to permeate our daily perspective. Daily, we can pray, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Psalm 119:18). As God’s Holy Spirit guides us to see the truth of the Word, our look at the world can also change. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>In our ordinary, we can view the extraordinary, as we “look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b>Photo Credits</b><o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i>The Potato Eaters</i>: <a href="https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/visit/whats-on/the-permanent-collection-van-goghs-masterpieces" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: black;">https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/visit/whats-on/the-permanent-collection-van-goghs-masterpieces</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i>The Almond Blossom</i>: <a href="https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0176V1962" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: black;">https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0176V1962</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i>In the Café: Agostina Sagatori in Le Tambourin</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">https://en.wahooart.com/a55a04/w.nsf/Opra/BRUE-5ZKG4W<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i>Seascape Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer: </i><a href="https://www.fineartphotographyvideoart.com/2020/06/Vincent-van-Gogh-Seascape-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Me.html" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: black;">https://www.fineartphotographyvideoart.com/2020/06/Vincent-van-Gogh-Seascape-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Me.html</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-32322651611465032572023-02-28T10:39:00.001-08:002023-02-28T10:39:24.909-08:00Be Thou My Vision: Hymn Improvisation<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLQtsGouP0GopYWHdL1S6lcdRo9x5bTko60to7qy-q77xlAGJOqfdqYvTr-m0JOTfw1MOCpnHAnwigRe__Ha76Bs2FwQTMf1IJM72QTVo5gcGumOiRluyIU0Z32e3Y3vkD_0UoNFMpmNqY9KvWMLHHgNH_XGH3LLi5zKHtvrJN3S2GVQ1UJAtCA7r/s1001/be%20thou%20my%20vision.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1001" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLQtsGouP0GopYWHdL1S6lcdRo9x5bTko60to7qy-q77xlAGJOqfdqYvTr-m0JOTfw1MOCpnHAnwigRe__Ha76Bs2FwQTMf1IJM72QTVo5gcGumOiRluyIU0Z32e3Y3vkD_0UoNFMpmNqY9KvWMLHHgNH_XGH3LLi5zKHtvrJN3S2GVQ1UJAtCA7r/s320/be%20thou%20my%20vision.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Last night I listened as a multitude of voices lifted up their song in praise to God. The hymn they sang was this one, "Be Thou My Vision." <p></p><p>The words to this hymn text are stirring, reminiscent of John 12:20-21. These verses state, "And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would <u>see Jesus</u>."</p><p>For the Christian, seeing Jesus is a daily goal. As we open up God's Word, we "see Jesus," as it were, on the pages of Scripture. How all of our vision each day must be shaped by this One Who longs to transform us into His image by His grace!<br /></p><p>The link below provides a hymn improvisation I recorded on this beloved melody: </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ydV7VCaKYiA" target="_blank">Be Thou My Vision Hymnprovisation</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-63468669498072620072023-01-28T09:00:00.000-08:002023-01-28T09:00:03.685-08:00Floating Zebras<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">Rotterdam--a historic city, home to the famed Erasmus and to centuries of European culture.</span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0G5WtcHWRaAWH8QKcAPDCTLoTv4gNvwSwp1uq8ECGSjYmqF7oslMMLgR0ZKXWsWWEhZCwrPOxIXLODs2cE4YkXblGlSHQ5vAaEcEr53k-JT7xjTTm75bIx1_SYxSs7b8ersueWL93rtywXt_Wtli5qYZ1g4IkZ2VEVtimWKIutkgPxiUVjTwv-DU/s809/rotterdam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="1895 painting of Rotterdam" border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="809" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0G5WtcHWRaAWH8QKcAPDCTLoTv4gNvwSwp1uq8ECGSjYmqF7oslMMLgR0ZKXWsWWEhZCwrPOxIXLODs2cE4YkXblGlSHQ5vAaEcEr53k-JT7xjTTm75bIx1_SYxSs7b8ersueWL93rtywXt_Wtli5qYZ1g4IkZ2VEVtimWKIutkgPxiUVjTwv-DU/w320-h191/rotterdam.jpg" title="1895 painting of Rotterdam" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;">In one-hundred-twenty short hours, the city center was leveled, its visual history perishing in a past found only in paintings such as the above.</span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p>I</o:p>t was May 10, 1940, when the bombings began. Hitler’s desire for land did not stop with the Sudetenland, Poland, Denmark, Norway, or Belgium. Even neutral Holland was without defense against his aggression.<span style="font-family: arial;"> The Lowlanders’ bicycle-riding army units proved no match for Germany’s armored tank divisions. When the Nazis lau</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">nched their all-out bombing of Rotterdam, Northern Holland, in 1940, fires raged for five days; old houses were consumed like tinderboxes. Constructed of bricks and other flammable materials, the old city smoldered to the ground, so that the city looked like the photo below after the bombing.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEcPTWMBti4Y1dGZAfSAu6WQ6VOMwr1MZhPJVJc7Y9gP2vyJeNgrERqsI0YCtjkOM17nxf7dELeW7JtAf4tD8l5A3DXc4ZIxg21SS_TO6OeW2CD5dGORlzrmRQ1n9VOD5oAEOCcTrQpwgXeD5AEppCSTLou-OL7EUN_hw1O9LX72ATAHdSkj8Ru-r/s800/Rotterdam%20after%20bombing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Rotterdam after the bombing" border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="800" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEcPTWMBti4Y1dGZAfSAu6WQ6VOMwr1MZhPJVJc7Y9gP2vyJeNgrERqsI0YCtjkOM17nxf7dELeW7JtAf4tD8l5A3DXc4ZIxg21SS_TO6OeW2CD5dGORlzrmRQ1n9VOD5oAEOCcTrQpwgXeD5AEppCSTLou-OL7EUN_hw1O9LX72ATAHdSkj8Ru-r/w320-h242/Rotterdam%20after%20bombing.jpeg" title="Rotterdam after the bombing" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">A downtown zoo, its property filled with animals, likewise tore apart. As people gazed out their windows, they noticed zoo animals floating down the canals. Some reported a lion walking through the streets. Others claimed to have spotted other zoo creatures meandering through the desolate city.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Today, a metal zebra emerging from a wire nest sits atop a pole on a street corner in Rotterdam, an artistic rendering commemorating those destructive days.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="break-after: avoid; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">As a city, Rotterdam chose to redefine its space, innovating new structures and unique architectural designs after World War II. Since many of the pre-war edifices had been damaged or burned, city planners defined territory by demolishing much of the old architecture and rebuilding a new city from the rubble. Looking for a place with historic Dutch buildings? Rotterdam isn’t it. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="break-after: avoid; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">One unique aspect of Rotterdam’s new architecture is cube housing, designed by a Dutch architect in the 1970s. Today, these quaint homes function in a variety of ways. For some, they even serve as an Air B and B location. