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I needed this reminder today...maybe some of you feel like you do too...

Scotland, England, Wales...all those countries had witnessed those great revivals and heard men of God such as Wigglesworth, George Mueller, John Wesley.  The fires of revival had swept Europe and eventually came west to our shores.  The drunkard left the saloons, the wayward found the beacon, the hurting and oppressed walked in new found joy.  Those hymns poured forth from the hearts of men and women overcome with deeply personal experiences with God.

You and I are surrounded by so many things that try to take the place of "A closer walk with Thee".  We seek relief in so many ways...in pursuit of pleasure, in new relationships, in the newest toy, in whatever money can buy. Years later, one can find most of these discarded treasures in garage sales or in divorce courts.  All too soon we find ourselves old, without ever possessing anything that brought us peace and lasting joy.  Like a heavy blanket, depression soon overtakes us, amid fears and desperation.  We feel swallowed by the darkness which always torments us.

There is a reason for this. If we become consumed by what is new, fanciful, and delightful we may enjoy it for a season...yet all things are subject to the scrutiny of time.  Only those things which reach deep into the heart of man and touch his spirit will remain forever.  And if we fail to discover them, we have nothing but emptiness to consume our limited time on this earth.

On a subway in Tokyo I was sitting with friends that had come to the airport to meet me and take me to their home. We were all so joyous and excited to see one another again...because of our bond of friendship in the love of Christ.  As we carried on, a Japanese man had been watching us across the aisle.  Suddenly, he came over to us and asked a question.  "I am puzzled" he said. "Why are you all so happy?"  It caught us off guard, but we answered, "because we have Jesus Christ in our hearts and He brings us joy".  Then he said a remarkable thing, "I am a psychiatrist. I have never been able to make anyone happy like all of you".  We had the wonderful privilege of sharing with him how this treasure could be his also.

Perhaps you already know God, but you find yourself doubting His faithfulness.  Have you strayed away from His heart, looking at things of this world as answers?  Look at the things you have already discarded, thrown away, and ceased to love....because they were Band-Aids on an open sore.

But there is an answer that does not come from this earth...it comes from above.

In the midst of my present sickness, I can truthfully say that I am completely happy!  Why?  Because, as a Christian, I have discovered the faithfulness of God.  

No...it has not kept me from trials and disappointments....God loves me enough to strengthen my faith in Him, and so allows them, for my good. But God always brought me into a safe haven and the end was always a treasured testimony of this faithfulness. His Word has promised that" all things work together for GOOD to them that are called, according to His promises." I may not understand why I am going through something that is painful and exhausting, but I know that from the beginning, my illness is for my good...and one day He will tell me why it was good. "Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life..." These are words that are deeply implanted in my heart and spirit...they are the light bulbs I switch on every time darkness comes along. He will never let go of my hand!

Friend, are you in the midst of much trouble? Are you fearful and anxious? Are you "at the end of your rope?" That too is GOOD! Because now there is an opportunity for you to do as I have learned to do! It began long ago with a confession and repentance for my sins and a calling unto Him, my Heavenly Father to forgive and save me. I meant it with all my heart. And He did...because He is faithful to His word. And so, as I drew near to Him, He did the same to me. I began to live in His faithfulness...it has stood that test of time and remains in me today. A new song was written in my heart that I will sing forever, Amazing Grace...how sweet the sound!

So it is no wonder that this old woman keeps singing.

Mary E. Adams

Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle’s reply was simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."

Mrs. Martin goes on to tell that she went home that evening and penned these words: "I sing because I’m happy. I sing because I’m free! His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me." This woman made no pretense that her life was easy, nor did she deny the pain and disappointment that she no doubt felt about how life had turned out. She simply knew a fact that far too many of us forget--she knew that she was a child of God, held and loved in God’s arms. She knew that God was with her always. And that gave her the ability to live a life filled with joy that is greater than superficial happiness. And, as the hymn says, that is a reason to sing.
So, why do we sing? We sing because there are some things that just can’t be expressed with ordinary words, some thoughts and feelings that are too deep to express in ordinary ways. So we borrow the language of music and with it proclaim the goodness of our God. And we sing because God has inspired us by claiming us as God’s own and by assuring us of constant love and care.

Amen!

-Rev. Bryan Bass-Riley

Sing Songs in the Night!

Helen Keller lived her whole life in the midst of chronic unhappiness-producing circumstances.  But she leaned into them.  She sang into them—not literally, of course, but within her heart.  This is what she writes:  Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn whatever state I may be in, Therein to be content - Helen Keller

 In Acts 16, we know the story of the conversion of the Philippian jailor.  Paul and Silas had been put in his prison.  We might miss what was going on in the jailhouse that night.  
In the darkness and stench of the first-century prison, the scripture records that Paul and Silas were singing songs in the night.

