I am reminded of George Whitfield preaching in Philadelphia in 1740. So popular was America's first great Evangelist that he had to preach outdoors, because no church was large enough to hold the crowds. So he stood on the Courthouse steps and preached to thousands of people. History records that 23,000 coal miners attended one revival meeting out in a field.

In his Court House message he preached that, "salvation was available to anyone, high-born or low, self-righteous saint or miserable sinner. And what must one do to be saved? Just ask God's forgiveness for your sins, known and unknown, accept Christ as your Savior, and turn your life over to Him."

Listen again to the words George Whitfield preached on the steps of the Court House that day:

"Father Abraham!" He cried out. "Whom have you in Heaven? Any Episcopalians?" "No!" shouted Whitfield, answering his own question.
"Any Presbyterians?" "No!"
"Any Independents or Methodists?" "No!" "No!"
"Well, who have you there then, Father Abraham?"
"We don't know whose names are here!"
"All who are here a Christians... believers in Christ, men who have overcome by the Blood of The Lamb, and the word of His testimony."
"Oh, is that the case? Then God help me, God help us all to forget having names and to be Christians in deed and in truth!"
Standing in the crowd that day was America's foremost scientist and best known publisher...Benjamin Franklin.
Each day that Whitfield returned, so did Franklin, who recorded: "It was wonderful to see the change in our inhabitants! From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street." This is when the "great Awakening" was to begin...

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED - Poem by Robert Frost

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

QUOTE: God grades on the cross, not the curve

THE WRONG STATUE

Over a century ago, the citizens of Cuzco, Peru decided to erect a statue honoring the last king of the Incas. Atahulpa had been executed by the Spanish in 1533. They determined it would be made of bronze. A Philadelphia foundry was contacted and they agreed to make the statue.

The long awaited finished product arrived in Cuzco. However, their celebration turned to sadness when they discovered that their statue bore little resemblance to their Inca king. He was wearing buckskins, something S. American Indians never wore.

They soon discovered the problem. The Philadelphia foundry had made a mistake. At the time they received the order from Peru, they had also been working on a statue of Powhattan, father of Pocahontas. Somehow the statues had been mixed up and Peru received the wrong one.

The answer to this dilemma seemed simple enough. But, the inhabitants of Cuzco did not want to pay the price of returning the statue of Powhattan. They just erected it in the town square where it still stands. The statue of Powhattan stands on top of a high marble column in memory of King Atahulpa.

It is not unusual to find person who have erected monuments in their lives that represent Christ and his church. Through the study of God’s Word they discover they have the wrong one. However, they are not willing to pay the price to solve the dilemma. So, they just lie with their error, pretending that it’s the truth.

BUY YOUR OWN GIFTS [supposedly a true story.]
A kindly 90-year-old grandmother found buying presents for family and friends a bit much one Christmas, so she wrote out checks for all of them to put in her Christmas cards. She wrote "Buy your own present" after her name on them then sent them off.
After the Christmas festivities were over, she found the checks in her desk!
Everyone had gotten a Christmas card from her with "Buy your own present" written inside, but without the checks!

Napoleon once lost control of his horse and a young Private grabbed the reins to pull the horse back under control. Napoleon turned to the Private and said, "Thank you, Captain." The young man said, "Sir, I am just a Private." Napoleon responded, "Not anymore!"

In Reader’s Steve Winger told of his last college exam. It was a final in a class in Logic.

The professor was known for giving difficult exams. Steve noted that the professor did make one concession: "To help us on our test, the professor told us we could bring as much information as we could fit on a piece of notebook paper.

Most student scrammed as many facts as possible on their 8 & 1/2 by 11" sheet of paper.

But one student walked into class, put a piece of paper on the floor, and had an advanced Logic student stand on the paper. The advanced Logic student told him everything he needed to know. And he was the only student to receive an "A"

Our final exam will only have one question: "Why should I let you into heaven???"

SALVATION’S LIKE A PUMPKIN Sermon_Fodder.com

A lady had recently been baptized and one of her co-workers asked her what it was like to be a Christian. She was caught off guard and didn't know how to answer, but when she looked up she saw a jack-o-lantern on the desk and answered, "It's like being a pumpkin."
The worker asked her to explain and she said, "Well, God picks you from the patch and brings you in and washes off all the dirt on the outside that you got from being around all the other pumpkins. Then he cuts off the top and takes all the yucky out from inside. He removes all those seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then he carves you a new smiling face and puts his light inside of you to shine for all to see."

QUOTE: Nearly everyone is in favor of going to heaven, but too many are hoping they’ll live long enough to see an easing of the entrance requirements.

WHERE IS YOUR NAME? Pulpit Resource July - Sept. 1983

Have you ever considered the many places where your name might be recorded? From your 1^st day, when it was inscribed on a birth certificate, your name has appeared in countless places, records, lists, and where-have-you. Your name is probably on a baptismal certificate, on many school records and report cards and tests, on honor rolls, achievement certificates and diplomas, on employment records and pay checks. Perhaps your name is on a letterhead (personal or business) a business card, a property deed, social security card, tax roll, bank checks, credit cards, mailing lists, church membership roll. Somewhere along the line an organization wanted your name on a petition or a sponsoring advertisement - "May we use your name?" they asked. Maybe, alas, your name is on a criminal record (how people would like to get their name off that). On the other hand, your name might be proudly displayed on a plaque at a building entrance, stating that you were a generous donor. Or perhaps your name is on a concrete memorial as a veteran of military combat. If you're talented, maybe your name has been in lights on a marquee. If you've been on political posters and in the news. And, finally, your name will someday be on a death certificate and maybe chiseled into a tombstone. Your name? Just where is your name right now? And where will it be in the future?

Tertullian was a theologian who lived in Carthage around 200 AD. One day a man came to Tertullian asking how he could be both a faithful Christian and successful in business. At that time, Christianity was publicly ridiculed, scorned by many and sporadically persecuted by the government. The man knew he was supposed to be completely loyal to Christ, but he wondered if some compromise might be permitted. Couldn’t he carry commitment to both his faith and his business? He feared his church membership might ruin him financially.

"What can I do? I must live!" he exclaimed.

Tertullian replied: "Must you?"

QUOTE: Our problems are man-made, therefore they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. – John F. Kennedy

QUOTE: "Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck." -George Carlin

HEARING THE NEWS BEFORE SEEING IT

Toward the end of World War II a Scottish chaplain and a Professor MacDonald from Glasgow were shot down behind German lines and confined to a prisoner of war camp. The Germans had separated the British prisoners from the American prisoners of war and a high wire fence separated the two, which made it nearly impossible for them to communicate with each other. For some reason Professor MacDonald was put in the American barracks, and the chaplain was housed with the British.
Every day the two men would meet at the fence and exchange greetings. Unknown to the guards, the Americans had a little homemade radio and were able to get news from the outside, something more precious than food in a prison camp.
Everyday, MacDonald would take a headline or two to the fence and share it with the chaplain. They knew the allied forces were getting closer and closer. One day, news came over the little radio announcing that the German high command had surrendered and the war was over. MacDonald took the news to his friend, then stood and watched him disappear into British barracks. A moment later, a roar of celebration came from the barracks. When the German guards finally heard the news, three nights later, they fled in the dark, leaving the gates unlocked. The next morning the British and the Americans walked out as free men, although they had truly been set free three days earlier by the news that the war was over.
While Christ's Kingdom is not fully achieved, we know the outcome of the battle. We, too, have been set free. That hope transforms our attitude to joy and confidence, that in Christ we are more than conquerors.

