Selective indignation and downright hypocrisy

One of last night's links goes to an article that references George Will pointing out the hypocrisy of Apple CEO Tim Cook. Cook is one of many in the business world who has ascended his high horse and raised a stink to high heaven about the Religious Freedom Restoration Acts in Indiana and Arkansas. Their hypocrisy has not gone unnoticed, even if under-reported. Boycott Iran, Not Indiana quotes Carla Fiorina, for example, "When Tim Cook is upset about all the places he does business because of the way they treat gays and women, he needs to withdraw from 90% of the markets that he's in, including China and Saudi Arabia. But I don't hear him being upset about that."

Arkansas-based Wal-Mart came out against the RFRA in Arkansas. Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon urged the Arkansas governor to veto it -- while the retail giant rascal quietly goes about building its financial empire in countries where homosexuality is a punishable offense (e.g. in Zambia homosexual activity is a felony punishable by imprisonment; Ghana, 5 to 25 years in prison; Tanzania, not less that 30 years in prison) -- and to think, some pizzeria in Indiana only wanted (hypothetically) to not cater homosexual weddings.

Tim Cook and Doug McMillon -- I can see your mouths moving, but I can't hear what you say. But the hypocrisy comes through loud and clear.

Tim Cook's double standard, and other links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• 5 Ways Protestants Differ From Other Christian Denominations -- "While there are many Protestant denominations, Protestant Christians share some common refutations of Catholic beliefs." [Warning: starts with a false statement in the 1st sentence.]
• A once-a-year churchgoer confronts a preacher -- "There’s a word for people like me, I found out from Facebook. “CMEs,” or Christmas, Mother’s Day and Easter churchgoers. Opinion about these drop-ins was mixed."
• Congratulations, Leftists: You Shut Down Memories Pizza Of Walkerton, IN -- "All because they honestly answered a hypothetical question posed by a reporter who walked into their place of business."
• Crowdfunding donations for Indiana pizzeria that supported RFRA capped at $842,387 -- "Blaze TV set up its crowdfunding page on gofundme.com"
• Hoosier Hostility is not the American Way -- "Admittedly, the labor movement hasn’t always honored equal rights as quickly as it should have."
• Left’s Homosexual Campaign: Not About Freedom, But Delegitimization and Annihilation of Christianity -- "Columnist George Will points out that Apple’s openly gay CEO, Tim Cook, “... thinks Indiana is a terrible place. (But) He opened marketing and retail operations in Saudi Arabia two months before a man was sentenced to 450 lashes for being gay...Cook has recently been in the United Arab Emirates negotiating on behalf of Apple, where homosexuality is against the law and the penalty is death."
• This Map Shows Every Religious Freedom Law Across the U.S. -- "Since 1993, 21 states have passed laws that allow citizens to follow their creed, even if that means discriminating against a group of people."
• Wife Refuses to Pull Plug on Husband After Motorcycle Crash, Then He Wakes From Coma -- "Danielle Josey Davis had been married only seven months when a devastating motorcycle accident left her husband on life support and in a coma."

Pray for Bakers, Pizzerias, and United Steelworkers

Yesterday morning on Huffington Post I read an interesting anti-hate hate speech by Leo W. Gerard, the International President of United Steelworkers. He says that Hoosier Hostility is not the American Way. What made this stand out to me is that Gerard jumps in late on the side of irresponsible reporting that has already been debunked. Gerard wrote, “After Indiana Republicans passed a license to discriminate law, a restaurant called Memories Pizza in the Hoosier town of Walkerton stepped up last week to make sure potential customers knew its religious rules: 'No Shirt, No Shoes, No Certification of Heterosexuality, No Service'.” He further announces that he wants “to prevent the likes of Memories Pizza from demanding certification of heterosexuality before service.” He rambles on for over a dozen paragraphs about hate and discrimination, while conveniently ignoring the other side of hate and discrimination that Shut Down Memories Pizza Of Walkerton, Indiana. The pizza place has not been shown to have discriminated against anyone, but simply “honestly answered a hypothetical question posed by a reporter who walked into their place of business.” The hypothetical was not about serving homosexuals but about catering a homosexual wedding -- which, by the way, is highly unlikely for most wedding receptions. During the questioning the respondents specifically told the reporter they would not deny service to anyone. Yet ABC57 led with this as the "first business to publicly deny same sex service" (which headline they have since changed). As of 11:00 a.m. April 6, www.eater.com still carries this headline (based on the ABC headline): “This Pizza Parlor Is Indiana's First Business to Deny Service to LGBT Customers.” Irresponsible at best and deliberately destructive at worst!

