I like the picturesque progression of this poem by Charles Spurgeon

All my soul was dry and dead
Till I learned that Jesus bled -
Bled and suffered in my place,
Bearing sin in matchless grace.

Then a drop of heavenly love
Fell upon me from above,
And by secret mystic art
Reached the center of my heart.

Glad the story I recount,
How that drop became a fount,
Bubbling up a living well,
Made my heart begin to swell.

All within my soul was praise,
Praise increasing all my days;
Praise which could not silent be,
Floods were struggling to be free.

More and more the waters grew,
Open wide the floodgates flew,
Leaping forth in streams of song
Flowed my happy life along.

Lo, a river clear and sweet
Laved my glad, obedient feet!
Soon it rose up to my knees,
And I praised and prayed ith ease.

Now my soul in praises swims,
Bathes in songs and psalms and hymns;
Plunges down into the deeps,
All her powers in worship steeps.

Hallelujah! Oh my Lord,
Torrents from my heart are poured!
I am carried clean away,
Praising, praising all the day.

In an ocean of delight,
Praising God with all my might,
Self is drowned. So let it be
Only Christ remains to me."

A Recipe - Fiesta Sloppy Joes:

Brown in heavy skillet, keeping meat in chunks:
1 lb. ground turkey

Drain if necessary; add
1 c. chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup cream of rice cereal (we use Bob's Red Mill Creamy Brown Rice cereal, but regular "white" stuff would work too)
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1/4 t. chili powder
1/4 t. celery seed
1/4 t. dry mustard, optional
2 c. cooked (canned) tomatoes

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover, and cook 25 minutes. Stir and serve hot in whole grain buns.

"This cruel self, oh how it strives

And works within my breast

How many subtle forms it takes

As if it were not safe to rest

And venture all on Thee."

- from Chinese Diamonds for the King of Kings by Rosalynd Goforth

The Mark of Wisdom

The Mark of Wisdom

The highest mark of wisdom is not the ability to speak of great and lofty things, or to eloquently tell others the things I know. No, the highest mark of wisdom is humility; it is submissiveness of spirit to God and others, that seeks advice, heeds good counsel and takes to heart reproof.

"Hear instruction and be wise
and do not neglect it."
- Proverbs 8:33 ESV

"The wise of heart will receive commandments..."
-Proverbs 10:8 ESV

"Nothing is trivial for the Lord"

A preacher once found himself advertised to preach in an obscure village, the storm was terrible, and, therefore, though he kept his appointment, he found only one person present in the place of meeting. He preached a sermon to that one hearer with as much earnestness as if the church had been crowded. Years after he found churches all over the district, and he discovered that his audience of one had been converted on that day, and had become the evangelist of the whole region. Had he declined to preach to one, what blessings might have been withheld.

Brethren, never neglect the loosing of the shoe-latchet for Christ, since you do not know what may hang upon it...Never say within yourself, 'This is trivial' - nothing is trivial for the Lord.

- from C.H. Spurgeon's sermon, "Loosing the Shoe Latchet"

He made it.

Yesterday I was listening to one of my favorite radio programs - Revive our Hearts with Nancy Demoss. At the end of the program, Nancy read a poem called "A Little Place". It really encouraged me, so I decided to share it here:

Where should I work today, dear Lord,
and my love flowed warm and free.
He answered and said, “See that little place?
Tend that place for me.”
I answered and I said, “Oh no, not there!
No one would ever see,
No matter how well my work was done.
Not that place for me.”

His voice, when He spoke, was soft and kind.
He answered me tenderly,
“Little one, search thy heart of thine.
Are you working for them or me?
Nazareth was a little place
and so was Galilee.”


Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
- Colossians 3:23-24 ESV

Read the entire transcript of the ROH program here.