FIRST BASE MINE The Saturday Evening Post July/Aug 2000 H. Allen Smith & Ira L. Smith

The curse of an infielder’s existence is the ball that takes a bad bounce. There have been occasions, of course where the ball has hit a pebble or some other object and taken an erratic course favorable to the infielder. Such a "good bounce" came the way of First Baseman William Giffiths back in 1905 at Salt Lake City. That ball, in fact, came real close to offsetting all the bad bounces in baseball history.

Griffiths was in the field for a team called the Rhyolites. A batter for the opposition Beattys sent a ground ball toward first. The ball struck a small stone and shot off at an angle, but landed in the first baseman’s glove. He beat the runner to first easily.

The little stone had given Griffiths a luck break, but he decided it had no business on the playing field, so he walked over and picked it up. He started to raise his hand to throw it off the field when something caught his eye. He took a careful look at the stone and recognized free gold in it. Then he quietly slipped it into his pocket and went on with the game.

That evening, he returned to the ball park with a lantern and spent an hour scratching around in the soil until had accumulated a bucketful of rocks. By morning he knew that those rocks assayed at more than $900 a ton. He called in two friends and with them quietly bought the ball park.

The mine was called First Base, and the first shaft entered paying ore at a depth of 33 feet. And Infielder Griffiths soon found himself a very wealthy man.

QUOTE: It is better to limp all the way to heaven than to not get there at all. – William A. "Billy" Sunday

Dr. E. Stanley Jones tells of a girl who, frustrated by the city, entered a house of prostitution. Learning of her daughter’s decision, the mother desperately sought to rescue her. Not having her child’s address, she left a photograph of herself in each house of ill fame visited. One day, the errant girl saw on a mantle in a reception room, a familiar picture. It was the likeness of her first love… her mother. Beneath were these words: "Come home."

HOW LONG IS ETERNITY? Bill Gothard Minister’s Seminar 99

The largest number so far acknowledged in mathematical circles is 10 Duotrigintillion – or 10¹⁰⁰ (1 followed by 100 zeros). The estimated number of electrons in the universe (smallest known element to date). Is 1 followed by 85 zeros or 10⁸⁵. (Compare that with the National Debt for another point of reference).

General William Nelson, a Union general in the Civil War, was consumed with the battles in Kentucky, when a brawl ended up in his being shot, mortally, in the chest. He had faced many battles, but the fatal blow came while he was relaxing with his men. As such, he was caught fully unprepared. As men ran up the stairs to help him, the general had just one phrase, "Send for a clergyman; I wish to be baptized." He never had time as an adolescent or young man. He never had time as a private or after he became a general. And his would did not stop or slow down the war. Everything around him was left virtually unchanged – except for the general’s priorities. With only minutes left before he entered eternity, the one thing he cared about was preparing for eternity. He wanted to be baptized. Thirty minutes later, he was dead.

CHECK THE SIGNATURE Uncle John’s Great Big Bathroom Reader p. 99 quoting Strange Facts and Useless Information by Scot Morris

Treasury Secretary Michael Blumenthal found himself in an embarrassing situation in Beethoven’s, an expensive San Francisco restaurant in 1979. Blumenthal was confronted with a sizable dinner bill, an expired Visa card and a waiter who wanted proof of signature to back up an out of town check. Blumenthal thought for moment, and solved his predicament the only way he could: he produced a dollar bill and pointed to his signature, W.M. Blumenthal, in the bottom right hand corner. The signatures matched, and Blumenthal’s check was accepted."

SO SKEPTICAL A SALVATION Marjorie Kitchell in Leadership

I had hoped to illustrate the availability of God’s gift of salvation. "Whoever wants this beautiful Christmas poinsettia may have it," I said to my Sunday morning congregation. "All you have to do is take it." They stared at me. I waited. And waited.

Finally a mother timidly raised her hand and said, "I’ll take it."

"Great! It’s yours." That’s what I wanted. Quick and easy, and on with the application of my sermon. But to my astonishment, she nudged her son, "Go get it for me."
"No," I said. "Whoever wants this gift must come and get it personally. You can’t send a substitute."

She shook her head, not willing to risk embarrassment. I waited again. It was a gorgeous flower, unusually large, wrapped in red cellophane with a gold satin ribbon. It was set in front of the pulpit to brighten our small sanctuary during the holiday season. Several people had commented on how beautiful the plant was. Now it was free for the taking.

Someone snickered, "What’s the catch?"

"No catch," I replied. "It’s free." No one moved.

A college student asked, "Is it glued to the altar?" Everyone laughed.

"It is not glued to the altar. Nor are there any strings attached. It’s yours for the taking."

"Well," asked a pretty teenager, "can I take after the service?"

I shook my head, though I was tempted to give in. "You must come and get it now." Today is the day of salvation, I thought as I marveled at the power of passive resistance.

I was beginning to wish I’d never started the whole thing, when a woman I’d never seen before stood up in the back. Quickly, as if she were afraid she’d change her mind, she strode to the altar and picked up the plant. "I’ll take it," she said.

As she returned to her seat carrying the free gift, I launched with enthusiasm into my text, Romans 6:23. "The gift of God is eternal life! Believe! Receive! It’s free.

When the service had ended and most of the people had gone home, the woman who claimed the poinsettia came to the platform, where I was picking up my Bible to leave.

"Here!" she held out her hand. "This flower is too pretty to just take home for free. I couldn’t do that with a clear conscience." I looked down at the crumpled paper she stuffed into my hand.

It was a ten dollar bill.

A man approached a woman in a restaurant and gleefully exclaimed, "Dorothy! It’s so good to see you! I see you have a new look. I like the new color of your hair. Your new hairstyle becomes you. Your new makeup certainly highlights your loveliest features. And I’m impressed with your new clothes and how well they fit you."

As he finally quit gushing, the woman said, "Sir, I think you have mistaken me for someone else. My name is Helen."

The man paused for a moment and then said, "Oh, so you now have a new name, too. Wonderful! Wonderful!"

"If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has passed away, behold the new has come (II Corinthians 5:17).

SCIENCE - 4 SOILS Heno Head's Simple Science Object Talks

What to do: 1} Set out four baby food jars & into each put about 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

2} Number four other jars and in 1st put 1/3 water; into 2nd put 1/3 water; into 3rd put 1/3 water plus a little vinegar; and in 4th put 1/3 of only vinegar.

3} Pour contents of (water) jar #1 into first baking soda jar; then jar #2; jar #3; and finally jar #4 (last two will create a reaction - number 4 being the most violent - might need rags underneath)

What you say: Compare with the four soils Jesus talks about in His parable.

WHILE THE CANDLE BURNS from sermon of Clarence E. Macartney

One of the old Saxon kings set out with an army to put down a rebellion in a distant province of his kingdom. When the insurrection had been quelled and the army of rebels defeated, the king placed a candle over the archway of his castle where he had his headquarters and, lighting the candle, announced through a herald to all those who had been in rebellion against him that all who surrendered and took the oath of loyalty while the candle was burning would be spared. The king offered them his clemency and mercy, but the offer was limited to the life of the candle.

Every great offer of life and of time has its candle limitations. This is true of the offer of fortune and prosperity, or knowledge, or health, or affection. There is a limited period of time in which to make use of their offer and their opportunity. This is true most of all of the greatest offer ever made to man, the offer of eternal life through Jesus Christ, God's Son.

