The Gettysburg Address Stunk

No matter what you do, someone is going to find fault with it. When I feel unfairly rebuked, I remember what was said about a speech of Abraham Lincoln. The Harrisburg Patriot and Union said of his speech, “We pass over the silly remarks of the President; for the credit of the nation we are willing that the veil of oblivion shall be dropped over them and that they shall no more be repeated or thought of.” The Chicago Times said, “The cheek of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat and dishwatery utterances” and the London Times remarked, “Anything more dull and commonplace it would not be easy to produce.” Well you might have heard of that speech, it is now know as the Gettysburg Address, one of the most famous speeches in American history. It just goes to show that the critic doesn’t always have any idea what they are talking about. Paul understood that. The Corinthians said of Paul, “his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible” (2 Corinthians 10:10) Moses knew it as well. The Israelites were constantly complaining about his leadership. Jesus himself was accused of being in league with the devil. (Luke 11:15) Just remember when you are chided, you are in good company.

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Mysterious Ways

William Cowper didn’t see any reason to live. He decided that he’d jump off the bridge over the Thames. So, he called a cab to take him there. But that night in 1763, a thick fog enveloped London. It was so thick the cab driver couldn’t find the bridge and couldn’t even find the way to take William home. In frustration, he ordered the driver to stop and get out to get his bearings. He walked up to the nearest house to read the number and it was William's house. Gone now were William’s thoughts of suicide and instead a new idea came into his head. So, he went in and wrote these words: God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm. You fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds you so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head. I sometimes wish we could see all the ways God watches over us when need it. There are...

The Gift You Give Yourself

I always hated buying gifts for my Mom. If I got her something like a new set of pans, it was like saying “Here’s something you can use to go make me something to eat”. A gift for her was seemingly a gift for me. There are however gifts you give that benefit you more than the receiver. For example, forgiveness. When you give it, you are giving it to yourself as much as you are giving it to them. Jesus said that when we forgive others it means God is forgiving us our wrongs (Matthew 6:14-15). I once read: “ Heaven is where everyone's forgiven. Hell is where nobody's forgiven. So, when we forgive we pull heaven down into our lives. When we withhold forgiveness, we pull hell up into our lives ” Give yourself something nice today, Forgive.

Canned Faith

As Dale Jenkins wrote: “Faith is a little like paint. As long as it’s in the can, it isn't much. Left in the can long enough a gallon of paint will ruin. Faith left unpracticed and unexercised will too…. You can’t just talk about faith. To be effective, you must be living it out. So take the paint out of the can and start painting.” The Bible says in James 2:18,” But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works . " Faith is something that only works when it is used. If our faith doesn’t do anything, is it really there at all? Truly “ living by faith ” isn’t just a proclamation we make but one we live in how we walk and talk, how we live and interact, and what we say but also what we do. Is our faith canned? Is it something we have if we go looking for it? Or is it something that is being used daily in our lives? Does your faith color eve...

Ecclesiastes 12:10

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