 You can too!  You can sing songs in the night.  You can quote Bible verses in the midst of your struggle.  You can push through your circumstances with God’s promises.

That is true of Paul and Silas, who had learned the secret of the right attitude.  The attitude is this:  “I’m happy because I sing.”  It doesn’t really matter, does it?  The reason I sing is because I’m happy--  Or --The reason I’m happy is because I have chosen to sing.

How can you be pretty happy?  Be singing your way to happiness.

 Being  happy is not determined by what you have—whether it’s a lot of a little.  Being pretty happy is a learned behavior guided by your determination to set your heart on the things of God.  Be content because you’ve connected with Someone higher than your circumstances.  Be pretty happy because you are like Paul and Silas, who took Jesus’ words to heart, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness—and contentment will be yours.”

Psalm 65:4

Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts.

What is it that will ultimately keep you  happy?  What is it that will satisfy your soul?  It’s being near to Jesus.  I know a lot of unhappy people who don’t know Christ.  I know quite a number, don’t you, who do know Christ, but they are unhappy because they are not near Him.

Surrender some of your expectations.
Surround yourself with happy friends.
Sing a song in the night.
 

Why should I feel discouraged?

Why should the shadows come?

Why should my heart be lonely?

And long for heaven and home?

When Jesus is my portion--

My constant friend is He.

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy.

I sing because I’m free.

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.



-  Beyond Survival - Tim Walker

Unfulfilled Dreams
Inspiration from the Great Sermons of
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

I want to preach this morning from the subject: "Unfulfilled Dreams." "Unfulfilled Dreams." My text is taken from the eighth chapter of First Kings. Sometimes it’s overlooked. It is not one of the most familiar passages in the Old Testament. But I never will forget when I first came across it. It struck me as a passage having cosmic significance because it says so much in so few words about things that we all experience in life. David, as you know, was a great king. And the one thing that was foremost in David’s mind and in his heart was to build a great temple. The building of the temple was considered to be the most significant thing facing the Hebrew people, and the king was expected to bring this into being. David had the desire; he started.

And then we come to that passage over in the eighth chapter of First Kings, which reads, "And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. And the Lord said unto David my father, ‘Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was within thine heart.’" And that’s really what I want to talk about this morning: it is well that it was within thine heart. As if to say, "David, you will not be able to finish the temple. You will not be able to build it. But I just want to bless you, because it was within thine heart. Your dream will not be fulfilled. The majestic hopes that guided your days will not be carried out in terms of an actual temple coming into being that you were able to build. But I bless you, David, because it was within thine heart. You had the desire to do it; you had the intention to do it; you tried to do it; you started to do it. And I bless you for having the desire and the intention in your heart. It is well that it was within thine heart."

So many of us in life start out building temples: temples of character, temples of justice, temples of peace. And so often we don’t finish them. Because life is like Schubert’s "Unfinished Symphony." At so many points we start, we try, we set out to build our various temples. And I guess one of the great agonies of life is that we are constantly trying to finish that which is unfinishable. We are commanded to do that. And so we, like David, find ourselves in so many instances having to face the fact that our dreams are not fulfilled.

...cont`d

cont`d...
So many of our forebearers used to sing about freedom. And they dreamed of the day that they would be able to get out of the bosom of slavery, the long night of injustice. (Yes, sir) And they used to sing little songs: "Nobody knows de trouble I seen, nobody knows but Jesus." (Yes) They thought about a better day as they dreamed their dream. And they would say, "I’m so glad the trouble don’t last always. (Yeah) By and by, by and by I’m going to lay down my heavy load." (Yes, sir) And they used to sing it because of a powerful dream. (Yes) But so many died without having the dream fulfilled.

And each of you this morning in some way is building some kind of temple. The struggle is always there. It gets discouraging sometimes. It gets very disenchanting sometimes. Some of us are trying to build a temple of peace. We speak out against war, we protest, but it seems that your head is going against a concrete wall. It seems to mean nothing. (Glory to God) And so often as you set out to build the temple of peace you are left lonesome; you are left discouraged; you are left bewildered.

Well, that is the story of life. And the thing that makes me happy is that I can hear a voice crying through the vista of time, saying: "It may not come today or it may not come tomorrow, but it is well that it is within thine heart. (Yes) It’s well that you are trying." (Yes it is) You may not see it. The dream may not be fulfilled, but it’s just good that you have a desire to bring it into reality. (Yes) It’s well that it’s in thine heart.