QUOTE: "Gospel" is neither a discussion or a debate. It is an announcement. - Paul S. Ree

There was once a young man who didn't think life was fair. It caused him not only to reject the God that his mother had raised him to respect but it led him to leave home for the sea and for a life filled with impurity.

John, his name, became a sea captain in the highly profitable slave trade of the day. He made repeated trips to the African coast to kidnap and sell human flesh for price. He was not a nice man. And there is speculation that when he fell off the ship one stormy night, he had had a little help. Managing to make it to shore, he became the slave of black woman and had to struggle just to find food to eat.

In time, he met a missionary who led him back to God. John made his way back to his native England and there became a renowned preacher who shared with everyone the love and mercy God had shown him. He wrote the words to this song in our hymnal (293)

Amazing Grace

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

Through many danger toils and snares

When We've been there 10,000 years.

Years ago in Europe, a young beggar had purchased a violin at a pawn shop and learned to play it as a way of gaining alms from the passing throngs. He was one of those rare gifted individuals who seemed to be able to make his instrument speak from his soul and he often fared well from the gratitude of his listeners.

One day, an aging master of the art happened to be passing by and stopped to hear the music of the youthful beggar. "Come with me," the master ordered, "for you shall come live with me and I will teach you all I know." And so, the beggar went home to live with the master and as the days progressed, he learned to play the violin as he had once only dreamed that he could.

Then the day arrived when the old man felt that it was time for his protege to give a concert. The hall was rented and because of the reputation of the master, many came to hear this young artist as made his instrument speak with a masterful tongue. When the concert was ended, the crowd leaped to its feet and applauded feverishly... but oddly, the young man seemed to hardly notice them at all, but instead had his eyes focused on something toward the back of the auditorium. Intrigued, many in the crowd turned to see what it was that had the artist's attention. And there in the back balcony stood the old master, and they saw as he nodded his head in approval. Only then did the young violinist acknowledge the applause. He had played for the master and not for the crowds.

The story is told of a beggar who approached a passing businessman asking him for a quarter. Taking a long, hard look at the beggar's face, the man asked, "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

Somewhat surprised himself, the panhandler exclaimed, "why yes, we went to school together." After reacquainting themselves again, the businessman reached into his pocket, pulled out his checkbook and promptly wrote out a check for $100. "Here take this and get a new start... I don't care what has happened in the past, it's the future that counts."

With tears in his eyes, the tramp made his way to the bank only to stop at the door. Inside the glass he could see well dressed tellers and spotlessly clean interior. The he looked at his filthy rags. "They won't take this from me. They'll swear I forged it," he muttered as he turned away.

The next day, the two men met again. Noting that the beggar was much as he had been the day before, the businessman exclaimed, "What did you do with my check, did you gamble it away? Drink it up?"

"No," replied the tramp, as he pulled the check out of a pocket, and then he explained why he hadn't cashed it.

"Now you listen to me," the 1st man said firmly, what makes that check good is not your clothes or appearance, but my signature. Now go cash it."

MEMORIZING IMMORTALITY from the Louisville Courier Journal, 4/13/94

Stephen Powelson of Louisville was one case in point. Having retired, he decided to set about memorizing Homer's "Iliad"... all 600 pages, 2 volumes, 15,693 lines - in the ancient Greek language. For 16 years, he spent about an hour a day intoning the classic poem. At last report, he had memorized 14,800 lines by heart. And this is a man, his wife says, who can't find his car keys.

And why did he do it? "Every person has a secret desire to achieve immortality. My way is to absorb into myself something that is immortal."

Bible teacher G. Campbell Morgan told of a coal miner who came to him and said, "I would give anything to believe that God would forgive my sins, but I cannot believe that He will forgive them if I just ask Him. It is too cheap." Morgan said, "My dear friend, have you been working today?" "Yes, I was down in the mine." "How did you get out of the pit? Did you pay?" "Of course not. I just got into to cage and was pulled to the top." "Were you not afraid to entrust yourself to that cage? Was it not too cheap?" Morgan asked. "Oh no," said the miner, "it was cheap for me, but it cost the company a lot of money to sink the shaft." Suddenly the truth struck him. What had not cost him anything -- salvation -- had not come cheap to God.

One man's father found a fitting way of explaining God's blessing of salvation. When he was young, Tom had a love for crayons... he liked to eat them. His favorite color was red. At school, he would often nibble on his crayons and found that he could have fun on the playground by tapping a girl on the shoulder and saying "blah."

One day, he thought it would be clever to do this to his teacher. She was not impressed and sent him to the principal's office. Principal asked why Tom had been sent to him. He asked, so Tom showed him. Tom was spanked.

At home that evening, Tom's father asked how school had gone that day. Tom almost told him, but he remembered his father's warning that if he got a spanking at school, he'd get one at home. "Not much," he replied. A little, later - same question, same answer. Then his dad explained that the principal had called him and that he was very disappointed, not only that he had been naughty, but that he had lied. He sent Tom out to the garage. Dad came out with Ping-Pong paddle (the type where the rubber ball had come off). Tom could see his father bring the paddle back. "Whoosh", "swak" but no pain. Again, the same. After third "swak" Tom realized what his father was doing - striking self.

OBJECT WAS TO BE FOUND BY FATHER

A father related how one of his son's favorite games was "hide and seek" - his son always hid. The game always went the same: Dad always counted to 100 by 5's and then would shout out, "Here comes Daddy to find you Tommy?" And Tommy would always hide in the same room and the same spot - but of course Dad always went through the motions of looking in just about every other room. He'd go into one of the bedrooms and loudly proclaim "I wonder if Tommy is under the bed?" Down the hall he could here the barely suppressed giggles of his child as he lifted up the sheets. "I wonder if he's in the closet?" Again giggles from the other room. Making his way into the bathroom, Dad would say "I wonder if he's in the shower?" Giggles. "I wonder if he's in the toilet?" as he lifted the seat. The giggles were getting louder. Out in the hallway now, the father proclaimed "I wonder where Tommy could be?" And at that moment Tommy would burst out of his parents' bedroom crying "Here I am Daddy, here I am!" and throw himself into his Dad's waiting arms.

The Father recalled telling his son "But, Tommy, that's not how the game is played." But Tommy didn't care - that's how he played the game. For the object of the game to Tommy was in being found and then to rush into his father's arms.

Matt used to play "hide and seek" with his brothers and sisters. On the rare occasions that he got to be something other than "it," he sought the ideal place to hide. One day he thought he had found it. Up on the hill was their house with a big porch on the front that had a lattice work around the bottom to allow air to circulate under the building. He had found an opening in lattice work and crawled in under the porch, pushing aside the cobwebs, smelling the damp earth as he wormed his way all the way to the other side of the building where he could look out and see his sister still counting to 100. He delighted in the thought that she'd never find him. No one could ever find him here. And then it suddenly struck him - if something happened to him, no one would ever be able to find him there. He would be alone and lost forever. It was suddenly important to him to be found, and he stuck his leg out through the lattice work, hoping that he might be able to trip his sister if she passed by that way. He wanted to be found.

A grandfather was walking through the woods with his young grandson one day and wanting the boy to start thinking about finding his way if he were lost, paused and asked: "Do you know where we are?" The boy looked up, and with a sweet smile replied that he didn't.

A little farther along, the grandfather tried to look puzzled. "Do you know how far we have come?" "No," replied the boy.

A little later, the grandfather pressed his grandson, "don't you think we're lost?" The boy grinned an unconcerned grin and said "I can't be lost - I'm with you."

