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Thoughts From J. Oswald Sanders

Dear Friends,

Initially I thought this excerpt might not be for everyone. Yet, if we are ministry-minded there's a sense in which it IS -- since all of us surely know someone who struggles with loneliness. Shut-ins. People who live in nursing homes. People in hospitals. People who have lost a spouse or live alone and are now in isolation -- and there are many other scenarios. Therefore I would encourage you to read it, if not for yourself, then at least for the help it might give you in ministering to others who wrestle with feelings of loneliness. It is by J. Oswald Sanders and comes from his book, "Facing Loneliness." Enjoy.
"A nine-year study by researchers at the University of California shows that loneliness has a greater impact on the death rate than smoking, drinking, eating or exercise. The study found that people without spouses or friends had a death rate twice as high as those with social ties" (ABC News). Loneliness is usually considered a m…
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Thoughts on Praying Continually

Dear Friends,

Last week we did a Zoom prayer meeting at my church for the National Day of Prayer. During that meeting I spoke on I Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." After the meeting a couple people asked me about a quote I used in explaining how we can "pray continually." Not just often, but continually.
 In this regard Brother Lawrence's short and very practical book, "The Practice of the Presence of God" was extremely helpful. But I was also helped by the spiritual guidance offered in the three quotes I have chosen to share today. And the benefits are enormous. Praying continually adds stability to our spiritual lives and helps keep us get off the spiritual roller coaster ride that can occur when we pray sporadically. And it helps us to "bring every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ" as Paul admonishes us …
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Thoughts From "Streams In the Desert"

Dear Friends,

As I sat in my office today pondering what "thought" I would send out, I grabbed an old devotional book sitting on my desk, and just out of curiosity turned to see the devotion for today. It fit well with the times we are in, so I will share it with you. I also grabbed another from a friend's feed on Facebook. I had seen it years ago, but it also struck me as so very pertinent to the present time. So, today, you get two short thoughts to ponder! Enjoy.
"As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men...
who were invading Judah and they were defeated." I Chronicles 20:22

"Oh, if only we would worry less about our problems and sing and praise more! There are thousands of things that shackle us which could be turned into instruments of music if we just knew how to do it. Think of those people who ponder, meditate, and weigh the affairs of life, and who continually try to figure out the mysterious workings of God'…
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More Thoughts From Charles Spurgeon

Greetings Friends,
Some days are slower than others. For me, today is not one of them! Therefore, I will be sending out a much shorter thought! I spoke with someone on a call earlier today and they mentioned how they bought a book I recommended -- "Beside Still Waters - Words of Comfort for the Soul." It is a book with the writings of Charles Spurgeon updated into today's language by Roy Clarke.
In our conversation she said, "It's amazing how many of them speak so clearly into what we are going through now." In light of her words I simply opened my copy and decided to send the first one I looked at. She was right. Enjoy.

"God has fixed the time of our death (Job 7:1). It is useless to dream of living here forever. A time of departure must come unless the Lord returns. If He returns before our departure, then "we who are alive and remain shall be caught up... in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lor…
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20 Short Thoughts

Dear Friends,
Today I send you 20 short thoughts to ponder as you are holed up in your homes looking for things to do! We did not ask for this, but it is a good time to re-learn the somewhat forgotten art of Christian meditation or spiritual contemplation, seeking to focus on the fuller or more comprehensive meaning (or application) contained in just a few short words or sentences. Sometimes short "one-liners" can have a powerful impact when one pauses to consider all that has been packed into them. Enjoy.

“For He Himself IS our peace...”
Apostle Paul (Ephesians 2:14)

“God doesn’t love us because of our worth, we are of worth because God loves us.”
Martin Luther

“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes and say, “O God forgive me,” or “Help me.”
Billy Graham
“We shall never be clothed with the righteousness of Christ except we first know assuredly that we have no acceptable righteous…
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Thoughts From Dr. David Strain

Dear friends,

Today I wanted to send out a thought that was passed on to me as a word of comfort for these times. It is a devotional entry by Dr. David Strain entitled, "God Is Infinite." Hard as it is for finite people to grasp the infinite nature of God as presented in the Bible, in times like this there is little we could benefit from more. Reading what he has to say will be worth your time. Some points are corrective, but they are corrective for the purpose of restoring to us the hope and help we gain from adhering to a correct understanding of who God is. May his words be a helpful reminder of the truth we need to lean upon in these times. Enjoy.

GOD IS INFINITE

"The distinction between the Creator and the creature lies at the base of all good theology (all that is true about God). The temptation to remake God in our own image, to make ourselves bigger and God smaller, is constant and real. "Finitum non capax infinitum" (the finite cannot comprehe…
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Sustaining Essentials of the Christian Faith

Greetings Friends,

In times of change and stress and the looming unknown, people often turn to see if there is a contemporary voice crying in the wilderness offering some new insight or spiritual counsel to get them through. I listened to one such person who said he had heard from God and God had told him that the scenario the experts were painting was not God's plan. But the problem I had was that when he shared what God had told him, it sounded an awful lot like the American Dream put in God's mouth - health, wealth and prosperity. Others seem intent on trying to keep everything positive, having learned the lesson of painting a dreary outlook which led to people making a run on the banks and causing the stock market crash leading us into the Great Depression.
But don't get me wrong: I'm not opposed to optimism, or giving people hope! As a minister of the Gospel that's part of my calling! But I do need to be clear: My hope is not in optimism. My hope…
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