The Old Paths

I wish the old paths were before us instead of behind us... Amen!

THE OLD PATHS
I liked the old paths, when
Moms were at home.
Dads were at work.
Brothers went into the army.
And sisters got married BEFORE having children!

Crime did not pay;
Hard work did;
And people knew the difference.

Moms could cook;
Dads would work;
Children would behave.

Husbands were loving;
Wives were supportive;
And children were polite.

Women wore the jewelry;
And Men wore the pants.
Women looked like ladies;
Men looked like gentlemen;
And children looked decent.

People loved the truth,
And hated a lie;
They came to church to get IN,
Not to get OUT!

Hymns sounded Godly;
Sermons sounded helpful;
Rejoicing sounded normal;
And crying sounded sincere.

Cursing was wicked;
Drugs were for illness;
And divorce was unthinkable.

The flag was honored;
America was beautiful;
And God was welcome!

We read the Bible in public;
Prayed in school;
And preached from house to house
To be called an American was worth dying for;
To be called a Christian was worth living for;
To be called a traitor was a shame!


Preachers preached because they had a message;
And Christians rejoiced because they had the VICTORY!
Preachers preached from the Bible;
Singers sang from the heart;
And sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED!

A new birth meant a new life;
Salvation meant a changed life;
Following Christ led to eternal life.

Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God;
Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord;
Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus;
And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you!

Laws were based on the Bible;
Homes read the Bible;
And churches taught the Bible.

God was worshiped;
Christ was exalted;
And the Holy Spirit was respected..

Church was where you found Christians
on the Lord's day, rather than in the garden,
on the creek bank, on the golf course,
Or being entertained somewhere else.

I still like the old paths the best!



"The Old Paths" was written by a retired minister who lives
In Tennessee.

God is a refuge for the oppressed

God blesses in the midst of suffering

For he has not ignored the suffering of the needy. He has not turned and walked away. He has listened to their cries for help.

Psalm 22:24 NLT

Those who suffer the same things from the same people for the same Person can scarcely not love each other.

C. S. Lewis

"

Suffering—the soil of spiritual growth

"The Bible does not promise that Christians won't suffer. In fact, the Scriptures give much evidence that we can expect to suffer, given the evil that is in the world around us and the sin that is in us.

What God does promise is that our suffering can become the catalyst for new growth. God promises to redeem our suffering into his glory.

What griefs are you currently suffering? Can you entrust them to God, confident that he will use them to bring new growth into your life?

The worst kind of suffering is that which we experience alone. When we suffer with another person who is sympathetic to our problem, the suffering is easier to bear. Throughout history, God has sympathized with suffering people. He hears our cries. How would your life and outlook be different if you become convinced that God never failed to respond to your pain?

from the TouchPoint Bible with commentaries by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers (Tyndale) p 538, 479"

Extinguishing Protestantism in France

"I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.

Isaiah 45:7 NLT

"

"The Wars of Religion began in France in 1562 between the Roman Catholics and the French Protestants called Huguenots. Though he had to convert to Catholism to ascend to the throne, Henry IV did not forget his Huguenot roots, and in 1598 issued the Edict of Nantes, which gave the Huguenots freedom of religion, civil equality, and fair administration of justice…the first time freedom was granted to two religions to coexist in a nation.

Louis XIV shared none of his grandfather's empathy for the Huguenots, and on October 18, 1685, he revoked the Edit of Nantes. All Huguenot worship and education were forbidden, and all Huguenot churches were either destroyed or turned into Catholic churches.

Mounted soldiers were housed in the homes of Huguenots. The troops were given license to do anything they pleased, short of murder, leading to horrendous acts of torture and humiliation.

Of the 1.5 million Huguenots living in France in 1660, over the next decades 400,000 risked their lives by escaping across the guarded borders into countries across Europe. Many also fled to the American colonies.

At the height of the Reformation nearly half of the population of France was Huguenot. But as a result of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the intense persecution that followed, today less than one percent of the French share the faith of the Huguenots, making France a mission field for the gospel.

adapted from The One Year® Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale) pp 584-5" Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

Time

I knelt to pray but not for long,

I had too much to do.

I had to hurry and get to work

For bills would soon be due.

So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,

And jumped up off my knees.