Years ago, Texas had a very Godly and compassionate governor by the name of Neff. Once, as he visited a Prison facility to give a speech to the inmates, he offered to have private consultations with any of the prisoners who desired to talk with him. He assured them that nothing that they would say would be used against them in court.

Inmate after inmate came into the private room and through the glass they shared with the governor that they didn't deserve to be behind bars. Either the witnesses in their prosecution had lied or the judge was prejudiced or some other form of injustice had caused them to be unjustly imprisoned.

Finally, a prisoner entered the room with an entirely different story. Yes, he had been guilty of what he'd been charged; yes, he deserved to be imprisoned, but if the Governor could only see his way clear to pardon him, he would leave the prison a changed man and would never do anything again that would merit the wrath of the courts again.... This was the man Governor Neff pardoned.

J. Wilbur Chapman tells of one of the meetings that he held where a man stood up to testify of what God had done in his life. The man's story was that he had been reduced to poverty and spent every day down at the subway begging for handouts. One day, he touched the shoulder of an older man. When the older man turned around, the panhandler recognized him as his father. "Don't you recognize me, Father?" The dad threw his arms around him and told how he had been hunting for him. "Come home - all that I have is yours." When we obey God, he says the same to us "all that I have is yours - just come home in obedience."

There is a true story about a man who attended Ozark Bible College who would spend his weekends with friends finding and swimming in abandoned gravel pits in the area. One of their greatest joys was to find a pool with an overhang or cliff from which to jump from. One weekend, they came upon a new find with a gloriously high cliff overlooking it. Chuck was to be the 1st to jump and as he looked down over the edge he saw down deep into its clear waters and saw nothing that would be dangerous. Jumping excitedly, he plunged deep into its waters, but as he descended, he sensed that the waters were growing darker than usual. Thinking at first that he had gone into the shadow of the cliff, he looked up and saw that the water above was blanketed with darkness, a moving, wriggling darkness... he realized that the pool was covered with water moccasins that had rested on the edge of the pit and had been alerted by his dive, coming out to discover what had entered.

He stayed down as long as he could and eventually made his way to the top, where fortunately, in answer to his prayers, the snakes drifted back to the edge of the pool, and his friends lifted him out.

THE PRODIGAL SON by Tal D. Bonham

Feeling footloose and frisky, a featherbrained fellow forced his fond father to fork over the farthings and flew far to foreign fields and frittered his fortune, feasting fabulously with faithless friends.

Fleeced by his fellows in folly and facing famine he found himself a feed flinger in a filthy farm. Fairly famishing, he fain would have filled his frame with the foraged food from fodder fragments. "Fooey, my father's flunkies fare far finer!"

The frazzled fugitive forlornly fumbled, frankly facing facts. He fled forthwith to his family. Falling at his father's feet, he forlornly fumbled. "Father, I've flunked and fruitlessly forfeited family favor."

The farsighted father, forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged the flunkies to fetch a fatling from the flock and fix a feast.

The fugitive's faultfinding brother frowned on fickle forgiveness of the former folderol. But the faithful father figured, "Filial fidelity is fine, but the fugitive is found! What forbids fervent festivity? Let flags be unfurled! Let fanfares flair!"

You are not just:

Lonely in need of a friend

Weak in need of a helper.

Ignorant in need of a teacher

Confused in need of a counselor

Bored in need of a society

You're a sinner in need of a Sacrifice

You're a sinner in need of a priest

You're sick in need of a great physician

Unclean in need of a Fount for cleansing

Drowning in need of an ark

You're a sinner in need of a city of refuge

You're lost. You need a Savior.

If you don't believe 'I am,' you will die in your sins.

"I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am (he) ye

shall die in yours sin." (John 8;24)

"He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:18)

He said, "If you don't believe, the wrath of God abides on you."

"He that believeth on the son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

Jesus said, "If you don't repent, you will perish."

Jesus said, "If you don't confess Him, He won't confess you."

Jesus said, "If you are not born of the water and the spirit, you can not enter."

If you believe and are baptized you will be saved. And if you do not believe you will be damned.

Jesus said, "The words I speak will judge you in the last days."

Jesus said, "Come unto Me, and I will give rest to your souls."

AMAZING GRACE Max Lucado "In The Eye of The Storm" p. 205

John had served on the seas since he was 11 years old. His father, an English shipmaster in the Mediterranean, took him aboard and trained him well for a life in the Royal Navy. Yet what John gained in experience, he lacked in discipline. He mocked authority. Ran with the wrong crowd. Indulged in the sinful ways of a sailor. Although his training would have qualified him to served as an officer, his behavior caused him to be flogged and demoted.

In his early 20's, he made his way to Africa, where he became intrigued with the lucrative slave trade. At age 21, he made his living on the "Greyhound," a slave ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

John ridiculed the moral and poked fun at the religious. He even made jokes about a book that would eventually help reshape his life: "The Imitation of Christ." In fact, he was degrading that book a few hours before his ship sailed into an angry storm.

That night the waves pummeled the "Greyhound," spinning the ship on minute on the top of a wave. Plunging her the next into a watery valley.

John awakened to find his cabin filled with water. A side of the "greyhound" had collapsed. Ordinarily, such damage would have sent a ship to the bottom in a matter of minutes. The Greyhound, however, was carrying a buoyant cargo and remained afloat.

John worked at the pumps all night. For 9 hours, he and other sailors struggled to keep the ship from sinking. But he knew that it was a losing cause. Finally, when his hopes were more battered than the vessel, he threw himself on the saltwater soaked deck and pleaded, "If this will not do, then Lord have mercy on us all."

John didn't deserve mercy, but he received it. The "Greyhound" and her crew survived. John never forgot God's mercy shown on that tempestuous day in the roaring Atlantic. He returned to England where he became a prolific composer. You've sung his songs, like this one: Amazing grace...

This slave-trader-turned-songwriter was John Newton. Along with his hymn writing, he also became a powerful pulpiteer. For nearly 50 years, he filled pulpits and churches with the story of the Savior who meets you and me in the storm.

A year or two before his death, people urged him to give up preaching because of his failing eyesight. "What!" he explained. "Shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can yet speak?"

CATALINA ISLAND Bill Gothard Ministers' Gathering 3/96

Every year there is a contest off the Pacific Coast of Los Angeles. Off shore by about 26 miles is the island of Catalina and the contest involves attempting to physically jump from the coast to the island. There is long platform off a cliff which contestants run down before leaping into the air in their efforts to reach Catalina Island. Some jumpers get only a few feet before plunging to the waters of the Pacific below the cliff. Others manage to go 10 to 30 feet out before reaching the water. But so far, no one has made it from the cliff to the island. So it is with man's attempt to reach God by his own efforts.

CHANGING LANDLORDS Charles Swindoll "Improving Your Serve"

Think of yourself as living in an apartment house. You live there under a landlord who has made your life miserable. He charges you exorbitant rent. When you can't pay, he loans you money at a fearful rate of interest, to get you even further into his debt. He barges into your apartment at all hours of the day and night, wrecks and dirties the place up, then charges you extra for not maintaining the premises. Your life is miserable.

Then comes Someone who says, "I've taken over this apartment house. I've purchased it. You can live here as long as you like, free. The rent is paid up. I am going to be living here with you, in the manager's apartment."

What a joy! You are saved! You are delivered out of the clutches of the old landlord! .

But what happens! You hardly have time to rejoice in your new-found freedom, when a knock comes at the door. And there he is-the old landlord! Mean, glowering, and demanding as ever. He has come for the rent, he says.