"Hoosier (and United Steelworkers) Hostility" is not limited to Indiana and definitely cuts both ways. The LGBT community has no patent on hate and threatening behaviour. The RFRA crowd was glad to join in the festivities in Florida. A Florida bakery has faced threats after refusing to print an anti-gay message on a cake. On the first of this month, Joshua Feuerstein called Cut the Cake bakery in Longwood, Florida to request a sheet cake with the message  “We do not support gay marriage” on it. The owner refused to decorate such a cake, and Feuerstein posted about this incident on Facebook. The owner said after that “threats started pouring in.” I agree that Feuerstein's message was anti-gay marriage, but not with the owner's assessment that it was a hateful message. I support the owner's right to not decorate such a cake because she sees it as a hateful message. I do not agree with Joshua Feuerstein's method. He in fact did not want a cake at all, but just wanted to make a point. Making a point with the kind of furor he created does not well follow Jesus's injunction that “all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” What he did was irresponsible at best and deliberately destructive at worst. Shame on Christians who stoop to such lows. 

"Tolerance" is a two-way street. Better yet, let's observe as much freedom of speech, religion, etcetera as possible.

* Go Fund Me accounts have been created in support of both Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana and Cut the Cake in Longwood, Florida.

The dead are raised up

"The dead are raised up." Matthew 11:5

"The dead are raised up." The "dead" are those who by nature are dead in sin. These dead are raised up when life from God visits their souls. They are raised up to faith in Jesus, raised up to hope in his name, raised up to a sense of his dying love to their souls, raised up from doubt and fear, raised up from the depths of despondency, to look unto him and be saved. -- J. C. Philpot

This day in history

This day in history (A.D. dates)

• 1199 - Richard I, the Lion-hearted, King of England (1189-99), dies at 41
• 1320 - The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath
• 1671 - French playwright and poet Jean-Baptiste Rousseau is born
• 1672 - France declares war on Netherlands
• 1808 - John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company
• 1830 - Joseph Smith and 5 others organize the Mormon church
• 1862 - The battle of Shiloh begins; Albert Sidney Johnston, U.S. Confederate general, dies in battle at 59
• 1868 - Mormon leader Brigham Young marries his 27th wife, which is his last marriage
• 1896 - U.S. President Benjamin Harrison marries Mary Scott at the St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church in New York City
• 1896 - The first modern Olympic Games begin in Athens, Greece
• 1909 - Explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson become the first men to reach the North Pole
• 1915 - A daughter, Adelaide, is born to Robert and Tisha Chapman
• 1917 - The United States declares war on Germany
• 1920 - Physicist Erwin Schrödinger marries Annemarie Bertel
• 1937 - Country singer/songwriter Merle Haggard is born
• 1956 - Paramount Pictures sign Elvis Presley to a 3 movie deal
• 1971 - Russian composer Igor Stravinsky dies at age 88
• 1998 - Country singer Tammy Wynette dies at age 55
• 2015 - Adelaide Chapman Vaughn celebrates her 100th birthday

Free speech

When people say things that others do not want to hear, often the answer or solution of those who don't want to hear it is to curtail speech -- to silence the speaker. Curtailing free speech is not the answer. More speech is the answer, not no speech or less speech. Not just more speech, but better speech. Bad speech should be answered by better speech, not intimidating speech; by loving speech, not louder speech.

Haney's help

"Biblically speaking, there are two times, and only two times when it is necessary for the children of God to disregard, disobey, and defy the laws of the land and simply refuse to obey their government:  1.) When the government by law forbids someone from obeying God – Daniel’s praying against the law that forbade it; 2.) When the government by law forces someone to disobey God – Hananiah, Azariah, and Meshael, (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) being forced to bow to a false god.  Only when the circumstances fit within the framework of those scriptural principles can a child of God rightly and flatly refuse to obey the laws of the government ruling over them." -- Jeff Haney

