Great Quotes!

Some one, then, must undertake the ungracious task of probing and laying bare the evils of the age; for men must not be allowed to congratulate themselves that all is well. If others will not, he will. If others shrink from the obloquy of such a work, he will not. He loves the age too well; he loves his nation too well; he loves his fellow-men too well. They may upbraid him; they may call him a misanthropist, or a prophet of evil; they may ascribe his warnings to the worst of motives, such as pride, or arrogance, or self-esteem, or malice, or envy; but he will give no heed to these unjust insinuations. He will prefer being thus misunderstood and maligned, to allowing men to precipitate themselves upon a ruin which they see not.



Rather than that they should perish, he will allow his own good name to be spoken against. He will risk every thing, even the hatred of brethren, rather than withhold the warning. If they give no heed to it, he has, at least, saved his own soul. If they do, he has saved both his own soul and theirs. He would rather take up the glad tidings of peace, and tell men of Him who came the first time for shame and death, and who is coming the second time for glory and dominion; but he feels as one who has a special and personal message to deliver, which cannot be postponed. He must remember that he is a watchman; and, having seen danger pressing on, he must not hesitate to make it known. He must speak his message of forewarning and rebuke, sparing no arrows, and neither smoothing down nor hiding any form of sin, but laying his finger upon every sore, and beseeching men to turn from their ungodliness.



The evils around him press upon him sadly; the coming evils are foreshadowed upon his spirit, and, therefore, he lifts up his voice like a trumpet. Satan has many snares which need to be detected; the world has many spells and lures which must be disenchanted; religion has many guises which must be unmasked, many devious paths of inconsistency which must be pointed out, many cherished errors which must be condemned, many carnal taints which must be abhorred and shunned. All these he must protest against without fear or favour.


--Horatius Bonar

More One Thousand Gifts

So much to be thankful for when you really think about it. I am thankful to be so blessed in so many ways.

151. Sitting around the freshly decorated tree with the children, talking about which ornament is our favorite.
152. The many memories brought about by looking at ornaments from years gone by
153. big, fat old fashioned Christmas lights
154. the look on my daughter's face when she looks at the lit up tree
154. children's' laughter
155. family time
156. using the easy bake oven with my daughter
157. tree swings
158. long, hot baths
189. Christmas cookies
160. glue sticks
161. lots of white Christmas lights
162. my favorite, great big frying pan
163. help in the kitchen!
164. an extra few minutes under the covers on a cold morning
165. talking to my sister
166. wrapping presents
167. Peace and quiet!
168. finished school work!
169. friends that are like family
170. the sound of rain falling
171. sunny days!
172. warm bathrobes
172. Christmas cards from old friends
173. decorating the house for Christmas
173. great movies!
174. crayons
175. a trustworthy mechanic

One Thousand seems so far away!

Church Growth Hormone - a Biblically Banned Substance

A great article by Ray Baumann talking about how he was addicted to "church growth hormone". In this article he warns the church about this dangerous substance and the damaging effects of it.

More One Thousand Gifts

Here they are, more things I encounter each and every day that I am thankful for.

135. Driving around on a cold night looking at Christmas lights with my family
136. Laughter
137. my new couch!
138. my fleece slippers
139. the joy I get from watching my dogs cuddle with each other
140. watching my children play together
141. the sight of the last few roses blooming on the rose bush before it is too cold
142. my phone call from my mom every morning
143. getting the pictures I ordered in the mail and getting to be the first one to view them
144. getting into a freshly made bed with clean sheets!
145. toast with peanut butter and a cup of tea
146. warm shortbread with my coffee
147. the feel of a fresh clean mouth after you brush your teeth! (can't imagine what life was like before toothpaste!)
148. stealing a quiet moment to look at my new cookbook
149. the fact that I still get excited (after 16 years) when my husband pulls in the driveway after work!
150. the fact that he wants to come straight home from work