We should always pray with as much earnestness as those who expect everything from God; we should always act with as much energy as those who expect everything from themselves.

…Charles C. Colson

Peace starts with a smile.

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

I cannot answer all the curious questions of the brain concerning prayer and law, not half of them, indeed, and I will not attempt to; but I will cast my anchor here in this revealing fact, that He, the Holiest of the Holy and the Wisest of the Wise, He prays. Therefore I am assured that this anchorage of Divine example will hold the vessel in the tossings of the wildest sea of doubt, and I shall be as safe as He was, if the vessel itself is engulfed in the waves of suffering and sorrow. His act is an argument. His prayer is an inspiration. His achievements are the everlasting and all-sufficient vindication of prayer.

…John Clifford (1836-1923), Social Worship [1899]

“If I am asked, as a purely intellectual question, why I believe in Christianity, I can only answer . . . I believe it quite rationally based upon the evidence. But the evidence in my case . . . is not really in this or that alleged demonstration; it is an enormous accumulation of small but unanimous facts.”

…G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

For your heart is your life, and your life can only be altered by that which is the real working of your heart. And if your prayer is only a form of words, made by the skill of other people, such a prayer can no more change you into a good man, than an actor upon the stage, who speaks kingly language, is thereby made to be a king: whereas one thought, or word, or look, towards God, proceeding from your own heart, can never be without its proper fruit, or fail of doing a real good to your soul. Again, another great and infallible benefit of this kind of prayer is this; it is the only way to be delivered from the deceitfulness of your own hearts. [Continued tomorrow]

… William Law (1686-1761), The Spirit of Prayer [1749]

Meditation:Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.”How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Words are merely carriers of the secret, supernatural communications, the light and call of God. That is why spiritual books bear such different meanings for different types and qualities of soul, why each time we read them they give us something fresh, as we can bear it.

…Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941), Light of Christ [1944]

Only one way to get there……….GETTING IN TO HEAVEN
A man dies and goes to heaven. Of course, St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter says, “Here’s how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven.
You tell me all the good things you’ve done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in.
“Okay,” the man says, “I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart.” “That’s absolutely wonderful,” says St. Peter, “that’s worth three points!”
“Three points?” he says. “Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service.” “Terrific!”! says St. Peter. “That’s certainly worth a point.”
“One point!?!!” “Well I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.” “Fantastic, that’s good for two more points,” he says.
” Only two points!?!!” Exasperated, the man cries. “At this rate the only way I’ll ever get into heaven is by the grace of God.”
“Bingo … 100 points! Come on in!”
We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and duct tape. God did it with a nail.

I don’t know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?