Hearthstone - September 2003

Volume 18, No.9 SEPTEMBER 2003
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CONTENTS Life's Voyage The Roughened Path Hugs 'N Tugs By Wendy Greiner Lefko The Best Of Lifeline By Rev. Larry W. Greiner Let Your Light Shine When Jesus Comes The Land of the Living Prayer For The Aging Life's Burdens Larry's Korean Korner Praise & Prayer Greiner Itinerary	LIFE’S VOYAGE O LORD OF THE OCEANS, My little bark sails on a restless sea, Grant that Jesus may sit at the helm and steer me safely; Suffer no adverse currents to divert my heavenward course; Let not my faith be wrecked amid storms and shoals; Bring me to harbour with flying pennants, hull unbreached, cargo unspoiled. I ask great things, expect great things, shall receive great things. I venture on Thee wholly, fully, my wind, sunshine, anchor, defense. The voyage is long, the waves high, the storms pitiless, but my helm is held steady, Thy Word secures safe passage, Thy grace wafts me onward, my haven is guaranteed. This day will bring me nearer home. Grant me holy consistency in every transaction, my peace flowing as a running tide, my righteousness as every chasing wave. Help me to live circumspectly, with skill to convert every care into prayer, Halo my path with gentleness and love, smooth every asperity of temper; let me not forget how easy it is to occasion grief; may I strive to bind up every wound, and pour oil on all troubled waters. May the world this day be happier and better because I live. Let my mast before me be the Saviour’s cross, and every oncoming wave the fountain in His side. Help me, protect me in the moving sea until I reach the shore of unceasing praise. —A Puritan Prayer from The Valley Of Vision Click here to view the above poem in a special setting
We are not driven from Behind, but lured from Before! Not pushed, but pulled! Magnetized from Beyond! —Lloyd C. Douglas

HUGS ‘N TUGS
	By Wendy Greiner Lefko CAN YOU TRUST ME? My Child, I know you cannot see the way; You do not know what lies ahead. You can’t understand why things have happened as they have. The way seems clouded with uncertainty, trials and confusion. But can you trust Me? I know it all seems so unclear, so unfair, almost unjust. You hurt, you cry, you wonder why. Human reason fails you, earthly answers elude you. Fervent prayers for clarity sweep over your lips, While pain and yearning for understanding fill your heart. But can you trust Me? I know your life is filled with questions now— Crossroads, unexpected tribulations, one disappointment after another. It all comes crashing at you unceasingly as the ocean waves beat upon the shore. You cannot understand why it’s happening to you. You are not even sure how you should respond to the turmoil that fills your life right now. But can you trust Me? You cannot make sense of all the discord. Though you have done all you can to seek My will, it still seems out of reach. You cannot understand why I would allow such heartache and difficult circumstances to continue to pound at you. But can you trust Me? Can you trust My heart if you cannot see My purpose? Can you trust Who I am if you cannot understand what I am doing? Can you trust My love for you if you cannot feel it? Can you trust Me as the One Who died for you? Can you trust Me as the all-knowing, all-wise God of the universe? Yes! I will trust You, Lord! Though I cannot see your purpose, I trust Your heart. Though I cannot understand all that is transpiring in my life, I trust Who You are. Though I cannot always feel Your love for me, I know it is real and unfailing. Regardless of my circumstances, I know I can trust You, because of Who You are. “But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10 ). Click here to view the above prose in a special setting. Back to Contents

THE BEST OF LIFELINE
	By Rev. Larry W. Greiner Many years ago a poor orphan in a small German town advertised a piano recital. Her posters falsely identified her as a student of the famous Hungarian composer and pianist, Franz Liszt. To her horror she learned that Liszt was going to visit her town at the time of her recital. Knowing he would certainly see the posters, she dreaded the serious consequences. With a step of real courage she requested an interview with the celebrity on his arrival the day before the concert. She sobbed out her confession, anticipating well-deserved reproof. Said Liszt, "You certainly have done a very wrong thing, but we all make mistakes. Then the only thing to do is to be sorry. I think you are sorry. So let me hear you play." Playing in front of the master frightened her, so she stumbled quite a bit at first, but gaining more confidence, she began to play better. After correcting her in a few places, Liszt remarked, "I have now instructed you a little. You are a pupil of Liszt. You may go on with your concert tomorrow night. The last number will be played, not by the pupil, but by the teacher." What are we advertising? We can advertise that we are pupils of Jesus Christ, but our actions may speak different words. The Master knows our heart. What does He see? Will you commit yourself to living honest and upright before the Lord? Only then will our testimony affect those around us. "Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His. And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." (2 Timothy 2:19). Back to Contents