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-PRmsHdF23yPnpC7TBjmajT9glRmy5CnoFMJWvrZAF9s5DCXBkWR4AgeKOo3BMjfGXMLWI-jnW9sGCvIN5qDSr9nDxTenWLPVK7aGwyENvtAiAaBVTFgZ9k2hzCsiQJHMMmPaxd05viAbTHHM1FXMMu-1LLL7wcGlNjIvgwMIeaXswnFuXyuIskd/s4032/2022.6.2%20Netherlands%20Trip%20Rotterdam%20TR%20HR%20in%20front%20of%20cube%20houses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="man and woman standing in front of yellow cube houses in Rotterdam" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-PRmsHdF23yPnpC7TBjmajT9glRmy5CnoFMJWvrZAF9s5DCXBkWR4AgeKOo3BMjfGXMLWI-jnW9sGCvIN5qDSr9nDxTenWLPVK7aGwyENvtAiAaBVTFgZ9k2hzCsiQJHMMmPaxd05viAbTHHM1FXMMu-1LLL7wcGlNjIvgwMIeaXswnFuXyuIskd/w320-h240/2022.6.2%20Netherlands%20Trip%20Rotterdam%20TR%20HR%20in%20front%20of%20cube%20houses.jpg" title="In front of the cube houses" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">In the Bible, King Solomon compares the tongue to that which builds or destroys. Proverbs 18:21 states, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love [life] shall eat the fruit thereof." </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Wisdom directs God's children to choose edifying words that will encourage and build up those around them in the things of God. Ephesians 4:29 states, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">The clear opposite of building up is tearing down. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">As the Nazi destroyers quickly bombed the heart of the old city of Rotterdam, leaving fires in the wake of the devastation and severely damaging the centuries-old architecture, the ill-advised tongue causes dissension, crafts caustic wounds, or spews bitter complaints. At some point, all that is left is smoldering ruins which must be rebuilt. Similar to how displaced animals testified to destruction, wounded spirits of broken people attest to the devastation caused by the unwise use of the tongue.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">As Rotterdam’s post-war city planners created a new city from the devastated old one, the lips of wisdom edify others with words that encourage and energize. Rotterdam’s unique architectural structures remind us that, even if devastation and destruction have occurred from our speech, we can find victory by having a heart that chooses edification. Only God, the Wise Master Builder, can craft such a heart for us.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo2FWKN8T5qNpqh8LwA0FD_ZH6-_Xqm8-eJ_AtzyL-s_AQxFQKOfkQxPQ8Uo-UTuTsf1gjGkeDfRMGbBp4Mwos10zDacX_XE77H483FyFej4Dw9SIR9_6zVr4e4yf4PiAsXJiRmQbHlijslYbO-1z5R1Jx-9oXWf94wZy54B-JUcj1Rl6inIMNOHI/s3019/2022.6.2%20Netherlands%20Trip%20TR%20HR%20in%20front%20of%20reflective%20building%20Rotterdam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="man and woman in front of reflective art building in Rotterdam" border="0" data-original-height="3016" data-original-width="3019" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo2FWKN8T5qNpqh8LwA0FD_ZH6-_Xqm8-eJ_AtzyL-s_AQxFQKOfkQxPQ8Uo-UTuTsf1gjGkeDfRMGbBp4Mwos10zDacX_XE77H483FyFej4Dw9SIR9_6zVr4e4yf4PiAsXJiRmQbHlijslYbO-1z5R1Jx-9oXWf94wZy54B-JUcj1Rl6inIMNOHI/w320-h320/2022.6.2%20Netherlands%20Trip%20TR%20HR%20in%20front%20of%20reflective%20building%20Rotterdam.jpg" title="In front of a reflective building in Rotterdam" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">And then Magnificent architectural masterpieces of God’s love, ministered to others through our tongues, can result.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Photo Credits<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/8-things-need-know-1940-rotterdam-terror-bombing-x.html?safari=1<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-49917548738175268662023-01-05T23:16:00.000-08:002023-01-05T23:16:23.741-08:00Travel Reflections: The Fountain (Madrid, Spain)<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Pictures. Some have claimed they're worth a thousand words. That saying might be debated; but from my experience, I've found art museums packed with paintings akin to libraries laden with literary masterpieces.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Thomas and I were headed to the Netherlands when, after waiting in line at passport control for hours, we faced a missed flight and several-hour layover in Madrid. To no avail, we searched for tickets to several history museums. At last, we found availability at a local art museum. Two buses transferred us to downtown Madrid, where we ambled past throngs of people and headed to the Thyssen-Boremismza National Museum of Art.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">While there, I chanced upon this painting. Reading its background in a head note, I began to ponder people’s pastimes and the life-giving quality of fountains. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">American artist John Sloan painted <i>Throbbing Fountain, Madison Square </i>(pictured below), in 1907. At the spot in New York, Sloan observed “men and women and children watching [the fountain] and in many cases feeling its…charm.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVsUl72R9sy6nAJc7aUoEeq62vpQvKv3NE8wNdzJJs3uP25IgyVbJfIN8XRU_HzNGJYRH2LxenmBGsOXJ3b7qXhNXJA2GmYIygdo9ENn2E25gXG4wuP55E-7LxDhqbw66lDVNNrII3vjr6FBvcvrXmqhdNS4ne7LefAzGcDHx_32vqMrXgBTFW11FA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="John Sloan, Throbbing Fountain" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVsUl72R9sy6nAJc7aUoEeq62vpQvKv3NE8wNdzJJs3uP25IgyVbJfIN8XRU_HzNGJYRH2LxenmBGsOXJ3b7qXhNXJA2GmYIygdo9ENn2E25gXG4wuP55E-7LxDhqbw66lDVNNrII3vjr6FBvcvrXmqhdNS4ne7LefAzGcDHx_32vqMrXgBTFW11FA=w320-h240" title="John Sloan, Throbbing Fountain" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">Water fascinates. Now living less than two miles from the Pacific Ocean, I can’t help but feel the allure of the impressive deep. The roar of the high seas, their blue immensity, and the picturesque crests and waves never fail to captivate. I love to bask in the ocean’s beauty as the wind whips my face while I step across the sandy shore. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">But a water fountain? How often do people today find themselves mesmerized by <i>its</i> pleasures? From my observation, many pass such delights, digital devices in hand, failing to imbibe the beauty about them.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">Centuries past, explorers wondered at the possibility of a fountain of youth. And yet, in the pages of God’s eternal Word, such a fountain can be found—albeit a spiritual one.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">Psalm 36:9 declares, “For with thee [God] is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">Verses like these remind us: life that lasts forever exists in the presence of God. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">Can we live forever? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">And when does such life begin?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">In John 17:3 Christ stated, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” It’s glorious to consider: knowing God is the essence of possessing eternal life.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgV88cFBLzCaBLWYXXwC3HTve0CmTzSqa0jgHCSMmQ5kTkGIou_L7EWxMzuQEF22_xl-SMR_qBXbaCVxcuTutvKwZ94OgjXRA-wMgnsUMY_pgsLRxFGn4SGIf7xZwHguoat7w6QaPHRR6mCVAikMMVP-fQHQ06vsxVgBnlx14Lbdirq-_6c7ZDoWLLM" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Palace of Versailles gardens" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgV88cFBLzCaBLWYXXwC3HTve0CmTzSqa0jgHCSMmQ5kTkGIou_L7EWxMzuQEF22_xl-SMR_qBXbaCVxcuTutvKwZ94OgjXRA-wMgnsUMY_pgsLRxFGn4SGIf7xZwHguoat7w6QaPHRR6mCVAikMMVP-fQHQ06vsxVgBnlx14Lbdirq-_6c7ZDoWLLM=w320-h240" title="Gardens by the Palace of Versailles (France)" width="320" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">And that eternal life becomes yours the moment you repent and believe the Gospel. Before salvation, we cannot know God, for sin separates us from Him, the Being who is the very definition of all that is holy, just, and good. Jesus Christ’s death and shed blood on the cross is the only payment for our sin. When we turn in repentant faith to Him, we enter into a beautiful, life-giving relationship with the God Who makes our escape from Hell possible. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">In John 4, Jesus explained it this way: “Whosoever drinketh of [physical well] water shall thirst again: 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” (John 4:13-14).