The Eastern Gate

I will meet you in the morning,
Just inside the Eastern Gate.
Then be ready, faithful pilgrim,
Lest with you it be too late.

If you hasten off to glory,
Linger near the Eastern Gate,
For I’m coming in the morning;
So you’ll not have long to wait.

Keep your lamps all trimmed and burning;
For the Bridegroom watch and wait.
He’ll be with us at the meeting
Just inside the Eastern Gate.

O the joys of that glad meeting
With the saints who for us wait!
What a blessèd, happy meeting
Just inside the Eastern Gate!

I will meet you, I will meet you
Just inside the Eastern Gate over there.
I will meet you, I will meet you,
I will meet you in the morning over there.

--Isaiah G. Martin

NYC

Not long ago I posted about my favorite city (Chicago!). But I have to say, our recent trip to the "Big Apple" was wonderful. It was especially good to see all 1776 feet of the new One World Trade Center (a.k.a. Freedom Tower) thrusting into the lower Manhattan skyline.

Light

At a recent meeting, it was observed how beneficial it is to bring things to light. Out in the open. Where Satan's lies can be exposed. Where shared understanding can grow.

And most of all, where God's Word can illuminate the scene.

"The entrance of thy words giveth light;" (Psalm 119:130).

Chicago

What can I say? I love this city! The skyline, the buildings, the lakefront. The hustle and bustle. The energy. The people.

The air show...more on that later. Maybe.

My kind of town!

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

when the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

when the funds are low and the debts are high,

and you want to smile but you have to sigh,

when care is pressing you down a bit- 

rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns.

As everyone of us sometimes learns.

And many a fellow turns about 

when he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow- 

you may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than it seems 

to a faint and faltering man;

Often the struggler has given up 

when he might have captured the victor's cup;

and he learned too late when the night came down,

how close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out- 

the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

and when you never can tell how close you are,

it may be near when it seems afar;

so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-

it's when things seem worst, you must not quit.

--Edgar Albert Guest

Sent by a good friend at just the right time. By the way, the pic is from Mt. Carmel where Elijah won a great victory only to be faced with great discouragement and the temptation to quit. (1 Kings 18/19).

Don't quit!

One year later...

...I still miss him terribly.
...Every day.
...The counsel.
...The friendship.
...The shared interests...God's Word, our church, the elder body, current events, history, especially presidents.
...Just checking in.
...Sharing the latest books read.
...Chuckling at our human condition, never taking ourselves too seriously.
...The integrity and unfailing "I have confidence in you."
...and so much more that love entails.

One year later...
...Still thankful for that last week.
...For strong faith to the last.
...That he's "waiting on the far side banks."
...That we'll meet in the morning beside the Eastern Gate.

...For the hope, the promise, of a glad reunion at trumpet sound.

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thess. 4:16-18)

He is Not Here!

"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said." (Matt. 28:6)
As He said.

Very simple. As Paul put it,

"Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;"
According to the scriptures.

"He was buried."
Period? No!

"He rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"
According to the scriptures.

He is Risen, indeed.

(1 Cor. 15:3-4)

Blood Moon

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come." (Joel 3:3)

Don't ask me what all these "Blood Moons" mean this year. Frankly, anyone who says they know is likely wrong. But He is coming back and we dare not scoff.

"That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation...But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" (2 Peter 3:2-4, 10-12)

The Road Ahead

Though the way seems dark and dreary.
The view obstructed by today.
Its cares.
Concerns.
Up ahead 'tis brighter.
Press on.


Psalm 119:105

Still Praising

"Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee"
(Ps. 84:3-4).

Right, not a sparrow or a swallow. But she found a nest for herself in a hanging basket just outside my office window at home last summer. And it took a zoom lens and some cropping to get this "close!"

Don't you love how Creation praises Him?

Spring is Coming!

It must be, right? We're still under a fair amount of snow with the possibility of more coming today. But as March came in like a lion, surely it will go out like a lamb!

"Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters...to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?" (Job 38:25, 27).

Happy 2014!

Something about this little girl's innocent anticipation made me think of the dawning new year.

Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be

In working or in waiting, another year with Thee.

Another year of progress, another year of praise,

Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of gladness in the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.

Another year of service, of witness for Thy love,
Another year of training for holier work above.
Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
On earth, or else in Heaven, another year for Thee. 

--Frances R. Havergal