Creation and other science links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• Biblical reasons to doubt Justin Taylor’s doubts about the creation days being 24-hour periods -- "It is interesting; but I think ultimately very weak."
• Can Faith and Science Coexist? Mathematician and Christian John Lennox Responds -- "All scientists presuppose and therefore have faith in the rational intelligibility of the universe. Einstein could not have been a scientist without this faith...The mathematical intelligibility of nature is evidence for a rational spirit behind the universe."
• Did God make Anything According to Genesis One? -- "...one scholar has emerged over the past several years with a 'revolutionary' explanation. Namely, that Genesis 1 doesn't describe God 'making' anything."
• Should We Doubt Young Earth Creationism? -- "One issue often debated by current Christians is the significance of young earth creationism (YEC)."
• 7 Unhealthiest Foods On The Planet -- "These seemingly innocent foods should be placed on your personal 'no-eat' list."

"Non-religion" a protected class

On Tuesday Madison, Wisconsin, became the first city to ban discrimination against "atheists". "'Nonreligion' was added as a protected class by the Common Council under the city's equal opportunity ordinance."

According to former Atheists Humanists and Agnostics president Chris Calvey, "Having it on the books, where we're legally a protected class, that'll make things much easier for atheists. And we'll be able to be confident that at least if we're honest about what we actually believe, then we have the law backing us up so we can't legally be discriminated against."

Now the atheist -- the final wording was actually "non-religion" -- is a "protected class" right along with sex, race, religion, color, national origin or ancestry, citizenship status, age, handicap/disability, marital status, source of income, arrest record, conviction record, less than honorable discharge, physical appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic identity, political beliefs, familial status, student status, domestic partner status, receipt of rental assistance, the fact that the person declines to disclose their social security number, and unemployment status. 

My first reaction is to wonder whether Madison had been discriminating against atheists all along until now? 

Second, I guess I'm too slow to grasp the whole concept of "protected class membership." Does that mean that those not listed in the protected classes don't get the city's protections? Or that those in the protected classes gets a better version of protection from the city?

Pity the poor folks who don't belong to a class.

The thief on the cross

Luke 23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

On the 14th day of Nissan, circa AD 33, three men were executed on a hill outside of Jerusalem called Golgotha or Calvary.1

The Two Thieves
On the right and left crosses at Golgotha were executed two men convicted as thieves. They probably knew one another and may have even been partners in crime. There were bands of thieves around Jerusalem. They were not stealth stealers but violent criminals with no qualms about taking what they wanted by assault, bodily injury and even death (Luke 10:30). Their reputation was such that authorities were careful to arrest them by sending soldiers in a show of force (Luke 22:52).

The Man in the Middle
In contrast to the men on the right and the left, the man hanging on the middle cross had “done nothing amiss.” He was the spotless Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. Yet, Jesus was identified as a malefactor (criminal) by the Jewish authorities (John 18:30). He was arrested as though he were a violent criminal (Luke 22:52), though he had been available to them in public teaching on a daily basis. He was by prophecy “numbered with the transgressors” (Isa. 53:12; Mark 15:28), and even replaced Barabbas, a convicted thief and seditionist who was sentenced to die that day (John 18:40; Mark 15:7). In the human view of Golgotha’s scene, He was a “thief among thieves”.2 

The Early Hours
As the crucifixion began the third hour (about 9 in the morning), both thieves began to echo the words of the crowd.

Before the Sixth Hour
In an unexplained turnaround, one thief exhibits repentance and faith through his conversation with the other thief and with Jesus.

The death of Barabbas was expected to coincide with the execution of these other two. They may have participated in his crimes (he was a thief also, John 18:40) or they may have been independently arrested and sentenced. (The penitent thief's awareness of the other thief's just punishment indicates they were acquainted.) But Jesus Barabbas would not die this day. They find themselves sentenced to death with another Jesus who bore the superscription on his cross as Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. While in the excruciating torment of the cross, Jesus had the heart, mind and will to pray for others. It is a remarkable that of the two thieves suffering the like punishment and agony, one thief reviled Jesus with the crowd while the other thief was turned to repentance and faith.

The thief had nothing to offer Christ. He had nothing in his past to offer. While Jesus walked the hills of Galilee and the streets of Jerusalem with his disciples this thief was intently occupied with his chosen illegal trade. He was no Peter, James or John. He defied the people and the law and had been captured and sentenced to die. He admitted that he had been justly condemned to the reward of his deeds. He had nothing in his future to offer. In fact, he had no future. He could not promise to “join the church,” be baptized, or live righteously. This day he had been condemned to die – and die he would.