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">Incredible! Every spiritual longing within the human heart is met in Christ, Who lives in believers, directing them into truth with His Word. The benefits fountain-access provides are immeasurable: Proverbs explains (among other things) that the fount helps us depart from the entanglements of death. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">Unlike the temporary thrill offered to the visitors of Madison Square in days gone by, Christ the everlasting Fount, promises blessings of the eternal variety. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7sM_iZioq58-vG2wxyHITKtna7rDO43KQ47u3nKfBUFAJ4d1WknuGWBaBBHTT49XyJFaHvOGrUPL6E0bvrbfvXT104iT7c-ppTjQhbiSnjzxpCVNcl6sQuU9pwqnuY55twwhwJJrslQXyAkvZbWq4sD6Q4n0SHwdbsclHABCL4lwPimpyUQnm5dIb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Belle Isle's Fountain" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="1218" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7sM_iZioq58-vG2wxyHITKtna7rDO43KQ47u3nKfBUFAJ4d1WknuGWBaBBHTT49XyJFaHvOGrUPL6E0bvrbfvXT104iT7c-ppTjQhbiSnjzxpCVNcl6sQuU9pwqnuY55twwhwJJrslQXyAkvZbWq4sD6Q4n0SHwdbsclHABCL4lwPimpyUQnm5dIb=w320-h177" title="Belle Isle's Fountain" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A tune is cascading down the corridors of my mind. In our early twenties, my sister and I often sang it as a duet in church. I’m quoting the poem from memory, not having a copy of the lyrics with me and not being able to locate them on Internet searches; but it’s a powerful little piece, reminding of this life-giving Spring:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>“As you walk along, with the worldly throng,<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Did you ever stop to think<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Where you’re going or<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>What you’re searching for<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>When of pleasure’s springs you drink?<br /></i><i> </i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>After all you’ve tried, still unsatisfied,<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>You go on with thirsting soul;<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Listen, troubled heart,<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>E’er the chance depart—<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>There’s a fountain you should know!<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i> </i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><u>Chorus:</u> There’s a fountain flowing free with living water;<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>It is offered unto lost and dying men;<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Come and drink its full salvation;<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>You will never, never thirst again!<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i> </i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Vain and revelry, popularity—<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Leave no lasting peace of mind,<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Drink them while you will,<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>You’ll be thirsty still<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>And no satisfaction find;<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i> </i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Sin brings deep regret,<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Things you can’t forget;<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Wretched scars and unreached goals;<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Why, oh sinner why<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Do you choose to die,<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>When the Savior loves you so?<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i> </i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><u>Chorus:</u> There’s a fountain flowing free with living water;<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>It is offered unto lost and dying men;<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Come and drink its full salvation;<o:p></o:p></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>You will never, never thirst again!</i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i> </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGopZH0BNM5tQoluMmbVByMaXbasIxzIFLqUg4yv7QxSHnfxG4_1ITuofRb3dGhfPeiED71CZmTQ0e8JYwuBMXiqzMCAb85j5zdoPnZ8uNAgtrPID06CMRQimcTFByE3p4Izmv9dKGo7vr955uct08OgXeuVxBEGvKXmXuRONWEpKTiCJNYzKnaXvd" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1062" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGopZH0BNM5tQoluMmbVByMaXbasIxzIFLqUg4yv7QxSHnfxG4_1ITuofRb3dGhfPeiED71CZmTQ0e8JYwuBMXiqzMCAb85j5zdoPnZ8uNAgtrPID06CMRQimcTFByE3p4Izmv9dKGo7vr955uct08OgXeuVxBEGvKXmXuRONWEpKTiCJNYzKnaXvd=w200-h133" width="200" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Have you come to Christ, the eternal fountain? </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">This Fount is available for all who recognize their own spiritual poverty and turn in faith to the only possible Substitute for sin’s wretched fate. Christ longs for you to receive Him as your own. His plea cries out even from the Bible's final chapter:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i style="text-align: center;"> "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i style="text-align: center;"><span> <span> </span></span>And let him that heareth say, Come. </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i style="text-align: center;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>And let him that is athirst come. </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i style="text-align: center;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>And whosoever will, </i><i style="text-align: center;">let him take the water of life freely” </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>(Revelation 22:17).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-21109345784652089532022-06-27T14:59:00.000-07:002022-06-27T14:59:09.210-07:00Alphabet of Praise: Z is for Zeal of the Lord of Hosts<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">Z is for Zeal of the Lord of Hosts</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">The God of armies, all power He boasts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Uniquely Jehovah, the only God, He<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">All wisdom, all glory for eternity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Why trust then in riches?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Why seek after fame?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Why live for this world’s goods?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Jealous is God’s name.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">He longs for your worship,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Your heart, and your love.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">He longs now to fill you<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">With grace from above.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Put nought else before Him;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">He will fill you now.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Himself to you offers;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">In His presence bow.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Zealous for your worship,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">He lives as Your King;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">In thought, word, and action—<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">All zeal to Him bring!