With apologies to (not St Francis!!, but) Reinhold Niebuhr (?!) ...

What do you pray for?
How interesting is your life?

HT: BW

40 years on...by faith, moment by moment

Forty years ago, the 20 August 1972 was a Sunday.  Where I was, in Annalong, Co. Down, it was a sunny Sunday.  A young minister, not long into his first charge, was giving a talk to a group of 50 or so young people from Belfast as they sat on his lawn outside his house.  His name was Desmond McCreery and he was the Rector of Annalong Parish.  His talk was based around the first question God asked as we have it in the Bible:  "Adam, where are you?" (Genesis 3:9).  

I don't remember the details of what he said, but I do clearly remember thinking afterwards that because of my sin, I was lost from God and that God had sent Jesus to find me, rescue me from sin and judgement and bring me back home to Himself.  The pieces of the Gospel that had been shared with me by friends all throughout that Summer, were falling into place in my mind and heart.
Whether I became a Christian that day, I can't remember.  In reality, I don't know.  Only eternity will tell.  Certainly by the Autumn, I was going to young people's meetings, attending Bible studies, enjoying church a bit more! etc, etc.  My life had changed:  its direction, its priorities, its activities all different, now focused - with so much learning, understanding, repenting and believing to do - on Jesus.  And it is certainly only the preserving, merciful, sufficient and sustaining grace of Christ that has held onto me these past 40 years.  To Him, be all the thanks, praise, adoration and worship!
Although I didn't begin to understand the richness of the Gospel until much, much later, Francis Schaeffer's own testimony echoes what to me in past years has been the source of much wonder and joy in my life - even throughout these past few, very difficult years: 

“I became a Christian once for all upon the basis of the finished work of Christ through faith;  that is justification.  The Christian life, sanctification, operates on the same basis, but moment by moment.  There is the same base (Christ’s work)  and the same instrument (faith); the only difference is that one is once for all and the other is moment by moment…If we try to love the Christian life in our own strength we will have sorrow, but if we live in this way, we will not only serve the Lord, but in place of sorrow, He will be our song.  That is the difference.  The ‘how’ of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment.” 

HT: Graced Again (20 August 2012)

Unbelief: "Not now, not here, not us"

“Unbelief says: Some other time, but not now; some other place, but not here; some other people, but not us.  Faith says: Anything He did anywhere else He will do here; anything He did any other time He is willing to do now; anything He ever did for other people He is willing to do for us!  With our feet on the ground, and our head cool, but with our heart ablaze with the love of God, we walk out in this fullness of the Spirit, if we will yield and obey.  God wants to work through you!”

A. W. Tozer, The Counselor (Camp Hill, 1993), page 116.
HT:  Ray Ortlund Jr.

How great the Father's love for us

Jesus said: "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"  Matthew 7:11
HT: Vitamin Z

2012 Olympics: 'Inspiring a Generation'?

Just before we all get carried away with silly notions of thinking that all this fitness and sporty stuff looks easy, even for mid-lifers like me ("If Bradley Wiggins can do it, so can I!), pause, take a deep breath, do a few stretching exercises, and think again  ...

Thanks, as ever, to BW.