Salvation by Grace
What a marvelous picture of God’s mercy and grace. A guilty thief, a malefactor worthy of death, with neither past good works to commend him nor future good works to amend him -- all he could hope for was “God be merciful to me a sinner.”


The penitent thief was a sinner. He was receiving the just reward of his deeds. Jesus was a Saviour of sinners. He was giving a life a ransom for many. God was merciful. God's grace is the only explanation for Jesus's answer to this dying man, "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." The trip to paradise would be a short one, and Jesus paid the fare.

1 which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull; someone wrote: "When the King James Version was written, the translators used an anglicised version — Calvary — of the Latin gloss from the Vulgate (Calvariæ), to refer to Golgotha in the Gospel of Luke, rather than translate it; subsequent uses of Calvary stem from this single translation decision." This did not originate with the KJ translators.
2 Not that he was convicted as a thief, but that in all ways he was treated like them.

Miscellaneous
"I grant you, one penitent thief was converted in his last hours, that no man might despair; but I warn you, only one was converted, that no man might presume." -- J. C. Ryle
"Those who wait until the eleventh hour to repent often die at ten thirty." -- Unknown
In theory the two thieves has opportunity to hear all of Jesus’s Seven Sayings on the Cross — i.e. they were still alive (John 19:28-33).

Indiana RFRA and other links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• A major publisher may withdraw all its books from Amazon -- "If HarperCollins and Amazon don't come to an agreement, no print or digital HarperCollins books will be available on Amazon once its existing contract runs out..." 
• America: Where We Deliberately Allow Freedoms to Be Abused -- "The Indiana RFRA is written to try to return strict-scrutiny protection to all Americans in their free exercise of their religious faith."
• Freedom of Religion and the Indiana Law: On the verge of Government Run Faith -- "If those whose tolerance is a one-way street would speak in plain honest language, what they would says is, 'You are not allowed to believe what you believe, and you are not allowed to behave according to that belief.'"
• Indiana’s RFRA—and the Response—Is All About the Signaling -- "What the law actually says is mostly irrelevant in our cultural climate." 
• Indiana didn’t actually pass an anti-gay bill -- "The outcry is so violent that one law professor declined to talk on the record. He had already offered a legal opinion about the law in public — and he, and his family, had been swamped by hate mail and personal abuse a result." the law simply says the state can’t force you to do something that’s against your religion unless it has a very good reason to do so — the “compelling interest” rule.
• Lifeway Pulls Heaven Tourism For Good…Still No Acknowledgement of Alex Malarkey -- " LifeWay Christian Resources has stopped selling all “experiential testimonies about heaven”..."
• Meet 10 Americans Helped By Religious Freedom Bills Like Indiana’s -- "...on March 10, the federal government returned the eagle feathers it had seized nine years prior from a Native American religious leader and famed feather dancer Robert Soto." 
• Neil deGrasse Tyson Defends Scientology—and the Bush Administration’s Science Record -- "The Daily Beast caught up with Neil deGrasse Tyson for a wide-ranging discussion on everything from the tenets of Scientology to the ongoing policy battle between science and religion." 
• Psychologists found the personality traits that make people fat -- "...according to a new Swiss study cited by New York Magazine, your eating habits are unknowingly guided by your personality traits." 
• Shocking sonogram shows how smoking affects unborn babies -- "Durham University, Lancaster University and Dr. Nadja Reissland conducted a study on smoking and pregnancy by following 20 mothers...The mothers participated in regular ultrasound scans during their pregnancies to note fetal movement and other factors."
• Texas has a similar "religious freedom" law to Indiana -- "The Religious Freedom Restoration Act says the government cannot “substantially burden” a person’s ability to follow their religious beliefs, unless it can prove a compelling interest in imposing that burden or do so in the least restrictive way."
• Why being born a homosexual is an irrelevant argument . . . All men are born wrong. -- "...God doesn’t accept anyone the way they are born. That’s why Jesus told us we must be born again."
• Woman burned alive in crash after GPS leads driver off demolished bridge -- "Lake County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Patricia Van Til said the road is marked with numerous barricades, including orange barrels and cones, large wood signs stating ROAD CLOSED with orange striped markings and concrete barricades across the road."