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75_yiTp7eTqWHZFe7Cq3ezJ1jSCJYt3CmLY6EOkyHixUr8kkTOFjvrRQI0PYpR4lelvQXhij-iOxdtIbRRa-mAvC5jmvfWi10XPgC5Jl9qfvcDZ3oJTteKpq1WhDKdyxzhp5vxIlTvb3i1kdrInUO5VNxBtp3Jgm0E6SDuyV7qJ9G0r_S6NffXEA2/s1087/Z%20is%20for%20Zeal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1087" data-original-width="818" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75_yiTp7eTqWHZFe7Cq3ezJ1jSCJYt3CmLY6EOkyHixUr8kkTOFjvrRQI0PYpR4lelvQXhij-iOxdtIbRRa-mAvC5jmvfWi10XPgC5Jl9qfvcDZ3oJTteKpq1WhDKdyxzhp5vxIlTvb3i1kdrInUO5VNxBtp3Jgm0E6SDuyV7qJ9G0r_S6NffXEA2/s320/Z%20is%20for%20Zeal.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><b style="font-family: "Dancing Script"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Dancing Script"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;">Is. 9:7,</span></b><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"> “Of the increase of <i>his</i> government </span><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script"; font-size: 16pt;">and peace</span><i style="font-family: "Dancing Script"; font-size: 16pt;"> there shall be</i><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script"; font-size: 16pt;"> no end . . . </span></p></span></b><p></p><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><b>The zeal of the LORD of hosts </b>will perform this.”</span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br clear="all" style="break-before: page;" /></span>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-26031662953849012092022-04-21T10:25:00.000-07:002022-04-21T10:25:12.068-07:00Alphabet of Praise: Y is for Yesterday--Always the Same<p><i style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">Note: It's Spring 2022. I began writing my Alphabet of Praise some time ago and finished it in the throes of Covid, the summer of 2020. God has directed us to a place with different scenery, different people, and different situations. And yet, though geographically separated from many family members and dear friends, I am so grateful that, while life about us may change, our precious Lord never does.</i></p><p><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;"><i>In fact, the Lord becomes ever dearer as, removed from many we cherish, we realize there is nothing more precious than this heavenly relationship. I am so grateful to know Him. </i></span><i style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">Do you know Him, too? </i><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Y is for Yesterday—</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Always the same.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Past, present, and future—<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Christ’s nature’s unchanged!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Assured is tomorrow: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Already, He’s there.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Earth’s kingdoms will crumble,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Christ remains most fair!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Unchanged in His beauty,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Our Shepherd each day<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Leads to verdant pastures,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Restoring our way. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Beside quiet waters<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">He makes us to drink<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">To feast on His treasures<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">And truth-thoughts to think.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">His words, ever gracious,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">His counsel, all-wise—<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">These never shall fail us<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Christ Jesus, then, prize!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Look ever to Jesus,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Example and Friend;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">His Kingdom victorious<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Shall never have end.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">The I Am today<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">And of yesterdays past,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Our Lord never fails us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Christ ever shall last!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNJ3T9rpD7RFJbwXZn8zC0RWCW5uU1AU8tWAkOGuJu7JWrDWpj1EWmKhAFC-EmbAt6dQh67OqFx-W7HqKWFEQqC5SpvmsIi0rl4GvaAimIQoS_DMdec1Cwx2ynEg6tdLizss7PnHPmZu7uZG3vhDCOsvhoCPqyPutsAp6pjuTnkJK4lISLnRphj98/s892/Y%20is%20for%20Yesterday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Stone arch overlooking green valleys" border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="892" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNJ3T9rpD7RFJbwXZn8zC0RWCW5uU1AU8tWAkOGuJu7JWrDWpj1EWmKhAFC-EmbAt6dQh67OqFx-W7HqKWFEQqC5SpvmsIi0rl4GvaAimIQoS_DMdec1Cwx2ynEg6tdLizss7PnHPmZu7uZG3vhDCOsvhoCPqyPutsAp6pjuTnkJK4lISLnRphj98/w320-h240/Y%20is%20for%20Yesterday.jpg" title="Taken in Wales, 2017" width="320" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Dancing Script"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;">Heb. 13:8</span></b><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"> "Jesus Christ the same<b> yesterday</b>, and to day, and for ever.”</span></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-64746266809226067632021-08-06T08:58:00.002-07:002021-08-06T09:01:25.912-07:00Alphabet of Praise: X is for God’s Excellent Name<p style="text-align: center;"><span> </span> <span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">X is for the Excellent Name</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Of Jehovah God, whose glorious fame<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Has spread throughout the world abroad<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">In creative splendor and glori’ous awe.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Above the heav’ns this name extends;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">To farthest earth it knows no ends.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">God’s excellent power, judgment, and might--</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">To all are revealed in this name of delight.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">More glorious that name than mountains fair;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">More excellent than the springtime air;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Our God alone above all excels<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">And from bless’d redeemed ones, His praises can swell.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Although this name's blasphemed by God’s enemies<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">And taken in vain so frequently,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Exalting glory, God’s children show forth<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">The praise of this name throughout all the earth.</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">This excellent name over angels ascends;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> This name shall endure far longer than men;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Live now, then, exalting the glorified One<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Whose excellence shows forth in all He has done!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGe5YU_Yf8r626vewkKhFExsgvoFHz81bC06C8nU-56pW6Q29DY-MTSaRt295fAwM4KdwlBdTedlGU4PaYUydf1F5Ai10R8KYw5Q1Z0LiJYwHv7X5PdBOn02IwKzdfD06jwPFMviT1JLE/s1430/X+is+for+God%2527s+Excellent+Name.