Oh this morning, if I can leave anything with you, let me urge you to be sure that you have a strong boat of faith. [laughter] The winds are going to blow. (Yes) The storms of disappointment are coming. (Yes) The agonies and the anguishes of life are coming. (Yes, sir) And be sure that your boat is strong, and also be very sure that you have an anchor. (Amen) In times like these, you need an anchor. And be very sure that your anchor holds. (Yes, Glory to God)

It will be dark sometimes, and it will be dismal and trying, and tribulations will come. But if you have faith in the God that I’m talking about this morning, it doesn’t matter. (Yes) For you can stand up amid the storms. And I say it to you out of experience this morning, yes, I’ve seen the lightning flash. (Yes, sir) I’ve heard the thunder roll. (Yes) I’ve felt sin-breakers dashing, trying to conquer my soul. But I heard the voice of Jesus, saying still to fight on. He promised never to leave me, (Yes, sir) never to leave me alone. (Thank you, Jesus) No, never alone. No, never alone. He promised never to leave me. Never to leave me alone. (Glory to God)

And when you get this faith, you can walk with your feet solid to the ground and your head to the air, and you fear no man. (Go ahead) And you fear nothing that comes before you. (Yes, sir) Because you know that God is even in Crete. (Amen) If you ascend to the heavens, God is there. If you descend to hell, God is even there. If you take the wings of the morning and fly out to the uttermost parts of the sea, even God is there. Everywhere we turn we find him. We can never escape him.  

Sing Hallelujah  !  :D

(edited for length)

Suffering to Hope - Amen, Halleujah!
(by Theresa Burke)

IT HAS BEEN A BREAT BLESSING in my life to have as my life partner a man who, in the face of enormous personal suffering, speaks the truth whenever and wherever he senses the promptings of the Holy Spirit to do so. The cost, both actual and potential, is high as he frequently puts himself at risk in answering the call of God to proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it (2 Tm 4:2). I watch with admiration as he endures the ridicule of colleagues for holding up the teachings of the Church on such practices as horoscopes and numerology. I cheer him on as he steps way out on a limb to suggest gently and lovingly to a pregnant student that a decision for life is a courageous option.

It is true heroism, I believe, to go out this way day after day into our communities and our workplaces bearing the light of Christ, knowing that in all likelihood we will be ignored, rejected and even persecuted.

Yet, that is exactly what the Church has been subjected to since its early beginnings, but perhaps never to the degree that we are witnessing today. As a "survivor" of the liberal sixties and the self-indulgent seventies, I am a whole-hearted convert to the straight lines and the timeless values that have been upheld by the Church since Jesus set it on a firm foundation so many hundreds of years ago. The truth is the truth, now and ever shall be, world without end. No compromises, no concessions, no bending, no negotiating. Love is unconditional, life is precious, and salvation is in Jesus Christ.

It hurts us to see our beloved Church dragged through the mud, taunted by the media, condemned for being rigid and unyielding. It hurts me to see my husband come in the door exhausted from the experience of living the Gospel in a hostile environment. But I know that this is the paradox of joy-suffering that Jesus lived and invites us to live as his followers.

And if we agree? Like Jesus, who was rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him, we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light (1 Pet 2:4,9).

Awesome, isn't it?!

Amen, Halleujah!  :D

Thank you, those posts were so beautiful and uplifting to read!

Luk 10:17  The seventy came back and joyously reported, "Lord, even the demons are submitting to us in your name!"
Luk 10:18  He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.
Luk 10:19  Look! I have given you the authority to trample snakes and scorpions and to destroy all the enemy's power, and nothing will ever hurt you.
Luk 10:20  However, stop rejoicing because the spirits are submitting to you. Rather, rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
Luk 10:21  In that hour Jesus was extremely joyful in the Holy Spirit and said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this is what was pleasing to you.
Luk 10:22  All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and the person to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
Luk 10:23  Then turning to the disciples in private, he said to them, "How blessed are the eyes that see what you see!

 :)

GOD INTENDS YOU TO BE HAPPY!