What do you do! Do you pay him! Of course, you don't! Do you go out and pop him on the nose! No-he's bigger than you are!

You confidently tell him, "You'll have to take that up with the new Landlord." He may bellow, threaten, wheedle, and cajole. You just quietly tell him, "Take it up with the new Landlord." If he comes back a dozen times, with all sorts of threats and arguments, waving legal-looking documents in your face, you simply tell him yet once again, "Take it up with the new landlord." In the end he has to. He knows it, too. He just hopes that he can bluff and threaten and deceive you into doubting that the new Landlord will really take care of things.

Now this is the situation of a Christian. Once Christ has delivered you from the power of sin and the devil, you can depend on it: that old landlord will soon come back knocking at your door. And what is your defense! How do you keep him from getting the whip hand over you again! You send him to the new Landlord. You send him to Jesus.

THE PEARL OF GREATEST PRICE Charles Swindoll "Improving Your Serve"

With a bit of sanctified imagination, one man offers this dialogue to illustrate just how much is involved in releasing our all to God so we are free to serve others:

"I want this pearl. How much is it!"

"Well," the seller says, "it's very expensive.

"But, how much!" we ask.

"Well, a very large amount."

"Do you think I could buy it!"

"Oh, of course, everyone can buy it."

"But, didn't you say it was very expensive!"

"Yes."

"Well, how much is it!"

"Everything you have," says the seller.

We make up our minds, "All right, I'll buy it," we say.

"Well, what do you have!" he wants to know. "Let's write it down."

"Well, I have ten thousand dollars in the bank."

"Good-ten thousand dollars. What else!"

"That's all. That's all I have."

"Nothing more!"

"Well, I have a few dollars here in my pocket."

"How much!"

We start digging. "Well, let's see-thirty, forty, sixty, eighty, a hundred, a hundred twenty dollars."

"That's fine. What else do you have?"

"Well, nothing. That's all."

"Where do you live?" He's still probing.

"In my house. Yes, I have a house."

"The house, too, then." He writes that down.

"You mean I have to live in my camper!"

"You have a camper! That, too. What else!"

"I'll have to sleep in my car!"

"You have a car!"

"Two of them."

"Both become mine, both cars. What else?"

"Well, you already have my money, my house, my camper, my cars. What more do you want!"

"Are you alone in this world?"

"No, I have a wife and two children. . . ."

"Oh, yes, your wife and children, too. What else?"

"I have nothing left! I am left alone now."

Suddenly the seller exclaims, "Oh, I almost forgot! You yourself, too! Everything becomes mine-wife, children, house, money, cars and you too."

Then he goes on. "Now listen--I will allow you to use all these things for the time being. But don't forget that they are mine, just as you are. And whenever I need any of them you must give them up, because now I am the owner."

WHAT'S IN THE CAGE? Pulpit Helps, Jan. 1996

As Paul Harvey once told the story, S.D. Gordon. a Boston preacher, used a beat-up

rusty bird cage one Sunday to illustrate his sermon. First he explained how he had come by the cage, saying when he first saw it. it contained several miserable small birds, and was carried by a boy of about 10.

Curious, he asked the lad what he was going to do with the birds. which he had obviously trapped. "I'm going to play with them...have some fun with them." the boy responded. "But after that!" the preacher persisted. "Oh, I have some cats at home, and they like birds." said the boy.

Compassion tugged at the minister's heart, and he asked the boy what he would take for the birds. Surprised, the boy blurted: "Mister, you don't want to buy these birds. They're ugly.. just field birds. They don't sing, or anything." Nevertheless. Dr. Gordon persisted, and soon struck a bargain with the boy for the birds.

At the first opportunity he released the poor creatures.

After explaining the presence of the empty cage. Dr. Gordon then told another story, this time about how Satan boasted that he had baited a trap and caught a world full of people. "What are you going to do with them!" Jesus asked him. "I'm going to play with them, tease them; make them marry and divorce, and fight and kill one another. I'll teach them to throw bombs at each other." Satan replied.

"And when you get tired of playing with them. what will you do with them!" Jesus queried. "Condemn them." Satan answered. 'They're no good anyway."

Jesus then asked what Satan would take for them. "You can't be serious," the devil

responded. 'They would just spit on You. They'd hit you and hammer nails into You. They're no good."

"How much?" the Lord asked again. "All your tears and all your blood; that's the price." Satan said gleefully.

Jesus paid the price, took the cage, and opened the door. From The Glen Rock Light

Queen Victoria once paid a visit to a paper mill. The foreman showed her and her attendant over the works without knowing who his distinguished visitor was. She finally went into the rag sorting shop where men were employed in picking out the rags from the refuse of the city. Upon inquiring what was done with this dirty mass of rags, she was told that, sorted out, it would make the finest white paper. After her departure, the foreman found out who it was that had paid the visit. Some time later, Her Majesty received a package of the most delicate white stationery having the Queen's likeness for a watermark, with the intimation that it was made from the dirty rags she had inspected. That illustrates Christ's work in us. He takes us, filthy as we are, and makes us into new creatures. Receiving Christ is becoming Christ's. After receiving Him, we are as different from what we were before, as pure white paper is from the filthy rags from which it was made.

QUOTE: What saves a person is to take a step; then another step. - Galen Watterson

THE INCURABLE INEBRIATE! The Dawn

A man named Henry Milans lay in a ward of Bellevue Hospital, N.Y. A group of students stood around his bed, while the instructing professor remarked: "We have discovered in this man all the marked indications of the incurable inebriate. Note the dancing eyes. Note the trembling of the hands and other members of his body.... This man can never be cured. He must die as he has lived, a drunkard. Nothing can save him."

Not long after, Ensign Hall of the Salvation Army describes what happened. "Amid the fervent 'Hallelujahs!' of Christians in the hall, Milans stumbled forward.... The change that took place in him was remarkable. What science was unable to do Christ accomplished in a moment. Nineteen years after his conversion, he testified: 'From that moment to the present I have never been tempted to take a drink of anything with alcohol in it. I should have to learn all over again to love the drink that was for thirty-five years the greatest love of my life.'"

'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin, But he held it up with a smile,

"What am I bid, good folks," he cried "Who'll start the bidding for me?"

"1 dollar, a dollar"; then, "Two! Only two? Two dollars, and who'll make it three?

Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice; Going for three --" But no,

From the room, far back, a gray haired man came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin And tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet As the caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer, With a voice that was quiet and low,

Said: What am I bid for the old violin?" And he held it up with the bow.

"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two? Two thousand! And who'll make it three?

Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice, And going, and gone," said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried, "We do not quite understand

What changed its worth?" Swift came the reply: "The touch of a masters hand,"

And many a man with life out of tune And battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, Much like the old violin

A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine A game - and he travels on.

He is "going" once, and "going" twice He's "going" and almost "gone,"

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd Never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought By the touch of the Master's hand.

Why was He silent when a word would slay His accusers all?

Why does He meekly bear their taunts when angels wait His call?

"He was made sin" my sin He bore upon that cursed tree

And sin has no defense to make - His silence was for me!

After the death of Elvis Presley it became fairly common to read headlines on the Tabloids of "I was Elvis' Love Child" or "Elvis' Ghost is My Father". Many people claimed to be related to "The King" either for the prestige of wearing his name or possibly to try and get a share of his inheritance. Detroit radio station 295.5 even offered the opportunity that for just two dollars and a self-addressed, stamped envelope, YOU TOO can be Elvis' child. For that sum you could receive an authentic birth certificate from 295.5 signed by Godfather D.J. Dick Puritan. The certificate claimed it entitled the bearer to "appear on any talk show in the country". About 2000 "children" have emerged as bearers of Presley's name.