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Trees with a bridge and river in foreground" border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1430" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGe5YU_Yf8r626vewkKhFExsgvoFHz81bC06C8nU-56pW6Q29DY-MTSaRt295fAwM4KdwlBdTedlGU4PaYUydf1F5Ai10R8KYw5Q1Z0LiJYwHv7X5PdBOn02IwKzdfD06jwPFMviT1JLE/w400-h301/X+is+for+God%2527s+Excellent+Name.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><span><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Taken in Wales, 2017</span></span></p><span><div style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16pt; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">“O LORD our Lord, </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16pt; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">how <b>excellent</b><i> is</i> thy name </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">in all the earth!”--</span></span><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script";">Psalm 8:9</span></div></span></span></span><p></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-9269392090746556592021-07-30T06:32:00.000-07:002021-07-30T06:32:37.815-07:00Alphabet of Praise: W is for Christ, All-Worthy<p style="text-align: center;"> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">We stand condemned, unworthy</span></p><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Of mercy from above;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">But Christ stands ever worthy<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">In hearts made pure by love.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Of praises He is worthy,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">This One who rescued thee<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div class="WordSection2" style="page: WordSection2;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">From evil plots of darkened minds<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">And set your spirit free.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">While we stand most unworthy <o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Of intervening grace,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">The blessings of God’s precious Book,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">The promise of His face. . . <o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;">Our Lord is ever worthy.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;">None can with Him compare,</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">Who soothes our every sorrow</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;">And every need does bear!</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;">In Heaven, Christ--most worthy--</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Will open up the Book.</span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">None else can break the seal there,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Nor other beings look.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;">All glory, honor, power</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;">He’s worthy to receive.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;">To Christ the Savior give t</span><span style="text-align: left;">hem:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;">His praises ever plead.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;">This spotless Lamb most worthy</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;">All honor shall receive.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;">For He did ransom sinners;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;">His wounds for them did bleed.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></p></div><div class="WordSection3" style="page: WordSection3;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">Join in a song of praise then</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">To Christ, the worthy King!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">For every tribe and nation<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Redeemed by Him shall sing!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsczxJQWT1hFCb-47BYN8kvRBA3VW9AZm2viCZUdHmxfZUOSPFXeylhFgr5XvIdHpFw74-ZRcryzSpPXy1eMNU_kal4Sc27tLN041yTYOfZaFXE1Wb1u8ZYJbxSzDrC2wMO9qkBgUtne4/s1430/W+is+for+Worthy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="1430" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsczxJQWT1hFCb-47BYN8kvRBA3VW9AZm2viCZUdHmxfZUOSPFXeylhFgr5XvIdHpFw74-ZRcryzSpPXy1eMNU_kal4Sc27tLN041yTYOfZaFXE1Wb1u8ZYJbxSzDrC2wMO9qkBgUtne4/w640-h184/W+is+for+Worthy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"> Photo taken in the Colorado Rockies (June 2017)</div></span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br clear="all" style="break-before: page;" /></span><div><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><span style="font-family: Lobster;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;">Rev. 4:11, “Thou art <b>worthy,</b> O Lord, </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;">to receive glory and honour and power: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;">for thou hast created all things, </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;">and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”</span></p></span></span></div>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-18180472703580708492021-06-11T09:54:00.000-07:002021-06-11T09:54:16.675-07:00Alphabet of Praise: V is for Christ, the Victor<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">V is for Christ the Victor,</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Our Resurrection Power,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Defeating death and Satan,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">In every passing hour.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Those dead in sin, through Jesus<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Quite instantly can be<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Quickened to life eternal<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">When in Him they believe.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">None but the God of Ages,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Who always is the same,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Can from such evil break us:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">We triumph in His name!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">This conquering Christ, our Savior,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Gives faith to overcome<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">The world and all its trappings,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Which Christians oft does shun.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Go forth in Christ Victorious;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Live in His strength today.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">The bonds of Hell’s destruction<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">In Him do slip away.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">V is for Christ the Victor,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Your Resurrection Power,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Defeating death and Satan,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Now and each passing hour.</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnhxhcR9Rk_wKfhV5E65M1Imcb3EIkZLMNF-uV3uxRgRAX7YSi0feT2Cu4ZXoqof4ukoOaLPQ6UOh8wMENth03A-MEZR3fjRXHoIaIHC-BJgLWVotWIOmimB69Fs57A30UGIpaZEwxj0/s1109/V+is+for+Christ+the+Victor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="1109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnhxhcR9Rk_wKfhV5E65M1Imcb3EIkZLMNF-uV3uxRgRAX7YSi0feT2Cu4ZXoqof4ukoOaLPQ6UOh8wMENth03A-MEZR3fjRXHoIaIHC-BJgLWVotWIOmimB69Fs57A30UGIpaZEwxj0/s320/V+is+for+Christ+the+Victor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;">1Cor. 15:57,</span></b><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"> “But thanks<i> be</i> to God, which <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">giveth us the <b>victory</b> through our Lord Jesus Christ.”