A.W. Tozer - Wanting to know God!

Modern mankind can go anywhere, do everything and be completely curious about the universe. But only a rare person now and then is curious enough to want to know God.
A.W. Tozer

Forgetting Your Purpose

Man, made in the image of God, has a purpose - to be in relationship to God, who is there. Man forgets his purpose and thus he forgets who he is and what life means.
Francis Schaeffer

Human Teacher or Lunatic?

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said wouldn't be a great moral teacher. He'd be either a lunatic - on a level with a man who says he's a poached egg - or else he'd be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse... But don't let us come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He hadn't left that open to us. He didn't intend to.
-- Lewis, C. S.

Ants Crawling Across a Rembrandt

A friend once told me that we are like ants crawling across a painting by Rembrandt. We crawl across the dark brown and think all of life is dark brown. Then we hit green and think, ‘”Oh, this is better. Now all is green.” But soon comes the dark blue and then a splash of yellow, a streak of red, and then another patch of brown. On we journey, from one color to another, never realizing that God is actually painting a masterpiece in our lives using all the colors of the palette. One day we will discover that every color had its place, had a reason, nothing was wasted or out of place. Just as there is a time and a season for everything, there is also a color for every stage of life’s journey. When the painting is finished, we will discover that we were part of his masterpiece from the very beginning. Time is the canvas on which God does his painting, and eternity is the perspective from which we will see the beauty of his handiwork.


Dr. Ray Pritchard
Author, Speaker, President of Keep Believing Ministries

G.K Chesterton

If Christianity should happen to be true -- that is to say, if its God is the real God of the universe -- then defending it may mean talking about anything and everything. Things can be irrelevant to the proposition that Christianity is false, but nothing can be irrelevant to the proposition that Christianity is true. [All] things not only may have something to do with the Christian God, but must have something to do with Him if He lives and reigns.

These are but streams

The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the ocean.

Jonathan Eswards

Bible

God's book of "grace" is just like his book of nature; it is his thoughts written out. This great book, the Bible, this most precious volume is the heart of God made legible; it is the gold of God's love, beaten out into gold leaf, so that therewith our thoughts might be plated, and we also might have golden, good, and holy thoughts concerning Him.
-- John Bunyan

The Doctors

Why God uses cracked pots

During an interview this week I was asked why so many of the heroes of the Bible had serious flaws. My answer was simple. That’s all God has to work with. All the perfect people are in heaven. The only ones on earth are the folks with serious weaknesses. The talent pool has always been pretty thin when it comes to moral perfection. So God works with sinners because that’s all he has to work with. In heaven we will all be vastly improved–perfected by God’s grace. But until then, he uses some pretty ornery people who fall short in many ways–and he does some amazing things through them.
If God chose only well-rounded people with no character flaws, some of the credit would inevitably go to the people and not to the Lord. By choosing flawed people with a bad past, a shaky present and an uncertain future, God alone gets the glory when they accomplish amazing things by his power.
And best of all, since God delights to use clay pots instead of high-dollar china (2 Corinthians 4:7), there is plenty of hope for you and me. We’re not all we’re cracked up to be, and most of us are cracked in more than one place, which makes us excellent candidates for the grace of God. That’s good news, especially for those clay pots with a few extra cracks.

Dr. Ray Pritchard, Author, Speaker, President of Keep Believing Ministries

Children Speak to God

Dear GOD, I didn't think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset You made on Tuesday. Margret

Dear GOD, What does it mean You are a Jealous God? I thought You had everything. Jane

Dear GOD, I read the Bible. What does "begat" mean? Nobody will tell me. Allison

Dear GOD, The bad people laughed at Noah, "You made an ark on dry land you fool." But he was smart, he stuck with You. That's what I would do. Eddie

Dear GOD, You don't have to worry about me. I always look both ways. Dean

Dear GOD, Of all the people who work for You, I like Noah and David the best. Rob

Dear GOD, My brother told me about being born but it doesn't sound right. They're just kidding, aren't they? Marsha

Church of the Nazarene Knowle Park Bristol BS4 2RD

God Will Take Care of Me

There was a very religious man named Jim, who lived near a river. One day, the river rose over the banks and flooded the town, and Jim was forced to climb onto his porch roof. While sitting there, a man in a boat came along and told Jim to get in the boat with him.
Jim said, "No, that's okay. God will take care of me."
So, the man in the boat drove off.
The water rose higher, so Jim climbed onto his roof. At that time, another boat came along, and the person in that one told Jim to get in.
Jim replied, "No, that's okay. God will take care of me."
The person in the boat then left.
The water rose even more, and Jim climbed onto his chimney. A helicopter came along and lowered a ladder for him. The woman in the helicopter told Jim to climb up the ladder and get in.
Jim said, "That's okay."
The woman said, "Are you sure?"
Jim replied, "Yeah, I'm sure God will take care of me."
Finally, the water rose too high and Jim drowned. Jim got to heaven and was face-to-face with God.
Jim said to God, "You told me that you would take care of me! What happened?"
God replied, "Well, I sent you two boats and a helicopter. What else did you want?"