Where is the secret of happiness? Where can we find overflowing gladness? Let me share with you this truth: nothing outside you can bring you joy within. It is only from within that gladness can come. Each of us has the potential for joy and overflowing gladness, but we may not reach it. We are inhibited by fear, guilt, worry, temptation, and sin. These hold back our joy. It is only when we peel off the restrictions of our fears and guilt and sin that the real inner joy can be revealed. God wants us to be joyous. Happiness is a mark of the person who is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. There are 27 words in the Old Testament meaning joy or gladness. There are 20 in the New Testament. The New Testament starts with joy: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 It starts with the birth of the Saviour and ends with the Hallelujah Chorus being sung in heaven. Christianity is a singing religion. We sing, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” You do not get that same singing joy in Buddhism, Hinduism, or Islam, but it is in Christianity!

Joy is mentioned 180 times in the Bible and happiness on 102 occasions. Christians are expected to be joyful. Jesus is the joy of living. To know Him is to know joy. Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4: 4 On the night before the crucifixion, the disciples were in the depths of gloom because of fear for their lives. Then Jesus gave them and us a great insight into the meaning of sadness and gladness. He said, “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. I am telling you the truth; you will cry and weep, but the world will be glad; you will be sad, but your sadness will be turned into gladness.” John 16:20-23 He did not promise a substitute for sadness, but that He would turn the sadness itself into gladness. After the resurrection, we read the disciples “were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” John 20:20

Jesus makes a promise: “My Father will give you what-ever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” John 16:24 Jesus promises that sadness can turn to gladness. How can we receive that promise? Here are four things that will guide you. First you will find happiness in your life if you do not search for it but get on doing something else. A happy person does not seek happiness. He or she is doing something else and happiness is a by-product. Joy is always a process, never a product. Trust God and joy follows.

Second A selfish person never discovers happiness. Joy is found only when you serve others. At the end of his great life, Dr Albert Schweitzer said, “At least this I have learned. One thing is true all over the world. Only they are really happy who know what it is to serve others.” They are happy because they are doing things for others. Therefore, grow your vegetables and give them away! Grow your flowers to share with someone else. Work with others for their benefit, not for your own. Selfish people are gloomy, but those who learn to give always make two people happy and the other one is themselves.

Third joy comes when you realise that immediate pain can be over come by a greater glory yet to come. Happy people always look beyond a problem to God’s solution. They look beyond the night to the sunrise. They always “trace the rainbow through the rain.” Happy people always look beyond their problems to see the possibilities. The glums look and say, “It has thorns.” The happy people look and say, “It is a rose, how beautiful!”

Fourth Always realise that God can answer your deepest need. Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” No matter what your deep needs may be, trust the Father and ask your needs in prayer.

Are you trying to find gladness by making more money, adding more things, seeking greater sensations and achievements? Or have you taken the steps to remove sin, fear, and doubt, and allow joy to overflow? Trust God. Serve others. Live positively. Ask God. These are the secrets to finding the promise of overflowing gladness. Then will your joy be complete!

-  by
Gordon Moyes

THE LAST WORD  :)

There's an old saying, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." Why is that? Why does it look so much more appealing to be in some other situation than the one you're in? Well, the answer is simple. The grass is greener on the other side of the fence because the grass on the other side of the fence isn't grass at all; it's artificial turf. It looks greener than green, but it's not real. A cow that leaves its grassy pasture for that greener-than-green carpet across the fence will end up with a mouthful of plastic and a big bellyache.

One of the surest ways to miss out on happiness is to be so busy looking across the fence at unreal fantasies that you never enjoy what's right under your nose.

For some of us, the other side of the fence is the future. We're waiting for some future event to make us happy. If you're a student, you may tell yourself, "Life isn't much fun right now, but once I graduate and spread my wings, then I'll be happy." But once you finish school, you say, "I'm not very happy yet--but I will be if only I meet the right person and fall in love." Once you're married, you say, "I'm not happy, but I will be once I get a better job and a nicer house." Once you have the house and the job, you say, "I'm too busy to really enjoy life, but once the kids move out and I retire, I'll relax and have a good time and enjoy life." And once you retire, you find that the green grass of the golf course isn't enough to make you truly happy.

Then you start having more and more health problems, and you find yourself going to more and more funerals of friends and relatives, and you find that you're no longer waiting for some future change to make you happy. Now the other side of the fence is the past. Now you're looking back to the good old days: "If only I could be young again! If only I could go back to those carefree school days when life was so much simpler! If only I could have that thrill of first love all over again! If only the children were small again--they were so cute back then! If only I could have a job instead of being retired and useless!" And so it goes. We spend much of life living for a future that won't make us as happy as we think, and we spend the rest of our life longing for a past that wasn't as happy as we now imagine it was.