</span><span style="font-family: Edwardian Script ITC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-61429264492935652582021-05-21T04:59:00.001-07:002021-05-21T05:02:07.351-07:00Alphabet of Praise: U is for Understanding<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><i>U</i> is for Understanding</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Of absolute degree<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">That’s found in God Jehovah:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">‘Tis boundless as the sea.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Search out this understanding;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Its depths you’ll plummet not.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">So vast and wide its bound’ries,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">No end can e’er be got!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">And yet with longing heart cry<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">That ever seeks for Him,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">He solaces the fainting<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Who stumble in earth’s din.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">By His own understanding<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Do kings and princes rule;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">He fills with holy wisdom<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">The humble, seeking soul.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Departing far from evil</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Is understanding true:</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">This ever-flowing wellspring</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Of life is offered you.</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Infinite understanding</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">God offers in His Book;</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Obey, then, Divine Wisdom:</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">To Christ its Author look!</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Praise God with understanding</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Of infinite delight.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Partaking of His fullness,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Walk thus in His own might!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNEB1xs8hLmOGQ3AN428cvrWgQSq6id6KaJxaMO4zTEgny1WtxSbTpF8eV8SoKvqN8yZUc0fkO32HjAFRgbYTdrqWwENZ-52IGj6JoUZ1yUy8pVJ6Be-Kn6jLeCO2q8uO4T_MsPiwq0g/s968/U+is+for+Understanding.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="At Petra: massive rock layers" border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="727" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNEB1xs8hLmOGQ3AN428cvrWgQSq6id6KaJxaMO4zTEgny1WtxSbTpF8eV8SoKvqN8yZUc0fkO32HjAFRgbYTdrqWwENZ-52IGj6JoUZ1yUy8pVJ6Be-Kn6jLeCO2q8uO4T_MsPiwq0g/w299-h255/U+is+for+Understanding.jpg" title="Photo taken at Petra (2017)" width="299" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script";"><span style="font-size: large;">Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script";"><span style="font-size: large;">that the everlasting God, the LORD, </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script";"><span style="font-size: large;">the Creator of the ends of the earth, </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script";"><span style="font-size: large;">fainteth not, neither is weary? </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script";">there is no searching of his </span><b style="font-family: "Dancing Script";">understanding</b><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script";">.”</span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">Isaiah 40:28</span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-84139332897423694792021-03-15T07:23:00.000-07:002021-03-15T07:23:04.961-07:00Alphabet of Praise: T is for God's Tri-Unity<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">T is for God’s Tri-Unity:</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">God stands, the three in one.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">He’s Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">And like Him, there is none.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">In God the Father’s vested<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Divine authority;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">He purposed vast creation<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">From all <o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Eternity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">In God the Son is shown us<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Divine humility.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Submitting to His Father<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Who begets Him<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Eternally.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">By God the Spirit’s witness,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Divine transcendency<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Offers to hell-bound sinners<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Redemption’s righteous plea.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Both God the Holy Spirit<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">And Christ, the Father’s Son,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Proceed now from the Father:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Exalted, three in one.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">O worship God; adore Him<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">This foremost one in three.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">His kingdom lasts forever--<o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><div style="font-family: Garamond, serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The blessed trinity!</span></div><div style="font-family: Garamond, serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Garamond, serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpB1Mawf7IQSII9YjAlMsx65Mgrw0yPIAzdkNdp5MCP72KcTEm4aZCdTFhX_yksRArgI1u9zH9vWQ2_WWfURZg_x_jHvHdaJTA10rMgEvYPXlVHm57fRKJBxr_hKD3WNfo9flX48qYsY/s870/T+is+for+God%2527s+Triunity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Clouds fringed in sunlight at sunset" border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="870" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpB1Mawf7IQSII9YjAlMsx65Mgrw0yPIAzdkNdp5MCP72KcTEm4aZCdTFhX_yksRArgI1u9zH9vWQ2_WWfURZg_x_jHvHdaJTA10rMgEvYPXlVHm57fRKJBxr_hKD3WNfo9flX48qYsY/w320-h240/T+is+for+God%2527s+Triunity.jpg" title="Clouds Fringed in Light" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">1 John 5:7. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”</span><span style="font-family: Edwardian Script ITC;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div><div style="font-family: Garamond, serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Garamond, serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div></span>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-26060716707974756492021-01-30T12:53:00.001-08:002021-01-30T13:25:38.879-08:00Alphabet of Praise: S is for Satisfaction<p><br /></p><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">S is for Satisfaction,</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">A fullness rich and sweet<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">And satiated longings--<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Each need our Savior meets!