Christmas (contrary to what 99% of the television specials say, is not simply a warm feeling of giving. Giving is part of Christmas but more importantly it is a celebration of the birth of the gift of God's son, Jesus Christ. It was thru this gift of love and sacrifice that God opened the door of eternal life both to those who had faith in the coming Messiah and to those who afterwards had faith that this baby and later the man, was in reality God's only Son.

But God didn't need a Detroit radio station to print up phony birth certificates . Instead, He offers, thru the new birth, to become a child of THE KING. We don't receive a phony document but the Holy Spirit. He may not guarantee us a spot on a talk show but He is our guarantee of a spot in Heaven. (Now that's an inheritance) . And we also receive the right to bear His name - Christian.

And it doesn't even cost us $2.00 and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. All it costs is our total commitment and the death of Jesus Christ. There's no such thing as "cheap grace". It required the total giving of Christ to bring us that grace and it takes the total commitment of self on our part to accept it.

This Christmas remember that giving is only a part of the meaning of the season. The Gift of Christ is the reason.

"I've never understood why it is necessary to give the so called 'Good Confession ." I notice people are asked to say, ''I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God." Why should people have to make such a trite statement? Answer:

The confession is not a mere form or trite ritual. The person who is going to baptize the

confessor should first know what the person believes about Jesus. However, it is even more than that. When this confession is made, the candidate is announcing not only what he accepts, but also is disowning and disassociating himself from apostate religion. Look more closely at each word in the phrase: "I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God." When He says "I believe" . . . in:

God

He is not an atheist, who says God doesn't exist.

He is not an agnostic, who says, "I don't know if God exists."

Living God

He is not an idolater, that worships images made of wood, stone or gold.

He is not a worshipper of dead ancestors (Buddha, Confucius, Taoism, Shintoism).

He is not a nature worshipper (Hindu).

He is not a fire worshipper (Zorastrianism).

The living God

He is no polytheist, who says there are many gods.

The Son of God

Not a pantheist, that says, "all is God" (Sikhism).

Not a deist, that thinks God created the world and never involved Himself in its problems.

Not a uniformist, who believes that all things continue as they were in the beginning.

Not a modernist, who denies the virgin birth.

The Christ

He is not an unbelieving Jew, who denies Jesus as the Messiah.

He is not a futurist, who yet looks for a Messiah.

He is not a Theosophist or a follower of the Baha'i or Mohammedan cults that

think Jesus is only one of God's many witnesses.

Jesus

Not Buddha

Nor Confucius

Nor Mohammed

Nor Ma Havira

Nor Reverend Moon

Nor Satan

When He says Believe

He accepts the Scriptures; for faith in Jesus is the direct result of the testimony of

Scripture.

When He says I

It is a personal faith, neither inherited, nor forced, but fully confessed.

This confession is a good confession, not only because we have the example of Scripture, and the practice of history, but because it is the basic statement of what Christians must believe. It is a statement that denies all other pagan religions and philosophies. We should always be glad to give this confession. (Matthew 16:13-20; Romans 10:9; Acts 8:37).

G. Campbell Morgan was once approached by a soldier who said he would give anything to believe that God would forgive sins, "but I cannot believe He will forgive me if I just turn to Him; it is too cheap."

Dr. Morgan said to him: "You were working in the mine today. How did you get out of the pit?"

He answered: "The way I usually do; I got into the cage and was pulled to the top."

"How much did you pay to come out of the pit?"

"I didn't pay anything."

"Weren't you afraid to trust yourself to that cage? Was it not too cheap?"

"Oh, no!" said the man. "It was cheap for me, but it cost the company a lot of money to sink that shaft."

The man saw the light, that it was the infinite price paid by the Son of God for our salvation, which comes to us by faith and not by anything that we can do. - Pillar of Fire

Abraham Lincoln opposed slavery but his Emancipation Proclamation emancipated no one. Lincoln called it "a fit and necessary war measure for repressing rebellion"- not a humanitarian edict. Issued on New Year's Day in 1863, the proclamation freed only slaves in the secessionist Southern States, excepting West Virginia and parts of Virginia & Louisiana. It did not apply to slaves in the North in the border states of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri.

The proclamation satisfied abolitionists and enabled the Union forces to enlist secessionists' slaves. (By 1864, the Union forces had gained 130,000 black soldiers, sailors and laborers.)

Many slaves escaped to the North; many were liberated as Union troops advanced. But it was not until the 13th Amendment took effect in 1865 that slavery was abolished.

In a 3rd-century debate on Christianity, Celsus said to Origen, "When most teachers go forth to teach, they cry, 'Come to me, you who are clean and worthy,' and they are followed by the highest caliber of people available. But your silly master cries, 'Come to me, you who are down and beaten by life,' and so he accumulates around him the rag, tag and bobtail of humanity."

And Origen replied: "Yes, they are the rag, tag and bobtail of humanity. But Jesus does not leave them that way. Out of material you would have thrown away as useless, he fashions men, giving them back their self-respect, enabling them to stand on their feet and look God in the eyes. They were cowed, cringing, broken things. But the Son has set them free."

I am convinced that if we reflected more about the pain and agony our sins brought upon Jesus two thousand years ago, our lives would be completely different.

During the Vietnam conflict, a young graduate of West Point Academy was sent to Vietnam to lead a group of new recruits into battle. He did his job well, trying his best to keep his men from ambush and death. However, one night he and his men were overtaken by a battalion of the Viet Cong. He was able to get all but one of his men to safety. The one soldier who had been left behind had been severely wounded, and from their trenches, the young lieutenant and his men could hear their wounded comrade moaning and crying for help. They all knew that venturing out into the vicious crossfire of the enemy would mean almost certain death. But the groaning of the wounded soldier continued on through the night. Eventually, the endurance of the young lieutenant came to an end, and he crawled out of his place of safety toward the cries of the dying man. He got to him safely and was able to drag him back. But just as he pushed the wounded man into the safety of the trench, he himself caught a bullet in the back and was killed instantly.

Several months later, the rescued man returned to the United States, and when the parents of the dead hero heard that he was in their vicinity, they planned to have him come to dinner. They wanted to know this young man whose life was spared at such a great cost to them. On the night of the dinner party, their guest arrived drunk. He was loud and boisterous. He told off color jokes and showed no concern for his suffering hosts. The parents of the dead hero did the best they could to make it a worthwhile evening, but their efforts went unrewarded. At the end of that torturous visit, the obscene guest left. As her husband closed the door, the mother collapsed in tears and cried, "To think that our precious son had to die for somebody like that."

That soldier owed those parents the best that was in him. It was evil for him to give so little thought to what they had lost because of him. Considering the price that had been paid for his life, his ingratitude was beyond comprehension.

But, before we go too far in our criticism of that ungrateful soldier, shouldn't we consider how much like him most of us are? Jesus died for us, yet we continue to sin. Jesus paid a terrible price to give us life eternal, yet we continue to behave obscenely. We owe Him something better, but we fail to deliver what we should. We fail to reflect upon the cost of our salvation. If we did our lives would be radically different.

An antique collector passing through a small village stopped to watch an old man chopping wood with an ancient ax. "That's a mighty old ax you have there," he remarked.

"Yep," said the villager, "it once belonged to George Washington."

