Erling C. Olsen

“There is only one book in the world that bears the impress of the hand of God and that vibrates with His breath. That Book is the Bible.”

The Promise of the Lord’s Coming

2 Peter 3:8-15

But do not forget one thing, my dear friends!
There is no difference in the Lord’s sight
between one day and a thousand years;
to him the two are the same.
The Lord is not slow to do what he has promised,
as some think.
Instead, he is patient with you,
because he does not want anyone to be destroyed,
but wants all to turn away from their sins.
But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief.
On that Day the heavens will disappear with a shrill noise,
the heavenly bodies will burn up and be destroyed,
and the earth with everything in it will vanish.
Since all these things will be destroyed in this way,
what kind of people should you be?
Your lives should be holy and dedicated to God,
as you wait fot the Day of God
and do your best to make it come soon -
the Day when the heavens will burn up,
and the heavenly bodies will be melted by the heat.
But we wait for what God has promised:
a new heaven and a new earth,
where righteousness will be at home.
And so, my friends, as you wait for that day,
do your best to be pure and faultless in God’s sight
and to be at peace with him.
Look on our Lord’s patience as the opportunity
he has giving you to be saved,
just as our dear brother Paul; wrote to you,
using the wisdom that God gave him.

I know He hears

By Sheryl Johnson

Each night I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
I pray my love to Him each night
and to always keep us in His light.
I know He hears each word I speak
and listens to each and all I seek,
for every morning that I wake
I realize all He’s done for my sake.
Sometimes I ask Him to hold me tight
and to help me make it through the night.
I know He hears each and every prayer,
for I feel His arms and how they care.
I pray that my food He will bless
and I pray He will listen as I confess.
Now I know He hears me as I pray,
for I feel at ease at the end of each day.
I know He hears each time I bow
and I know He’s listening to me right now.
I know my troubles on Him have poured,
but I know He hears, for he’s my Lord.

Teacher’s Prayer

I want to teach my students how to live this life on earth,
face its struggles and its strife and improve their worth,
not just the lesson in a book or how the rivers flow,
but how to choose the proper path wherever they may go,
to understand eternal truth and know the right from wrong,
and gather all the beauty of a flower and a song,
for if I help the world to grow in wisdom and in grace,
then I shall feel that I have won and I have filled my place.
And so I ask your guidance, God, that I may do my part,
for character and confidence and happiness of heart.

Famous Quote

“All self-effort is but sinking sand.
Christ alone is the Rock of our salvation.”

by Mary Stewart

Keep us, O God, from pettiness;
let us be large in thought,in word,in deed.
Let us be done with faultfinding
and leave off self-seeking.
May we put away all pretenses
and meet each other, face to face,
without self-pity and without prejudice.
May we never be hasty in judgment
and always generous.
Let us take time for all things;
make us to grow calm, serene, gentle.
Teach us to put in action our better impulses
-straightforward and unafraid.
Grant that we may realize it is
the little things of life that create difficulties;
that in the big things of life we are as one.
Oh, Lord, let us not forget to be kind.
Amen

Before The Altar

by Amy Lowell

Before the Altar, bowed, he stands
With empty hands;
Upon it perfumed offerings burn
Wreathing with smoke the sacrificial urn.
Not one of all these has he given,
No flame of his has leapt to Heaven
Fire-souled, vermilion-hearted,
Forked, and darted,
Consuming what a few spare pence
Have cheaply bought, to fling from hence
In idly-asked petition. His sole condition
Love and poverty.
And while the moon
Swings slow across the sky,
Athwart a waving pine tree,
And soon
Tips all the needles there
With silver sparkles, bitterly
He gazes, while his soul
Grows hard with thinking of the poorness of his dole. “Shining and distant Goddess, hear my prayer
Where you swim in the high air!
With charity look down on me,
Under this tree,
Tending the gifts I have not brought,
The rare and goodly things
I have not sought.
Instead, take from me all my life!.

“Upon the wings
Of shimmering moonbeams
I pack my poet’s dreams
For you.
My wearying strife,
My courage, my loss,
Into the night I toss
For you.
Golden Divinity,
Deign to look down on me
Who so unworthily
Offers to you:
All life has known,
Seeds withered unsown,
Hopes turning quick to fears,
Laughter which dies in tears.
The shredded remnant of a man
Is all the span
And compass of my offering to you. 

“Empty and silent, I
Kneel before your pure, calm majesty.
On this stone, in this urn
I pour my heart and watch it burn,
Myself the sacrifice; but be
Still unmoved: Divinity.” 

From the altar, bathed in moonlight,
The smoke rose straight in the quiet night

William R. Newell

When Adam sinned, he fled from God; when a sinner believes, he comes back!

Passion of Christ: Highlights of his life

Some people claim he’s a great teacher.
Others think he’s a prophet. Some dismiss him as a liar or even a madman. Millions hail him as Savior and Lord. Whatever people think of him, nobody can deny that he stands at the very crux of human history.The biblical record of his life shows that Jesus was born to a virgin, lived a sinless life, taught throughout Palestine for about three years, was crucified and then rose back to life three days after his death.

The Bible claims that more than 500 people saw him alive after this miraculous event. How could a mere man have lived such a life? The miracles Jesus performed, his death on the cross, his resurrection, his ascent to heaven–all point to the fact that he was no ordinary leader.

Hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, prophets predicted his coming. The Old Testament, written by many people over a period of 1,500 years, contains more than 300 such prophecies. All of these details came true, including his miraculous birth, his sinless life, his many miracles, his death and his resurrection.

By his own account, Jesus claimed he had the power to forgive sins, to cast out demons, and to determine people’s eternal destiny. He even declared he himself was God!

Declaring that he was God so angered the religious and political leaders of his day that they had him crucified. They buried him in a borrowed grave, and three days later, he rose from the dead.

The resurrection of Jesus is what makes Christianity unique and radically different from Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Judaism, and Islam. In fact, the validity of Christianity hinges on the proof of the resurrection of Jesus. If the resurrection never took place, then the Christian faith is based on a lie and people have no true hope for life after they die. But if it is true, then we can do nothing else but accept Jesus as Savior and Lord and receive his gift of love and forgiveness.

Throughout the centuries, most great scholars who have considered the proofs of the resurrection have believed, and still believe that Jesus is alive.

Who is Jesus of Nazareth to you?
Your life on this earth and for all of eternity is affected by your answer to this question. Find out how you can get to know Jesus Christ personally and discover what provisions he has made for you to live with him forever.

The above is the copyrighted property of http://passionofchrist.com/english/tour.htm

A Prayer for Salvation

Dear Lord,

I admit that I am a sinner.
I have done many things that don’t please you.
I have lived my life for myself.
I am sorry and I repent.
I ask you to forgive me.
I believe that you died on the cross for me, to save me.
You did what I could not do for myself.
I come to you now and ask you to take control of my life,
I give it to you.
Help me to live every day in a way that pleases you.
I love you, Lord, and I thank you
that I will spend all eternity with you.
Amen