Sacred Harp tune "Abernethy"

I wrote this tune in early December 2014 and named it in honor of F. E. Abernethy, for the work he did in writing about and recording information about Sacred Harp in East Texas. It has (1.3) because this is the third iteration. I originally wrote it in 3/2 time and changed it to 4/4 to make it a little more "folksy". I also made a few minor changes in the harmony based on some suggestions by others.

Death of F. E. Abernethy

Francis Edward "Ab" Abernethy died Saturday, March 21, 2015, in Nacogdoches. Dr. Abernethy was a folklorist and not strictly a Sacred Harp singer. But he was a friend of Sacred Harp whose work in the field of folklore brought him in contact with it, and whose writings preserved some of our history. He is the author of Singin' Texas (Denton: University of North Texas Press, 1994). He wrote the chapter on "Anglo-Texan Spirituals" in Tell Me a Story, Sing Me a Song: a Texas Chronicle, in which he preserves information about mostly forgotten singing near Austonio, Texas. He wrote "Singing All Day & Dinner on the Grounds" in Observations and Reflections on Texas Folklore, scenes from his visit to an East Texas Convention at Harris Chapel (probably in the late 1960s). Abernethy wrote the article on at Handbook of Texas Online.

If I remember correctly, Dr. Abernethy was one of the organizers of the 'Sacred Harp Preservation Symposium' held at Stephen F. Austin State Iniversity in 1994. Some of his other activities include a Professor at SFASU, a member of the East Texas String Ensemble, President of the Texas Folklore Society, Secretary-Editor of the Texas Folklore Society for thirty-two years, and an active member of the East Texas Historical Association.

I have a letter from Dr. Abernethy in which he wished to remembered in a memorial lesson by Sacred Harp singers. I wanted to find it and quote him -- but if I wait that long I may never post this! I can't find it, but I know I didn't throw it away. At least maybe the first sentence in this paragraph captures the gist of what he wrote.

Here is a short quote from his chapter "Singing All Day & Dinner on the Grounds": "Compared to Sacred Harp, First Church music is water to wine."

A memorial service for Dr. Abernethy will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, 2015, at Banita Creek Hall in Nacogdoches, Texas.

New Generation and other music links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• American Vernacular Music Manuscripts, ca. 1730-1910 -- "Handwritten music manuscripts by common Americans contain primary and direct evidence of their musical preferences during a particular time and in a particular place."
• An Evening with Frisk Frugt + London Sacred Harp -- "London Sacred Harp continues an old a cappella community singing tradition from the American South."
• Archaic sounds of shape-note singing resound in Raleigh -- "Nearly 50 years ago, John Feddersen heard what he described as “stark, just visceral singing” as he crossed the National Mall in Washington, D.C., that compelled him to go see where it came from."
• Christian Harmony 2010 Indices -- Indices for the 2010 Edition of William Walker's Christian Harmony
• New generation leads revival of shape-note singing tradition -- "I walked into a room and my life changed. I was just transfixed."
• Nobody Knows: The Forgotten Story of One of the Most Influential Figures in American Music -- "After years of unsuccessfully pursuing the music profession—and now at twenty-six years of age—Harry had surrendered to the reality of making a living outside of the music world."
• Sacred Harp Singings in Alabama -- "Please visit the schedule of annual singings for up-to-date information on upcoming all-day Sacred Harp singings in Alabama."

The Tie Salesman

A fleeing Taliban terrorist, desperate for water, was plodding through the Afghan desert when he saw something far off in the distance. Hoping to find water, he hurried toward the mirage, only to find a very frail old Jewish man standing at a small makeshift display rack - selling ties.

The Taliban terrorist asked, "Do you have water?"

The Jewish man replied, "I have no water. Would you like to buy a tie? They are only $5."

The Talibani shouted hysterically, "Idiot Infidel! I do not need such an over-priced western adornment. I spit on your ties. I need water!"

"Sorry, I have none, just ties - pure silk, and only $5."

"Phh! A curse on your ties! I would wrap one around your scrawny little neck and choke the life out of you but . . . I must conserve my energy and find water!"

"Okay," said the little old Jewish man. "It does not matter that you do not want to buy a tie from me or that you hate me, threaten my life, and call me infidel. I will show you that I am bigger than any of that. If you continue over that hill to the east for about two miles, you will find a restaurant. It has fine food and all the ice-cold water you need. Go In Peace."