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">All emptiness He filleth,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div class="WordSection2" style="page: WordSection2;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">All hungerings within.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">His own transcendent presence--<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">As souls do long for Him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Sin’s debts He paid forever,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Fulfilled the law’s demands.</span></p></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">He satisfied with justice<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">By His most holy plan.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">What need I of this world’s goods?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">What have I not in Him?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Abundance from His Spirit<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">And freedom from my sin!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">No one on earth beside Him<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Can fullness true provide.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Contentment sure he offers;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">From storms in Him we hide.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">To satiate our longings<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">This world will ne’er comply.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">But God’s fullness forever<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Shall every need supply!</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqCsMBGZLApxzDvJFd6ABN1kuXD1UOmhV0T40TkhuVHcfpDazfM8ZQWHTnYiGJoD2uSnszuZ6yUHFmzZnPMmudMat9-dFMrXPJFxuVemuI1vqHFGzVGoXBI7_86_MlitEZ8rST3ro0JQ/s980/s+is+for+satisfaction.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Placid lake reflecting tree-studded mountains on left and in background and conifers on right with stones submerged under water in foreground" border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="736" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqCsMBGZLApxzDvJFd6ABN1kuXD1UOmhV0T40TkhuVHcfpDazfM8ZQWHTnYiGJoD2uSnszuZ6yUHFmzZnPMmudMat9-dFMrXPJFxuVemuI1vqHFGzVGoXBI7_86_MlitEZ8rST3ro0JQ/w300-h319/s+is+for+satisfaction.jpg" title="In the Colorado Rockies (June 2018)" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken in the Colorado Rockies (June 2018)</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">Psa. 145:16 ,”Thou openest thine hand,</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 27.600000381469727px;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: medium;">and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.”</span></span></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-10103760050549436232020-12-10T19:28:00.002-08:002020-12-10T19:36:21.084-08:00Alphabet of Praise: R is for our Righteous God<div class="page" title="Page 1">
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">All </span><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;"><b>righteous </b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">is the Lord of Hosts</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">So spotless, clean and pure</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Like mountains great His </span><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;"><b>righteous</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> deeds</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Rise high and stand most sure.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">All sin corrupts, defiles within;</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">God's </span><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;"><b>righteousness</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">, upright,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Pierces, as radiant as the sun</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Unparalleled, most bright.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">By offering His precious blood,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Our spotless Lamb so pure</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Has cleansed from every filthiness</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">That sin does e'er inure.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">The perfect Judge of all the earth</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Shall </span><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;"><b>righteousness</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> maintain.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Live now unto this holy God:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Depart from sin's dark stain.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">He never fails; each word He speaks</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Will truly come to pass.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">The </span><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;"><b>righteous</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> God speaks </span><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;"><b>righteousness</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">;</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">His fear shall ever last!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">God knows the way of those who seek</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">His </span><b><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">righteousness</span></b><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> and truth;</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">He tries the hearts and motives deep</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">To test their works forsooth.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Afflictions oft distress our souls,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">And yet the </span><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;"><b>Righteous One</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Delivers and sustains His own,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Who in His pathways run.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">In Christ Alone, our </span><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;"><b>righteousness</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Is found forevermore.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">For all the goodness of man's heart</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Corrupt is at its core.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><span> </span>By His obedience He extends</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">His </span><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;"><b>Righteousness</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> to me!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">A crown awaits. This </span><b><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">Righteous Judge</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Doth for us ever plead.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Oh, may we ne'er forget this One,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">The </span><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;"><b>Righteous</b></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> God for aye:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">His Judgments stand forevermore,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">And judge us shall someday.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDGNgJMMFsZ0UWTBRb5GC9c9U716glGGW2yi6X2SBWicGrpO-A8gHHuVGyLK_7xclormlSyOJSzWZPOhrpTt0UqrdQwuqiSICppGEHJb6SCGH3Ap1uBY4vkx_3idrwPZGlqaJHGyr1Ug/s808/all+righteous.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="808" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDGNgJMMFsZ0UWTBRb5GC9c9U716glGGW2yi6X2SBWicGrpO-A8gHHuVGyLK_7xclormlSyOJSzWZPOhrpTt0UqrdQwuqiSICppGEHJb6SCGH3Ap1uBY4vkx_3idrwPZGlqaJHGyr1Ug/w400-h300/all+righteous.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script;">Taken in Nepal (June 2013)<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script";"><span style="line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><br /><b> Psa. 116:5,</b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script"; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"> “Gracious<i> is</i> the LORD, and <b>righteous</b>; </span><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script"; font-size: large;">yea, our God</span><i style="font-family: "Dancing Script";"> is</i><span style="font-family: "Dancing Script"; font-size: large;"> merciful.”</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p></div><div class="column">