"Not really!" gasped the collector. "It certainly stood up well."

"Of course," admitted the old man, "it's had three new handles and two new heads."

LIVING IN A "SMALL" WHITE HOUSE? R.Digest 4/94 p. 212

At a Press Club Foundation dinner, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia was asked why he didn't run for President. "Why would I want to live in that tiny house?" he said. -Quoted in Roll Call

OUR DESTINY DETERMINED BY SINGLE CHOICE Our Daily Bread

A certain courthouse in Ohio stands in a unique location. Raindrops that fall on the north side of the building go into Lake Ontario and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while those falling on the south side go into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. At precisely the point of the peak of the roof, just a gentle puff of wind can determine the destiny of many raindrops. It will make a difference of more than 2,000 miles as to their final destination.

The spiritual application is clear. By the smallest deed or choice of words we might set in motion influences that could change the course of others' lives here and now, and could also affect their eternal destiny.

I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS SO VALUABLE! R.Digest 9/95 p. 158

At a garage sale I spotted a handsome antique copper kettle for only $2.50. It was badly tarnished, so I asked the woman running the sale if the discoloration would come out.

She cheerfully offered to try some copper cleaner on it and disappeared with it into the house. Reappearing with the gleaming kettle, she handed it to me for inspection. Then I noticed that she had also put a new price tag on it: "Like new-$10."

YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED! R.Digest 6/95 p. 97

"You Have been specially selected Ms. Emery-" the voice on the phone announced.

Before she could continue, I interrupted, "You must have the wrong number."

With just the slightest hesitation, she recovered and informed me, "Well, whoever you are, you have been specially selected to receive an amazing offer."

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR SOUL Poem

You may reach the highest portals, and your dreams may all come true;

Wealth and fame may be your portion, and success may shine on you.

All your friends may sing your praises, not a care on you may roll;

What about the great tomorrow? Have you thought about your soul?

Don't forget your days are numbered, though you may be riding high;

But like all of us poor mortals, someday you'll just up and die.

Your success and fame and glory won't be worth the bell they toll;

Let me ask you just one question, Have you thought about your soul?

The Amazon River is the largest river in the world. The mouth is 90 miles across. There is enough water to exceed the combined flow of the Yangtze, Mississippi and Nile Rivers. So much water comes from the Amazon that they can detect its currents 200 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean. One irony of ancient navigation is that sailors in ancient times died for lack of water... caught in windless waters of the South Atlantic. They were adrift, helpless, dying of thirst. Sometimes other ships from South America who knew the area would come alongside and call out, "What is your problem?" And they would exclaim, "Can you spare us some water? Our sailors are dying of thirst!" And from the other ship would come the cry, "Just lower your buckets. You are in the mouth of the mighty Amazon River." The irony of ancient Israel and the tragedy around us today is that God, the fountain of living water, is right here and people don't draw from Him.

Greek word Tetelestai, which in our version of the Scripture is translated, "It is finished." Archaeologists have repeatedly found its Latin equivalent, consummatum est, scrawled across tax receipts used in those days, indicating it also meant "paid," A renowned Presbyterian professor has conjectured that many standing near the cross probably interpreted the Savior's words as having that connotation. With sin's account settled, our debt of guilt was indeed wiped out!

Dr. Jacob Chamberlain, an early missionary to India, recalls that while preaching to a group who had come to bathe in the "sacred stream" of the Ganges, a man joined them who had crawled many agonizing miles on his knees and elbows to reach that spot. The poor exhausted soul made his prayer to Gunga, and then slipped into the water but emerged with the same conviction of sin as before. The fear of death still tugged at his heart. Then he heard Chamberlain tell the wonderful story of grace and how Christ died on the cross to rescue needy sinners. With new hope the man staggered to his feet, clasped his hands together, and cried, "Oh, that's what I need! Forgiveness and peace!" The missionary soon led him to Jesus.

A minister visited a nobleman in a Russian prison. He read a passage of Scripture and prayed, but his words met with solemn contempt. Before leaving, the pastor gave the man a Bible and urged him to read it. No sooner had the minister left than the angry prisoner kicked the Book into the corner. He thought, the Word of God, indeed! Why is this God not meting out justice to the tyrants who are abusing me? As the days passed, a terrible loneliness nearly drove him out of his mind. Snatching the Bible from off the floor, he opened it. His first glance fell on these words from Psalm 50:15, "And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee." He was surprised and touched by such a pointed invitation, yet pride prompted him to shut the Bible and drop it. The next day desperation compelled him to seek the only companion of his solitude. This time he began to study its pages. Seeing himself as a sinner, he opened his heart to Christ. His waking hours which were formerly spent wallowing in self-pity and bitterness now were being given to his newfound Friend. The shadows of death and injustice gave way to new light from another world.

A blind man once stood on a corner at a busy intersection reading aloud Acts 4 from a portion of a Braille Bible. A gentleman on his way home stopped at the edge of the crowd that had gathered to listen. At that very moment, the sightless man lost his place. While trying to find it, he kept repeating the last three words he had just read: "No other name... No other name... No other name..."

Many smiled, but the inquisitive bystander went away impressed. He had been searching for inner peace and therefore was ready to be influenced by a few words spoken "in season." He had heard the verse before, but that one phrase haunted him. Before morning he surrendered to the Holy Spirit's wooing and accepted the Savior. "I see it all now," he cried. "I've been trying to be saved by my own works and prayers. But Jesus alone can help me. He is my mediator. There is no other name whereby I must be saved." Thus a blind man's witness, given in a stumbling manner, was used to lead a seeking soul to Christ.

It is said that about 200 years ago, the tomb of the great conqueror Charlemagne was opened. The sight the workmen saw was startling. There was his body in a sitting position, clothed in the most elaborate of kingly garments, with a scepter in his bony hand. On his knee lay a New Testament passage, with a cold, lifeless finger pointing to Mark 8:36: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

The wife of an undistinguished writer once approached French poet and dramatist Francois Coppee, a member of the French Academy, asking him to support her husband's candidacy for a place in the Academy. "I beg you, vote for my husband," she pleaded. "He'll die if he's not elected." Coppee agreed, but the writer failed in his bid. When another Academy seat became vacant a few months later the woman returned, hoping Coppee would be gracious and vote for her husband again.

"Ah, no," he replied. "I kept my promise but he did not keep his. I consider myself free of any obligation."

We have to smile at the witty way Coppee avoided being forced into making a promise he didn't want to keep. Thankfully, God did not need to be forced into making His great promise to save sinners who had no claim on His grace.

A TRACTOR OF GREAT PRICE? R.Digest 10/92, p.17

A Romanian farmer has unearthed his German made Lanz tractor, more than 35 years after burying it in his garden to escape the confiscating claws of collective agriculture.

Calin Florea of Scarisoara dismantled the Lanz and packed it in tar coated cardboard in 1955. Land reforms last year finally made it possible for Florea to farm the land he owned before collectivization.

A CONTACT OF GREAT PRICE? R.Digest 10/92 p. 66

The teenager lost a contact lens while playing basketball in his driveway. After a fruitless search, he told his mother the lens was nowhere to be found. Undaunted, she went outside and in a few minutes returned with the lens in her hand.

"I really looked hard for that, Mom," said the youth. "How'd you manage to find it?"

"We weren't looking for the same thing," she replied. "You were looking for a small piece of plastic. I was looking for $150."