Instead of always looking ahead or looking back, try looking up! Focus on God. Trust him. You can't find satisfaction chewing artificial turf. But when you look to the Lord Jesus and trust him as your Good Shepherd, he makes you to lie down in green pastures and fills you to overflowing. The Bible book of Ecclesiastes shows over and over that unless God fills us, we're bound to be restless and empty. The conclusion of Ecclesiastes, the Teachers's last word, is an appeal to relish life as God's gift and to base everything on a relationship to the Lord.

The Teacher begins his closing statement by saying what a gift life is. Ecclesiastes 11:7-8 says, "Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all." In other words, be positive! Don't waste your life worrying: "What if my grades aren't good enough? What if I can't find a good job? What if I can't find the right person to marry?" What if, what if, what if! What if you stopped worrying over all those what ifs? What if you simply notice how sweet and pleasant life can be and decide to enjoy each moment as God's gift?

cont`d...

The next word of advice: Be free! Ecclesiastes says, "Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see" (11:9). Be free! Be yourself! Some people may pressure you to be prim and proper and boring; others may pressure you to be stupid and self-destructive by smoking or drinking or doing drugs. You may feel pressure to get A's in school like your sister, or to go into the same line of work as your father, or to make as much money as a couple down the street, or to do your job exactly the same way as the person who held the position before you. But if you live to meet all those expectations, you won't really live, and you won't really be you! You'll just be a hodge-podge of other people's projections. Follow your heart. Be the person you're created to be. Be free!


Does that mean anything goes? No, be happy and follow the ways of your heart, says Ecclesiastes, "but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment" (11:9) In other words, be accountable. Have fun--but make sure it's godly fun. Use your energy and enthusiasm to enjoy God's gift of life, not to misuse it. You don't have to answer to all the self-appointed judges who try to run your life, but you do have to answer to one Judge: the Lord God himself. Don't think you can sow your wild oats and then hope for crop failure. Be accountable.

"So then," adds Ecclesiastes, "banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless" (11:10). The word which our English Bibles translate as "meaningless" or "vanity" appears often in Ecclesiastes. In the original Hebrew, it simply means "vapor" or "mist." Life is a mist. It lasts a short while, then it melts away. So enjoy the gift of life and health while you can; don't make yourself miserable if you don't have to. Let God's peace rule in your heart, and treat your body as a temple for his Holy Spirit.

Indeed, says Ecclesiastes, make it your number one priority in life to focus on the Lord--and do it while your body is still strong and your mind is still clear and your life is still enjoyable. You may think faith is mainly for old people. But the Bible appeals over and over to people who are young and in their prime, because faith is a challenging, exciting adventure that occupies all of your energy. Aged people need the Lord too, of course, but even they are best able to handle old age if their relationship with God started way back in their youth.

cont`d...

If you know your Creator and have a living relationship with Jesus Christ, he blesses your younger years by giving you a joy and purpose to channel your vitality and energy, and he blesses your last years by giving you inner strength to sustain you when your body starts to fail. As the apostle Paul once put it, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day... we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven" (2 Corinthians 4:16, 5:1).

Do you have that kind of faith? Do you believe in Jesus? Are you being inwardly renewed? Do you have that assurance of heaven? If not, then I urge you: "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth"--and if you're not a youth anymore, remember him anyway, because you're not getting any younger. Fix your mind on him while you still have a mind. Entrust your life to him while you still have a life. Remember your Creator--or your life will be a waste and your death a disaster.

The poet George Herbert captures the thrust of Ecclesiastes in one of his poems. Herbert says that when God first made man, he had a glass of blessings standing by. From that glass God poured one blessing after another: strength, beauty, wisdom, honor, pleasure. When he had poured out almost the whole glass, God stopped. At the very bottom of the glass lay one last blessing, the blessing of rest--contentment, satisfaction. The Lord decided not to pour that gift with all the others, but to hold it back. For if man found restful contentment in God's gifts, he would adore the gifts and not God the Giver. So God let him keep all the other riches, but he left man restless. That way, even if goodness wouldn't lead him to God, restlessness and weariness and emptiness would toss him into God's arms.

Ecclesiastes is all about that restlessness, that weariness, that emptiness, and how God uses it to hurl us back toward him. God has put eternity in our hearts, says Ecclesiastes, and we find joy and satisfaction only in the eternal God and in eternal life through Jesus. So fear God and keep his commandments--revere God in Christ as the supreme reality of your life, and do what he says. That is the whole of man.

 :)

- taken from Back To God
http://www.btgh.org/sermons/sermon_detail.cfm?ID=35498

Oo...I  dont remember  another  happy thread...

hmmm...I think I might have a memory problem...
as in I might not have one  :-X