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Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-5557854384005301612020-11-13T17:00:00.000-08:002020-11-13T17:00:11.189-08:00Alphabet of Praise: Q's for the God Who Quickens<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Q's for the God Who quickens us,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The One Who makes alive!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Dark days and death do threaten; yet</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He's life, whate'er betide.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Darkened, the souls of men do lie</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Shadowed and without light;</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our Lord with quickening doth send;</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">His balm restores their sight.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On vanity our eyes are cast;</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But when He quickens us,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our gaze is turned to His blessed Son:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We walk the way of trust!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When longing cries from inmost depths</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And emptiness forebode,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We cry out for His quickening touch,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The righteous way He goes.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">His Word supplies our inmost want;</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It satiates our hearts,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Though sore affliction meets our day</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And punctures with its smarts.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When thorns upon the path of life</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rise to a massive height,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then to the quickening Lord we go,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Who shows us what is right.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He offers words of cheer to us;</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Comfort our souls doth bring.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He tells us He is close at hand,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And makes our spirits sing!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Go to His quickening Word today;</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Him in those pages meet;</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Taste of His fullness: you will have</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Life, full and complete!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkucmGuW6qxfr2K5TVEnwLcjaLZeHpnTV47JWNPAlQr6BClbKRSpA_kAuIcKWgUWkx2w2fXWxN-HSvorjDpBjG2HgxMz2l0d5g11ukzAVHlvuxRD8AIPVFtOBoe-8ae9RshYM5ETrkJk/s768/Q%2527s+for+the+God+Who+Quickens.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkucmGuW6qxfr2K5TVEnwLcjaLZeHpnTV47JWNPAlQr6BClbKRSpA_kAuIcKWgUWkx2w2fXWxN-HSvorjDpBjG2HgxMz2l0d5g11ukzAVHlvuxRD8AIPVFtOBoe-8ae9RshYM5ETrkJk/w400-h300/Q%2527s+for+the+God+Who+Quickens.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The green hills of Wales (visited summer 2017)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389809227118686369.post-74660957584351674582020-10-30T14:17:00.000-07:002020-10-30T14:17:22.648-07:00Alphabet of Praise: P is for God's own Presence<p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><i style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">P</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> is for God’s own Presence</span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Oh wondrous gift today!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">I AM, the Lord Jehovah<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Is close at hand for aye!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Like air that fills the universe<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">And never dissipates,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">He’s ever near His children,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">To those that on Him wait.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Throughout the earth and Heaven,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">In depths He’s present still;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">No distant orb escapes Him,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">For all the world He fills.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Flee from His presence? Never.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Nor height, nor depth, nor sea<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Can separate us from this Lord—<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">He is, eternally.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">When time itself shall perish,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">When earth with fire ignites,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">When misery and darkness<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Become this sad world’s plight—<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Yet even then His presence<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Shall ever be the same;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Our God shall never falter:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Praise offer to His name!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-tlf5x8oYi9i4ZVMXP56a6Dc3ZiBcfHfbgxUqFv9bJaHwED741o1_i3yNXiHzUySReoUNO32Xl0N2bhEAG3wKhF9c6OSmAkDlU-wOCpmoaY_2fd2DeFUlclHn4csj9-RL8YvOzoN_0Y/s602/Petra.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-tlf5x8oYi9i4ZVMXP56a6Dc3ZiBcfHfbgxUqFv9bJaHwED741o1_i3yNXiHzUySReoUNO32Xl0N2bhEAG3wKhF9c6OSmAkDlU-wOCpmoaY_2fd2DeFUlclHn4csj9-RL8YvOzoN_0Y/w299-h400/Petra.png" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from Petra (taken in February 2018)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #46260d; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">“</span><span style="color: #46260d; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;">Thou shalt hide them in the secret of <b>thy presence</b> from the pride of man: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.333332061767578px; margin: 10pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #46260d; line-height: 24.533334732055664px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues,” Psalm 31:20.</span><span style="font-family: "Edwardian Script ITC"; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Thomas & Heather Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426641892169880740noreply@blogger.com0