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE
	His lamp am I, to shine where He shall say, And lamps are not for sunny rooms, Nor for the light of day. And as sometimes a flame we find, Clear, shining through the night, So bright we do not see the lamp, But only see the light; So may I shine—His light the flame— That men may glorify His name. —Annie Johnson Flint Back to Contents
A CHRISTIAN IS CALLED TO BE A WITNESS, NOT COUNSEL FOR THE PROSECUTION.
WHEN JESUS COMES
	A Christian father was telling his children how the Lord will come someday to take the people who love Him to Heaven to live with Him. Wanting it to have an effect on their lives, he asked each one what he or she would like to be doing when Jesus came. The oldest boy said he would like to getting the firewood. The next wanted to be doing his homework. Big sister said she would like to be washing the dishes. But little sister said she wanted to be crying. “Oh!” said the father, “surely you would not want to be crying when Jesus comes!” “Yes,” she insisted, “so Jesus can wipe my tears away.” Back to Contents
THE LAND OF THE LIVING
	Owen, in his last hours, dictated a short letter to a friend. His secretary had written, “I am yet in the land of the living,” when Owen said, “Stop, change that. Write, I am yet in the land of the dying, but I hope soon to be in the land of the living.” —Selected Back to Content
Set us afire, Lord, Stir us we, we pray! While the world perishes, We go our way—Purposeless, passionless, Day after day; Set us afire, Lord, Stir us, we pray! —Cushman

PRAYER FOR THE AGING
	Lord, Thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older and will some day be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all: but Thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains; they are increasing, and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by. I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of other’s pains, but help me to endure them with patience. I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility, and a lessened cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not want to be a saint—some of them are so hard to live with: a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil. Give me the ability to see the good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people, and give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so. Amen. —Unknown Back to Contents

LIFE’S BURDENS
	Sometimes I compare our troubles to a great bundle of fagots, far too large for us to lift. But God does not require us to carry the whole at once. He mercifully unties the bundle and gives us first one stick, which we are to carry today, and then another, which we are to carry tomorrow, and so on. This we might easily manage if we would only take the burden appointed for each day, but we choose to increase our trouble by carrying yesterday’s stick again today, and adding tomorrow’s burden to our load before we are required to carry it. —John Newton Back to Contents

LARRY’S KOREAN KORNER

Recently I had the privilege of preaching to the entire Korean congregation, with a Korean pastor translating as I spoke. The church is in a transition period, with the sudden resignation of the Korean -speaking pastor. They are now in the process of looking for a new pastor. Please pray for New Covenant church as they search for God's replacement. The Lord led me to speak on Romans 8:28 that morning. Little did I know that the next day, Anna would have her fall and the Lord would seem to say to me, "You preached it, now will you live it?" With the pastor having left, the church is now being tested. Please keep them in your prayers.

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PRAISE & PRAYER

	Praise God for commitments made for Christ.
	Praise for God's protection over Anna as she tipped over her lightweight stroller by lunging forward and falling face down onto the cement sidewalk. She fractured the orbital bone under her left eye. The miracles (there always is at least one) were that they did not have to operate, for the bones fractured in such a way that they will heal on their own, and that, after many Scans and tests, there was no damage found to the eye, brain, neck or spinal cord. At the time of this writing, she is doing very well with most of her face now healed. The doctor's could not believe she wasn't more seriously hurt. They said she should be perfectly normal with no disfigurement or permanent damage. To God be the glory! "For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways."(Psalm 91:11).
	Pray for the Korean ministry.
	Please pray regarding the pressing financial needs. Some salaries have had to be put on hold. God is faithful!
	Pray for a spiritual awakening in America.

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Volume 18, No.9

SEPTEMBER 2003

Hearthstone Archives | Home Page

CONTENTS

LIFE’S VOYAGE

We are not driven from Behind, but lured from Before! Not pushed, but pulled! Magnetized from Beyond! —Lloyd C. Douglas

THE ROUGHENED PATH

HUGS ‘N TUGS

By Wendy Greiner Lefko

THE BEST OF LIFELINE

By Rev. Larry W. Greiner

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

A CHRISTIAN IS CALLED TO BE A WITNESS,
NOT COUNSEL FOR THE PROSECUTION.

WHEN JESUS COMES

THE LAND OF THE LIVING

Set us afire, Lord,
Stir us we, we pray!
While the world perishes,
We go our way—Purposeless, passionless,
Day after day;
Set us afire, Lord,
Stir us, we pray!

—Cushman

PRAYER FOR THE AGING

LIFE’S BURDENS

LARRY’S KOREAN KORNER

PRAISE & PRAYER

GREINER ITINERARY

THE ROUGHENED PATH
	If your pathway had been smooth, you would have depended upon your own surefootedness; but God roughened that path so you have to take hold of His hand. If the weather had been mild, you would have loitered along the watercourses; but at the first howl of the storm, you quickened your pace heavenward and wrapped around you the warm robe of a Savior’s righteousness. —DeWitt Talmage Back to Contents