Cursing him again, the desperate Taliban terrorist staggered away, over the hill.

Several hours later, he came crawling back, almost dead, and gasped, "They won't let me in without a tie!"

Complimentary quotes

Sharing
"Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow." -- (often identified as a) Swedish Proverb; other versions include: 
"A joy shared is twice a joy, and a burden shared is half a burden." 
"A joy shared is doubled; a sorrow shared is cut in half." 
"A sorrow shared is but half a trouble, but a joy that's shared is a joy made double." 

The tongue and the heart
"The tongue is the heart's messenger." -- Thomas Adams 
"We need to think of our tongue as a messenger that runs errands for our heart." -- Chuck Swindoll "The tongue is a messenger that runs the errands of the heart." -- Unknown, maybe slightly misquoting Swindoll and Adams

Baptist Autographs, and other reviews

The posting of book reviews does not constitute endorsement of the books or book reviews that are linked.

• A Baptist’s Bookshelf: Thomas Schreiner’s Hebrews Commentary -- "If you’re in need of a good volume on Hebrews, you won’t do wrong picking up this one."
• A Fair Assessment Of 50 Shades Of Grey -- "...the main draw of the 50 Shades Trilogy really...is the story of unconditional love. If you are obstinate and are going to read the books anyway, save yourself the time and the guilt and read the following review."
• Baptist Autographs in the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, 1741-1845 -- "The reader will appreciate the abundance of detailed footnotes that help provide context to each letter as well as establish connections between the authors, recipients, or other persons mentioned."
• Book of the Month/January 2015 -- "The doctrine of the lesser magistrates is one of our lost doctrines, an essential part of our civic heritage, but one which we have shamefully neglected and now are in desperate need of again."
• Book Review: History: Think For Yourself About What Shaped The Church -- "History is, for Americans especially, a problematic business. There are those who want to transmit history, and others who want to redefine it."
• Rough Country: How Texas Became a Conservative Evangelical Powerhouse -- "Prior to the Civil War, as natural disasters, disease, and potential attack by Native Americans threatened white families that settled Texas, religion brought hope and comfort. It also shaped civilization in the 'rough country'."
• The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It -- "I find myself somewhat torn. I really like reading Peter Enns....although the overall message of the book—that the Bible isn’t a rulebook—is a somewhat overdone attack on a straw-man, his seven chapters each make important points evangelicals have often missed."
• The Importance of Being Earnest -- "Wilde uses this farcical comedy to mock the manners and social decorum of the period."

Prayer

Too often, we make prayer showy, shallow and self-centered. It ought to be simple, sincere and spiritual. Here are some things people have said about prayer that you might enjoy and find helpful.

"In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart." -- John Bunyan

"We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there's nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all." -- Oswald Chambers

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" -- Corrie ten Boom

"I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer." -- Martin Luther

"God can pick sense out of a confused prayer." -- Richard Sibbes

"When at night you cannot sleep,

Talk to the Shepherd and stop counting sheep." (Author unknown)

"Saying one's prayers isn't exactly the same thing as praying." -- Lucy M. Montgomery (in Anne of Green Gables) 

"Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,

Uttered or unexpressed;

The motion of a hidden fire

That trembles in the breast." (James Montgomery)

Lord, teach us to pray.

Surprised by Joy

* Surprised by Joy

By William Wordsworth

Surprised by joy—impatient as the Wind

I turned to share the transport—Oh! with whom

But Thee, long buried in the silent Tomb,

That spot which no vicissitude can find?

Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind—

But how could I forget thee?—Through what power,

Even for the least division of an hour,

Have I been so beguiled as to be blind

To my most grievous loss!—That thought’s return

Was the worst pang that sorrow ever bore,

Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn,

Knowing my heart’s best treasure was no more;

That neither present time, nor years unborn

Could to my sight that heavenly face restore.

Source: Poems (1815)

Adams' Apples of Gold

"It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious than aristocracy or monarchy. It is not true, in fact, and nowhere appears in history. Those passions are the same in all men, under all forms of simple government, and when unchecked, produce the same effects of fraud, violence, and cruelty. When clear prospects are opened before vanity, pride, avarice, or ambition, for their easy gratification, it is hard for the most considerate philosophers and the most conscientious moralists to resist the temptation." -- John Adams