My Christian duty was now done

My soul could rest at ease.....

All day long I had no time

To spread a word of cheer

No time to speak of Christ to friends,

They'd laugh at me I'd fear.

No time, no time, too much to do,

That was my constant cry,

No time to give to souls in need

But at last the time, the time to die.

I went before the Lord,

I came, I stood with downcast eyes.

For in his hands God! held a book;

It was the book of life.

God looked into his book and said

"Your name I cannot find

I once was going to write it down...

But never found the time"

The Church's One Foundation

This hymn came about in the mid 1800's when the Church of England was nearly tore apart from some controversy. Bishop John William Colenso of South Africa adopted some liberal views. He had been a tireless missionary serving the Zulu people of South Africa. Now he started questioning if Moses really wrote the first five books of the Bible. He also questioned the book of Romans and denied the doctrine of eternal punishment.

In 1853 he was removed from his post. However, Colenso fought back in court and the London court of law had him reinstated. This brought about a conflict that shook the chruch to its foundation.

In 1866 Samuel Stone took the side of truth by writing twelve songs based on the Apostles' Creed. One of them was the Church's One Foundation. The music was written by Samuel Wesley the grandson of Charles Wesley.
The following year the Anglican bishops held an eclave that was the first Lambeth Conference. The tone was set by the song that became their processional for the conference. It was of course the Church's One Foundation. It has since become one of our most beloved hymns as it reminds us that the one foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rest In Peace Beth Donovan Walters

Back in late 2005 I wrote on one of my sites asking for prayers for my old high school friend Beth Donovan, who became Beth Walters when she married. Well those prayers were answered as she rallied and started to get better. It gave her 2 more years with her family. Yes I heard from another school mate that Beth finally went home to be with her Lord on Friday morning. I hope no more old friends die. Two in two weeks is almost too much for me to take. What follows is a partial reprint of what I wrote about her almost 2 years ago. While I am sad that Beth had to leave us years earlier then I or anyone would have liked, I am happy that she had 2 more years to celebrate the highs and lows, birthdays and holidays with her family. God is good people and now Beth is in his loving arms and no longer suffering any pain. Lets celebrate life of that happy smiling girl in the photo above and pray for the comofort of her family during this time and the years to come.

Not long ago I asked anyone reading this site to pray for an old high school friend who has cancer, Beth Donovan. Beth is someone who, at least to me, stood for all the good things of high school. You may have had to go to my school to understand. Our class was very cliqueish. If you weren't in their group some kids wouldn't have anything to do with you. I was not that way and, as I told my wife, neither was Beth. She was friendly and outgoing. She always had a smile for everyone. Beth never said anything bad about anyone that I know of. I remember going to her house with others from a school club to work on a club project and having alot of fun. Beth was one of our senior class officers, a straight A student and elected most versatile. Basically Beth was a nice, smart and friendly person. I never heard her use bad language or any rumors about her doing anything bad.
Her visitation will be at 5-8pm on Monday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell in Fort Thomas, KY. The funeral will be 10am Tuesday at Mary Queen of Heaven Church in Erlanger, Ky.

Rest In Peace Gary Frohn

An old member of my high school class I recently found out died on Friday. Gary and I were not what I would call close friends. He did live up the street from me and from time to time he and I along with other friends from the neighborhood would play basketball. For some reason the only memory I have of those games with Gary was both of us going up for a rebound together. Neither one of us got it as Gary said "ouch" and it surprised me. Later he told me why when he said "Get your finger nails cut or something. You scratched me there." I never thought that was funny till just now. It is odd what things will make you smile in moments of sadness.

Gary was an athlete and an honor student in high school at Lloyd Memorial High. He was a star player on the tennis team and captain in his senior year. He was on the freshman Basketball team, a member of student council and the National Honor Society. In his senior year he was part of the senior play and a member of the Homecoming Court. Recently I heard that Gary didn't live too far from here with his wife and kids. Perhaps I could have drove over to see him some time had I known he was still so close. Visitation is at Stith Funeral in Florence,Ky this Tuesday (today Sept. 11, 2007) starting at 4pm. If you read this blog and knew Gary you can call Stith to get the exact times. I plan to stop by after work to pay my last respects to my old high school mate. Please pray for his family during their time of sorrow.