SONG "THE NINETY AND NINE" Pulpit Helps 11/93 p.23

There were ninety and nine that safely lay in the shelter of the fold;

But one was out on the hills away, far off from the gates of gold -

Away on the mountains wild and bare, away from the tender Shepherd's care.

But all through the mountains, thunder riven, and up from the rocky steep,

There arose a cry to the gate of heaven, "Rejoice! I have found my sheep!"

And the angels echoed around the throne

"Rejoice, for the Lord brings back his own!"

HOW DO I GET OUT? R.Digest 11/77 p. 252

A telephone repairman, who had been working late in an unfamiliar building got lost. Finally, he saw a woman at the end of a corridor and asked her how he could get outside. "Dial 9," she replied.

PRAYING FOR SEAT R.Digest 9/79 p. 77

Upon entering the crowded Bible study class, I was relieved to see what seemed to be the last available chair. To be sure it was free, I questioned the young woman sitting in the neighboring seat quietly reading a Bible, "Is this seat saved?" She smiled and answered lovingly, "Not yet, but I'm praying for it."

WINSTON CHURCHILL PAINTING R. Digest AUG 1973

When Sir Winston Churchill died, his bodyguard, ex Detective Sgt. Edmund Murray, was given one of the great man's paintings as a memento of the man with whom he had worked for 15 years. The painting was recently put up for auction, where it fetched $7680. Although regretful at having to let it go, Murray enjoyed the opportunity to relate this story about Sir Winston.

It seems that Murray, too, was a part time painter, and he once showed Churchill three of his canvases. "Much better than mine," the old man grunted, "But yours will have to be judged on merit.

Dwight L. Moody, by his own admission, made a mistake on he eighth of October 1871 -- a mistake he determined never to repeat.

He had been preaching in the city of Chicago. That particular night drew his largest audience yet. His message was "What will you do then with Jesus who is called the Christ?"

By the end of the service, he was tired. He concluded his message with a presentation of the gospel and a concluding statement: "Now I give you a week to think that over. And when we come together again, you will have opportunity to respond."

A soloist began to sing. But before the final note, the music was drowned out by clanging bells and wailing sirens screaming through the streets. The great Chicago Fire was blazing. In the ashen aftermath, hundreds were dead and over a hundred thousand were homeless.

Without a doubt, some who heard Moody's message had died in the fire. He reflected remorsefully that he would have given his right arm before he would ever give an audience another week to think over the message of the gospel.

John Wesley was a popular evangelist in early America and often rode from one church to another to preach. On one such journey, outside of Hounslow Heath, he was accosted by a highwayman who shouted, "Halt, your money or your life."

Wesley got down from his horse, emptied his pockets to reveal only a handful of coins. He even invited the robber to search his saddlebags in which he carried his books. In disgust, the thief was turning away when John Wesley cried "Stop, I have something more to give you."

Puzzled, the robber turned back. Wesley then leaned bent over towards him and said "My friend, you may live to regret this sort of life in which you are engaged . If you ever do, I beseech you to remember this: 'The blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanses us from all sin.'" The robber hurried silently away, and the man of God rode on his way praying in his heart that the word might be fixed in the robber's conscience.

Years later, at the close of a Sunday evening service, a stranger stepped forward and earnestly begged to speak with him. Wesley recognized him as the robber who had accosted him so long before, but now he was a well to do tradesman and better still, a child of God. Raising Wesley's hand to his lips he affectionately kissed it and sad in deep emotion, "To you, dear sir, I owe it all."

Wesley replied softly, "Nay, nay, my friend, not to me, but to the precious blood of Christ which cleanses us from all sin."

POINTS FOR HEAVEN June 12, 1994

Once upon a time a man died and went to heaven. As he came near the pearly gates he saw Saint Peter standing at the door and confidently approached him believing he would be able to enter the eternal city with no problem. To his amazement, he was told by Peter that there was a point system he would be required to meet in order to qualify for heaven.

"How many points do I need to get into heaven?" he asked.

"Thirty thousand," replied Peter.

"Thirty thousand?!... Well, I was a member of the South Salem Church of Christ-How much was that worth?"

"About five points," came the answer.

"Five points!" the man stammered, "Okay, then what about all the good things I've done for my neighbors and family. Surely that is worth quite a bit."

"According to our records," Peter, at this point, consulted his clipboard, "that comes to about eight more points."

Worried now, the man cried out, "But that makes only thirteen of the thirty thousand required. Why, if it weren't for the grace of God, no one could make it into heaven!"

"That's the rest of the thirty thousand," replied Peter.

A DYING MESSAGE Gary Johnson Spring of 1994

Jason Tusks of Central Florida, outstanding swimmer and scuba diver, part of a family of four. The family was planning an evening birthday party and Jason had wanted to go diving earlier that day, planning to get back in time for the party. He didn't return. He had been diving in underwater caves and gotten disoriented while in one of the caves and became wedged between some rocks and he died at the age of 17.

Before he died, he took his knife and scratched this parting message on his air tank, "I love you Dad, Mom and Tim. Jason." Then he died. That was his dying message.

Jesus last words to the church: Revelation 2:8-10 "Be faithful even to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life."

LATER THAN THEY THINK Pulpit Helps, April, 94 Vol. 19 Pg. 15

The story is told of a man who rushed into a suburban railroad station one morning and, almost breathlessly, asked the ticket agent: "When does the 8:01 train leave?"

"At 8:01," was the answer.

"Well," the man replied, "it is 7:59 by my watch, 7:57 by the town clock, and 8:04 by the station clock. Which am I to go by?"

"You can go by any clock you wish," said the agent, "but you cannot go by the 8:01 train, for it has already left."

God's timing is moving forward hour by hour, minute by minute. There are multitudes who seem to think that they can live by any schedule they choose and that, in their own time. Now it may be later than they think. Soon it my be too late. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (II Corinthians 6:2)

One characteristic that distinguishes Christianity from all other regions of the world is the teaching of salvation by grace, through faith, apart from human works. For this reason, I was especially interested in the following headline in the 'Grand Rapids Press':

"Conversation to Hindu Faith Is Tortuous." The article stated, "A West German businessman has completed his conversion to the Hindu faith by piercing himself through the cheeks with a 1/4-inch thick, 4-foot-long steel rod, and pulling a chariot for 2 miles by ropes attached to his back and chest by steel hooks. Others walk through 20-foot-long pits of fire, don shoes with soles made of nails, or hang in the air spread-eagle from hooks embedded in their backs."

What a contrast to Christianity. Aren't you glad that conversion to belief in Jesus Christ is not accomplished by this kind of self-inflicted torture?

LOST HAVE NO SPIRITUAL OXYGEN from report by Dennis E. Hensley

When I was a newspaper reporter, I did a feature on training procedures for Air Force pilots. One flight condition a pilot must understand is hypoxia or "oxygen starvation."

Students are pared off in an altitude simulation chamber. With oxygen masks on, they are taken to simulated conditions of 30,000 feet. Then one student removes his mask for a few minutes and begins to answer simple questions on a sheet of paper.

Suddenly, their partners force the oxygen masks on the uncovered mouths and noses of those who are writing. After a few gulps of normal air, each writer is astounded at what he sees on his paper. The first few written lines are legible, but the last few lines are unreadable.

One minute earlier the participant was absolutely sure he had written his answers in perfectly legible script. In reality he was on the verge of losing total consciousness. Remarkably he didn't even know he was blacking out.

Similarly, people can be spiritually starved. They may not know anything is wrong, but unless someone explains how to obtain the "breath of life," those disconnected from God will never gain spiritual "consciousness."